Last September 2009, tropical storm Ketsana (local name ‘ Ondoy ' ) flooded the Philippines with a month's worth of rain that fell in just six hours. This was one of the worst flooding ever to hit our country in 42 years. Aside from the heavy rainfall, I believe that improper garbage disposal, illegal logging, and poor sewerage were the other causes of this devastating flood. But looking at a larger picture, this was just one of the countless disasters that have happened around the world since the industrial revolution started in the mid-1700s. Science and technology has greatly advanced over the centuries but in exchange, our environment has gravely deteriorated.

Everybody has heard or used the terms “ global warming ” or “climate change”, but I don't think everyone understands it because if it were the case, then ALL of us humans w ould be concerned enough to do our share of helping the environment. Global warming refers to an average increase in the Earth's temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate. A warmer Earth may lead to changes in rainfall patterns, a rise in sea level, and a wide range of impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans . Simply explained, it is when the earth heats up. Climate change on the other hand represents a change in these long-term weather patterns. Based on the change, climates can become warmer or colder. Annual amounts of rainfall or snowfall can increase or decrease. These h appen when greenhouse gases GHGs (carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, ozone, and methane) trap heat and light from the sun in the earth's atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This process is the fundamental cause of “ greenhouse effect ” and there are two kinds of “greenhouse effect”. There is a "natural" greenhouse effect that keeps the Earth's climate warm and habitable. There is also the "man-made" greenhouse effect, which is the enhancement of Earth's natural greenhouse effect by the addition of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels (mainly petroleum, coal, and natural gas).

One of the first things scientists learned is that there are several greenhouse gases responsible for warming, and humans emit them in a variety of ways. Most come from the combustion of fossil fuels in cars, factories and electricity production. The gas responsible for the most warming is carbon dioxide, also called CO2. Other contributors include methane released from landfills and agriculture (especially from the digestive systems of grazing animals), nitrous oxide from fertilizers, gases used for refrigeration and industrial processes, and the loss of forests that would otherwise store CO2.

Carbon Dioxide from Power Plants - carbon dioxide emissions stem from the burning of fossil fuels for the purpose of electricity generation. Coal accounts for 93 percent of the emissions from the electric utility industry.

Carbon Dioxide Emitted from Transportations - carbon dioxide emissions comes from the burning of gasoline in internal-combustion engines of land and air transportation. Drivers waste millions of gallons of gas annually while just sitting in traffic. Those millions of gallons of gas produce around x1.25 tons of carbon dioxide.

Methane - Methane is derived from sources such as rice paddies, bovine flatulence, bacteria in bogs and fossil fuel production.

Nitrous oxide - Man-made sources of nitrous oxide include nylon and nitric acid production, the use of fertilizers in agriculture, cars with catalytic converters and the burning of organic matter.

Deforestation - (NASA Web Site) Deforestation is responsible for 25% of all carbon emissions entering the atmosphere, by the burning and cutting of about 34 million acres of trees each year. We are losing millions of acres of rainforests annually, the equivalent in area to the size of Italy . The destroying of tropical forests alone is throwing hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. We are also losing temperate forests. The temperate forests of the world account for an absorption rate of 2 billion tons of carbon annually.

Ozone Depletion - Ozone in the lower atmosphere is an air pollutant with harmful effects on the respiratory systems of animals and will burn sensitive plants. Chlorine and bromine released from man-made compounds such as CFCs are now accepted as the main cause of this depletion.

Aside from global warming, pollution affects humans, animals, plants and the environment as well. There is no doubt that excessive levels of all types of pollution are causing a lot of damage to human & animal health, plants & trees including tropical rainforests , as well as the wider environment. Its effect on living organisms may range from mild discomforts to serious diseases, physical disabilities to psychological and behavioral disorders, and even death.

Global warming and pollution hurt many people, animals, plants and the environment. Many cannot take the change, so they die . Therefore, these two will have implications for the enjoyment of our basic human rights – the right to an environment of a particular quality, the right to life, the right to adequate food, the right to water, the right to health, and the right to human security.

In my opinion, ignorance, irresponsibility, selfishness , lack of awareness, lack of discipline, poor education, insufficient information, poor governance, and zero implementation are the root causes of everything that has gone wrong with our environment. Remember, “We reap what we sow”… our actions towards the environment impact our lives. That is why we should start saving our environment now and it should begin with ‘YOU and ‘ME'. Start practicing environment-friendly habits and i nfluence your family, your relatives, your friends and your neighbors, and eventually, it will reach your community and the community at large. A small step by each of us can make a huge leap towards saving the Earth and t here's still plenty we can do.

