Lately, people have been talking a lot about the idea of heroism. The word “hero” itself became a polemic when the hero of Avenger had passed away. For those who had benefited from their policies or felt helped by them undoubtedly considered a true hero. Meanwhile, those who had been harmed or disadvantaged by their decisions were quick to highlight reasons why they did not deserve such a title.
Yet, beyond that debate, a hero is still a hero. For a small family, a good father is a hero to his wife and children. For students, a dedicated teacher is the hero they look up to. For someone drowning, a hero is the one who saves them first.
From this perspective, the definition of a hero seems to require at least three criteria. The right timing, the right place, and the right benefit. Without these three elements, perhaps what we have is what peoples call a “late hero”, someone who arrives too late to make a difference.
Who Truly Deserves It?
If we use that measurement and connect it with today’s environmental issues, who truly deserves to be called a hero?
The most fitting answer is pedestrians and cyclists. Why? Because in terms of timing, location, and benefit, pedestrians and cyclists play a highly significant role in reducing the most pressing environmental crisis today.
When asked what the most urgent environmental issue is, the correct answer would be global warming leading to climate change. This problem is at the root of many other environmental disasters we now face. Take flooding, for instance. Extreme rainfall, which is a symptom of climate change, has made floods more severe and more frequent.
And that is only one example. Other consequences include the sinking of hundreds of small islands, the rise of various diseases, and more.
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Why Heroes?
When we link this to pedestrians and cyclists, the connection becomes clear. The driver of climate change is global warming, and the driver of global warming is the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. One of the main gases responsible is carbon dioxide, largely produced by the burning of fossil fuels such as diesel, gasoline, and coal.
In Indonesia, the largest source of carbon emissions comes from forest fires, which at one point placed the country as the third-largest emitter in the world after the United States and China.
Beyond forest fires, however, transportation is also a major contributor. According to data from the Ministry of Forestry and Environment of Indonesia, transportation accounts for 24 percent of national carbon emissions, compared to 22 percent from industry and 11 percent from electricity generation.
Breaking down the transportation sector further, 78.4 percent of emissions come from motorcycles, 21.9 percent from cars, and 3.1 percent from buses (Ezra, 2008). With such numbers, the daily carbon output from vehicles is staggering.
Hook and Wright (2002) calculated that a diesel-fueled car emits 172 grams of carbon per kilometer, while a gasoline-fueled car emits even more, 293 grams per kilometer. A four-stroke motorcycle emits 70 grams per kilometer, and a two-stroke motorcycle 118 grams per kilometer. If the vehicle carries more passengers or cargo, the emissions increase even further due to the heavier load.
In contrast, pedestrians and cyclists emit zero carbon emissions. Absolutely none. This is precisely why pedestrians and cyclists deserve to be recognized as the true environmental heroes of our time. (Sulung Prasetyo)
