--- title: "Climate change and renewable energy" subject: "Technology, Environment and Society" chapter: 6 key: "semester_7/technology_environment_and_society:cc-renewable-energy" source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/cc-renewable-energy site: BCT Engineering --- # Climate change and renewable energy Technology, Environment and Society · Chapter 6: Climate Change - Asked in: 2078 Bhadra - Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14 - Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/cc-renewable-energy - Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/chapter-6 ## Question Define climate change. Elaborate on the usefulness of alternative (renewable) energy regarding climate change issues. ## Short answer Climate change is a long-term alteration of weather patterns mainly due to human greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable energy helps by replacing fossil fuels in electricity, transport, and cooking, lowering CO₂ and methane emissions. It also provides decentralized power for adaptation, improves air quality, and enhances energy security. ## Answer **Climate change** is the long-term change in the Earth's average temperature and weather patterns, mainly caused by greenhouse gases released by human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Its effects include global warming, melting glaciers, sea-level rise, erratic rainfall, floods, droughts and loss of biodiversity. #### Alternative (renewable) energy Renewable energy comes from sources that are naturally replenished – **hydropower, solar, wind, biomass/biogas, geothermal and micro-hydro** – and produces little or no greenhouse gas during operation. #### Usefulness of renewable energy regarding climate change **1. Mitigation – reducing emissions** - Replaces coal, oil and gas in electricity, so CO₂ emissions fall sharply; the energy sector is the largest source of global emissions. - **Electric vehicles** powered by hydropower cut transport emissions – very relevant for Nepal, which imports all petroleum. - **Electric/induction cooking and biogas** replace firewood and LPG, reducing CO₂ and black carbon. - **Biogas** captures methane from dung that would otherwise escape. - Less firewood demand means less **deforestation**, keeping forests as carbon sinks. **2. Adaptation and resilience** - **Decentralised energy** (solar home systems, micro-hydro, mini-grids) keeps remote villages supplied when floods or landslides cut the grid. - Solar water pumps support irrigation during droughts. - Energy for cold storage, communication and early-warning systems. **3. Co-benefits** - Cleaner air in cities and homes – fewer respiratory diseases. - Energy security and less spending on imported fuel (petroleum imports are a large share of Nepal's trade deficit). - Jobs and local industry (solar installers, biogas masons, micro-hydro operators). - Rural electrification and better education and health services. **4. Nepal's context** - Large hydropower potential, good solar radiation (about 300 sunny days a year), widespread biogas (several hundred thousand plants) and micro-hydro. - Nepal's NDC and long-term strategy aim for net-zero emissions by 2045 using hydropower, EVs and clean cooking; exporting clean electricity to India and Bangladesh can help reduce regional emissions. **Limitations:** high initial cost, intermittency of solar and wind (needs storage), seasonal variation of run-of-river hydropower, and climate risks to hydropower itself (GLOF, sediment). Proper planning and storage projects are needed. ## Check yourself The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why. 1. According to the answer, climate change is best defined as: A. A long-term change in the Earth's average temperature and weather patterns, mainly from human-released greenhouse gases B. A day-to-day change in local weather caused by wind C. A short-term rise in temperature during the monsoon D. A change in the Earth's orbit only Answer: A. Climate change is long-term, not daily weather, and is mainly caused by greenhouse gases from fossil fuel burning and deforestation. (Key point: Definition of climate change) 2. How does renewable energy help in mitigation of climate change? A. It stores more CO2 in the atmosphere B. It replaces coal, oil and gas so CO2 emissions fall C. It increases the demand for firewood D. It stops the monsoon from becoming erratic Answer: B. Renewables produce little or no greenhouse gas in operation, so replacing fossil fuels in electricity and transport cuts emissions. (Key point: Mitigation role of renewables) 3. Why do biogas and electric cooking help the climate in Nepal? A. They increase LPG imports B. They need more firewood to run C. They replace firewood and LPG, capture methane from dung and reduce deforestation D. They make glaciers freeze again Answer: C. Less firewood means less deforestation (forests stay as carbon sinks), and biogas captures methane that would otherwise escape. (Key point: Biogas and forests) 4. How does decentralised renewable energy (solar home systems, micro-hydro) help in adaptation? A. It keeps remote villages supplied when floods or landslides cut the grid B. It removes the need for any storage C. It eliminates all greenhouse gases globally D. It makes rivers carry less sediment Answer: A. Local systems do not depend on the main grid, so supply continues during disasters, and they also support irrigation and early warning. (Key point: Adaptation benefit) ## Related in Technology, Environment and Society - [Short note: Causes and impacts of climate change](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Aclimate-change-causes-impacts) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 6, asked 2× - [Short note: Climate change](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Aclimate-change-note) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 6, asked 2× - [Climate change as threat to civilization](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Aclimate-change-threat-civilization) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 3 - [Climate change threat, impact and mitigation](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Acc-threat-impact-mitigation) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 3 - [Relation of air pollution and climate change](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Aair-pollution-climate-change) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 5 - [Human-induced climate change and international efforts](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Ahuman-induced-cc-international) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 6 ## Related in other subjects - [Climate change and renewable mitigation](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fenergy_environment_and_society%3Aclimate-change-renewables-mitigation) — Energy Environment and Society, chapter 4 - [Biogas routes and climate change](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fenergy_environment_and_society%3Abiogas-routes-climate-change) — Energy Environment and Society, chapter 3 - [APA and MLA: newspaper article (Clinton on Climate Change)](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Aapa-mla-harris-clinton-climate) — Communication English, chapter 4 - [Conventional vs renewable energy for generation](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_4%2Fpower_system_analysis_i%3Aconventional-vs-renewable-generation) — Power System Analysis I, chapter 1, asked 2×