Environmental Awareness and Energy Crisis

• DEFINITION OF ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

Environmental awareness means being aware of the natural environment and making choices that benefit the earth, rather than hurt it.

• WHY DO WE NEED TO BE AWARE

There are hundreds, if not thousands reasons why we should be aware of our environment. Here, we are going to provide you the top ten reasons
on why we think you and I should be aware.

1. The environment helps in protecting the ecosystem: Changes affecting the ecosystem put multiple species in the danger of extinction
necessitating the need of protecting the environment. Ecosystems are deeply connected to one another.
2. Protecting the environment protects humanity: Pollution is one of the most hazardous factors affecting the environment. It affects the quality
of food leading to the ingestion of toxic substances.
3. Humans have a moral obligation to preserve nature and its features: Humans are responsible for taking care of the environment. Protecting the
environment would be an act of fulfilling their compulsions.
4. Biodiversity is a significant part of life in the world: Biodiversity not only consists of the animals living of earth but also the forests, grasslands
and tundra, which is significant, features in maintaining the life-cycle of the eco-system.
5. Forests provide raw materials for various consumer products: Forests are a significant part of the environment, which helps in providing various
raw materials such as food, rubber, timber and essential oils. Forest management means availability and sustainable use of these natural
resources.
6. Forests provide habitats for a variety of species: Almost half of the species live in forests thus destroying the forests would lead to the
destruction of the ecosystem at large.
7. The way in which a person protects the environment reflects their personality: Just as the way you treat other people reflects your personality,
the way you treat the environment reflects who you actually are. A good person will treat the environment responsibly. So treat the environment
well and prove that you indeed have a good personality.
8. It is a way to give to your generation: One will be happier in life if you focus on giving rather than receiving. Treating the environment well is
one way to give to the others in your generation. By treating the environment well, you make the planet a better place to live for everyone. You
help yourself and others to have higher quality of life.
9. It is a way to give to the future generations: Not only protecting the environment benefits people in current generation; it will also benefit
people in many generations to come. This planet is our legacy to the future generations.
10. It is a way to give back to the planet: Whether we realize it or not, we can only live by consuming resources provided by this planet. Take
energy for instance. We only get the energy by utilizing resources like oil and coal provided by the earth. This is not to mention basic needs like
food and water.

• IMPACTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

1. Global Warming/Climate Changes
Global warming is the rise in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans since the late 19th century. The primary cause of global
warming seems to be the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and natural gas.
The effects of climate change are widespread, as it will cause issues with deforestation, water supplies, oceans and ecosystems. Each of these has
widespread implications of their own, marking climate change as the major environmental issue the planet faces today.

2. Polar Ice Caps

The issue of the melting of polar ice caps is a contentious one. While NASA studies have shown that the amount of ice in Antarctica is actually
increasing, these rises only amount to a third of what is being lost in the Arctic.

There is strong evidence to suggest that sea levels are rising, with the Arctic ice caps melting being a major contributor. Over time, this could lead
to extensive flooding, contamination of drinking water and major changes in ecosystems.

3. Air Pollution
Air pollution is becoming an increasingly dangerous problem, particularly in heavily-populated cities. The World Health Organization (WHO) has
found that 80% of people living in urban areas are exposed to air quality levels deemed unfit by the organization.
It is also directly linked to other environmental issues, such as acid rain. Animals and humans are also at risk of developing a number of health
problems due to air pollution.

4. Water Pollution
Fresh water is crucial to life on Earth, yet more sources are being polluted through human activities each year. On a global scale, 2 million tons of
sewage, agricultural and industrial waste enters the world’s water every day.
Water pollution can have harmful effects outside of contamination of the water we drink. It also disrupts marine life, sometimes altering
reproductive cycles and increasing mortality rates.

