environmental concerns

There are basically two ways in which we can help our environment.

As has always been said, international and national efforts are vital for implementing policies that are environmentally friendly. The United Nations has organized discussions for countries to come together and discuss about the environmental problems. So far, certain countries like Britain and France have agreed to cut their carbon emissions, which contribute to global warming. In Singapore, car prices are kept high because of the introduction of Certificate of Entitlement (COE) and this is aimed at preventing excessive buying of cars. There can possibly be a worldwide decree to stop providing free plastic bags at shopping centers in order to cut down on the use of non bio-degradeable substances.

Another way to care for our environment lies with the individual. Each of us has a part to play in looking after our environment. A university professor suggested that each urban person in the world be given a yearly quota on the amount of resources they can use. For instance, each person can only be allowed 15kg of fabrics for clothes, 60kg of paper and so on and so forth. We can all do our part in looking after the environment by not littering or cutting down on our energy bill. When everyone does their part, it creates a strong global stance against environmental degradation just like how every grain of sand is needed to form a beach.

Of course, there are obstacles in the way. The rich sometimes do not adhere to the principle of conservation. Since countries now have quotas on their carbon emissions in the form of carbon credits, countries like Britain and France buy credits from other countries in order that they can continue emitting carbon above the specified quota. Not everyone will do their part to care for the environment due to laziness or obliviousness, as is expected human behavior. However, there are solutions to these problems. There should be adequate public education programs to create awareness among people of their important role in the caring of the environment. The rules for carbon emissions should be made stricter. For example, each country has to adhere to a specified quota on their carbon emission and carbon credits must not be allowed to be sold.