Greenhouse gases and Global warming

Greenhouse gases, such as methane and carbon dioxide are produced during burning of fossil fuel such as coal. The major contributing industry is thermal power plants, where train loads of coal is burnt on daily basis. The developing countries like China and India seem to be contributing significantly to the world total. As we all know, the result of greenhouse gases is the depletion of ozone layer and the climate change (global warming) is the end result.

The so called developed western countries have adequate power to provide enough electricity to their citizens. They have caused enough pollution during sixties and seventies. India and China are fast developing economies and need electricity to cater to the developments taking place in a very fast pace. The countries need power of all types and are in no position to go slow on their development plans.

The only ways to ensure sufficient power without adding to the inventory of the greenhouse gases are:

1. Use of more and more of non-polluting electricity generating systems such as solar, wind and nuclear. Go for nuclear in a big way.
2. The cost of pollution control measures of the existing power plants in the developing countries which are polluting should be borne by the developed countries in some way.
3. The developed counties should also reduce the pollution at their power plants, so as to compensate for the pollution caused by the developmental efforts of the developing countries.
4. All the existing and forthcoming thermal power plants should have exhaust air cleaning systems such as columns of calcium hydroxide which takes away the carbon dioxide from the exhaust converting hydroxide into carbonate.
5. Produce ozone at the higher altitudes to cover the ozone depletion taken place in the environment.
6. Finally pray God to save our environment.

Dr. Pushparaja, Navi Mumbai