Temperature records across the globe over the last four decades have shown very disturbing trends. Malaysia too has not been left out. Most places have shown a warming trend and this is not good for us. Climate change is slowly creeping into our lives for sure. Although many factors have contributed to climate change, one of the most common causes is due to mass deforestation. Among others are, heat-trapping gases from vehicles, industries and power plants. There has been a tremendous increase in heat-trapping gases over the last decade. As countries are continuously developing at a very fast rate, much consideration has not been given to the emissions of such gases. Deforestation for housing, industries, timber as well as food production is also increasing at an uncontrollable rate. And the total result is the slow destruction of mother nature. Climate change and the destruction of people is imminent all over the world and Malaysia will not be spared.
The recent floods ravaging Malaysia is just one serious impact of climate change. Malaysian authorities know that climate change will cause havoc and destruction. But sadly, the authorities in Malaysia have not done enough to reduce the factors that cause climate change. It goes back to the people in power. These are the people calling the shots. Scientific evidence has proven that we have to pay back for the destruction of nature but the people in power turn a deaf ear to the problem. And some dumb leaders don’t simply understand the consequences of destroying nature. Before some of these people in power were appointed, they swore and promised that not one tree will be cut in the forest if they are appointed. But, once they are in power all the promises are forgotten. The lure of money tempts the people in power. They join hands with unscrupulous businessmen to destroy large areas for forests. They even degazette forest reserves to rape the forest. In the recent floods in Raub, Pahang, logs came floating to doorsteps of village folks houses. . Many could not believe that such a scene is possible. I believe that a scene of logs floating to the doorsteps of villages houses hasn’t happened in any part of the world. What a shame. The relevant ministry has to answer why logs were on the loose.
It’s time that we Malaysians give back to nature what nature has given us. There are many positive steps we can take to give back to nature in 2022. This must be our most important resolution for the new year. Many of these ideas have been mentioned before and looks easy. But, the question is. Have we taken all these steps seriously to create a more friendly atmosphere? First and foremost, planting more trees will be a good way to start. Why, plant trees? In simple words. Carbon is one deadly heat-trapping or a Greenhouse gas. It contributes directly to climate change and if we want to reverse the phenomenon of excessive carbon in the atmosphere we have to plant trees. Carbon is easily removed from the atmosphere by trees. Scientists have stated that a single tree can remove up to one tonne of carbon over 45 years. This action is not difficult as anyone can plant a tree. This is where schools can play their part too. Schools must educate the children, especially the younger ones on the importance of trees. Schools can have special programmes to plant trees in the school compound and get the students to care for the trees for a start. Similarly, the schools should also motivate the children to plant trees in their neighbourhood with the supervision of parents or NGOs like the residents association. A lot of work can be done in such a manner voluntarily.
Another fruitful action would be to cut down on plastic. If you take a walk in the cities or countryside, you will see plastic strewn all over the place. If the plastic is easily biodegradable it may be ok but unfortunately, many types of plastic are not biodegradable. Malaysians know that many kinds of plastic are not biodegradable but do not give much thought to it. They know the dangers of throwing plastic around but don’t take action to reduce plastic. It’s just too sad to see the lackadaisical attitude of Malaysians in this matter. Where do most of the plastic end up? In landfills, sea and Oceans cause massive pollution. The worst-case scenario is, the production of plastic is increasing over the years although there is so much propaganda about the negative effects of plastic use in our daily lives. According to ourworldindata.org, in 1950 the world produced only about 2 million tonnes of plastic per year. It increased nearly 200 fold, reaching about 380 million tonnes in 2015. For context, this is roughly equivalent to the mass of two-thirds of the world population. According to a news report in September 2021, globally there are about 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic and of which 6.3 billion tons is trash. The chemicals used in the production of plastic is very harmful. Chemicals like mercury and lead can come into contact with humans and cause diseases like deadly cancer, congenital disorders, childhood development and problems to the immune system. It is important to note that plastic kills more than people. It is found everywhere and even in the guts of more than 80% of the worlds sea birds, in the stomachs of more than half of the world’s turtles and even choking the life of the whales. Plastic is simple accumulating in seas and oceans and killing aquatic creatures at an alarming rate. At the rate plastic is accumulating in the seas it is predicted that in 2050 the mass of plastic in the worlds ocean will exceed the mass of fish that live there.
Going digital is one way to give back to nature. The world must move towards a paperless future. This is possible with digital billing and electronic documents for example. With the advancement of technology, this is simply possible. Technology has made going paperless easier than ever yet many institutions and companies haven’t made the important switch. Many are aware of the tremendous benefits of going paperless but are intimidated at the thought of switching to an entirely new method of doing things. The amount of paper used in offices and homes around the world is a contributing factor to a large amount of CO2 released into the air around us. Do you work in an office? Experts say that you use an average of 10,000 sheets of paper each year. About 4 – 7 billion trees are cut down to make paper each year. Moreover, 12-16% of solid waste in landfills is made up of paper. A tree can produce on an average of 16-17 reams of paper and it takes about 30 years to grow. By reducing paper usage companies can reduce directly the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment. By turning a single tree into a paper about 100 lbs of CO2 is released into the atmosphere. Trees are also a carbon-absorbing machine. We must look into the possibility of cutting paper and not trees.
