Kiribati Island : Global Warming

UBC DAY - 4




Seeing the picturesque beach with the clouds reflecting in the clear salty waters , the palm and coconut trees swaying to the sea-breeze and the pristine white sand makes one plan for a vacation. And if you have a cottage on this beach , life would be a 365 day-vacation. Am I right? WRONG.

This is Kiribati , a remote atoll in the Pacific Ocean, 2600 miles from New Zealand.

A 37 year old man and his wife , the original inhabitants of this atoll left for New Zealand , six years ago where their three children are born.His lawyer who specializes in human rights cases said that he would appeal to the country's Supreme Court , if the need arises as the Kiribati inhabitant is a refugee suffering from a climate change , a change which will in 30 to 60 years is likely to become uninhabitable because of rising 'king tides' , inundation and contamination of fresh water supplies. From 1998 the  'king tides' have been breaching the sea walls around his village and the UN panel of climate scientists predicted that the oceans could rise by 3.3 feet and if the predictions come true , the Kiribati would disappear under water.

The outcome of this case would be closely watched  all over the globe as the fate of many atolls and island inhabitants would be altered.

Climatic changes affecting the world due to ozone layer depletion , melting of the glaciers , rising waters and global warming could have a far-reaching effects on human population. The flora and fauna too will not be spared. We cannot dismiss with an excuse that we would be unaffected by the catastrophe but each one of us have to contribute , however minute , to the ongoing climatic crisis.


We can reduce global warming by 

Planting trees : plant more trees and save the existing green cover. The green canopy acts as the lungs of the earth. Trees , plants and mangroves are essential for mankind and earth.

Buy and consume locally grown fruits and vegetables : buying exotic food increases the carbon footprints. Urban farming is catching up. Lemons , tomatoes , coriander etc can be grown in pots or terraces of buildings.

The 3 R's : Reduce , reuse and recycle : reduce the use of plastic . Use bio-degradable items. Reuse the existing plastic , aluminium cans etc and recycle paper . The kitchen waste i.e. vegetable peels etc could be collected in compost pits and organic fertilizers made. 

Use public transport : Carpools and public transport are not only cost-effective but help reduce pollution. Even a thousand cars off the road on a single day makes a big difference.

Switch off electricity when not in use : Use less of heating and cooling appliances. Computer or T.V. set when not in use can be switched off. Every unit of power saved goes a long way in global warming.

Encourage others to conserve : School children , the future generation ,  should be taught valuable lessons and should be encouraged to implement them too. 

We have only  one Earth . Save our planet or perish.

                                        

Readers , I welcome your suggestions to make this planet a better place to live in. 

                                    For : Ultimate Blog Challenge - Day 4


If you haven't visited my previous posts , do hop on now :- 


UBC DAY 1 - FRIENDS

UBC DAY 2 - GANDHIJI 


UBC DAY 3 - INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR ELDERLY