Personal Response on the article: "Waking up to An Inconvenient Truth"

GLOBAL WARMING, the two words which have been appearing in the media recently. Surely everyone knows what it is, and that the present situation in critical and our future looks grim. There have been cases of severe droughts and hurricanes these few years, and all these are due to climate change. But how much are we doing to reduce and stop it?

Scientists and environmentalist are more than 90% certain that global warming is indeed occurring and that human activity is the main cause for it. The most disturbing however is the fact that this trend will continue for at least a century and the window of opportunity for effective mitigation is closing very rapidly.

Different countries have different approaches towards global warming. Government in the various countries would organize Green Weeks, Tree Planting days, etc. All these events help to promote environmental awareness and hope that the people can help reduce natural resource consumption as well as combat the issue of pollution. Recently, even entertainers have been actively participating in environmental campaigns too. Even in Singapore, there have been some environmental awareness events going on.

For example, on certain days, shoppers of NTUC Fairprice need to bring their own shopping bags. Those who did not bring their own bags have to pay for the plastic bags which they are usually provided with. Reusable bags can also be bought at NTUC counters for a relatively cheap price. Even though many people may find this very inconvenient, it is a good practice and should be continued. This may seem to have minimal impact on the environment, but at least it is a small step towards reducing environmental pollution.

I feel that a government of a country should not be just content even of they have managed to solve the issue of pollution in the country. They should extend their help to other countries to help make a difference. For example in Singapore, our government should offer help to Indonesia to help them cope with the problem of farmers who carry out slash-and-burn, because during certain months of the year, the haze caused by these farmers can spread to Singapore and the health of the people may be affected badly. But on the other hand, we must pity these farmers as they have to clear the forest for agriculture and to support their families. Thus the government should offer subsidies or plans for the poorer farmers.

It is not the government responsibility to conserve our environment, but the responsibility of everyone. Everyone has a vital role to play in this conservation, for ourselves, as well as for the future generation. True, one can hardly make a difference to the environment, but if everyone where to combine their efforts, there would be an opportunity for us to mitigate further warming. We can play our part by using CFC-free products, practicing the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle), using hybrid cars which are environmentally friendly, or just take the public transport.