Save our planet

Have you ever felt that our blue planet is heating up quite fast? It is a fact that temperature is rising around the globe, hurricanes and earthquakes are ravaging its face, glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising and the vibrant varieties of flora and fauna are slowly getting extinct one by one. The villain? Global warming.

Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature on earth’s surface – including
atmosphere and water – in recent decades, which in turn, is causing several related climatic changes. Centuries of human activities are only to be blamed for the current state-of-affairs. The immediate cause of global warming has been traced to heat-trapping gases that we use to gratify our luxurious desires.

Global warming I think is more of an ethical issue than political. We have been extremely extravagant and unrestrained in the use of resources like water, fuel and energy. It's high time we mended our ways, and taught ourselves to be frugal and reasonable while we consume nature's bounty. As Gandhiji put it: The earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed. But, can we as single individuals, keep a check on global warming? Actually, yes! In fact, each one of us should not hesitate to pitch in with our bit to help minimize our carbon footprint before it's too late.

Here are some suggestions:

Switch off all lights, fans, television, computers, and other electrical appliances when you move out of the room or when not required. According to a report, 75% of the electricity consumed at home is stand-by power used to keep such appliances running, even when they are not in use!

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs to save money and energy. They consume only a quarter of the power as compared to incandescent bulbs and last several years longer. Buy rechargeable batteries for frequently-used devices and energy efficient appliances. You would not buy a car / bike without collecting any info on its mileage. So why not exercise the same restraint while buying electrical appliances?

Are you one of those, who let the tap running, while brushing or shaving? Remember that you have just been responsible for wasting a precious resource that is still a luxury for people in several countries. Do not take marathon showers; five minutes are enough to get your body clean and your senses rejuvenated. Conserve water; don't waste it just because you don’t have to pay through your nose for it.

Switch to a vegetarian diet. Raising animals for food is a process that consumes vast quantities of natural resources, including water, land, and oil. It upsets natural habitats and pollutes air and water to a high level. Can you guess, which is more responsible for global warming – your Maruti Swift or Mutton Biriyani? Believe it or not, it’s the Mutton Biriyani. The global meat market generates roughly 18% of the world's Greenhouse gas emissions. This is more than even the transportation industry, according to a report that came out last year from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization. If you switch to vegetarian food, you can shrink your carbon footprint by up to 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide a year, according to a research by the University of Chicago.

The plastic shopping bags you bring home from malls and grocery stores end up invariably in a dumping yard. Every year, more than 500 billion plastic bags are distributed, and only less than 3% of them are recycled. Typically, they are made of polyethylene and can take up to 1,000 years to degrade naturally in landfills that emit harmful Greenhouse gases. Reducing your contribution to plastic-bag pollution is easy – carry a cloth bag (jhola bags) each time you go shopping; also try to hold yourself back from impulsive shopping sprees. Incidentally, the jhola bags are back in vogue these days – they add to your 'cool' quotient!

Save trees. Trees are critical to the overall quality of our environment. Trees offset development impacts, significantly diminish noise pollution, lower air temperature, reduce smog, remove pollutants from the air, and decrease top soil erosion. Do not waste paper – it does grow on trees – 900 million trees become pulp and paper every year. But you can reduce this number by preserving paper. You can bank and pay bills online. Further, you can buy more recycled paper. Its manufacturing process uses up to 60% less energy than that of virgin paper. In office, use both sides of the paper while writing or printing. Cancel unwanted junk mail.

Finally, follow the age-old Indian tradition – simple living and high thinking. Do everything in moderation and be kind to our planet Earth. Let's be the catalyst for a positive change, starting this NOW. With a combined effort, I am sure we can make the world a better place to live in – for us and for posterity. Let's try to preserve it in the same condition we inherited it from our ancestors.