It’s Warming Up!

World Environment Day is celebrated on June 5. This year, ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’ is the theme and India is the global host.

DO you forget to switch off the fan or light when you leave the room? Would you rather use a vehicle than walk? Well, the next time you urge your father or mother to drop you by car to some place that is at a walking distance, think again. You may be one of the millions leaving behind too large a carbon footprint for your feet!

We all know the earth is getting warmer. In the last century alone, its temperature has gone up by 0.7oC. Climate models project that the average temperature could rise further by at least 1.1oC in this century. In the 5 billion-year-old history of our planet, such a rapid increase has not been seen until recently.

Why is the earth getting warmer suddenly? It is because the percentage of the greenhouse gases – mainly carbon dioxide – in the atmosphere has been going up steadily. Just as a glass greenhouse traps the sun’s heat, greenhouse gases like CO and methane too lock in the heat energy from the sun into the atmosphere. Of course, greenhouse gases are very important; without them, the earth would be too cold to support life. But increased levels of these gases means more heat is getting trapped in the atmosphere than necessary.

Most scientists agree that humans are solely responsible for higher levels of greenhouse gases. The single largest culprit is the thermal power plants that emit CO2 when a fossil fuel like coal is burned to produce electricity. Also, garbage landfills release methane — another powerful greenhouse gas — into the atmosphere.

Emissions from factories and vehicles as well as air conditioners do their bit to warm up the earth. In fact, aeroplanes do not emit just carbon dioxide, but also nitrous oxide, which is even more dangerous. Hence, scientists are currently exploring the possibility of using biofuels for transport.