In early August, Hawaii experienced a series of wildfires that resulted in the loss of over 100 lives and the burning of more than 10 square miles of land in Maui.

Greenhouse gases are well known for their role in driving climate change. By trapping heat from the sun in the atmosphere, they increase the global average temperature and change the Earth’s climate. Climate change is responsible for causing various health hazards, such as extreme heat, an increased severity of wildfires and floods, and more incidences of natural disasters.

Our reliance on fossil fuels for transportation, electricity generation, and industry makes carbon dioxide (CO2) the most emitted greenhouse gas warming our planet. Although CO2 occurs naturally in the atmosphere, human activities have caused a 50% increase in its concentration in the last 200 years.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are seen as a crucial measure in mitigating climate change due to the road transportation sector being responsible for 15% of energy-related emissions globally. The market for electric vehicles is in fact booming. In 2022, EVs made up 14% of all new car sales, compared to just 5% in 2020.

How can we ensure that the resources we rely on for energy generation will remain available for use in the future? How can we meet energy demand without emitting greenhouse gases and contributing to climate change? Although sustainability and climate change are often discussed together, certain methods of energy generation can emit zero greenhouse gases yet be unsustainable, and vice versa.