Global Warming – Time to act is now

The planet is warming. Biggest environmental challenge is facing our planet. Coming generations are in danger. I want to draw your attention to the single important issue of Climate Crisis we are facing today that previous generations have never faced in history.

Over the last century, the planet's temperature has risen by around 1 degree Fahrenheit. Ice caps are melting. Sea levels are rising. Species are disappearing.

United Nations panel has estimated that the global temperatures will rise 3-10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century. This will be enough to melt the Greenland and Western Antarctic ice sheets. That will cause 20 feet rise in sea levels. That will make many coastal areas to disappear around the world.

In 2003, heat waves caused more than 1,500 deaths in India. Lives of poor will be at most risk if we act rashly. Lives of our grand children are at stake. Global climate will be a deciding factor for our children what kind of world they will inherit from us to live in decades from now.

There can be many natural causes but the current warming is created by humans. Electricity generation is the largest culprit to global warming. This is closely followed by transportation. These two sectors make up around 60 percent of the problem.

Other primary cause of global warming is the greenhouse gases that are produced by burning of fossil fuels. Coal produces more than nine billion tons of carbon dioxide every year globally.

Carbon dioxide is mainly produced by power plants, vehicles and manufacturing. Transportation and passenger vehicles are also a major source of carbon dioxide emissions. We will have to find ways of low-carbon development and to clean up carbon dioxide that is already there in the atmosphere. It is high time that we develop low carbon society.

We need to improve the fuel efficiency of vehicles. We also need to find alternative fuels and new technologies.

We also have commercial and residential sources causing the climate change. Talk to your family and friends about saving water and electricity. Close the tap when you brush your teeth. Use a broom instead of a water-pipe to clean halls, driveways and sidewalks. Water your garden only before 8 am to reduce evaporation.

It is not necessary to become an activist or protest on the streets. The answer to big problems is sometimes very simple. I shall give you some simple steps.

Plant a tree. Trees help keep the planet cooler. You can help out a local environmental group. Request them to plant a tree.

Eat less meat. That will reduce your personal impact on global warming. Scientists from University of Chicago say that vegetarian diet turns out to be the most energy efficient.

Think of carpooling before getting into your car or whether you can go by public transport.

While at home, if you are getting a little cold, put a full sleeves shirt on instead of adjusting your air conditioner.

Do not keep electrical appliances on standby. Switch them off. That will help the environment, as well as save you money.

Buy your households from local suppliers and try to avoid imported goods. Foreign goods are brought on airplanes and ships that create pollution.

Driving within speed limits will also help the environment. More speed uses more petrol. More petrol consumption causes more pollution.

We need to become much more energy efficient. Use solar energy if you can. It is free. You just need to buy the equipment. With solar energy you can get hot water and even generate electricity.

Follow the Three R’s - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Reduce wants. Buy only what you need, do not stock what you may not use. Reduce waste. Reuse whatever you can, like shopping bags and containers. If you cannot reuse, recycle. It is as simple as that.

If everybody sticks to the suggestions I just said, we would be doing a great thing by protecting the earth. So please take into consideration what I have said, and try to do your part. After all, it will be our next generation that will feel the effects.

There is so much we can do at the individual level. So, it is not a political but a moral issue. We need to deal with it. We can not wait for someone else to act.

By the time you start feeling global warming in your daily life it will be too late. Time to act is now. Be a Climate Action Leader in your area. Act now and be a part of the solution to the climate crisis.