Friday, March 7, 2014

Victoria's Green Matters - 6th March 2014



Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:

It seems utterly ridiculous at the moment to think there could be times when we will be short of water in the UK but we need to remember that it was only two years ago that we were suffering a drought. Particularly down here in the south east, it was a worrying time when the supply in our aquifers was lower than ever before.

Climate change means exactly what it states – and changes can occur of all kinds, all over the world. It also means that the world will be subject to more extremes of climate so that drought and flood go hand in hand.

The main way we generate electricity has always relied on using lots of water. Water is heated to produce steam to drive the turbines to produce electricity in all fossil fuel driven systems and also nuclear hence the reason that power stations are situated near rivers or the sea. . Fracking for shale gas, of course, relies on the use of vast quantities of water to release the gas underground.

Research from Newcastle and Oxford Universities has shown that water shortages may well cause power stations to reduce generation or close down in just a few decades when there are water shortages and an increased population.

The most credible solution to this problem is, of course, renewable energy along with energy efficiency. Investment in these technologies now will not only give us reliable sources of energy but create jobs and economic stability. Victoria Nicholls. Transition Deal.

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