The Day After Tomorrow
By Anushka
- 581 reads
“Human judges can show mercy. But against the laws of nature, there is no appeal”
-Rev. Arthur C. Clarkson
The ecological scenario today is extremely uneven. Human needs exceed the earth’s capacity. Looking through the lens of our fragile planet, Global Warming is one of the ten most pressing issues which prevail today- leading to subverting consequences. Vis-à-vis, it affects every form of life- from autonomous animals to humans- as well.
The first signs of Global Warming were apparent during the melting of Permafrost. 24 percent of land in the Northern Hemisphere is underlain by occasionally frozen ground- commonly referred to as permafrost. Furthermore, 57 percent of permafrost extends into much of Europe and the United States. Scientists estimate that these numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate. Tingjun Zhang of the University of Colorado told Live Science, “Seasonally frozen areas in the Northern Hemisphere decrease by 15 to 20 percent. The decrease has been more drastic in the last 20 years”. The quick melting of Permafrost may pose a catastrophe, especially in the urban and suburban areas. So, the next time you overlook a tree being cut, remember the millions of families who would die- more or less- because of your ignorance.
Global Warming also holds accountability for land slides, rock slides and the melting of glaciers. One of the largest glaciers in Greenland (triple the size of Texas) is speeding to the sea at an alarming rate. If this continues, Greenland itself could shrink in the next decade. Melting of these glaciers and ice caps is going to cause a notable raise in the sea water levels, which could be very precarious for the people settled along the coastal areas- where population is usually high.
A warmer planet could cause allergic symptoms to be rather widespread- a study concludes. Humans these days are too busy making money by exploiting nature, rather than giving back what they took from it.
The WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) Planet Report states that the planet has reached a stage referred to as an “overshoot”- when there is a shortage of resources present in the earth to meet the population’s demands. The report says that Global Ecological Overshoot should be eliminated before it’s too late to even repent. Our needs now exceed the Earth’s capacity.
Between our needs and the earth’s capacity, animals have to suffer considerably. As instances prove, Marmots end their hibernation earlier as opposed to thirty years ago. Many species of fish are now seen migrating northward in search of cooler waters. Even a fruit fly gene-, who is usually associated with hot and dry areas-, is migrating northwards. Amidst all this, crocodiles are likely to get extinct. A new study proves that crocodile gender is determined by temperature. Warmer or cooler temperature produces female crocodiles, while nest temperature (32 to 33 degree Celsius) produces male crocodiles. The rising temperatures may result in increased growth of female crocodiles and lesser male crocs, causing some crocodile populations to dwindle.
Another new report released by WWF states that Global Warming poses a threat to the world’s natural wonders. Coral reefs around the world- including the Great Barrier Reef- are likely to lose their color and dye with an increase in ocean water temperature by merely 1.8 degree Fahrenheit. Environmentalists fear that the temperature of the Amazon River could rise to a possible 5.4 degree Fahrenheit within the next 50 years. This rise could potentially turn 60 percent of the rain forest dry. The Chihuahua Desert- presently going through intensive farming and overgrazing, is also facing droughts which could endanger the huge variety of cactus- which grows in this region in abundance. Six out of every seven Caribbean turtles are endangered thanks to the rising sea levels which inundate their feeding grounds. The Himalayas or the ‘water towers of Asia’ which feed seven of Asia’s greatest rivers are diminishing by 33 to 49 feet per year causing floods and threatening summer droughts. The Bay of Bengal is rising and could cause fierce rainstorms which could practically drown the coastal areas in India. Consequently, it could destroy mangrove forests and affect the Sunderbans which is home to the largest population of Bengal tigers.
Giving credit to the rising temperatures, this decade will experience a rapid population growth of six legged insects as they have higher metabolic rates and reproduce frequently. Thus, the increase in temperatures will result in increased number of insects. This will tend the human conditions to grow pejorative, as more pesticides would be used to kill these insects, and this raise in insects will result in the widespread of epidemics all around the world. Human activities will- sooner or later- undermine the condition of the earth and strike a condition of dire - for better or for worse.
Our earth deserves a voice. Thousands of people work as hard as they possibly can to make the earth live one more day. These people should be saluted and respected. Contrary to this, organizations like Greenpeace and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) are hardly considered worthy. With the planet reaching an overshoot, animals getting extinct, human population increasing, glaciers melting, that day is not very far away when the earth will collapse. And then we will realize that the price of doing nothing now is greater than the price of doing something- later, because when later comes, it will be too late to do anything. After looking at all the danger the earth faces today- a common question raises in all our minds- How many planets do we need to fulfill our greed?
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