Even though I don’t want too many or big trees in our garden, I am well aware that trees are vital to the world. The only reason that I don’t want too many of them in our garden is that they wouldn’t have room to grow.
It’s kind of a luxury decision. After all, we live at the foot of a nature park that covers the mountains in front of our house. And behind the house is a little terrain covered with trees and shrubs. Plenty of trees in my environment to enjoy.
Low-carbon transportation is not enough to curb climate change. There is no longer any debate about the fact that combustion engines are unsustainable. Climate change is every day in the news.
Countries flood. Forests burn. Oceans are full of plastic. Biodiversity declines at an unprecedented rate. The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat are full of toxins.
97% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a major contributor to climate change, comes from the direct burning of fossil fuels. Black carbon, a component of the particulate matter discharged in exhaust fumes, causes respiratory and carcinogenic diseases and is also a major contributor to climate change.
What is sustainable energy? The common, yet rather simple definition is that an energy source is sustainable when it does not jeopardize the energy sources of future generations. Fossil fuels are an example of an energy source that will not be available for future generations.
Since March 2020 we have 8 solar panels on the south side of the roof of our house. The computer of the system informs us that we saved 3,4 tonnes of CO2. Moreover, we saved almost 800 euros on our energy bill. The excess energy we produce with our solar panels is transferred to the national electricity grid, for which we get a fee.