A burning issue
- Imphal Times Editorial :: June 07 2016 -

The world experienced the hottest summer ever recorded last year, and this year, even before the summer is yet to peak, the record has already been broken, at least for our country when India recorded its highest-ever temperature this may when the heat in the town of Phalodi, in the western state of Rajasthan, shot up to a burning 51 degrees Celsius (123.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

The scorching run is set to continue, and is expected to get worse as the summer progresses.

While the state has it comparatively easy as the highest recorded temperature according to the State Meteorological Office stands at 36.1 degree Celsius during April 1999, yet the disquieting impact of the rising mercury has already being felt by the people, and the talks of the threat of global warming and killer heat waves are gradually playing out in reality in the state as in every part of the world.

The year 2015 recorded more than 2500 deaths due to heat waves across the country, and if the present is any indication, that figure is unfortunately going to be toppled before long, with the death toll this year already crossing 1500 according to reports from scientists of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

But what brings the world to such a lamentable pass? The answer, as always is: blatant disregard for the ecological balance by the humans in their insatiable quest for better comforts and opulence.

The increase in emission of greenhouse gases due to the rapidly advancing pace of industrialization the world over compounded by depletion of forest cover at an alarming rate and the breakdown of wastes which are piling up each passing day due to the lack of a sustainable and systematic waste management policy has resulted in a world where the very survival of any living being has begun to be questioned if the present situation is allowed to be festered without any deliberate and proactive intervention.

For, with the rise in global temperature, sea-levels will rise, low-lying lands such as the Maldives and Tuvalu, among thousand others will be submerged for ever rendering thousands homeless and even death, vagaries of nature such as storms, floods, droughts and forest fires will increase in severity and frequency, not to mention the inescapable loss and extinction of species of flora and fauna.

Which brings us to the all-important question: how do we prevent or reverse global warming?

While governments and concerned groups around the world are joining hands and resources to reduce global warming and the resultant threat to the environment on a massive scale, the most basic mantra that everyone can take up as individuals is: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Instead of waiting for the grand scheme of things to be operational, each of us as citizens of the world has a stake in saving the planet from burning itself out, and the best way to go about it is to start now, by reducing wastes, use of power, dependence on gadgets and emission of greenhouse gases, smokes etc. it would do a world of good to seriously reconsider the abundant and splendid gifts nature has been offering us, of which we are too inconsiderate and arrogant to abuse and replete it to our own stupidity.