Global Warming

03/08/10

" The best way to be happy is, try to make others be"      (Spring Leaves by KMG)
  This is the  Golden Jubilee despatch of Somvaar Sandesh !  Hence an important and special Topic has been chosen:  Global  Warming.  The title of the Topic is :        

 " Global Warming Reduction: A Twenty-Point Plan  for Individuals".  Basics: 

        (a) It is Global Warming. Warming of the entire planet, not merely a few countries. Atmosphere that fully surrounds the planet is getting polluted by 'Green House Gases' (GHG), the major culprit being Carbon-Dioxide, and to a minor extent, Nitrous Oxide, Methane and Black Carbon.        

(b)  By overloading the atmosphere with carbon-dioxide gas, the solarheat in it is retained, which would have otherwise radiated away, thus resulting in warming up. And that gas stays for a long long time in the atmosphere.       

 (c)  Then, over long years, large-scale felling of trees, for the increasing demands of human habitation, and industrial development, was taking place world over, upsetting the environment, as trees breathe in carbon-dioxide, and breathe out oxygen. Hence, the natural corrective step would be to plant as many trees as possible, individually, and on a massive scale, by authorities, city, state and federal.        

(d)  Carbon-dioxide output globally, even four years back, reached a staggering 32 billion tons, with about 25% of it coming from USA.                                          (A)       

(e)  In the coal-fired economies of the world's two most populous nations, India and China, energy consumption, between 1990 and 2004, rose 37% in India, 53% in China.   (A)       

(f)  The per-capita emission of carbon-dioxide in USA was about 21.75 tons, compared to China's 4.03, and India's  1.12.  China is expected to pass USA in total GHG emissions, this current year.                                                                                                         (A)       

(g)  The primary need of modern life is electric power which is mostly produced in thermal power-stations, that burn coal, releasing carbon-dioxide. Hence, conservation of electric power is most desirable from GHG poit of view, or even from consideration of depletion of nature's material reserves and deposits.         

Now, after the basics, on to the topic of: scope of global warming reduction through individual efforts.  Global Warming is a stupendous challenge to be faced by every country and community. At various levels -- international, national,  state, city and citizen -- the problem has to be squarely faced. Leaving for the present the first four, let us see what, as individuals, we have scope to address this gigantic problem. Like the devoted squirrel at the site of Sethu construction in Ramayana, let us offer our humble contribution, be it so tiny, towards the global objective. What is needed is, our very way of approach, our attitudes and habits, in our day-today lives.     

 It is said that, residential energy use accounts for about 16% of total GHG emissions. (A)

Hence,
       (1) If only we were to switch off lights, fans, air-conditioners, room--heaters etc., when NOT in use,  and,  if only we were to switch off electronic gadgets like TV, DVD and CD players, computers etc., when NONE is watching, hearing or using them, we would have made our humble contribution to the global cause !      

 (2) If in our toilets, where presently normally there are eight bulbs (in case of twin-sink)or four (in case of single), if we can reduce them to four and two (why so many in a toilet?), we would save some energy, appreciable when viewed collectively.  Now, some quantified individual savings, and extent of GHG reduction collectively in a year:        

(3) If half your laundry is dried in sun on a clothes-rack, avoiding the Drier, saving per household could be $ 45, and GHG (carbon-dioxide) reduction 8.7 million tons overall.    (B)      

 (4) If you turn down your gas hot-water heater from 140 to 120 degrees, saving per household is $ 60, and GHG reduction 4.1 million tons collectively.                                     (B)      

(5) If you were to switch from 75 W incandescent bulbs to 19 W  CFLs, saving per house-hold $68, and collective GHG reduction  11.4 million tons.                                                    (B)      

(6) If you were to eat one-quarter less meat, saving per member $169. Collective  GHG reduction 1.9 million tons.                                                                                                         (B) (A  UN Report revealed that raising animals for food, generates more GHG than all the      cars and trucks in  the world put together! )      

 (7) If you drive a car that  gives 35 mpg, instead of the national average of 25 mpg, the savings per member are $ 482 (at $ 3.3 per gallon), and collective GHG reduction 71.2 million tons.                                                                                                                                (B)      

(8) If you lower your thermostat (in AC) by a degree in winter, and raise it by a degree in summer, savings per household could be $55 & collective GHG reduction 7.5 million tons (B)        

(9) If you were to somehow, prevail upon the authorities (city, state, federal) to legislate to stop junk-mail every day being received by miillions of homes (mail the very next moment dumped in garbage), but must have caused felling millions of trees for its paper, it could lead to GHG reduction appreciably.      

 (10) In USA, most of the 25 tons of per-capita carbon-dioxide emission, comes from home. Hence, open the windows instead of AC always. Have cross-ventilation. Insulate walls and ceilings. Use dishwater only when full. Install low-flow showerheads. Wash clothes in warm or cold water. This would involve considerable saving in energy.                                            (A)     

 (11) In USA each year 900 million trees become pulp for paper. Hence use recycled paper each ton of which saves 4000 kw of energy, 7000 gallons of water, and 17 trees.               (A)      

(12) Water-heater:  Wrap it up in insulation blanket (costing 10 to 20 $). That saves about 250 lbs in carbon-dioxide emission annualy. If heater surface be warm, put extra blanket (A)      

 (13) Avoid over-size big mansions for residence, to save the huge energy needed to heat and cool them. (Warren Buffet is an ideal role-model in this respect).                                    (A)      

 (14) Pay bills on line,  eliminating paper-waste, saving trees, and reducing fuel consump-tion on transport. Each house doing so, cuts solid waste overall by 1.6 billion tons, and curbs GHG emission by 2.1 million tons an year.                                                                                 (A)      

 (15) Avoid plastic bags. They take 100 years to bio-degrade! Each year over 500 billion plastic bags are distributed, and less than 3% of these are recycled. They end up in landfills that emit GHG.                                                                                                                              (A)      

(16) Let employees work close to home (or, from home if possible), or, live close to work/office if possible.  Make purchases close to home, to save gas (Avoid unnecessary trips)   (A)      

(17) Avoid idling of vehicles at junctions. Minimize (where possible) left turns  which involve idling.                                                                                                                                (A)      

(18) Rent hybrid cars while on vacation. (Even for normal use, go in for hybrid cars)     (A)      

(19) Avoid single-occupant car-driving. In USA about 80% drive to work alone. Encourage car-pooling wherever and whenever possible.                                                         (A)      

 (20) Transport accounts for 30% of GHG emissions in USA. Better  use public transport which would save an estimated 1.4 billion gallons of gas annually, which translates to 1.5 million tons of GHG.                                                                                                                (A)       

Well, that much about the Twenty-Point Plan !  A good motto to follow in life:            

 " CONSUME  LESS,       SHARE  MORE,       PRACTICE  SIMPLE  LIVING "                     (A)         

( NB. 1. Items marked (A) are taken from an in-depth article on  this subject in   Time Weekly, April 07.    2. Items marked (B) are from data given by Mike Kiesius   in his presentation "Ready to Go Green", in a  AARP  Bulletin )     

CONCLUSION: 
Like soldiers in a battle, let us perform our task, for the common good. The situation we landed in, was caused by humans alone, in  their lust for luxury and prosperity, keeping  'self - first', and, community and the  planet 'next' (or perhaps never!). Hence it is humans alone that should  restore the ecological balance, counteract Global Warming, and save the humans as also the planet. And when we think of this subject, we must offer our  salutations to Al Gore who generated universal awareness on this, through his "Inconvenient Truth", as also his effective presentations   worldwide.