Precious Planet EARTH
Are we really concerned about our nature?
Unrelating heatwaves across the world this week laid bare the grim realities of increasingly extreme temperatures. The rate of global warming has rapidly increased in recent decades and experts agree that climate change is exacerbating dangerously high temperatures across the world.
Across Europe, thousands were evacuated as wildfires raged in soaring heat. In UK, the temperature rose above 40C for the first time in recorded history, major internet servers were knocked offline due to cooling system failures, and planes had to be diverted from melting runways. Meanwhile, in North America, several US states recorded rise in daily temperatures, with multiple major cities declaring heat emergencies and opening cooling centers for the public.
Experts say that, without human-caused climate change these would have been 2C to 4C cooler. The extreme heat caused significant disruption to the UK, with experts warning that excess deaths related to temperatures will be high wildfires also destroyed homes and nature in some places.
The world has already warmed by around 1.1C, since the begining of the industrial age.
Some places in Antartica recorded 40C above normal, while the north pole’s temperature stood at 30C higher than normal, reaching levels normally registered later in the year.
Climate scientists are sounding alarm over heatwaves at both the earth’s poles, saying that such “unprecedented” phenomena could trigger faster and abrupt climate breakdown than previously thought. This rapid rise in temperatures at the poles is an indication that earth’s climate systems have been disrupted due to human lifestyles. Meanwhile scientists have labelled the developments as “historic” and “dramatic”.
NASA reveals images showing alarming rise in temperature in Europe, Asia and Africa.
“While there is a clear pattern of an ‘atmospheric wave’ with alternating warm (redder) and cool (bluer) valves in different locations, this large area of extreme (and record breaking) heat is another clear indicator that emissions of greenhouse gases by human activity are causing weather extremes that impact our living conditions,” remarked NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre Chief Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, Steven Pawson.
The heatwave in western Europe ignited wildfires in Portugal, Spain and portions of France, which were already suffering from severe drought. More than 3000 hectares (7400 acres) of forest burnt in Leiria, Portugal on July 13th, reaching 113 degrees Fahrenheit. Firefighters were battling 14 active blazes that put more than half of the nation on high alert.
Why is the heat increasing every year?
This was a new experience for the British. Due to the unusually high temperatures at the moment, even British experts are perplexed. Because many roads have collapsed. Roofing made of glass and traffic lights are melting down. Many people are in quest.
As coolers and air conditioners are being used in residences it has resulted in sharp rise in United Kingdom’s weather over the last two years. Many nations in Europe are now in difficulty as a result of this heat.
What we can do? as a Global Citizen.
As we know that all these changes in the climate are result of what we humans have done in recent past and doing yet. Its frightening to even imagine how our future could be, if we continue to harm the nature brutally. We cannot quitely rely upon the governments or any other international organisations to take action. Even though they’re making their effort to tackle the issues, its also our duty to contribute at our utmost to stop the future climate crisis.
On this ‘World Nature Conservation Day’ let’s pledge to save the precious gem of the universe, the planet Earth and join hands with the millions of climate scientists and activists who are struggling to save “The Precious Planet Earth.”
Source: NASA Earth Observatory, UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), WEF (World Economic Forum), Wion, Reuters UK.
