TRAVELLING in the past, used to be a guilt-free, exciting adventure for me, regardless of whether it was for a holiday or for work.
But ever since I began covering climate change, some aspects of travelling began to plague me in ways I never imagined it would.
Take my recent work trips to places like Calgary and Abu Dhabi for example. I went there with a mission to uncover more about our energy challenges but whilst on my journey, I was also fully aware of the energy my polluting airplane was consuming, and the carbon footprint my travels left on the planet - an irony, considering I was writing about climate change.
So today, I forked out about 30 British Pounds (that's about $70) to offset my flight from Singapore to Calgary. This was done easily, quickly, and online at ClimateCare - a unit of investment bank JPMorgan, which allows people to offset their flights by buying carbon credits generated by projects that the company oversees from China to Brazil to Uganda.
These are the same people that British national daily The Guardian uses to offset the flights taken by their staff. The carbon credits that ClimateCare sells are verified by a United Nations-approved body, and their projects range from renewable energy projects like wind farms in China's Heilongjiang, to promoting efficent stoves in Cambodia to reduce charcoal burning.
This picture shows the solar panels covering the roof of the Vatican's Paul VI audience hall. Some 1000 photovoltaic panels were installed on the football field-sized roof and should generate sufficient electricity to supply all heating, cooling and lighting of the 6300 seats' building. -- PHOTO: AFP
After you've paid for your offsets, calculated by their flight calculator, they send you a certificate - within 5 minutes. If you have no idea how it looks like, you can view mine here:
This is only one example of how consumer behaviours have changed, how businesses have reinvented, and how the world is experiencing a revolution.
This year - 2009 - will mark a crucial year in the history of mankind, grandiose as it sounds. But the stakes are indeed very high.
Climate change effects such as change in water patterns, sea levels rising - a great concern for Singapore - and extreme weather events were only some of the problems that the world will face if no action is taken. And we're already seeing some happen.
But the truth is, the man-in-the-street today is not likely to be perturbed by the climate crisis. Sea levels at East Coast appear the same as it's always been. Myanmar's cyclone, Australia's bushfires, well, that's on another continent. More realistically, the issues foremost on the mind will be the global economic and financial crisis. This is the mindset that no doubt will be the strongest obstacle that world leaders and climate change campaigners will face in inking a global deal in Copenhagen at the end of this year to get nations to reduce emissions and put a price on carbon.
That got me thinking - why should today's energy challenges matter to you and me. Why should we care?
After all, countries like Singapore have uninterrupted, instant supply of energy anywhere we want it. Turning on a light, cooking a meal, or driving a car comes easily to us that we don't even think about it.
The thing is, thinking about our climate crisis involves an important element of foresight. Those living "in the now" probably couldn't care less. I guess the world will have to rely on those who do possess some hindsight, or those who might not be a tree hugger but have a basic respect for planet earth, and who want to see all the world's countries and economies morph into a more sustainable one.
A view of a windmill farm recently built on the edge of Lake Nicaragua in Rivas, Nicaragua, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008. Energy Minister Emilio Rappaccioli said the $90 million project will be operating at full capacity by the end of January and contribute 6 percent of the country's total energy needs. -- PHOTO: AP
I can only imagine, that when people actually do see, physically, the effects of climate change such as the flooding of East Coast and all of Singapore's coastal properties, the time for action will then be too late.
Hopefully, though, it won't come to that.
Meanwhile, I'm going to continue off-setting my flights, whenever I can afford it. Very small gesture, on my part, and obviously, does not absolve me in my other polluting ways. But at least it's a start - the beginning of a journey towards a more sustainable way of living.
I'm looking forward to it.
Read Jessica's Saturday Special Report on climate change here and view a video of an eco-city here.