On Global Warming

1).When wet garbage i.e. organic matter is simply thrown away; it releases methane into the atmosphere which is twenty times more dangerous than Carbon dioxide- try recycling this waste through composting and a person’s gardening needs are taken care of, not to mention the soil is replenished with Nitrogen content.
2).Simply switching off the mains of Television sets and Computers at night reduces up to 10% of a house’s power consumption.
3). Turn off your vehicle’s engines at traffic signals that require you o stop for more than 10 seconds. It can reduce 20% of your car’s daily emissions of Carbon dioxide.

These are just a few of the many things an individual can do to reduce Global Warming.

When the former Mayor of Pune, Mrs. Vandana Chavan came to give us a discourse on Global Warming and Climate Change, it was not just the scientific dimension to the seriousness of this environmental hazard (for more – Watch “An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore) but also to emphasize the Power of ONE. The Power of ONE to initiate, conserve and heal.

Mrs. Chavan is part of a campaign called ALERT- a citizen’s initiative to a better Pune. She is an advocate by profession, and confesses that she has “no scientific degree on Environment.” But it was after her visit to a Conference in Montreal on Global Warming in 2005 that she knew that it was ‘her duty’ to spread this message.

The slideshow was a detailed yet lucid presentation – informing us on how India shall be the worst affected by Global warming, why the spread of diseases through mosquitoes shall be more potent due to rising temperatures and how the planet is slowly losing valuable species that are known to sustain life on Earth.

Our session concluded with what was most important – what we could do? Buy CFL lamps, segregate organic garbage, use carpools, recycle plastic … the list could go on.
In fact the session not only put back the little knowledge into our minds, it gave us a ‘renewed energy’ and outlook to do our bit towards this cause.

The message is clear, the blog is short – but believe me what we do ahead to follow shall go a long way – for it is not our thoughts here, but our actions that shall count.

By - Chiteisri Devi