Energy
By Vivian Song
With the increasing global population, energy is an important resource for cities because it provides power for industries, homes, and facilities. However, the majority of the world’s energy comes from the combustion of fossil fuels, which are nonrenewable and emit pollutants that contribute to global warming.1 Climate change is a significant problem because increasing global temperatures decreases biodiversity, degrades ecosystems, negatively affects health, and increases the number of natural disasters.2 To minimize climate change, our mission is to reduce the use of fossil fuels by replacing them with alternative methods of electricity production. To implement energy systems that will decrease the amount of carbon dioxide emissions and minimize global warming, the following are our aims for energy in cities by 2050:
- Buildings: Make buildings more energy efficient (e.g. efficient lighting, heating, and cooling) to make city architecture more sustainable.
- Equity: Increase access to energy services so that cities have a reliable supply of power, especially for developing cities that presently have lower access to energy.
- Transportation: Decrease the number of emissions in public transport to zero to limit the effect of climate change. Limiting the number of emissions will minimize human impact on climate change.
- Power Production: Expand energy production in nuclear and renewable sectors such as solar, wind, and hydro power so that cities can shift away from fossil fuel combustion in thermal power plants. Facilitate this implementation through public policy and smart grids.
If governments can keep these goals in mind when implementing energy policies, we can mitigate the harmful effects of climate change while simultaneously providing sustainable energy solutions for cities.