An Inconvenient Truth - personal impression by Michaela and Veronika, Czech republic

An Inconvenient Truth

by Michaela Svobodova, Czech Republic

I watched film An Inconvenient Truth last week. The film was for me very interesting. Al Gore explained global warming in this film so as to understand all of us. I liked his speech. He presented his speech with humor and grace. He managed to keep my attention. His presentations were great.  He used a convincing graphs. Al Gore demonstrated the consequences of human activity against nature. This film showed the real problems of global warming. It forces us to think about them. People should start to change their behavior. They should think about the future of the Earth.

The whole movie is very interesting and instructive. The film is presented very wittily and this is  what I like about this film.  I also  like graphs which are well-arranged, brief and easy understandable.  I think that this film should be seen by a lot of people, it might open their eyes. After seeing this film, I look at this thing from a different perspective. I think that we should all think about what we do and what we cause.

Veronika Grycová, the Czech Republic

Our comments on 'An Inconvenient Truth' by Margot, Coralie and Océane

We watched the film « An Inconvenient Truth » made by Al Gore. He won two Oscars for this film. We feel like participants at a conference about global warming in the movie. Al Gore is « the ex-future president of the United States ». He was the Democratic Party’s nominee to be President in the 2000 elections. He is an environmental activist and received The Nobel Peace Prize for his work as a climate change activist in 2007.

Al Gore explains in this film that global warming is caused by man’s activities. So during his conference he shows us that people’s behaviour has a harmful effect on the environment. He uses many graphs, many pictures and short animated films to make people aware of the problem. For example, there is a graph about the rising temperature in the world. In the year 2005, the temperature was the hottest on record. In another graph, we can see that the temperature of the ocean is also increasing which will cause the icecap to melt. And this in turn will cause sea levels to rise. This phenomenon would mean the World Trade Center memorial on Manhattan would be flooded. Al Gore demonstrates that the consequences of man’s activities can still be changed. In the movie, we see pictures of The North and South Poles and the disastrous consequences global warming is having on these territories. At the end of the film, he gives examples of behaviour that we can adopt to protect the environment.

This film illustrates the reality of global warming. It makes us think about our habits. We have to change, with this film we understand that it's very important to act. Unfortunately, people don't feel concerned by Global Warming and think that it's too much effort to change their habits. But this is wrong. We can help doing small actions for the environment each day. For example recycling our waste, switching off the light when we leave a room... We could also tell people about this film and encourage them to watch it.

Renewable energy in France by Laura, Sidonie et Manon

Renewable energy in France

There are 5 renewable energy sources which have one main advantage: almost none of them produce waste or pollute the environment. In other words they are « clean ». Using renewable energy is part of the project to struggle against greenhouse gases and reduce the amount of CO2 emissions. Renewable energy can be produced and managed at a local level thus reducing loss of energy caused by transporting electricity from distant power stations to the place where it is needed. Developing renewable energy creates jobs. There is no limit to the supply of renewable energy. If we compare it to petrol, to coal, to natural gases, it's better to use renewable energy if we want a sustainable future for our world.

Wind power
Wind turbines generate mechanical forces or electric forces. In the past windmills were used for grinding wheat into flour. Wind power has become an important producer of renewable energy, produced by wind farms which capture wind energy thanks to blades.

Wind farms now form an integral part of the French countryside.

Biomass energy
Biomass includes 3 principal families which are wood energy or solid biomass, biogases and biofuel. They are materials of organic origin used for heat production, electricity or fuel.

Geothermal science
Geothermal science corresponds to the cultivation of heat stocked in subsoil. The use of geothermal sources is composed of two families: electricity production and heat production. Depending on the sources, techniques and needs are varied. Geothermal is qualified as « high energy » (more than 150°C), « medium energy » (from 90 to 150 °C), « low energy » (from 30 to 90°C) and « very low energy » (less than 30°C).

