Local: uk

Question 1

aim

Answer 1

Societies/ individuals need to use their resources more wisely in order to slow down the predicted impacts of climate change.

Question 2

achieved?

Answer 2

Many local governments have developed initiatives to respond to environmental problems such as climate change; and some cities are planning to follow London by introducing a congestion charge to limit the traffic within their inner cities (although the people of Manchester voted against this scheme).

City initiatives include park and ride schemes and installing trams; but individually, people are also persuaded to ‘think globally, act locally’ and thus, educating the public about how to be more energy efficient is key to its success.

Question 3

evaluation +++

Answer 3

Individuals are educated on:

• improving home insulation (new builds are properly insulated; and owners of old houses can receive government grants to assist with insulating their homes such as cavity wall insulation and loft lagging).
• Recycling at home using government issued recycling boxes.
• Using energy wisely such as turning lights off when leaving a room; turning the heating down; using energy efficient light bulbs etc.
• Using public transport and joining car-sharing schemes.

The Department for Education has been set a target to get around 1 million families to get their children to school via walking rather than taking a car.
Some of these actions are simple and small scale, but when added together for millions of people and households, they could have a significant effect.

Answer 4

However, some people ask whether it is worth it when, all the energy saved in switching off a charger for one day is used up in one second of driving a car; and the energy saved in switching off the charger for one year is equal to the energy in a single hot bath. Some also say it is unfair, as some people consume far less carbon than the average. Although this seems to be working in the UK, millions of people in the developing world do not consume enough to even have a reasonable quality of life and so, there is a strong case for them to consume more!