The modern-day person can walk into a grocery or convenience store and buy products with ten ingredients they have never heard of before. In fact, there are some common ingredients that can be found in most of our everyday products whose origin and environmental impact are a mystery to the average person despite their significance. One such ingredient is palm oil.
Global warming has become one of modern history’s most talked about topics. When combined with the plastic epidemic, water scarcity, deforestation, and pollution, there are more concerns surrounding the health of our planet and the future of civilization today than ever before. So what causes global warming, and what does it have to do with natural disasters? Global warming is primarily attributed to the magnification of the greenhouse effect sparked by excess carbon emissions released during human activities. Everything from agriculture, industry and transportation to the expansion of communities contributes to the problem.
Before the industrial revolution, creating clothes was no easy task. Textile merchants relied on spinning, threading, weaving, and sewing by hand to manufacture products. Consequently, clothes were much more expensive. Buying a new outfit or pair of shoes was done only out of necessity unless you were exceptionally wealthy. However, the Industrial Revolution brought about new technology that allowed manufacturers to create textiles at a significantly faster rate and a lower price. Suddenly, having the latest things became a social necessity, and modern consumer culture was born.
The United Nations Brundtland Commission defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
2022 was a huge year for energy. An expected shift to renewables, halted following the energy crisis in Europe and further aggravated by the Russian war on Ukraine, left the energy sector in a scramble to get things back on track. The continued increase in the production of nonrenewable energy, such as coal, which is expected to reach its peak in 2023 as reported by the IEA, forecasts that co2 emissions will reach an all-time high in the coming years.
You may not think of glaciers very often. After all, to the average person, they are little more than giant chunks of ice floating around somewhere far away. And in a sense, those who think this are correct. A glacier is fundamentally nothing more than the accumulation of snow compacted over thousands of years to become solid ice. The ice’s density allows the glaciers to float slowly, creating massive rivers of ice that can, over centuries, carve and reshape entire landscapes. Yet, they do much more than float around and break down rocks. Their role in Earth’s delicate environment is much more significant than one might initially consider.
The importance of clean energy and a healthy environment is everywhere nowadays. The average person is likely to encounter at least one campaign advocating for green practices through content on social media, advertisements, or even through their school or work. Vocabulary like conservation, sustainability, and efficiency are used repeatedly and often interchangeably. However, to truly grasp the goals of ecological movements and campaigns, understanding what each one means can come in handy. In light of new information surrounding green energy and sustainable practices, people around the globe are fighting to be part of the conversation. So what is the difference? And how can one get the most out of their conservation, sustainability, and efficiency efforts?
Prior to 1800, the population around the globe changed and grew at a relatively slow rate. The world population from 10,000 BC to 1700 only grew at a rate of about .04% annually. This growth rate remained consistent until after the 1800s. Starting at this time, however, a drastic jump can be seen on an international scale, with an increase from an estimated one billion people in 1800 to the 8 billion people who now inhabit the earth.
As is discussed frequently in Smart Energy Education, water and energy share a unique and important relationship. We need energy to access water, and we need water to access energy. This connection, otherwise known as the energy-water nexus, is a pillar in our societies and intimately impacts the comfortability of our lives. We use water for everything from hygiene, cleaning, and watering our lawns to the cooling of the power plants that provide us with electricity and industrial processes that manufacture the products we love. Not to mention the water used to create energy through methods like hydroelectric dams.
The Smart Energy Education Scholarship opening for 2023 is here! Available to any student pursuing an energy-related career, whether it be a four-year degree or a skilled trade, students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
The Smart Energy Education initiative will end on December 31, 2024. Dr. Michael E. Webber and Disco Learning Media would like to thank Itron and CPS Energy for their generous sponsorship and for helping The University of Texas at Austin provide energy and water education to over 300,000 students across the Greater San Antonio area since 2020. Thank you for joining us on this journey to create a more resourceful world. If you would like to continue learning more, please visit Watt Watchers of Texas, Resourcefulness, and Energy 101.