Are we robbing the wildlife again of the earth? First, we snatched their home and now we are taking their right to life. We talk about green earth and about saving it, but our lack of unity has only led to destruction. We are trying, but the disasters are putting the lives of wildlife faster than we are. Will the wildlife be able to adapt to the changes or fall victim to them?
In November, two back-to-back international summits gave a thumbs up to mangroves- highlighting the vital role that mangrove forests will play in reducing carbon as the world fights to stave off an impending climate crisis.
Eventually, COP27 talks went into two days of extended negotiations after the annual summit was over. The outcome was not less than historic as nearly 200 countries at Sharm-el-Sheikh agreed to set up the 'loss and damage' fund. Interestingly it was not even part of the original agenda, yet it was approved.
If the gamble to translocate the cheetah succeeds, India could become a global conservation success story. But if it does not succeed, India will have to face monumental criticism for its daring experiment.
On November 2, 2021, world leaders signed the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use and committed to working collectively to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030. They also committed to delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation. They pledged $19 billion of public and private funds to “halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030”.
Most recently, the debate surrounding ‘development vs. ecology’ came to light in 2018 when while commenting upon the Kerala floods, which were the worst of its kind in several decades, Madhav Gadgil – the chairman of the Gadgil Committee on the Western Ghats – said that the Kerala floods are very much man-made. He further added that the scale of the disaster could have been much smaller, had the authorities followed environmental laws. It is in this context that we’re reminded of “Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) or the Gadgil Committee,” and “Kasturirangan Committee,” which were constituted to study the ecology of the Western Ghats region, and were entrusted with the duty of striking a balance between the developmental activities, and protection of the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats.
China is facing its most extensive drought in nearly 60 years. This drought has dried up rivers and affected power generation at hydroelectric power plants. As per the data from the national meteorological department, after 64 years, China faced its longest summer and, as a result, the Yangtze, the longest river in Asia, which is also the largest river in China, has dried up. The drying up of the Yangtze has caused water shortages in the dam and affected hydroelectric power plants, leaving large cities or small towns facing a power crisis.
Two very significant climate commitments were made in 2021. On April 21, 2021, 43 financial institutions from around the world formed the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA). They pledged to make all lending and investment portfolios net greenhouse gas neutral by 2050. More than a year later, NZBA grew into a strong 108-member alliance that committed to discontinuing finance to coal-related activities in developed nations, and other countries by 2030 and 2040, respectively.
While scientists are still under dilemma, whether climate change has enhanced hurricane Fiona’s strength or nature’s, there’s valid proof that these disastrous storms are becoming worse with time.
You’re aware of climate change, of course. After all, you read and watch the news. And lately, there has been a lot of fuss about it in the media, ain’t it? Melting glaciers, scorching temperatures, the wildfires, the heatwaves, the flooding, the droughts – all fallouts of climate change, so the scientists claim.
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Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master, it was rightly said. Electronic devices have grown into an inevitable part of our daily lives.