5. Population Growth
Many of the issues listed here result from the massive population growth that Earth has experienced in the last century. The planet’s population
grows by 1.13% per year, which works out to 80 million people.
This results in a number of issues, such as a lack of fresh water, habitat loss for wild animals, overuse of natural resources and even species
extinction. The latter is particularly damaging, as the planet is now losing 30,000 species per year.

• WHAT IS ENERGY CRISIS?

An energy crisis is any significant bottleneck in the supply of energy resources to an economy.

• CAUSES OF THE ENERGY CRISIS

1. Overconsumption: The energy crisis is a result of many different strains on our natural resources, not just one. There is a strain on fossil fuels
such as oil, gas and coal due to overconsumption – which then in turn can put a strain on our water and oxygen resources by causing pollution.

2. Overpopulation: Another cause of the crisis has been the steady increase in the world’s population and its demands for fuel and products. No
matter what type of food or products you choose to use – from fair trade and organic to those made from petroleum products in a sweatshop –
not one of them is made or transported without a significant drain on our energy resources.

3. Poor Infrastructure: Aging infrastructure of power generating equipment is yet another reason for energy shortage. Most of the energy
producing firms keeps on using outdated equipment that restricts the production of energy. It is the responsibility of utilities to keep on upgrading
the infrastructure and set a high standard of performance.

4. Unexplored Renewable Energy Options: Renewable energy still remains unused is most of the countries. Most of the energy comes from non-
renewable sources like coal. It still remains the top choice to produce energy. Unless we give renewable energy a serious thought, the problem of
energy crisis cannot be solved. Renewable energy sources can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and also helps to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.

5. Delay in Commissioning of Power Plants: In few countries, there is a significant delay in commissioning of new power plants that can fill the gap
between demand and supply of energy. The result is that old plants come under huge stress to meet the daily demand for power. When supply
doesn’t a match demand, it results in load shedding and breakdown.

• POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS OF THE ENERGY CRISIS

1. Move towards Renewable Resources: The best possible solution is to reduce the world’s dependence on non-renewable resources and to
improve overall conservation efforts. Much of the industrial age was created using fossil fuels, but there is also known technology that uses other
types of renewable energies – such as steam, solar and wind. The major concern isn’t so much that we will run out of gas or oil, but that the use of
coal is going to continue to pollute the atmosphere and destroy other natural resources in the process of mining the coal that it has to be replaced
as an energy source. This isn’t easy as many of the leading industries use coal, not gas or oil, as their primary source of power for manufacturing.

2. Buy Energy Efficient products: Replace traditional bulbs with CFL’s and LED’s. They use less watts of electricity and last longer. If millions of
people across the globe use LED’s and CFL’s for residential and commercial purposes, the demand for energy can go down and an energy crisis can
be averted.

3. Lighting Controls: There are a number of new technologies out there that make lighting controls that much more interesting and they help to
save a lot of energy and cash in the long run. Preset lighting controls, slide lighting, touch dimmers, integrated lighting controls are few of the
lighting controls that can help to conserve energy and reduce overall lighting costs.

4. Easier Grid Access: People who use different options to generate power must be given permission to plug into the grid and getting credit for
power you feed into it. The hassles of getting credit of supplying surplus power back into the grid should be removed. Apart from that, subsidy on
solar panels should be given to encourage more people to explore renewable options.

5. Energy Simulation: Energy simulation software can be used by big corporates and corporations to redesign building unit and reduce running
business energy cost. Engineers, architects and designers could use this design to come with most energy efficient building and reduce carbon
footprint.

6. Perform Energy Audit: Energy audit is a process that helps you to identify the areas where your home or office is losing energy and what steps
you can take to improve energy efficiency. Energy audit when done by a professional can help you to reduce your carbon footprint, save energy
and money and avoid energy crisis.

7. Common Stand on Climate Change: Both developed and developing countries should adopt a common stand on climate change. They should
focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions through an effective cross border mechanism. With current population growth and over
consumption of resources, the consequences of global warming and climate change cannot be ruled out.