THE NAYSAYERS are not going to be quiet but there is now new compelling evidence from the American Meteorological Society that climate change is real, and that it is happening around us as we speak.
Perhaps, the irony that scientists are still debating about climate change might not be lost on the millions of people who bear the brunt of freakish weather patterns.
What we must not forget is how climatic fluctuations are not localized calamities but have larger global ramifications. The failure of monsoon in the Subcontinent, for example, will have an adverse impact on food grain imports to the Middle East, which in turn will lead to food price inflation.
The new and extensive ‘State of the Climate in 2011’ report by AMS has several insights on the climatic patterns in the Middle East too. The report states that ‘warmer-than-average conditions (around +1 degree C anomaly) dominated throughout the Middle East during the summer season’ last year. Several countries also reported high maximum daily air temperatures.
The report also reiterates that globally large-scale climate patterns influenced temperature and weather resulting in historical droughts and the worst floods – in short, the two extremes.  The combined average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces last year was the coolest last year since 2008, according to the report, but was also among the 15 warmest years on record.
Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere increased by 2.10 ppm last year according to the report, and exceeded 390 ppm for the first time since instrumental records had commenced. There has also been a rise in the concentration of other greenhouse gases.
With such anomalies in the global climatic patterns, the question that looms large is how much individual responsibility we are willing to take to make a difference. For most of us, environmental degradation is something that happens in the distant Arctic; the gaping holes in the ozone hole are at worst caricatures and at best something to be frowned upon while watching the impact of climate change on television.
The need for the hour is to realise that just as much industries damage and pollute our environment, our individual actions too can have a bearing on Earth. Now seven billion strong, it is unquestionable that humanity plays the biggest role in contributing to greenhouse gases, although for convenience sake we attribute it to the cows grazing on our fields.
Can we fix that leaking tap, switch off that extra light, walk where a cab ride isn’t needed, and be concerned about resource use efficiency in general? It is said that if we all start doing mundane things that ‘take only a minute to do,’ right now, right this minute, much of the problems caused by procrastination can be avoided.Courtesy:
Or do we really need an ‘Earth Hour’ once in a year to make us environmentally responsible?
Courtesy of Column Khaleej Times