April 12 - Task 2

Scientists have been warning for many years about environmental protection and how important it is to limit our personal energy consumption.

What are the causes of the over-consumption of electricity?

How can people be encouraged to use less energy?

For decades, warnings of incoming climate catastrophes have grown louder and many today are making concerted efforts to limit their carbon footprint. I am of the opinion that the main cause of the over-consumption of electricity is the development of technology and people can be taught to limit their energy usage through strict governmental regulations.

People today use more electricity since technology has pervaded every aspect of life. Several decades ago, electricity was mainly used to power a limited number of household items including lights, televisions and washing machines. It still powers those devices but now there are phones to charge and computers that use electricity throughout the day. People tend to spend more time at home, online with their devices thus using more power. Moreover, these days, a majority of people have electrical kitchen appliances like dishwashers, microwave ovens and induction cooktops. Hence, owing to such reasons, people use more personal power.

The best way to cultivate good energy habits is to impose regulations. Government regulations have been a proven remedy in curbing human excess in terms of using plastic bags and smoking. It would also work when it comes to energy. One simple solution would be to tax energy use, though this step would have socioeconomic bias built into it. A better approach might be to regulate the energy efficiency of household items. It would target a high percentage of people across all classes and have an easily quantifiable, manageable outcome. Further, the authority must encourage people to get solar panels installed on rooftops to generate their electricity since it is the best way to follow the green energy mechanism.

In conclusion, outsized energy consumption is down to technology, and governments can regulate it to minimise it moving forward. The more effort put into reducing energy use, the more dividends future generations will reap from today’s reforms.