DEAR EDITOR – Since this is a very important challenge that caused change in our environment, through my status as a Solomon Islands citizen, I feel and see that this challenges can lead to a significant impacts to our communities as our choice of energy development have wrong.
Firstly as we know, more than 80% of the energy we consume globally comes from a non renewable source of energy known as fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas).
Burning fossil fuels emit greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and spillage into the sea and river which causes direct negative environmental impacts.
These impacts are reflective and indicative of the vulnerability Solomon Islands country face to the treat of sea level rise, changing weather patterns, climate variability, environment pollution and livelihood.
To this day, it is still difficult to live without fossil fuels required to meet the energy demands of Solomon Islands but we can contribute to decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels through exploring alternate sources of energy.
Renewable sources of energy are the next best solution as they are more environmentally friendly, virtually inexhaustible and save money.
Some renewable sources of energy have capable to practices in Solomon Islands are Solar Energy, Hydro Power, and Wind. Solar energy refers to the Sun’s light (solar Radiation) and heat which we could harness to provide some of the energy we need.
For example, as we focus on solar energy, we can’t spend money to buy sun instead of fossil fuel, and cannot emit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
Sun exist naturally and will continue to provide energy in the future without running out as we know non renewable energy (fossil fuel) will soon be running out in quantity through the increasing demand and its sources become limited.
Focusing on our standard of living today, we are in the struggle situation.
As we know Solomon Islands is one of the poor and the small state country, the rising of fossil fuel prices are surely the main issues that caused burden to the living of the people in our rural communities to survive.
According to the negative environment impact, the increasing demands on fossil fuels will lead to the increasing emit of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere.
As we know and see today the impacts of climate change have mostly occurred in varies Islands in Solomon Islands such as sea level rise, coastal erosion and changing of weather pattern.
Those impacts affected the socially and economically development in our communities and all country as well.
Be mind that the precaution of such impacts is on our choices that we choose the energy that comes from the non renewable or renewable sources of energy?
Developing cleaner energy (renewable energy) can lead to the environmental friendly without harm to our environment.
So once again developing clean energy with environmental friendly such as solar, wind and hydro is the right option we can choose in our country to aware some social, economical and environment negative impacts.
So the government or responsible ministries what your options and choice to save our country?
Cornelius Qaqara
Honiara
