Last talk Climate. Rajesh Kumar Edacheri. Articles

Still there are many confrontations; every one wants a consensus on climate change deal.

Calicutnet presents write-ups and interviews on climate change. The first of its series is here: “Talk Climate.”

The whole world is discussing seriously on climate change and its impact on nature. The main concern of all the debate is focused mainly on water scarcity, carbon emission, and the rise in sea level.

The consequence of climate change will vary from water to eco systems, food and coasts. It is a location specific phenomenon with a global impact. Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, Latin America, North America, Polar Regions, Small Islands; the affect of climate change in regions are thus different in nature. However, the common blow is disastrous.

Maldivian government held a meeting under water to draw attention to the threat of global warming. This is the first effort in the world to set an awareness campaign by conducting 14 member cabinets under water.

There is no meaning in Left or Right, White or Black, Rich or Poor categorization on the topic of environment. We need pure breathing air, clean drinking water and beautiful Nature for healthy and peaceful existence, on a sustainable basis. However, climate change issue has also become a political and economic matter of relevance and there are many differences among nations. Many factors pull back climate change talks on the sidelines of Copenhagen summit from a collective success.

When politics, regionalism, power-games and financial-egoism rule the world, it is difficult to reach compromise on carbon-emissions or environmental issues.

The Mother Nature - for all people

Climate change is a subject that requires emergency human interference by upholding great values. This is not just a present situation or temporary one, but a serious matter, which needs to be tackled in a multidisciplinary manner with utmost sincerity and dedication. Participation of people from policy makers to layman at grassroots upholding a view on Think Globally, Act Locally, as the catchphrase would definitely help resolve the challenging aspects and preserve Mother Nature with all its glory for our future generations.

The Royal Society, London has published various aspects of climate change. The Earth’s climate is complex and influenced by many factors. Climate is often defined as “average weather.” Change in solar activity is one among the matters that influence the climate. The fluctuations in the temperature have been phenomena since many centuries. The Earth’s orbit around the Sun drove changes in carbon level in atmosphere. The oceans omit carbon dioxide as they warm up and absorb it when they cool down. Soil releases green house gases as it warms up. These green house gases would contribute to increased “warming.”

Global temperatures have risen by about 0.75 percent in the past 100 years. The most important green house gases are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. Water vapor’s affect is depended on regions. Its’ direct bang on downward infrared radiation is small. Apart from the green gas impact, changes in some particles (aerosols) and the use of land are decisive in climate change.

John Holmes, U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs says “The scale of the potential humanitarian challenge presented by climate change in the future is huge. This is a defining moment to ensure that the challenge is not insurmountable and human suffering is minimized."

Copenhagen conference on climate change

Let us hope that this conference on climate change, scheduled for December to be a high voltage talk forum for environmental issues. American Security Project reports the security issues behind climate change. “Climate change is not just an environmental issue. It is also a threat to National Security.”

“Climate change is reducing drinking water supplies in developing countries while rising sea level will displace millions who live on coasts. That will destabilize developing countries, creating the conditions for war and breeding ground for terrorism.” American senator John Kerry addressed its citizen on the security threat and long-term consequences of climate change.

The most affected regions will be South Asia, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and Central America. Europe will face an impact of migration from the Middle East, Turkey and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The displaced people travel beyond the borders in-group and will lead to territorial conflicts. The migration will cause many matters of concern including water shortage and socio-economic issues.

Carbon emission is the basic reason for global warming and climate change. The harmful effects from these are already here and worsening, warns the first climate report from the US Government. Being one of the biggest polluters, America has a great role to reach an agreement for reducing carbon emission. However, unfortunately, Obama administration has not yet arrived on a consensus on cut on carbon emission.

Without a specific U.S. commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions, negotiators will agree only a "very weak" global deal to curb climate change in Copenhagen next month, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Chairman Rajendra Pachauri said.

China overtakes America in carbon emission

The recent sudden increase in the carbon dioxide for a century is not only a natural process, according to science experts. Thirty percent of emission comes from burning of fossil fuels, points out chemical analysts. Human interference is the main reason for all fifty percent of the emission since last 50 years; especially activities like the production of cement and wide spread burning of world’s forests. In the pre-industrialization era carbon dioxide made up about 0.03 per cent of the atmosphere or 280 ppm (parts per million).Today it is about 380 ppm thanks to human influence, studies reveal.

However, the U.S delegation on climate change warned China to cut down its emission by 2050. U.S team in Barcelona on climate change talk says China has overtaken America in carbon emission. Political and diplomatic difference is the main obstacle on global warming issues. There are lots of differences among each continent. India and China are the fastest growing economies of the world. Western nations are compelling both Asian giants to cut green gas emissions. But when world powers and wealthy nations are hesitant on deals and trying to protect their own interests, the negotiation moves get a halt. The preparatory meet on climate change in Barcelona also faced some differences among negotiators.

“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global sea level. Climate change is already resulting in an increase in the frequency, intensity and duration of floods, droughts and heat waves” stated Pachauri.

The US researchers have the evidence to show that human activity is one of the major reasons to warm the globe. Researchers presented in an article in Science journal how quickly the Arctic responds to climate change.

