Eve Black always turns the light off when she leaves a room and never leaves the TV on standby -- and she wishes others would follow suit.
LONDON — Eve Black always turns the light off when she leaves a room and never leaves the TV on standby -- and she wishes others would follow suit.
"I do it automatically because I know it is important," the 17-year-old student said. "It may not seem that one person can make much of a difference. But every little bit helps."
Black is among a growing band of young people in Britain who have been made abruptly aware of the problems of climate change as a result of campaigns by nongovernmental organizations, scientists and celebrities.
Experts say a television left on standby will still consume about one-third of the power it uses when the screen is active and that in Britain alone this amounts to $87 million a year in wasted electricity.
Scientists say the burning of fossil fuels for travel and electricity generation is creating vast amounts of so-called greenhouse gases that are heating the planet, melting ice caps and putting millions of people at risk of drowning.
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Global warming has also been blamed for increased cycles of drought across Africa, where millions this year face hunger.
For Black, it is not a matter of making people in the rich, developed world suddenly feel guilty for the lives of others in parts of the world they are barely aware of and will never visit -- that would simply be too overwhelming.
"It has to start at home. You can't just say people are dying in Africa because you leave the light on -- what are you going to do about it? It will daunt them," the teen-ager said.
"It is the small steps that will make the big difference -- Turn off the light, don't leave the television on standby. That will save you money and help save the planet."
BOOMING DEMAND
World demand for electricity is forecast to double between 1990 and 2020.
This is partly as a result of rising living standards in the developing world, where millions of people still don't have electricity, and partly because the population is forecast to climb toward 9 billion from the current 6 billion.
World leaders are casting around urgently for power sources that don't fuel global warming -- with the nuclear industry experiencing renewed interest. But at the other end of the scale there is a push for efficiency.
Possible solutions were debated at a recent conference of city environmental leaders from around the world.
Melbourne's new city hall will have state-of-the-art environmental credentials, Geoff Lawler, director of sustainability and innovation in the Australian city, told the London meeting.
He said the new building would use 85 percent less electricity and 87 percent less gas than its predecessor as well as emitting 87 percent less greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.
Although, the building will cost 18 percent more to build than current norms, it will pay for itself rapidly, he said.
Action is also being taken in other areas.
San Francisco already recycles 67 percent of its waste and aims to do it all by 2020, Jared Blumenfeld, director of the city's environment department, told the London meeting.
By comparison Britain recycles just 17 percent of its waste.
NO-BRAINER
But it is not just governments, or even corporations, that must act. Individuals also have a responsibility.
Britain's Energy Saving Trust (EST) said insulating walls and lofts in private houses would not only save money and lead to lower energy bills, it would also reduce demand for electricity.
"Even turning down the thermostat on the central heating by just one degree will save 10 percent on the heating bill," Keith Marsh, head of energy efficiency at the nonprofit EST, said.
Turning off unnecessary lights and unwatched televisions, using low-energy light bulbs, replacing old electrical appliances like fridges with newer energy-efficient machines and buying better boilers would all cut household bills and demand.
"It is a really important and serious issue," Marsh told Reuters. "People can save themselves a lot of money by taking these small steps and it is critically important for the future of the world that they do so. It is a no-brainer"
For Eve Black, whose generation will have to shoulder the burden of the decisions taken now by political leaders but who have no say in those decisions, it is time to act.
"Governments must lead the way, not spend their time worrying about losing votes by telling people they have to change the way they live. It is far bigger than that," she said.
"People have to be aware that they can't keep on living as they are. It is a lifestyle choice they have to make. Eventually it will become second nature."
Source: Reuters
