Global Perspectives 0457

Individual report

Topic:
Sustainable Living

Global Question:
Are the advantages of using sustainable energy greater than those of fossil
fuels?

Candidate Name: Ishaan Jain

Candidate Number:
Centre no: IN119
Word Count: 2473

Content

1. Introduction
 2. Evaluation of Causes and consequences from global and national perspective

3. Evaluation of Probable Solution

4. Conclusion

5. In text citations

6. Bibliography

Introduction:

Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources that provide us with the energy needed to fuel our
modern, industrialized lifestyles. However, fossil fuels come at a price: they contribute to climate
change and deplete over time. Fossil fuels accounted for over 89% of Carbon Dioxide emissions
on a global scale as suggested by a study from 2019. Reports confirm that the impact is already
large, however the solutions implemented currently have not had a major impact. It can pose
dangerous threats which are visible in the form of air pollution, rising global temperatures and
rising sea levels. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the vehicle
industry was responsible for over 29% of Carbon emissions in the USA. Power plants and
factories also contribute Carbon emissions to a large extent[1].
The EPA is the US government’s organization which is responsible for dealing with environmental protection
matters. It is a website run by the government and its purpose seems to be to educate and provide information. The
information is very recent and up to date. There are no advertisements on the article, however there may be a certain
political bias. The website has not specified the author’s name either. Despite the limitation, the article seems
reliable.

But there is another option: renewable energy sources like wind power, solar power and
hydroelectricity, which can help keep our air clean while we reduce our dependence on fossil
fuels. The world is running out of fossil fuels. And yet, renewable energy isn’t taking over the
supply chain.

This report will include a detailed analysis of the various causes and consequences for using
sustainable fuels as the primary source of energy. The causes and consequences will be studied
from a global perspective and a national perspective. The report will conclude with a probable
solution and a reflective conclusion.

Causes:

By fulfilling sustainable development goals, the UN promotes sustainable living by opposing

fossil fuel usage[2]. Several Scandinavian[3] countries have adopted and acted upon this
perspective because they have a low population, which results in lower energy needs, as well as a
rich economy, which makes obtaining sustainable energy alternatives easier. Sweden for
example has invested heavily into renewable energy. They aim to be the first country to phase
out fossil fuels. The Middle Eastern region on the other hand uses fossil fuels greatly. They have
abundant fuel reserves and rely heavily on fuels for their trade and economy. As suggested by an
article from worldatlas.com, countries including Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar rely almost
completely on fossil fuels to fill their energy requirement. The source has a list of countries that
are most dependent on fossil fuels and countries in the Middle East region dominate the list.

India, as a nation, is in favor of fossil fuels primarily due to its abundant coal reserves, which
make it more affordable and easier to obtain. Because it is a developing country with increasing
population pressure and cost pressures, it is a preferable choice. India’s energy supply was
dominated by coal with coal supplies over 55% of the energy[4] .
The above information was taken from the ministry of coal. It is the Indian government’s department which is
responsible for strategic developments and policies regarding the country’s coal and lignite reserves. Its purpose is
to provide information to everyone interested in inquiring about this topic. The department is run by the government
and there may be potential bias towards political motives, government policies and programs which are advertised
on the website. The information is likely to be recent as the government frequently updates the information, but a
limitation is that the date of publication is not provided. The author’s name is also not specified; therefore, we
cannot confirm the reliability of the website.

Nonetheless, the Indian government has recently committed to implementing measures to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. However, rural Indians have little access to sustainable fuel
sources. A report[5] shows that rural India is not yet ready for alternative energy sources where
that sentiment has been echoed.

The causes for using fossil fuels are relatively similar for both, the global and national
perspective. Countries use fossil fuels for essential functions like powering factories, allow
industries to function, provide electricity, run vehicles and to allow households to run. The main
reason globally, and nationally for using them is due to rich reserves of fossil fuels as visible in
the example of India and the Middle Eastern counties. Globally, there are many countries with
vast coal reserves and an established infrastructure for using these fossil fuels. The national and
global perspective also have similar causes for using sustainable energy which is to cut down
Carbon emissions. India is making significant progress towards sustainable energy as seen
through initiatives like The Bhadla Solar Park, the world’s largest solar power plant. However
India will take time to develop the infrastructure to support the energy needs of its whole
population through sustainable energy. Scandinavian countries have been successful for many
reasons. One reason is their lower population, which means less energy is needed to meet the
needs of each person. Another reason is the strong economy that allows them to more easily
afford sustainable alternatives.
Consequences:

Fossil fuels are used by most countries because they are abundant, efficient, and cheap. Hence,
the burden on the government is lower to pay for energy as mentioned in the example of India
above. However, when fossil fuels are burnt, large amounts of Carbon Dioxide are released into
the atmosphere. The carbon emissions raise global temperatures as they trap the solar energy in
the atmosphere. It leads to water supply and weather changes and increases sea levels. A report
from brookings.edu [6]confirms that the combustion of fossil fuels is a major reason for global
temperature increase.
The Brookings Institution is a non-profit organization based in the USA. They aim to conduct in depth research to
help solve problems the society faces at local, national, and global levels. The author of this report, Samantha Gross,
is also well qualified and experienced. The study helps provide a detailed analysis of why fossil fuels are still needed
and cannot be phased out easily. There might be some potential bias to promote the organization but it is not evident
through the article. The source seems credible.

