How can we protect our planet?

Andrew
Meridian Junior College
Singapore

Every day, we hear scientists and environmentalists warning us about the consequences of global warming. They warn us about rising sea levels, melting ice, flooded coasts, and other sorts of catastrophes. There are news reports of an increasing number of natural disasters that are linked to global warming. However, an over-emphasis on the apocalyptic effects of global warming can only make the public jaded and cynical. People might even adopt a fatalistic viewpoint that, since humankind is doomed, they might as well enjoy themselves while they can. Therefore, to improve the situation, there should be less emphasis on the problems that global warming can cause, and more on the solutions to these problems.

Global warming is potentially the most damaging environmental problem that we have to tackle today. There is a consensus that average temperatures are rising, and most believe that it is mainly caused by the increase in greenhouse gases because of human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels. Global warming could cause the polar ice caps to melt, causing a rise in sea levels, and thus flooding, in many places. It could also trigger extreme weather events, causing more natural disasters. (2) Therefore, with its widespread and relentless effects on every single strata of society, it is essential that everyone, from the upper echelons of society, such as governments, to the individual, should be involved in its resolution.

The successful accomplishment of this goal would require the accurate identification of its underlying cause, as well as its appropriate solution. Humankind's seemingly insatiable desire to consume all of the Earth's available resources should be acknowledged as the root cause of most, if not all, of the environmental problems facing the human population in this current age. Modern society in the 21st century has seen an increasing culture of consumption. People living in developed countries have a high level of consumption in terms of material goods. With respect to energy utilisation, each person from high-income countries consumes 11 times as much as another from low income countries. (1) In addition, as people from developing countries enjoy a rise in income, there is a natural tendency to want to consume more in order to improve their quality of life. Consequently, time is of the essence with regards to educating and encouraging a greater public awareness of the undesirable consequences of humankind's unsustainable levels of consumption. Something must be done, and it must be done soon.

Fortunately, there are many ways to alleviate global warming. However, most of them share similarities, and most of them require us to reduce our consumption, especially our consumption of fossil fuels. Ways to reduce usage of petroleum, for example, tackle it from two directions. This is due to the fact that petroleum has two different major uses: as fuels or in plastics manufacturing. The use of petroleum as a fuel is further divided into two different areas, that of transportation and electricity. Hence, to reduce the utilisation of petroleum alone would require different solutions by providing suitable alternatives.

Various solutions are available to tackle the use of petrol in transportation. The fastest way would be to directly reduce the amount of cars and the amount of traffic. An efficient public transportation system would need to be set up, so that there would be a feasible alternative for people. However, it would be impossible and impractical to ban everyone from driving their own cars. Hence, cars will have to undergo redesigning to reduce fuel consumption and increase energy efficiency. It may also be necessary to actually convert cars to be able to use other forms of fuels. For example, General Motors recently introduced the Chevrolet Volt, a hybrid car that runs on electricity, while Ford has introduced the HySeries Drive, a hydrogen-electric plug-in hybrid. (3) All of these approaches will reduce fuel usage and are especially effective in tackling global warming because transportation is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.

On the other hand, it is not easy to convince people to switch to driving hybrids unless they are convinced that the net benefits will make it worthwhile for them to do so. They also have to overcome the inconveniences, such as having to go to a hydrogen filling station that is far away from them, as there are far fewer of them than petrol stations. However, companies are currently building more hydrogen filling stations to meet the demand. The government could also provide subsidies to encourage more people to use hybrid cars. I look forward to a future where we don't have to pollute the planet just to get to another place.

In addition, a large percentage of petroleum is used to generate electricity. Similarly, there are two types of methods to reduce the amount of petroleum used. The first type would be to directly reduce the amount of electricity used. Currently, there are many products out there that are energy efficient, meaning that they consume less electricity than their normal counterparts. The second method would be to use alternative sources of energy to generate electricity. Today, a small but growing percentage of the world's electricity is generated using renewable and clean resources like solar energy, wind energy, hydroelectric and geothermal energy. For example, to help people cope with the high initial costs of harnessing alternative sources of energy, Citizenre, a renewable energy development company, is renting out solar panels. By doing so and helping them to deal with the required paperwork, Citizenre is making it affordable and convenient for people to use renewable energy. (4) Another innovative solution would be to recycle waste to produce energy, and an enterprise called Integrated Environmental Technologies has found a way to convert waste into ethanol without generating pollution. (5) Another example where both solutions are simultaneously utilised is the British Government's commitment to making all new houses in the UK zero-carbon within the next 10 years. This will give us a glimpse into the future where energy efficiency and alternative sources of energy play an important role in helping to tackle global warming. (6)

Lastly, some plastics, a group of synthetic or semisynthetic materials named for their property of plasticity, are manufactured from petroleum. Plastics are harmful to our environment due to their permanence, which is ironically why they are so widely used. Some plastics are toxic when burnt, making them hard to dispose of. It is also difficult to recycle plastics as different plastic types need to be separated, making it labour intensive. (7) Hence, the best way would be to cut down on the use of plastics. However, it is difficult to do so as we use a large amount of plastics to do many different things. Hence, suitable alternatives must be found. For example, a large number of plastic bags are used every day in supermarkets and other stores. To cut down on this, consumers are encouraged to use reusable paper bags instead. An interesting solution comes from the Japanese, where Ms Yuriko Koike, Minister of the Environment, got inspired by the Japanese traditional wrapping cloth, the furoshiki. She created the mottainai furoshiki, where the Japanese word mottainai means it's a shame for something to go to waste without having made use of its full potential. It is made of recycled materials, and will help to replace and thus cut down on the use of plastic bags. (8) The Ministry of Environment even provides illustrations to teach people how to use furoshikis. (9)

As shown from the above examples, the key to saving our planet would be to reduce our consumption, either by directly cutting down on consumption of unessential goods or by finding cleaner alternatives to satisfy our needs. However, as with all change, there will be people who have vested interests in maintaining the status quo by resisting the changes that are needed to solve our problems. However, we must not let these people hamper the efforts of protecting our planet. They might argue that reducing consumption would lead to a lower quality of life. Most of the solutions, however, involve finding cleaner alternatives so that we need not sacrifice too much. This means that it would be easier to convince people to help.

As long as we only have one planet to live on, let us cherish it well, and let our insatiable needs not be the cause of its ultimate destruction, for surely our planet serves a greater purpose than merely providing us with resources and raw materials. Just as Gandhi said, the difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems. So let us start doing more today.

References

http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=6&variable_ID=351&action=select_countries
Earth trends: energy consumption: total energy consumption per capita

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_global_warming
Effects of global warming. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/005819.html
World changing: tools, models and ideas for building a bright green future: the week in sustainable mobility

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/005809.html
World changing: tools, models and ideas for building a bright green future: US homeowners can now 'rent' solar panels and save money

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/005853.html
World changing: tools, models and ideas for building a bright green future: trash to treasure

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/005645.html
World changing: tools, models and ideas for building a bright green future: zero-carbon building in the UK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastics
'Plastics'. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.env.go.jp/en/focus/060403.html
In Focus: Minister Koike created the 'Mottainai Furoshiki' (MOE)

> http://www.env.go.jp/en/focus/attach/060403-5.html
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