Climate Change – Strangling Mother Earth to Slow Death
1. Super cyclones like Amphan & Tauktae in the nearby area of India, severe droughts all over the world. Incessant & Irregular rains, flooding of coastal areas & worsening air pollution. With these as indicators it is visibly evident that the threat of Climate Change is aggravating day by day.
2. Climate Change : It is the long-term change in average weather patterns of the earth. The key factors include the rise in average temperature of the earth, rising sea levels and maybe the declining average life span of humans.
3. These changes are mainly influenced by human activities like burning of fossil fuels. These increase greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere which raise the temperature of earth’s surface. This results in global warming which as a phenomenon has its own negative impact on the ecology.
4. Major Causes.
(a) Burning of Fossil Fuels : These include the burning of conventional fuels like wood, oil, gas & coal. These fuels add to the existing greenhouse gases and this causes global warming. Though the greenhouse effect is essential to life on earth, human made emissions are trapping extra heat and reducing heat loss to space.
(b) Land Pollution : Rampant use of chemical fertilizers & pesticides to increase the yield of crops is another cause of Climate Change. Land Pollution causes soil degradation and contaminates the water table. This chain reaction further impacts the forest cover. Thereby reducing the absorption of the carbon dioxide.
(c) Deforestation : Cutting down forests is evident to create farms, infrastructure etc. As a result, carbon remains persistent in the atmosphere. This indicates that deforestation limits nature’s ability to keep emissions out of the atmosphere.
(d) Growing energy needs : The need for energy and personal vehicles is worsening the air quality of the atmosphere which is one of the major causes of greenhouse gas increase. There is now almost a sense among people that all this is just a part of life in the city.
5. Effect on developing Countries.
Clearly the most affected countries are the ones which are developing. Development and Climate Change are interlinked. Recent example of Jakarta, which is sinking due to the rise in the sea level. Rising sea level is a result of Climate Change. It is displacing the population of developing countries to high lying areas. Especially in coastal areas. Developing countries are involved in race for development. Rampant use of fossil fuels for energy requirements, transportation and industrialization are prevalent and are contributing in Climate Change.
6. Further, due to Climate Change there is irregular rainfall. This results in reduced crop production and in turn hampers food security. The water security of the developing nations is also disturbed due to Climate Change. Needless to say that the health of the local population is also affected due to all the factors discussed above.
7. Conclusion : Developed nations need to revisit their policies in order to mitigate impacts of Climate Change by providing financial assistance to developing countries. With this aid the developing countries can develop their infrastructure. This infra will be for electric vehicles. Also, flex fuel infra & solar energy based. The Green Grid initiative is also a good idea on these lines. Idea discussed during the International Solar Alliance of 2018. ISA is a brainchild of India itself.
For more informative blogs visit www.medhinienergies.com.