Since 2020, amidst the Pandemic, most of humankind have been immured to their homes with a major thought such as: “when will life ever return to normal?” streaming across their mind. However, have people and office-bearers ever given the same sense of urgency to the genesis of blazing wildfires, persistent drought and the spate of hurricanes and landslides our planet experiences almost weekly? The root problem to these is the Climate Change Crisis. As the novel Coronavirus is affecting people quickly, it is undoubtedly scrutinized thoroughly, however, the repercussions of Climate Change are paving the path to greater long-term disaster that may ultimately dissolve the existence of our planet Earth.
Climate Change can be simply described as the long-lasting change in the Earth’s climate and weather patterns, in particular: modifications associated with significant increases in temperatures. There’s been a range of debates in Parliaments, Conferences and Global Institutions concerning the origins of this crisis. Senator Richard Shelby, Rep Robert Aderholt and Former President Donald Trump are among prominent party figures who have dismissed this and have consistently compelled our naïve citizens around the globe to rely on the notion that all the natural disasters we encounter are not man-made. However, scientists involved in research programs and laboratories have discovered evidence to validate that we, the ‘wiser’ race of our planet, are steadily tearing down our own abode. First and Foremost, Carbon dioxide emissions are skyrocketing as a result of burning fossil fuels to generate electricity worldwide. In addition to that, we contribute daily to this aggregation of Carbon Dioxide by our use of transport vehicles mostly for leisure, and also by the act of deforestation where we exploit timber from trees for “improving humanity’s lifestyle”- although, ultimately, the impact of deforestation is long-term and will gradually bring about the downfall of the luxurious lifestyle many are used to living in. But the question is why are Carbon dioxide emissions feared so much? This is because our atmosphere is made up of a series of gas molecules which are accountable for absorbing solar energy from the Sun and then reflecting it back on Earth, warming it. Carbon dioxide is one of the most primary greenhouse gas lingering about our atmosphere, so it is undoubtable that a soar of it will advance temperature levels to exceedingly high values.
Observing this piece of scientific evidence, in comparison to the preindustrial era, highlights that carbon dioxide masses have been continuing to advance till date. However, a limit should be placed on this surge in order to contain risen temperatures from compulsively yet implicitly poisoning us.
Global Warming being the gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere due to high carbon dioxide concentrations explicitly explains the fundamental effect of this change in climate. The recent floods in India are said to have been attributed by distorted rainfall patterns. Global Warming causes greater volumes of water in a vast number of seas and ocean to evaporate to the sky, thereby condensing into a plethora of clouds that pour quantities of rainfall down on Earth, hence; excessive rain may lead to a rapid rise in sea levels that would undoubtedly and ultimately lead to floods: a massive predicament that diminishes the existence of homes and is the main grounds as to why a fraction of our globe’s population reside in poverty or seek asylum as refugees in other regions. The meltdown of ice sheet and glaciers in the North and South Pole are also factors of flooding in the sense that when most of these iced zones convert to water, they add to the ocean and sea level : thereby inadvertently increasing the tendency of flood. In addition to that, melting of ice in the Antarctic and Artic is a crucial setback to the acceleration of Global Warming since ice, being white, shiny and virtually transparent; play a key role in reflecting the sun’s radiation away from land: thereby preventing the planet from warming up further. However, by 2030, a claim made by most biologists and science experts that, “there shall be no Artic nor Antarctic,” simply reinstates that the rise in temperature is inevitable. But notably of all and yet the direst of all is the drought caused as a result of extreme dry weather. Being universally defined as the prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall leading to a shortage of water, we can instantly gather from this that a loss of food is unavoidable. This is because torridness would force a decrease in crop yield as geological conditions for farmers to grow produce for an ‘8 billion population,’ goes clattered. Hence, regardless of your economic stance whether it’s: underdeveloped, developing or even developed- anyone is prone to suffer the threat of famine. As a result, this quandary would lead to social inequalities such as: poverty, ailment or even gender inequality, as traditional entities like China for instance, are likely to commit infanticide, (the killing of girl babies at birth when there are too many members in the family to provide for) like they did from 1979 when the One-Child Policy was put into action.
In spite of the escalating Carbon dioxide emissions, we should “inhale the courage and exhale the fear,” especially in a day and age where expanding technology has eased the way we live and work. A recent New York Times column seems to imply that “ renewable energy investments set back efforts to address climate change” and that’s why governments across the world anticipate to replace their fossil fuel industry with renewable energy sources such as: solar panels in sunny regions and wind turbines in breezy zones. As a result, since these methods emit less pollutants to the atmosphere; the carbon footprint declines thereby eventually stabilizing temperatures. Although nations such as: India and Indonesia have proudly begun implementing clean-energy, most nations are skeptical due to the high costs global economies may have to incur over this. However, if as stated by the NRDC organization, “if all the nations start using wind and solar energy, its prices would decline rapidly as renewable energy becomes increasingly competitive with coal and fossil fuels” So by striving and continuing to expand on renewable energy over the long-run, it may ultimately become cheaper than the tad-archaic, inefficient and non-eco-friendly fossil fuels and coal that we burn on a daily basis.
In addition to that, it is essential to start replace conventional vehicles that operate on burning gasoline, (refined petroleum used as fuel for internal combustion engines; petrol) with electric vehicles that operate on rechargeable batteries. Therefore, with Electric Automobiles not belching Carbon Dioxide out to the atmosphere; the potential risk of Global Warming can be significantly plummeted. But grievingly, these strategies cannot be achieved due to the widespread opposition to Climate Change actually being an issue. So as enthusiasts and believers in a seamless and sustainable world, we can most certainly commit to one thing: make our voices heard….
“ The starting point of all achievement is desire.” Therefore it is our responsibility as individuals to express our desires in the form of rallies that would strive to persuade leaders; in the form of philanthropic organizations where people collectively invest in projects to launch a mitigation program; or even through films such as: Environmental documentaries of Sir David Attenborough which serve to inform people how important our surroundings are to us and also remind us that our homes are on the path to destruction and that if we don’t do anything now, we’re literally doomed. Hence, despite being one of the worst challenges humanity has ever faced; collective effort from the world can thwart the issue.
Janani Kandarmage
Elizabeth Moir School