Are we depriving our children their future?
Who would have foreseen buying drinking water thirty years ago? Now imagine a situation thirty years into the future…acute water scarcity, sparse jungles, and oxygen booths. This can perhaps become a reality if the climate crisis is not averted.
Mother Nature feels eroded and wounded by the colossal damage. Soaring temperatures, fires, floods, rising sea levels, and dissipating polar ice are evident enough. Is this what we are leaving for our children, and do we want our children to starve in the future? The Covid 19 is a wake-up call. Global heating is a reality, and the UN climate report terms it irreversible. A meaningful commitment backed by action is the mainstay.
Nearer home, the effects of climate change are in front of us. IT hub Bengaluru was inundated after the relentless rain and the rampant urbanisation with receded drainage space and decreased green cover is a case of environmental destruction. Why not work towards the irreversible and inevitable climate change so that future generations have enough resources for survival? Climate change is turning into a crisis and we, as individuals, can do our bit to make a difference. At the societal level, in housing societies, RWAs can work with people to reduce carbon footprints. You can contribute by using clean green energy, consuming wisely, eating plant-based local food, and protecting the green spaces.
It is normal to get tempted with the dress in the shop window even though we know that our cupboards are overflowing with stuff. But when one is mindful of climatic disruption, one will pause and reflect and go back empty-handed but content that one is reducing the carbon footprints.
Religion binds individuals and can help motivate them to conserve our natural resources to reduce carbon footprint levels. When we sensitise children about the environment at an early age, they grow up being responsible adults protecting it. Reducing the use of paper and wood, and eating vegetarian food are steps toward conservation at the individual level to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Why not contribute towards protecting the environment by taking our children for a holiday to a nearby place instead of far-off exotic places as we aim to spend quality time together as a family?
“The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane." – Mahatma Gandhi”
When we plant trees in our areas, we contribute towards building a forest cover as trees absorb 10% of the CO2 emitted in a year. By using greener energies, we reduce the impact of climate change considerably, even at the individual level.
Gen Z or the millennials are not waiting for the older generation to take action, instead are working towards averting the climate crisis and saving the planet from choking. They are going a step further by spreading awareness through varied social media platforms.
The window of action is all we have now which can either take us away or closer to a healthier environment.
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Jane Goodall
Images from Google
