No one can say exactly what it looks like when a planet takes ill, but it probably looks a lot like Earth. Never mind what you’ve heard about global warming as a slow-motion emergency that would take decades to play out. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the crisis is upon us.

Environmentalists and lawmakers spent years shouting at one another about whether the grim forecasts were true, but in the past five years or so, the serious debate has quietly ended. Global warming, even most skeptics have concluded, is the real deal, and human activity has been causing it. If there was any consolation, it was that the glacial pace of nature would give us decades or even centuries to sort out the problem.

Global warming is a typical global phenomenon, where the causer of the emission does not automatically suffer from it himself. Cause and effect are separated both in time as well as with regard to geography.

In the past, there was a more or less direct relation between the energy consumption (mainly fossil fuels) and the welfare of a country.

This makes it very difficult to reach consensus between the countries about the required steps to solve the problem. The Kyoto protocol shows that the following of the agreement will be doubtful at best if no automatic sanctions take into effect for countries violating it.

Given the severe consequences of global warming, the above sounds quite hopeless for our future. Read on to see how we all are involved in this and how we can benefit from taking our personal responsibility.

One of the things climate scientists worry about is feedback mechanisms. Some feedbacks are positive- they amplify warming, and some are negative they suppress warming. Let’s take a quick look at a graphic showing how cold air is made. Basically, what this graphic is showing us is that at this time of the year, when the Arctic is receiving little sunlight, the radiative input is less than the radioactive output. In other words, more energy leaves the Earth than is added by the sun and cooling occurs.

Tips to save mother earth:

1. 

   Implement the 3Rs: Re-use, Reduce and Recycle -

   1. Use environment-friendly items.
   2. It must start in our homes. Learn to segregate your waste and start composting our biodegradable trash.
   3. Recycle and sell or give away old newspapers, cans, bottles properly.
   4. Buy products in their largest size
   5. Reduce use of disposable packaging and plastic bags
   6. Avoid products that have CFC.

2. Conserve energy -
   

   1. Use electricity and water judiciously.
   2. Replace incandescent bulbs with Fluorescent bulbs
   3. Plan your trips; multitask
   4. Keep burners and air conditioner filters clean
   5. Dry your laundry outside
   6. Turn your cell phones off whenever possible. It would reduce carbon fumes from the fossil fuel requirements of your power consumptions

3. Utilize Technology-

   1. Pay bills online
   2. Like in the Philippines in which surrounded by water, Filipinos must invest in desalination plants for the coming droughts.

4. Plant more trees -
   

   1. 

      We should plant more trees! Apart from being the source of medicine, trees prevent soil erosion and landslides. They also help protect our underground water reserves.

   2. Plant assorted plants, like ornamentals and other varieties. It cushions the blow of the summer heat. It also invites birds.
   3. Let’s not cut down trees.
   4. It can reduce cooling cost; Rural Folk should replace trees they felled from firewood.

5. Information Dissemination -
   

   1. Educate the perennial garbage throwers in our waterways will certainly rejuvenate our environment.
   2. Awareness of earth destruction will move us to restrategize our local and universal concerns on environmental crisis.
   3. Speak up! Support actions on Green living.
   4. Raise funds for Mother Earth
   5. Join or volunteer for the events on Earth Hour.

6. Go Vegetarian-

   1. Go Vegetarian, save the earth, save yourself.
   2. Eating meat produces more carbon footprints. And look at the bodies of vegetarians WOW!

7. Control the population growth -
   

   1. We should stop at two kids, Imagine seven billion people exhaling 10 grams of carbon dioxide each into the air. That’s 70 million kilos of carbon dioxide.

8. Be responsible motorists-

   1. The destruction consequences of global warming were already illustrated by Al Gore, Let’s Stops using our smoke-belching cars.
   2. Ride a bike once a week when going to the office. It will save you at least 250 liters of gas in a year. That’s 250 liters less of gas population.
   3. We should maintain the proper emission levels of our motor vehicles.
   4. Have our cars checked and tuned-up at least twice a year.
   5. Use unleaded gasoline.

1. 

   Let’s discipline ourselves-

   1. We should have self-discipline. We should also be responsible, beginning with our own garbage. Impede others from throwing their garbage just anywhere.

2. Go Back to Basics -
   

   1. To help arrest Global warming: live in a simple lifestyle like the Amish of Pennsylvania
   2. Reduce the use of the earth-s resources to a sustainable level. This means returning to a level of development equal to what it was in 1898. Are we welling to do this?