Did You Know?
- The earth receives more energy from the sun in just one hour than the world uses in a whole year.
- World energy consumption is projected to increase by 59% from 1999 to 2020. Much of the growth in worldwide energy use is expected in the developing world .
- A person in the United States uses energy at the rate of 8.38 tons of oil equivalent (TOE) each year. In Italy, that figure is 2.97 TOE, and in Morocco .4 TOE. The global average is 0.36 TOE.
- Since the start of the industrial revolution, atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased nearly 30%, methane concentrations have more than doubled, and nitrous oxide has risen by about 15%. These "greenhouse gases" trap energy from the sun and can contribute to global warming.
- Gasoline engines in cars and coal power plants are just a few of the ways we create greenhouse gases when burning fossil fuels.
- Renewable energy - Sources like solar power, wind, tidal currents, and hydroelectric power are not based on a limited supply of fossil fuel and do not directly cause emissions that contribute to global warming.
- Alternative Energy Vehicles - A large number of cars may someday run on hydrogen fuel, which produces very little pollution, or they may use battery power. Unless renewable energy is used to create the hydrogen or electricity, however, they will still likely depend on fossil fuels.
Global Youth Voice
Do you think people in your country use a large amount of energy or a little compared to the world average? Where does most of the energy you use come from? Do you think this will change during your lifetime? What is the trend in climate change for your area over the past 100 years and what are the future predictions? What can you do to save energy?
Tell us what you've learned or document your project as part of our Global Youth Voice. We'll share your information with the world and you could even win one of our Global Youth Voice awards.
Support Energy Issues as a Volunteer or Sponsor
Are you interested in energy or other planetary issues? We need volunteers to join our worldwide team and assist with monthly e-newsletter content, reach out to new partners and potential funders, and promote global dialogue and learning.
You can also volunteer with schools and youth organizations close to home by bringing the Earth into a local classroom or helping a class with our Global Youth Voice program.
Visit our volunteer page or contact us at [email protected] for more information.
Links
Energy Website: saving energy, how things work, transportation, how electricity is generated, science experiments, and much more.
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/index.html
Global Warming: A section for kids (and teachers) as well as a "Where You Live" link for information on how global warming might effect your area or ecotype.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/index.html
Renewable Energy: Overview of renewable energy and some materials for teachers.
http://www.re-energy.ca/
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