Let’s take a look at our world today, there’s so much that we need to do, so much that we need to achieve. Our predecessors laid a solid foundation for us to work on. They, they had virtually nothing to work with, save for their minds but yet they left so much in the way of legacy some of which we are still trying to catch up, even with thoughts over 100 years old.
We now have such things as computers, mobile phones, TV sets, vehicles, electricity, you name it! Indeed, we have come a long way. I sometimes wonder what would happen if all the power in the world went out and we were forced back to the days of horses and camels, days in which having a long distance relationship was completely unfathomable, medical care was limited to herbs (and the gods), disease outbreaks and plagues claimed the lives of people, families and even villages because there was virtually nothing in the way of facilities to carry out tests to determine the causes of illnesses and we all adopted a “trial and error” approach, only this time “error” meant the death of somebody. Nay! Such a time would be completely chaotic, it would seem.
Most of you reading this would totally agree with my conclusion about such an event, and you would be right to do so. Progress in never initiated or achieved by going backwards, only forward, toward the future.
The hard work of others before us has gotten us to where we are today, our world is much more connected and more advanced than it used to be. No one can live forever and it is therefore up to us to leave this world better than we found it.
Everything great comes at a price and Technological advancement doesn’t seem to have discovered a loop-hole in this rule. Every day, we leave a very visible trail of carbon footprint in our atmosphere as we enjoy the benefits of technology, when we make use of electricity, transport and industry, we promote the end of our world due to global warming.
During my time as a college student in the department of mechanical engineering, I did a final year thesis about automobile emission and the effect of greenhouse gases on our environment and this really exposed me to the state of degradation of the world’s atmosphere since the inception of vehicles, electricity, etc
What is a Carbon Footprint?
Carbon footprint represents the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere as a result of human activities. We are concerned about the presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere because it is the second most vicious contributor to the greenhouse effect on earth next to water vapour. However, the increase in the level of water vapour in the atmosphere is dependent on that of carbon dioxide and that makes it very significant.
Now, I’ll been saying a lot about greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect so it is important that we establish a basic understanding of these things.
The greenhouse effect is the process by which the surface of a planet is warmed to a temperature above that which it would be without the planet’s atmosphere as a result of radiation from the atmosphere of the planet. Greenhouse gases are seven in number; carbon dioxide, water vapour, ozone, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons.
How does this warming take place?
What happens is that when the sun releases heat to the earth’s surface, some of the heat is absorbed and warms the earth and some is projected back toward space, however some of this heat is absorbed by greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere and reflected back to earth which creates more heat than would normally be present on the earth’s surface in the absence of these gases. This in itself is not such a bad thing, but when a high percentage of the heat expelled out from the earth’s surface is redirected back to the earth, this is what leads to global warming.
The Implications of Global Warming
The implications of global warming are numerous, the world gets exposed to extreme weather conditions in such a way that the wet areas gain more moisture and become flooded and the dry areas become drier. Various types of natural disasters such as drought, storms, heat waves are more severe than they previously were and occur more frequently.
Drought for example inadvertently reduces access to clean drinking water, fuels events of wild fires and promotes dust storms.
An increase in rainfall on the other hand leads to flooding, unhealthy air, contamination of drinking water, mold infestation and promotion of water borne diseases carrying agents such as fleas, mosquitoes, etc.
Sea levels will get higher as the warming will melt ice sheets in cold areas and as such more water is generated. As well, the oceans become more acidic than usual due to an absorption of increasing and excess emission. This in turn would lead to rapid extinction of some animals. In a post that I did about penguins some weeks ago, I highlighted the implications of less ice for such creatures. They are already on a course of extinction!
All of these factors have also pointed to an increase in mortality rate, more diseases and illnesses, more extreme natural disasters, contaminated water and unhealthy air, they would lead to more deaths. I watched a video once of an african family that was trapped in a flood and no one could save them. They were in their car and could not come out of their vehicle, the flood was way to vicious for any human support at that time. It all happened way too fast and the vehicle was swept away by the flood and was crushed against rocks. You could hear their screams! and this is just one of many such incidences.
With all of these said, reducing our carbon print now would not stop these things from happening as we have already released a century’s worth of pollution into the earth’s atmosphere. The extent and gravity of the effects would still be seen and felt, but it would be greatly reduced than if we continue at this rate. The damage has already been done, but we can still make a difference, starting today. Reducing our carbon footprint by making use of proper vehicle oils, getting regular emission checks, making energy efficiency your primary criteria for getting home appliances, insulating your home and making use of solar energy. The burning of fossil fuels is the prime producer of carbon dioxide and as such, supporting cleaner sources of energy would greatly reduce your carbon footprint, Reuse and Recycle also helps.
Reuse and Recycle Reduces Carbon Footprint
I feel that for the continued survival and existence of this planet, addressing the issue of our carbon footprint is of utmost importance as it is the source of other major world problems today and of which neglect of any form would lead to worse environmental conditions than the ones we currently face and ultimately, it would create an environment that is not suitable for mankind.
Reducing our carbon footprint would be a very big step in promoting a clean and healthy environment for not just us humans, but also for the animals and natural bodies under our care. It would have a tremendous impact on our world for generations to come and I believe that would be a very good legacy to leave behind.
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