The issue of global warming is gradually taking center stage in world society, so that the strategy to prevent further rise in the average temperature of the earth can be activated seriously by various countries as per Kyoto Protocol and other methods. This is necessary to prevent further depletion of earth’s ice caps in the polar region in particular and the glaciers and mountain snows in general, which if not saved from further depletion, would in the long run, lead to catastrophic climatic changes resulting in damaging or even destroying world ecosystems, so necessary for survival of human species.
We as a citizen, in our individual modest way, can contribute to reduce the carbon dioxide emission, which is the major cause of global warming in the present era. However before embarking upon discussion further, we should under stand what is climate change or global warming.
The major cause of rise of earth’s temperature is emission of carbon dioxide from burning of fossil fuels like coal and petroleum in thermal power stations and industries. Carbon dioxide on reaching upper atmosphere forms a heat shield (popularly known as green house effect) blocking the extra heat that the earth receives from sun during daytime, from escaping to space upsetting the equilibrium of heat on the earth’s surface. The entrapped extra heat goes on raising the temperature of earth thereby melting the ice on the polar and other regions of earth.
Now how to contribute to prevent global warming individually? Some tips down here: –
- Use of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL). These lamps have at least double the efficiency in terms of illumination (i.e. lumens/per watt) than conventional Fluorescent Tubes (FT) although costlier by three to four times than FT. But obviously a 18/20 watt CFL lamp which is equivalent to 40watt FT, consumes half the electricity than FT. The extra cost of the CFL is recovered within a few months from the electricity bill saved as such. Thereafter it is sheer saving on electricity reducing power grid load in turn. It is estimated that India can achieve savings of an estimated 10000 MW on lighting only by 2012, if all lighting loads are converted to energy efficient illumination. This means a super thermal power station can be spared, reducing carbon emission.
- Plants absorb Carbon dioxide from atmosphere in daytime for preparing its food by photosynthesis thereby reducing the green house gas in atmosphere. Plants also release life-sustaining oxygen and help maintaining oxygen-carbon dioxide balance in air. So preserve and grow plant in your courtyard, garden or even in tubs on rooftops. Also avoid deforestation personally.
- Use of solar energy to replace power grid energy from thermal power stations, is another good easy step to contribute to reduction in carbon dioxide emission. Solar panels can be installed on rooftops, courtyards etc. The solar energy is very cheap after initial cost of installation that is subsidized in India.
All the three methods described above are easy to implement can be taken up on priority basis of 123. Be a responsible and mature world citizen. Come forward to save your planet from catastrophe of climate change.