Introduction
In the UK, our demand for better and better living standards means that our homes, schools, hospitals, offices, factories and transport demand vast amounts of energy.
Meanwhile, other modern industrial societies across the world are facing the same demand.
Add to this the agonizing need for people in less developed countries to have their fair share of the world's wealth, then it is plain to see that the worldwide demand for energy raises both technical and moral questions.
Against this background, people are increasingly aware that the production and use of energy can have harmful effects on human animal and plant life throughout the world.
The pollution of our atmosphere and water, the effects on our climate, the contamination of land - are all causing concern, not only for people alive today, but for the future of generations to come.
Today, much of the energy we use is in the form of electricity. This resource considers the types of energy used for generating electricity and questions the existing and future environmental costs.
Generating electricity has an impact on the environment