Description

This book discusses the problems accompanying climate change and the methods being adopted and explored to slow the phenomenon. Achieving green energy and sustainability is a complex task, one that has increasingly drawn the attention of scientists and administrators alike. However, newcomers to the field need to first understand the basic underlying points. This book demystifies the complicated picture by adopting a first principles approach, thereby broadening readers' understanding of climate change. It also emphasizes the need to identify and pursue alternate sources of energy, in particular bioenergy. The biological resources that are used to produce biodiesel, bioethanol and biomethanol on a large scale, as well as their potential use in vehicular transportation, are discussed in detail. With the Sun as the ultimate source of energy, the basics of photovoltaic conversion are elaborated on from the first principle, i.e. also from the origin of nuclear energy. With reference to total carbon emissions, carbon fixation by way of photosynthesis is also discussed. In closing, the book discusses the health implications of climate change, particularly increases in temperature and subsequent impacts on our environment.