Countering climate turbulence
THERE is no denying that mankind has achieved unbelievable developments during the 20th century, even turned the world into a global village.
On the other hand, human beings seem to be deliberately inviting climate’s wrath by changing its average mode through unbuttoned transportation, factories, greenhouses gases, fossil fuel emissions.
Unneeded use of man-made technologies is the main responsible factor that has pushed the average temperature of the world up 1.1 centigrade from its pre-industrial average.
In the first week of November 120 heads and representative of the world countries once again got together for a two day summit called Conference of Parties (COP) in Glasgow vowing to take speedy measures before the world is faced further rise of temperature.
This year, the world suffered enough from an aberrant temperature as hundreds of people lost their lives due to hot waves in the Pacific Northwest and innumerable towns were swept away by flash floods in the West of US.
As rich industrial country, China, the US, India, Russian federation, Japan, Germany, Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are the ten most responsible countries contributing to pollution in our atmosphere.
In order to limit desultory emission of CO2, the United Nations established COP Conference of the Parties in 1995 which marked its 26th conference in recent days in Glasgow.
In November 2015, about 150 world leaders including the US, the UK, China and Russia reached out for the first time to limit emissions of the greenhouse gases responsible for sever climate change.
From recent statistics, it is evident that the rate of deterioration will increase manifold, unless radical changes aren’t made.
However, while many despise the current pandemic condition which has forced them to live in isolation, I believe that the harmful virus has been sent as a miracle.
With the significant reduction in industrial and economic activities, scientists finally found some positive results which depicted that the ozone layer had the capacity to regenerate itself, it not harmed by toxic greenhouse gases.
Last year, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that the huge hole in the ozone, which was almost three times larger in the size than Greenland, showed considerable signs of recovery.
However, several scientists linked to the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) disagree with such analysis claiming that “an unusually long-lived and strong polar vortex” led to the recovery of the ozone layer.
WMO report for 2021 cites that the world was changing before our eyes owing to an increase in sea level and temperature that likely might to push the entire world into multiple problems.
The only way to be saved from the wrath of climate change, there is a crucial need to keep temperature below 1.1 centigrade before the industrial Revolution.
Thus, both at the state level and individually, we must curtail CO2 emissions by planting trees and using the least amount of fuel in our homes, transport and industries.
As a humanistic religion, Islam not only urges to keep clean yourselves but it has put unique emphasis on the importance of cleanliness. In this regard, the Quran has many examples of cleanness being instructed by God to mankind.
The Quran says “truly, Allah loves those who keep themselves clean and pure” (Al-Baqra 2;222). As well as, the Holy Prophet (M-PBUH) insisted on keeping both the soul and the body, even he declared cleanliness the half of faith.
For the sake of a pure environment, the holy prophet strictly prohibited of cutting of trees and lauded tree plantation on the Earth.
In sum, without taking durable steps it would be an uphill task for us to limit air pollution, maintain normal the sea level and temperature as well. Let’s vow to de-carbonize our economy to ensure a clean environment for the sake entire living beings.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Zhob, Balochistan.
