Climate Change -The Things You Should Consider Doing To Tackle It And To Better Your Life And Our Mother Earth!

On planet earth, every life’s journey begins at its birth and each journey has a definite end. Whether it is human life or the life of any other living being, we are all on this planet earth only for a certain period. But as human life has kept evolving on earth, the planet earth has also kept changing environmentally with its human evolution. 

Humans have always striven to make the lives of their kind better here on earth. However, in this human quest and thirst for its betterment on the planet, the human race has always taken the planet earth for granted. And now, here we are in these modern times, where we are faced with pandemics, wars, climate change, and hopelessness. My heart breaks in saying this but our human race is in serious jeopardy right now. 

Please don’t get me wrong, but we have pushed Mother Earth to her limits. Now, the summers don’t feel like summers anymore, it rains anytime. There’s so much humidity in the air, no matter what country or city you are in. The winters feel like summers nowadays. Pardon my language but this planet, our beloved Mother Earth is getting ravaged pretty badly by us, humans–her children. 

The quality of the air we are breathing is not breathable by any human standard. If you check the air quality reports and data of your area online, you’ll know what I’m talking about, especially if you’re living in any city around the world. The air quality is so screwed up, but we’re still breathing anyway because we have to. And God only knows how long we’ll be able to breathe like this.

The climate changes drastically at anytime causing untimely and unexpected sicknesses and illnesses among humans around the world. You know, sometimes I think this drastic climate change is some kind of a message that our Mother Earth is trying to give us, she is telling us, “Hey, people of earth….my children, I’m sick and if you don’t stop taking me for granted, I’m gonna die soon. And then how the hell will you all survive without me?”

I’m neither a scientist nor an environmentalist. I’m just another human soul like you which is trying to make its journey here on earth. And I only wish this journey to be a healthy experience for me, you, and our loved ones. You know I’ve observed something. I’ve been observing this thing for over 10 years now.

You know, every time there’s some festivity in this part of the world, I’ve noticed there’s a drastic climate change, a change in the temperature and the weather. Generally, the winter starts at the beginning of November here in this part of the planet earth, in Mumbai, India. And it did start on time in November last year just like every other previous year. 

I remember the weather had that soul-pleasing coolness when the month of November began last year, but then came the festival of Diwali and the climate changed drastically and evidently. And I think the main reason for it was the pollution increase in the air because of the firecrackers burned during the Diwali festival. Right after Diwali, the temperatures started rising and it was feeling hotter than the summertime in November when it was supposed to be winter-like cold. 

I’m sure you’ll be able to recall it too. And then the coolness returned toward the end of November. It had even rained profusely in November for 2-3 days like the rainy season, which was very unlikely. And I’ve been noticing these drastic climate changes for over 10 years so now. And then, after 31st December, once again there was a decrease in the coolness, it was drastically warm again. It was supposed to be cooler in November, December, and January generally. So, I observed there were a lot of firecrackers burned on New Year’s Eve too all around the country resulting in an increase in air pollution, subsequently increasing the temperatures and humidity. So, it was not feeling like winter anymore here in Mumbai even though it was supposed to be a soul-pleasing winter season in December.

 

And now, it’s the month of April, as I’m writing this article. So, the weather is already hot because it’s the summer season here. Just a few weeks ago, once again, there was a drastic climate change. It had rained on one of the nights in March too. I’m sure it’s the same scene in any city around the world–untimely rain, drastic wildfires, and the burst of hot weather during the winters. 

These drastic climate changes are the messages from our Mother Earth reminding us that she is sick and we’re responsible for her sickness. These drastic climate changes are also affecting our farmers. The untimely rain destroys their crops and ruins their hard work. And if farming is their only source of living, you can imagine the hardships their families have to go through in order to survive.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m neither a scientist nor an environmentalist, but I do have a common human sense to realize the fact that we must stand up for ourselves, our children, and their future. We must care for our Mother Earth’s betterment and her survival. Because we belong to this earth, the earth doesn’t belong to us. So, there are some ways that you and I, all can follow to make our lives better and also to better our Mother Earth. I think these are very small and easy-to-do ways that can have a really big, positive impact on the betterment of our lives on earth, and also on the lives of our children:

1. Buy, cook, and eat food only as much as you need.

There are millions of people out there who don’t get proper food to eat daily. According to statistics published in 2019 by The World Food Programme, one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations on its website www.wfp.org, around 811 million people of the world’s population of 7.7 billion at the time didn’t get enough food to eat. And it goes without saying, how heart-wrenching it must’ve been in the last 2 years of the pandemic. So, here’s a simple thing you can do, and it’s not going to affect the world’s hunger, but it’ll definitely improve your life and in turn, it may contribute to the lives of our fellow human beings on our planet earth. 

