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We visit a
village in Bangladesh which may soon disappear because of our
excessive use of energy in the UK.
Fossil fuels like coal are non-renewable and produce carbon dioxide
when burned; yet we use them wastefully, sending chemical and light
pollution high into the sky. In a greenhouse, we see the principle
of the 'greenhouse effect' and why it is changing the Earth's
climate. The top layer of the sea is warming up and expanding; the
Earth's ice caps are melting; sea levels are rising. A rise in sea
level of one metre will cause floods resulting in 200 million
homeless people.
This will happen to much of Bangladesh unless we control the
emission of greenhouse gases. There is a direct connection between
our selfishness and the flooding of Bangladeshi villages and
drowning of children.
Ring seals may become extinct as snow holes collapse, and this
would in turn threaten the polar bear population.
There are renewable alternatives. We see a water wheel which powers
the craft workshops at Merton Abbey, and wind farms generating
electricity. Denmark aims to generate half of its electricity from
wind turbines by 2030.
What can you do?
You can make small changes that will save energy.
- We visit a Plymouth school which has
saved £8,000 per year by monitoring energy waste and changing
working practices.
- Moving a door closer to a soft drinks
machine was a small change with a big result.
- Local shops give a mixed response to
energy advice.
- A teacher who regularly wastes energy is
'named and shamed'.
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