Studies from the UN Environment Programme also confirm the same. Even though we heavily
rely on fossil fuels today, countries like Sweden are investing heavily into renewable energy
technologies as mentioned above. Sweden has been able to achieve air quality that is amongst the
best in the world after their investments as per a Greenpeace report. They have also seen reduced
electricity prices compared to 2016. Similarly, Scotland too has invested into building renewable
energy fields like floating wind farms as per climatecouncil.org/au. They too hope to see reduced
carbon emissions and lower energy prices. This will make energy available and more affordable
to large parts of the population in the long term. The citizens will also breath cleaner air which
will reduce respiratory diseases and problems. The government too will have lower long run
costs for providing energy despite the high investment costs. As mentioned earlier in the report,
countries where energy requirements are low will find it easier to switch to sustainable energy.
However, there have been negative consequences for the same. Renewable energy is not very
efficient. Energyeducation.ca suggests that most commercial solar cells achieve below 30%
efficiency. Countries like Norway don’t receive abundant sunlight during winters and would
have problems using solar energy as the solar panels would not generate any energy during the
season. This would not allow the country to use any form of sustainable energy.

India relies heavily on fossil fuels for the majority of its energy. The country has suffered from
the consequences of using these fossil fuels as India has seen a steady rise in temperatures and
air pollution. According to downtoearth.com, 1.7 million Indians died due to air pollution in
2019 caused by burning fossil fuels. This is approximately 18% of all deaths in India that year.
Downtoearth is an Indian magazine focussed on the politics of the environment and development. It is credible in
this scenario since we are talking about India. However, the website may have potential bias since it is focussed on
the politics of the environment and development, as well as the fact that it contained multiple ads on the website.
The source however published the article recently and their purpose seems like it is to inform since they’re a
magazine and their information is backed with reasoning.

As per the Paris Climate Accords, India has committed towards producing 40% of its total
energy through non fossil fuel sources by 2030. The people will be able to benefit from fewer
carbon emissions as the air will be cleaner, leading to fewer respiratory issues and long run costs
will be low. However, the initial investment will be very heavy to get the infrastructure to use
renewable energy and a large part of the Indian population will not be able to afford it.
Nonetheless, India has made significant progress in producing renewable energy compared to the
past years. As India is the world’s 3 largest energy consumer, it will take a lot of time to shift to
rd

sustainable energy. Even though India is 5 for installed hydroelectric capacity globally and has a
th

large capacity of installed plants to make renewable energy compared to many other countries,
India has the 2 largest population globally and this isn’t enough to power our economy yet.
nd

Creating these hydroelectric facilities had consequences too, the lives of fishermen and villagers
who depended on waterbodies for their livelihood had been negatively impacted. Many of them
would have lost jobs and their homes.

The countries that use sustainable energy to a certain extent benefit from it as there are no
greenhouse gases produced, air pollution is reduced and dependence on imported fuels is reduced
for countries that import the fuels. The economy also benefits as people need to be employed for
installing and maintaining these energy sources/plants. The population is able to breathe cleaner
air leading to fewer respiratory diseases and improved living standards. The pressure on the
government for spending heavily on energy also reduces as sustainable energy is cheaper in the
long run. However, implementing the technology is very expensive and it is not as efficient as
fossil fuels. Large parts of the population that are poor will not be able to afford buying and
maintaining the required infrastructure. This leads to many countries still using fossil fuels as
their primary energy source. This has its consequences including finite supply of fossil fuels
which constantly decreases as we use it. The air pollution levels also increase as carbon
emissions rise, leading to more breathing problems. They too see a positive consequence which
is not too many setup costs as the world already has an established infrastructure for the
transport and usage of energy coming through fossil fuels.

Possible Solution:

A solution that can hopefully solve the problem of ever rising carbon emissions and increasing
energy costs can be combining biofuels with fossil fuels for energy apart from sustainable
energy. Biofuels are fuels produced through processing biomass that comes from trees, energy
crops, agriculture residues and food and water residue. Biofuels combined with fossil fuels can
lead to lower carbon emissions.

To implement the solution, a country would have to invest into biofuels and combine a biofuel
like ethanol and mix it with fossil fuels. For example, a country may use a mixture of ethanol and
petroleum. Next, using the current infrastructure the nation has for the usage and transportation
of fossil fuels can be utilised for the same purpose. Year by year, the government can increase
the percentage of the biofuel in the fuel mixture. For example, in 2021 the fuels had 5% ethanol,
but for 2022, the government mandates 7% ethanol in the mixture with fossil fuels. Over time, a
reduction in fuel prices will be observed and energy will become cheaper as the country shifts
away from majorly relying only on fossil fuels.

