Land Resources & Land Use Change

Land itself is a major resource,

needed for food production, animal
husbandry, industry, and for our growing human
settlements. These forms of intensive land use
are frequently extended at the cost of ‘wild
lands’, our remaining forests, grasslands, wetlands
and deserts.
Thus, it is essential to evolve a
rational land-use policy that examines how much
land must be made available for different purposes
and where it must be situated. For instance,
there are usually alternate sites at which
industrial complexes or dams can be built, but a
natural wilderness cannot be recreated artificially.
Scientists today believe that at least 10
percent of land and water bodies of each ecosystem
must be kept as wilderness for the long term
needs of protecting nature and natural
resources.
Land as a resource is now under serious pressure
due to an increasing ‘land hunger’ - to produce
sufficient quantities of food for an exploding
human population.
It is also affected by degradation
due to misuse. Land and water resources
are polluted by industrial waste and rural
and urban sewage. They are increasingly
being diverted for short-term economic gains
to agriculture and industry. Natural wetlands of
great value are being drained for agriculture and
other purposes. Semi-arid land is being irrigated
and overused.
The most damaging change in land use is demonstrated
by the rapidity with which forests have
vanished during recent times, both in India and
in the rest of the world. Forests provide us with
a variety of services.
These include processes
such as maintaining oxygen levels in the atmosphere,
removal of carbon dioxide, control over
water regimes, and slowing down erosion and
also produce products such as food, fuel, timber,
fodder, medicinal plants, etc. In the long
term, the loss of these is far greater than the
 short-term gains produced by converting forested
lands to other uses.
Land Degradation

Farmland is under threat

due to more and more intense utilisation. Every
year, between 5 to 7 million hectares of land
worldwide is added to the existing degraded
farmland. When soil is used more intensively by
farming, it is eroded more rapidly by wind and
rain. Over irrigating farmland leads to
salinisation, as evaporation of water brings the
salts to the surface of the soil on which crops
cannot grow. Over irrigation also creates water
logging of the topsoil so that crop roots are affected
and the crop deteriorates. The use of
more and more chemical fertilizers poisons the
soil so that eventually the land becomes unproductive.
As urban centers grow and industrial expansion
occurs, the agricultural land and forests shrink.
This is a serious loss and has long term ill effects
on human civilisation.
Soil erosion
The characteristics of natural ecosystems
such as forests and grasslands depend
on the type of soil. Soils of various types support
a wide variety of crops. The misuse of an
ecosystem leads to loss of valuable soil through
erosion by the monsoon rains and, to a smaller
extent, by wind. The roots of the trees in the
forest hold the soil. Deforestation thus leads to
rapid soil erosion. Soil is washed into streams
and is transported into rivers and finally lost to
the sea. The process is more evident in areas
where deforestation has led to erosion on steep
hill slopes as in the Himalayas and in the Western
Ghats. These areas are called ‘ecologically
sensitive areas’ or ESAs. To prevent the loss of
millions of tons of valuable soil every year, it is
essential to preserve what remains of our natural
forest cover. It is equally important to reforest
denuded areas. The linkage between the
existence of forests and the presence of soil is
greater than the forest’s physical soil binding function alone.
 The soil is enriched by the leaf litter
of the forest. This detritus is broken down
by soil micro-organisms, fungi, worms and insects,
which help to recycle nutrients in the system.
Further losses of our soil wealth will impoverish
our country and reduce its capacity to
grow enough food in future.
Desertification
This is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to
natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become arid.It is the
spread of arid areas caused by a variety of factors, such as overexploitation of soil as a result
of human activity and the effects of climate change.
Effects of desertification include sand and dust storms, food insecurity, vegetation
patterning and increasing poverty. There are many possible countermeasures such
as reforestation, soil restoration, desert reclamation and managed grazing.
Throughout geological history, the development of deserts has occurred naturally. In recent
times, the influences of human activity, improper land
management, deforestation and climate change on desertification is the subject of many
scientific investigations.

