Global warming is peaking and Singaporeans are responsible.

Attended by about 150 professionals and students, “CNN Future Summit: Saving Planet Earth” held on Dec. 12 at the Esplanade Recital Studio discussed about saving Earth from the dire consequences of climate change.

Hosted by CNN anchor and correspondent Richard Quest, the summit examined the future of the world and what can be done to prevent the potentially calamitous outcome.

Scientists have concluded that the late 20th century was the warmest period on record after examining temperature data from the last 1,000 years.

According to a Feb. 2 United Nations press release, the increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, is the result of more than two centuries of human activities.

Although climate change is continuous, it is not irreversible.

Icelandic president and summit panellist, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, said, “We already have the technology that can be used to prevent this from happening.”

With all the gloom and doom, there is still a glimmer of hope.

However, as much as I believe we can reverse the trend, I remain sceptical. And I am not alone.

Less than a quarter of the people at the summit admitted to changing their lifestyles to show that they care for the environment.

Hearing the panellists discussed issues such as the need to act before it is too late helps convey a sense of urgency.

But one observation is that more talks and discussions about climate change do not translate to implementation of practical solutions.

Take Singapore as a starting point.

A switch from fossil fuels to alternative fuels is an insurmountable task because the energy industries and transportation networks have been designed to run on petroleum, diesel and natural gas.

And because of the way technology has been designed to harness the maximum efficiency of fossil fuels, it is a simple fact that no other substitute sources of energy have been able to replicate that efficiency.

Case in point: Formula One racing, coming to Singapore next year, would not be as exciting if they were to run on solar power.

Moreover, economic competitiveness is dependent on efficiency and this is where politicians cannot agree on long-term energy choices because every nation wants to protect their own economic interests.

As stated by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore would do everything to fight global warming but not at the expense of economic development.

The leaders at the Bali climate talks have come to a consensus to be fully committed to act now, but the idea of a single policy to combat climate change is not acceptable due to varying needs of different countries.

I have often been told by my pastor that a leader cannot lead where he has not been to, and he cannot expect his followers to do something he has not done before.

I hope to see something planned and executed by these leaders.

At the same time, the converse holds true that if normal people cannot change their lifestyles on their own accord to take proactive measures to combat climate change, the leaders and their high-level discussions would only become pawns.

The bottom-line is that we have had enough of talking.

It is time for the majority, such as the three-quarters of summit attendees, to become convinced and convicted to start changing their lifestyles and not wait for another talk to be finalised.