Gopalan, Radha
(2015)
Exploring energy in our daily life - unearthing connections.
Learning Curve, 24.
pp. 62-66.
Abstract
When we think of energy and energy conservation more often than not we think mainly of electricity. This is largely a function of the innumerable appliances and gadgets that – consciously or unconsciously – help us get through a typical day in our lives. We become conscious of energy only when there is a power cut in summer or we see an increase in the electricity bill at the end of the month or we run out of cooking gas! There is also a disconnect in the way we relate to energy. In our private and public spaces we rarely ask the questions - what forms of energy do we use? Where does it come from? How are lights and fans (and sometimes even air conditioning), in many urban homes, housing complexes, offices and shopping malls, available 24x7 even when there is a power crisis in the State and country? How is energy consumption related to what we choose to eat? How we go to work or for a holiday?, etc. However at school, work, in a social setting, in conferences and seminars, we often have discussions on the crises caused by global warming and climate change, the need for renewable energy technologies, using mass transport versus driving a car etc. Often we seem to have these discussions without drawing the connections between personal consumption patterns and the larger issues of energy such as its impact on the surrounding environment and its contribution to one of the most profound phenomenon facing the planet – climate change. It somehow seems to be a problem that is out there – a function of poor Government policies, corruption, overconsumption by “the rich”, a problem created by developed countries etc.
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