|
The latest assessment report of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change issued last week hammers at the message that
unless firm, collective action is taken now, we could face an
environmental catastrophe that threatens global security and
survival.
In its first report in February,
the IPCC had blamed humans for the accelerated pace of global
warming in the past half century, dismaying the remaining
disbelievers who still cling to the notion that the rising
temperature is a result of natural causes.
This time, the IPCC details the
calamitous consequences of global warming and reiterated its warning
that some of its effects are already being felt.
The report reads like a
modern-day book of doom. The IPCC predicts that droughts would be
longer and more severe. At the other end of the weather spectrum,
hurricanes and typhoons would be fiercer.
Melting glaciers would increase
the risk of flooding, and at the same time deplete natural water
sources.
Coastal erosion would eat away at
low-lying areas, driving millions from their homes. The biggest
sufferers would be the people who live in the mega-deltas of Asia
and Africa.
Health problems like
malnutrition, cardio-respiratory diseases and infectious ailments
are likely to rise. The freakish weather would also wreak havoc on
crops and shrink harvests.
About 20 percent to 30 percent of
plant and animal species could become extinct if the temperature
rises by more than 2.5 degrees, the IPCC said.
The grim catalogue goes on and
on. But there is one point that IPCC Chairman Rajendra Pachauri
would like to emphasize: “It is the poorest of the poor in the
world, and this includes poor people even in prosperous societies,
who are going to be the worst hit. This becomes a global
responsibility in my view.”
Global responsibility is the
operative phrase here. Climate change is a worldwide issue where
everyone has to pitch in. There’s no point in the European Union
imposing strict emission regulations in its realm if the United
States, China and other major polluters do not come up with their
own restrictions.
Dealing with climate change must
go beyond the government level. Individuals should be made to
realize that they need to get involved too. In this aspect, Britain
could be showing the way. Acknowledging that global warming is not
just a problem for government or big companies, Britain’s
environment minister has said the Blair government “will be
increasing our engagement with people throughout the UK including an
online CO2 calculator, a major press and TV ad campaign, and a
Citizens Summit that will engage directly with the public on this
important issue.”
Drastic measures to reduce carbon
emissions, the biggest culprit in global warming, have to be taken
now. But that’s just the first step. Dealing with climate change
is a far bigger challenge that requires commitment and cooperation.
|
