Salvage the planet

Lynette
Meridian Junior College
Singapore

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the planet has been troubled by numerous problems brought about by humankind. Environmental issues have become more significant in recent years, however, due to the overwhelming number of environmental disasters that are now occurring. This is a worrying trend, particularly as people are caught unprepared for the sudden consequences of climate change, and this is creating much chaos and havoc worldwide. The term ‘protect' is understood as suggesting new solutions to inhibit further destruction brought about by environmental problems. How, then, should humankind act to delay or avert the dwindling state of the planet?

In order to increase the standard of living, many countries have pursued industrialisation so as to develop their economies. However, this has brought about an upward trend in carbon dioxide emissions. Global warming, the major environmental issue evident today, is caused by greenhouse gases being trapped in the atmosphere of the planet. With industries continuously pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, this has led to rising temperatures worldwide. This has caused many other problems as a result, such as icecaps melting in the Arctic region and coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef.

A probable solution to global warming would be to impose limits on the greenhouse gas emissions produced by industries. A case in point would be the Kyoto Protocol, which is a treaty signed by countries worldwide to curb the growing problem of global warming. While many countries have promised to reduce the rate of carbon dioxide emissions by 2012, some prominent industrialised countries, like America and Australia, have resisted the ratification of the treaty. Countries should unite and pressure such prominent industrialised countries to sign and abide by the Kyoto Protocol. Rising industrial countries like China should also start implementing awareness programs for firms involved in the release of greenhouse gases. As such, governments of each country ought to lead their nations in raising awareness of global warming, and encourage their citizens to adopt a greener way of living. The effects of global warming can be reduced if countries would slow down the rate of greenhouse gas emissions and adopt greener technology.

Besides global warming, another environmental problem is pollution. The irresponsible act of dumping waste into the environment has had a huge impact on various ecosystems. Using water pollution as an example, companies sometimes dump their factory waste into rivers, thereby polluting the water with toxic substances, chemicals and non-biodegradable items. This has then threatened sea creatures in the oceans, as the toxic chemicals can cause the sea creatures to slowly die off. If a particular organism were to die, it may then bring about an imbalance in the ecosystem, and kill the entire ecosystem.

An illustrative case is in Indonesia, where water pollution is evidently due to the lack of governmental control. While it may seem simple to suggest a potential solution to eliminate further water pollution, in reality, companies may see dumping waste into rivers as the least troublesome and cost effective way to remove waste. With no incentives for companies to release treated waste, companies release untreated waste into the rivers and oceans. Therefore, governments should actually take the initiative to provide the infrastructure to treat toxic waste for companies or even carry out a nation-wide campaign to encourage companies to adopt new systems to dispose of chemical and other waste. Should countries encounter problems in assisting companies financially, neighbouring countries ought to offer assistance, so as to protect the planet.

A prominent example of countries cooperating to help protect the planet would be Singapore. In recent years, whenever Indonesia was faced with forest fires, which contributed to air pollution and the haze effect in 1997 and 2006, the Singapore Government provided satellite-tracking images of forest fires. This may seem like a slow solution, but with countries cooperating and encouraging each other to protect the environment, pollution can be reduced. Pollution can be prevented if governments cooperate and provide incentives for companies to reduce the amount of pollutants they produce.

Lastly, energy scarcity has also become a hot discussion topic recently. With oil and coal being widely used by countries, it seems logical that such natural resources will eventually be depleted in this century. Major industrialised countries are responsible for at least 80 per cent of coal and fossil fuel consumption each year. With rapid industrialisation, raw materials are also depleted more quickly. The indifference of people towards energy conservation right now, has also aided in the intensifying rate of energy scarcity.

A potential solution to such a problem could be to find a new energy source, such as building nuclear plants to generate energy. However, nuclear energy may also pose dangerous threats to humans, should there be a leakage or other sort of accident. We can always suggest new ways to develop energy, however how sustainable can they be? Personally, I think that energy scarcity can be avoided totally if humankind were to treat environmental problems responsibly from the start, and use energy and raw materials more consciously and carefully. Therefore, personal responsibility and building nuclear power plants are one way of beating energy scarcity.

In conclusion, environmental problems like global warming, pollution and energy scarcity will always be present, due to the rapid use of raw materials and the unchangeable mindset of people towards the planet. The only solution to protect the planet and delay further environmental problems is for everyone to be individually responsible. After all, a simple act of reusing or recycling an item goes a long way in protecting the planet. Everyone needs to play a part to protect our planet Earth.

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