Global warming. Everyone is talking about it. There are articles on the internet discussing the effects of it (http://www.sustainability.com/researchandadvocacy/columns_article.asp?id=1698 and http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20091129101145447C290965) programmes on tv looking at how companies, as well as the general public, can help prevent it (Panorama, BBC1 30/11/09, 8.30pm) and adverts on tv trying to 'guilt trip' people into thinking about it, like the adverts on stv put on by the Act on CO2 campaign featuring a young girl as the planet's future (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w62gsctP2gc) and the Environmental defence's advert (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-_LBXWMCAM) which tries the same approach - showing the future generations of the planet. So why is this message not getting to everyone? The government and environmentalists keep going on about how important it is for us to do things to help reduce the effects of global warming and things such as the polar ice caps melting - cut down on the use of carrier bags, recycle as much as possible, and encourage renewable energy (wind power, water power etc.) but is everyone embracing this? Using 'bags for life' and putting things in a recycle bin seem to be a fairly easy task, but is everyone doing them? And what about renewable energy? It is such an important thing now that you would think everyone would be in favour of it.

There are currently 2718 wind turbines in the UK (http://www.bwea.com/) and these turbines reduce the CO2 in the air by 4456188 tonnes per year. However, despite this and all of the many other positive points that wind farms have, there are still more proposals rejected than accepted. People object against them, saying they are too noisy, will bring their house value down, are an eye sore, but studies show that a wind turbine only emmits 35-45 db from 350m away (less than a car travelling at 40mph 100m away) and around the same noise level as a quiet bedroom (also 35 db). And personally, I don't see how something like a wind turbine can be seen as an eyesore when the countryside is covered in electricity pylons! If the government wants to meet its target - and promise - of having 20% of energy from renewable sources by 2020, they are going to have to get people to face up to the fact that this may be one of the most important ways to reduce global warming and climate change. Is having a wind farm to look at out of your window really such a bad thing if it means that global warming effects will decrease and we are saving the planet for the generations that are still to come?

Find out more about wind, wave and tidal energy on the British Wind Energy Association's website: www.bwea.com