|
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
| |
| Soaring temperatures. Fierce
cyclones and hurricanes. Earthquakes
and tsunamis that unleash
monumental devastation. Icecaps
melting. Glaciers doing a vanishing
trick. Rivers in every part of the world
surging with flood. Coastal cities and
towns vanishing under the onslaught
of 40 foot high tidal waves. These
macabre events are not from the
realm of any Hollywood film, it is just
a short list of ways by which global
warming threatens to wreck havoc on
mankind. |
We are not even talking about a far off future; global
warming is the clear and present danger that has
already started impacting the lives of many communities
and countries. The world is reeling under an onslaught
of drought, flooding, disease, hurricanes, starvation,
unbearable heat, and so much more. Some of the top
scientists in the world believe that it is the phenomenon
of global warming that is responsible for the crazy weather
patterns that Earth has been home to of late.
But what is global warming? Just about anyone with
access to a newspaper, TV or Internet knows that global
warming means the temperature of earth is going up due
to man made causes. There’s no dearth of people getting
hyper-excited about it. Scientists, politicians, film stars,
industrialists and celebrity socialites dominate the global
warming debate. Sadly the debate and warnings doesn’t
seem to be resonating with the average population. The
campaigners are talking, but no one seems to be listening.
Scientists believe that CO2 (carbon dioxide) is the biggest
single contributing factor to global warming. So what’s
spewing all that CO2 in the air? What else, but mankind and his toys. These include automobiles,
huge electricity generating facilities,
planes, ships, factories and various
manufacturing industries dotted all over
the globe. The only way to curtail global
warming is by regulating such industrial
activity, decreasing consumption, and
by using natural resources. That calls for
sacrifices on the part of all of us. We must
give up the unnecessary luxuries that
we’ve become accustomed to.
Unfortunately, that is a major part of the
problem. How do you make people stop
using cars, air-conditioning, etc? During
the last two centuries, the human race
seems to have made progress at a pace
that is proving to be too rapid for the
planet to digest. The population during
this period has soared to more than 6
billion and it is still rising at a frenetic
pace. To meet the needs of the rising
population new industries, townships,
slums, agricultural farms, etc., are coming
up all the time. But there is only so much
load that the earth can bear before its
natural cycle collapses into a fatal tipping
point. And once a person has experienced
a certain level of lifestyle it is hard for them
to change their ways even if it is better in
the long run. |
 |
T he critical threshold at which any
small change in human activity can
have potentially catastrophic long term
consequences for the Earth’s climate
system is described by the term ‘tipping
point’. With their penchant for coming
up with smooth projections of global
warming, foolish optimists are lulling
people into a false sense of security. But
it seems increasingly likely that the final
chapter may not be smooth at all. In
certain parts of the world anthropogenic
interventions into the climate system
could kick start abrupt and potentially
irreversible changes resulting in the death
of millions and a great financial loss.
The next 100 years could prove to be very
critical for humanity. If we don’t manage to
cut down on industrial emissions in a big
way, a number of elements in earth’s cycle
could get tipped leading to catastrophic
consequences. The biggest tipping point
could be the melting of the Arctic sea
ice and the decay of the Greenland’s
ice sheet. Scientists around the globe
are expecting the ice cover at the Arctic
and at Greenland to melt due to global
warming. In his seminal documentary,
An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore has aptly
described how the melting of this huge
quantity of ice could lead to 40-foot high
tidal waves in the world’s prime coastal
areas.
Another tipping point could be the
collapse of South Asia’s monsoon cycle.
There are eminent scientists who believe
that the monsoons, which are driven by
land to ocean pressure gradient, could
become erratic and in the worst case start
to chaotically change between an active
and a weak phase during the next ten
years. If we look into the record of the last
couple of years, then it becomes obvious
that the monsoons have already turned
erratic. They cause heavy rains and
flooding at one part of the country, while
other parts hardly receive any rainfall. And
if the situation deteriorates any further then
India could face unimaginable economic,
social and environmental upheaval.
