Candidate Name:

Esteban Ramirez

Candidate Number:

5172

Centre Number:

UX367

Somerset Academy Charter School

May 2025

Component 3 – Reflective Essay

Question:

To what extent should countries rely on nonrenewable energy sources?

Subtopic:

Environmental Lens/Perspective: The reliance on utilizing nonrenewable energy is contributing

to the alarming increasing rates of global warming that is harming the environment and our
health.

Word Count:

799
Reflection on working with a team:

While choosing our group topic, we discussed and considered which global issue we
wanted to highlight and bring greater awareness to in our presentation. After discovering our
common interests in the issue of global warming and climate change, we made a decision to
focus on nonrenewable and renewable energy sources, with the research question, “To what
extent should countries rely on nonrenewable energy sources?”. Neither of us could be
considered more in charge during the decision-making process, as our thoughts often overlapped,
and we were generally on the same page about most things.

After choosing this question, we found the best perspectives that would each provide
different ideas and ways to solve the problem. Once this was completed we each chose the
perspective that we were interested in researching the most which went well as we all chose a
different one without any disagreements. We then created a google document where we put our
research findings of the issue on both a local and global scale as well as each of our perspectives.
Having all of our general findings on this google document turned out to be very useful in the
long run when creating our powerpoints as it provided us a strong outline and information that
we could include from it.

Overall, our group worked well together and effectively conducted research. With shared
interests and a strong commitment to addressing global warming and climate change, we quickly
agreed on a research topic. Team members actively listened, maintained positive attitudes, and
were dedicated to finding solutions to our problem, fostering a comfortable environment for
sharing ideas.

However, one crucial aspect I believe our team could have improved on was
communication. Despite having frequent discussions at school and creating a group chat, we
lacked communication at home which was where we conducted most of our independent
research and work. This was a problem as if we were to have shared some of our findings
through the group chat it could have been very useful to the group as they could have possibly
utilized it in their own powerpoint.
 Collaborating with a team improved my ability to work effectively with others, making it
easier to navigate various situations through our regular meetings and discussions. Additionally,
team discussions introduced a variety of ideas, broadening my own perspective and enabling me
to consider different viewpoints on the issue.

Reflection on my personal learning:

Throughout my personal learning, I became more aware about the massive amount of
carbon emissions produced by certain countries through their heavy reliance on nonrenewable
energy sources. These emissions have been contributing to the alarming increasing rates of
global warming and climate change which is putting our environment in great danger.
Additionally, I also gained insight about the use of renewable energy sources from other
countries to reduce their emissions. I previously had little knowledge on these energy sources,
however this personal learning became the opportunity for me to research them. Furthermore, by
delving into this topic and carefully evaluating the most suitable solution, I aimed to become
more mindful of the issue.

The solution I wanted to provide for global warming and climate change was
transitioning from relying on nonrenewable energy sources into renewable energy sources since
they do not produce any carbon emissions. However, after further research on the expensive
costs of implementing renewable energy sources, it became apparent that many developing
countries would not be able to transition into using these energy sources. Additionally, one of the
most used renewable energy sources, solar power, has a severe implication as it contains
hazardous materials and requires excessive land and water for installation. As a result, I came to
a conclusion that having just the solution of transitioning would be insufficient so I decided to
provide solutions to these implications including political global agreements like the Paris
Agreement which provides money from developed nations to developing nations and the use of
perovskite solar cells which contain significantly less lead.

Preparing this individual presentation was challenging, as I could no longer rely on my

teammates for support. However, the process of working on this project helped me develop new
skills that will be crucial in the future. By using sites like GALE and LIRN I learned how to look
for reliable and suitable sources of information for my presentation. I also learned how to
provide a statement of credibility for each source in order to build trust with my audience and
enhance the quality of my content. Additionally, this process taught me how to make an effective
powerpoint by including helpful visuals and by not having excessive information on one slide. In
general, I strived in making improvements which gave me a better understanding of myself,
discovering my strengths and weaknesses through this project.

Works Cited
Antonio, K. (2024, January 16). Solar and wind to lead growth of U.S. Power Generation
for the next two years . Independent Statistics and Analysis U.S. Energy Information
Administration (EIA). [Link]
Bolles, D. (2024, March). The Effects of Climate Change. NASA
[Link]
Chandler, D. L. (2022, July 15). Explained: Why perovskites could take solar cells to
new heights. MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
[Link]
EPA. (2024, April 11). Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency.
[Link]
International Energy Agency. (2023, December 21). Energy system of Brazil.
International Energy Agency. [Link]
International Energy Agency. (2023, December 21). Energy system of China.
International Energy Agency. [Link]
International Energy Agency. (2023, December 21). Energy system of Sweden.
International Energy Agency. [Link]
Sweden Sverige. (2023, October 13). Energy Use in Sweden. Sweden Sverige.
[Link]
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). (2024, February 29). What is U.S.
electricity generation by energy source? [Link]
id=427&t=3
World Economic Forum and Valor Econômico. (2024, July 17). How Brazil and Chile
are leading Latin America’s energy transition. World Economic Forum.
[Link]
Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy Technologies. Union of Concerned
Scientists. (2008, July 14). [Link]
renewable-energy-technologies
Scott, M. (2023, August 30). Does it matter how much the United States reduces its
carbon dioxide emissions if China doesn’t do the same? NOAA [Link].
[Link]
states-reduces-its-carbon-dioxide-emissions#:~:text=Even%20though%20the%20United
%20States,countries%20in%20the%20European%20Union
United Nations. (n.d.). Climate Fast Facts. United Nations Key Findings.
[Link]
Wealthy nations pledge $100 billion in climate finance. Here’s what this means. World
Economic Forum. (2023, June 28). [Link]
countries-pledge-climate-finance-billion/

Pictures cited: use hyperlink

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giving-billions-of-dollars-to-countries-in-need
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