How We Live

Energy is something that puts everything into motion. Everything is for movement. GEORGIA To survive we had to work around a wood fire. There was no energy, there was no electricity. No radio, no television. It was kind of a frozen period. We were just stuck in one place, neither moving forwards nor backwards. Now there are different needs. Although you have gas and electricity it’s very expensive and you are trying to find alternative ways to reduce the cost of living. SERBIA 30 years ago the surface mines encroached on the edge of the village and the relocation of people began. Life has changed. WALES My first thoughts when we found out that we were on a pilon route a 50 metre high pilon route, was just horror. It's not about saving the planet. It's not about providing green energy, renewable energy, energy security. It's money. The subsidy in the UK for onshore wind is huge. And people are on a gold rush. BELGIUM GEORGIA The point is impact. What do we get from it? Neither free electricity nor any kind of discounts for the community. Can you imagine the Dariali gorge without the river Tergi? Facing the challenges that we face today in the European Union depends a great degree by decisions that are taken at the level of energy policy reinforcing energy supply reinforcing competitiveness and promoting sustainable growth. GEORGIA SERBIA We are all disappointed somehow. We have a kind of sadness when we look out there. There used to be homes, neighbours. We had friendships, we visited one another; we celebrated, we talked. We no longer have any of those things. We live only for ourselves. And it is sad - to look out and to live here. I have invested 50 years of my life here. And I don’t have anything to see other than dug up ground. A gloominess. Everything is... ... dead. ENGLAND Some of the biggest players in the tar sands are actually British companies. So we definitely have a role to play in this battle. Europe is a key new market that Canada wants to export to. That's where the oil from the Keystone Exel Pipeline will go if the pipeline is built. It will come to Europe. And there's a piece of legislation going through the EU at the moment called the fuel quality directive that will label Tar Sands as much more poluting than conventional oil. WALES This is an area of incredible beauty which my family has come from and I feel a personal responsibility to fight for. They're going to take away our heritage. They're going to take away the beauty of Wales all together. They're going to destroy our lives. And the will to live. GEORGIA Hello viewers, you are watching a TV show for kids. Eco Vision is a programme with educational and environmental topics. Today our guests are from Public School No. 75. Today's show is about electricity. SERBIA I am a third generation miner. My grandfather worked in the underground mines. My father was a miner, and I now work in Kolubara. Realistically speaking I think Serbia needs Kolubara It is our energy, our product, people make a living from it. What do you mean how much energy do I need? How much energy I use personally, I don't know. What I use as a human being? I never thought about that. How We Live Commuinties in Mid-Wales are preparing for a year long public inquiry into the applications of 5 wind farms. If rejected, the National Grid's proposed pylon corridor is unlikely to proceed. The Kolubara mine is the largest open cast mine in Europe and provides half of Serbia's electricity. It is expected to be operational until 2060. The government is being sued for incorrectly representing the environmental impact of the Dariali Hydro Plant. There are 26 Hydros in the country and more than 40 more are proposed. Investors are obliged to sell energy back to Georgia only during winter months.