Nowadays, your pupils are familiar with the global fight against climate change towards a more sustainable world. Many of them are wise consumers in the fight against this world challenge, they have learned how to minimize waste and save water. But are they aware of their impact as energy consumers?
Energy is everywhere! Indeed, in todays’ world, our young people won’t become wise consumers unless they learn how to improve their energy consumption. It’s in the ways of transporting we have (car, train, bike, motorbike), at home when we choose how to struggle against the heat or the cold, at school when we turn on the light, or even during holidays when we shower or take long baths. Energy efficiency also depends on household appliances we choose and, especially for young people, on our use of electrical appliances (including mobile phones, headphones, tablets and computers).
Energy Union and Climate Change policy are one of the top priorities of the European Commission. In February 2015, the European Commission presented a Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy. With regards to consumers, this strategy includes a clear and efficient consumer rights protection legislation, as well as a revision of the Energy Labelling Directive, a new Ecodesign working plan, to easily and freely access to data on real-time and historical energy consumption. In the longer term, the 2050 Energy Strategy’s goal is to transform the energy system (by reducing green-house emissions from 80 to 95%).
It also aims at empowering consumers by making their energy bill more controllable and predictable (helping the environment and saving money) and by increasing energy security by a domestic supply.
In this frame, teenagers should learn that their daily behaviour has an impact on energy consumption and more broadly on global sustainable consumption and the fight against climate change.
