Use of cleaner fuels best option

THERE are an increasing number of new vehicles and machines that are dependent only on the use of fossil fuel.
The latest of the new cheap vehicles to hit the mass production line is by India’s Tata Motors to meet the demands of millions of Indians.
The chairman Ratan N Tata has promised to deliver his cheap automobiles to African nations and the Pacific within five years.
Tata has challenged giant carmakers to look into producing vehicles that are affordable.
The simple analysis is that there will be a high demand for a product that is affordable and with competition and efficiency in production, will lead to a significant decrease in price.
As more people rush to buy the vehicles, the cheaper and affordable the price is. A good example is less than 12 months ago, more than 95% of Papua New Guineans were without mobile phones.
Today, you can see many people owning mobile phones due to the fact that they have now become more affordable.
However, let’s look at other side. I used to live in Lae city for more than seven years.
In 1995, the beach near the South Pacific Brewery was more than 300m out but now, SP Brewery is almost on the beach!
This change is because of rising sea level which is due to increased atmospheric temperature as a result of increased accumulation of carbon dioxide and that is causing ice in the poles to melt.
Sooner or later, more natural disasters like the recent flood in Oro province will be prevalent; smaller islands will start to sink; Goroka cold peles will become Goroka hot peles, etc.
All these are happening because of change in temperature.
Some plants will vanish if they are unable to cope with climate change such as the kunai grass, the plant used in Highlands houses instead of corrugated iron.
The greenhouse effect has diverse effects. Therefore, it is not one man, one organisation or one country’s problem but every living individual.
The Government must get its priority right and on top of the list is to finance awareness on reforestation and Papua New Guineans must get rid of the bush burning attitude.
It must also make available more funds for research and development of cleaner fuels by the PNG Sustainable Energy Limited (PNGSEL).
This organisation is doing a fine job for people by using renewable materials and waste to produce fuel that does not pollute the air.
Today, people and organisations are aware of greenhouse effect, the importance of using biodiesel (biofuel).
The recent letters by Leo Legra of Kansas, USA, and Youngpu Samo, Mendi, are encouraging.
We need more people to understand and join hands to work together with the Government.
For mankind’s survival, the use of cleaner fuels is the best option.
Biodiesel and ethyl alcohol fuel must become the alternative as the situation has become deadly serious.

Gene Drekeke Iyovo
Jiangnan, China