Global warming is the after effect of industrialization. Deforestation, dying rivers, carbon emission from heavy industries, planes and ships has been the major contributor of global warming. Scientists have pointed out temperature in the Arctic region is now the highest.

Kyoto protocol and endless disputes:

UN’s existing Kyoto protocol does not deal with carbon emission from shipping and aviations.

Head of climate change advice at UK Met office Vicky Pope explains: “If emissions continue at the current rate, global average temperature is likely to rise by four degrees centigrade by the end of the century or even substantial; earlier. We need to take action now to reduce emissions to avoid water and food shortages in the future.”

Forests, rivers and many natural habitats have been abused in the name of development. The great lesson men never learned or deliberately ignored is that these are irrevocable and that the global tag of sustainable development would just remain a fallacy if we simply forget our pristine Mother Earth.

IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) in 2007 had pointed out all the scientific aspects and consequences of climate and all governments approved it, across the globe.

Environmental organizations and Nature lovers have appealed rich nations to contribute adequate fund for helping poor nations, the scapegoats of formers’ carbon emission. Activists are demanding deep cuts in green house gas emissions. It demanded developed nations to pay $160 billion a year to help the poor. It also calls on industrialized countries to raise at least $160 billion a year from 2013-2017, mainly via auctioning of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions allowances, to help developing nations cope with climate change.

However, rich nations take tough stand on funding; others are trying to protest against the move. African nations’ recent boycott call is such a go. Kyoto Protocol is said to be the loophole for America, in which all industrialized nations except the United States has to cut greenhouse gas emissions until 2012.

Affect on the Rain Forests - World's Lungs

Rainforests have been damaged in large amount in many countries. Palm trees are replaced in the place of the Natural forest that produces the life breathing Oxygen. Besides this, rainforests are the epic centre of biodiversity not only for as many as rare species, which are facing extinction, but also for effective sustenance of the food webs.

While providing much needed income for developing countries, it has led to severe deforestation, human rights abuses and loss of endangered wildlife in Malaysia and Indonesia. Deforestation in Central and South America, Africa and Asia, now produces nearly 20 per cent of annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions-more than from all over the world’s transport !

Many species which keep our ecosystem in earth balanced are losing their habitat. Orangutans, the arboreal great apes now restricted to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, are threatened with extinction because of the loss of their natural homes. Deforestation – of which palm oil is the biggest cause in Indonesia and Malaysia – also generates 20 per cent of global climate change emissions.

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on climate changes had warned Maldives that a rise in sea levels of 18 to 59 cm by 2100 AD. This would be enough to make the country virtually uninhabitable. This is not an issue of Maldives alone.

Many other countries that are not much high on sea level like Maldives are facing the same threat. Australian parliamentary climate change report said that worth of 150 billion Australian dollar property was at risk from rising sea level and storms that are more frequent. The Intergovernmental Committee Panel on Climate Change estimates that a global rise in sea level of some 80cm is possible by 2100AD. The coastal inhabitants would be the more risky group in climate change.

Wildfires, sandstorms, extinctions and more powerful cyclones…the horrifying disasters of climate change await the planet. Millions of people expected to flee their home countries to escape droughts and floods intensified by climate change, said the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development.

Fleeing of nations due to heavy drought or natural disasters may cause to the origin of refugees across the territories. Just like war refugees, we will have to meet climate change refugees. A study by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre and the U.N. office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reveals that in 2008 alone, more than 20 million people were displaced by climate-related sudden-onset natural disasters, such as floods and storms.

As per the study of International Food Policy Research Institute, per capita water consumption will be increasing as 60 cubic meters in 2025 than 50 cubic meters in 1995 in developed countries.

Clean water is set to become the world’s scarcest but most-needed natural resource because of new demands resulting from population increases. Demand will increase for water for domestic use, as well as for agriculture, including new bio-pharma and bio-fuel crops and industry processes.

Twenty-one countries with a population of about 600 million, is on the way to be either considered cropland or freshwater scarce. According to World Bank estimate, the demand for food will rise by 50 percentages by 2030 because of growing population, rising affluence and western dietary preference by a larger middle class.

The scale of the potential humanitarian challenge presented by climate change in the future is huge.

Nevertheless, the developing nations cannot reach on a consensus for a climate change formula.

Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown pointed out the seriousness of the issue and underscored the need of a strong deal by Copenhagen talks to succeed the expiring Kyoto Protocol to protect our planet from disasters. He highlighted the need to check the emission. “If we don’t reach a deal at this time, let us be in no doubt. Once the damage from unchecked emissions growth is done no retrospective global agreement in some future period can undo that choice. By then it will be irretrievably too late”-Brown said.

The man-made catastrophe is moving towards more complicated phase, where even geographical conflicts among countries are possible, think-tanks believe. In short, war for water will not be an exaggerated term.

Australia has designed a framework for both rich and poor nations to cut emissions. Britain’s initiative as a front-runner to lead European Union for a climate change pact has been admired by environmentalists and climate change experts alike.

The Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, recommends to build 100 major projects for capturing and burying greenhouse gases by 2020 and thousands more by 2050 to help combat climate change, according to the International Energy Agency. Desperately enough, only seven of such projects are active in carbon capturing process.