ACT or PERISH

"Global warming" don't tell me you haven’t heard about it. Depleting forest covers, ice melting at poles, high summer temperatures all over the world, irregular rains and hurricanes are all signaling impending danger for mother earth. Third world war would surely be fought with bows and arrows if present state of affairs continues.

World has learnt hard lessons from the first two world wars. But no one seems to realize that climate change is a bigger danger for human race. This difference in perception can be attributed to human nature which is programmed to notice sudden changes and not subtle changes. Like a frog which jumps out if put in boiling water but does not jump out if water is heated slowly.

To know more about global warming visit www.globalwarming.org . I would recommend everyone to watch the movie “Inconvenient Truth” www.climatecrisis.net . This movie would help you understand global warming from a global perspective.

What can us as citizens do to stop the impending danger that is questioning our very existence? We should first try to identify why all this is happening. Sudden crisis in global environment can be attributed to two reasons. Firstly it is the sudden rise in population from 3 billion to 6 billion in the last 50 years. Secondly it is the ever increasing consumerism. Human appetite for more and more man made products is increasing with each passing day. This is contributing immensely to global warming.

Now the question arises how to reverse this change and make mother earth happy again. This problem can be tackled in a multi faceted way. Solution lies in attacking this problem at different levels. At international level by organizations like UNO, NATO, ASEAN etc, different state governments, NGO’s and individuals. Each and every one of us can pledge to reduce global warming in a tangible way.

One should efficiently use water, petrol and electricity. Reduce ones dependence on man made goods. This can be achieved by using recycled stuff and not throwing away items that can be further used by someone else. A step in this direction has been taken by a website called www.socialway.com . Mission statement of SocialWay says “Share and save, the eco friendly way”. I have been using this website for quite some time now and find it quite useful. SocialWay provides one with a platform to share items with your friends, colleagues and relatives. SocialWay very intelligently converts your sharing activity into CO2 saved by you; this helps you track your contribution towards reducing global warming. Though the name may be misleading and make you believe that it’s just another social networking website. But you can be rest assured that SocialWay is the first step in helping the online community reduce global warming.

Another website which could be of interest to you is www.ecolve.com , ecolve is an online forum discussing pressing environmental issues. www.greenpeace.org/india/ is one website which needs no introduction. To my surprise there is not one website which comprehensively states Indian environmental concerns.

If you are still wondering that problem does not need your immediate attention than keep waiting to get a lift in NOAH’s boat.