Climate change: The tipping point

The scientists for the last decades have been issuing warning statements that if immediate and appropriate steps are not taken to mitigate the process of Global Warming - climate change, the situation tomorrow shall reach a point of no return. The global leaders while acknowledging the effects of the global warming have done nothing constructive to avert the looming crisis except provide lip service. Feet dragging seem to be the order of the day.

Today, the tomorrow we were warned about, is already here at our door steps.  Global warming - Climate change has already begun its campaign against the human race. We are now crossing the tipping point. Glaciers and ice caps on the two arctic poles are melting at an alarming rate, Volcano’s are erupting everywhere, heat waves such as the one now prevailing in the pacific north western parts of north America and Europe are a daily phenomenon worldwide, forests are on fire around the globe, earth quakes are more frequent, either draughts and or floods are ravaging nations and covid virus on the other hand is taking a devastating toll of human lives.

None of the labs, in any country whatsoever, involved with developing and producing bio-logical weapons have admitted that the corona virus is from their labs. So where did this virus emerge from? The only logical answer is that it must have evolved from nature, assisted and accelerated by global warming. It has been recently discovered that the corona virus is also infecting household pets and zoo animals. Very soon, it may reach the animals in the wild and when this happens, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Many a Prophets had said, the earth has life and that it should be treated with respect. In the old books it is also said that planet earth, similar to other living creatures, also has a life of its own. It too has an anatomy similar to other life forms. When a human body feels warm, the body releases perspiration to cool it. Human body has fat, muscles and varieties of organs for protection and sustaining itself. Earth too has fat, muscles and organs meaning; oil, gas, coal and many other minerals stored in its body as it needs them to sustain itself. It is estimated that lightning’s strikes the earth over a million times per minute to energize it. Similar to humans, earth too needs and survives on energy. Human heart requires some nano volts to keep it going and similarly the earth also needs energy to keep it healthy. Lightning strikes are one of the many ways it energizes itself.

Mining oil, gas and other minerals from earth is directly weakening the earth’s capacity to sustain itself. On the other hand use of fossil fuel for power generation and industries, particularly the coal based ones; continue to increase and causing colossal damage to the earth atmosphere. Sadly some countries continue to and are aggressively expanding fossil fuel based power stations. Japan, India and China continue to passionately facilitating these fossil fuels, particularly coal based power Plants by providing financial and construction facilities.

Development of renewable energy, Solar and Wind has been just promises with no significant results on the ground. Nations are promoting electric vehicles to cut emissions; however the question remains; from what energy source these electric vehicles will operate. If from existing fossil fuel generators, certainly shall cause more pressure to increase production capacities.

Humans are ravaging the planet by pumping out oil, gas, digging for coal, iron ore, other materials, denuding forests and water ways, rivers and oceans are being polluted by plastic. These are essential items - organs for planets health similar to the human body. Humans have become a cancer on earth, plundering every resource for profit and convenience and, the population is multiplying at an alarming rate. 

Nature exists by maintaining and preserving balance in everything. When this balance is disturbed, it moves to correct it.

Nations use approximately thirty five percent of electricity produced for lighting alone. If every nation could reduce this by even a quarter, the mother earth would greatly appreciate it.

It is already late but not too late to take meaningful actions that would mitigate the global warming – climate change. We should wake up to the fact that time is not far when the we shall be witnessing coastal cities drowning from the rising oceans, agriculture land destroyed by persistent draughts causing global food shortages leading violence and mass uprisings amongst population, temperatures rising to unbearable levels,  forests burnt to ashes. We are heading towards all these if immediate steps, on war footing are not taken by world leaders.

Planet earth is our home and provides us with sustenance. We should amend our ways and learn to live with respect and conformity with Mother Nature and Earth. We should avail its resources in a sustainable manner and stop plundering and waste. If we fail to do so, humanity will perish.

In the context of universal time, a million year is nothing for the planet Earth. It will shake and cleanse itself of the human cancer and once again recover from the damage caused. We, the humans in the meanwhile shall perish and ceased to exist.

The author is an environmentalist