The air we breathe today is borrowed from yesterday, the air we will breathe tomorrow, is 

getting polluted today. The world we live in today is unfortunately contaminated in every 

sort of way. The trash we throw out is dumped into the sea and the rubbish we don’t recycle

 is burnt in landfills. As an Indian myself, I am aware of the precariously high PM 

concentration just in India, with air pollution contributing to almost 75% of illnesses and 

deaths; around 1.1 million people specifically in rural regions. On the premise of

 industrialization and growing economically, the majority is facing environmental 

dilemmas and crisis due to the excessive amount of pollution that is released into the air. 

While it contributes to the production of goods and fosters trade and methods of income,

 it is woefully at the cost of the earth’s flora and fauna as well as our own well being as

 inhabitants of this polluted place. Just in the United States of America, two billion tons of

 CO2 are produced annually due to the production of electricity and 1.7 billion tons of CO2

 emissions through pollution from the transport sector. In China, air pollution is the sole 

destroyer of 20 million tonnes of rice, wheat, maize and soybean.

These facts and figures may seem daunting to combat and challenge, but I definitely believe 

that it is our responsibility as global citizens to help reduce air pollution and its detrimental

 effects in our own way, whether it be big or small. 

Now, all of us can’t start off by buying electrical cars because it isn’t practical for all of us.

 We can start small by simply Reusing, Reducing and Recycling. As redundant as it may 

sound due to its constant repetition, it will play a major role in reducing air pollution. When 

our trash (specifically plastics and non-biodegradable waste) is thrown out, it all ends up in a

 landfill amongst tons of various other types of garbage either left to permanently 

contaminate the Earth or to be burnt to get rid of. While this garbage is being burnt, it 

reduced monumental amounts of carbon dioxide into the air and the atmosphere; one of the 

greenhouse gases that contribute not only to air pollution but to the phenomenon that we 

know as global warming. We can easily reduce this by separating our trash into categories

 such as reusable and non-reusable items. This is something my family and I began doing 3 

years ago as we became a more environmentally friendly household. The reusable items can

find a new purpose; for example, worn out clothes can be used as a cleaning supply, 

cardboard or cereal boxes as storage compartments, old used school books can be used for 

rough paper. The non-reusable items can be further separated into plastics, papers and

compostable waste. Due to the increasing awareness of recycling and its benefits, all of us 

can easily locate recycling bins and centers near our houses to dispose of the trash. By 

simply separating our trash into categories when throwing them out and disposing of them

into the appropriate location, I’m am able to successfully do my part in reducing the 

pollution that it would otherwise produce if it was just thrown away. Something each and 

every one of us can easily do.

SO REMEMBER : Separate your trash, give them new purposes and throw them away

 in the right way.

Keeping on the same track as an environmentally friendly household, my family and I have 

also stopped using plastic and polythene bags when we go grocery shopping and even 

shopping in general.  We always carry jute bags with us to bring back our items for the day, 

a convenient and reliable way to shop and help conserve the environment at the same time. 

This may seem like a small action but in the larger scheme of things, it contributes to

 reducing the environment. I’ve also stopped using straws for our drinks as they also heavily

 contribute to plastic waste. Due to the fact that I use my own bags, my friends and others 

also began questioning the use of plastics and I was able to positively influence the people 

around to be more environmentally conscious as well. 

SO REMEMBER : Say no to plastic and use your own degradable bags when shopping 

to help conserve the environment while looking good when shopping.

Our modes of transports are another major contributor to all the pollutants in the air. Almost 

every single car releases carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides and many other 

dangerous gases into the air when the petrol and diesel is used. This severely affects both the 

environment we live in and us, the inhabitants. These gasses are extremely harmful to 

humans and animals as they contribute to acid rain, leeching of nutrients from the soil 

(damaging and killing plants) and even our health by making it difficult for our body to use 

the oxygen we breathe in due to all the pollutants we also inhale. I usually use public

transport for almost all my commutes as it is both convenient and environmentally friendly. 

I sue the metro to travel to almost all my destination. This prevents the carbon emissions that 

would have otherwise been released if I used a private car. When we use public transport, the 

pollution caused is almost a quarter than that of private transport because multiple people are

 being transported at the same time. Carpooling is also an effective way or conserving the 

environment as it reduced emissions as multiple people are travelling together and it's also 

economically friendly for the individuals. A more technologically innovative method would 

be to install catalytic converters to your cars as they are an appliance that change the harmful 

gas emissions into natural gas that is safe for the environment.

SO REMEMBER : Join somebody if you’re going to the same place or use public 

transport to help reduce harmful gas emissions. 

Deforestation affects air pollution in more ways than one. When trees and plants are cut, we 

are reducing the natural oxygen providers that exist along with cutting down the organisms 

that reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by absorbing it. When trees are cut, through 

the process of decomposition, more carbon dioxide is released into the air further harming the 

environment. We can plant more trees to reduce this problem and we start in our own homes. 

I have been growing my own mini garden in my balcony at home. These plants not only help 

clear out the carbon dioxide in the area that I live in, but they also produce fresh produce such 

as chilies and bell-peppers for me to eat. 

SO REMEMBER : Plant as many plants as you can to save the earth while getting your 

own fruits and vegetables. 

We use electricity 24 hours a day 7 days a week even when it's not necessary. We receive our 

electricity by using non-renewable energy that is both not sustainable and harmful for the 

environment. I follow simple things such switching off lights and appliances when not in 

use, opening my curtains for natural light for the duration of the day and only using the 

washing machine for full loads to promote sustainable environmental friendly activity. Living 

in a country such as the U.A.E., I don’t use a dryer for my clothes but rather dry them in the 

natural sunlight during the day or occasional breeze during the night. Every single light bulb 

in my house is LED as they are energy conserving and far less harmful than ordinary ones. 

The A.C. the very appliance that cools us down is, in fact, heating up the earth. To produce 

cool air hot and harmful air is released from these appliances and this can easily be prevented 

by only using the A.C. at 24 degrees Celsius during the summer no matter how hot the

temperature gets.  

SO REMEMBER : If you’re not using it, switch it off and take advantage of the natural 

heat and light outside. 

Raising awareness for these issues and advocating for them can prove to be more beneficial 

than one might think. I joined the Emirates Environmental Group in 2014 to begin my journey 

of conserving the environment and I was able to learn so much through the years. In school, I 

participated in two projects where I created products from recycled materials and showcased 

them to share how all of us can easily reduce, reuse and recycle. I also created a presentation 

to share with my classmates and teachers on the benefits of making these small change to our 

lives that contribute towards conserving the environment. If there are factories in your city 

that are releasing excessive air pollution, it is our duty to report it to bring it up in order to 

make the world a cleaner and healthier place to live in. Many countries have already placed 

bans on toxic items that release harmful gasses, but if yours haven’t, spread awareness about 

and try to make a change. 

SO REMEMBER : Spread the word, be the change the world needs today.

As we all know it takes a drop to make an ocean, so let’s all start changing for the better not 

only to lead better lives but to provide better ones for the generations after us.