What On Earth Are You Doing?

My letter below was published in Today on 6 Jul 07. There were some changes made to the content by the editor.

Live Earth, which will be held tomorrow across seven continents, is the brainchild of Al Gore, an environmental activist and former United States Vice-President, and will involve performers, who aim to spread awareness of climate change.

As the world waits for this monumental 24-hour event, I wonder what will happen after Live Earth ends. Will more people be concerned about climate change and start taking action?

If there is only one message to remember after watching Live Earth, it is this: Give up hope.

Give up hope that everything will turn out fine. Give up hope that Al Gore, Madonna or Linkin Park will save the world from climate change.

Give up hope that governments will do something for us.

Give up hope that the person beside you will do something.

Give up hope that some new technology will save us.

Give up hope – because when hope dies, that’s when action begins.

When we give up hope that somebody or something will save us, we have no choice but to take matters into our own hands.

We have to do it ourselves and everyone can and must do something. It is not science, technology or governments that are creating this climate change problem but every one of us. Stop pointing the finger at others and take action now.

One, we can learn more about climate change and read up on related local and global issues. What are the problems and what needs to be done?

Two, minimise your daily energy usage and wastage. Switch off lights and computers when they are not in use. Use more efficient lighting and appliances.

Three, spread the message and influence others. We can educate family members, friends, classmates or colleagues on climate change. We can influence the groups to which we belong, whether it is a school, company or social group, to reduce its carbon footprint.

Four, support local environmental initiatives and groups that tackle climate change. We can participate in government initiatives and campaigns, or support the local environmental non-governmental organisations. We can join their activities or volunteer our time.

Five, use our rights as citizens and consumers. As citizens, we can participate in formulating government policies regarding climate change through dialogues, feedback or the media. As consumers, we can buy products with smaller carbon footprints or support companies that actively lower their carbon emissions.

Remember that after watching Live Earth: Give up hope. Because when hope dies, action begins.