Ozone Day; Why it’s time to act
Ozone day is the commemoration of the signing of the Montreal Protocol, which put a leash on the substances that deplete the Ozone layer. It is quite ironic that this year we celebrated Ozone day while the Amazon rainforests are burning.
Almost everyone except climate change deniers agree that the planet is on the verge of being destroyed by pollution, but most people have flawed views on how to deal with it. They blame overpopulation, non usage of renewable fuels, the greed of third world countries and even juice shops giving out free straws with their drinks for the present fiasco.
Overpopulation is a Malthusian myth. Our farmers produce enough food to feed 10 billion people and the total population of the planet is 7.7 billion. Also 95 % of the population lives on just 10 % of the world’s land. With today’s technology we can double the food production sustainably. In layman’s terms, we have an excess of living space and food produce.We do not have an overpopulation problem, we have a distribution problem.
Most environmentalists are poster boys for renewable energy sources. It all seems good on paper until you realise that renewable energy is erratic and costly. Another issue with renewables people usually ignore is the pollution caused during the manufacture of solar cells and batteries. Solar cells are subject to degradation (around 0.8% per year) and batteries still use heavy metals. Sure, renewable energy occupies a fair share of the power grid in the Nordic countries, but this comes at a cost. Most of the manufacturing of the windmills and solar cells are outsourced to third world countries, who are then penalised for breaking the carbon trading treaties.
Clean energy is the bedrock of sustainable development. So if renewables can’t provide us with dependable clean energy, what can? This is where Nuclear energy comes into play. It has the largest capacity factor and releases the least amount of greenhouse gases and radiation when compared to the major sources of energy.
Trying to minimise our carbon footprint is admirable, but no individual action alone can upset the climate balance. Just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of the global emissions and the US military is the largest polluter in the world. As responsible individuals pressuring the government to redo their climate policies and asking them stop bending over to fossil fuel corporations is much more important than admonishing the street vendor using plastic bags.
Our inheritance is a dying planet, so being the tech savvy individuals we are, it is our responsibility to take the much needed stand. It is our duty to educate the masses about the upcoming crisis and to act accordingly.
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