"Climate change is coming much faster, we have seen some extraordinary extreme weather patterns. If we consider this universe a vast ocean then our planet earth is just a small boat. If this boat sinks due flood then we all have to sink together. "
If we consider Shakespeare’s quotation correct that we all are actors in this world then we all are fictional characters, solving fictional problems. I want everyone to see climate change in a way that needs urgent solutions. We humans did lot of development converting the natural landscape into concrete jungles of towering buildings and cemented roads which hampered the natural circulation of air and parcel of water into the surface of earth leading to the formation of urban heat island and water scarcity due to drying up of underground water resources.
Our deeds also led to the loss of several species of fauna like Dodo, Messenger pigeon, Tasmanian tiger, The Great Auk, The Quagga etc. I personally feel the anger while reading and coming to know how settlers and explorers completely wiped out the entire species of these animals to alter the natural landscape in accordance to their comfort.
The difference between those early settlers and us is that we are doing this knowingly. We know the bizarre consequences that these changes in the environment could bring to us, still many powerful nations are continuing with their practices of heavy industrialisation to a much larger extent. If we have to fight climate change we must understand the fact that more than 90% of our economy relies upon fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, natural gases etc. Oil powers most of the transportation sector, coal and natural gas powers most of the electricity. Now the rapid development based on these fossil fuels would lead us to search for new sources of energy as soon as possible because these natural sources of energy are limited in nature. There comes another problem when it comes to producing fossil fuels.
According to Zimmerman, Resources are not, they become and to make resources it needs a clearance of forests and other natural resources for fuel, food and other forms for the source of energy in the transformation of natural thing into resource to satisfy the unwanted, unfulfilled desires of the world’s most cunning and greedy species that is “Humans”.
The problem that I find most irritating is that the more I know about this problem, the better I realise how less I know about the issue.
As a Geographer, I have travelled from mountains, extreme wilderness to most polluted cities of India. I have seen cities choked by pollution like Delhi. In North Eastern India I’ve met farmers who are still trying to go organic so that the market becomes free from chemicals and pesticides that are extremely harmful for our body and health. I’ve travelled from mountains to the rain forests of India and saw the human modification of natural environment for sight seeing and establishment of hotels. All that I saw and learned in this journey so far has disturbed and terrified me.
Now think about the shame that all of us will carry when our future generations will look back and realise that we had the possibilities to stop this unfairness to nature but lacked the willingness to do so.
“We are the last best hope of earth. Let’s take steps together to protect it or else we and all living things that we cherish are history.”
Knowledge Associate: Shoryabh Srivastava
Edited By: Anamika Jakhmola
Edited By: Anamika Jakhmola
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