2007 winning essay: 14-18 age group

The year is 2007. It is the 21st Century and the biggest challenge facing mankind is climate change. It is predicted that by 2080 the climate will have warmed by 4 degrees. This will cause the ice caps to melt, sea levels to rise and low lying landmasses to flood, effectively destroying our current way of life. Action and answers are needed now! Before it is too late.

However with a slight change to the way we live and our homes, all this could be prevented. There are small pockets of useful energy all about us; it simply needs to be harnessed. For example one has just stepped out of the bath the water is drained out through the plug. Imagine a small turbine placed in all plugs through the house harnessing the kinetic energy that would otherwise go to waste? Now imagine the same devise in all the houses across Britain. How much energy might be saved?

These small pockets are everywhere in a modern household. Could the heat given off by a bulb, lamp or reading light not be harnessed? Solar panels could be placed on the roofs of our cars programmed to come on when the ignition is turned off. How much energy might be saved?

Twice this winter my fences have been blown over by strong winds, what if a small wind turbine was to be placed on each of my new strengthened fence posts? How much energy might be saved?

I have recently returned from a 3 mile jog during which my Ipod ran out of charge cutting short my regular supply of Red Hot Chilies. Much aggrieved I returned home, but what if a device could be attached to my trainers so that the kinetic energy of my running charges my Ipod? How much energy might be saved?

In London the average annual rainfall is about 630mm. Most of this is either absorbed by green lands or flows into rivers and out to sea. However this is not before it lands on our roofs and is washed via our gutter systems into sewers. What if some of this water could be saved and used for flushing toilets and cleaning cars? What if the gravitational potential energy the water has on our roofs, could be harnessed by turbines in gutter systems. How much energy might be saved?

The average household produces over 1 tonne annually of domestic waste. What if this could be compressed and dried then burnt as bio fuel? If would not only solve the problem of Britain’s land fill sites which are full to capacity, but also act as a substitute fossil fuel to replace coal and oil which is fast running out. How much energy could be saved?

However all this taken into account, new technologies may help us to find an answer for the climate crisis but it will not solve it for us. Only we can change our lifestyles to save the environment. It will not take major changes but simple things, that if we get into the habit of doing, we do will without thinking. For example turning the tap of whilst brushing teeth, or turning a light off when you leave a room.

Interesting? Click here to explore further