Climate change

Climate change has become a priority subject in government and other organisations today. Basically, it refers to the difference in the balanced state of the weather.  It is a gradual process and there is evidence to suggest that human activities such as driving, deforestation, destruction of the rain forest and industrialization are accelerating the climate change process. Mainly because of the CO2 emission into the environment and the shortage of trees to absorb the emitted CO2.

It is no secret that the environment is in danger of an imbalance of nature. The extreme hot and cold temperatures, increasing incidence of tsunami's, hurricanes, floods,volcanic eruptions and rising sea levels are all evidence of global warming and changes to natures' homeostasis.

Nations have come together to unite in putting measures in place to combat the acceleration of climate change. As far back as 1992 the United Nations organised an earth summit where a framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was proposed to nations. 5 years later in 1997 the Kyoto protocol was put in place to set greenhouse gas reduction targets for the various nations.

So what practical measures are nations putting in place to address this issue. The United States and China, must have missed the memo from the Kyoto protocol as together their emissions through industrialization was more than the total reductions achieved by the other nations. Speaking from a United Kingdom view point, the solution to everything seems to be money by penalizing ordinary citizens. Fines and taxes have been imposed on motorist, the transport industry and other industrialized sectors. But what does the ordinary citizen understand about climate change, the environmental threat and how to make a difference. Educating the general public should not be ignored. As the old saying goes, look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.

I went out for meal with my Husband on a groupon voucher.  We were escorted to our table, and as the waitress asked for our voucher code, I took out my android phone and showed her the reference number on the screen. A few minutes later another lady came along and asked for a paper copy of the voucher. We both had the same reaction. How different will the information on paper be to that on the screen. Apparently, she'll have to mail the hard copy to groupon to redeem their cash. Eventually, we agreed to email her the voucher so she could print her copy. Was that paper copy really necessary? No and yet groupon or the restaurant are not the only culprits. Our homes and offices are inundated with papers we could really do without. If we promoted the paperless office and made better use of technology today a whole cluster of trees could be saved and perhaps we'll be another step closer to stalling the accelerating climate change.  

Before you print, think climate change.