By F. Reyes
We have read a lot of articles and papers about global warming. It is really happening and whether we like it or not we are part of this environmental issue. We might be just an ordinary citizen, but we can do something about it. But really, what is global warming? It is basically the increase in temperature of earth’s atmosphere, land masses and oceans. Global warming is caused by greenhouse gases mainly carbon dioxide which produced or emitted through various human activities. As a result, there are many environmental issues attributed to global warming like climate change. In recent decades there are increase in intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. For this reason Southeast Asia which is known to be vulnerable to climate change has experienced massive flooding, landslides and droughts in various areas. How much more if these will happen continuously worldwide? Think about the future. Take action.
Here are the 5 simple ways you can do to fight global warming
Use public transit. People nowadays find driving a car more convenient when traveling. But do you know that a gallon of gasoline produces 20 pounds of carbon dioxide? And according to National Geographic channel, it takes about 100 years before carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to disperse. Just imagine how much driving a car everyday contributes to daily carbon dioxide emissions and how many ’100 years’ it would take for these CO2 to disperse totally. However, if you choose to carpool or use public transit when traveling, you can help lessen carbon dioxide emissions and would save a lot of energy.
Consume less. Always think green when making purchases. Just make it simple, the fewer amount of your purchases, the fewer amount of fossil fuels to be extracted in order to produce and ship various products worldwide. For example, instead of buying plastic bags every time you shop, use a reusable bag.
Save energy at home. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. With compact fluorescent bulb, you can save energy up to four times. Aside from your light bulbs, you can save energy at home by using energy efficient appliances. Lastly, instead of using clothes dryer, consider using the traditional drying with a clothes-line.
Unplug. Try to unplug electronic stuff when not in use. Appliances, gadgets and other electronic devices draw power whenever they’re plugged into an outlet even when not in use. All together the energy being consumed adds up to your home’s electricity usage. But unplugging these electronic stuffs when not in use will make a lot of difference.
Promote green technology. A lot of people are now considering green technologies to power their homes. If it’s not yet available in your community, you can simply promote the use of green technology. The best green technology to promote is the biosphere gasification technology which is now being considered in the Philippines. This technology uses solid wastes to produce a clean green energy.