Energy, Environment and Sustainability: The Challenge of Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Anthropogenic activities are altering the composition of the atmosphere and contributing to climate change. With such predominance, inquiries on how to protect the environment are of high importance. Uncompromising examinations based on both scientific and ethical frameworks can play a defining response towards such inquiries. An ethical proposition is a distinctive, authoritative, and often overlooked overture to impact transform in environmental management strategies. Though scientific analysis can determine the consequences of environmental action, ethics can establish guiding principles that can govern such action. The ethical framework is appraised with respect to some of the problematic issues of sustainable energy development. As human demand for energy resources increases, the viability and sustainability of energy resources and their efficient and effective use are becoming critical public issues. However, the diverse environmental and social ramifications of energy use do make assessing its sustainability difficult. Nonetheless, indexes of sustainable energy development (SED) can be clear markers of progress towards sustainability. Examining indexes of SED is also advantageous because they are still in the development stage; critiques can still readily influence their structure. Furthermore, Monitoring CO2 emissions from energy use is considered as one of the best single indicators of the sustainability of energy use. CO2 emissions account for over half of the anthropogenic greenhouse effect; because the vast majority of CO2 emissions result from energy use, mostly from fossil fuel use; and because fossil fuels comprise around eight-five percent of the world's marketed energy supply. This study will focus on investigating the issue of energy sustainability through carbon dioxide emissions index.