GL Khajuria
The webster encyclopedic dictionary cannotates climate as a composite prevailing weather condition of a region pertaining to temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine and cloudiness throughout the year and the averaged condition over a period of years. There is a wide-arrayed combination of factors responsible for the ever exaggerating climate changes. It is unequivocally the biggest challenge of the current centaury being faced by all the nations across the globe directly or indirectly with variable frequencies.
The earth’s atmosphere changes dramatically owing to the emissions induced through various anthropogenic activities. And these, therefore, in combination result into an increase in the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O) and water vapours. The increase in CO2 concentration is due to fossil fuel use whereas increase in CH4 and N2O concentration is as a result of expansion of agriculture activities.
However, the impact of climate change is indicative of various environmental factors evidenced through regional manifestation which, of course, are formed throughout the globe. The mountainous regions all over the world constitute 20% of terrestrial surface area which provide direct life support system for nearing 10% of world population. These also sustain many important activities viz forestry, agriculture and other energy resources. In addition, these are active elements of terrestrial environment which play a pivotal role in various global systems and of which climate change forms predominantly an important component. The contemporary research insights spare no room any more for scepticism so far as general rise in mean surface temperature at global. Regional and local level is concerned.
Though strange it may sound, but too true that global warming in its complex form is predominantly responsible for the climate change in long term effects. It has, however, been scientifically proved that human action effects six out of seven climate factors viz.Co2, methane, N2o, ozone, CFC’s and water vapors. Apart from, halocarbons which are of the human origin occurring from cooling agents and other compound pollutants.
All the halocarbons are more rezardous and responsible for atmospheric warming and some species of halocarbons are formed over 10,000 times more powerful in trapping heat compared to Co2. The enviro-scientists have established that halocarbons are long lived, persisting for hundreds and thousands of years when once released into the atmosphere. And one amongst these halocarbons is virtually immortal persisting over a period of 50,000 years or so.
Whereas carbon dioxide is measured in parts per millions compared to methane which is measured in parts per billion but astonishing halocarbons are still too far ahead being measured in parts per billions.
According to intergovernmental panel on climate changes (IPCC), temperature recorded at ground base measuring stations revealed a mean warming trend ranging from 0.3 C to 0.6 C since the year 1850 and from 0.2 C to 0.30 C since mid-seventies. And this recorded temperature is not way uniform either in time or distribution. More of the climate change occurs more on land than overseas and water bodies.
The complexity and complications off-shooting from climate change and its potentialaffect over environmental and social consequences pose a drastic challenge for the environmentalist policy planners and decision making apparatus across the globe. It is,therefore, unrealistic to expect from the public, policy makers to understand the full body of climate change contraption. As a consequence, therefore, the scientific community has long back known that greenhouse effect applies not only to greenhouses but also to the glass itself in its entirety.
Forests are both directly and indirectly impacted by the climate change. The direct impact is, however, owing to warming temperature and correspondingly changes in precipitation pattern or extreme whether events on forests. Even otherwise, notional pattern in temperature can have very significant effects on forest growth and survival, particularly those in the threshold areas. Higher temperature increases evapo-transpiration resultantly off-shooting drier conditions and decreases plants efficiency of water absorption. The rise in temperature dramatically give birth to the implication for timing of flowering and fruits formation which in turn affects growth rates and other physiological factors off-shooting will compelling the species either to migrate or face extinction. There shall. Therefore, be an overall impact over the forests threatened by seasonality of precipitation and exaggeration in weather conditions which would in turn tantamount to windstorms, lightning, thunders, floods, landslides and unaccountable episodes of environmental degradation.
In industrialized countries, environmentally sound carbon sequestration activities in the existing forests can be facilitated by encouraging longer relations and inculcating other sensitive forest management practices. Carbon sequestration should under no circumstances include inappropriate inclusion of exotic species which would have a negative impact on the ecosystem integrity and would rather degrade ecosystem goods and services beyond retrieval and biodiversity obliteration.
Much water has flown down the Brahmaputra in the east and the ‘Indus’ to the west over Indian sub-continental landscape, so is the situation across the globe. But lamentably, it is ironic to say that this precious plant is still facing seriouson slaught emanating from the human activities in pursuit of headlong development at the cost of destruction, irrespective of replenishment or compensation. All such human activities in turn are giving birth to environmental degradation and resultantly off-shooting the biggest challenge of current century —the crises of climate change.
Over the years , lot of worldwide summits and conferences have been deliberated upon right from Stockholm on human development in 1972 followed by earth summit in Rio de janerio (Brazil) and the earth summit in Johannesburg but in the ultimate analysis, all have proved to be unyielding. And in the ongoing process of such summits and conferences, year 1995unfolded another convention held in berlin(COPI)wherein it was catagorically emphasized that Rio was not enough and even its aftermath, the results were quite unyielding. This was sequenced by a protocol on climate change convention adopted in 1997 known as Kyoto Protocol. The targeted motto was emphatically aimed at to bring down global CFG’s emission to a level of 5.2% during the period 2008-12which period of commitment expired year ending 2015.
And now recently, a landmark framework arrangement on climate change was enunciated in Paris in 2015 to keep and ensure global temperature’s slow down and this remarkable agreement followed as a sequel to united nations Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) in association with world health organization (WHO) and united nation environment programme (UNEP), scientific, technical and socio-economic information concerning climate areas changes, its potential affects and opinion for adaption and mitigation.
This framework was laid down on the occasion of World Earth Day (WED) on 22ndApril, 2016, where apart from US and China, around 120 countries across the globe participated. And this framework agreement was more important and relevant as a follow up for enforcement of draft treaty adapted and followed earlier by 195 countries across globe present at United Nations conference on climate change. This is expected that this conference shall provide the required push in reducing global emission to the extent of 55% by the most populated 55 countries across the globe.
Concludingly, therefore, the signing of the dynamic agreement on climate change, particularly at the point of time when the most powerful and leading countries viz the USA and China are in the forefront is beyond all ambiguities going to have a far reaching universal impact. This will undoubtedly, change the gloomy picture of the global environmental degradation and much of the current crises on climate change at large.
(The author is Former Dy. Conservator of Forest, J&K).