Our demand for energy is increasing exponentially due to population growth and requirement for more goods and services, driven largely due to changing lifestyles. Most of the energy comes from fossil fuels, like Coal, Petroleum and Gas. These fossil fuels produce a large amount of green house gases, like CO2, Methane, Fluorocarbons and Nitrous oxide. Once released, the gases stay in the atmosphere for decades. The greenhouse gases trap the sun’s radiation leading to global warming. It is estimated that global temperatures will rise by 2 to 4 deg Celsius by the end of this century (IPCC Fourth Assessment Report on Climate Change, 2007) causing increased water and food stress, natural calamities, biodiversity loss and diseases. This temperature rise is unprecedented since life began on earth. With current understanding, we are unlikely to reverse the trend completely – and hence our strategies have changed from only mitigation to now include adaptation.

Schools:

Can we stop climate change? Can we reverse it? What are the alternative forms of energy that will work in your school and community?

Colleges:

How can we increase awareness about this so that we are responsible in what we do in daily life? How can we meet the energy needs of our country, which is bound to grow significantly? How do we reduce dependence on fossil fuels? What can we do to mitigate and adapt the impact on the poor ?

Links:

http://www.youngvoicesonclimatechange.com/
http://www.eoearth.org