Global Warming - Go for Green

Global Warming seems to be THE buzz phrase of late. It has grown in its importance to such a level that perhaps the elections in Australia and the US will be won or lost based on the buzz phrase - or so it is made out to be.

I am no expert on the matter and to be frank I havent done much research into the topic either, but from common sense and what I read in bits, Global Warming is definitely a concern, if not for us, for the generations that follow us. I have myself experienced climatic changes that scientists have attributed to Global Warming. While it is good that the issue is being raked up, awareness being created and something being done about it - are those things that are being done, the right things to do? Are they having the right effect?

The initiatives that I have seen include, recycling programs for non-biodegradable but recyclable waste, rebates and sops to organisations commiting to limited emissions of Green House gases, rebates to customers for choosing green power to power their homes etc. Employers and organisations are doing their bits to contribute to the effort by reducing the use to paper, reducing business travel , minimising the use of electricity etc. Airlines are contributing a portion of the ticket money or frequent flyer points towards Reforestation plans in order to offset the Green house gases as a result of that travel.

These initiatives are fantastic and are trying to address the issue at hand head-on. But is there a fallout of all or some of these initiatives that results in things that negate the effort? I think in some cases, Yes! A recent survey revealed that people like to use the extra savings that they earn from electricity providers and the like to buy new Plasma Tvs or LCD TVs. Now thats not just negating the effect but compounding the problem. It is a proven fact now that Plasma TVs use up more power and hence result in higher green house gases than normal CRT TVs. So what is the point in signing up for the Green power project, saving some money on that and buying a Plasma TV?

The above is just one example of such initiatives back firing, and there are bound to be such instances, but what I think is that the World should join hands to try and come up with better and more viable initiatives that will help reduce the Green house effect and the Global Warming. Imposing and enforcing vehicle emission standards is one great foolproof initiative. Sops to people who use Green means is one way of providing benefit, but a more effective means would be to tax those who are not prepared to use Green means.

Feel free to comment in with your ideas.