Need to raise fuel price to combat global warming

Md Atikur Rahman The environment refers to the air, water and land in which people, animals, and plants live. Human beings, animals, plants, air, water and soil are thus the main elements of environment. The natural forces such as storms, cyclones and earthquakes are also a part of this environment. Everything that makes up the environment is interrelated. The way in which people, animals and plants are related to each other and to their surroundings is known as ecology. The ecosystem is a complex web that links animals, plants and every other life form in the biosphere. All these things hang together. The system is in a steady state of dynamic balance which means that by altering any one part of the web you can affect all other parts. For example, the destruction of forests may have serious ecological consequences on human and animals. It is the responsibility of human beings to prevent the environment from being spoilt. To make life healthy and comfortable we should keep the environment clean and danger free. But often people spoil the environment by doing unwise things and as a result, endanger their own lives. It is the ecological imbalance that causes changes in the world's climate and brings about different kinds of natural disasters. In recent years, many alarming reports published that the world's climate is undergoing a significant change. All these reports provide strong evidence that world temperatures are increasing day by day. This increase is global warming which is caused by increased amount of carbon dioxide around the earth. Most climatologists believe that the green house effect is the most likely causes of the global warming. Green house effect is the gradual warming of the air surrounding the earth as a result of heat being trapped by environment pollution. This is exemplified by the destruction and burning down of tropical rain forests, traffic that clogs up city streets, rapid growth of industry, the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in packaging and manufacturing commercial products, the use of detergents such as washing powder and washing -up liquid and so on. The oceans are also said to be affected both because of human waste and because of pollution caused by industrial waste products, oil seeping from damaged supertankers and from other maritime disasters. However, the main culprits for global warming are carbon dioxide gas, produced by the burning of fossil fuels and forests and pollutants such as methane and chlorofluorocarbons. Climatologists predict that by midway through the next century temperatures may rise by as much as 4?C. Rise of temperature could catastrophically reduce mankind's ability to grow food, destroy or severely damage wildlife and wilderness, raise sea levels and thereby flood coastal areas and farmland. The alarming news about Bangladesh is that as a result of the rise of the sea level the lower southern part of the country may one day go under water. If the world is going to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system, we must agree to limit emissions so as to respect ecological limits. In order to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change, the latest science tells us that carbon emissions in industrialised countries will need to drop by at least 90 per cent by 2050. Internationally, climate policy is currently being negotiated under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The United Nations aims to get countries to reduce their emissions of climate changing gases via the Kyoto Protocol. But the target for carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction is currently set at only 5.2 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012 for the industrialised countries. Countries have still not achieved consensus on a way to move forward past 2012. From another perspective, the use of fuel increases to keep up with modern demands, the world is becoming more vulnerable to environmental hazards and disasters like floods, earthquakes, severe thunderstorms. At present, oil provides above 40 to 43 per cent of all energy used by the world. Oil and coal each account for 40 per cent of global warming emissions from fossil fuels worldwide. In the United States, energy use accounts for 82 per cent of our global warming emissions, with oil counting for 42 per cent of those emissions. While the vast majority of global warming emissions happen in the global North, it will be the poorest countries, that can least afford to adapt to a changing climate, will suffer the worst. Countries in the tropics and the small island states will likely bear the brunt of the consequences. The economies of the developing countries are harmed when oil is extracted from them, or when they are dependent on volatile oil imports. And when the oil is finally burned, and the carbon contained in it released into the atmosphere, it contributes heavily to decreased agricultural production, increased droughts, and human health impacts. One of the most effective solutions to these environmental hazards is to raise the price of fuel. The use of petroleum and gasoline can release toxic chemicals into our atmosphere. These chemicals escape into the air from the gasoline tank and carburetor during refilling, and from the engine exhaust. Transportation sources account for about above 30-50 per cent of all harmful emissions into the atmosphere. Raising the price of the fuel would mean that people would use less petroleum and gasoline. They would find other alternative means of transport to save money, which would mean using less high priced fuel for everyday purposes. For example, cycling is a healthy activity and it saves the earth too. Also for a long journey, people could try to find friends together for car-pooling. Car-pooling saves a lot of fuel and would save a lot of money too. Many environmental hazards like "Smog" and global warming are increasing around the world due to the excessive use of petroleum and gasoline in our daily lives. Raising the price of the fuel could make all the difference to environment. It would force people to use petrol in more responsible way and use it less, and therefore be the most effective solution to the problem of ever-increasing environment hazards. Governments and international organisations should initiate the development of the comprehensive global convention as a framework for protocols on the protection of the atmosphere. The desired reduction in carbon dioxide emissions will also require switching to the fuels that emit less carbon dioxide; reviewing strategies for the implementation of renewable energy, especially advanced biomass conversion technologies; and reviewing nuclear power. If safety, radioactive waste and nuclear weapons proliferation problems can be solved, nuclear power could play a role in lowering emissions of carbon dioxide. There must be vigorous application of existing technologies to reduce emissions of acidifying substances, other substances that are precursors of troposphere ozone, and greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide. Products should be labelled to allow consumers to judge the extent and nature of atmospheric contamination arising from the manufacture and use of the product. Resources for research and monitoring efforts within the world climate programme, the international ecosphere-biosphere programme, and the human response to global change programme should be increased. Funding for research, development and the transfer of information on renewable energy should be significantly increased, and technology transfer should be extended with particular emphasis on the needs of developing countries. Funding for extensive technology transfer and technical cooperation projects in coastal zone protection and management should be expanded. Deforestation should be reduced and a forestation increased through proposals such as the establishment of a trust fund to provide adequate incentives to enable developing nations to manage their tropical forest resources sustainable. Technical cooperation projects to allow developing nations to participate in international mitigation efforts, monitoring, research and analysis related to the changing atmosphere should be developed and supported. Funding should be increased to non-government organisations for the establishment of environmental education programmes and public awareness campaigns that would aim at changing public values and behaviour with respect to the environment. Financial support should be allocated for environmental education at all levels, and consideration should be given to establishing special units in university departments to address the crucial issues of global change. In conclusion, environmental pollution has become a threat to our existence in this earth; all the creatures are under the threat of extinction due to change of climate. So, as the best of all creatures, human beings should not be indifferent about the situation. We should do our best to protect this earth. The writer is the librarian of the BGMEA Institute of Fashion and Technology. He can be reached at email: atik@bift.info