My emotions were mixed when I first saw this blue Peugeot lorry hurtle down a backroad in Nigeria. A loud cackle erupted. After all, this was a daily occurrence in the country’s commercial capital, Lagos.
My cackle was quickly replaced by suppressed giggles of unbelief.
And then sheer horror at what I was observing. The motorcyclist and his passenger had been following this truck for a few miles, drinking in more than a lifetime’s supply of black tarry exhaust fumes.
Deducing that those fumes were causing real harm to the environment and climate was a no-brainer, but what hit it home was the fact that its consuming power, its vortex-like oxygen-sucking power was on full display for me to see.
For all to see.
Last year, I’d written about global poverty and how it’s lived daily amongst us all. This year for Blog Action Day, we tackle the ever growing debate of climate change and how global warming is truly recomposing our atmosphere.
While you may feel far removed from this picture and the lives affected by unregulated environmental standards in far away countries, every single country (including yours) adds to the mass pollution that’s driving this cause.
After all, we do share the same oxygen supply. Right?
Today is 2009 Blog Action Day- Climate Change. Take Action. Even if it starts with just heightening your awareness of the world around you.
@Amy – Beginning with energy efficiency is definitely a great start. Global warming and energy abuse are unfortunately intertwined.
@Peregrina Feminina – It definitely is a monumental task, but it always starts with small, grassroot changes.
@Lyn – I totally hear you
@Fly Girl – So true.
@Dami – Excellent points all around. And you definitely gleaned the moral of my previous post. Travel isn’t a right. It’s a privilege and shouldn’t define you as an individual. And I still feel those visa application and embassy woes. See you soon 😉
In developed countries, you do not see things like this (usually) but they are the ones with the largest carbon foot print per person (~100x more). I made my students complete a carbon footprint worksheet and they were surprised to see how much they leave. Do you know how much carbon we in developed nations emit in order to power our fridges, electronics, washing machines, dryers etc even air travel for avid travelers (which from your previous post, some people see as a right. i guess it’s easier when you don’t have to apply for visas and suffer the occasional unnecessary abuse from other countries’ embassies). Since this is a travel blog, a good place to start will be for all travelers to pay to offset their carbon emissions. We in the developing countries should also make it a point not to join the developed nations up there in this matter.
You’re exactly right. We’re all connected globally and the environmental pollution well affect us all eventually.
I am hoping that Canada will redeem itself at the Dec meeting after breaking our Kyoto Protocol commitment. The citizens of our country are concerned about climate change and global warming and the effects are even more evident in the Arctic. Let’s hope our leaders can put the health and sustainability of our planet ahead of corporate profits and wealth.
You’re right about everyone adding to the problem, but it tends to be more visible in “developing” countries. I’ve seen sights like that in Ghana 🙁 The amount of smog and litter can be pretty unbelievable at times. It seems like a monumental task to educate people there about pollution, but I’d like to try at some point, even if it’s on a small scale.
I am not sure if we have any effect on global warming but I think we still need to be energy efficient and help the environment.