3.3 Preservation and Conservation of the Environment

The Role of Individuals in Maintaining Environmental Balance

• The carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere increased from 2006 to 2019.
• High atmospheric carbon dioxide content intensifies the greenhouse effect, global warming and climate change.
• Every individual must manage natural resources responsibly to maintain environmental balance and reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide.
• Relevant actions include:
  • reducing electrical energy and fuel consumption;
  • using renewable energy and energy-efficient equipment;
  • practising the 5R concept;
  • preserving forests and planting green plants;
  • supporting Green Technology and Negative Emission Technologies.

Negative Emission Technologies

• Negative Emission Technologies are technologies that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• One method uses marine microalgae, microscopic algae that live, grow and reproduce abundantly in seawater.
• Marine microalgae reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.
• A microalgae plant applies this process on a larger scale.

Green Technology and Eco Currency

• The preservation and conservation of the environment requires global efforts to manage natural resources.
• Eco currency is a proposed universal currency used as a medium of exchange in transactions and as an effort to maintain environmental balance.
• Applications of Green Technology include:
  • solar technology;
  • green buildings;
  • zero carbon emission;
  • biodiesel;
  • hybrid cars;
  • vertical planting towards sustainable agriculture.
• Solar technology uses sunlight to generate electricity without releasing carbon dioxide during operation; this supports zero carbon emission.

Role of the United Nations in Addressing Global Environmental Issues

The United Nations (UN) increases cooperation and joint efforts among countries to:

• find solutions to global climate-change issues by sponsoring international conferences and agreements signed by the global community;
• secure an adequate supply of clean drinking water;
• protect the ozone layer by banning chlorofluorocarbons which cause thinning of the ozone layer;
• ban toxic chemical substances such as DDT pesticides.

International conferences and agreements

• Rio Conference / United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), 1992: addressed environmental issues globally.
• Kyoto Protocol, 1997: aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Paris Agreement, 2016: aimed to reduce the content and emission of greenhouse gases and limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5°C.