Snow laden New Delhi in the year 2030
Ice age refers to a period of long term reduction in temperature which results in the expansion of ice sheets and glaciers around all the continents starting from northern and southern parts of the earth. There are many different reasons for the steep drop in temperature. One of them is the change in the orbital positions of the earth around the sun. One other theory attributes it to the dynamics between earth and the moon system. But these types of incidents are out of control of the mankind and we cannot do much against the nature’s fury.
Then why there is a lot hue and cry over climate change and global warming?
There are reasons for it. The main reason is the man and his unquenchable thirst to exploit other resources and living creatures on earth.
If we look at macro level perspective of the forest exploited each year we will find that some 60000 square kilometres of forest cover is depleted each year. It approximately stands at 3-6 billion trees being brought down each year.
If we look at the fossil fuel scenario it is not different either. Global annual consumption of these fossil fuels results in some 20 billion tonnes of CO2 each year. Natural processes are able to neutralise only half of it. Rest of the CO2 attributes the green house effect which accelerates the increase in temperature. This increasing temperature then lends impetus to the glaciers and melts them undesirably and artificially. So what will happen if the glaciers melt? It is going to just raise the level of seas by some meters. Why should be we worried about it?
The notion that nature will balance everything by its routine and reflexes is totally wrong. This time the damage will be catastrophic and it will trounce the mankind. A new world order may establish and it might take millions or billions of years for life to come back to our planet earth. I don’t think that anyone of us will like to give this gift to our coming generations.
The main reason of our laxity and ignorance of the climate change is the availability and convenience which fossil fuels offers us. There are not many serious attempts being made to find alternative energies like solar or hydrogen fuels. For India, the meagre clean technology budget of 270 million USD is a testimony to it.
Once contacted, one of the powerful European countries replied on the question of fossil fuels, “We have enough amounts of fossil fuels for 2030 and there is no need to worry for a foreseeable future”.
Agreed they have sufficient fuels to last for a reasonable period say 100 years. But what after that? And who will take the responsibility to damage the environment by emitting dangerous gases.
If developed countries are spoiled by cheap fossil fuels, developing countries are doing nothing other than following them. The fact that countries like India and China were not ready to sign the new emission norms in Copenhagen also bring out a very grim picture of the attitude of these developing nations towards climate change.
To understand the pernicious practices of these countries, one only need to spent some time in the financial capital of India- Mumbai. There are some 20 lakh automobiles in Mumbai. They consume a daily of approximately 60 lakh litres of total fuels combined. Just imagine how many swimming pools can be filled with this much of oil!
It takes some 15-20 minutes to cross roads in Mumbai. One would say that with the development, all these things are unavoidable. People have to commute and we cannot ask them to go by cycles or horse cart to the offices. Indeed that is true. But there is a lot which can be done to reduce this eternal traffic and also the emission to half, and also to make some human beings responsible towards their environment and their coming generations.
Most of the upper middleclass in cities like Mumbai all over the world are spoiled by money. The moment they enter a high paying job, the desire to own a vehicle is born in them. When they have enough they become owners of the gas guzzling machines from Honda and Volkswagens’. They want to have the bigger and more powerful machines, irrespective of the fuel it consumes or the harmful gases it emits. More than 80 percent of them are travelling alone in their cars which wastes a lot of road space provided by the government. All of this contributes more and more to the traffic jams and pollution. It also puts an unnecessary strain on the public transport system which is already unable to bear the rising demand.
Since it has become their habit, the government of all countries should take measure again them and teach them a lesson. Some solutions can be to ban the use of big SUVs, ban diesel for private cars, put heavy parking fee to discourage private cars, bring mandate for carpooling and penalise those who drive single.
Some people will say that all these regulations sound insane.
Yes they may be insane, but once people realise that there is a limit to which we can exploit nature, they will become more responsible towards nature, towards themselves and more importantly towards the coming generations. It will also catalyse the research for clean tech energies globally and will help us to get freedom from the Oil cartels and will take us towards a new world order in which snow fall will be only in Greenland and not in New Delhi or Dubai. There will be no more CO2 and other greenhouse gases, there will be no Tsunamis. There will be life for all living beings and that life will be a really happy life.
