Energy Conservation has assumed utmost significance today due to careless rather ruthless use of energy by the people across the globe resulting in flagging of this life sustaining succour. Therefore today the issue deserves priority attention and multiple result oriented measures need to be initiated at the global as well as national level to address this vital issue before it’s too late. First of all massive awareness needs to be spread about the importance of ener- gy conservation for the present as well as future generations.
This needs to be simultaneously augmented by playing proactive role collectively as well as individually to save ener- gy. While the nation’s achievements in energy efficiency and conservation, while working towards climate change mitiga- tion continue to be showcased at regular intervals by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) a body that functions under the jurisdiction of the Government of India and formu- lates policies regarding use of energy, it is the duty of one and all to recognize the importance of efficient use of energy and its conservation. It is a fact that with rapid progress in industrialization and changes in the lifestyle brought by it, the need for energy continues to grow at a fast pace. But the sources of energy are limited and need to be consumed in the most judicious manner. This calls for energy conservation through efforts to reduce the energy consumption by being less dependent on it. It can also be achieved by finding and implementing methods which use energy more efficiently leaving meager scope for wastage of energy. The Government has implemented The Energy Conservation Act in India in 2001 with aims at raising awareness among gen- eral public about energy conservation and efficiency.
Subsequently, in the March of 2002, it established the Bureau of Energy Efficiency in the direction of energy con- servation. The energy conservation law provides for the insti- tutionalizing and strengthening of delivery mechanism for energy efficiency services in the country and ensuring coor- dination between various entities. It is pertinent to mention here that energy conservation has a direct impact on the Climate Change issue and as such achieving success in conserving energy will automatically address the Climate Change issue. Much can be achieved by following simple rules both individually and collectively which include Switching over to 100% green power; Saving energy; Optimizing the diet; Avoiding plastic wherever possible; Shrinking the digital footprints; Avoiding air travel; Making sustainable investments; Making maximum use of bicycles; Protecting the forests and planting more trees; Making informed decisions as a consumer and as a citizen and last but not the least Sharing the aforesaid key points by going out on the streets and making the voice heard. If we fail to make judicious use of energy then we will have the earth not fit for habitation at all. So we can’t wait for the politicians to act and hope that they’ll make the right decisions before it’s too late. Past experience reveals that they certainly haven’t proved to be effective with their words not being followed by any effective action. So it’s more important to take matters into our own hands and get proactively involved in creating awareness and disseminating information on energy efficien- cy and conservation with the Government already playing its part through BEE by promoting research and development in the energy usage; promoting energy efficient processes, equipment, devices and systems besides preparing educa- tional curriculum on efficient use of energy and importance of its conservation. Concerted efforts with dedication and sin- cerity by all the stakeholders will definitely result in achieving the aims and objectives in this direction which would be in the best interest of the present as well as future generations.