Urgent Need To Combat Climate Change
By Dr. N. D. Choudhari
THE United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was established in 1972 to aware the people in the world, regarding environment and related problems and to enhance political attention and public action. This event at Stockholm Conference on the issue of human environment was the land-mark event in growth of International Environmentalism," said John Mc'Cormick Day. WED was formed by the United General 100 countries in the world through the year and these celebrations to make awareness.
Various resolutions and pledges are taken by the PM and ministers of Environment on the World Environment Day 2009. All these dignitaries involved themselves with the commitment of facing of environment throughout the world. The pledges taken on the eve of WED formed the base of environmental management and economic planning. United Nations Environment Programme decides the place, slogan, objectives and celebration mode of World Environment Day every year. Likewise, various burning issues of environment problems are projected at word forum by UNEP for serious involvement and active participation of people to tackle is sues of environmental problems, various awards are also declared every year. The theme of WED 2009 focuses on the climate change. Climate change is caused by natural internal processes or external forces or by persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of the atmosphere or in land use. Due to explosion of population, industrialisation, heavy air, water soil pollution occurs, the air has got Nitrogen 78%, Oxygen 21% and 0.036% of Co2 for nurturing life on our planet. Due to industrialisation and increase in number of vehicles causes increase in percentage of CO2, Nitrogen Oxide, Sulphur Dioxide, Chlorofluro Carbons (CFC) which is called as Green House Gases and thus, disturbs chemical composition of atmosphere. It results in air pollution.
About 30 per cent of incoming energy from the Sun is reflected back to space while the rest reaches the earth, warning the air, oceans and land and thus, maintain Earth's temperature of 15 degrees C. Energy from the Sun in the form of ultraviolet and infra red portions is absorbed by the land, seas, mountains etc. and the earth becomes hotter and hotter. The earth absorbs and simultaneously releases it in the form of infrared waves. But when percentage of CO2 and other Green Houses Gases increase tremendously and accumulates with water vapour in the upper atmosphere which insulates the earth and raises the atmosphere temperature and prevents loss of heat. Global surface temperature is increased to 0.74 deg. C + 0.18 C during past 100 years. When global temperature increases, polar ice melts down causing flood to rivers. As the ice melts, land or open water takes its place. Both land and open water are on average less reflective than ice and thus, absorb more solar radiation that is called Ice Albedo. This causes more warming which in turn, causes more melting and this cycle continues. Rapid Arctic shrinkage is already occurring. And rate of its shrinkage in last 30 years is 3 times faster. In 2035, river in the Himalayas will diminish. Due to soil erosion, dams constructed on this river will be filled with soil.
Ban Ki Moon UN Secretary General called for transition to a new era of greener, cleaner development. Your planet needs you is meant to inspire all of us to do our part. The earth faces the grave threat of climate change and poor people in developing countries will suffer more. Unitedly we must press governments to seal the deal for a new climate agreement when billion of people, join forces in common purposes and environment protection, we can make a tremendous difference.
National Green Corporation in 8884 schools in Maharashtra under social forestry development will celebrate World Environment Day 2009 by following means. Street rallies, green concerts, bicycle parades, essay and poster competition in schools, tree planting, recycling effort by using old papers of used notebooks, clean up campaigns in villages and cities. Farmers should plants on the blinds of agriculture under Employment Guarantee Schemes with 100 per cent subsidies all government and non-government and corporate and NGOs should undertake massive campaign to involve masses for afforestation in vacant places and degraded soils. Soil and moisture conservations work should he carried out in all villages along with afforestation. Pollution should be carried out. In rural area, use smokeless chullah or install bio gas plants. Provide smoke outlets and ventilation in the kitchen. Feed livestock in their sheds without let-ting them out for grazing. Stop cutting of trees and grazing by animal’s forest fire and mining and extraction of sand from river and over abstraction of ground water. Saw our gene pool in forest and biodiversity.
Our environment is the future of our world. So let m come forward and join hands to save our environment.
