Course of Action to Prevent Global Warming

Most people have their own perception of global warming. What is clear is that most have a very vague idea of what global warming is, only thinking along the line of rising temperature, ozone layer and perhaps about deforestation. But what is actually global warming?

Global warming can be defined as a continuous increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere as a whole, generally associated with greenhouse effect cause by increased levels of carbon dioxide and other contaminants. Global warming also referred to climate change, concerning the rise in the average temperature of the earth’s climate system. Climate change is changes in Earth’s temperature, humidity, wind, air pressure and clouds.

As a global citizen, it is important for all of us to obtain awareness about global warming so that it is taken seriously. The knowledge we gained can then be used in helping to lessen the effects of global warming. This essay will discuss some of the things that we and the global community can do to help reduce global warming. It will also bring forth three effective measures in controlling the situation.

Measures to Control Global Warming

Here are three measures that we can take to control global warming. They are namely Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3RS), Human Awareness and Government Policy.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Let’s take Singapore, for example. Even though Singapore is known for being a modern and developed country, a lot can be done to help against global warming. “Over the last forty-five years, Singapore has gone through a period of rapid industrialization and urbanization, coupled with high economic growth. This development has led to a six-fold increase in disposal waste from the 1970s; from 1,200 tons per day in the seventies to 7,202 tons per day by 2009.” (Lian Yong & Savage, 2014)

Reduce: In order to save limited resources, we should stop buying stuff that we do not need. We should also not throw away things that are old, but still usable. Making our own cards and presents can also help in reducing wastage. And if possible, avoid buying different kinds of cleaning product instead, buy one multi-purpose cleaner.

Reuse: We should use reusable products instead of disposable ones. For example, we should buy products with minimal packaging. This reduces costs and wastage. Using reusable products that could last longer than disposable products will help you to stop from wasting and keep throwing away after using it only once. We should start using disposable over reusable products. We could rent, borrow items that are used infrequently instead of buying them. We should also donate unused items instead of throwing them because other people might still use it.

Recycle: According to Huffstetler (2017), recycling aluminum cans and scrap metal can bring in a fair amount of money in large volumes. So instead of throwing away cans, metals, we could recycle it. Besides bringing in profit, it also brings about benefit to the world by reducing wastage and having to reproduce new ones. We should also buy products that come in packaging that you know can be recycled. Use recycled paper so it won’t destroy trees as cutting off trees have a very bad impact on global warming. As for one of the most important resources of this world, the water, we should recycle it whenever possible. Singapore, for example, has taken steps to introduce recycle water, called the NEWater. It is hoped that this measures will in its small way, help reduce wastage and in turn help control global warming.

Government Policy

Another measure that is equally effective in controlling global warming is a strong government that supports the campaign against global warming. Example of countries whose government support this movement are Finland and Japan. In these countries, the government played the major part in helping to control the global warming. As the government is a powerful organization which govern the countries and the world as a whole, their role in helping to control global warming has a major impact on the success of this campaign. Whereas in countries where the government do not support global warming campaign such as Liberia there is a which lead to devastation effect on global warning.

Based on Finland’s Ministry of the Environment (2017) “On Thursday 14 September 2017, the Finnish Government adopted the medium-term climate change plan to 2030. The plan ‘Towards Climate-Smart Day-to-Day Living’ sets out the necessary means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in the non-emissions trading sector, i.e. transport, agriculture, heating and waste management.” This measure would enable us to control global warming in the long run.

And, according to Schlossberg (2016), In Japan, there is a campaign called “Warm Biz”, it encourages people to use less heat during winter, suggesting things like holding nabe (a Japanese hot-pot dish) instead of using normal heaters that could trigger global warming. This move definitely help in reducing global warming.

Human Awareness

All the above measures cannot be achieved without the most important element of all, the human awareness. Human awareness and a conscious effort from them in helping to control global warming is vital in determining the success of any measures. It is important for us, humans, to be aware of the importance of keeping this world healthy and to slow down the global warming.

If only a few people are active in taking steps to control the global warming, we would not gain success. Take for example people living in a big ship. If people living at the bottom of the ship keep damaging the ship by poking small holes in the ship, in the long run, the ship will be filled with water and finally sink. This will not only affect people who damage the ship. It will also affect everybody living in the ship, including those who maintain and upkeep the ship. Thus, the importance of each and every one of us to be aware and participate actively in controlling global warming.

In creating awareness among humans, education has to be the key. We need to educate everybody on the importance of preserving this world, so that we humans can live in this world for generations to come. According to Pelham (2009), across 127 countries, the median percentage of people who report knowing about global warming is 62%. This leaves with 38% people who either report having never heard about it or did not have an opinion.

Public awareness of global warming tends to be higher in highly developed countries and lower in less developed countries. In Japan and Finland, for example, nearly everyone surveyed reported knowing about global warming. However, in African countries such as Liberia and Benin, less than a quarter of people surveyed say they know about it. Thus, each and every country must educate its citizen on the importance of global warming so that everybody is able to play a part in helping the world in controlling global warming. As they say, “If you are not part of the solution, you are the problem.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, global warming is a serious issue that effects both us and creatures living in this Earth. If the earth is eventually destroyed by the effect of global warming, it is only us, the human beings, are to be blamed. So it is up to us to play our part in helping our world to stay healthy and not be destroyed by this global warming. Before it is late, we must take the measures presented above seriously so that we can save this earth from destruction.