パグパグさんの おぼえた日記 - 2021年7月7日(水)

Power your Future
If the electricity were cut for one week, What would happen to our lives?
The lights would be off.
Trains would stop.
We could not charge our smartphones.
We depend on electricity to power most of our daily activities.
How can we make the electricity we need for our future?
Japan uses a lot of oil, coal, and natural gas to make electricity.
These resources are called "fossil fuels".
Fossil fuels have some good points.
They are relatively cheap, and they can be used for many things.
However, scientists say that we may run out of fossil fuels in 100 years.
There are other problems, too.
Fossil fuels release carbon dioxide and dangerous chemicals.
They increase global warming and damage our health.
Japan also makes electricity from nuclear power.
Nuclear power produces a large amount of energy without releasing carbon dioxide.
However, it is difficult to control radiation and handle nuclear waste safely all the time.
Now many countries are using sunshine, wind, steam, river, and their power is used to produce electricity.
Their water is renewable and does not release dangerous chemicals.
However, we need dams to use water power, and these dams can damage the environment.
Research in other renewable energy technologies is progressing.
Already, Denmark gets forty percent of its electricity from wind power.
One quarter of the electricity used in Iceland comes from the natural heat in the ground.
People around the world are working to solve our energy problem.