Leonardo DiCaprio recently made news for winning a much awaited Oscar for The Revenant. He imbued his acceptance speech with acknowledgment of climate change and the need to crusade against it. He also famously admonished the 'politics of greed'.
The actor however came under vitriolic criticism for advocating the cause of climate change mitigation while leading a carbon footprint heavy lifestyle. Evidently, the actor's yacht party last year and a lavish lifestyle was the bone of contention for the criticasters. Their reasoning: lead a climate sustainable living before you preach. Walk the talk.
The big question however is, do we have enough years to reshape the carbon footprint of more than 7 billion people worldwide before accommodating individual acts of advocacy or cooperation? Definitely not. It is an incessant tick tock to the much dreaded 6 feet rise in average sea levels while world leaders converge towards painfully slow climate mitigation outcomes.
Whatever championship and any voluntary individual acts of climate mitigation will be a benediction for the cause of turning the tides for climate change. Leonardo DiCaprio has donated over $30 million to his foundation that have funded causes like protecting tigers in Nepal, stopping overfishing and create marine reserves in the Pacific.
The argument here is not whether Leonardo DiCaprio is a climate saint. His acts in isolation are blasé. The idea is we all should do our bit in reducing our carbon footprint even if we are incapable to commit to the cause in entirety. Like the actor, while his eminence and wealth seduces him to indulge but that does not stop him from contributing towards the fight against climate change.
Let us take his example and not wait to be goaded by penalties under government policy to react. For example, many cities in our country reinforced the ban on plastic bags, sending citizens to a flurry of acquiring environment friendly shopping bags. In doing this, we are doing our environment a huge favour but this citizen fulfilment of duties is so 90s. It is imperative to change our lifestyles so as to leave a minimum carbon footprint on our climate. Or in layman, to do least damage to our climate.
We all can do things that can reduce carbon emissions. The multiplier effect of billions of people can be greatly encouraging. But what can we do? We can make sweeping changes in the way we live under three main sections.
Transport is the first. Do not own a car, use public transport instead. If you are in an area where public transport is difficult to avail (the government should invest heavily to make public transport available at every part of the country), try building a car pool. It will not only save money, and build a support system but also reduce your carbon footprint. If you really have to drive then at least drive as per guidelines of fuel efficiency. Those also reduce you carbon emissions significantly. One cannot emphasize the importance of avoiding air travel enough. But what about your clients in Europe or America? Teleconference. Skype. And walk small distances, to the bazaar or the mall or the friend nearby. Try the bicycle, it will also save your gym time. If you are petrolhead then book the Tesla 3.
Your home is the next important area to reduce your carbon footprint. Caulking homes is a very important step towards insulating your home, saving energy while both heating and cooling your home. Change to CFL. If you feel more original, go ahead and listen to Irfaan Khan and switch to LED. One at a time, if there are monetary considerations. Buy star rated electric appliances and electronics products only. If you pride yourself with a rooftop, put up a solar power plant and substitute your conventional power. Some urban energy utilities are toying with the idea of a smart grid where you might be able to sell energy generated on your rooftop through the grid, making money along the way. Moreover, the Indian way of bathing and shaving are the best. Use the bucket and shave with a water mug and not a running tap. You will save a lot of water and the energy employed to draw it to your taps. Almost 85 per cent of the energy in India is produced from coal and oil, so be sure that saving energy in any manner is cutting down carbon emissions.
Last but quiet important is your life. Do not eat meat, mostly read meat. I am a non-vegetarian and still espouse it. Those of us who find animal flesh delectable can limit our intakes to only once a week. Don't print it. One tree makes 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8333 sheets. Subscribe online for your news, for the same reason. Newsprint kills many, many trees. Use laptops as they are significantly more energy efficient than desktops. One can do more, have court marriages and not lavish weddings. Become a climate crusader, preach what you do. Discourage people from doing what you are not. And whatever you own, try to repair, reuse or recycle.
It is upon us as individuals and as a civilization to decide and act accordingly about what kind of earth we want to leave behind for our children and grandchildren. An earth where breathing can cause cancer? Coastal habitats submerged under the ocean? Livelihoods of billions of our descendants under threat of climate change? We should arrive at a détente with our planet and its climate before the disquietude becomes irreversible.
Columnist
Indranil is a weather industry expert with a decade long experience in the domain. He has been instrumental in setting up novel weather services across landscapes for both agriculture and industry, raising capital and crafting a growth story for weather forecasting in India. Currently he is Senior Vice President of Express Weather.
