The Low Carbon Partnership
Solar Power
What can be done about climate change?
We have seen that climate change is being caused mainly by the carbon dioxide emissions that result from our use of fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) as a source of energy – to provide electricity, heat and transportation. Our lives now largely depend on having these sources of energy – but do we really need energy from fossil fuels and do we need so much?
Well, it's easier to conserve energy than produce it. That means we need to use less energy and to use it more efficiently. There are many things that we can do to reduce our carbon emissions - like walking or cycling instead of using a car or putting on a jumper instead of turning the heating up. A well-insulated house uses less energy because the heat is retained inside it for longer - like putting on a jumper! Electrical appliances such as TVs and chargers often continue to use electricity unless they are switched off at the wall. And low energy light bulbs use far less power than the old type - that should be replaced wherever they are still lurking.
The carbon dioxide that is emitted as a result of all the things that each of us does and the energy we use is known as our carbon footprint and we all need to do what we can to make that footprint smaller. We still need energy to fuel our daily lives, and thankfully there is an alternative to using fossil fuels in the form of renewable energy.