2022 is a good time to go into Zero Emissions. We should try to cut down on the emission of man-made greenhouse gases from any activity or machines. Scientists have stated that about 87 per cent of human-produced CO2 comes from the burning of oil, fossil fuels and as well as natural gas. Research by World Resources Institute indicates that we can reverse climate change if we cut down emissions of Greenhouse Gases(GHG) by at least 50% by 2030. Taking this idea into consideration many countries, Local Governments, businessmen, as well as NGOs, have already taken the initiative to reach Zero Emissions. Many solutions have been suggested to reduce GHG from the atmosphere. But, can we do all these? Firstly, it’s important to phase out coal plants. Coal plants release too many GHGs. Additionally, we must look into clean energy and efficiency. The only choice now is renewable energy. Solar will be a good choice. Buildings all over the world must be retrofitted. We must ensure buildings reduce the use of energy to power their air-conditioners as well as lights. As much as possible, we must shift to electric vehicles and increase the use of public transport. Bicycles can be made popular with the introduction of bicycle lanes in almost every place. Deforestation must be halted immediately. As it is, many calls to halt the indiscriminate cutting of forest are falling on deaf ears. Action must be taken on countries still not heeding the call. Industrial processes also contribute to GHG increases. Four processes that are a significant source for GHG releases are Iron and steel production, as well as chemical and petrochemical products. This must also be checked. The use of chemical fertilisers in agriculture should be reduced gradually. Finally, we must be sensitive to the production of GHGs and stop food waste. Great amounts of food served daily are wasted. A lot of energy is consumed to produce these foods.
There has been much talk about recycling. Students and even preschool children have been exposed to this idea. Teachers in school, teach and give regular talks to the students on the importance of recycling as it is in the syllabus of a few subjects. But the question is, how much has been achieved through recycling. What we have done collectively is not enough to upset the GHGs balance in the atmosphere. We have seen many schools doing old newspaper collection programmes. Yes, it has been successful only for that short period. Once the campaign is over everything returns to normal. Students don’t continue this event continuously after the campaign. The mindset must be revolutionised. There must be emphasis that recycling must be a continuous event. This is where the local governments come into play. Local governments must have a recycling arm in their setup. This team should continuously work hand in hand with the people. Continuous Education is important. The public must be reminded that a lot of waste ending up in landfills can be recycled. The public must be made familiar with the segregation of waste when they empty their rubbish bins in the mornings. If they are separated into papers, glass, metal, plastic and others, recycling will be much easier. Probably, the local government for a start can give out labelled empty garbage bags with the content names written on the bags free to households. If steps like education and promotion don’t work then more serious actions must be taken, like enforcing fines in cash. The members of the public must realise that garbage disposal is a serious event to reverse climate change.
People all over the world must ensure their surroundings are as clean as a whistle. Their surroundings must be completely, entirely and thoroughly clean. This may sound difficult but if everyone plays their part it will be a piece of cake. Some countries, like Singapore, has already achieved a clean City status thus many countries can learn from them. If you ask them how they achieved this status. It’s from education and enforcement. Many quarters say that Singapore is a small country and nearly 100% of the people have education, so it’s easy for them to understand. Sometimes people can be very stubborn. But, just hand them hefty fines or jail sentences and observe. They will surely toe the line. I believe it will be quite easy to achieve this phenomenon in Malaysia. In Malaysia, a report indicated that in 2019, adult literacy was about 95%. So, I believe a spick and span country is simply possible. If the citizens forget hand them a hefty fine that they can’t forget as it’s an easy thing to do. Just use the rubbish bins.
Whatever it is, the conclusion is that natural systems across the globe are being devastated by climatic changes, especially an increase in temperatures and these increases are likely due to anthropogenic emissions caused by human activities. As humans are the main causes so as a resolution for 2022 they must cut back on the burning of fossil fuels, improve waste management and industrial processes; be sensitive to deforestation, land use and land management as well as plants fertilisation and livestock management. If these actions don’t happen then we have to be better prepared for serious flooding and landslides, droughts and a shortage of food as well as serious warming issues that will directly harm us and animals destroys places we live in and create havoc on people’s livelihoods and communities.
We are back to the drawing board. The future of human beings on earth depends on the actions of today. If humans want to live comfortably they have to take action on reducing climate change. The ball is on our court.
Palaniappan Karuppan is a content writer under Headliner by Newswav, a programme where content creators get to tell their unique stories through articles and at the same time monetize their content within the Newswav app.
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