subject: Enjoy a "Green" World Cup with Solar-Powered Devices [print this page] Enjoy a "Green" World Cup with Solar-Powered Devices
With the battle for the World Cup being more and more intense and stirring, more and more attention and passion are paid to this great event. After 4 years' waiting, people release their feverish passion as much as they like during the World Cup period. Apart from the passion, millions of crazy fans release a mass of carbon dioxide in both direct and indirect ways.
Before the kick off, a Feasibility Study for a Carbon Neutral 2010 FIFA World Cup predicted that the 2010 FIFA World Cup is expected to generate more than 2.7 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, which is eight times more carbon dioxide emissions than the 2006 World Cup held in Germany. Nearly 900,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be produced by local transportation, the construction of stadiums and the energy use associated with the football matches and accommodations, while another 1.9 m tons will come from travel.
To offset the carbon emissions, the South African Department of Environmental Affairs has made significant efforts to with the support of UN organizations. For example, a large-screen TV powered by the Sun has been placed in the Jericho community hall recently. The entire set up is powered by solar panels and generators erected by schoolchildren, who were trained by Greenpeace for the task. It's a good way to cut carbon emissions while achieving economic growth by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy and energy efficiency.
In my opinion, it's not only the government's responsibility to protect the environment, we, as members of the earth, have also the obligation to do the environmental protection when watching the World Cup games. As electricity generation is a big part of carbon emission, we can start with electricity saving. For example, we can share a screen with our families and friends, when watching games at home. It could save electricity and enhance interest as well. We can also use solar-powered energy device to charge our phones, cameras, videos, and so on. Solar-powered energy can increase the efficiency and lower the cost, and is clean to the environment.
The World Cup is a transforming and exciting event to us, but it's also a threat to our environment. Today, as the global warming problem is increasingly serious, we urgently need to make difference before it is too late. So, when enjoying the games, keep the green idea in mind!
