WE Smile Magazine February 2016

WORLD
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It’s Getting Hot in Here
Everyone agrees that in the past few years
the temperature in Thailand’s summer was
almost unbearable while winter seemed
non-existent. It is undeniable that global
warming is affecting us all.
No Country for Teddy Bears
Most global warming campaigns use the most
obvious symbol: a white polar bear and a melting
iceberg. The image used frequently is melting
ice and a bear without any ‘land’ to stand upon.
They must keep swimming to find solid land and
some aren’t strong enough, dropping into the
water. This sounds awful enough since the cute
“teddy bears” are innocent, and have nothing to
do with humans who are releasing greenhouse
gases, yet they still pay the highest price for it.
But do these images really hit home when the
bears live so far away from us?
Deforestation and Shrinking Lakes
Another horrific fact mentioned on global
warming campaigns is Lake Chad or the largest
freshwater lake in Africa and one of the largest
in the world. It occupied the space of 25,000
square kilometres in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and
Nigeria (according to the 1964 records). Now
the official size has reduced to 2,500 square
kilometres (around ten times smaller). In less
than five years from now, this lake will disappear
forever. Meanwhile, the Amazon jungle, or
the main lung of the world which spans Brazil
and eight other countries, has shrunk from 6.4
million square kilometres to 5.5 million square
kilometres. The obvious impact of this can be
seen in the past five years, and the Brazilian
government is trying to reduce the rate of
deforestation.
Main Factors
Global warming recently became a global issue
after the industrial revolution in the late 18th
to early 19th century. The industrial system
released gas causing a greenhouse effect in
the atmosphere which causes temperatures
worldwide to rise. The earth’s surface temperature
is 0.74 degrees celsius higher in the past decade.
If this rate continues, by the year 2025, the
temperature will reach 6.4 degrees celsius.
The main factor causing global warming
is greenhouse gas which occurs from different
sources. This includes heat released from the
earth, carbon dioxide, methane, and ozone
as well as the increase of nitrous oxide from
agricultural and industrial activities.
Several protocols on climate change has
been made, including The Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change: IPCC and Kyoto Protocol.
However, it is undeniable that our daily life is
playing an important part in warming the planet.
The Danger is Near
Though we can feel the heat in our daily life
and it seems like winter has just stopped visiting
the big city, we hardly realised that we (in the
smallest way) are part of this global warming
crisis. The Butterfly Effect is highly effective since
the smallest action can cause huge consequences.
Leaving the lights on, turning the television and
the air conditioning on in an empty room, and
ignoring carpools are things that we all “know”
we do. But do we actually do anything about our
behaviour? There are also other factors like the
impact of factory farming. A herd of cattle could
burp methane which adds to the greenhouse
effect. So your steak or beef noodle soup also
contributes to climate change.
The Paris Agreement
In the Paris Climate Conference 2015 which was
held in December 2015, more than 200 countries
around the world (including the Great Powers)
signed the Paris Agreement. The main goal is
to maintain the world temperatures and not
allow it to rise by 2 degrees celsius (or ideally 1.5
degree celsius) with industries in full operation.
Every country will cooperate according to the
agreement, with the more developed countries
helping underdeveloped countries. This
agreement’s timeframe lasts for five years.
Change Your Routine
Going eco-friendly isn’t as difficult as you
might think. You don’t have to be extreme and
convert to veganism or walk to work everyday if
you don’t want to. Some small changes in your
everyday behaviour can make a big difference.
You can start from using reusable bags when
shopping, setting the timer on the air conditioner
to go off an hour before you actually wake up,
using public transportation or carpool with your
neighbours, eating up every meal (to reduce
waste) and trying not to be so consumeristic.
Every little bit helps!