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Global Temperature Rise Triggers Grave Dangers For Us

By Protik Bardhan

06 June, 2011
Countercurrents.org

Climate is changing rapidly. It has put the fate of the world and living species at stake. To cater to the insatiable greed of human beings, Mother Nature opened up all its veins to the so called civilization and consequently it has been exhausted as well. Global temperature is rising sharply; it has created a whole host of problems. Consequently, people living in Bangladesh and in other small island states are faced with the prospect of losing their homes, which would make them climate refugees. In the backdrop of the frequent floods, drought and natural calamities such as sidr, aila; a grave danger seems to be impending.

Dangers

There are many sound reasons which cannot help draw our concern about the current rapid degradation of the earth's environment. Global warming, brought about by human-induced increases in greenhouse gases (CO2, methane, N2O, etc.) is the major concern for us. It is destabilizing the world's climate with dreadful effects for most species on the planet which may cause extinction of human beings as well. Each decade is warmer than the one before, with 2009 as the second warmest year (2005 was the warmest) in the 130 years of global instrumental temperature records. Climate change does not occur in a gradual, linear way, but is non-linear, with all sorts of amplifying feedbacks and tipping points. There are already clear signs of accelerating problems that lie ahead. These include:

1. Melting of the Arctic Ocean ice during the summer, which reduces the reflection of sunlight as white ice is replaced by dark ocean, thereby enhancing global warming. Satellites show that end-of-summer Arctic sea ice was 40 percent less in 2007 than in the late 1970s when accurate measurements began.

2. Eventual disintegration of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, set in motion by global warming, resulting in a rise in ocean levels. Even a sea level rise of 1-2 meters would be disastrous for hundreds of millions of people in low-lying countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam and various island states. A sea level rise at a rate of a few meters per century is not unusual in the paleoclimatic record, and therefore has to be considered possible, given the existing global warming trends. At present, more than 400 million people live within five meters above sea level, and more than one billion within twenty-five meters.

3. The rapid decrease of the world's mountain glaciers, many of which—if greenhouse gas emissions continues as such—could be largely gone (or gone altogether) during this century. Studies have shown that 90 percent of mountain glaciers worldwide are already visibly retreating due to temperature rise. The Himalayan glaciers provide dry season water to countries with billions of people in Asia . Their shrinking will lead to floods and acute water scarcity. Already the melting of the Andean glaciers is contributing to floods in that region. But the most immediate, current, and long-term problem, associated with disappearing glaciers—visible today in Bolivia and Peru—is that of water shortages.

4. Devastating droughts, expanding possibly to 70 percent of the land area within several decades under business as usual; already becoming evident in northern India , northeast Africa , and Australia .

5. Higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere may increase the production of some types of crops, but they may then be harmed in future years by a destabilized climate that brings either dry or very wet conditions. Losses in rice yields have already been measured in parts of Southeast Asia . Higher night temperatures that cause the plant to undergo enhanced nighttime respiration, that is losing more of what it produced by photosynthesis during the day is identified as the cause behind this.

6. Extinction of species due to changes in climate zones that are too rapid for species to move or adapt to, leading to the collapse of whole ecosystems dependent on these species, and the death of still more species.

7. Related to global warming, ocean acidification from increased carbon absorption is threatening the collapse of marine ecosystems. Recent indications suggest that ocean acidification may, in turn, reduce the carbon-absorption efficiency of the ocean. This means a potentially faster build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, accelerating global warming.


Top Emitters & Capital

Industrialized nations are to be blamed for the climate change, which is thought to be capable of bringing a likely doomsday for human beings on earth. The rich nations in the pretext of sustaining their so called development are unwilling to cut their greenhouse gas emission. A leaked document known as "The Danish Text" started an argument between developed and developing nations during the Copenhagen conference. The document was subtitled as "The Copenhagen Agreement" and proposes measures to keep average global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Developing countries reacted to the document by saying that the developed countries had worked behind closed doors and made an agreement according to their wish without the consent of the developing nations. The top five emitters of the world are as follows:

Country

Level/year

Per Capita

China

6.8 billion tonnes

5.5 tonnes

United States

6.4 billion tonnes

21.2 tonnes

European Union

5.03 billion tonnes

10.2 tonnes

Russia

1.7 billion tonnes

11.9 tonnes

India

1.4 billion tonnes

1.2 tonnes

United States made a statement in 2009 that it would reduce greenhouse gas emission by 80% within 2050. But what will be base year? It remains a question. It was decided in 1997 that 1990 would be the base year in this regard but USA , India and China have fixed 2005 as the base year. The fact remains that our climate is so greatly polluted that even if we entirely stop greenhouse gas emission right now the climate would still keep changing, at least for some time.

Moreover, the development people have added another dimension to this burning issue. They said that the problems of climate are neither environmental nor political issues; rather it is a problem of development!

Climate Conference

The climate conferences held in the previous successive years opened up a Pandora's Box for humanity; that is it has created a host of new problems unexpectedly. Apart from chalking out any course of prospect for us, these climate conferences created new opportunities of earning money for some people. The Kyoto protocol chalked out some courses; which we are talking about now: carbon trade, climate fund and so on. Despite sourcing the root of the problems and finding remedies, the rich countries formed a climate fund consisting of millions of dollars, which would be distributed among the affected countries as a sort of compensation. This money will be used in the poor countries like us for offsetting the repercussions of global temperature rise. This highly lucrative fund has put the countries in a unhealthy rat race over ensuring their stake in it. Rich countries took it as a merry pastime, which falls nothing short of endangering the very existence of the species named Homo sapiens as well as other species.

Conclusion

According to James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies Carbon trading, the approach promoted in the Kyoto process is “worse than nothing,” since it allows emissions to rise appreciably, while giving the false impression that the problem is being addressed. A carbon fee, he argues, “is the only internationally viable approach.” He points to the fact that China —already a leader in alternative energy technology, such as solar panels, wind technology, etc.—is planning to impose such a fee, as among the most hopeful of current developments.

Today coal is the number one enemy of the climate. So-called “clean coal” is nonexistent at present, and unlikely ever to become economically viable. Hansen argues that coal-fired plants need to be closed down, and the building of new ones stopped. It accounts for the 21.3% of global greenhouse gas emission. Use of crude oil in the industrial process must be checked, while a line has to be drawn to prevent a turn to dirtier fossil fuels: coal, tar sands, shale oil, and gas. Well! Do we need all these automobiles and other amenities of life which require burning of the said dangerous ingredients? Isn't it possible to cut our consumption? This would lessen greenhouse gas emission. Modern men must rethink the issue very seriously.

Rise of global temperature has endangered peoples' lives mainly in the poor countries. Already, Climatologists identified Bangladesh as the most vulnerable country vis-à-vis the repercussions of climate change, which creates a viable position for our governments to ensure its stake in the climate fund. Rate race over ensuring stake in the climate fund is nothing but falsifying people that the issue is being dealt with. It may turn suicidal for us.

The scenario is a grave one, our fate depends on some rich countries. Well! the planetary ecological emergency is not just an issue of natural science, but depends even more today on the development of a critical social-science response. What are the social and economic and above all political causes of the crisis, and how can they be alleviated? It remains a political question.

Sources:

•  http://www.monthlyreview.org/100301magdoff-foster.php

•  http://www.monthlyreview.org/nfte101201.php

•  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen

•  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas

 



 


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