Bhakta Karki

Living on edge of fragile and changing environment

There is always a great debate on who is causing a global warming and who is suffering most of its consequences. Actually, the emission ratio of global warming causing substances varies country by country, remarkably and the impacts of climate change fall disproportionately on the world’s poor.

Developing countries are being painted as the real threat to global warming and if everyone in a developing country adopted Australian life style the planet will quickly become more fragile and uninhabitable. Climate model projections indicate that average global surface temperature will probably rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 C during the 21st century. Though, United States and Australia are often criticized for having a disproportionate contribution towards the destruction of the environment where Australia has the world’s highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions at 26.7 tones per year this is 25 per cent worse than the United States. According to WHO 150,000 people currently die every year as consequences of climate change. A staggering 182 million people in sub-Saharan Africa alone could die of disease directly attributable to climate change by the end of the century.

Well, knowingly or unknowingly, we are damaging our environment beyond repair by burning copious amounts of hydrocarbons into our atmosphere. According to Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth”, global warming is melting the ice shelf and global sea levels could rise by over 20 feet. Looking at the global temperature data and it’s correlation to greenhouse gas emissions, I believe there is indisputable evidence that burning hydrocarbons is responsible for most of the global warming that is wreaking havoc on our weather systems.

Sounds scary, but that’s the fact. Global Warming, as we think, we know about it, doesn’t exist. And I am not the only one trying to make people open up their eyes and see the truth. But these facts are genuine, sophisticated using scientific/technical jargons that seem beyond the understanding of common people.

Climate change is directly threatening life and livelihoods of developing countries people even if low emission rate. Eighty per cent of developing countries, including India and Brazil, are well below this sustainable emission rate. 30 million Chinese already displaced by climate change so, still trying to reduce its emission rate. In Fiji, peoples used to depend on tourism and fisheries form income and now it is completely declined due to bleaching of coral reefs. In Kiribati, two islands have already been evacuated due to rising sea levels.

In addition, around 75 per cent of the world’s poor people (around 200 million) reside in rural areas and depend heavily on natural ecosystem for their livelihoods. People are entirely depends on forest for food, medicine and shelter. Such dependency may create conflict with protecting biodiversity values of a given forest areas. Changing climatic scenario endow both opportunity and threat to engage in conservation and sustainable use of forests that might otherwise be lost. Then after, the question arises on the capacity of nature. The world’s population is being increased hopelessly seems like one day there will be one and only human species ruling all over the world. The world invaded by global recession and downturn. People around the world are being jobless. Multinational companies are at the verge of collapse. Inequalities between rich and the poorest between and within the countries are extended by orders of magnitude, out of proportion to anything experienced before. Poor is being poorer and the increasing pressure on natural resources degrading environment, the resources of our planet are being depleted-irreversibly, resulting in greater human and environmental insecurities. And for our kind information, nature is alerting us through the gift of desertification, deforestation, water scarcity and extinction of rare and endangered species taking place.

Climate change is a global problem, and yet each one of us has the power to make a difference. Now, the time is indoors, we all have to seriously think that how we can save our fragile earth. We already messed up our planet and now the earth is crying for our help. If our tiny effort and even a small changes in daily behavior can help to make better planet for us as well as for our future generations, then why not to practice it. We have to change the way we live because time is not on our side. The clock is ticking and cannot be turned back better we rethink the way we misused or misbehaved with the planet. Environmental friendly living practices are the best approach to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions by billions of pounds and which helps to keep our environment safe. Household appliances (Refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers, dryers, dishwashers air conditioners, TV, Computer, etc), many of which are referred to as ‘white goods’, account for the majority of household energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. By choosing these appliances carefully and with the environment in mind we can save money and reduce our environmental impact without compromising lifestyle. We should avoid buying appliances which we don’t really need; we have to maintain these appliances carefully and do not leave appliances on standby. Switch off the lights when you don’t need them. It reduces electric bills and conserve environment.

When we buy something, we should think that we are buying environmentally friendly products which can be recycled or can be decomposed and should say no to plastic or paper bags. The plastic bags we use but for a few minutes can last for as long as 15 to 1,000 years in the environment. Don’t get a new plastic bag each time of shopping. Last but not least, another very best practice to keep earth safe is walking instead using private vehicles, if the distance is short or using by-cycle or public transportation reduces CO2 emissions.

Such eco-friendly practices obviously reduce the emissions of anthropogenic substances and save us to be climate refugees. I am the earth. You are the earth. The Earth is dying. You and I are murderers (Ymber Delecto). So, do not blow it, good planets are hard to find.