Since the industrial revolution, the impact of fossil fuels has not been meager in the growth of nations and the economy. In fact, the growth of any economy cannot be said to have been looked properly into without looking to their energy consumption which before the advent of renewables has been solely fossils (oil, gas, and coal).
It is however imperative to note that fossil fuels have in their weight caused some significant damage. Notably, greenhouse gases have largely been produced due to anthropogenic activities with their impact posing strong threats to human existence. A major source of greenhouse gases increase in the atmosphere is fossil fuel and its products. The United Nations in 2015, as a body came together, as a proactive measure, to look into the issue of climate change, and a resultant effect of the 2015 Paris Agreement makes it clear that a continuous demand for oil, gas, and coal will not be in support of achieving the desired results of keeping the global temperature to an average of well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and bring the increase of temperature to as low as 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Importantly, fossil fuels are not going to be taken aside cheaply as it seems that man has a supposed “addiction” to fossil energy, and therefore we will have to take intentional and drastic actions towards having our energy green and our atmosphere clean.
However, with solar energy becoming very cheap and affordable, and conforming to the sustainable development goals, the world is gearing towards transitioning away from fossils towards renewables. Low-carbon energy has shown tremendous growth in the last decade, it is gradually becoming obvious man’s affinity for fossils can well be broken, although not without a fight as the dominance of fossils has both geopolitical implications as well as environmental implications.
We are now at the threshold where we must make a decision to save our planet. There have droughts, floods, and a significant rise in sea levels. This puts us at a point of taking responsibility for the environment.
About Ayodeji
Ayodeji Adekanbi is a graduate of Physics from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. He is a social and energy enthusiast whose heart is keen on seeing an eruption of Renewable Enegy alive in Nigeria and Africa. A current postgraduate fellow of Renewable Energy at the Prestigious university of Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria. He is a staunch advocate of the SDGs and believes they are largely achievable by 2030, given our individual, and mutual contribution in our respective sectors and mode of living.
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