LETTERS: The climate is changing quicker than at any rate in the history of modern civilisation.
A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2018 showed that the world has until 2030 to implement “rapid and far-reaching” changes to the world’s energy, infrastructure and industrial systems to avoid a 2°C rise, which could be disastrous.
The effects of greenhouse gas emissions include rising temperatures, heat waves, droughts, higher sea levels, abnormal weather patterns, increased intensity of natural disasters as well as smog and acid rain.
Almost all solutions that exist hinge on the way humans behave. What can we do? Use energy wisely. Electricity allows people to light up homes, watch television and charge computers and smartphones.
Consuming less power could reduce the amount of electricity that power plants have to generate, subsequently reducing the number of fossil fuels burnt each day.
Thus, it is crucial to unplug or shut down electrical appliances that are not in use.
Do you know that the instant relief that the air-conditioner offers us is offset by its harmful environmental effects? Studies show that air-conditioners denote an increasingly large percentage of energy consumption in the building sector.
It is responsible for 12 per cent of the sector’s CO2 emissions worldwide.
One of the energy efficiency tips shared by Tenaga Nasional Berhad is to set our air-conditioner at between 23°C and 25°C as this is cool enough and reduces energy consumption.
Plus, we must ensure that the filters are regularly checked and replaced. Cleaning a dirty air filter can save several kilogrammes of carbon dioxide a year.
Recycling is one of the easiest yet most effective ways to make our planet a greener and healthier place to live.
It does not require much effort to create a comprehensive recycling system.
This starts with having places to store the recycled materials in the house: a box, a basket or a bag.
In 2018, Malaysians generated 38,142 tonnes of waste a day, an increase from 19,000 tonnes in 2005. Of this, 44.5 per cent was food waste, followed by plastic (13.2 per cent) and diapers (12.1 per cent).
Decomposing these wastes releases methane, a greenhouse gas more harmful than CO2 and can cause nausea, headaches and vomiting.
Therefore, with recycling, people limit their contributions to landfills and reduce methane production.
It is time we use public transportation, especially hydrogenpowered buses, practise car pooling or walk.
NURAFIFAH MOHAMMAD SUHAIMI
EMIR Research
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times