Climate change is one of the biggest environmental problems of the 21st century. Some people think that humans should stop using oil, gas and coal and switch to alternative energy resources, such as wind and solar power. Others claim that fossil fuels are essential for many industries, and not using them will result in economic recession. What is your opinion? Support your point of view with relevant examples.

Climate

change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Equally important,

however

, is the need to ensure access to

energy

for quality of life and for economic

development

. It is

therefore

critically important to address

climate

change as

part

of the sustainable

development

agenda. Ongoing progress in the

development

of new

technologies

has brought confidence and hope that these objectives will be met in the

energy

system

. Dramatic price reductions and technological advancement of wind generators and solar photovoltaics have shown that these renewable

energy

resources can be important players in global electricity systems

,

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and that the long-anticipated breakthrough in cost-effective storage technology would shift primary

energy

mixes substantially. These developments have led invariably to an assumption that we are “done” with fossil

fuels

across the

energy

system

, that there is no need for

further

development

of new resources, and that we have to stop using them as soon as possible.

This

assumption has

also

led to a perception of “good” renewables-based

technologies

in global

energy

systems today, on the one hand, and “bad” fossil

fuels

-based

technologies

, on the other. The reality is that

this

debate is much more nuanced and requires

more

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a more

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thorough investigation. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology and managing methane

emissions

throughout the fossil

energy

value chain can help meet ambitious CO2 emission reduction targets, while fossil

fuels

remain

part

of the

energy

system

.

This

will thereby allow fossil

fuels

to become "

part

of the solution", rather than remain "

part

of the problem". All

technologies

have a role to play in an

energy

system

guided by rational economics. Fossil

fuels

comprise 80 per cent of

current

Correct article usage

the current

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global primary

energy

demand, and the

energy

system

is the source of approximately

two thirds

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two-thirds

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of global CO2

emissions

. Inasmuch as methane and

other short-lived

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another short-lived climate pollutant

other short-lived climate pollutants

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climate

pollutant (SLCP)

emissions

are believed to be severely underestimated, it is likely that

energy

production and use are the

source

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sources

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of an even greater share of

emissions

.

Further

, much of

the

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biomass

fuels

are currently used around the world in

small scale

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small-scale

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heating and cooking. These are highly inefficient and polluting, especially for indoor air quality in many less-developed countries. Renewable biomass used in

this

way is a problem for sustainable

development

. If current trends continue,

in other words

, if the current share of fossil

fuels

is maintained and

energy

demand nearly doubles by 2050,

emissions

will greatly surpass the amount of carbon that can be emitted if the global average temperature rise is to be limited to 2oC. That level of

emissions

would have disastrous

climate

consequences for the planet. There are a number of emission reduction opportunities for the

energy

sector, notably reducing the amount of

energy

consumed and reducing the net carbon intensity of the

energy

sector by fuel switching and by controlling CO2

emissions

.