<p>The twenty-first century world has been undergoing tremendous changes. Innovation and changes in technology have driven world growth to new heights. This has allowed several nations to grow economically and become greatest consumers of world resources. China and India for instance have seen their economies nearly triple over the last three decades consuming oil, gas and steel at immense quantities. Emerging economies around the world are experiencing similar growth. While such immense development might be plausible, it has come at an enormous cost. Today, the world population and its demand for energy are putting immense pressure on world resources. <!--more-->Oil and gas deposits are said to have a short stint and will soon run out. Either, reliance on fossil energy has proved to be the Achilles heel for the environment. The world is now experiencing a new phenomenon referred to as global warming. Droughts are more frequent, winters colder, summers warmer, storms have grown potent and the ice cap at the poles are melting much faster. Pressure on natural resources has pushed the earth and its very existence at the brink. Without a concerted paradigm shift, the next generations will face graver extremes of weather and lack of energy sources.<br />
One response that has to be adopted is the use of renewable energy. The concept of renewable energy is based on a system that does not drain the resource producing the energy. Such renewable energy sources include wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and hydropower. This energy sources use readily available indigenous sources that do not get used as well as safe for the environment.<br />
While such a paradigm may be apparent, several tenets of the world economy are making this shift. However, in my argument, the shift to renewable energy should not be left for business purposes or commercial use only. Either, the drive to renewable energy should not be left to governments and big organizations. Instead, homesteads should make similar effort in shifting to renewable energy. Water heating system should shift to solar powered systems, cooking to biomass, lighting to solar-powered battery systems and cars to ethanol powered engines. These issues ultimately call for changes in organizational structures and social aspects of the society. Introducing renewable energy concepts should be driven by societal change.</p>
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