Climate Change: Is Man Suicidal in Killing the Earth?

Dr Baljeet warns us of the recklessness of humans towards climate change. The situation is bleak for our blue-green planet. Is anyone listening? – an exclusive for Different Truths.

Climate disturbances have become a common phenomenon across the world in recent times. They also occurred earlier, but their frequency and intensity of destruction were comparatively far less. Frequent and deadly climate changes had their genesis in the Industrial Revolution, i.e., the process of setting up the industries of different commodities started in the latter half of the 18^th century and, in a way, is continuing.

It led to the large-scale production of various kinds of goods to fulfil the needs of a growing population in the world. With time this enormous surplus production ultimately gave a great impetus to international trade and hence added to the economic richness of the nations. The abundance of wealth undoubtedly made life more comfortable and enjoyable with the facilities and luxuries.

But unfortunately, and bemoaning, this rapid industrial growth with all development there has, at the same time, unleashed such toxic substances that have poisoned the atmosphere and posed a severe threat to the existing life on this planet. Large quantities of fossil fuels such as coal and oil are burnt to run these mushrooming mega industries. This combustion process emits dangerous and poisonous gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, etc., collectively known as greenhouse gases.  Carbon dioxide constitutes a significant proportion of them all. This, in turn, leads to extreme warming of the planet earth at an alarming rate. Then the flowing of chemical pollutants from these gargantuan factories poisons water resources and land. Thus, putting the existing life and biodiversity in jeopardy.

The earth’s rising temperature has led to extreme weather conditions resulting in deadly wildfires, devastating floods, severe droughts, massive landslides, melting glaciers on the poles and rising sea levels. In recent times California, Amazon, Spain, Greece, and Turkey have been engulfed in ravaging wildfires. Due to extreme heat, if thawing permafrost takes place, more emissions of methane – a very poisonous gas that traps heat more than carbon dioxide – would result in catastrophic consequences. Today, one-third of Pakistan, many parts of China and the Philippines have been submerged by heavy flooding. Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones have become frequent occurrences now-a- days playing havoc with the lives of the people. Climate scientists are also concerned about the stability of the Gulf Stream (ocean current) that originates from the Gulf of- Mexico and bring warm water to the Atlantic Ocean, flowing to the east coast of America and Canada and then entering west of Europe, keeping the temperature warmer in winter and cooler in summer in these regions. If its stability changes due to rising temperature, it could impact rainfalls in India, South America, and West Africa, resulting in food shortages, and could lead to a rise in Eastern North America sea level.

Meteorologists, climatologists, and geologists have warned for a long time of the impending dangers of global warming and suggested means and measures to avert it. They indicated that cutting emissions of greenhouse gases, using green energy to fossil fuels, reforestation, absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and restoration of wetlands are essential to important and viable measures that could prevent the catastrophic consequences of the soaring temperature of the earth. In the Paris Agreement of 2015, a legally binding international UN treaty on climate change, it was decided to limit global warming below two degrees and preferably to 1.5 degree Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. But since then, the respective governments have taken no concrete steps to achieve that goal.

In 2018, Greta Thunberg, a teenage Swedish schoolgirl, skipped school and sat outside Sweden’s parliament house to protest world leaders’ insensitivity to the devastating climate changes. While speaking at a climate change event in New York, she exploded her anger with these words: “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words…we are at the beginning of mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money, and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!” Her impressive and impassioned speech left the shameless leaders speechless and inspired millions of youngsters to join her movement, ‘Fridays for Future,’ to protect this life-sustaining planet.

United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on climate change clearly warned in its report (August 8 2021) that climate changes are rapid and intensifying. Heat waves have become more common, and the earth’s temperature is likely to shoot up to 1.5 Degrees Celsius in this decade than earlier predicted. Some changes have crossed the tipping point and are now irreversible, like rising sea levels. On September 5 2022, Oxfam, a privately funded international organisation, revealed shocking data on hunger linked to climate change in the ten most affected countries – Afghanistan, Niger, Kenya, Madagascar, Somalia, Guatemala, Haiti, Burkina Faso and Djibouti and Zimbabwe. “48 million people”, points out the report, “across those countries suffer acute hunger, and 18 million of them are on the brink of starvation”.

The situation is indeed very grave. We are sitting on top of a shouldering volcano that can erupt anytime and engulf us all. The eruption signs are visible, and time is running out very fast. Climate change is a solely human activity-induced crisis and, at the present stage, seems hardly to be averted altogether. Excessive greed of the big corporate to earn more and more profit by exploiting the natural resources; consumerism; indifferent attitude and insensitivity of the power-hungry corrupt politicians towards abuse of the natural resources as they are hand in glove with the capitalists and inaction on the part of the bureaucrats are significant factors responsible for climate disturbances.

Professor Clive Hamilton of Australian National University aptly comments: “Humanity’s determination to transform the planet for its material benefit is now backfiring on us most spectacularly….” To quote the same author again: “Politicians, business executives and climate sceptics who are largely responsible for delaying action against global warming until it became too late.”

Given the circumstances, at this juncture, it would not be out of place to remark that pace and intensity of climate change can only be slowed down, but hardly averted, by resorting to the measures suggested by climatologists. Let us hope some tangible results will follow the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) going to be held on November 6, 2022, in Egypt.

Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths