LETTERS: "I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way." So crooned Whitney Houston in The Greatest Love of All.
It's true that children are our future, and we are expected to teach them and provide them with a future.
Unfortunately, our generation and the generations before us did not leave a good future for our children. I am referring to planet Earth.
Recently, a family member switched to a predominantly plant-based diet. For someone who enjoyed every known meat, this was unexpected. Maybe I should not be surprised. We were watching the documentary Seaspiracy on Netflix. Despite my misgivings on the dramatisation and slightly skewed reporting, it did have a profound message.
Climate change and global warming are not just words plucked out of thin air and thrown around to make one look erudite. It is real and it is here.
More and more of the younger generation are conscious of the poor health of the planet and are doing their bit for the environment. The difference between baby boomers like me and the later generations is the latter is aware that we have done a dismal job of keeping Mother Earth healthy.
We had led our lives as if the planet was ours to plunder and to use it as we pleased. A testament to that is the changing weather patterns, the extreme climate events and recent devastating floods, fires and landslides.
But knowledge alone is not enough. Actions speak louder than words. Plastics in the seas, fishing nets in the oceans, trapped birds and wildlife and sea creatures have become victims of our human shenanigans.
Human beings have adapted to living in any corner of this earth and degraded it to a dangerous tipping point. If we have any amount of empathy and care, we will want to do something, no matter how small. But change has also got to come from within. Recycling is not the panacea as not all plastics are recyclable and not all recyclable plastics get recycled.
What can we do? Every small step counts. It's not about getting rid of plastic straws, which helps, by the way. Here are four strategies that can contribute to protecting the environment.
FIRST, stop the usage of single-use plastic. We can stop buying mineral water in bottles unless desperately needed. During this lockdown, with food deliveries, the amount of plastic generated has increased substantially. We may want to switch to buying food from vendors who do not pack it in plastic containers.
I also defer buying food that is pre-wrapped in plastic. If I need to pick up different vegetables at the supermarket, I just take one bag and fill as much as I can and get them all weighed.
I learn so much from my children. Each plastic toothbrush takes about 500 years to decompose. I now buy bamboo-based toothbrushes online, as suggested by my daughter;
SECOND, save water and electricity. We can turn off the tap when brushing teeth and soaping, and switch off the fans and lights when not needed. Everyday detergents are a primary source of chemical pollutants in the water. I have learned how to use them sparingly;
THIRD, eat sustainably. My food habits changed overnight. The carbon footprint of lamb and beef is the highest. I still enjoy a good meal of my favourite meat, but I am more discerning now; and,
FOURTH, don't waste. Don't buy things you do not need. Spend it on people who need a hand during this pandemic.
This list is not exhaustive. But they are small steps that can make a compoundable difference. If people can learn to live in the Arctic and Sahara, they can also learn to live in a way that is environment friendly. It is our duty to make a change, no matter how small.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
DR SARASWATHI RAI
Faculty of Medicine, AIMST University
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times