THE average Singaporean was responsible for 9.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2007, according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency.
For me, nearly 15 per cent of my share was created by driving my 20-year-old 1.6 litre BMW between home and work.
I did the math. The old pink chugger churns 5.13kg of CO2 per journey or 1,334kg a year, by commuting a total of 22km a day (home-work-home), five days a week, for 52 weeks.
You can do your own calculations at this online CO2 calculator.
It certainly doesn't help that an old, heavy European-made car is not exactly the most fuel-efficient vehicle — I get only about 10km per litre of petrol from it.
So feelings of guilt have haunted me of late, especially amid the flurry of stories and discussions and statistics on global warming ahead of the highly-anticipated, 12-day United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen that starts next Monday.
Every few days there is a story about ice sheets melting, ocean levels rising, temperatures warming. Leading climate alarmists claim that global greenhouse gas emissions need to decrease to 60 per cent below present levels by 2050 if humans are to avoid catastrophic climate change.
We sit and read about nations and what they are or are not doing to help the situation. But what are each of us doing individually to contribute to positive change?
Sure, I've been making a conscientious effort to reduce, reuse and recycle: Take my own bag to the supermarket, resist printing unnecessary e-mails, collect plastic bottles for recycling.
But what more can I do?
That question led me to my decision to give up my car and commute by bicycle, at least until Christmas. That resolution began today. As I type this there is a bicycle parked in my cubicle and cycling clothing and shoes hanging under my desk.
It's not all about global warming, though. Cutting greenhouse gases can also be a boon to human health by reducing deaths from cancer, strokes and heart disease, according to a report by The Lancet journal published last week.
Walking and cycling more, and driving less are among the easiest ways people can lower the output of CO2 and methane gas that also curb the global disease burden, said the study. Other easy ways: switch to cleaner-burning stoves and reduce meat and dairy consumption.
Bicycle commuting can also help keep one's expenses and weight low.
Doing the calculations, I figure I can save at least $1,000 a year on petrol by riding to work. I'll also burn an estimated extra 100,230 calories a year.
You can do your own calculations here at this online calorie calculator from bicycling.com.
That's 13kg of weight loss (assuming I don't replace what I've burned off), or the ability to eat a Big Mac just about every other day — or 192 Big Macs a year — and not gain any weight.
Some other pluses: no traffic jams, no ERP charges, no parking fees, no parking headaches.
Of course, not everything's rosy. Bicycle commuting also involves getting stuck in bad weather conditions, backaches from ferrying a backpack of clothing and work stuff around, and typically more time spent travelling. There are definitely inconveniences I will encounter.
So will it be all worth it? I don't know, but I will find out.
On this day, December 1, 2009, I hereby promise to ride instead of drive — as often as I can — from now until Christmas. Not just between home and work, but even for errands and outings.
Over the next 24 days, I hope to document my experiences of bicycle commuting in this blog. The pros, the cons, the money saved, the weight loss, the troubles incurred, the headaches avoided. But, more importantly, the CO2 emissions reduced.
In my own little way, hopefully, I can help make a change in the world.
Stay tuned.