Disappearing world : Blog Action Day 2009

[Oct 15 is Blog Action Day – an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. This year's topic is Climate change.]

On every visit to India, visiting my father’s family temple in Kerala always tops my list. The reason is more spiritual than religious. The family temple is near a beach and it is a place where you are automatically in meditation listening to temple bells and the sound of the sea. My father tells me how sea almost touches the places where they used to play during his childhood days. The sea continues to distend, imperceptible to our naked eyes till it has really swallowed a huge land. There is a high possibility that in future this temple too would be submerged in water and be part of the disappearing world.

In 2006 the disappearance of Lohachara Island was reported by Indian researchers but strangely no specific study was ever done to prove that the island was permanently inundated. It was reported [link]that rising seas, caused by global warming, have for the first time washed an inhabited island off the face of the Earth. Recently there was news that Lohachara Island is rising from the waters again. It doesn’t mean that the sea is retreating. There are different geomorphic reasons to reemergence of the island. The mystery of disappearing and reemerging Lohachara island are a topic of research for scientists but it is clear that the reason for land near the delta doing such vanishing act are rise in sea-level, coastal erosion, cyclones etc. all as a result of global warming. Smithsonian magazine has a list of ancient cities lost to the seas that features Mahabalipuram, India. Disappearance of many ancient Indian cities like Valabhi and Muziris are intriguing.

In the past most changes were due to natural causes like Volcanic eruptions, continental drift, ocean currents and earth’s tilt but now human influence is a major cause of this change.Today when we talk about climate change it is about the changes caused in the environment because of human activity and that includes mainly greenhouse emissions. According to researchers, Methane concentration in the atmosphere has increased approximately 150% in recent times due to industrial pollution. Other major contributers are carbon dioxide from air pollution and nitrous oxide from fertilizers. All these greenhouse gases concentrated in the atmosphere beyond natural level cause global warming.

Looming climate change could turn today’s favorite destinations into tomorrow’s nightmare. According to Worldwatch, Sea levels have already been rising by 11 inches per century and are likely to rise another 22 inches by 2100.

Most endangered travel destinations (see before they sink or singe) [link]

• Everglades National Park, Florida (Threat: urban development)
• Galapagos Islands (Threat: over-tourism)
• Chan Chan Archaeological Zone in Peru (Threat: Global warming)
• Kathmandu Valley, Nepal (Threat: Urbanization, pollution)
• Mount Kilimanjaro’s ice fields, Tanzania (Threat: Global warming)
• Glacier National Park, Montana (Threat: Global warming)
• The Tajmahal, India (Threat: over-tourism, Pollution)
• Luxor, Egypt (Threat: Rising water levels caused by urbanization)
• Great Barrier Reef, Australia (Threat: Global Warming, coral bleaching)
• The Michoacan Mountains, Mexico (Threat: Deforestation)

The list doesn’t end here because we are alarmingly changing the environment.

“When the last tree is cut, the last river poisoned, and the last fish dead, we will discover that we can’t eat money…” –Greenpeace

Courtesy: iea.org

Kyoto protocol got a blow when US pulled out of it because then President George W. Bush thought that implementing it would impact US economy. The discontent is between developing countries on one side and China and India on the other. China and India have ratified the protocol but the countries just have to report the emission levels whereas developed countries have a target to reach. US has objection here because it thinks in future China and India with growing economy and huge population is a major contributor and thus needs to decide on reduction of emission level. India is going to more or less adopt the same policy in coming climate change conference in Copenhagen. India’s Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh talks about India’s stance on Copenhagen summit.

Common man does not care about politics of developing and developed nations. We want to see results. We want to breathe unpolluted air, drink safe water and preserve land for future generations. United Nations Climate Change conference is in Copenhagen from Dec 7-Dec 18. Take action: Sign the petition and demand the world leaders to personally attend the climate summit.

Some blogs that participated in BAD 09 -Climate change

• A drop in the ocean
• A Wide angle view of India
• Lights and Shadow
• Logical Obscurity
• Maradhi Manni
• Mindspace
• Monika’s World
• Oorja
• Randomness
• The life and times of an Indian homemaker
• The song of life
• Tunneling thru’
• Visceral Observations