Climate change is the world’s worst existential crises. To fight it, we must evoke our better selves and come together as a society. Nature has given us a gift which we have celebrated for years and the festivity is still on the move. Do we have another blue planet in the form of plan B? If yes, then will we be able to adapt to its atmosphere and make it as breathtaking as mother earth? We all should understand that we don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it form our progenies. We all don’t want our off springs using harsh tones and telling us “you knew it was coming and you didn’t do anything.”
“Nature has enough for a man’s need, but not for a man’s greed “
-Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
What exactly is climate change? Do we all know the difference between global warming and climate change? “Global warming” refers to the long-term warming of the planet. Global temperature shows a well-documented rise since the early 20th century and most notably since the late 1970s, and “Climate change” encompasses global warming, but refers to the broader range of changes that are happening to our planet. These include rising sea levels; shrinking mountain glaciers; accelerating ice melt in Greenland, Antarctica and the Arctic. Are we doing our part to an acceptable standard and paying back all the resources to nature? It gives us water and we give it droughts; it gives us food and we kill its children- plants and animals, it gives us clean air to breath and we give it pollution in return. We all are nature’s criminals and should feel the guiltiness required to owe this condition.
A NASA study suggests that the planet’s average surface temperature has risen about 0.9 degree C since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other man-made emissions into the atmosphere. Most of the warming has occurred in the past 35 years, with the five warmest years on record taking place since 2010. Not only was 2016 was the warmest year ever, but eight out of twelve months were the warmest on record for those respective months. If we don’t stop and continue to carry on as we are now, then we will soon reach a point of no return. With the predictable rise in ocean levels and the increasing global warming alarms soon some of the foremost countries will turn into unhabitable, barren lands. Global sea levels rose about 200mm in the last century. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century and is accelerating slightly every year. North pole and the south pole are almost on the verge of being ice free by 2040, which can cause humongous destruction. Arctic ice really matters as it acts as a huge shield which reflects solar warming back to space. Climate change is a simple but vital truth of this 21 centuries now. In Sanskrit a phrase called “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” which means the whole world is one family, to fight this climate crises we all must come together and join our hands to enrich each other’s capabilities and make it a collective effort to save our planet.Our gorgeous planet is on the brink of catastrophe. We are not getting it and still giving time and money to problems which we humans consider as bigger threats, such as egoism, casteism, racism, greed, political disagreement, power supremacy and gender inequality. If we don’t take consequential and significant steps and decisive actions in the next 10 to 20 years, the damage will have passed irreversible tipping points. Climate change is no longer a fear for the future, we are in the midst of an environmental crises. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, acidity of the oceans has increased about 30 percent. This situation is the result of all the humans emitting carbon footprints, which are being absorbed by the oceans by about 2 billion tons per year.
“In nature nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.”- let’s all respect these lines by Alice Walker and devote some of our precious time to prakriti (nature). one of the most shocking facts about climate is that we have lost almost 80 percent of our forests, and a garbage island is floating in our oceans, the size of India, Mexico and Europe combined mainly comprising plastic. We have used 50 percent of the natural resources which were provided by Earth and the rest will be used in no time we don’t tighten our socks to the fullest. Nature has been providing, protecting and delighting us for millions of years. There is an urgent need for us to return the balance to the nature with respect and harmony.
Besides all these some simple measure can make a difference in reducing the alarming rate of climate change and global warming.
Staying informed and updated will help in keeping the conversation going and sensitizing others too. Talk about environmental concerns and help people fuel up their enthusiasm. Next time the domestic help keeps the tap running, explain why it is important to conserve water. Decreasing your meat diet in favor of plant-based diet lowers our impact on the environment. Meat is responsible for 10 to 40 times more greenhouse emissions than other foods. Do not buy anything you do not need and do not throw away anything which you can reuse. Believe in minimalistic living. Becoming conscious for the waste you create can be extremely beneficial. Switch off devices that are not in use and remember to unplug them. Switch to LED lights. Run a washing machine or a dishwasher only for a full load, prefer a bucket to shower to save you tremendous amount of water. Walk, cycle, use car pools or public transport when possible. Put a little thought on how can we shift our mind set form unsustainable to sustainable living then we all can find enough ideas to save resources. Allow nature to maintain her resilience and keep life going in a manner we would like to cherish generation after generation. As the renowned poet Sylvia Stults wrote, “Protect what has been given for free
Our waters, skies, wildlife and trees For once they’re gone, don’t you say Consider yourself warned of that fatal day”
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