For Whom the Bells toll!
I ask you, me and everybody else.
The discussion on research, development and big business, government investment in sustainable technology for energy and regulations needs to start taking a back seat. It is now time for us global citizen to take direct action.
Why? It is a question of time! And time is not on our side for us, global citizens, and our beloved planet.
Take for example the current epidemic of El-Niño wreaking havoc around the world, as witnessed and felt in different parts of the world.
El-Niño is not a new phenome, or strange. These are naturally occurring weather patterns with extremes in the natural cycles.
The last El-Niño was in 1997-98, occurring when a vast pool of water in the western tropical Pacific Ocean became abnormally warm. Ocean warming, just a 0.5 degree centigrade warming above normal average will do it. In 1997-98 it was 3 degrees warmer.
In other places El-Niño leads to drought and in some others extreme flooding.
It is the water cycle! Warmer oceans cause faster evaporation and that means those beautiful clouds you admire are carrying so much water, and it has to come down somewhere. And when it comes down it is a deluge.
The planet is warming Oh! For sure it is warming. And we all have a part to play. Do you know that you have a personal Carbon Footprint? For those who want to turn the Nelson Eye, here is the opener. A typical US household carbon footprint is 40MtCO2 (Metric tons). The bulk of this comes from energy use and transportation choices -- aka fossil fuels.
We are in an uncontrolled spiral for planet doom. Not lightly said. Fact of the matter is controlling global warming to 2 degree is already a distant dream! Leading scientist agree it is a great idea but lacks the will for action from all concerned. What we did with COP21 is potentially too little too late.
The bells continue to toll, if you start listening -- it is for all of us. We have to start helping ourselves; we need to actively join in on the action.
So where do we start? Start using less energy at home, carpool or take public transportation, the inconvenience is well worth it. If you think individual action will not make a difference, think again! This is a global problem and every drop or ounce of fossil fuel spared will make a difference. You can see it in collective action. Global problems need global action. The power of the people matters!
I also want to call out all the corporates, those who tout carbon reporting and are busy setting up their own solar and wind farms. You are not doing enough! You all are missing out on a great opportunity to make a difference by engaging your stakeholders in reducing energy use at their homes. And yes you can report this via Scope 3 emissions for employees commuting to work. And this also will fall under stakeholder engagement where you can extend this to your customers.
The “bells continue to toll” but are you listening, do you hear them?
This article was contributed in support of GreenHatters.The views expressed here are not necessarily those of each of the partners of Global Citizen.