SOMETHING SMELLS
Negros Daily Bulletin
By Lourdes Ledesma
I never thought much about global warming and climate change, or even connected both until I noticed that the high tide levels at my beach house seem to be higher lately than in previous years. The house is less than 20 meters from the water, and I spend a lot of time gazing at the rolling waves. In fact, when the waves come in during the windy season, they splash over the sea wall and the salt spray wilts the plants in the garden, which never used to happen before. At highest tide the sea level has crept up a few inches than the normal level last year. After seeing Al Gore’s documentary on climate change and global warming, I am alarmed. At the rate the polar caps are melting, I should start looking for an inflatable dinghy... Whenever global warming is mentioned, I instantly associate it with the burning of fossil fuels by industrialized nations as the main cause, and the acid rain it produces. But that is not all.
Fossil fuels are derived from dead plants and animals. These are coal, oil and petroleum, which when burned to create electricity, power cars and factories, and a multitude of other uses, emit “greenhouse gases” which pollute the environment, contribute to global warming, acid rain and raised temperatures; in turn causing freak weather, drought, forest fires, tornadoes, and greater floods.
When we burn garbage, we contribute to global warming. Open garbage dumps produce methane gas, which when not controlled is a major contributor to pollution and global warming. Cutting down trees which absorb the carbon dioxide we exhale likewise also cuts down the oxygen it gives out, further diminishing the oxygen we need. Translate the lack of trees in the city to higher air pollution and more cases of pulmonary ailments; and higher greenhouse gases produced. Add the diesel fumes belched by swarms of buses and cars... the high density of population, the amount of light and heat produced by homes and offices. Are we thinking of Manila as the perfect illustration? Can you see the smog layer blanketing the city from the air, before your flight touches down? Smog is the chemical emissions from cars and buses and factories that react with the heat and light from the sun that forms a visible fog over the city. It is polluted, unbreathable and unhealthy air that is daily being fed by the city’s population. Rain and wind may cleanse the atmosphere for a day or two before it builds up again.
What is our government doing to address global warming? It has passed R.A. 8749, the Clean Air Act of 1999, which for one, makes vehicles conform to more efficient standards of combustion. It has set standards for permissible emissions for factories and other institutions, and set up agencies to regulate, oversee them and enforce the law. It has also opened the door to alternative fuel research and set standards for their manufacture and use.
There is also R.A. 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, mandating the closure of all open garbage dumps nationwide and the setting up of sanitary landfills. As we know, open garbage dumps are a major contributor to global warming.
The city of Seattle, in the U.S., for example, has been encouraging its residents into energy-conservation measures, such as car-pooling, using electric shuttle trams within the city, using bio-diesel fuel for its local vehicle fleets- garbage trucks, buses, and even its ferries. Incandescent lights have been replaced by energy-saving bulbs and city ordinances regulating construction have imposed stricter environmental standards in the choice and use of materials. It has also gone into alternative energy projects, such as wind power; which now supplies the city with electricity, while reducing its consumption of and dependence on fossil fuel.
New Delhi, the capital of India, used to be a smog-ridden city, with its cars and buses belching smoke. All its vehicles now use a form of alcohol-gasoline mix imported from Brazil. And now the city enjoys clean air.
What could ordinary citizens like you and me do, to lessen global warming and all its harmful effects?
1. Reduce garbage and don’t burn it. Recycle, reuse and compost it.
2. Plant trees. Have plants indoors. It increases the oxygen inside the house.
3. Don’t use plastic bags, use biodegradable bags and containers.
4. Take shorter showers, go easy with water washing dishes or fill your dishwasher.
5. Use less electricity in the house, use energy-saving bulbs, and energy efficient appliances. Unplug unused electronic devices
6. Clean the air filters of your air-conditioners and cars. Use less power. 7. Air-dry your clothes.
8. Walk, bike to the supermarket, take the bus.
9. Inflate your tires, it saves gas. Have your car serviced on time, reduce smoke belching.
10. Use “green” products in the home, kitchen and bathroom.
If everyone did his share, government officials included, this country could be a better place to live in.*
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