Helping the environment through its ordeal

I guess 2009 is the year of awareness, a year committed to evoke thought and action! I found this card at Ambara* on one of my routine visits to grab the complimentary issue of At a glance - Understanding India. The front side is a profound painting on climate change by artist Naresh Kapuria. The reverse has a list of things UN advocates one should do to counter the climate change. It must have been printed for distribution on the World Environment Day, after all melting ice is the hottest issue now. But then it turns out that UN had chosen Naresh Kapuria to highlight the impact of climate change in India, on the occasion of UN Day, last year.

  

Though the issue of global warming for long is being dealt with, there is a noticeable change in its momentum. At the first instance, I thought climate change must be a new term coined to represent the much over used ‘global warming’. There seems to be a difference. While the former refers to the increasing global temperatures, the latter refers to regional conditions.

In 2008, Kapuria did a light and sound show 'Badalta Mausam' at UN Information Centre in New Delhi, in order to raise awareness on the issue. He used ordinary objects like brightly coloured kettles in different shapes and sizes hung on the trees along with pots and pans, various figurines and sculptures to bring to life the experience of climate change. A poignant imagery of rising temperature titled boiling over from his show.

 

Alarming to know our country is one of the top polluters in the world. We contribute around 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions as its consumption of fossil fuels gathers pace. But as a developing nation, India is not yet required to cut emissions under the Kyoto Protocol.

Every individual leaves a considerably good carbon footprint and here are some low-carbon lifestyle choices at home, in the office and when travelling
(Text courtesy of unep.org)

• Waking up with a traditional wind-up alarm clock rather than the beep of an electronic one - this can save almost 48g of CO2 each time;
• Choosing to dry clothes on a washing line versus a tumble dryer – this can save 2.3 Kg of CO2 each time;
• Replacing a 45-minute workout on a treadmill with a jog in a nearby park - this can save nearly 1 Kg of CO2 each time;
• Opting for non-electric toothbrush – this can save nearly 48g of CO2 each time;
• Heating bread rolls in a toaster versus an oven for 15 minutes – this can save nearly 170g of CO2 each time;
• Switching from regular 60-Watt light bulbs to energy-saving light bulbs – this will produce four times less CO2 emissions;
• Taking the train rather than the car for a daily office commute of as little as 8 km – this can save 1.7 Kg of CO2 each time;
• Shutting down your computer and flat screen both during lunch break and after working hours – this will cut CO2 emissions generated by these appliances by one-third;
• Investing in a water-saving shower head – this will save 10 liters of water per minute and cut CO2 emissions in half (from a three-minute hot shower);
• Reducing the weight of goods and items carried onboard by airline passengers to below 20Kg – this can cut global GHG emissions by two million tonnes of CO2 a year.
  

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* Ambara is a life style store located near the Ulsoor lake. They have nice traditional & contemporary art & artefacts. It also houses a nursery, OMO an indo-western casual wear, Utsav handlooms, Rouge Elephant a garden café. (Of course we lunched here one of those Fridays, the food is very appetising but slightly over priced.)