Solar power
Renewable energy uses the sun in different ways : it's solar power. First, there is photovoltaic solar energy. It comes from conversion of sunlight into electricity in specifics materials. Performances of photovoltaic installations depend on the orientation of solar panels and on the weather in the different areas. Electricity produced is immediately available or is stocked using batteries. There is also solar thermal low temperature. It consists in recovering sunlight in order to create hot water or underfloor heating.

Hydroelectricity
Water propels turbines, creating electricity. It represents 19% of total production of electricity in the whole world and 13% in France.

Conclusion
Our society still uses a high amount of fossil fuels which were formed over thousands of years to. If we continue to consume them at the current rate, these fuels will be exhausted in less than two centuries. Renewable energies are for us, the best way to act so as to protect the planet.


Laura, Sidonie et Manon

Nuclear Power by JEAN Emmanuelle, LAABOUDI Soukayna,NOEL Janie

Nuclear power in France

Nuclear power is the primary source of electric power in France. The nuclear industry in France was implemented in 1950 and 1960 with the commissioning of nine reactors. The first nuclear power plant in France was built in 1956 but it is because of the oil crisis of the 70s, that nuclear power occupies an important place in the French energy sector. The nuclear industry gradually became the main source of electricity production in France. The law fixing the orientations of the French energy policy of July 13th, 2005 confirms the preservation of nuclear power as the main source of electricity in France even if it encourages the diversification of the sectors of production of electricity from the renewable energies (wind energy-biomass etc.) and from oil, from gas and from coal. In France, in 2006, 78,4 % of the electricity was of nuclear origin. It is one of the most competitive in Europe. The French nuclear park comprises 58 pressurized water reactors which produce 450 billion kWh so 78.4% of the total electricity production.

The life expectancy of a third of the power plants currently in operation expires in 2020. France is preparing to deploy a new generation of reactors which answer the requirements of economic competitiveness, environmental protection and enhanced security. France launched in April 2007, the construction of a third-generation EPR2 reactor in Flamanville in Normandy. This project devotes research programs to fourth generation reactors, for their deployment in 2016.

What is the place of nuclear energy in the world?

It represents only 6 or 7% of the total energy consumed from all sources. If this is so little, why do we use nuclear power in France?

-It allows France to ensure its energy independence (France imports less than 50% of its energy resources)

-Protection of the Environment (France is a European country which emits the least greenhouse gas emissions) Indeed, France is involved in a struggle against global warming, a phenomenon now well understood by scientists.

It is essential to use methods of energy production which do not act on global warming, so as not to make it worse. Nuclear power has undoubtedly, beside other energies, as the renewable energies, an important role to play to contribute to protecting the environment. Since 1970, in France, 50% of CO2 emissions have been avoided thanks to the use of nuclear energy. Nuclear power avoids the emission, each year of 700 million tons of CO2 (emissions equal to those that produce 200 million cars) including 360 million in France.

- Nuclear power has an advantage for employment in France.

- Nuclear power is needed to produce the atomic bomb. A modern and powerful country considers that it needs nuclear weapons.

However, the use of nuclear power in France is not always beneficial in the minds of many French people:

- Nuclear power presents health risks related to radioactive pollution.

- Nuclear power hinders the development of renewable energies such as wind turbines, hydraulic power, or, in some areas, solar energy, which do not pollute and are cheaper. The government is not investing enough in renewable energy research.

- The system is dangerous: the installation of a nuclear power plant requires huge, very expensive safety measures, without being sure of their absolute safety.

-Radioactive waste poses a very big problem: the nuclear industry continues to produce and they don't even know what to do with it. It therefore keeps it on the surface, endangering future generations. And the transportation and maintenance of waste is very expensive.

- Since the drama of Japan in 2011, the use of the nuclear power has been the subject of considerable debate in France



JEAN Emmanuelle, LAABOUDI Soukayna,NOEL Janie.

MEMORIES FROM FRANCE

Pictures from the meeting in France 2012 by the student Ana Zaplana