Why Global Warming is a big issue? April 9, 2008

Some scientists argue that from time immemorial, earth climate has been going through repeated cycles of hot and cold weathers. These hot wave or ice ages will last for some thousands of years and then mercury will drift the other side. Earth has sustained life even after all these catastrophes. Incredible Isn’t it? They now pose and interesting question; If this has been happening all the time then why are we bothered about high temperatures now?

 

The current heating phase is distinct and deadly from its predecessors because:

          Increase in ocean levels will result in millions of climatic refugees across the planet who cannot be relocated to a new place just because we have decimated ourselves into nations and all the free land have been transformed into individual properties. Small nations abetting the oceans will be the worst hit as they will see most of their country under the ocean and the rest of the land partitioned between the wealthy ones. During the last heating phase our population was so less and we don’t have any land ownership and it allowed species to concentrate across the poles and leave the equator barren. We will be forced to live behind dikes.

         All of the previous heating phases had happened because of some natural phenomenon. We don’t know whether this heating phase is due to natural phenomenon, but we are increasing the misery by pumping in more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, thereby accelerating the process. Ironically this is the only area where we can exert some control over the rapid heating. We try to reduce heat in our vicinity by using electrical equipments, which uses electricity produced by burning coal thereby releasing CO2.

         The rate at which this heating occurs is alarming, All previous heating phases occurred over thousands of years and it allowed the ecosystem to slowly adapt to the changing environment. Natural selection and mutation of species ensured that living beings endured the high temperatures. Animals and plants developed survival mechanisms during these transition phases. The quickness of the heating rules out the possibility of these natural processes saving the mankind.

 

The bottom line is, we could not withstand a continuous increase in temperature at the moment. We don’t have the mechanism or the capability to quickly adapt to the rapidly heating earth. Eventually, we will end up as losers in this battle. Let us realize this before it is too late.