Forest Resources
Use and overexploitation
Scientists estimate
that India should ideally have 33 percent of its
land under forests. Today we have only about
12 percent. Thus, we need not only to protect
existing forests but also to increase our forest
cover.
People who live in or near forests know the value
of forest resources first hand because their lives
and livelihoods depend directly on these resources.
However, the rest of us also derive great
benefits from the forests which we are rarely
aware of. The water we use depends on the
existence of forests on the watersheds around
river valleys. Our homes, furniture and paper are
made from wood from the forest. We use many
medicines that are based on forest produce. And
we depend on the oxygen that plants give out
and the removal of carbon dioxide we breathe
out from the air.
Forests once extended over large tracts of our
 country. People have used forests in our country
for thousands of years. As agriculture spread
the forests were left in patches which were controlled
mostly by tribal people. They hunted animals
and gathered plants and lived entirely on
forest resources. Deforestation became a major
concern in British times when a large amount
of timber was extracted for building their ships.
This led the British to develop scientific forestry
in India. They however alienated local people
by creating Reserved and Protected Forests
which curtailed access to the resources. This led
to a loss of stake in the conservation of the forests
which led to a gradual degradation and
fragmentation of forests across the length and
breadth of the country.

Importance of Forest Resources

Watershed protection:
• Reduce the rate of surface run-off of water.
• Prevent flash floods and soil erosion.
• Produces prolonged gradual run-off and thus prevent effects of drought.
Atmospheric regulation:
• Absorption of solar heat during evapo-transpiration.
• Maintaining carbon dioxide levels for plant growth.
• Maintaining the local climatic conditions.
Erosion control:
• Holding soil (by preventing rain from directly washing soil away).
Land bank:
• Maintenance of soil nutrients and structure.
Local use - Consumption of forest produce by local people who collect it for subsistence –
(Consumptive use)
• Food - gathering plants, fishing, hunting from the forest.
(In the past when wildlife was plentiful, people could hunt and kill animals for
food. Now that populations of most wildlife species have diminished, continued
hunting would lead to extinction.)
• Fodder - for cattle.
• Fuel wood and charcoal for cooking, heating.
• Poles - building homes especially in rural and wilderness areas.
• Timber – household articles and construction.
• Fiber - weaving of baskets, ropes, nets, string, etc.
• Sericulture – for silk.
• Apiculture - bees for honey, forest bees also pollinate crops.
• Medicinal plants - traditionally used medicines, investigating them as potential
source for new modern drugs.
Market use - (Productive use)
 • Most of the above products used for consumptive purposes are also sold as a
source of income for supporting the livelihoods of forest dwelling people.
• Minor forest produce - (non-wood products): Fuelwood, fruit, gum, fiber, etc.
which are collected and sold in local markets as a source of income for forest
dwellers.
• Major timber extraction - construction, industrial uses, paper pulp, etc. Timber
extraction is done in India by the Forest Department, but illegal logging continues
in many of the forests of India and the world.

Deforestation
Primary Causes & Consequences
Deforestation can be defined as the indefinite cutting of forests for various purposes mainly
for broad purposes of Urbanization & Industrialisation.
Where civilizations have looked
after forests by using forest resources cautiously,
they have prospered, where forests were destroyed,
the people were gradually impoverished.
Today logging and mining are serious
causes of loss of forests in our country and all
over the world. Dams built for hydroelectric
power or irrigation have submerged forests and
have displaced tribal people whose lives are
closely knit to the forest. This has become a serious
cause of concern in India.
One of India’s serious environmental problems
is forest degradation due to timber extraction
and our dependence on fuelwood. A large number
of poor rural people are still highly dependent
on wood to cook their meals and heat their
homes. We have not been able to plant enough
trees to support the need for timber and
fuelwood.
The remedial measures for protection of forest resources include:
1. Afforestation programmes
2. Social Forestry
3. Agro-Forestry
4. Community Forestry

