Saudamini Mahey
The theme to the 2017 edition of UN Environment’s biggest awareness-raising event of the year on 5th June is ‘connecting people with nature’, and it reminds us that we are very much a part of it. “Every mouthful of food, every breath of air is owed to nature. We depend on it. but do we realize this ?
We humans are already geoengineering our so pristine blue green earth and though the consequences of our interventions into Earth’s geophysical processes are yet to be determined, scientists say they’re so fundamental that our own existence is at stake already. The year 2016 made history, with a record global temperature, exceptionally low sea ice, and unabated sea level rise and ocean heat, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Extreme weather and climate conditions have continued into 2017. 2016 was the warmest on record – a remarkable 1.1 °C above the pre-industrial period, which is 0.06 °C above the previous record set in 2015.
Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion, cement production and other industrial processes are the major source of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, they account for about 68 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions. And the global impacts are drastic .
Arctic sea ice coverage, Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are melting. Unless checked, warming from emissions may trigger the irreversible meltdown of these in the coming decades, which would add to a seven meters rise in sea-level over some centuries and a major irreversible damage to the ecosystem beneath the ice .As climate change increases ocean temperature around the planet, not only are algae blooms becoming more common, but so are the dead zones that trigger the release of ammonia that poisons nearby marine life. These are becoming common globally due to something called hypoxia, or lack of oxygen due to rapid industrial growth over time and increased sewage run-off, which leads to a build of chemicals such as nitrogen and phosphorous. Warming ocean temperatures world-wide dredge up more nutrients from the ocean floor, which exacerbates the problem. Giant airstreams are circling the Earth, waving up and down between the Arctic and the tropics. These planetary waves transport heat and moisture. When these planetary waves stall, droughts or floods can occur. Warming caused by greenhouse-gases from fossil fuels creates favorable conditions for such events. The unprecedented 2016 California drought, the 2011 U.S. heatwave and 2010 Pakistan flood as well as the 2003 European hot spell all belong to a most worrying series of extremes. On February 20th 2017, the Government of South Sudan, the world’s newest nation, declared famine, becoming the first country to do so since 2012. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a 1,430-mile-long world heritage site visible from space, suffered the largest loss of corals ever recorded this year impacted by the coral-bleaching event to varying degrees. The bleaching event was due to higher-than-usual water temperatures in 2015 and 2016, caused by an El Niño event and global climate change. Cutting of 70% of mangroves in Philippines took a toll of 6000+ people in a 2013 typhoon as they protect coastline by reducing storm wave power .
The list of loss is endless globally .
Talking about India , it is both a major emitter of carbon – the fourth-largest in the world – and a nation especially vulnerable to climate change.
The findings of world bank on impact of a temperature increase from 2 to 4 degrees in India are really startling . India’s summer monsoon will become highly unpredictable with an extremely wet monsoon every 10 years. More frequent droughts especially in north-western India, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh. as well as greater flooding in large parts of India. India’s northwest coast to the south eastern coastal region could see higher than average rainfall. Crop yields are expected to fall significantly ,falling water tables, melting glaciers and the loss of snow cover over the Himalayas are expected to threaten the stability and reliability of northern India’s primarily glacier-fed rivers, particularly the Indus and the Brahmaputra Alterations in the flows of the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra rivers could significantly impact irrigation with a greater challenge to hydropower plants and thermal power generation Sea-level rise and storm surges would lead to saltwater intrusion in the coastal areas, impacting agriculture, degrading groundwater quality and contaminating drinking water. Kolkata and Mumbai, both densely populated cities, are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of sea-level rise, tropical cyclones, and riverine flooding. Big reason to worry.
No one knows how much warming is “safe”. What we do know is that climate change is already harming people and ecosystems.
But this is just the beginning. We need to act to avoid catastrophic climate change. Serious action plans are being formulated at the global level with India being an integral part of the change. To address climate change, countries adopted the Paris Agreement at the COP21 in Paris on 12 December 2015. The Agreement entered into force less than a year later. In the agreement, all countries agreed to work to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and given the grave risks, to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius. Implementation of the Paris Agreement is essential for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and provides a roadmap for climate actions that will reduce emissions and build climate resilience.
Researchers now are in favor of a carbon roadmap, driven by a simple rule of thumb or “carbon law” of halving emissions every decade and equally ambitious, exponential roll-out of renewables. For example, doubling renewables in the energy sector every 5-7 years, ramping up technologies to remove carbon from the atmosphere, and rapidly reducing emissions from agriculture and deforestation.
Researchers propose end of coal in 2030-2035 and oil between 2040-2045 according to their “carbon law. India needs greater access to adaptation funding and research to handle these threats. The Climate Policy Initiative of India estimates that meeting the national climate plans put forward at the Paris Climate Conference will require $13.5 trillion of investment in energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies. India aims to add 100 gigawatts of solar capacity to the country by 2022, and also harness wind energy as a suitable option. This achievement would be vital for the country to achieve its goals of sourcing 40 percent of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. Much of India’s climate future will be determined in its rapidly-expanding cities. With built-up urban areas rapidly becoming “heat-islands”, urban planners will need to adopt measures to counteract this effect by working around transportation systems, heating and cooling systems, energy systems, and the construction of new buildings
Investors and bankers are choosing a more inclusive green economy. Authorities and legislators are choosing to improve energy efficiency, building codes and operating standards. While small scale businesses, farmers and families are choosing better production and consumption habits, like less waste and smarter travel. Whether using solar panels or organic farming or planting trees to contributing to major activities globally , people are getting aware of the environmental concerns . Reduce, reuse and recycle is important not only in a 4th standard book but is the need of the hour . Its time for us to realize our responsibility save our environment and sustain our blue green planet for generations to come .
saudamini12340@gmail.com
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