GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

AUM THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE By Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant,VSM
Man has made a tremendous progress in the last century. His lifestyle has changed. He lives comfortably and controls Nature in the vicinity for his own good. However, little does he realise that worldly comforts of today may spell global disaster for Mankind tomorrow.It is a known fact that when a nation wishes to make progress, it needs energy. Energy is the hallmark of both a developed nation and a developing nation.When energy is produced or consumed, there are emissions that cause global warming. Now the advanced nations are the root cause of this global warming in a big way. It is they who have to control emissions of green house gases to minimise global warming to save the world from deterioration and eventual destruction.
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
In the last decade or so the climate of the world has undergone a change. This change is affecting population of the entire world adversely. Sometimes there is no rainfall at all, sometimes the rainfall is so excessive that it causes destruction of houses and roads. Not only this,the same situation arises with snowfall too. moreover, the rainy season changes its time schedule and pattern and this affects sowing and harvesting of crops adversely. Thus the economy of the world is slowed down and it may cause economic recession too. The change in the weather pattern, change in the economic growth and change in the environment affecting health of human beings and animals as well as other living beings may cause physical, mental and emotional problems. The balance in all spheres is disturbed. The root cause is global warming and the resultant climate change.The excessive warmth in atmosphere causes the snow and ice sheet to melt. Melting of ice on a large scale means more water than the rivers can handle and this causes floods. It is seen that over a period of time even the water level of sea and ocean has risen. If the rise in water level goes on at a speed, some low lying islands are bound to disappear from map of the world. The sea will be eating the land and land area available to human beings and animals for habitation, agriculture, forests, minerals and so on will keep on reducing. Growth of population of human beings and animals coupled with reduction of land area available to them will cause social tension. A recurrent social tension leads to violence. When violence disturbs peace, prosperity takes a back seat. lack of food for self and fodder for the animals will cause disease and death. Thus the global climate change may endanger the existence of many species,including homo sapiens, on planet earth.In the name of economic progress, mankind encouraged industrialization. Industries consume energy. This leads to emissions. The green house gas emissions cause warming and global climate change that puts the existence of our planet into grave doubt. With a view to saving our mani-faceted life and even our planet Earth, it is in our interest to strike a happy balance between economic growth and ecological purity sans pollution. Many a nation expresses doubt about emission causing climate change or the end result being so disastrous. They realise the danger when it is explained that the economic growth based on industrialization in the last few decades has overtaken the rate of growth registered in the last few centuries. The rate of economic growth will accelarate more as the hunger for wealth grows unsatiated. The new developing nations naturally accelarate their economic and military growth faster to catch up with the developed nations. Thus this rat race causes more global warming and the resultant global climate change.
PLAN OF ACTION HEREAFTER
Do we allow nations like Maldives or metropolis like Mumbai or London or other low lying coastal areas to disappear from the face of Earth for ever? No, certainly not. A man has to help fellow man to live and prosper. So, where do we go from here? Now that we have identified the problem, namely Global Climate Change and the root cause, that is emission of green house gases, we have to identify nations that are causing maximum damage to our ecology and pollute our environment. Over a period of time international conferences have been held and proposed action also suggested but the end result was not encouraging. Nations met, debated, discussed in the midst of wining and dining but were back to square one. Let us go over some of the relevant points and assess the gravity of the situation once again so that we all are motivated to do the right thing at the right time. In the Vedic philosophy of life it is called KARMA - action and when we do KARMA we cannot but get the KARMAPHAL or the result of the action. What you sow, so must you reap - that is an age-old saying. On the question of global warming and global climate change Man was sitting idle and has suffered. To prevent further suffering, the time for ACTION is NOW.It is indeed international consensus that the two nations that cause maximum green house gas to disturb our ecology are the People's Republic of China and the United States of America. In China 70 per cent energy is coal based. It means the emissions are too high and unless controlled will cause maximum damage to ecology. Although the Americans are highly industrialised with modern technology, their volume of consumption of energy and resultant emissions are indeed high. Americans stand at number two place in emissions of green house gases. They have to come up with positive plans to undo the damage they have been causing so far. President Hu Jintao of China and President Obama of America will be discussing with one hundred world leaders from 22 Sep 09 0nwards in New York under the aegis of the United Nations how to save Mankind from sure disaster due to global climate change.The KYOTO Protocol of 28 articles signed on 11 December 1997 was the first formal agreement among nations to proceed in the right direction to curb emissions. However, the developed nations thought that their economic growth would be slowed down since the developing nations would just not do a thing to cut green house gas emissions in the name of protecting development of a developing country. As a tit for tat policy USA also did not do anything as China was most reluctant to slow down its production. A bill on the subject was passed by the House of Representatives of America but got stuck in the Senate. Now, a happy balance has to be arrived at. The latest pictures from the Arctic show that the way and the fast speed at which the ice sheet is melting due to global warming, the day of destruction is not far off. Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the UNO is himself hosting the present conference and consultations so that it does not get bogged down owing to procedural wrangles. The ecology watchers sitting in the wings are indeed hopeful of positive outcome of genuine effort to solve the vexatious problem.The North-East sea passage, the Arctic route linking the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean provides a direct route that is 4,000 nautical miles shorter than the southerly route via the Suez canal but it spells disaster for our ecology. The ice sheet is now a flowing river but it means global warming and a climate change that may spell disaster. Heat is changing the Arctic scenario and one shudders to think of the outcome. Indeed industrial growth is a triumph for Man but it may result in a disaster for Mankind and our Mother Earth. Let us all unite under the aegis of the United Nations to save planet Earth and usher in real prosperity that will not be suicidal._____________________________________________________________________