Joint Forest Management

The need to include local communities in
Forest Management has become a growing
concern. Local people will only support
greening an area if they can see some economic
benefit from conservation. An informal
arrangement between local communities
 and the Forest Department began in
1972, in Midnapore District of West Bengal.
JFM has now evolved into a formal agreement
which identifies and respects the local
community’s rights and benefits that they
need from forest resources. Under JFM
schemes, Forest Protection Committees from
local community members are formed. They
participate in restoring green cover and protect
the area from being over exploited.
The National Forest Policy of 1988 now gives an
added importance to JFM. Another resolution
in 1990 provided a formal structure for community
participation though the formation of
Village Forest Committees. Based on these experiences,
new JFM guidelines were issued in
2000. This stipulates that at least 25 per cent of
the income from the area must go to the community.
From the initiation of the program, until
2002, there were 63,618 JFM Committees
managing over 140,953 sq. km of forest under
JFM in 27 States in India.
Timber extraction, mining and dams are invariably
parts of the needs of a developing country.
If timber is overharvested the ecological functions
of the forest are lost. Unfortunately forests
are located in areas where there are rich
mineral resources. Forests also cover the steep
embankments of river valleys, which are ideally
suited to develop hydel and irrigation projects.
Thus there is a constant conflict of interests between
the conservation interests of environmental
scientists and the Mining and Irrigation Departments.
What needs to be understood is that
long-term ecological gains cannot be sacrificed
for short-term economic gains that unfortunately
lead to deforestation. These forests where
development projects are planned, can displace
thousands of tribal people who lose their homes
when these plans are executed. This leads to
high levels of suffering for which there is rarely
a satisfactory answer.
 Water Resources
The water cycle, through evaporation and precipitation,
maintains hydrological systems which
form rivers and lakes and support in a variety of
aquatic ecosystems. Wetlands are intermediate
forms between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
and contain species of plants and animals
that are highly moisture dependent. All aquatic
ecosystems are used by a large number of people
for their daily needs such as drinking water,
washing, cooking, watering animals, and irrigating
fields. The world depends on a limited
quantity of fresh water. Water covers 70% of
the earth’s surface but only 3% of this is fresh
water. Of this, 2% is in polar ice caps and only
1% is usable water in rivers, lakes and subsoil
aquifers. Only a fraction of this can be actually
used. At a global level 70% of water is used for
agriculture about 25% for industry and only 5%
for domestic use. However this varies in different
countries and industrialized countries use a
greater percentage for industry. India uses 90%
for agriculture, 7% for industry and 3% for
domestic use.
Overutilization and pollution of surface and
groundwater
With the growth of human
population there is an increasing need for larger
amounts of water to fulfill a variety of basic
needs. Today in many areas this requirement
cannot be met. Overutilization of water occurs
at various levels. Most people use more water
than they really need. Most of us waste water
during a bath by using a shower or during washing
of clothes. Many agriculturists use more
water than necessary to grow crops. There are
many ways in which farmers can use less water
without reducing yields such as the use of drip
irrigation systems.
Agriculture also pollutes surface water and underground
water stores by the excessive use of
chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Methods such
as the use of biomass as fertilizer and non toxic
pesticides such as neem products and using integrated
 pest management systems reduces the
agricultural pollution of surface and ground
water.
Industry tends to maximise short-term economic
gains by not bothering about its liquid waste
and releasing it into streams, rivers and the sea.
In the longer term, as people become more conscious
of using ‘green products’ made by
ecosensitive industries, the polluter’s products
may not be used. The polluting industry that
does not care for the environment and pays off
bribes to get away from the cost needed to use
effluent treatment plants may eventually be
caught, punished and even closed down. Public
awareness may increasingly put pressures on
industry to produce only eco-friendly products
which are already gaining in popularity.

FLOODS
Floods have been a serious environmental
hazard for centuries. However, the havoc
raised by rivers overflowing their banks has become
progressively more damaging, as people
have deforested catchments and intensified use
of river flood plains that once acted as safety
valves. Wetlands in flood plains are nature’s
flood control systems into which overfilled rivers
could spill and act like a temporary sponge
holding the water, and preventing fast flowing
water from damaging surrounding land.
Deforestation in the Himalayas causes floods
that year after year kill people, damage crops
and destroy homes in the Ganges and its tributaries
and the Bramhaputra. Rivers change their
course during floods and tons of valuable soil is
lost to the sea. As the forests are degraded, rainwater
no longer percolates slowly into the subsoil
but runs off down the mountainside bearing
large amounts of topsoil. This blocks rivers
temporarily but gives way as the pressure
mounts allowing enormous quantities of water
 to wash suddenly down into the plains below.
There, rivers swell, burst their banks and flood
waters spread to engulf peoples’ farms and
homes.
DROUGHTS
In most arid regions of the world the
rains are unpredictable. This leads to periods
when there is a serious scarcity of water to drink,
use in farms, or provide for urban and industrial
use. Drought prone areas are thus faced with
irregular periods of famine. Agriculturists have
no income in these bad years, and as they have
no steady income, they have a constant fear of
droughts. India has ‘Drought Prone Areas Development
Programs’, which are used in such
areas to buffer the effects of droughts. Under
these schemes, people are given wages in bad
years to build roads, minor irrigation works and
plantation programs.
Drought has been a major problem in our country
especially in arid regions. It is an unpredictable
climatic condition and occurs due to the
failure of one or more monsoons. It varies in
frequency in different parts of our country.

