Rhythms of our planet – It’s time to listen
“Nature is a miracle we depend upon.” The significance of nature in the life of human beings has been present long before human evolution. Ever since that day nature has taken care of mankind and nourished it. In other words, nature guards us against all types of harms and damages. The life of mankind without the environment or nature is impossible. It plays a very important role in our lives. All forms of nature, such as the sun, moon, planets, stars, rivers, plants, animals hold remarkable positions in human life. We fulfil our psychological needs of eating and drinking healthy which is given to us by the earth. It provides us with the two most essential elements to survive on the planet, which are rainfall and sunshine. The air, wood, trees, animals are all the gifts of nature. But, the greed of human beings has exploited the environment with technological advancements which are harming the planet as a whole. The need to balance and conserve the natural environment is the need of the hour.
It’s time to listen to the rhythms of our planet and understand it. The damage that human activities are causing to the environment is also affecting the climatic conditions. Climate change is happening at a fast pace. There are frightful warnings by scientists on climate change and its severe consequences. The repercussions are evident in the form of plastic and dirty water littering in the ocean, the growing Pacific garbage patch and dead marine animals found with plastic in their guts. The industrial chemicals flowing into the rivers and oceans cause freshwater tainted with lead and acids. The planet’s growing urgency in terms of climate change is revolving around the excess of greenhouse gases which are causing global warming. The excessive amount of rainfall, wildfires and oceanic pollution around the world are vital signs of environmental degradation. Let us throw some light on a few stories that show us how the earth’s climate has gone off track over the past few years.
Source:https://americanprofile.com/articles/the-9-most-devastating-man-made-disasters/
- Increasing Carbon Dioxide levels:
According to a recent study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), greenhouse gas emissions have increased up to 415 parts per millions. The burning of fossil fuels in immoderate quantities by human beings has resulted in the release of carbon dioxide by 3 ppm more in the air.
- Fires in the forests of Amazon and Australia:
The Australian bushfires burnt around 46.03 million acres of land across all Australian states and territories. The devastating fires resulted in the loss of millions of plants & animals. More than 1 billion mammals, birds, and reptiles lost their lives in the blazes. The continent is home to 244 species that are not found anywhere else and has the highest rate of native mammals becoming extinct over the past 200 years. Similarly, the Amazon fires saw an average of 75 fires a day in the Amazon leading to loss of biodiversity.
(Source- 2019–20 Australian bushfire season – Wikipedia).
- Extinction and invasion by animals:
The impact of human activities is leading to climatic changes, which is causing the extinction of rare plant and animal species. Many reindeers died in Norway due to unavailability of the plants they ate. The thinning of sea ice due to global warming led several polar bears to invade the settlements in Russia in search of food. The harmful activities by mankind are harming the flora and fauna as well the humans themselves.
- Melting of ice sheets all over the world:
Ice covers almost 10% of the Earth’s surface. It acts like a protective cover over the Earth and our oceans. The various human actions such as industrialization have raised the temperatures leading to the melting of glaciers. This has led to an increase in sea levels and coastal erosion.
The rapid glacial melt has influenced ocean currents creating more frequent and intense coastal storms like hurricanes and typhoons.
Thus, we as humans are very much addicted to luxury and to fulfil our desires, we are exploiting mother Earth. Human activity can be directly attributed to the cause of hundreds of extinctions in the last two centuries. Therefore, It’s high time we start to conserve our environment for the good of the world. For more such insightful information follow Dr Varun Gupta and visit his website – https://www.drvarungupta.in/