Climate Change- The count down is on
The bomb has been deployed and the countdown is on. Time is running out to defuse this bomb to prevent further catastrophic effects, which would affect many countries around the world. Would countries defuse this bomb on time?
The climate change bomb is deployed due to an increase in the human population around the world. As the human population increases, more fossil fuels are burned, which are releasing a lot of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The human population puts a lot of pressure on resources, causing climate change to increase rapidly. The transportation sector is a major greenhouse gas contributor. Vehicles use gasoline and diesel, which are fossil fuels. The transportation sector drives the world’s economy. Without the transportation system, goods will not be distributed around the world to feed the world’s population. The transportation system also makes it much easier for people to travel. For example, without vehicles, everybody would have to walk to get to their destination. According to the United Nations, the transport sector is responsible for 13.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making its transformation urgent for tackling climate change.
The distribution of electricity is another major factor in climate change. A lot of power stations are using a lot of fossil fuels to distribute electricity in homes, schools, and businesses, contributing to climate change. Technology has advanced, and a lot of people are purchasing appliances for their homes. For example, washing machines, television, radio, computer, fans, air conditioner, etc. These appliances need electricity in order for them to work. The United Nations stated that the energy supply sector (electricity, heat, and other energy) is the largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for approximately 35% of total emissions. If we were to combine the transportation sector and the energy sector around the world they are both responsible for 48.7% of greenhouse gas emissions. We must always remember whenever fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which causes climate change.
The climate change bomb is already showing signs of destruction: Heat waves, droughts, sea level rise, stronger storms and hurricanes, flooding, coral bleaching, biodiversity loss, wild fires, mosquito borne diseases, loss of income for farmers and fisher folk, scarcity of food, damages to infrastructure, etc. Tick- tock, tick- tock, tick -tock, time is running out to defuse this bomb. World leaders speaking about climate change, but not implementing practical solutions to mitigate against climate change would not stop this bomb from exploding. Tick-tock, tick-tock.
Here are some solutions for defusing the climate change bomb:
- Implementing more renewable energy. Renewable energy such as solar, wind, hydro power, etc. Would reduce the heavy dependency on fossil fuels to generate electricity.
- Smaller engines in vehicles can be fuel efficient, meaning they burn less fuel to travel, which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Carpooling can also help to reduce the amount of travelling you do.
- Purchase energy saving bulbs and electrical appliances.
Who is going to be the superhero to save planet Earth from this nuclear bomb? Tick-tock, tick-tock.