Renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal power, are not causes of climate change; rather, they are part of the solution to mitigate its effects. These sources produce significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas, which are the primary drivers of climate change.

Climate change is primarily caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide (CO2) from human activities like burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes. These gases trap heat and lead to global temperature rise, sea level rise, and disruptions in ecosystems.

Renewable energy sources generate electricity without emitting CO2 and other pollutants, thus helping to reduce the overall carbon footprint of energy production. On the other hand, non-renewable sources like coal, oil, and natural gas release significant amounts of CO2 and other harmful pollutants when burned for energy, exacerbating climate change.

Dr S J Malik thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Renewable energy produces zero waste. There are no carbon emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change or air pollution. That's because renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, don't emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. However, renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower also have environmental impacts, some of which are significant. The exact type and intensity of environmental impacts varies depending on the specific technology used, the geographic location, and a number of other factors.The energy sector is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. In turn, changes in climate can disrupt energy networks themselves, stress infrastructure, and pose safety risks to people. Energy efficiency is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to combat climate change, reduce energy costs for consumers, and improve the competitiveness of U.S. businesses. Energy efficiency is also a vital component in achieving net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide through decarbonization. Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. The climate on Earth has been changing since it formed 4.5 billion years ago. Until recently, natural factors have been the cause of these changes. Natural influences on the climate include volcanic eruptions, changes in the orbit of the Earth, and shifts in the Earth's crust. Generating renewable energy creates far lower emissions than burning fossil fuels. Transitioning from fossil fuels, which currently account for the lion's share of emissions, to renewable energy is key to addressing the climate crisis.

"Examination of 420,000 years old ice cores shows a close relation between temperature increase and CO2-concentration increase. During the industrial era a new energy component appears, Anthropogenic Heat Flux, and a part of that energy will accumulate in Earth climate system and become an essential part of global warming;" One could suppose that this idea, expressed in this simplicity, would be common sense! However, it is, neither more nor less than the abstract of the article "Anthropogenic Heat Flux Will Affect Global Warming" by Mats Lindgren, from the KTH "Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm", published in "Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, Vol .11 No.3, July 2021"

Available on:

Article Anthropogenic Heat Flux Will Affect Global Warming

See also

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Adaptation_and_Resilience_to_Climate_Change_Temporal_Paradox_versus_Chronology_Protection_Conjecture/26

Dr Jamel Chahed thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. These have been caused by many natural factors, including changes in the sun, emissions from volcanoes, variations in Earth's orbit and levels of carbon dioxide (CO2). Human activities are responsible for almost all of the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years. The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the United States is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. When fossil fuels are burned, they release large amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the air. Greenhouse gases trap heat in our atmosphere, causing global warming. Already the average global temperature has increased by 10C.Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, mainly caused by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels. Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, emit little to no greenhouse gases, are readily available and in most cases cheaper than coal, oil or gas. The energy sector is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. In turn, changes in climate can disrupt energy networks themselves, stress infrastructure, and pose safety risks to people.Generating renewable energy creates far lower emissions than burning fossil fuels. Transitioning from fossil fuels, which currently account for the lion's share of emissions, to renewable energy is key to addressing the climate crisis. Although renewable energy sources produce relatively low levels of GHG emissions and conventional air pollution, manufacturing and transporting them will produce some emissions and pollutants. The production of some photovoltaic (PV) cells, for instance, generates toxic substances that may contaminate water resources.The biggest dark side of renewable energy is likely the amount of space it requires. Each solar farm can produce about 357,000 kWh per acre, but the United States' electricity uses around 4,000 billion kWh each year. So, that country would need to use 11 million acres to get all of our electricity from solar panels. Renewable energy sources generate most of their energy at certain times of the day. Its electricity generation does not match with the peak demand hours. The intermittency of sunshine and wind cannot provide an on-demand power source 24 hours a week. Solar energy and wind are unpredictable. While renewable energy waste may be composed of less toxic substances than fossil fuel by-products, they are still a hazard to the environment. There is increasing concern regarding what happens with these materials when they are no longer viable, especially since they are difficult to recycle. Although India has made progress in developing its renewable energy sector, it still faces obstacles. Off-taker risk, lack of infrastructure, lack of financial intermediaries, and lack of investor understanding are the top four challenges to overcome.

Two remarks when speaking of Energy Costs or National Energy Security: 1. LCOE does not have universal values, as is it a national variable, that depends on the socioeconomic, industrial, and environmental policies of the countries as well as on their natural and human resources and their Sovereign National Security Concerns. So no universal comparison can hold water. 2. Entering the environmental impacts and risk costs into the LCOE equation from various energy sources will lead to energy price configuration, for each country, within a sustainable environmental integration that include National Security Concerns.

Moral. Without explicitly considering the costs of environmental and National Security Concerns into the intrinsic prices of all energy sources, comparing the LCOEs is only a "False Equivalency" which only serves to maintain the different interested interpretations

See also:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Energy_Renewable_Energy_and_Levelized_Cost_Of_Energy_LCOE_Paradoxes

Dr Jamel Chahed thank you for your contribution to the discussion