It should be public knowledge by now that we emit more greenhouse gases today than we did a few decades ago with the main contributors being industries, transport, agriculture and our households. In addition, the media is awash with news of how electric cars, solar and wind are the way to go.What isn't public knowledge is why we haven't made the transition.
First and foremost, the costs. Electric cars, trains and motorbikes need electricity which at the current moment is cheaper to obtain via fossil fuels. A quick Google search will tell you that the to the cost of producing electricity through wind and solar can be up to 50% more expensive. Secondly, reliability. Fossil fuels can be used to produce electricity all year round in most parts of the world whereas solar, wind and hydroelectricity have inconsistent outputs. Varying hours of daylight, wind speeds and levels of water reserves throughout the year heavily impact how much electricity is produced. Currently, it is not feasible to produce electricity in one season and store it for the next the same way we do with food supplies because a battery of such a capacity would be way too large and expensive to make.
Another major drawback is that renewables like solar and wind require large areas of land to produce just as much electricity as non-renewable ones. Let us not forget that once turbines and solar panels have been put in place, we will need ways to constantly protect wondering birds and wild animals from coming into contact with them as one can damage the other.
In spite of all these challenges, it is not all gloom and doom. One thing that EVERYONE can do to help alleviate this problem is to reduce their power consumption. and below are a few ways in which you can do that.
- Shop less. Don't buy clothes, food and other household items unnecessarily. The amount of electricity that goes into making these things is significant.
- Make use of public transport. Individual cars consume more fossil fuels than any bus or a train carrying the same number of people. Governments can incentivise public transport operators to lower the operational costs and put in place high parking fees to discourage people from using their cars from Monday to Friday.
- If it isn't in use, switch it off. Switch off the stove if you aren't using it, turn off the lights in that room with no one in it and before you turn on the air conditioner, ask yourself, isn't there any other way to regulate the temperature?
I've tried by all means to oversimplify everything because the message is intended for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.It's quite surprising how a collective effort can go a really long way.
