By Elizabeth Odera
As I stepped onto the arrivals section, I immediately felt a striking difference. I looked like a black giant among many small and spritely Asians. A woman next to me giggled and whispered to her friend. I breathed a sigh of relief. I had landed in Beijing.
Out in the parking lot, I was hit by a faint smell, which reminded me of college days at the chemistry laboratory. I was puzzled and turned to my guide, Minnie.
She took me to the city, about 40 minutes’ drive to my hotel, which would also host the conference where I would make a presentation to an international organisation as an Olympic athlete.
Difficult Summer Months
On the outskirts of Beijing, I saw several fan-like items sticking out of high rise apartments. Minnie explained they were air conditioners to make the difficult summer months bearable, as the climate in Beijing had greatly changed with rise in population. At the hotel lobby, I felt a waft of warm air, thick with raw chemical smell.
After checking in, I decided to have a light exercise. I took off at a brisk pace. About 100 metres down the road, I felt a little light-headed, but I ignored this and slowed my pace to take in more air.
I managed to go round a block but collapsed, my chest heaving and my throat burning. I panicked but some young people came over and asked me where I was from.
"You should know that people don’t run here anymore," a young man said.A girl who had remained quiet offered: "Hallo, we are students from the local university and I study environmental science, and what is happening to you is due to pollution. We are going out to lunch, you can join us and I will explain more."
Hours later in my room, I recalled my experience. Man, in an effort to improve life, has blatantly ignored the environment. My ordeal was occasioned by air pollution due to high concentration of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, which have significantly increased since the industrial revolution.
Human activities like burning fossil fuels, change of land use and agriculture are to blame for the poor state of the environment.
The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is far higher than it was 650 000 years ago and has been growing faster in the last ten years than it has grown since 1960.
Carbon dioxide is the most significant greenhouse gas. Its atmospheric concentration (379 ppm in 2005) is now by far higher than the natural range over the last 650 000 years (180 to 300 ppm) and is growing faster than ever since the beginning of continuous direct measurement in 1960, mainly due to fossil fuel use, and to a lesser extent land use change.
The years between 1995 and 2006 rank among the 12 warmest years since 1850.The increase is consistent with the extra water vapour that warmer air can hold.
Temperature Changes
Extreme temperature changes have been observed in the last 50 years. Cold days and nights and frost have become less frequent, while hot days and nights and heat waves have become more frequent.
If we do not commit to sustainable use of the environment, everyone will feel the effects of wanton destruction of the environment.
Dr Liz Odera is a former athlete, scientist and award-winning sports environmentalist.
The Standard Group Plc is a
multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper
print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key
influence in matters of national and international interest.
join