I’ve heard this question a lot over the last couple of
weeks. It might seem like a random
place to go, this little island in the northern Atlantic Ocean.
But Iceland really isn’t a weird destination for science teachers like Amanda and I, who
are concerned about the impact of climate change. Because Iceland, you see, produces over 99% of its energy by
geothermal processes and hydropower (more on what those are later), and that
means that Icelanders produce very little carbon dioxide, the gas that is the
main cause of global warming. They
are the world’s leaders in preventing climate change!
By contrast, here in the US, we make about 81% of our energy
by burning fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, and coal), which produces
enormous amounts of carbon dioxide.
We want to find out how Iceland manages to
produce energy so responsibly, and learn about how Icelanders think about
energy, the environment and climate change. And then we want to share what we learn with our students,
colleagues, and others. Maybe we
can start a conversation about how we here in Boston could produce more of our
energy in ways that don’t make carbon dioxide. I hope so.
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