While it is not feasible to prevent the failure of

the monsoon, good environmental management
can reduce its ill effects. The scarcity of
water during drought years affects homes, agriculture
and industry. It also leads to food shortages
and malnutrition which especially affects
children.
Several measures can be taken to minimise the
serious impacts of a drought. However this must
be done as a preventive measure so that if the
monsoons fail its impact on local people’s lives
is minimised.
In years when the monsoon is adequate, we use
up the good supply of water without trying to
conserve it and use the water judiciously. Thus
during a year when the rains are poor, there is
no water even for drinking in the drought area.
 One of the factors that worsens the effect of
drought is deforestation. Once hill slopes are
denuded of forest cover the rainwater rushes
down the rivers and is lost. Forest cover permits
water to be held in the area permitting it to
seep into the ground. This charges the underground
stores of water in natural aquifers. This
can be used in drought years if the stores have
been filled during a good monsoon. If water
from the underground stores is overused, the water table drops and vegetation suffers.
This
soil and water management and afforestation
are long-term measures that reduce the impact
of droughts.
Conflicts Over Water (Inter-state & International)
These are also called Inter-State Water Disputes.
Inter-state water disputes are conflicts between two or more states over the use,
distribution, and control of water resources.

List of Inter State Water Disputes

The Interstate River Water Disputes Act governs the settlement of disputes involving
interstate rivers and river valleys. The following are active inter-state river water dispute
tribunals:

River States in Dispute Tribunal Year of Tribunal

Formation
Ravi and Beas o Punjab Ravi & Beas Water 1986
o Haryana Tribunal
o Rajasthan

Krishna o Maharashtra Krishna Water Disputes 2004

o Telangana Tribunal II
o Andhra
Pradesh
o Karnataka

Vamsadhara o Odisha Vansadhara Water 2010

o Andhra Disputes Tribunal
Pradesh

Mahadayi/Mandovi o Maharashtra Mahadayi Water Disputes 2010

o Goa Tribunal
o Karnataka
 Mahanadi o Chhattisgarh Mahanadi Water Disputes 2018
o Odisha Tribunal

These disputes can arise due to scarcity of water, unequal distribution of water resources,
etc.
The Constitution provides for the establishment of inter-state water tribunals to adjudicate
water disputes between states.
Inter State Water Disputes in India arise due to disagreements over the use, distribution,
and control of inter-state river basin waters. It is one of the most contentious issues in India
today.
To resolve water disputes between states, the Indian Parliament passed the Inter-State
River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act in 1956, and various Inter-State Water Dispute Tribunals
were established.

International Water Conflicts

The upstream countries
could starve the downstream nations leading to
political unstable areas across the world. Examples
are Ethopia, which is upstream on the
Nile and Egypt, which is downstream and highly
dependent on the Nile. International accords
that will look at a fair distribution of water in
such areas will become critical to world peace.
India and Bangladesh already have a negotiated
agreement on the water use of the Ganges.

Mechanism for Resolution of Inter-State River Water Disputes

o The Inter-State River Water Disputes Act of 1956 governs the resolution of water
disputes.
o Under this act, if a State Government requests the resolution of a water dispute and
the Central Government determines that negotiations are insufficient, a Water
Disputes Tribunal is established to adjudicate the matter.
o In 2002, the act was amended to incorporate key recommendations from the
Sarkaria Commission.
o These amendments introduced a one-year timeframe for establishing water disputes
tribunals and a three-year timeframe for reaching a decision.

Recent interstate conflicts have occurred mainly in the Middle East (disputes
stemming from the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers shared by Turkey, Syria, and Iraq; and
the Jordan River conflict shared by Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and the State of
Palestine), in Africa (Nile River-related conflicts among Egypt, Ethiopia, and
Sudan), as well as in Central Asia (the Aral Sea conflict among Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan). In 2022 and 2023, tensions
over the Helmand River shared by Iran and Afghanistan have also flared.

In the Mekong Basin, the most upstream country China has built a series of dams on
the Mekong's headwaters, altering flow volumes and timing for downstream
countries Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

Conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance
Dam escalated in 2020 because of concern the Ethiopian dam on the Blue Nile could
reduce flows of water to Egypt, which is highly dependent on Nile River water.

In 1948, India and Pakistan had a dispute over the sharing of water rights to
the Indus River and its tributaries. An agreement was reached after five weeks and
the dispute was followed by the signing of the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960.

