Climate Change has a great impact on our environment. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the world is bigger than just us. It’s bigger than our own life, it’s bigger than our problems. It’s bigger than our city and our state. The world is a large place in which we are all responsible for the well-being of our planet, no matter where or how we live. And unfortunately, it’s easy to forget that our planet is suffering, severely. Solar energy serves a larger purpose than fueling our homes, providing a tax break, and cutting our energy costs; solar power and solar panel companies will play a large role in saving the world.
Climate change caused by our carbon emissions (ever since the industrial revolution – this isn’t a new problem) is not a far away problem, it’s a problem that is here, right now. In fact, experts have determined that in order to avoid the worst effects of climate change we’ll have to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, which will require our carbon/greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by 43% by 2030…which is only 8 years away.
So what happens if we fail?
Here are just a few impacts that a failure to meet our 2050 climate change plan would have:
1. Some parts of the planet could become uninhabitable
Global climate changes come with more extreme weather; heat waves, drought, fires, and floods could render parts of the planet completely uninhabitable. The implications of this? Refugees would be displaced from their homes and could cause political unrest as well as over population in liveable areas. Outside labor would be impossible in some areas and severely limited in others causing loss of jobs, economical unrest, and furthering wealth gaps. In addition, wealth gaps would become increasingly dangerous, making transportation and air conditioning less of a luxury and more of a necessity for survival.
2. Impact on food production
One of the most overlooked impacts of climate change is the impact it would have (and is ALREADY) on food production. Yields for crops like grapes, wheat, and many others could be cut by as much as 30% by 2050. In addition to this, the population is rising. A rising population plus a cut in food production can – and will – equal disastrous consequences and leave more people than ever struggling with starvation and impact the economy by driving up food prices as well as losing many jobs as farmers in badly impacted areas would be driven out of business. Solar panels for business may be a great investment to increase efficiency and production in the agricultural sector, however, there is only so much it can do to mitigate the disastrous consequences of a heating planet.
3. Ocean damage
Our oceans are absorbing a high amount of our climate change impact. Rising sea levels are set to obliterate coastal habitats and leave miles and miles of coastal property underwater, further rendering parts of our planet uninhabitable and eliminating wildlife. Harmful algae blooms that poison humans and animals will become more common, and melting arctic ice exposes us to diseases we’ve never been exposed to by releasing microbes that have been frozen for hundreds of years, potentially causing more global pandemics.
4. Air quality
Emissions of pollutants could create an air quality so bad in some areas that it would be hazardous to human health. Humans would potentially have to wear masks every day, and pollution related deaths would increase. In other words, the air pollution that would result from the worst effects of climate change would severely impact public health and the ecosystem. This only reinforces the importance of solar panel installations in residential homes and solar panels for commercial purposes, as harnessing solar energy is able to power many of our current processes without emitting more pollutants.
5. Availability to water
Water scarcity and redistribution is quickly becoming a severe problem stemming from climate change. Droughts and floods will create unpredictable water availability and extreme scarcity in areas most affected by heat waves. One impactful use of solar panel installation could be utilizing our oceans for drinking water by creating more desalination plants and harnessing the ocean to our advantage
So What Can We Do About It?
In order to meet our 2050 Environmental Plan, renewable energy (including solar power) should be the focus. Based on the International Renewable Energy Agency’s research, energy-related carbon emissions must be reduced by 70%. Solar panel companies have a large role to play in the coming years, and solar panel installation jobs may be set to skyrocket. At Solaria, we look forward to saving the world with you. As a business, we implore other businesses to harness the power of solar energy in the coming years and are here to discuss how solar panels for business can be of use to you. To the residential consumer, we make you a promise to continue to commit to being one of the best solar panel companies in the Orlando area while doing our best to drive down the average cost of solar panel installation in order to make solar energy accessible to all.