The solution is already being used by countries across the world including India, US, Brazil and
the UK. India for example currently uses 8.5% of the biofuel, ethanol with petroleum to power
vehicles. This allows for the prices to be cut down as the energy isn’t relying on petrol solely.
This leads to reduced fuel prices which allows more people to afford petrol. India has currently
experienced record breaking fuel prices but increasing the usage of biofuels with petroleum will
allow for the rates to stay low. According to the Hindustan Times[7], the government plans to
have 20% of ethanol in petrol by 2025, allowing for lower carbon emissions and cheaper prices.
In India, biodiesel[8] is already cheaper than diesel by a substantial margin which shows that
biofuels can help to be part of the solution. Another example in the transport industry is the
aviation industry where sustainable aviation fuel is being used. Even though they are producing
significantly less carbon emissions when mixed with kerosene, they are still more expensive than
regular airplane fuel.

Biofuels have several limitations in today’s world. Firstly, they are expensive to produce as they
have low energy density and require many raw materials[9]. However, as technology has
progressed, biofuels like Ethanol[10] have become cheaper to produce than many fossil fuels and
the biofuels are energy efficient when combined with a fossil fuel. Also, as the demand for
biofuels will rise, the price will fall as producers will look to make production as cheap as
possible. One more limitation that currently exists is that there may be food shortages as crops
are used. To ensure that this does not happen, biofuel production can come from other sources
like manure.
Personal Reflection:

Through this report, I have learned a lot as a nature enthusiast. The reason I chose this issue is
because sustainability is going to be a core concept in the future, and it will be key towards
making sure that our planet remains safe. This report really allowed me to gain a lot of
knowledge about how countries are utilizing their fuels and the plans and ambitions they have
for the future. It also provided me with an insight about what the future of fuels may look like as
I explored a few solutions and sustainable fuels can be a trustable option.

“Are the advantages of using sustainable energy greater than those of fossil fuels?” Through my
research and findings, the advantages will be greater in the future, but because we don’t have the
correct infrastructure globally to sustain renewable energy, fossil fuels offer greater advantages
for the world currently.
In text citations:
[1]
“Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 27 July 2021,
www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions#electricity.
[2]
“Goal 7 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs.” United Nations, United Nations,
sdgs.un.org/goals/goal7.

[3] “Sweden and Sustainability.” Sweden.se, 29 Nov. 2021, sweden.se/climate/sustainability/sweden-and-

sustainability.

[4] “COAL – INDIAN ENERGY CHOICE.” Ministry of Coal, GOI, Govt. Of India, coal.nic.in/en/major-
statistics/coal-indian-energy-choice.
[5]
Vinodia, Ajay Kumar, and Najamuddin. “PROMOTION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN RURAL
INDIA.” ITPI Journal, ITPI Journal, www.itpi.org.in/pdfs/07_03.pdf.
[6]
Gross, Samantha. “Why Are Fossil Fuels so Hard to Quit?” Brookings, Brookings Institution , 16 June
2021, www.brookings.edu/essay/why-are-fossil-fuels-so-hard-to-quit/

[7]
Singh, Prashasti. “Ethanol-Petrol-Blending 20% Target Date Advanced to 2025: All You Need to Know.”
Hindustan Times, 6 June 2021, www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ethanolpetrolblending-20-target-date-
advanced-to-2025-all-you-need-to-know-101622939404107.html.
[8]
Sunkara, Srinivas Chowdary. “Biodiesel Petrol Price.” Biodiesel Petrol Diesel Price Today // 1-07-2021, 1
July 2021, petrobazaar.com/biodiesel-petrol-diesel-price-today-1-07-2021-18738.html.

[9] Clemente, Jude. “Why Biofuels Can't Replace Oil.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 17 June 2015,
www.forbes.com/sites/judeclemente/2015/06/17/why-biofuels-cant-replace-oil/?sh=111d6a1bf60f.
 [10]
Rinkesh. “Various Advantages and Disadvantages of Biofuels.” Conserve Energy Future, 7 July 2020,
www.conserve-energy-future.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-biofuels.php.

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Cheek, Linden. “3 Reasons We Are Still Using Fossil Fuels.” University of Arkansas Sustainability Blog,
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Clemente, Jude. “Why Biofuels Can't Replace Oil.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 17 June 2015,
www.forbes.com/sites/judeclemente/2015/06/17/why-biofuels-cant-replace-oil/?sh=111d6a1bf60f.

“COAL – INDIAN ENERGY CHOICE.” Ministry of Coal, GOI, Govt. Of India, coal.nic.in/en/major-
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Custard, Ben. “What Is Biofuel? What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages?” Carbuyer, Carbuyer, 17
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