Energy Resources

Introduction

The sun is the primary energy source in our lives.

We use it directly for its warmth and through
various natural processes that provide us with
food, water, fuel and shelter. The
sun’s rays power the growth of
plants, which form our food material, give off oxygen
which we breathe in and take up carbon dioxide
that we breathe out. Energy from the sun
evaporates water from oceans, rivers and lakes,
to form clouds that turn into rain. Today’s fossil
fuels were once the forests that grew in prehistoric
times due to the energy of the sun.

Environmental Impacts of Energy Generation

No energy related technology is completely ‘risk

free’ and unlimited demands on energy increase
this risk factor many fold. All energy use creates
 heat and contributes to atmospheric temperature.
Many forms of energy release carbon dioxide
and lead to global warming. Nuclear energy
plants have caused enormous losses to the
environment due to the leakage of nuclear material.
The inability to effectively manage and
safely dispose of nuclear waste is a serious global concern.
At present almost 2 billion people worldwide
have no access to electricity at all. While more
people will require electrical energy, those who
do have access to it continue to increase their
individual requirements. In addition, a large proportion
of energy from electricity is wasted during
transmission as well as at the user level. It is
broadly accepted that long-term trends in energy
use should be towards a cleaner global
energy system that is less carbon intensive and
less reliant on finite non-renewable energy
sources. It is estimated that the currently used
methods of using renewable energy and non
renewable fossil fuel sources together will be
insufficient to meet foreseeable global demands
for power generation beyond the next 50 to
100 years.
Thus when we use energy wastefully, we are
contributing to a major environmental disaster
for our earth. We all need to become responsible
energy users. An electrical light that is burning
unnecessarily is a contributor to environmental
degradation.

Oil and its environmental impacts: India’s oil

reserves which are being used at present lie off
the coast of Mumbai and in Assam. Most of our
natural gas is linked to oil and, because there is
no distribution system, it is just burnt off. This
wastes nearly 40% of available gas. The processes
of oil and natural gas drilling, processing,
transport and utilisation have serious environmental
consequences, such as leaks in which
air and water are polluted and accidental fires
that may go on burning for days or weeks before
the fire can be controlled. During refining
 oil, solid waste such as salts and grease are produced
which also damage the environment. Oil
slicks are caused at sea from offshore oil wells,
cleaning of oil tankers and due to shipwrecks.
The most well-known disaster occurred when
the Exxon Valdez sank in 1989 and birds, sea otters, seals, fish and other marine
life along the coast of Alaska was seriously affected.
Oil powered vehicles emit carbon dioxide, sulphur
dioxide, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide
and particulate matter which is a major cause
of air pollution especially in cities with heavy traffic
density. Leaded petrol, leads to neuro damage
and reduces attention spans. Running petrol
vehicles with unleaded fuel has been achieved
by adding catalytic converters on all the new
cars, but unleaded fuel contains benzene and
butadine which are known to be carcinogenic
compounds.
Coal and its environmental impacts: Coal is
the world’s single largest contributor of green
house gases and is one of the most important
causes of global warming.
Many coal-based power generation plants are
not fitted with devices such as electrostatic precipitators
to reduce emissions of suspended particulate
matter (SPM) which is a major contributor
to air pollution. Burning coal also produces
oxides of sulphur and nitrogen which, combined
with water vapour, lead to ‘acid rain’. This kills
forest vegetation, and damages architectural
heritage sites, pollutes water and affects human
health.
Thermal power stations that use coal produce
waste in the form of ‘fly ash’. Large dumps are
required to dispose off this waste material, while
efforts have been made to use it for making
bricks. The transport of large quantities of fly
ash and its eventual dumping are costs that have
to be included in calculating the cost-benefits
of thermal power.

Renewable energy
Renewable energy systems use resources that
are constantly replaced and are usually less polluting.
Examples include hydropower, solar,
wind, and geothermal (energy from the heat
inside the earth). We also get renewable energy
 from burning trees and even garbage as
fuel and processing other plants into biofuels.
Renewable energy
technologies will improve the efficiency and cost
of energy systems. We may reach the point
when we may no longer rely mostly on fossil
fuel energy.

