gLoBaL wArMiNg

“It’s the Final Countdown…” goes the famous song by a Swedish rock band. A similar countdown is running discreetly but dangerously indicating dire consequences for planet Earth if its citizenry continues to ignore the threats that the demon of global warming poses to itself. Global warming, in a nutshell, is the phenomenon of the rise in temperature of the earth’s surface due to the emission of “heat trapping” gases on the earth. According to the Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a UN body, a temperature rise of 0.74 degrees Celsius has occurred in the last century. To add to our woes, a continued increase of 0.2 degree Celsius is projected if emissions continue uninhibited at their current rate.
Although the world has come a long way due to the boon of Industrialization, the development has also had its adverse effects on the environment. The “heat trapping” gases or greenhouse gases, as they are called comprise of water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone and methane. These gases are necessary for survival of living beings but an excess of them has endangered our very existence. In the century and a half of the post –Industrialization era, we have managed to add humungous amounts of greenhouse gases to the environment by way of burning huge quantities of carbon fuels, by large scale deforestation to accommodate the ever increasing population and industries and by various other means. The gases that trap the sun rays on the earth and protect it from extremely low temperatures are themselves causing a rise in temperature levels due to their excess capacity. The main causative agent of global warming is carbon dioxide (CO2) which is present in the fossil fuels. These fossil fuels are burnt extensively for a variety of purposes thereby leading to a disruption in the carbon levels of the atmosphere and unalterable changes in the fabric of global climate. As per statistics, the atmospheric levels of CO2 are rising at an alarming rate of 10 percent every 20 years.
The rise in the atmospheric temperature happens to be just one of the fallouts of global warming. There has been a rise in the water levels in oceans across the globe. Many cities situated across the coastal lines will see themselves being wiped from the
global map if the sea water levels continue their upward trend. The melting glaciers and ice caps make matters worse as the water from these sources meets the oceans and hence add to the water levels there. The migration from coastal areas will exert additional pressure on the infrastructure at other places. Destruction of natural habitat due to global warming can lead to the extinction of a large number of animal and plant species. We are witnessing extreme climate changes in the form of cyclones, floods, famines etc. In the run up to the event in Copenhagen, a policy brief prepared by the Washington based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) carries a warning that such climatic changes can cause a corresponding decline in the agricultural harvest and hence worsen the food security of the world. The developing economies of the world will be the hardest hit. Water scarcity is another issue that has tremendous repercussions for the globe since global warming intensifies the already acute problem of scarce water resources. The UNESCO issued The UN World Water Development Project 2009 and highlighted the link between global warming and water worries. All the issues mentioned can lead to tension and conflicts between people and hence deteriorate the social fabric of countries.
A joint effort has been initiated by the UN under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to bring together leaders from across the globe in order to chalk out appropriate strategies to counter global warming. To further the agenda of action on global warming, the Kyoto Protocol came into realization. This protocol is an agreement which binds all the signatories to certain levels of greenhouse (GHG) emissions and emission reductions. Under the agreement, the signatories can achieve their emission targets using various flexible tools such as Emissions trading, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation. The report by IFPRI states that research must be carried out to improve the understanding of the interaction between climate change and agriculture and find cost effective ways of reducing agriculture’s contribution to GHG emissions. The goal should be to find and fund the most cost effective ways to help the poor adapt to the changes in the agricultural practices. We need to encourage the usage of carbon free fuels and reduce dependence on carbon-rich fuels like oil and gasoline. Investments in alternative fuels and technologies to reduce emissions are the need of the hour. Increasing dependence on wind power and solar energy can not only help us harness the natural sources of energy but also make the world a better place to live in. Incentivizing production of crops that provide bio-fuels can prove to be a very important solution but it should not be done at the cost of food crops. Increasing emphasis on bio-fuels is thought to be one of the reasons for the recent spurt in food prices across the globe. Educational and awareness initiatives at the local and social level can bring about a great deal of change in the attitude of people and help them understand the consequences of global warming. Experts spanning the domains of climate, ecology, technology, business, engineering and economics need to come together and address the issue of global warming that plagues the entire globe.
The challenge of sustainable development stares us in the face and the only way to tackle it is through the unification of the world and by erasing the differences of income, religion and geography. The show of solidarity by the entire world will be the saving grace in the testing times that we find ourselves in.