IT'S A
revolution. It's going to take over your life: home, work, community. It's
going to be the new way to live, to think and to act. Welcome to the days of
going green.
Just like the
agricultural revolution of the 18th century that spurred the industrial
revolution into the 19th century, the green revolution has the pace and
intensity to touch and change every aspect of living. In a nutshell it is a
paradigm shift that scientist and environmental specialists say will save the
planet and assure the continuation of the species and the survival of the
planet.
This green
revolution, spreading like wildfire, will create a green economy through the
use of green technology, green thinking and green living. Yes, it is going to
be a whole lot of green.
Governments,
policymakers and think tanks worldwide assure us this is the future and that
anyone not on the bandwagon is surely to lose out, not only on the advantages
of the emerald wave, but also because unsustainable choices will lead to the
inability to sustain livelihood or existence.
What is
interesting to note is that much of the need to go green now is firmly based on
the fact that we have made bad decisions in the past. Which, in itself is not
bad; it is the only way to learn. But therein lies the problem. Have we really
learnt? One of the biggest issues in the last couple of decades, before climate
change was the buzz word, greenhouse gases, specifically, was our mortal enemy.
Schools started teaching the science behind how they were formed and why they were
problematic, universities and independent research houses were throwing money
at the problem trying to find us the solutions we so desperately needed.
And though there
were big and multi-scale projects launched to deal with the problem of
greenhouse gas emissions using carbon analysis indicators, changes in protocols
and data collection, even competitions for atmospheric scrubber inventions, it
was the smaller mitigating measures that stuck to minds and made a difference:
making the choice to not use aerosol sprays, introducing carpooling, even
eliminating open burning.
From greenhouse
gases and global warming, we now face, consequently, the threat of climate
change. It now rains when it isn't supposed to, it can get really hot, and in
the back of our minds we know that a polar bear is stranded on a melting
iceberg somewhere in the Arctic.
Sound familiar?
Well then, isn't it time we learnt? The answer, if there is one answer, is
again to encourage the simple things: reducing waste, buying only necessities,
planning tasks to reduce trips to the store, walking whenever we can and making
a commitment to think about more than just ourselves. Remember, it's okay to
start small.
Yes, it's
idealistic, but the reason is compelling. There are roughly 6.7 billion people
in the world so even a small step is a 6 billion-force step. It's an important
fact for governments and policymakers to remember when embracing the green
revolution: people equal effectiveness.
Technology can
play a major role in green efforts. Technology has the ability to reverse some
of the mistakes we've made in the past, it has solutions that can work in the
here and now, and it has the ability to give us better options to incorporate
in the future.
One very
interesting example is the change that is coming over building design. Pipes
carrying chilled water are being used to reduce the heat trapped; building
orientation and function is a major concern; and recycling of construction
material on site is being encouraged. A big jump in green technology efforts
can be seen in the transportation industry with electric trains and jumbo jets
running on hybrid fuel. Similarly, technology has made great strides in
harvesting energy from the sun, wind and water.
As important as
technology is in the campaign for efficiency and sustainability, it still has
to make economic sense. Expensive technology will only find a place, at most,
in one third of the world, making it only a third effective; green technology
has to be both affordable and effectual.
Low-cost green
technology can change the world and not just save it. According to a UN report,
roughly 1.5 billion people, a quarter of the world's population live without
electricity; 80 per cent of rural Africa has no access to electricity. In the
villages of this continent, the cradle of civilisation, those that can afford
power spend a large portion of their income on kerosene lamps or charge their
batteries by travelling to bigger towns.
But with the
introduction of solar cells, or as they are known these days, photo voltaic
cells, to villages in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Tanzania and other neighbouring
nations, light is now accessible, enabling kids to study into the night with
10-20 times brighter light and less indoor pollution of the kerosene lamps.
More
importantly, the solar panels are saving lives: kerosene lamp fires kill
roughly 1.6 million people a year, especially women and are responsible for
burns and disabilities of countless others. But still many of these projects to
introduce solar panels to rural settlements are sponsored by private
organisations or government funding. The true affect of solar panel technology
will be felt once it can be purchased reasonably.
Efficiency and
sustainability are the mainstays of going green. These characteristics are to
be imbedded in the technology we develop, in how we use the technology and the
decisions we make for our own lives. This is the essence of living in the 21st
Century: live responsibly.
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