Thursday November 5, 2009
Vital for us to counter global warming
RECENTLY, I watched an intriguing news item on TV. It showed the Cabinet meeting of the Maldives government being held underwater.
Absurd as it may sound, this was done to highlight the pressing concerns of the country regarding global warming. If no concrete steps are taken by governments throughout the world, global warming is going to have calamitous effects on many countries around the world.
The Maldives could be the first country to be completely submerged under water and its citizens will, perhaps, become the first environmental refugees in the world. The country is at the lowest point, thus susceptible to this alarming threat to mankind.
The Maldives government resorted to this media publicity to draw the immediate attention of governments throughout the world to the grave concerns the country faces as a result of this threat.
Governments throughout the world must act in a concerted and unified manner to tackle this impending peril which, if left unchecked, can be even more disastrous than other misfortunes.
It’s a pity that until today there are still governments around the world which have not ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
The salient aspects of this Protocol set binding targets on 37 industrialised countries and the European Community to reduce these emissions to an average of 5% against the 1990 levels over the five-year period from 2008-2012.
Back home, I do not see our Government, citizens, NGOs and the media highlighting apprehension over this issue, except for the ERL advertisement which conveys a very pertinent theme regarding what the company has done to reduce the release of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere.
It is time that we Malaysians also do our part to counter this menace as we are also part of the global community. We also need to act quickly for posterity.
JAMES GONZALES,
Kuala Lumpur.
News Poll
- Court ruling takes bite out of local council summonses
- Chin Peng apologises for death of innocents
- Girl and stepmum held over bid to kill first wife
- Biggest karaoke session a blast
- New evidence on MCA snoop squad case arrives at doorstep
- Victim’s dad nabs kidnapper
- Teoh’s body exhumed for second autopsy today
- Teoh's second autopsy started at noon
- Foreigner falls to her death from condominium
- Malaysians must get regular dental checks
- Court ruling takes bite out of local council summonses
- Chin Peng apologises for death of innocents
- Malaysians must get regular dental checks
- No licence to try offenders
- Big impact in ‘small’ man’s win
- New evidence on MCA snoop squad case arrives at doorstep
- Weapons drawn for new battle
- Johor set to be a medical hub
- Joy for 2,500 housebuyers as SPNB takes over project
- More Indonesian maids by year end?
RSS
