Debating an Eco-revolution

Debating an Eco-revolution

Dhruv Singhal

Global warming – man or myth?

If you look at information on global warming, there are millions of websites and scientific facts that tell us that global warming (or climate change) is well and truly real and is effecting and changing the lives of all people around the globe, as well as mass migration of animals and the damaging of crop cycles and many other momentous issues. However, there is an equal amount of research that claims that climate change is nothing but the overreaction of the end of the last ice age, to hit what is nowadays Europe around 5000 years ago. So, who do you believe? Why should we believe it? And is all this stuff on climate change and global warming all made so we are feared into buying new “eco-friendly” government funded projects? Therein lays the debate – which could go further as laws or government based decisions at any level.

Where to holiday? How about here! The rise of stay-cationing

The presumption that climate change is a real thing is a given in this debate, here we look at an interesting idea that has come out of the UK; the notion of a stay-cation. This idea basically works on people visiting other areas of their own country (staying at home) whilst treating it like a holiday (vacation), therefore offsetting CO2 levels for their flights, by staying and driving or walking to their holiday destinations, though is a really a good idea? The whole idea behind holidays is to relax, but do you still feel relaxed if you are holidaying in your own country? Or do you need the traditional sand, sea and sun holidays that are so frequent in Southern Europe? This is where people can pitch in ideas; it looks at each country on a touristic level, and whilst it could divide opinions on which is the best country to live and holiday in, it could allow people to finally appreciate the sights and sounds that they have of their own country. This debate, if successful would be used to talk to local governments to promote regional or national tourism, which could appeal to both the domestic and international tourist.

Are there any alternatives? Fossil fuel substitutes

This is a classic debate on climate change – which is the best alternative to gas and oil? Do we need to go to extreme lengths to get them too or is it as simple as solar panels in the south of the continent, wind turbines in the north and west and hydro-electricity and nuclear energy in the east? Or is it far more complicated that this? Many people would have many different views on this and it could cause a lively debate. Following the debate and a possible look to the EU legislation on alternative fuels this could be used to talk to national level governments about subsidies as well as incentives for people to use these new forms of energy.

Buy me growth – alternate energy gets us out of recession

This is purely for a business oriented idea, could the development/ research/ building and using of alternate energy services provide a new economy? The idea here is that with enough faith in the private sector of the 28 members of the EU could companies build, operate and utilize market principals to create growth, money for economies and most importantly jobs? This debate could be interesting as there are few sources out there that look at these sorts of issues and with the ability to talk to people all over Europe, whose individual country is at a different stage in its economic cycle – is investment in green energy the stimuli needed to get Europe back on track with a possible look at being world leaders in this sort of project. This can of course be combined with the idea above, and could be taken to regional, national or international levels of the political world with one eye on the Kyoto protocol which looks at more goals for EU and the rest of the UN nations by 2020.

Green vs Blue, which colour is better?

The use of green energy has always been around, it’s interesting, it’s safe, it’s everything we need right?  However, you can look at the alternatives, blue energy. This is the idea of an osmosis based work turning salt to fresh-water and using the salt to create energy? The only ideas behind this though are its cost and how well it works. It has an apparent efficiency rating of 91%, only nuclear power is more efficient but how well has it developed? There are already subsidies in place across the Netherlands and in Norway, but could it all take off? This debate can show an interesting step forward for Europe and has a good basis for Europe into the future. Along with these, it can be taken to any level of politics to be discussed further.

As shown there are many different options that are available to us to take on the renewable energy front, I feel it would be necessary to answer these questions and further build on the concept that is Eco revolution.