Whenever your shop for food items, mostly the ones that have minimum shelf-life like vegetables and fruits and milk and all, buy only as much as you need them for that day. Don’t stock them up because sometimes you don’t feel the energy to cook or you feel like eating something from the restaurant. So, you end up ordering food from the restaurant, and then your stocked-up vegetables and fruits go to waste. 

Also, when you take any food to eat on your plate, take only as much as you’re going to eat or need to eat. Most of us, take more than the required quantities of food on our plates, and then when we’re full, we simply trash the half-eaten food. Considering the world’s hunger, it’s so ironically heart-wrenching that some people sleep on empty stomachs craving for food, while other ones like you and I trash the excess food because we’re already full. 

We need to stop taking our blessings for granted. I’m sorry for being so harsh in making such a statement, but it is what it is. Also, when you cook at home, make sure to cook only as much as you need to eat for yourself and your family. And if you end up cooking more than needed, if there are leftovers, make sure to store them in the fridge, take them out of the fridge, warm them up and eat them the next day before they go bad. 

I don’t know how this is going to improve world hunger, but it is definitely going to improve your life, and it’ll make you an individual of good conscience. And there will be less slow biodegradable trash in our environment.

2. Save water.

When I was in school, I learned that around 71% of our earth was made of water and the remaining was made of land. According to NASA’s educational website www.spaceplace.nasa.gov, only 2% of fresh water is in the rivers, lakes, and streams which is available for us, humans to drink to survive on this planet. 

According to a 2021-report published on the website, www.unwater.org, around 2.3 billion people of the world’s current growing population of around 8 billion live in water-stressed countries, out of which around 700+ million population is living in either high or critically water-stressed countries. 

The water-stressed countries mean that these are countries with water shortages, and they don’t have any new freshwater resources available to make up for that shortage, except for already existing resources like rivers, lakes, wells, and streams. And these water resources heavily depend on the yearly rainfall. With climate change at its worst, most countries go without sufficient rainfall each year. So, we must use water that is easily available to us wisely. 

Here are some of the simple ways in which you can save water:

I. When you’re brushing your teeth standing in front of the basin of your washroom, make sure to turn the tap on only when you need it and then turn it off when you don’t need it. In this way, a lot of water can be saved.

II. Instead of taking a shower under the shower dispenser, you can take a bath using buckets. I think 2 buckets of (15-20 liters each) water is enough to get yourself cleaned daily.

III. When you wash your car or motorbike, instead of washing it with the hosepipe and wasting a lot of water, you can clean it with a wet cloth 2-3 times or more as per your need, this will save a lot of water too.

IV. Keep a regular check on the leaks from basins and sinks and water tanks and taps in your house. Get them repaired asap if needed.

V. When you are doing the dishes under the faucet with running water, just keep the flow of the water to a minimum, low flow. Wash your dishes under a small stream of water from that sink faucet, instead of a heavy flow of faucet water.

So, these are some of the simple ways to save water if you care for our planet, our earthly brothers and sisters, and our children’s future on our planet.

3. Eco-friendly Home Cooking.

No, no, I’m not asking you to change your entire kitchen setup to some open garden kitchen. It is just that whenever you cook on a stove or a cooktop running on cooking gas such as Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Natural Gas, make sure to use a low to medium flame while cooking. The flames generated by these cooking gases release carbon emissions that could damage your breathing over time. 

Make sure to open your kitchen window to let the hot carbon emissions out of the house. They get dissolved in the air outside without causing you much damage. 

Whenever you cook, especially when you’re preparing a recipe that needs steaming or boiling, just put a lid on the saucepan or pan or other utensils you use to cook it. It’ll cook it faster and also by using less cooking gas. It’ll save you cooking gas money, as well as it will restrict carbon emissions to a minimum level because you won’t be keeping the gas flame on for longer periods. 

