Climate Change has been in the news from the past decade. Few of us take it seriously, while some dismiss it. It’s in the media agenda, with climate change summits trying to put it in the spotlight, do people really take it seriously? Do we, as citizens of the Earth take efforts in our everyday life to make climate change slow down?
There isn’t much evidence or proof that I can provide. But I did attend a meet up recently which got me thinking about the reach of an average earthling. Greenups is a popular sustainability meet up group, where people gather and discuss about environment, and their contributions or interests in sustainability. They usually have a topic for each meet up, and invite speakers and experts to share their experiences / projects.
The last month, the theme was – Water. The event took place in the National Maritime Museum Sydney. I attended the Aqua water exhibit – a thought provoking interactive visual installation, highlighting the importance of water to life – to us, and the consequences of depleting fresh water sources. A Fabulous presentation, raising questions on usage of water, and problems arising when it starts running out.
The highlight of the evening was – John Dee, an environmental campaigner, who won the Australian of the Year 2012 award. His presentation on phasing out bottled water was simply fantastic. He narrates how an entire town of Bundanoon, in NSW managed to ban bottled water! The story is inspiring. It’s not about being a greeny loon, this stuff matters. Being sustainable and eco friendly is actually common sense. Think of it – if you have water pumps, and refillable bottle, why would you pay 3.50$ for a bottle of water? John Dee points this out time and again, makes it more obvious how easy it is to reduce consumption of bottled water. His achievements include installing filter water taps at Manly Beach with the help of Manly Council.
Of course, the above example is only possible in countries which supply drinkable and safe drinking water straight from the taps. In developing countries, the debate stops when you don’t have access to drinking water leading to sanitation issues. Developing countries have to tackle the problem of supplying clean water to their increasing population.
Which brings me to the other discussion – Hot Cities – a documentary running currently on SBS Australia. By far, it’s one of the most practical approach to climate change, covering water and food security issues. In the last episode, the documentary examines the cities of Lima and Adelaide. Both are located in the Southern hemisphere, but the similarities end there.
Lima is crowded South American city, struggling to cope up with the pressures of increasing urban migration, resulting in water shortage. The city traditionally did not have recycling usage, but recently implemented using recycled water for city parks and gardens. And smaller communities have started investing in ‘Fog water catchment’, which is essentially catching the fog precipitation and using it to irrigate the land around.
Adelaide, on the other hand is suffering from dire environmental consequences as the Murray river basin dries up. The city of Adelaide is flourished by the Murray river, and with each passing year the city is facing increasing water restrictions. In a bid to avoid water crisis, Adelaide has resorted to a water desalination plant, which is not just expensive but high on carbon energy consumption. According to academics and environmentalists, the city did not invest and plan in recycling water usage, and is now witnessing the effects of a parched river ecosystem.
It’s clear that water and oil are going to run out soon. With affordable and accessible renewable energy, we could still fix the energy issue, but what about water? Once the fresh water runs out, there is NO substitute to it. We are not giving enough time the Earth to replenish its resources. In fact, we are depleting them, without thinking of the sustainable factor. Think before you use resources – the point is not to stop using them – but to use them effectively – use them in a manner that they last longer, and get a chance to replenish itself – that’s what sustainability is. It’s pure common sense.
