In order to create climate change awareness, the use of sports activities is nevertheless a good idea. This approach has been adopted in scenic areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, where a hockey tournament has been organized in Skardu Valley to promote awareness on climate change, which is increasingly affecting the region’s ecosystem. Reportedly, Pakistan is home to 7,253 glaciers, with more glacial ice than any other country on earth outside the polar regions. But studies show that climate change is “eating” them away at a quick pace.
Climate change is a defining issue and one of the most important global environmental challenges facing humanity in the contemporary world. Changing climate is affecting the prevailing weather conditions and contributing mostly to the rise in temperature leading to melting of glaciers. The scariest thing about this change is extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, cloud burst, famine, storms, forest fires, heat waves and vector borne disease among others. Climate change is real and no part of the earth is left untouched under its influence. Many of skeptics would find it difficult to accept that it is exacerbated by anthropogenic activities.
Our planet is being poisoned by many pollutants emitted by human activities but all the pollutants are not responsible for climate change. The pollutants which mediate climate change are referred to as green house gases and they include carbon dioxide (CO2), which is dominant one along with methane, nitrogen oxide, chlorofluorocarbon and water vapor. They trap heat energy in the atmosphere resulting in temperature increase and warming of the earth.
In order to prevent the future consequences of climate change, the simple and easiest steps which can be taken by an individual to combat climate change would entail the reduction of their carbon footprint. This can be achieved in a number of ways including planting trees as they are capable of absorbing carbon dioxide and utilising it for photosynthesis, switching to clean energy (solar, wind, tidal and geothermal energy), using eco-friendly products, driving vehicles on bio-fuels as they emit lesser CO2 than fossil fuels and following 4 Rs – reduce, reuse, recycle and refuse.
