Global warming-the enemy we don’t know about
This morning, Mama Nakki, a local resident of Bwaise a suburb in Kampala, Uganda had a very bad day. Living in one of the most lowly areas in Kampala, Mama Nakki watched her house get soaked in dirty flood water as it rained heavily. Still, her house survived by an inch but with the weather continuing to act like this, she would really need to consider the possibility of changing her location to higher ground. Then also the sunshine was too hot that her small tea business was nolonger bringing in a lot of money. Hot drinks weren’t a favorite during hot weather. She is thinking about all this while watching the smoke curl up from the house rubbish that she is burning. Nature was against her.
Although you think that this is where the story ends, then dear reader it is a big ‘no’. This smoke curls up and adds up to the numerous disastrous tonnes of gases that keep on accumulating every single day. These poisonous gases especially carbon dioxide lead to increased atmospheric heat energy hence a rise in the global temperatures. This unfortunate event referred to as global warming has become one of the biggest crises in human civilization right now. This negative effect on world climate is so threatening that immediate attention has been initiated in order to curb the rage of the oncoming storm. Currently, we have the world as our only home and so it’s safety is upon our shoulders.
From big international organizations like United Nations to that local non-gover mental organization on your street, many institutions are helping to solve the problem of global warming. The temperatures are rising at a pretty scary rate around the world.
The two main causes of global warming are industrialization and gas emissions. Industrialization is the setting up, running and expansion of an industry. Gas emissions are poisonous hazardous gases that are products of various human activities and they are not used for human metabolism. Instead, there accumulation in the atmosphere, is disastrous to human health. These two activities have led to the biggest threatto life right now. Industrialization and gas emissions are being checked upon globally to protect our dear planet. We are seeing many countries answering this global call.
In terms of industrialization, many countries have majorly set up Agro-processing, iron and steel and chemical Industries and these produce tons of poisonous gases every year but on top of this list is the petroleum industry. These are industries that are mostly set up in developing countries where there is no governing policy about gas emissions hence slowly killing our global atmospheres. Most of us are looking at what gets out of the gates of these factories, the fancy products, instead of the dark fumes that are pumped out of the factories’ chimneys.
Local Industries like charcoal burning, lumbering and agriculture have prospered due to the sacrifices of thousands of square miles of forests every year. Instead of caring about the forests, we have put our own human priorities first and scrutinizing through all these industries we see that they are all providing the basic needs to people but the real question is- are you providing basic needs to Nature itself? There are things that we have to provide to nature or else she will die.
Global warming is caused by the inability of greenhouse gases to leave the Earth’s atmosphere but can also be referred to as the easy passage of sun rays into the earth’s atmosphere. It is no surprise that countries have signed up a number of environmental protection treaties like the Bonn challenge and the green growth project. We are seeing many ‘green towns’ being set up.
With the development of oil and gas mining in numerous countries like Nigeria,Libya and the Middle East, we have witnessed an increasing water land and air pollution in form of oil spills, heatwaves, poisoning and infertility of soil. According to statistics, the oil and gas industry contributes about 79% of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Unfortunately, this industry itself is experiencing a boom and isn’t about to slow down. So what needs to be done? The oil and gas emissions can be stopped by applying to the policies on the investors ,taking a leaf from the strictness surrounding offenses like murder and terrorism.
Talking about policies, all operating factories with gas emissions above a certain limit should be sued or subjected to expensive fnes. This will help to ensure that not a lot of our atmosphere is actually poisonedas the factory managers will be watching their backs. These industries can also be forced to purchase land where they can plant trees. The bigger the factory, the larger the land needed to be purchased. Alternatively, they can fund afforestation campaigns as a away to cater for the damages they do to Mother nature. Surely, the trees will be happy to take up the carbon dioxide produced by the industries.
At the beginning of this essay when we were introduced to Maama Nakki, she was busy watching smoke curl up into the sky. Every day, rubbish burning is done by a lot of households around the world. Instead of letting this so called ‘necessity’ done by most mothers, housewives and daughters in a bit to get rid of their house’s refuse, let us dispose off this waste in a proper way for example using a Dustbin whereby a proper disposal Company will come and empty it.
Another major source of a gas emissions is Motor Vehicles. The exhaust pipes around cities and suburbs have made the cities’ air one of the most polluted to have ever been breathed by human beings. The solution to this problem is something very few people would like to undertake, imagine having to leave your private car in the garage just to struggle with ordinary people for a taxi or another kind of public transport. All in all, this is the easiest and most straightforward solution to the problem of Motor Vehicle gas emissions. Yes, public transport reduces the number of vehicles on the road and solving the problem of traffic jam and reducing air pollution rates in the long run.
Last, but not least, sensitisation is the key. By sensitising people about what is really happening around them will open their eyes to the disastrous future that is in store people. Through this many people will be able to resign doing such grave decisions (such small normal decisions) forexample charcoal burning, and they will adapt to new safer eco-friendly ways. Knowledge is power.
If more people get to know climate change, global warming and the burdens that come with them, then trust me, they will change their way. Besides, everyone has a right to know about the catalyst quickening the end of the world. I know that the effects of our actions regarding climate change can change if we really understand what is at stake.
Our Maama Naki has a right to know about what is happening to the weather. She should know that there are devastating results to get hazardous acts. She has to know the dander that she is posing to the earth by simply burning her rubbish. We all need the world, it’s our only home. A crisis the world faces, is our own crisis to solve.
By: Kirunda Mulya’buto
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