Threat of global warming - Sri Lankan scenario

by Dr. Miss W.W.S.W.C. Fernando

It's a known fact that global warming is taking place due to industrial emissions of CO2 and H2S gases. These gases are produced by vehicle emissions due to incomplete combustion of aromatic carbons, coal plants, factories and household emissions. The Northern and Southern poles of the world have experienced the effect of global warming strongly as it's a threat to animals and people due to dissolving (melting) the ice mountains in those poles.

The world's scientists and politicians gathered in Copenhagen and took decisions to reduce the CO2 emission by some reasonable level. But Sri Lanka is still in the nascent stage. Regulations were laid down in Sri Lanka to control vehicle emissions and these tests check the emission level of the vehicle and reduce the use of low quality fuels but what about industrial emissions?

No steps have been taken to reduce industrial emission so far in Sri Lanka, each outlet of the industrial smoke should be converted to other compounds which reduces dioxins generation by directing those wastes to dioxin incineration plants. Thereby it should reduce the industrial emissions. At present it checks the H2S, SO2 emission in out air. What are the steps taken to reduce SO2 emissions? They are noxious gases, the respiratory distress and lung diseases such as emphysema. Bronchiectasis, Bronchitis, the other alternative is to conserve rain forests and grow green to get the green house effect to absorb all CO2 in the environment.

It's the responsibility of the governing body and the environmental authorities in Sri Lanka to help contribute reduce global warming. As our economy is mainly based on agriculture and we are not industrialised, it's our responsibility to contribute at each level to reduce global warming.

The writer is a medical, food and nutrition scientist and environmentalist.