Current Affairs

Without energy, we wouldn’t be able to turn on our lights.

We wouldn’t be able to play video games.

And we wouldn’t have hot water. Our showers would be ice cold.

We’d practically be back to the Stone Age.

Most of our energy comes from coal. We have enough to last 500 years.

But when it gets burned for energy it gets a bit messy and lets off polluting carbon dioxide, which is making the planet choke.

So we need to find cleaner, more sustainable ways to power our stuff in the future. Otherwise, what will power our flying cars, our bionic postmen…

…and our homework robots.

Scientists have found some ways to make coal cleaner.

One way is to dry it out so it’s less smoky.

Another way to cut pollution might be to catch it and store it away underground.

Or simply use less energy.

We are looking at different ways to get energy in the future.

Some of the best options we have are renewable energy – from the sun…

...wind...

...and water.

Or we could use a cleaner fuel, like natural gas.

Businesses are building big solar panel plants.

We can even get energy from heat down in the earth.

How we get our energy won’t change overnight.

Some say to use coal but have it make less smoke because the way that we’re going the planet will choke Some say solar and wind will cut our pollution But there’s a fair way to go before they’re the solution To make the transition the one thing we know Is a little of everything’s a good way to go.

This book has been developed as part of the Victorian Government’s Future Energy Strategy and is based on a four-minute educational animation. The animation is available for viewing at www.dpi.vic.gov.au/futureenergy More information about the Future Energy Strategy is available at the website or by calling 136 186.