Global warming and the Kyoto Box

Covering Greenland's ice with reflective cloth, dumping iron compounds in the ocean to cause algae growth and reduce CO₂, putting thousands of small lenses into space to dim the sun's rays- these are few of the more radical ways that scientists have suggested to combat global warming. Impressive though they might seem, most of these ideas are just not feasible enough to be taken seriously.Yet the effects of global warming are increasing day by day, even as I write this. It is thus a situation where we are trying to clean up the mess we have made but seem to lack the tools for the job. And so, it's really heartening to see people coming up with simple little solutions to a problem which seems too large to contain. The Kyoto Box, developed by Jon Bohmer, is one such solution.

The Kyoto Box is probably the simplest, cheapest, most portable solar cooker ever.

It consists of 5 parts - two different sized cardboard boxes, aluminium foil, black paint and a transparent cover. The simplicity of its box-in-box construction can be clearly seen from the picture. The space between the two boxes may be filled with easily available insulating material like straw, and the cover helps trap the

heat inside(taste of your own medicine, Global Warming?!). The Kyoto Box can be used to purify water and cook food. It can be packed flat so that thousands can fit in the back of a truck, and given its low cost, might prove to be a boon to

millions who still use firewood for cooking.

The obvious advantages of using this innovative device include reduction in CO₂emissions and less deforestation, not to mention saving thousands who would otherwise succumb to smoke inhalation from indoor cooking( According to the WHO,1.6 million people die this way every year).

The manufacturers claim that temperatures inside the box can reach more than 150^oC on a sunny day, but even a temperature lower than 100^oC is enough to yield reasonably clean water and pasteurize food, as shown by the scale below.

Out of the box designs like the Kyoto Box are proof that we don't need to use cutting edge technology and spend millions to fight worldwide environmental crises. Of course, it is not a quick fix that will drastically reduce our impact on the planet, but it surely is one of the small but effective steps we can take to keep that impact in check.