Of the environmental issues of the 21st century, global warming is rooted firmly at the summit. It is now so severe that it will cause a whole different world in the upcoming century. The implications are mind-boggling. Sea levels will rise, causing widespread flooding in areas like Southeast Asia and Western Europe. North Africa will get drier than it is now, ushering in a whole new climate for our planet.
At the heart of the matter is the emission of greenhouse gases. Although the Kyoto Protocol came into force on February 16 2005, it has hardly helped to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The United States, one of the signatories to the treaty, has not even ratified the treaty while China, the second greatest emitter of greenhouse gases, and India have been granted exceptions. So, while other countries work hard to meet their targets, several countries are just negating the effects of their work.
Whose problem is it anyway? Developing countries feel that developed countries created this problem and have the most resources and should therefore solve the problem. Developing countries also demand the right to develop, whatever the consequence. Clearly, global warming requires an entire planet’s efforts to combat. Australia, for example, is refusing to shut down its coal-fired plants because it says the effects will just be negated by China’s everlasting drive to build coal-fired plants. The USA puts economy before environment and refuses to change their stand. Canada is giving up because they say they cannot meet their targets.
There is presently no global coordinated effort to counter global warming. Only a handful of countries have reduced their emissions by the 8% stated in the Protocol, such as Sweden. The problem is so bad that some have started to brace themselves for the effects of global warming. To them, global warming is here and can no longer be stopped or reversed. Although they seem defeatist, they could be right.
In Singapore, we will not be spared from the effects of global warming. We are a small island, surrounded by water, and will cease to exist if sea levels rise by 10 or 20 inches. For my part, I am ready to help in whatever way I can, be it recycling my waste or using energy-saving alternatives whenever possible such as florescent bulbs instead of incandescent ones. But our efforts alone cannot solve global warming. It requires the combined efforts of all nations; especially major polluters such as China, India, USA and Australia.
Since global warming cannot be completely reversed, we should also look at how to deal with its consequences. We need to prepare for a hotter and drier world with more extreme storms and droughts. We will need to develop new crops that will thrive in these conditions and even construct flood defenses. These are actions we can undertake ourselves without the need for complicated coordination with other nations. While trying to counter global warming, we must also be prepared for it.
