SINCE 2009, Singapore has been commemorating Earth Hour on the last Saturday of March by getting organisations to switch off non-essential lights for an hour.
This move aims to create far-reaching environmental and social impact in the face of climate change.
However, the impact is usually lost in the weeks after. In order to create greater environmental impact, we should have an Earth Hour every day in our lives.
My company, too, has committed to participating in Earth Hour events by switching off non-essential lights for an hour. However, my colleagues are generally indifferent to climate change and it is common to see electrical appliances running when not in use.
In our daily lives, we often see shoppers not taking along their own shopping bags to stores, but instead opt for the convenience of plastic carriers.
These are just some examples of wasteful, indifferent attitudes and behaviour towards climate change that need to be corrected with much urgency.
After all, we do not own Mother Earth but are merely stewards and transient guests. We owe it to our future generation to ensure that this planet remains habitable.
This requires that we recognise that climate change is man-made, and that we can slow the process by adopting more environmentally friendly behaviour in our daily lives, and not limit this to just one hour a year.
Lee Yong Se
This move aims to create far-reaching environmental and social impact in the face of climate change.
However, the impact is usually lost in the weeks after. In order to create greater environmental impact, we should have an Earth Hour every day in our lives.
My company, too, has committed to participating in Earth Hour events by switching off non-essential lights for an hour. However, my colleagues are generally indifferent to climate change and it is common to see electrical appliances running when not in use.
In our daily lives, we often see shoppers not taking along their own shopping bags to stores, but instead opt for the convenience of plastic carriers.
These are just some examples of wasteful, indifferent attitudes and behaviour towards climate change that need to be corrected with much urgency.
After all, we do not own Mother Earth but are merely stewards and transient guests. We owe it to our future generation to ensure that this planet remains habitable.
This requires that we recognise that climate change is man-made, and that we can slow the process by adopting more environmentally friendly behaviour in our daily lives, and not limit this to just one hour a year.
Lee Yong Se
