7.1 The Great Energy Transition
A Discussion of the Energy Transition Ahead
This is a great discussion opportunity. The video from Al Jazeera discusses a Greenpeace report on how it is possible for the world to rely upon renewable energy alone by 2050. Three energy analysts discuss this proposal. You can watch the video as a class. If you do, keep a word wall of the advanced vocabulary used in the video and then discuss the meaning of the vocabulary together. This helps native English speakers and EAL students. A set of guiding questions is given and these can be completed individually or collaboratively as a class in a Google environment. This can also be set as a home learning activitiy.
The video is about 25 minutes in length. Here's a direct link to the Al Jazeera story and video.
Student Task:
Questions from Al Jazeera Inside Story: Can We Rely on Renewable Energy?
- What would be the costs and savings per year worldwide to convert to 100% renewable energy?
- How does Greenpeace suggest we should transition to 100% renewables by 2050?
- What are the economic drivers for this transition? Does it need subsidising?
- Has Greenpeace been reliable in its past predictions for renewable energy development?
- How would systems thinking transform the conversation about electric vehicles?
- How could the Dutch experience help us think about the challenges of moving industries such as steel and cement away from fossil fuels?
- How is Germany transitioning to renewables? What are its characteristics?
- Explain how it is possible to transition to 100% electric vehicles.
- What are the challenges to a transition to renewables everywhere?
- What are the attractions for LEDCs of renewable energy?
- What is the link between the carbon bubble and the divestment campaign?
- Do you expect that we will transition to 100% fossil free energy by 2050? Why?
Al Jazeera Inside Story: Can We Rely on Renewable Energy?
Wordwall
divestment
COP21 - Paris - Conference of Parties
grid infrastructure
subsidies
LED lighting
carbon capture & storage
"Hedge against fluctuations"
"the human rights issue of the moment"
circular economy
indigenous resources
concrete / chemical / steel / technology industries
fickle
batteries
e-transportation
stranded assets
carbon bubble
peak oil
"driven by"
regional/local communities