On December 7, 2009, leaders from 192 countries will gather at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen to determine the fate of our planet. The countries around the world are now becoming serious to cope with the global warming. It is all because of Al-Gore Albert, the Nobel Peace Prize Winner and also was a vice-president of USA. His services for CO2 free environment are admirable. He made a documentary film “An Inconvenient Truth” for which he has awarded Oscar Award. In which he showed the consequences of global warming, which is man-made. It provided awareness among the people and opened the eyes of the developed as well as under developed countries. Further, he made an alliance namely; “Alliance for Climate Protection”. He got together all people around the world on the issue through this platform. In 2005, Wangai Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, from Kenya is also environmental activist. He had received peace award for his services and awareness among the people about environment. This shows that the Global Warming is debatable issue in today’s world. The peace award which was given to maintain peace and harmony is now being given to the environmentalists.
At present earth is facing rapid warming which environmentalists believe results from human activity. As the land is usually acquired for development or agricultural purposes or trees are used as fuel, and burning of fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide (CO2) and other substances known as greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This rise in the temperature of earth, which affects crop productivity, un-seasonal rains, droughts and floods etc.
In the last quarter of the 20th century, the average atmosphere temperature rose by about 1 degree Fahrenheit. By 2000, that increase was responsible for the annual loss of about 160,000 lives, and the loss of 5.5 million year of healthy life. According to estimates by the Word Health Organization (WHO), the toll is expected to double to about 300,000 lives and 11 million years of healthy life by 2020.
As a consequence of melting glaciers and disappearing ice caps due to global warming, sea levels are expected to rise by many meters flooding some coastal regions and even entire islands. If the polar ice caps melt indigenous. Artic people will find their food stocks gone; penguins, polar bears and seals will lose their habitats, making their traditional lives unlivable.
The rapid shrinking of Himalayan glaciers, which feeds seven great rivers of Asia, accelerating at alarming rates in past decades as a result of global warming, will have catastrophic consequences from millions of people, who rely on glacial melt water. This will ultimately, reduce the water supply of hundreds of millions of people in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh while rising seas and stronger cyclones, will threaten tens of millions on the Bay of Bengal with drastic economic and social effects and lead to conflicts.
Greenhouse is the direct outcome of increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. When the sun rays enter the earth’s atmosphere, some of them are absorbed by the earth and the rest are reflected back. Due to greenhouse effect, the reflected rays do not escape from the earth’s atmosphere into the outer space. Instead they remain tapped. This phenomenon increases the temperature of earth, resulting in global warming. I hereby draw an imaginary diagram to understand the Green House Effect (GHE) easily,
NECESSARY MEASURES TO COMBAT GLOBAL WARMING IN PAKISTAN
The New initiatives taken by the US to shift energy from fossils to solar, wind, and geothermal sources. Same technique should be adopted here in Pakistan.
Al Gore’s, fact-filled debate performances: How a wind turbine works, and a long section that begins: “Conventional hydrothermal plants are built according to one of three different designs. The steam can be taken directly through the turbine and then recondensed…”
Further he suggested, that “threshold beyond which photovoltaic will actually have cost advantage” over concentrated solar as well as fossil fuels. Solar thermal projects are immense; but the price of photovoltaic is dropping while their efficiency is rising. Photovoltaic are a prime example of where the developmental pathway had a big impact on my conclusions.
I think Pakistan should adopt same technology. Further; If, Pakistan feed the biology and managed grasslands appropriately. It could sequester as much carbon as we emit.
NASA teams implies; methane emissions could be cut b changing farms practices and by capturing the huge quantities that are flared at oil wells. Removing one ton of black carbon will have the same (climate) effect as removing 2,000 to 3,000 tons of CO2.
There is need of awareness among the Pakistani people about the environmental sciences. From now this subject should be included in primary level.
It requires an action plan on bio-diversity for rural as well as urban development regarding agricultural and environmental issues. It also includes development of coastal areas in the sense of bio-diversity. It may be taken up properly with the help of such action plan that suits the genesis of the genius.
Global Warming has no geographical boundaries. Therefore, the conclusion in Bali Conference suggested that the participation of all the countries is necessary. Global Warming is so long so every instrument must be employed. The most important decision taken in the meeting was the carbon tax must be imposed on developed countries to the under-developed countries. Because the US, China and India are more CO2 producer countries.