Green Energy Concept

Green energy is a term for energy that comes from renewable sources. Green energy is
often referred to as clean, sustainable, or renewable energy. The production of green
energy doesn't release toxic greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, meaning it causes little
or no environmental impact. Green energy got its name because it comes from natural
resources provided to us by the Earth. The color green is often associated with health,
nature and sustainability, so it makes sense that renewable energy is related to the color
that embodies nature.
Green energy comes from natural resources like water, wind and sun, which provide the
energy we turn into electricity.

For an energy source to be considered green energy, it must fall within the ranges of zero,
low or neutral in greenhouse gas emissions during energy generation and operation. A zero
greenhouse emissions green energy source is exactly what it sounds like; no greenhouse
gases are created during the energy source's generation. A neutral greenhouse emission
energy source, like biomass, for example, produces some greenhouse emissions when it is
used. Its emissions are balanced out by the fact that the biomass absorbs carbon dioxide
during the growing process. A low greenhouse gas emissions energy source will still create
some greenhouse gases, but the amount may be minimal, especially when compared to
burning coal or natural gas.
The sources for Green Energy are: Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Tidal Energy, Biomass,
Hydropower.
Nuclear energy can be considered green energy because it produces zero greenhouse
emissions during energy production and operation. But some often question if nuclear
waste and its storage can be dangerous. Nuclear waste can unleash toxic chemicals into the
environment from improper storage/disposal or natural disasters (think: tsunamis or
hurricanes). Also, some forms of nuclear waste can take thousands of years to break down
to a point where its radioactivity is harmful to humans, animals and plants. For these
reasons, some people are hesitant to put nuclear energy in the same category as wind, solar
and hydro. But, if you are looking strictly at the numbers, particularly the amount of
greenhouse gases it produces, then it can be considered green energy.

For many people and organizations, green energy's main draw is that it's less harmful to the
environment. Green energy sources like wind and solar power are superior options for
avoiding harmful greenhouse gas emissions. While installing wind turbines on homes may
not be possible, we can choose utility providers that supply green energy.
 Green energy is also better for our physical health as it is far less responsible for polluting
our air and water.

For this reason, we must focus more on green renewable energy sources that cause less
damage than their unsustainable counterparts, especially in less affluent countries.

Major Benefits of Green Energy

Green energy sources like wind energy and solar power are far more sustainable options
compared to fossil fuels. They offset the emissions of oxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur
dioxide, saving substantial health issues.
Another advantage of green energy is that the naturally occurring resources used to harness
this renewable energy will not deplete over time. Solar power is available as long as the sun
continues to shine, wind energy is possible as long as the wind is blowing, and hydropower
will exist as long as lakes, streams and rivers continue to flow.

Disadvantages

• Unreliability: Some sources of renewable energy depend on weather and

atmospheric conditions to function. Hydroelectric dams need enough rainfall to fill
the dam and to have a constant supply of flowing water. Wind turbines require wind
blowing at a minimum wind speed to move the blades. Solar panels need skies to be
clear and filled with enough sunshine to generate electricity. In addition, solar panels
cannot generate electricity at night.
• Lower-efficiency: More work still needs to be done to make renewable energy more
efficient at harvesting energy and converting it to electricity. Because of this,
installation projects and the maintenance of some renewable energy sources can be
pretty expensive at times, discouraging investment from companies and
governments.
• Space: Compared to other sources of energy, renewable energy sources take up
space to produce energy. Solar energy can use over 100 acres of solar panels to
produce around 20 megawatts of power. In comparison, a nuclear facility that is 650
acres can produce about 1,000 megawatts of electricity, whereas a solar plant the
same size would only have 200 megawatts. A two-megawatt wind turbine requires
1.5 acres of space.
• Storage can be expensive: Renewable energy often needs to be stored in a battery.
Just one battery can cost $10,000 to $25,000.
• Generation capacity is still lower: Currently, renewable energy generation capacity
is not large enough to meet our energy demands. As renewable energy technologies
improve and energy consumption decreases due to more efficient appliances,
electronics, and lighting, there may be a time where our construction of new and
additional renewable energy plants will catch up to meet our energy needs. We are
not there quite yet, and will still use fossil fuels and nuclear energy to supply a good
portion of our energy until then.

Even though green energy is needed for the future, plenty more work is required to make
renewables our primary energy source.
 Need for Green Energy
Green energy is essential because it produces little to no greenhouse gas emissions.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will lower air pollution and help curb the devastating
effects that fossil fuels have on climate change. Green energy also allows us to diversify our
energy supply while reducing our dependence on imported fuels. Investing in green energy
also produces jobs, especially for our next generation of workforce.