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Get Green
| Get Green |
| Give a Little Back |
| Not Just Skin Deep |
In this special ‘Get Green’ edition of Jakarta Java Kini, we hope to lay out a number of practical ways in which we can all become more eco-friendly and environmentally conscious in our daily lives.
| The Earth, and its environment as we know it today, is deteriorating at a disturbingly fast rate. We humans, as the planet’s occupants and sole caretakers, have reaped the immense benefits of earth, air and water and have exploited their respective resources with little thought for the future. We are now suffering from the effects of centuries of environmental mistreatment and neglect and depressing coverage of oil spills and burning forests can be seen in the news on an almost daily basis. In short, the future of the Earth, and of us as its dominant species, now hangs in the balance. |
Global Warming: The Facts
- Rising Temperatures
In the century leading up to 2009, global temperatures rose by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degrees Celsius). The bulk of this change occurred during the most recent decades. Between 1997 and 2008, the planet experienced the ten warmest years in recorded human history. - Wild Weather
This global rise in temperatures has been blamed for the increasingly erratic weather patterns that are currently being recorded around the world. Hurricanes, wildfires, floods and droughts are all on the rise. -
Human Footprints
Human activities such as industrialisation, deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels have polluted the atmosphere, increasing the concentrations of water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide present in our air. This increase in the levels of the so called ‘Greenhouse gases’ means that more and more heat is being trapped near the Earth’s surface. Even if such emissions were completely eliminated tomorrow, these gases would remain in the atmosphere for many decades to come, continuing the warming trend. - Primary Effects
Food and water shortages are already being experienced in the developing world and global agriculture is currently suffering from the increased heat and from the drying up of water resources. Small island states, such as the Maldives, face total elimination as ocean levels start to rise and permanently flood multiple regions across the globe. - The Future?
Over one million species are currently at risk of extinction due to disappearing habitats, changes in ecosystems and growing acidity levels in our oceans.