Start at home. Here are some simple actions you can take to help reduce global warming and your budget as well.

•  Reduce, Reuse, And Recycle - By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

•  Choose reusable products instead of disposables.

•  Avoid using Styrofoam and non-biodegradable materials.

•  Use paper or cloth bags instead of plastic bags when shopping.

•  Buy products with minimal packaging.

•  Recycle paper , plastic , newspaper, glass and aluminum cans.

•  If there isn't a recycling program at your workplace, school, or in your community, ask about starting one.

•  Replace chemical fertilizers and synthetic nutrients with composts. Natural manures are a better option for farms and gardens.

•  Buy and use rechargeable batteries. Batteries have toxic materials that are harmful to humans and wildlife. When discarded, these dangerous metals can seep into the ground water and eventually into the food chain.

•  Instead of throwing batteries in the trash, we should all take them to a toxic waste disposal area, if at all possible.

•  Use Less Heat and Air Conditioning - Setting your thermostat just 2 degrees lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

•  Add insulation to your walls and attic, and install weather stripping or caulking around doors and windows. This can lower your heating costs more than 25 percent, by reducing the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your home.

•  Turn down the heat while you're sleeping at night or away during the day, and keep temperatures moderate at all times.

•  Change a Light Bulb – Using CFLs will save you money and they also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat. If every home replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road. So replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.

•  Drive Less and Drive Smart - Less driving means fewer emissions.

•  Besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise. Explore your community mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school.

•  When you do drive, make sure your car is running efficiently.

•  Buy Energy-Efficient Products - If you reduce your household garbage by 10 percent, you can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

•  When it's time to buy a new car, choose one that offers good gas mileage.

•  Buy energy-efficient home appliances

•  Buy compact florescent bulbs which are designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs.

•  Avoid products that come with excess packaging , especially molded plastic and other packaging that can't be recycled.

•  Use Less Hot Water – This can save at least 500 pounds of carbon dioxide annually in most households.

•  Set your water heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if it is more than 5 years old.

•  Buy low-flow showerheads to save hot water and about 350 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly.

•  Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to produce it.

•  Use the energy-saving settings on your dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry.

•  Dry your clothes outside the house or on the clotheslines instead of throwing them in the dryer.

•  Conserve Water

•  Take shorter showers. This will save between 5 and 10 gallons of water per minute.

•  Don't flush any type of garbage down the toilet. Every flush uses around 7 gallons of water.

•  When washing dishes, use a full sink of warm water instead of running the faucet continuously.

•  Turn off the water when brushing your teeth, washing your face, shaving, rinsing clothes, etc.

•  Only wash your clothes if you have a full load to do. Pool laundry if possible.

•  Use the "Off" Switch – This reduces water bill and help to conserve a vital resource.

•  Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when you leave a room, and using only as much light as you need.

•  Turn off your television, video player, stereo and computer when you're not using them.

•  Turn off the water when you're not using it. While brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog or washing your car, turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing.

•  Unplug appliances when not in use. Appliances such as your TV, DVD player, cell phone charger, etc. consume energy just by being plugged in.

•  Don't leave the monitor's power on when the computer is not in use .

•  Plant a Tree - A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.

•  If you have the means to plant a tree, start planting. During photosynthesis, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an integral part of the natural atmospheric exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too few of them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide caused by automobile traffic, manufacturing and other human activities.

•  Save the animals – they play a vital role in the ecosystem.

•  Purchase products that are not tested on animals so that they are not harmed.

•  Reduce plastic consumption. The Pacific Ocean has become known as the world's greatest landfill or the Great Pacific Patch where 90% of the garbage is plastic. 1,000,000 s ea birds, and 100,000 sea mammals and sea turtles die every year from ingesting or becoming entangled with plastic.

•  Eat more fruits and vegetables, less meat.

•  Shop to help save animals. There are stores and online shops where proceeds benefit animals.

•  Say no to fur and other animal products where animal killing is involved.

•  Encourage Others to Conserve

•  Share information about recycling and energy conservation with your friends, neighbors and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.

God created the world and appointed man to be its steward, and not its destroyer, that is why e ach and every one of us has a responsibility to fulfill. No one really knows when the end of the world will be ( Matthew 24:36-44 ) but what's important is to make the most out of our existence today, do what is right and be ready for what is yet to come.