The rain forests in Africa and in South
America constitute another major tipping
point. Rapid deforestation in these
areas, in the name of clearing land for
agriculture, industries and for habitation,
has caused warming of the local climate
and that in turn has led to massive decline
in precipitation levels. There are scientific
studies, which prove that rainfall in Africa
and South America has reduced by more
than 30%. Now the climate of these forests
has turned into a vicious cycle, reduced
rainfall leads to dying out of trees and hence further deforestation, which in
turn leads to more heat. If the global
temperatures were to rise by another 3-4
degrees then the rain forests of the world
could die out in a period of 50 years.
But the tipping point that has the
power to cause maximum damage is the
one that envisages the disruption of the
North Atlantic current. The circulation
of sea currents from the Atlantic to the
North Atlantic is critical for regulation
of the planet’s temperature. But as
global warming leads to melting of
icecaps, which in turn lead to increase in
freshwater flowing into the sea, there is a
decrease in the density of the seawater.
The flow of seawater is directly linked to
its density, so any change in that aspect of
it could severely disrupt the flow of ocean
currents. We may have a future where
sea level in the North Atlantic region
might rise as a consequence of which the
tropical rain belt might get shifted.
Global warming is so dangerous for
mankind because it is capable of tipping
the climate systems in different regions
of the world. According to a recent study,
the percentage of Earth’s surface suffering
drought has more than doubled since the
1970s. Global warming causes higher
temperatures that bake moisture out of
soil faster, causing dry regions that live at
the margins to cross the line and turn into
a stark windswept desert. The last few
years have seen a massive increase in the
frequency of El Niño type of events, which
is primarily caused by warm pooling
of the Pacific waters. And it is not just
human beings that are suffering; the hot,
dry temperature is proving as lethal to the planet’s flora and fauna.
|
| |
Some of the top
scientists in the
world believe
that it is the
phenomenon
of
global warming
that is responsible
for the
crazy
weather patterns
that Earth has
been home to of
late. |
| |
| Some studies say that one species get
extinct every hour primarily due to global
warming. The bio-diversity of the planet
has already crossed its tipping point.
Plants, animals, fungi, and all sorts of life
that existed on this planet for millions
of years have started disappearing into
the mists of time. Those that manage to
survive have to struggle very hard for their
existence. Even fish living in the oceans are
getting depleted at a rate at which they can
never be naturally replenished. The fact is
that marine life is extremely sensitive to
changes in temperature. When
temperature rises or falls by even
a few degrees it can prove lethal
to many schools of fish. |
The answer to the question is
that all of us are responsible
for the rapid change in global
temperatures, but it is those
living in the cities that make
copious amounts of consumption
of industrial products that are
more to blame. The earth’s
climate is rising unnaturally,
thanks to the over-consumption
of oil, gas and coal that has left
incredibly large amounts of
carbon dioxide trapped in the
earth’s atmosphere. The build
up of these greenhouse gases
has become so large that it
has completely destroyed the
natural system of controlling and
regulating global temperature.
Power plants that generate
electricity around the world are the
biggest polluters; they contribute to
approximately 40% of all man made CO2
emissions. The next time you switch on the
light or the TV, you have to remember that
the electricity you use along with millions
of others results in tons of carbon being
pumped into the sky. The second biggest
polluter is the automobile industry. There
are three billion vehicles in the world
today, and that means one vehicle for
every two people. In US, automobiles
cause 20% of the carbon dioxide emissions.
In India the number of automobiles is still
not very large, but with the rapid growth
in the Indian economy and that of other
Asian economies the CO2 emissions are
expected to skyrocket, leading to even
faster pace of global warming.
Another culprit is the airline industry.
Thousands of airplanes flying around the
globe, day after day, year after year, are
contributing more than 10% of the CO2
emissions. But the problem is that even if
you don’t use an airplane or a car, you still
end up polluting. Houses, by themselves,
are a big source of CO2 emission. And
that is because houses are mainly built
to burn oil, or run on coal. In most houses,
coal is used for electricity because it is the
cheapest and most abundant resource.
The problem with houses is compounded
by the fact that most of them are build
very incompetently. They are extremely
energy inefficient, due to their improper ventilation and insulation.