Research shows that electric induction cooktops are much more efficient in terms of fast cooking as well as saving the environment from carbon emissions than if you use cooking gas-fueled cooktops. If possible, you should include fresh vegetable salads and fruits in your daily diet. There will be no or less cooking involved in preparing salads, so there will be no electricity or gas used, which can keep your environment clean, and it will also keep you healthy. So, please try these ways and see what change they bring in your life and your environment. I’m sure you’ll feel better and you’ll be healthy.

4. Use your home’s electric appliances efficiently.

How many times this happens, you are in some other room of your house, maybe in the kitchen but the ceiling fan or AC in your living room is still on. The television in your bedroom is still on even when nobody is watching it there. These may seem to be small things but they can make a huge difference in your life as well as in our Mother Earth’s health. 

So, whenever you are not in some room of the house, or you are going to another room, make sure to turn the fan or AC off and open the window for ventilation and fresh air in that room before going to another room. Make sure to turn the TV off, if nobody is watching. Turn the lights off in the room if you’re not going to be there for some time, even if it’s for 2 minutes or so. 

Make sure to keep a check on all of the appliances in your house to see if any need any repair or if they are not functioning properly the way they’re supposed to function. Malfunctioned appliances can use more electricity and cause more heat in the environment around you. So, remember to keep all of your appliances functional from time to time.

5. Go walking.

There’s already so much industrial pollution around us making the air we breathe so impure. And on top of that, there’s so much more air pollution caused by vehicles. Although there are new brands of electric vehicles available nowadays, not everyone can afford them because they cost more than gas-fueled vehicles. So, the only thing we can do to reduce air pollution and improve the air quality around us is that we start curtailing the usage of cars and motorbikes. 

If you’re traveling to someplace which is only a 15-minute or 30-minute walking distance and you don’t have any medical condition or you’re not visiting that place for any hospital emergency for your dear ones, then it’s best to go to that place on foot, by walking. There 3 advantages if you choose to go by walking over driving to that place in a car or riding to that place on your motorbike: 

I. You’ll be saving your fuel money. 

II. You’ll be able to keep fit and maintain a healthy weight by walking. 

III. You’ll not be contributing to the air pollution which is making our Mother Earth sick. So, you’ll be helping our Mother Earth heal.

6. Keep your house and surrounding area clean.

How often does this happen that you’re in the park with your friends and you eat a bar of chocolate and share it with your friends and then simply toss the wrapper away on the ground or if you’re in the park with your child and your child has just finished his/her last chip in that chips’ packet, so he/she tosses the empty packet away just like that and goes to play with his/her little friends? And then you simply leave the park happily smiling with your friends or with your child?

Did you do anything wrong there? Well, it may not be a heinous, punishable crime but you’ve committed a crime against our Mother Earth by not trashing that wrapper or empty packet in the trash can. It’s a simple act of care toward our Mother Earth, but it can make a huge difference in our environment. So, always remember to trash those wrappers, empty packets, and empty water bottles (by crushing them) in the trash can around that place. If you don’t find any trash can around that place, bring it with you to your home and trash it in the trash can of your house. This is what I do when I don’t find any trash can outside and when I want to trash something. It’s crazy but I know I care for my environment in whichever way possible for me. 

I mean come on, who doesn’t like clean places, a clean house, a clean park, a clean workplace, a clean compound place. We all like it to be clean. So, please remember to trash all the trash only in the trash cans. 

7. Curtail the usage of firecrackers to observe festivities.

Celebrate the festivities in an environment-friendly way, just by greeting each other with love and smiles, and hugs. There’s already so much industrial pollution around us. The trees are being cut daily to build the infrastructure and all. At what cost are we building these infrastructures? By costing our Mother Earth her health? 

Well then, we will have big buildings and amenities and all, but we and our children won’t have any good health. Is it great living without good health for us and our children?

I’ll leave these questions for you to answer because you are a wise human being and also a beloved son/daughter of our Mother Earth.

So, these are some simple things that don’t have any adverse effects, but I believe they will only better our lives and our Mother Earth. As the children of this Earth, it’s our responsibility to take care of her in whichever way we can. If we take care of our Mother Earth, she will take care of us and our children and their children and their children’s children and so on.

Always remember this: We belong to this Earth, the Earth doesn’t belong to us.

Disclaimer: Pictures used in the article are from a free licensed source.