| Climate Change – Urban Women’s Role in Mitigation
Humanity moving to cities and towns – half of them will live in urban areas by the end of 2008 The recent newspaper reports convey the message clearly – city dwellers have to act now. GHG Emissions Emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHGs), which cause climate change, are currently determined mainly by the consumption patterns in cities. The most recent completed report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that in 1990, buildings were responsible for approximately 20% of the total global emissions. Transport was estimated to contribute to 13% of GHG emissions, with the total contribution expected to more than double by 2020. In addition to the direct effects on the environment, the increasing requirements of urban populations also cause ‘displaced’ effects on ecosystem services in other locations. For example, the agriculture sector increasingly produces and transports food and fibre for urban populations. Heat Islands Heat waves in cities are exacerbated by the urban ‘heat-island’ effect. Implications Climate change has dangerous implications – increasing floods and droughts, melting of glaciers, rise in sea levels, growing scarcity of water, negative impacts on agricultural production, species loss, increase in the occurrence of diseases (directly and indirectly), and effects on the infrastructure support system. Floods and Storms Many of the world’s largest and fastest growing cities are located along the coasts and hence vulnerable to the sea level rise. The degradation of the natural protection exposes these areas to the vagaries of storms and floods. The extensive concretization without adequate drainage does not allow proper drainage and thus the heavy rains often result in intense and dangerous floods as those in Mumbai in July 2005. Air pollution The urban ambient air pollution causes approximately 800,000 deaths per year worldwide. Indoor air pollution from solid –fuel use kills over 1.5 million each year and is widespread in developing countries. More efficient use of fossil fuels and promotion of clean burning fossil fuels like LPG and CNG will help in enhancing human heath and environmental health. Health Vulnerabilities The IPCC has assessed that the global mean temperature is likely to rise by 1.4 to 5.8 degrees celcius between 1990 and 2010 with associated changes in hydrological cycle. These will cause a range of health impacts. Though living in a city should reduce the vulnerability to diseases like malaria due to better access to health services, the urban poor are left to bear the brunt. Many of the water borne and vector borne diseases influenced by climate change are common within cities. The clearest example is dengue. Dengue transmission has increased dramatically in tropical developing countries in the past few decades. The rapid unplanned urbanisation has lead to breeding sites for Aedes mosquitoes and the dense population supply a large pool of susceptible individuals. Many new infectious diseases are emerging due to the environmental changes, which might spread faster within and between cities. Climate change is a big problem but there are many things that we can do to make a difference. Dr. Nichola Stern says that action will cost 1% of GDP, whereas inaction could end up costing over 20%. So let us act now. We Can Do It Save electricity: Turn off lights, fans and other electrical appliances when not in use. Switch off the standby systems also, as 8% of household electricity is wasted on standby Save fuel : Walk, bike, take a bus or car pool. Keep your car tuned and serviced at all times. Follow the mantra of four ‘R’: Reduce, Reuse, Refuse and Recycle - a process otherwise known as product stewardship Go Solar. Use solar energy to heat water, dry clothes, and even generate electricity. Go organic: Compost the biodegradable kitchen waste and use it in your garden, thereby reducing the waste going into the landfills, further reducing the dependency on pesticides and conserving water. Create green spaces: Trees are great climate moderators. Plant native trees and care for them. Be a green consumer. Change to Energy Efficient Systems Use CFL bulbs instead of incandescent ones. Look for bulbs with less mercury. For example, Earthmate Lighting has created CFLs with 80% less mercury and 100% post-consumer recycled cardboard packaging that can be recycled, thereby promoting energy efficiency while not filling up landfills with plastic packaging. Earthmate’s packages are also printed with soy-based ink as opposed to petroleum-based ink. Use electrical appliances that have energy star labels. Look for products that eliminate or minimise battery use. Use rechargable batteries wherever possible. Take the used batteries to registered recyclers. Buy locally grown food and seasonal vegetables and fruits in order to reduce the resource use for growing them and to save on fuels for transportation. Go for products with minimal and essential packaging. The excess packaging increases the load on landfills. Use water-efficient technologies and conservation practices. Avoid styrofoam (cups, glasses, plates, etc.). Replace the use of chemical cleaners with lemon juice, vinegar, soda, etc. Use non-toxic biodegradable cleaning agents free of hazardous ingredients Cleanse the air inside the house with indoor plants Try to wash delicate clothes with mild soaps instead of dry cleaning them. Use recycled paper as every tonne of 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper saves 17 full grown trees, 900 kg of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and nearly 2000 litres of oil. Green consumerism is not just what we buy but also how we live. Tools have been made to help individuals (and households) reduce GHGs. The online personal emission calculator (GHG equivalent calculator) can be used to obtain personal GHG emissions and explore actions to lower the emissions. The Ten-point Mantra to be followed is: l Make intelligent life choicesl Use people power for positive change l Act as well as think l Set clear priorities l Fight for the right to know l Understand the bigger picture l Respect the living world l Expect the unexpected l Practice the policy of give and take l Be a change agent and be proactive The power is with us and the choice is ours. qUsha Srinivasan |
These result from lowered evaporative cooling, increased heat storage and sensible heat flux caused by lowered vegetation cover, increased impervious cover and complex surfaces, and possibly from heat trapping by elevated levels of locally produced CO2. Individual cities show a large heat-island effect, measuring up to 5–11° C warmer than the surrounding rural areas and wider urban sprawl, further exacerbating the effect.