Sometimes I do wonder what all the people on earth are waiting for, to kickstart the mission to save the Earth. We are already quite late. I sincerely hope that we haven't really missed our last bus. It is annoying to find politicians turning a blind eye to such self-evident facts, and professing that global warming is a 'myth'.
It is now time for the common people to take initiative to fight this menace. Our country, India has been given a kind of special permit to pollute the environment a little more because our per capita emission of GHGs is quite low when compared to the U.S, the E.U and other heavily industrialised nations. However, this should not be taken as a licence to do 'anything-what-you-want' by the middle and the upper classes of the country. Indeed, our poor bretheren have been subsidising our emissions for the past many decades. The well-off in India are at least as bad or more probably, worse polluters than their counterparts on the other parts of the globe. Hence it is imperative that we take measures on our own to cut emissions.
It is not possible to transform a society like ours in a single day. However, small steps like
1. Replacing the incandescent lamps with CF lamps wherever possible,
2. Minimising wastage of electricity. Switch off appliances that will not be used soon. Iron all the clothes in a single go etc.
3.Use public transport as much as possible. If you need to use private vehicles, try car pooling. If the distance to be covered is small, go for a walk. Use energy-efficient vehicles and maintain them well.
4. Turn the background of your computer screen to black. (That brilliant idea behind Blackle!)
will go a long way.
I am not asking any one to plant trees as there is a big debate going on about the efficacy of such measures.
However, please please do not let anyone cut down the already existing forests without sufficient reason.
I am trying to walk the talk. It is very hard. But still, it's worth doing.
