How can we protect our planet?

Chen
Meridian Junior College
Singapore

Deepening drought in Australia, stronger typhoons in Asia, floods in Latin America and wars between rival countries. These are just some of the problems that human beings are facing now. We are fast approaching many of the Earth's limits. Its ability to provide for the growing numbers of people, to provide food and energy, and to absorb waste and destructive effluent are all being stretched. Current economic practices, which damage the environment in both developed and developing nations, cannot continue without the risk of vital global systems being damaged beyond repair.

Henceforth, how can we protect our planet? In other words, in what ways can we, as countries, as individuals, as responsible human beings, prevent our Earth from harm such as wars and global warming? Before we begin to brainstorm the possible solutions, let us examine the problems of global warming and ultimately the root cause of it: the self-centeredness of humankind.

Firstly, what are the problems that our planet is facing now? Here are but a few of the international environment horror stories one can tell. Every year, 160,000 people die from the effects of global warming, ranging from malaria to malnutrition. Vietnam's forests are disappearing at a rate of two percent a year due to logging, mining and land clearance for agriculture. Forests are also being destroyed in many countries, with Canada's and Alaska's forests burning like never before. Dams used for irrigation and power projects on the Mekong River and its tributaries have reduced the river's flow, allowing ocean saltwater to reach far into the Mekong delta, killing freshwater fish and harming rice harvests. From the eroded slopes of Nepal to the expanding deserts of China, India and Pakistan, the degradation of land due to climate change and human activities are more severe in Asia than in any other continent. Afghanistan has a whooping 73 percent of its total land area highly vulnerable to desertification. Such facts do not mention the immeasurable harm that wars have had on the environment.

However, the above mentioned are just some of the secondary problems that the planet is facing. The self-centeredness of humankind is the ultimate culprit of it all. Driven by a hundred forms of fear and selfishness, people tend to only think about their own benefits without taking others into consideration. Our planet has suffered as a result. Eventually, after decades of rapid economic growth, which has lead to global warming, the environment is at a tipping point.

Therefore, how can we protect our planet? There are many technological answers to this question. Each can mitigate a part of the problem, but one overriding ingredient, which is human beings, must be present or everything else is in vain. Nevertheless, we will first look at dealing with the self-centeredness of people, followed by the roles of governments and eventually the roles of individuals in order to protect our planet.

To fight self-centeredness, the transformation must begin at home. Character building starts from birth. Parents must be equipped with the fundamental skill of being able to communicate with their children. They must educate them with the right values of being a citizen of their country and being responsible for the environment. This can be done with the help of the government and organisations by reaching out to the families through parenting talks and events such as 'Family Day', where families gather, play and learn together and eventually strengthen family bonds. A strong belief in one's religion can also help in character building and fight against self-centeredness. Formal education can also come in handy, whereby schools introduce lessons or talks on how we affect the environment and how our recycling and use of recycled materials would very much help the problem of global warming.

Now, we will talk about the roles of governments, which can help to reduce the effects of global warming. Firstly, each government must truly want to clean up the mess all of us have created and must do it, rather than just give lip services to the concept. Henceforth, governments have to start putting their words into actions and eventually move global warming to the top of the national agenda. Governments can make it mandatory for car sellers to label the fuel economy of their vehicles and provide guidelines for companies to report on the level of carbon dioxide emissions. Countries must also play their part as a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol. For countries that did not ratify it, their governments must actively carry out measures to limit global warming as well. For example, United States' President, George W. Bush, has ordered the government to buy more hybrid vehicles that use ethanol or alternative fuels and hybrid plug-in cars as soon as they hit the market. Australian Prime Minster, John Howard, has also unveiled a radical S$12 billion plan aimed at protecting dwindling water supplies in the world's driest inhabited continent. Lastly, the provision of safe drinking water is an inherent responsibility of every government. Water can and should be disinfected with chlorine or ozone prior to distribution. If money is to be spent anywhere, it should be spent on providing pure drinking water, especially in the developing countries.

Lastly, there are many ways in which individuals can have positive influences on global warming. Firstly, we need to be responsible citizens and care for our environment as much as we care for our homes. One good example would be United States' former Vice-President Al Gore who filmed a documentary called 'An Inconvenient Truth' in which he argued that we can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue, rather, it is the biggest moral challenge that our global civilisation has ever faced. By doing so, Al Gore creates awareness among people about our planet's peril and encourages them to protect our planet. We can reduce the number of miles we drive by walking, biking or taking public transportation wherever possible. Avoiding just 10 miles of driving per week would eventually eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emission a year, which will in turn reduce global warming. We can also be actively recycling reusable materials and in this way, we can help firms to save money.

In conclusion, the international environment can be controlled and rolled back only if each country, together with their citizens, does its part instead of just having its representatives make promising speeches that cover their lack of actions. We are in the same boat and have been alerted to the problem by many tragically visible signs. We cannot just love the beauty of our planet: we must also cherish it and preserve it for future generations. As far as global warming is concerned, this is one world that has no boundaries. The approach to overcoming global warming must also follow the same philosophy.

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