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10 Sustainability
can also be incorporated within a wider framework of our future “eco-cities.” Many
residential areas have employed a number of strategies to contain and save water,
such as water butts in the garden that are connected with a guttering system that
traps and stores water for later use. Additionally, education campaigns will help
raise awareness on the scarcity of water and ways that citizens can reduce their
individual water consumption and wastage.
What impedes Africa from developing eco-cities? How can the challenges
you have identified be solved?
10.4.2.5 Energy
As we know, the burning of fossil fuels as a source of energy is causing large
amounts of CO 2 emission into the atmosphere. It is estimated that only half of
the emitted CO 2 is absorbed back by natural processes, leaving an excess in the
atmosphere which, given its GHG status, contributes to global warming. The Energy
Information Administration has estimated that 36% of global energy comes from
petroleum, 23% from natural gas, and 27.4% from coal (Dincer and Rosen 2012).
With world energy consumption growing at a rate of 2.3% per year, the use of these
fossil fuels is unsustainable on two fronts. Firstly, due to the level of pollution
and contribution to global warming that they incur, and secondly, they are nonrenewable and are set to run out in the not too distant future. With pressure to
reduce our fossil fuel usage, we must strive to find more sustainable and renewable
options that can still meet our growing energy demands. Sustainable energy is the
provision of energy that meets the needs of the present without any compromise
in the ability for future generations to be able to meet their own needs. We have
developed a number of different technologies that promote and produce sustainable
energy through renewable energy sources such as the wind, solar radiation, wave
power, hydroelectricity, geothermal energy, bioenergy, and tidal power.
Identify critical measures for developing a robust infrastructure for the
development of sustainable energy.
Solar energy is the best form of sustainable energy. It comes in two forms, light
and heat, both of which can be harnessed for energy and has the widest application
of any renewable energy source. Through installation of solar panels, we can trap
the sun’s rays and use it to generate electricity and heating. The energy produced
from the panels can be stored for later use, meaning that if a network of solar panels
were installed on every home and building, a completely green energy source could
10 Sustainability
can also be incorporated within a wider framework of our future “eco-cities.” Many
residential areas have employed a number of strategies to contain and save water,
such as water butts in the garden that are connected with a guttering system that
traps and stores water for later use. Additionally, education campaigns will help
raise awareness on the scarcity of water and ways that citizens can reduce their
individual water consumption and wastage.
What impedes Africa from developing eco-cities? How can the challenges
you have identified be solved?
10.4.2.5 Energy
As we know, the burning of fossil fuels as a source of energy is causing large
amounts of CO 2 emission into the atmosphere. It is estimated that only half of
the emitted CO 2 is absorbed back by natural processes, leaving an excess in the
atmosphere which, given its GHG status, contributes to global warming. The Energy
Information Administration has estimated that 36% of global energy comes from
petroleum, 23% from natural gas, and 27.4% from coal (Dincer and Rosen 2012).
With world energy consumption growing at a rate of 2.3% per year, the use of these
fossil fuels is unsustainable on two fronts. Firstly, due to the level of pollution
and contribution to global warming that they incur, and secondly, they are nonrenewable and are set to run out in the not too distant future. With pressure to
reduce our fossil fuel usage, we must strive to find more sustainable and renewable
options that can still meet our growing energy demands. Sustainable energy is the
provision of energy that meets the needs of the present without any compromise
in the ability for future generations to be able to meet their own needs. We have
developed a number of different technologies that promote and produce sustainable
energy through renewable energy sources such as the wind, solar radiation, wave
power, hydroelectricity, geothermal energy, bioenergy, and tidal power.
Identify critical measures for developing a robust infrastructure for the
development of sustainable energy.
Solar energy is the best form of sustainable energy. It comes in two forms, light
and heat, both of which can be harnessed for energy and has the widest application
of any renewable energy source. Through installation of solar panels, we can trap
the sun’s rays and use it to generate electricity and heating. The energy produced
from the panels can be stored for later use, meaning that if a network of solar panels
were installed on every home and building, a completely green energy source could