Last Wednesday, Hurricane Beryl, downgraded from a Category 5 storm to Category 4, was heading for Jamaica after its devastating effects on a number of other islands, including Grenada.
At 250 kilometres per hour, Beryl was the earliest Category 4 storm on record that moved from a Category 1 to a Category 4 storm in less than ten hours. Scientists have suggested that climate change is the likely cause for the quick and early formation of this usually fierce storm, as global warming is helping to push temperatures in the North Atlantic to all-time highs. This has caused more surface water to evaporate, which in turn provides additional fuel for more intense hurricanes with higher wind speeds.
There can no longer be any denying that the extraction and burning of fossil fuels are the main contributors to climate change and global warming. If the planet is to be saved, it is necessary for countries to scale back significantly on the use of fossil fuels for energy needs and replace it with renewable sources, such as from the sun (solar energy), water (hydropower) and wind. Numerous studies have shown that solar power is more cost-effective than electricity generated from coal, natural gas, or other fossil fuel options. In fact, according to the International Energy Agency, solar energy is now the cheapest form of electricity in history. When the cost of clean-up and reconstruction from the various climate change-induced disasters is taken into account, it could very well outweigh the benefits derived from the extraction and burning of fossil fuels.