If everybody used solar energy, what would happen?

The large amounts of CO2 emissions from today's energy production, have drastic and irreversible consequences for both the climate and public health. We have a long way to go to avoid major climate threats. In order to change, we need a radical shift in each person's approach to energy supply. Everyone must think from a global holistic perspective. Here is an example of this:

Globally, approximately 23,000 TWh of electricity is produced annually and CO2 emissions for the world's electricity consumption are approximately 700 grams per kWh.

Today, this means that more than 23 billion tones of carbon dioxide (CO2) circulate in the earth's atmosphere - a result of electricity produced by using fossil fuels, such as coal and oil.

If, for example, we instead produce all the world's annual electricity with solar panels, CO2 emissions could be reduced to less than 1 billion tones. It would be a difference of 22 billion tones of carbon dioxide that would not need to pollute the air or cause global warming. This figure and calculation also include the use of fossil fuels in the actual production of the solar panels. In the long run, that figure may drop to zero. In the future, it will be possible to use renewable energy to produce solar panels and recycle the panels that were once produced.

We are happy that more and more people around the world are getting solar panels and investing in green solutions - but we have a long way to go! The UN Monitoring Tool gives you a clear overview of the climate impact data in various sectors and can keep track of global goals that are set: https://unclimatesummit.org/trackerhome/