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Climate change is something to worry about with the growing realisation that the planet is choking to death highlighted by the climate strike action across the globe.
Global warming caused by heat-trapping greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels melts glaciers, triggers rising sea levels and extreme weather with animals facing extinction as they lose their natural habitats.
A decade or so ago the climate change rumblings felt like a fad, but the frequency of hotter summers, warmer winters and disruptive freak weather can no longer be ignored.
Coastal areas are now more prone to flooding and erosion, where islands like Cyprus suffer from drought and desertification.
To put it bluntly, humans have done a crap job of looking after the planet while messing up the environment for the rest of the ecosystem.
In the past, there wasn’t the sophisticated science that could pinpoint what our actions were doing, the impact and consequences of the industrial revolution and mechanised farming.
Cow farts are just one end of the problem, dependence on fossil fuels, cutting down trees and littering the oceans with plastic are just some of the areas we need to put right.
Hundreds of thousands of students and workers left their schools, colleges and offices on Friday to protest around the globe to demand that politicians take urgent action to avert an environmental calamity.
But the world is a diverse place where governments are less worried above saving the planet than protecting their own national interest. Developing countries want a share of the spoils and don’t see why they should be held back after coming late to the party.
It is difficult for consumer capitalism to reset or poor economies to shift to smart technology and electric cars overnight.
Cyprus school students joined protesters in about 150 countries to call on world leaders to take immediate action to limit the harmful effects of manmade climate change.
How many of those teenagers are avid recyclers, denounce fast fashion, carry around a reusable coffee cup or never forget to turn the lights off in their room.
I’m not saying we should become eco-warriors overnight, making our clothes from hemp, living by candlelight and eating things that don’t have children.
Although we can become more environmentally aware by demanding our governments are greener in outlook with the policies they introduce.
This is not to say that going green comes cheap, it needs massive investment, a change in mindset and habits, especially for the younger generations.
Cyprus has great natural resources like the sun, sea and wind but is lagging in harnessing these powers to produce renewable and alternative sources of energy.
Our power system is still using ‘dirty’ fuel with a switch to comparatively cleaner gas lagging, the state should be more aggressive in utilising solar energy.
Much more should be done in ensuring Cyprus has a reliable and efficient public transport system that makes us less reliant on the car.
There should also be more emphasis on electric vehicles, but a lack of access points is hardly an encouragement to switch over.
Cypriots produce far too much rubbish which we seem to chuck anywhere, not to mention the lack of a comprehensive household recycling scheme. Home collections should also include glass and compost.
We have to learn to want less, buy less and waste less (affluence has a downside).
The government should also reintroduce a scheme to get old bangers off the road and step up checks on vehicles that emit large plumes of smoke from their exhaust.
Carbon emissions climbed to a record high last year, despite warnings that output of the gases must be slashed over the next decade to stabilize the climate.
When is Cyprus going to become carbon neutral? Moreover, when was the last time you heard a politician talking about it, or for that matter asked about it.
Global warming must become part of our everyday conversation whether it be in the media or political discourse – the climate emergency is our problem.
Sooner rather than later, Cyprus must transition to renewable energy sources from fossil fuels, regardless of the fact the government seems fixated on its hydrocarbon search which could become obsolete before it starts coming out of the ground.
We can all do our bit to contribute, be it banning single-use plastic, eating less meat, supermarkets reducing their packaging, walking instead of driving somewhere or not becoming a frequent flyer (no promises).
Look how quickly we got used to not having free plastic bags, it’s a question of reshaping our reality.
Using paper straws may not change the world but we might be able to save it…Maybe, if the rest of the Amazon doesn’t go up in flames.
