10 Environmental Problems and Solutions earthyb com

Partnerships and Goals
Green innovation
Green innovation may be the most important environmental solution. People around the
world are working on new technologies and solutions that could revolutionize the way we
look at energy and waste. We haven’t scratched the surface yet on how humanity will solve
these problems. But there’s no time to waste, and we need governments and companies to
invest in research and development.
One step is to lay the foundation for innovation by drastically increasing government
funding for research on clean energy solutions. Right now, the world spends only a few
billion dollars a year on researching early-stage ideas for zero-carbon energy. It should
be investing two or three times that much.”
– Bill Gates
Read: We need clean-energy innovation and lots of it
Affordable and clean energy
There are several different forms of clean and renewable energy. Solar, wind, and hydro
energy are considered renewable energy sources. Nuclear energy, a non-renewable source of
energy that contributes little to climate change, is an example of clean energy.

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U.S. primary energy consumption by energy source, 2019 image from the U.S.
Energy Information Administration.
Electrify everything
How to make energy clean and affordable for everyone is not an easy solution to implement.
However, the phrase “electrify everything” is a concept that’s fairly easy to understand. Here’s
a paragraph that helped me understand how we can truly get clean and affordable energy for
everyone on the planet.
“We know, or at least have a pretty good idea, how to get electricity down to zero
carbon. There are options: wind, solar, nuclear, hydro, geothermal, and coal or natural
gas with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). There are plenty of disagreements
about exactly what mix of those sources will be needed to get us to a carbon-free grid,
and what mix of centralized versus distributed resources, and what mix of supply-
side versus demand-side solutions — but there’s broad consensus that pathways to
fully clean electricity exist.”
– 
The key to tackling climate change: electrify everything
 by David Roberts for Vox
Related: The Rewiring America Handbook: A Guide to Winning the Climate Fight.
Carbon taxes
You may have read statements from economists like former Federal Reserve Chairmen Ben
Bernanke, Alan Greenspan, Janet Yellen, and Paul Volcker in support of a carbon tax. That’s
because pollution and emissions are considered negative externalities.

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By correcting a well-known market failure, a carbon tax will send a powerful price
signal that harnesses the invisible hand of the marketplace to steer economic actors
towards a low-carbon future.”
– Statement by economists posted in the Wall Street Journal
Related: Why Put a Price on Carbon? by the Citizens’ Climate Lobby