22. Conclusion

As the reader will have seen after reading this article illustrating the impact of energy on the environment with a few examples, no energy source is neutral with regard to the environment, and all have a greater or lesser impact.

Western countries tend to look only at the pollution created at home, and not that which is outsourced to poor or developing countries. This is particularly true of mining, which is particularly polluting, and the manufacture of certain energy systems such as photovoltaic panels.

There has been steady and constant progress in environmental protection. The atmosphere in Paris and the water in the Seine, for example, are less polluted today than they were a few decades ago. People are more aware of pollution today, because pollutant levels are more easily measured, and detection thresholds are lower and lower....