Imagine holding something you love the most. Just that, this item is now slowly burning in front of your eyes and being destroyed bit by bit. What do you do? Watch it burn or put out the fire?
This is not a false alarm. This is a reality as highlighted by Greta Thunberg on what exactly is happening to the Earth – our one and only home.
You might be thinking: “Not again, another article to remind us of climate change.”
But yes, as with all the thousands of articles being shared about the drastic impact of climate change, we are compelled to do the same. We simply want to let you know that there is no time to waste. The longer we wait, the shorter the time we have to salvage the situation.
Not convinced about the occurrence of climate change? Here are some figures for you to crunch on:
75% of the planet’s land surface has been “significantly altered.” Relatedly, biodiversity “is declining faster than at any time in human history.”
1 million species already face extinction. Without any action to reduce the intensity of drivers of biodiversity loss, there will be a further acceleration in the global rate of species extinction, which is already at least tens to hundreds of times higher than it has averaged over the past 10 million years.”
Loss of mangrove forests and coral reefs along coasts. This could expose up to 300 million people to increased risk of flooding.
The list goes on and on. Just do a simple google search and you will find many other statistics and data about the damaged we have done to our natural habitat.
Most of us have this conception that because Singapore is in a safe location, free from natural disasters, we might be in the sweet lucky spot.
Unfortunately, the effects of climate change on Singapore is more evident than we thought. When was the last time your family or friends complained that it was hot? Probably, just several hours ago. In recent years, days when maximum temperatures exceed 34 deg C and nights when minimum temperatures exceed 26 deg C have been more frequent.
The last and most severe climate impact Singapore faces in the next 50 years and beyond is sea level rise. This is caused by thermal expansion of seawater volume and from melting land ice.
The average sea level around Singapore’s coasts has risen steadily at a rate of between 1.2mm and 1.7mm per year and is projected to increase to about 1m by 2100.
Do not ignore the tell-tale signs.
Maybe it is slightly too much to take in for you. Maybe you feel powerless in the grand scheme of things. Maybe you feel like giving up because of the negativity revolving climate change.
But, have faith.
Have faith that when we come together as a whole, we are able to make a change. Have faith that there are still millions of people out there who care for the earth and is doing their best to conserve it. Have faith that the new age of changemakers will drive the remedy and slow down our harmful effects on earth.
With that faith, transform it into actions. As we continue to live on the earth, we still have the time and chance to care and make a difference. All you need to do is take a step and do SOMETHING.
Every step however big or small contributes in their own way that you might not be able to see now, but will definitely help in the future. As Anne Marie Bonneau said “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”
Given that this is such an urgent situation, you should not even be hesitating on whether your action will make an impact but instead, you should consider how big of an impact can your action contribute to the earth.
How to start? Here are our suggestions:
Panic. But do not panic aimlessly. Instead, panic with a goal in mind.
Reflect and re-evaluate on your current lifestyle habits
Identify which areas you can make changes to lead a more sustainable lifestyle
Make a commitment to make those changes
Come out with a plan or schedule on the changes you wish to make
Ensure you stick to this commitment and document down the change
Take the next step, do more and go further