Earth Hour May Bring Significant Carbon Emission Reduction In India

Earth is facing ‘Climate Crisis’, ‘Population Explosion’ and ‘Household Explosion’. The world’s population has crossed the bad milestone of 8 billion in 2022 and is expected to be 10 billion by 2050. Such a growing size is causing pressure on Nature. Biodiversity and ecosystems are under stress, and depleting to fulfil the unsustainable needs and ambitions of humans. 

These conditions have resulted in the emergence of vector-borne infectious diseases, which are usually confined to wildlife and have had a spillover to people in areas undergoing rapid deforestation and habitat loss. About 60% of the new infectious diseases that emerge in people, including HIV, Ebola, Nipah, and Covid-19 spillover from forest-dwelling animals. 

We cannot change our past, but we can change our future. On 25 March 2023, the world community will organise Earth Hour and will switch off lights between 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm; on this day India may be able to reduce the carbon dioxide emission up to 285.87 million kilograms, if every citizen participate and bears the responsibility for Earth to act on climate and change climate change through energy conservation. It is noteworthy that India has a population of 1.3 billion, and India had 302.4 million households in 2021. 

Here’s how India can reduce carbon dioxide emissions within one hour. Per capita carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in India have soared in recent decades, climbing from 0.39 metric tons in 1970 to a high of 1.9 metric tons in 2021. Based on the above emission data, carbon emission will be as follows:

*Per Day- 1900/360= 5.277 kg

*Per Hour- 5.277/24 = 0.2199 kg

*130 crore citizens- 0.2199×130cr= 285.87 million kilograms. 

Carbon Dioxide is the main fossil fuel gas or greenhouse gas responsible for global warming and climate change. Climate change is causing the melting of polar ice, ocean acidification, coastal erosion, ocean warming, floods, droughts, sea-level rise, depleting biodiversity and urban heat-island effect. 

Climate change makes more environments available for disease-carrying species. According to the WHO, climate variability has a direct influence on the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases. By 2100, it is estimated that average global temperatures will have risen by 1.0–3.5 °C and will increase the spread of many ‘vector-borne diseases’ in new areas. 

We have two primary choices at present: either to accept the conditions as they exist and wait for the end of the future or accept the responsibility and act to change Climate Change for the sake of a livable, better and sustainable future. 

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