Youth Incorporated Magazine

Our earth currently has been witnessing some of its darkest days. Right from wild forest fires to the melting of glaciers, climate change has started showing its adverse impact. We being the inhabitants of Earth, must take responsible steps to preserve the health of the environment, at micro as well as macro level. 

The ground reality of where we stand today at protecting our Earth is not very great. Instead of acting responsibly, all we do is indulge in a blame game (because that’s so much easier than taking responsibility). Instead, we must all, in our own ways and capabilities take steps to reduce the damage we are contributing to. 

It isn’t unknown that the major contributors to environmental pollution are industries, factories and MNCs. Their operations affect the environment in every other way, and it is high time they take urgent steps to curb climate change. 

In a developing nation, industrialization is important, but definitely not at the cost of our lives. Industries contribute largely to every other form of pollution which is also hazardous to public health. Hence, it is essential for the industries to focus on the ways of sustainable industrial development. It is their moral duty to produce environment-friendly products. All industrial plants must be supervised from time to time for treatments. They need to invest in a scientific process to prevent and treat the waste generated in its first stage itself. Environmental damage must be taken into consideration while making any new decisions. If the damage is inevitable, then the decision should be taken only after the solution for the damage has been implemented. As mentioned before, industries need to undertake the process of using renewable energy, and a shift from the non-renewable sources to renewable sources should be made as fast as possible. 

An important factor that needs to be looked after is the one regarding fossil fuels. Our reliance on fossil fuels needs to be phased out and new ways need to be discovered in order to make the maximum use of renewable sources of energy. To speak statistically, carbon footprint should be reduced by at least 45% by 2030 and the use of accurately 85% of renewable energy needs to be made. While it is difficult for a common man to individually affect these numbers, the task of attaining climate goals lies entirely in the hands of our Government. The Government should take an initiative to encourage the production of less fuel-intensive engines. Strengthening of the public transport systems will lead to more people availing the facility and in turn lessening air pollution by some levels. The use of solar energy should be encouraged. The government should distribute grants and monitor closely the activities of large scale industries. Alternative methods promoting the use of renewable energy sources should be made compulsory. Pollution regulations should be implemented as well. Laws need to be made stricter regarding the felling of trees and firm acts need to be introduced to limit the number of pollutants released into air and water.

Now, as we have discussed the large scale factors affecting the environment, let us not forget the basics. Small but sustainable changes made by an individual in his/her daily life may not change the state of the world in seconds, but they surely do act as baby steps towards our goal of preventing climate change. As an individual, you must support the NGOs that focus on environmental issues. Use environment-friendly products and try your level best to reduce the amount of waste generated from your house on a daily basis. Avoid using plastic under any circumstances and make use of public transport. Save water and encourage others to do the same. The changing of small habits of every individual goes a long way. 

What one needs to understand is that climate change is not going to be rapid. It will be an extremely slow and destructive process. The effects of the phenomenon are proven to be horrendous. Climate change has the power to wipe out an entire civilisation and hence it should be considered in a critical manner.