Then there is the gang of global
warming deniers, who are being funded
by big governments and private industrial
interests. These global warming deniers
refuse to accept that there is any problem
with the rising global temperatures; their
attitude is almost similar to that of the big
tobacco that once vehemently denied the
association between cigarette smoking
and lung cancer. In fact, George W
Bush’s presidency in US has proved to be
particularly devastating for Environmental
Protection Rights, while being highly
lucrative for the vested interests that can
profit from the loss of such protection.
But Bush is not the only politician who
can be accused of paying lip service to
the environment. Almost every nation
around the globe has chosen to ignore the
threat of global warming. Be it US, China,
India, Brazil or Japan, none of the nations
are ready to do what is needed to control
the rise in temperatures before things
get completely out of control. Lobbying
by moneybags in industries such as
oil, coal, mining, logging, aviation, auto
manufacturers have seen to it that the
pesky environmental laws will never get
in the way of business and money.
It was way back in December 1997 that
representatives of industrial nations had
met in Kyoto, Japan, and agreed to make
every effort to reduce their collective
emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2%
from 1990 levels by the period 2008 to
2012. But the Kyoto protocol failed to take
off. If all nations in the world honestly
adhered to the agreement then that
would have helped in curbing the menace
of global warming. The problem is that
no nation is ready to make a sacrifice in
order to save the planet. We just want to
continue to wallow in a lifestyle subsumed
of consumption and luxury. |
There is no doubt that the dangers of
global warming have vastly accelerated
during the last two decades during which
the planet has been inflicted with an
unrepentant orgy of industrial activity.
Warmer temperatures have started
playing havoc with the climate patterns
around the world. Storms are becoming far
more violent, and they are more frequent
and totally unpredictable. Hurricanes
have already begun to hit land with more
force than ever before. As water bodies
shrink, and rainfall becomes scanty, the
world’s deserts are creeping outwards.
In the years to come the trend is expected
to get worse. It is time to put this question
to ourselves - Is it already too late? Can
anything be done to thwart the juggernaut
of global warming? It may be true that
global warming cannot be stopped
completely, but if everyone learns about
the problem, they will be able to make
more educated choices, and understand
other conservation issues at the same
time.
Here are a few changes in our lifestyle
that each one of us can incorporate to help
reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and
other greenhouse gases being released,
into our atmosphere day after day: Ditch
that car and start walking or riding a
bicycle. I know just how extreme this
idea sounds. But the fact is that our cars
are endangering the fragile ecosystem of
the planet. Every time you take out that
car, you spew a certain amount of CO2,
which is a major culprit behind global
warming. Then there are the plethora of
electrical appliances that clutter our lives.
To thwart global warming we have to
conserve energy. Best way to conserve is
to use electrical appliances as sparingly
as possible. Turn off the lights, computers,
appliances and TVs when not in use. Buy
only energy efficient appliances. Recycle
everything that can be recycled.
|
| 1.Since 1880 average temperatures have
climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree
Celsius) around the world. |
| 2.A number of climate studies suggest
that the 20th century’s last two decades
were the hottest in 400 years and possibly
the warmest for several millennia. |
| 3. Average temperatures in Alaska,
western Canada, and eastern Russia have
risen at twice the global average. |
| 4. Montana’s Glacier National Park now
has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910.
Glaciers and mountain snows in other parts
of world are also rapidly melting. |
| 5.The IPCC February report projects that
sea level could rise between 7 and 23 inches
(18 to 59 centimeters) by century’s end. |
| 6. More than a million species face
extinction from disappearing habitat,
changing ecosystems, and acidifying oceans. |
| |
|
|
| In order to save the planet a fierce political campaign has to be launched. Vote only for politicians who are strong on environmental issues. These nations have to be forced by their voters to endorse the Kyoto Protocol and also pass stringent legislation to regulate the environment. Maybe it is time for United Nations to enter the picture and start levying an international tax on all petroleum products. This tax should be sufficiently high to force consumers to get serious about finding alternative sources. Only by leading a simpler life can we make the lives of our children better. |
| |
| Almost every
nation around the
globe has chosen
to ignore the
threat of global
warming. Be it
US, China, India,
Brazil or Japan,
none of the nations
are ready to do
what is needed
to control the rise
in temperatures
before things get
completely out of
control. |
| |
|
|
|
