There are two reports that seem contradictory but they are essentially a cause and effect. One report is a about the loss of rainforests all over the world to logging and agriculture. The other is that the summers in India are getting hotter by the year (“India to witness hotter summer this year,” Mar. 10, Gulf Today).

It is disheartening to read all this. The media is flooded with climate change reports and yet the handful of men who are the elected leaders all over the world do not make progressive policies that will combat climate change. The scientists are crying themselves hoarse.

This situation raises a personal but pertinent question. Me and several other individuals like me are conscious about out behaviour in regards to the environment. We advocate tree plantation, we speak up against deforestation, we use water judiciously, we crimp on our use of plastics because we think of the litter we will leave behind on this planet.

But do individual efforts make a difference? I would think not. Why does it matter if I talk about the importance of trees but the leaders make policies that help with the decimation of forests? What does it help if I refrain from using plastic when the production of plastic continues all over the world? Does my disillusionment and the resulting effort make any difference? Only if our governments are serious in tackling the climate emergency can we hope for a better future for our children.

Byron M
By email