| In our own small way we can all help with the | | | | boats and sailing ships. The Babylonian emperor |
| important issue of climate change, and one way is to | | | | Hammurabi planned to use wind power for his |
| educate ourselves in alternative energy sources and | | | | ambitious irrigation project in the 17th century B.C. |
| see whether we can make changes in the way that | | | | The ancient Sinhalese utilized the monsoon winds to |
| we use our energy, at the same time reducing our | | | | power furnaces as early as 300 B.C. The furnaces |
| energy costs. | | | | were constructed in the path of the monsoon winds to |
| Solar Power | | | | exploit the wind power, to bring the temperatures |
| My parents have had solar hot water for thirty years, | | | | inside up to 1100-1200 Celsius. The first modern wind |
| and would not have any other system. When | | | | turbines were built in the early 1980s, although more |
| inundated by grown up family, they never run out of | | | | efficient designs are still being developed. Good |
| hot water and enjoy big savings on energy bills and | | | | selection of a wind turbine site is critical to economic |
| their solar system is also covered for damage by their | | | | development of wind power. Aside from the availability |
| household insurance policy. Living in a region that has | | | | of wind itself, other economic factors include the |
| sunshine, at least for part of the time, is the only | | | | availability of transmission lines, value of energy to be |
| criteria. Use of the suns energy may seem like a | | | | produced, cost of land acquisition, land use |
| recent phenomenon, however, solar power has been | | | | considerations, and environmental impact of |
| in use in various forms for thousands of years. | | | | construction and operations. |
| Apart from the obvious fact that the sun provides the | | | | Climate Change |
| energy for life to exist, there are more technological | | | | Climate change should be assessed on the basis of |
| uses that go back millennia. The ancient Greeks' knew | | | | change over long periods of time. It should not be |
| how to harness steam power, some of it generated | | | | assessed on a single unusual weather event, nor even |
| by solar radiation. They also built their houses with | | | | on several years of anomalous weather. However, for |
| large openings on the south side of their buildings, to | | | | the last decade or so it has become increasingly |
| catch the sunlight and the Romans adopted some of | | | | obvious that the environment is extremely stressed. |
| this technology, as they did much of Greek science. | | | | Climate change has already had a measurable impact |
| Wind Power | | | | on many natural and human systems. This is true of |
| Wind power or wind energy is the process by which | | | | changes we are seeing in flora and fauna and the |
| the wind is used to generate mechanical power or | | | | diminishing availability of good quality drinking water. |
| electricity and is one of the fastest-growing forms of | | | | Effects are projected to increase in the future and to |
| electricity generation in the world. Humans have been | | | | be more severe with greater increases in temperature. |
| using wind power for at least 5,500 years to propel sail | | | | |