Use solar panels to heat water and generate electricity. Switch off appliances instead of leaving them on standby. Use energy-efficient light bulbs. Energy-efficient light bulbs use only 20% of the energy and last 10 times as long as traditional light bulbs. Reuse and recycle materials like paper, plastic, glass and aluminium. Buy locally produced food. Use electric or hybrid cars. Plant trees in your garden.
People have already started to make changes. Now the typical Irish home is responsible for 40% less energy-related carbon emissions compared to 20 years ago.
Science in Society Ireland’s energy-related CO2
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Fig. 20 If we reduce, reuse and recycle materials, we reduce our carbon footprint.
emissions have fallen in recent years due to various initiatives.
Research and evaluate one of the following initiatives that tries to reduce the generation of greenhouse gases in Ireland. Increasing the use of low-energy light bulbs and introducing a levy on traditional bulbs. Grants for energy efficiency improvements in the Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme. Grants for electric or hybrid vehicles in the ‘Electric Vehicle Grant’ scheme. Mandatory BER (Building Energy Rating) certificate for all buildings offered for sale or lease. Improving public transport services to encourage a switch from using cars. Increasing the use of biofuels in vehicles. Encouraging farmers to reduce fertiliser use and improve the management of manure.
Activity Design a poster highlighting some of the ways in which people can reduce their carbon footprint in their day-to-day life.
Nature of Science
In this chapter we have learned about climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an organisation made up of over 3,000 scientists around the world who work together to gather and assess information about climate change. They then produce reports that help governments and organisations make changes to address the problem of climate change. Question: Why do you think it is important that many scientists from all around the world work together to gather and interpret data? What does this tell us about the way scientists work?
