Now that the effects of global warming and climate change are being demonstrated right before our eyes in the record-high temperatures out West and the disastrous flooding in western Europe, it is time to do something about it immediately.
There are a number of people who do their part: driving small cars, avoiding single-use plastic, composting, a few even “living off the grid.” But a handful of volunteers are not going to be able to stop this slide toward the global emergency that the majority of us are generating.
Current data indicate that the largest contributor to our carbon footprint are emissions from fossil fuels (natural gas, oil and coal) for electricity, heat and transportation. Not only are we causing great damage to the Earth with these harmful discharges, but we also are using up, at an alarming rate, our planet’s precious nonrenewable resources.
Dire circumstances call for drastic measures. One solution for this emergency must come from the top: Governments around the world should begin considering gas rationing for all businesses and citizens at every level. There is a precedent for this solution to a crisis, and it was implemented during the Second World War. This will take an enormous amount of work but may be the only way to help save the Earth, at this stage, from our ongoing destruction.
Sally Carpenter
Falmouth
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