Environmentalists Urge Renewable Energy at UN Meeting

During the United Nations meeting on Sunday, environmental activists urged nations to push through the development of renewable energy to prevent environmental problems and nuclear disasters like what happened in Fukushima, Japan.

One of the issues being raised at UN meeting in Bangkok Thailand was the formation of Green Climate Fund which was basically for helping the developing nations to get clean-energy technology. Nations had agreed to organize $100 billion a year, starting in 2020 however a “transition committee” to scheme the fund which was supposedly formed last month however it was still being discussed together with how the fund would be exactly be raised.

The technology committees and other institutions who would be implementing the resolutions were still negotiating. The World Wide Fund for Nature said that the talks in Bangkok needed to compromise at Cancun and "boost the overall ambition levels of the talks if we are to avert the worst consequences of climate change."

Greenpeace, another non-governmental organization, said that in light of the Japan disaster, governments represented in Bangkok were obliged to speed up changes in their energy sectors and promote green technologies.

"The world does not have to choose between climate disasters and disasters caused by dangerous energy like nuclear. We can choose a safe future where our societies are powered by renewable energy," it said.
As the conference began, activists from Asian and African countries began a weeklong protest outside the United Nations building, carrying an effigy of Uncle Sam to symbolize the role of the industrialized world in climate change. They said rich nations owed a huge climate debt to be repaid to developing ones by funding and technology transfer.

The global effort to avert climate change began with a 1992 U.N. treaty, when the world's nations promised to do their best to rein in carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases emitted by industry, transportation and agriculture.

Progress, however, has been slow and many scientists warn that dramatic reductions in emissions will be needed to substantially slow the melting of the polar ice caps and glaciers, the rise of sea levels and other consequences of global warming.

Investments in Renewable Energy

It is possible to have a portfolio which profitably invests in renewable energy funds. Green energy production is expected to be a multi-billion (in today's dollars) industry by 2013.

The most recently developed wind-turbine technologies have brought us wind-produced energy which is more cost efficient as well as more widespread. More state-of-the-art wind energy technologies are typically more market competitive with conventional energy technologies. The newer wind-power technologies don't even kill birds like in days of old! Wind energy production is a growing technology, and companies engaged in it would make up an excellent part of a growth or aggressive growth portfolio.

Next to consider are solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, technologies. These are to be found implemented in pocket calculators, private property lights, US Coast Guard buoys, and other areas. More and more they find their way onto the roofs of housing and commercial buildings and building complexes. Cost is falling. Their energy efficiency (the ratio of the amount of work needed to cause their energy production versus the actual energy production) is steadily on the rise. As an example, the conversion efficiency of silicon cells has increased from a mere four percent in 1982 to over 20% for the latest technologies. Photovoltaic cells create absolute zero pollution as they are generating electrical power. However, photovoltaic cells are not presently as cost effective as “utility produced” electricity. “PV” cells are not [capable at present for producing industrial-production amounts of electricity due to their present constraints on space. However, areas where photovoltaic cell arrays could be implemented are increasingly available. In sum, costs are going down while efficiency is rising for this renewable fuel technology.

Another great green investment to consider is investing to waste to energy industry. This is now one of the multi-billion dollar industries that continue to flourish in today's generation. There are quite number of companies that sells stocks relating to this industry. No doubt green investments will dominate the economy in the future. A lot of people say that the future is GREEN.

Green Energy Sources

An energy source is defined as a system wherein electricity can be generated or extracted. There are various sources of energy ranging from non-renewable to renewable energy sources. Non-renewable energy sources are the ones that cannot be renewed or regenerated quickly while renewable energy are the ones considered to be unlimited, and can be renewed or have the potential to be renewable. Renewable energy may also refer to green energy or alternative energy source.

Below are the examples of these energy sources:

• Biomass energy / waste to energy systems
This is derived from different energy sources including garbage, wood, waste, landfill gases, and alcohol fuels. In some cases living plants can also be used to generate energy, through other green technologies. With biomass, only biodegradable wastes are used to produce electricity. On the other hand waste to energy systems like biosphere technology can destroy and convert non-traditional waste materials such as fossil fuels, and municipal solid waste (MSW) into marketable by-products like energy or electricity.
Both use thermal conversion that may vary depending on the amount of oxygen and conversion temperature to convert materials into different chemical form. Combustion, torrefaction, pyrolysis, and gasification are some of the processes that involve thermal conversion. Among all other sources of energy, biosphere technology is the most efficient and most environmental system of generating energy.

