Energy
What is global warming?
The world is hotting up - literally! It is now hotter than it has ever been over the last two thousand years and if current trends continue, temperatures are likely to climb higher than at any time over the past two million years. Early warning signs of climate change have been showing themselves for decades, with increased flooding, droughts, heat waves, severe storms, melting glaciers and rising sea levels. This is global warming.
The Earth naturally cycles through warm and cold periods. However, there is a consensus of scientific evidence that shows humans have played a large part in causing temperatures to rise faster than they naturally would. A primary cause, is the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) to produce our energy. This creates polluting gases - such as CO2 (carbon dioxide), methane and nitrous oxide. The UK, with 1% of the world's population, produces 2.3% of the world's CO2. These gases along with CFCs (man-made gases found mainly in aerosols), are known as greenhouse gases. This is because they trap the sun's rays - reflected off the Earth's surface - inside the atmosphere, causing the 'greenhouse effect'. If we don't do something about our greenhouse gas emissions now then we could be heading towards an irreversible climate shift.
Fossil fuel energy
Fossil fuels are the primary source of almost 80 per cent of the industrial world's energy. They are non-renewable and there is a finite supply. Eventually, they will run out.
Renewable energy
We need to find alternative energy sources that are green and renewable. These already exist. They include wind, solar, bioenergy and hydroelectric. The government is being slow in promoting them. In most industrial countries, conventional electricity is heavily subsidised. For green technology to find a foothold, you, the consumer, must demand better provision of green energy on a national level, and use energy more efficiently on a domestic level.
Switch to green electricity
Green energy pioneers, Ecotricity, are dedicated to investing the money that their customers' spend on electricity into building new sources of renewable energy. Switching to green electricity is cheap, easy, and an effective step that you can take on a personal level.
Top 10 tips for saving energy:
If you are in rented accommodation or living at home, it's easy to do your bit. If you are living in halls of residence, encourage your university to become more energy efficient.
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Stand-by
More than £150 million-worth of electricity is wasted each year in the UK alone, simply keeping televisions and VCRs on stand-by. Globally, it is estimated that 5-15% of household electricity is wasted on standby mode. Saving this energy would mean we could close more than one fifth of all electricity power stations in the UK. Also, turn off your mobile phone charger when not in use, as many still draw electricity even without the phone being plugged into them.
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Energy-saving bulbs
They use one-fifth of the energy of old-fashioned lightbulbs and last up to ten times longer. The expense of buying the actual bulbs is soon offset by the savings. And it may be stating the obvious, but turn lights off when you leave a room.
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Keep warm
Put radiator reflector foil behind your radiators. This reflects heat back into the room. In winter, set your thermostat at a level where you are comfortable with clothes on - around 17 to 19°C (wear something over that t-shirt). Each degree you lower the temperature will save around five per cent of your heating costs. Make sure you block out drafts around windows and doors.
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Make your fridge more energy-efficient
Fridges are massive guzzlers of electricity. Use a 'savaplug', which plugs in to your socket and sends power to the fridge in short bursts, rather than continuously. This will save energy and money - up to 20% of your fridge's annual running costs.
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Only boil as much water as you need to use
Boiling the kettle for a single cup of coffee takes around one fifth of the time to boil the whole kettle. The energy wasted boiling the excess water can be enough to power one energy saving light bulb for nine hours.
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Do low temperature washes
Doing a wash at 60°C uses 30% more electricity than a wash at 40°C (and will also make your clothes fade faster). 30-40°C is hot enough to get your coloured clothes clean. Wash full loads rather than wasting water, powder and energy on a few items - unless of course you have an economy/half load option. This also applies for dishwashers.
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Dry the natural way
Tumble dryers are one of the highest energy consumers of all domestic appliances. Dry clothes outdoors when you can, or indoors using a clothes-horse.
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Turn your computer monitor off
Screen savers aren't designed to be energy savers; instead they ensure that your screen doesn't get damaged by one image being burnt, as a result of being left static too long. Screen savers generally only reduce electricity use by 10 watts.
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Go by bus!
Use public transport when you can and, better still, if it's a short journey, walk or cycle. If you drive to university, set up a car-sharing scheme, which will save you money as well as reducing pollution and traffic congestion.
Visit Living Streets - champions of streets and public spaces for people on foot
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Green travel
Aircraft are the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gases, so think twice about cheap city breaks - or go by ferry. Investigate holidays here at home in our green and pleasant lands! If you do travel abroad by air, go to www.carbonneutral.com, where you can calculate how much CO2 will be produced by your plane journey. You can then make a donation to be invested in tree planting or renewable energy schemes to offset it.
And one for luck
Animal farming is responsible for 18% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than all air, road and sea travel combined! If you do one thing to help the planet, go meat free.
