An incovenient truth

Zarjish Bin Bashar
8th Sem IT

Few days back, I was on train proceeding towards my college after exploiting my holidays at home. Before I had a nice sleep on my couchette, I was leafing through the pages of the magazines which I usually love to have with me as my companion. And to my surprise, I found an interesting article supported by a cartoon saying “HEY KEEP FLYING ON THE SPACE SHIP …THE EARTH IS NO MORE”. I was taken aback with this stupid piece of animation and felt pang in my heart. Though the sun had sunk a bit lower in the sky, I managed to scan through the paragraphs. The hint I got was the issue of global warming.
As I reached my hostel, I had a rigorous search having a question mark in my mind. And I found that the most vigorously debated topics on Earth is the issue of climate change, and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) data centers are central to answering some of the most pressing global change questions that remain unresolved. According to Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) average global surface temperatures have climbed significantly -- between 0.75 and 1.0 degrees Celsius (1.35 and 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1850, when accurate weather statistics were first recorded.
The IPCC has said that by century's end, the increase will very likely be 2.4 to 4.0 C (4.3 to 7.8 C).
As said, the major cause of global warming is the emission of green house gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide etc into the atmosphere. The major source of carbon dioxide is the power plant. The power plant emits large amounts of carbon dioxide produced from burning of fossil fuels for the purpose of electricity generation. About twenty percent of carbon dioxide emitted in the atmosphere comes from burning of gasoline in the engines of the vehicles. This is true for most of the developed countries. Buildings, both commercial and residential represent a larger source of global warming pollution than cars and trucks.
Building of these structures require a lot of fuel to be burnt which emits a large amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Methane is more than 20 times as effectual as CO2 at entrapping heat in the atmosphere. Methane is obtained from resources such as rice paddies, bovine flatulence, bacteria in bogs and fossil fuel manufacture. When fields are flooded, anaerobic situation build up and the organic matter in the soil decays, releasing methane to the atmosphere. The main sources of nitrous oxide include nylon and nitric acid production, cars with catalytic converters, the use of fertilizers in agriculture and the burning of organic matter. Another cause of global warming is deforestation that is caused by cutting and burning of forests for the purpose of residence and industrialization.
All these facts and happenings shocked me, and I started thinking about the consequences the globe is going to face in very near future. And I found that the abrupt changes may be partial loss of ice sheets on polar land could imply meters of sea level rise, major changes in coastlines and inundation of low-lying areas, with greatest effects in river deltas and low-lying islands. Such changes are projected to occur over millennial time scales, but more rapid sea level rise on century time scales cannot be excluded. I tried to find out the root cause and I found myself responsible for it rather all humans are answerable. Let me make the aftermath of green house much closer to our heart and hit the selfish human that what they are going to miss in the coming days which is nothing but the factual data:
• Say Goodbye to French Wines: Wacky temperatures and rain cycles brought on by global warming are threatening something very important: Wine. Scientists believe global warming will “shift viticultural regions toward the poles, cooler coastal zones and higher elevations.” What that means in regular language: Get ready to say bye-bye to French Bordeaux and hello to British champagne.
• Say Goodbye to Baseball: The future of the ash tree—from which all baseball bats are made—is in danger of disappearing, thanks to a combination of killer beetles and global warming.
• Say Goodbye to Fly Fishing: As water temperatures continue to rise, researchers say rainbow trout, "already at the southern limits” of their temperature ranges in the Appalachian mountains, could disappear there over the next century.
• Say Goodbye to Ski Competitions: Unusually warmer winters caused the International Ski Federation to cancel last year’s Alpine skiing World Cup and opening races in Solden, Austria. Skiers are also hard-pressed now to find places for year-round training. Olympic gold medalist Anja Paerson: “Of course we’re all very worried about the future of our sport. Every year we have more trouble finding places to train.”
• Say Goodbye to That Tropical Island Vacation: Indonesia's environment minister announced this year that scientific studies estimate about 2,000 of the country's lush tropical islands could disappear by 2030 due to rising sea levels.
• Say Goodbye to Discoveries of Sharks That Can Walk: Scientists recently revealed a “lost world” of marine life off the coast of Indonesia, including 20 new species of corals, 8 species of shrimp, a technicolor fish that “flashes” bright pink, yellow, blue, and green hues, and sharks that “walk” on their fins. (“Avon Lady. Candygram.”) However, marine biologists warn the threats posed by global warming means millions of other crazycool sea creatures may become extinct before we ever discover them.
• Say Hello to More Mosquitoes: Get ready for more mosquitoes. Mosquitoes like to live in drains and sewer puddles. During long dry spells (brought on by higher temperatures) these nasty, stagnant pools become a vital source of water for thirsty birds ... which provide a tasty feast for the resident mosquitoes. At the same time, these dry spells “reduce the populations of dragonflies, lacewings, and frogs that eat the mosquitoes.”
• Cannibalistic Polar Bears: As longer seasons without ice keep polar bears away from food, they start eating each other.
• And Dying Polar Bears: A recent study completed by the U.S. Geological Survey shows that cannibalism—while brutal—may be the least of the bear’s problems. Many are also drowning, unable to swim in the increased spaces between melting sea ice. Two-thirds of them may be gone by 2050.
• Dying Gray Whales: Save the whales! Global warming is thwarting majestic gray whales’ struggle to recover from their endangered status. In recent years, more gray whales have been washing up on beaches after starving to death. Culprit: Rising ocean temps, which are killing off their food supply.
• Death March of the Penguins: Scientists blame global warming for the declining penguin population, as warmer waters and smaller ice floes force the birds to travel further to find food. “Emperor penguins ... have dropped from 300 breeding pairs to just nine in the western Antarctic Peninsula.”
• Greenland’s Melting: Greenland is melting at a rate of 52 cubic miles per year—much faster than once predicted. If Greenland’s entire 2.5 million cubic kilometers of ice were to melt, it would lead to a global sea level rise of 7.2 meters, or more than 23 feet.
• Say Farewell to Glaciers: “In Glacier National Park, the number of glaciers in the park has dropped from 150 to 26 since 1850. Some project that none will be left within 25 to 30 years.”
• A Sacred River Dries Up: The sacred Ganges River in India is beginning to run dry. The Ganges is fed by the Gangotri glacier, which is today “shrinking at a rate of 40 yards a year, nearly twice as fast as two decades ago.” Scientists warn the glacier could be gone as soon as 2030.
• People Are Dying: 150,000: Number of people the World Health Organization estimates are killed by climate-change-related issues every year.
Almost tears came out knowing all these unending list and I got the bottom line as that the humans are only answerable not those dumb animals. Many efforts are being made by various nations to cut down the rate of global warming. One such effort is the Kyoto agreement that has been made between various nations to reduce the emissions of various green house gases. Also many non profit organizations are working for the cause. Al Gore was one of the foremost U.S. politicians to heave an alarm about the hazards of global warming. He has produced a significantly acclaimed documentary movie called "An Inconvenient Truth," and written a book that archives his advice that Earth is dashing toward an immensely warmer future. Al Gore, the former vice president of United States has given various speeches to raise an awareness of global warming. He has warned people about the ill effects of Global warming and its remedies.
But the sad part is that people are turning deaf ear towards the SOS of the hour. It’s time to get up and join hands, create an awareness and if we are failing in the same then I feel sorry to say that what on earth we are doing? As fast as we decode what's at stake, then we can become a part of the solution, and can share both in the challenges and opportunities presented by the climate crises. So, let’s be a drop of water and make the ocean of changes in the lifeline of our MOTHER EARTH.