The Many Faces of Climate Change

“What’s the use of a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?”

The above question by Henry David Thoreau comes to mind on the eve of the Earth Day 2013, which is observed worldwide on 22^nd April every year. “The Face of Climate Change” is the theme chosen for this year.

There have been so many conferences, symposia, debates, campaigns, books and documentaries on this topic. But the governments of most countries have not yet given climate change the seriousness it deserves. May be the governments will take up the issue seriously only when the movement gains a political momentum. But for that to happen, the idea must first have a face. Otherwise it runs the risk of being called a figment of the imagination, a cynic’s nightmare, mere speculation or the projection of the prophets of doom. It is none of these. And now it has acquired a face, many faces indeed. It is not just the human faces of the increasing number of young and old who have turned activists for the cause, but the face of climate change seen in the small but concrete devastations that are taking place all over the world. The patterns of the seasons and their duration, the variations of temperatures, the unexpected rains and storms, the intervening dry spells during the rainy season, the snowfall in places that never saw snow, the increasing water levels and the receding sandy beaches – all these are visible manifestations of the process of change and the signs of things to come if we don’t do our bit towards mitigation. 

A special report in the latest issue of Down To Earth, the science and environment fortnightly, states that Asia was “the worst affected in terms of casualties due to natural disasters – 65 per cent of those killed in 2012 were Asians.” The report says that the economic and environmental consequences of climate change are not evenly felt, that those who pollute and those who suffer are usually not the same. The attention that is drawn to disaster is also influenced by the status of the society or country in which it happens. This is a well known occurrence be it terrorism or natural disaster. The developed countries have their disaster management in place while the developing countries are the recipients of post disaster aid. Whereas hurricanes in the USA are predicted and named Katrina, Rita, Wilma and Sandy with those likely to be hit in a state of readiness, Typhoon Bopha goes for a kill in Asia with almost 2000 dead. It is high time Asians also give publicity to every local manifestation of climate change and call it by a name. Such awareness could help change the attitudes of our people. Ignorance is no bliss. We could make a start by giving alternative names to our receding beaches in Goa, each according to dangers posed by possible climate change, but not forgetting the more immediate manmade disasters that are looming large.

Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network, says: Many people think climate change is a remote problem, but the fact is that it’s already impacting real people, animals, and beloved places all over the world, and these Faces of Climate Change are multiplying every day. Fortunately, other Faces of Climate Change are also multiplying every day, those stepping up to do something about it.

There are many battles on many fronts that many people are fighting many a day. These battles are fought by people against people, states against states, organizations against organizations, individuals against individuals, and so on and so forth. But there is one battle, nay an epic war, that we all need to fight together to keep our earth safe and clean for ourselves and our future generations. This war does not need the sword, the tank, the warship, the warplane, the bomb – hand made or nuclear. It needs goodwill and generosity to join the cause, to give one’s time and effort, to sacrifice an earth destroying way of life, and to embrace a green lifestyle. As awareness grows, the army of this type of people also keeps growing, ranging from soldiers of the earth to “greenovators”. I am sure the faces of those wanting to do something for a better world will increase after the Earth Day  2013 events.

The people of the western and southern regions of India have a task at hand: the preservation of the natural heritage of the Western Ghats. This environmental issue concerns the people of Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The recommendations of the panel led by Dr K Kasturirangan have been submitted to the government of India. To what extent do these dilute the recommendations of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel led by eminent  ecologist Madhav Gadgil? Expert ecologists should debate these points in the media for the benefit of the public. Whatever the other faults, governments in India do respond to strong public opinion specially when elections are near.

We must do what we can, for as Warren Buffett says, “someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 21.04.2013