As a child,I used to get excited whenever it rained.I still have that same excitement today with the only difference being that I start to worry when it keeps on pouring torrentially beyond a particular time period.The reason is pretty obvious-over the past 3-4 years,rains like these lead to floods and natural calamities. And I guess,I am not the only one feeling so!
June 5 is considered as World Environment Day.The theme for this year is "Only One Earth" with the focus on 'Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature'(UNEP).The theme could not have been more appropriate because this harmony is exactly what we have lost in the present day.
Reminiscing on my childhood days,I remember it was a lot greener then than what it is currently.Hailing from a village in Kerala,we grew up in the midst of greenery.The pleasant rains,the sweet petrichor, the occasional sighting of the rainbow,the pastures at our backyard all are afresh in memory.Today even my village has changed considerably and is more or less like a little city.Somehow we take pride in this change forgetting the price we have to pay for that.
Reports say,the April 2022 global surface temperature was 1.53 °F (0.85 °C) above the 20th-century average of 56.7 °F (13.7 °C).The 10 warmest April months have occurred since 2010, with the years 2014-2022 all ranking among the 10 warmest Aprils on record.[https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/april-2022-ties-fifth-warmest-april-record] As you might be well aware,warmer temperatures can expose people to heat waves which poses health risks.The rising sea levels can threaten coastal communities.Erratic rainfalls can either lead to heavy floods or droughts.Unpredictable weather can endanger ecosystems.All these can have a huge negative impact on the economy and can lead to an existential crisis.
I remember all these were taught while in school but at that time it seemed to be more of theoretical importance.We could not have imagined it would all come down to this stage.There were sporadic reports of sand mining from many river beds at that time but never did I think these were going to wreak havoc as of now.Trees were being cut down to pave way for industrialisation in the name of development.People somehow used to take pride in promoting unnecessary acts.And who are ultimately going to suffer? Ourselves and our future generations.
Now that the global average temperatures are rising,there are going to be seriously dangerous shifts in weather.Similarly,oceans are warming,glaciers are melting and sea level is rising.Elevated concentrations of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide would persist for sure and eventually,the earth's temperature would only increase further.If all these data do not alarm you,I don't know what else would!
Now is the time to act! It is time to "connect people with nature".It is time to "restore the ecosystem". The time is up to "beat air pollution". The time is already past to "counter plastic pollution". It is "Time for Nature" now.
Let your voices be heard.Let your children see what you are doing for the nature.Let earth rejoice in your actions.Let us see to it that protection of the environment is not limited to June 5.Let us try to reverse the changes that have already taken place.
Let us pledge to make our planet greener again!!
Remember,
ONLY ONE EARTH!
[The World Environment Day Themes over the last 5 years have been highlighted in the penultimate paragraph]
This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter.
Kommentarer