Climate Change: Time for Action

Global warming is disrupting lives daily and what is happening is only the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of millions of people may be exposed to famine, water shortages, extreme weather conditions and a 20 - 30% loss of animal and plant species if we do not reduce the rate of global warming and reduce GHG emissions.

I will try to suggest few simple ideas to ensure that we can contribute something meaningful to mother Earth.

1. Educate… Become aware of the harsh realities of what is happening around the world. There are tones of resources available on Global warming. Pick up The inconvenient truth – a movie produced by Al-Gore on Global warming. It enlightens you on the dangers we are facing. Once you know the facts educate others. Raise awareness. Know about simple energy saving techniques and how it can help you in the long run.

2. Use compact fluorescent bulbs: Purchasing energy efficient light bulbs can use 60% less energy than normal light bulbs. You can save around 300 pounds of carbon dioxide in a year by replacing a single light bulb. Also, low energy bulbs have recently become very cheap. Consider them as giving gifts to family and friends. CFL bulbs do contain small amounts of Mercury and hence proper disposal (recycling) is necessary to prevent any additional landfill contamination.You can also start looking into LED lightbulbs which have started to crop up recently -- they are even more efficient.

3. Turn off Electronic devices when not in use: Electronics are affecting global warming in a truly preventable way. Instead of putting them on "Stand By" mode simply turn them off. Don’t leave those screen savers running for hours. This requires a significant amount of energy which could easily be saved.

4. Think twice before using paper: Decide whether something is really worth printing out. Leave a signature at the bottom of your e-mails reminding the reader to think twice before printing the e-mail. Make the most of scrap paper for shopping lists, notes, scrapbooks, etc.

5. Many countries have "energy star" ratings on new appliances that allow you to assess the energy usage of the appliance. Before you purchase any appliances like washing machine or Refrigerator check for the number of stars. 5 stars implies energy efficient device

6. Most of the middle class families own a four wheeler these days and it would be foolish not to use them. Make use of your 4 wheeler sparingly and use them only when it is absolutely essential. I know it is easier said than done but we come across many situations where in taking a public transport will be a better option. It lessens the load on the roads and reduces one's individual greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1600 pounds per year and gives you a great opportunity to read, think, and relax. You also save on petrol.

To be frank many a times when i have sacrificed some comfort for the sake of environment and many have taken it with cynicism. I don’t have any problem with that as long as I know that I am doing the right thing.

I made an enquiry on how LED’s can be used for lighting in our homes which are better than CFLs and I have plans to get one installed at my place.

It is time that we all change the way we take our environment for granted and do our best in preserving it for the future generations.

Friends this concludes my writing on Global warming. Next it will be all on our farmers. Remember 60% of our working population is involved in Agriculture and it is the life line of majority of our population. Look at the present state of farmers. Every day we hear about farmer suicides, erratic weather, crop losses. The majority of the farming community is in shmables and I would like to highlight those in my post.. Happy and safe deepavali...