• Solar energy
Solar energy is the harnessing of energy from sunlight. Nowadays solar energy is the commonly used renewable energy because it is free, cost-effective and energy efficient. It is now one of the growing industries worldwide. Though there is a single flaw regarding the production and disposal of solar panels which are used to harness energy from the sun: according to some studies solar panels are constructed using various toxic containing chemicals including toxic silicon that are harmful to human health. While solar energy industry is primarily advertised as “green energy”, but unfortunately it could be very harmful to our environment if not properly managed.
• Wind Power
Wind energy is another commonly used renewable energy and one of the ancient ways of harnessing energy. It uses wind turbines for energy production. Critics say that it also has an environmental impact since construction and maintenance of wind farms requires more energy from fossil fuels. For example, the hauling of materials uses large vehicles, not to mention cases of malfunctions of turbines which also requires huge amount of energy for repairs or replacements.


• Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is thermal energy which comes from the earth’s crust. The heat under the earth is used for generating electricity. The environmental effect of this however is the atmospheric emissions during the process consisting mainly of carbon dioxide. Water drawn from the deep earth carries a mixture of gases which cause environmental problems such as acid rain and global warming.

• Hydro Energy
Hydroelectric power is the energy from moving water. Hydropower plants are usually supported by large dams. The only problem with this is that it destroys habitats and displaces people if poorly managed.

Addressing the Energy and Environmental Issues in the Philippines

With the environmental concerns over fossil fuels government units and industries in the Philippines are now seeking alternatives that would support and provide solutions to the growing demand of energy and ecological issues. One of the environmental companies in the Philippines, Spectrum Blue Steel Corporation (SBSC) came up with a brilliant idea and that is to “de-carbonize” the production of energy through the Biosphere Technology, a waste management breakthrough.

The Biosphere Technology is a waste to energy system wherein waste materials undergo thermal decomposition at elevated temperature and limited oxygen environment. This process is known as “gasification”. Waste materials ranging from household wastes to industrial wastes can be recycled, destroyed or converted into marketable end products like electricity, inert ash, carbon black and high alloy steel wire.

This technology is just one of the renewable energy resources being explored to address environmental issues and the growing demand on energy in the country. Other renewable energy being developed includes hydropower, geothermal, wind, biomass, solar and ocean energy. Based on the study of DOE, our country has huge potentials in exploring the development of geothermal, gas and coal resources. However many environmentalists oppose the coal mining/ burning industry since it brings adverse effects to natural environment. The good thing is that the national government is now campaigning for the enhancement of energy efficiency and environment conservation to address these issues. SBSC and its affiliate companies are advocates of such campaigns. This is why they endeavor to deploy the biosphere technology in various cities and municipalities of the Philippines to empower our environment and provide green solution to energy problems in the country.

Greening the Energy Industry

For decades the world has relied mostly to fossil fuels for its energy supply, and we can no longer deny the adverse effects of this to our environment and even to public health. The global warming for example is linked to the increase of carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. And among the effects of global warming are climate change and extinction of wild life.

What many countries strive nowadays is to find alternatives to fossil fuels particularly oil and coal. The greening of energy industry is set to change and restore our environment which we all aspire for a cleaner and greener environment. But the question is, if oil is on its way out, what will be in? Since the world needs clean green energy thus it is now one of the flourishing industries today.

The growth of renewable energy industry is very important in environment conservation. If the world focuses on developing our renewable energy sources, then the target of reducing carbon footprint by 2050 is achievable. By that time nations are almost completely decarbonized. In the Philippines they are now developing renewable energy to increase energy efficiency, and maximize the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. And like developed countries, the country now provides great deals for renewable energy investors. Biosphere Technology is just among the renewable energy sources being developed in the Philippines. This technology is a waste to energy system that handles wastes in efficient and environmental manner.