Talk on going green

CEGT Chairperson Prof Ir Dr Ong Kok Seng (right) presenting a token of appreciation to Tou

“Go Green” is no longer a strange term to the current society and is in fact becoming a trend, as mentioned by speaker and Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FICT) lecturer Tou Jing Yi at the “Why should We Go Green? – Introducing You to Global Warming and Us” talk. It was organised by the Centre for Environment and Green Technology (CEGT) and UTAR Green Campus Committee on 8 August 2018 at Kampar Campus.

“The reason people adopt the “go green” trend is because of global warming, or to some, is known as climate change. We interchange these terms to help people relate better to the effects of global warming. By definition, global warming is the warming of Earth’s surface. The temperature in Malaysia has gone higher over the years and that also explains why we may experience hotter days than usual,” explained Tou.

Facts, evidence and analysis presented by Tou support the occurrence of global warming and stated that since 1880, the average surface temperature has risen about 0.8degree Celsius and that the level of carbon dioxide is the highest in 650,000 years. He also pointed out that Arctic sea ice is reducing at a rate of 13.2 percent per decade, Antarctica ice mass is reducing at a rate of 127 gigatonnes per year since 2002 and Greenland ice mass is reducing faster at a rate of 286 gigatonnes per year. In short, the statistics highlighted that a total of 414 gigatonnes of land ice is lost per year.

To illustrate better, Tou explained that global warming shifts climate patterns, which causes hotter summers and colder winters in some places and affects the amount of rainfall and snow in some places. He gave an example of Australia’s climate change that has caused drier seasons with more occurrence of bushfires. Another example given was the reduction of glaciers in the Himalayas which has reduced fresh water supply.

“If global temperatures continue to rise, we may experience severe climate changes which can cause desertification in certain areas, mega size cyclones, major heatwaves in Europe and the absence of glaciers will cause the disappearance of fresh water supply. Some major cities will also be submerged in water because of the melting of ice in the Arctic Sea, Greenland and Antarctica,” explained Tou.

Before the speaker provided solutions to reduce the effects of global warming, he highlighted a few common causes of global warming. He mentioned that the increase of carbon gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) traps heat in the atmosphere, hence causing a rise in the temperature. Although every living creature exhales carbon dioxide, he stated that carbon gases are majorly emitted from volcano eruptions, forest fires, burning of fossil fuels, opening burning and deforestation.

“Climate scientists have estimated that the Earth can only take another rise of six degree Celsius before humans face extinction. However, there is still hope because we can take action to reverse the effects of global warming. The solutions include energy saving, recycle and reuse, use renewable energy sources, preservation of forest and conservation of wildlife,” explained Tou.

He then elucidated ways to save energy, which can be easily achieved when one switches off lights and turns off the tap when not in use; unplugs unused electronics; carpool, walks or takes public transportation; and avoids food wastage. He also advised the participants to adopt recycling and reusing practices and to rely more on renewable energy sources, such as wind, sunlight, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat.

On preserving the forest, he mentioned that trees are important because it converts carbon dioxide into oxygen through photosynthesis, thus reducing the amount of heat trapped in the atmosphere. The participants understood that to preserve the forest, one can reduce the use of wood products, reduce and recycle papers, help prevent illegal logging and deforestation and participate in reforestation efforts.

“When it comes to wildlife conservation, many people do not understand how wildlife can prevent global warming and only a few understand its true importance. Many species have gone extinct because of global warming and at this rate, more species will be endangered. So why is the conservation of wildlife so important? Wildlife forms a stable ecology that functions well to manage the environment. A healthy ecology gives us healthy producers (plants) that ensure photosynthesis. When one species goes extinct, it upsets the whole ecology. This will eventually decrease the chances of reducing the level of carbon dioxide,” explained Tou.

Towards the end of the talk, Tou recapitulated that global warming is a major concern and an immediate action must be taken. He advised and encouraged participants to participate in efforts to help prevent global warming.