Earth is the only living planet in the universe, so far known to science. The future of human species as well as plant and animal species depends on the health of the planet ‘Earth’. Global warming due to accumulation of green house gases (GHG) in the atmosphere is the cause of increased pace of weather-related disasters like cyclones, floods, droughts, tornados, tsunamis, earthquakes, sea level rise, loss of biodiversity, emergence of new diseases and so on posing serious challenge to the survival of life on Earth.
Corona virus pandemic during 2020-21 is a glaring example of how alienating nature and environment and ecological footprints of modern development activities cause heavy casualty to the human race. The environment, ecosystem and the living species in planet ‘Earth’ are not permanent and static. They always undergo change. In the process of evolution some species degenerate and regenerate, some species become extinct, some species may evolve new, and some species undergo modification in adoption with changing environment. Periodically mass extinction of species also takes place. Since its creation planet ‘Earth’ has experienced five mass extinctions.
Early life forms began to flourish during the Cambrian Explosion, 540 million years ago. The Ordovician-Silurian Extinction took place 440 million years ago (first mass extinction) during which all the small marine organisms died; the Devonian Extinction (second) that happened 365 million years ago lost most of the tropical marine species; the Permian-Triassic Extinction (third) occurred 250 million years ago was the period of largest mass extinction in Earth’s history affected a range of species including many vertebrates; the Triassic-Jurassic Extinction (fourth) caused 210 million years ago led to the extinction of other vertebrate species on land but allowed dinosaurs to flourish; and the fifth was the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction that took place 65 Million Years Ago. About 50 percent of a wide range of plants and animals starting from tiny marine organisms to large dinosaurs suddenly died out. Scientists estimate that most of the plant and animal species that ever lived are now extinct.
Those five mass extinctions are considered natural. In addition to it in later ages during recent industrial civilization there is rapid degeneration or extinction of species which is anthropogenic and man-made. Planet Earth is now sustaining heavy loss of species due to frequent weather-related disasters. Prioritizing development activities paying scant regard to natural habitat and ecosystem and alienation with nature and environment leads to newer
problems like spread of corona virus in recent years casing global health emergency. India has witnessed many epidemic outbreaks since the 1990s but none of those were as widespread and as fatal as Covid-19. The major epidemics were Encephalitis lethargica (1915-1926), Spine flu (1918-1920), Cholera (1961-1975), Flu (1968-1969), Smallpox (1974), Plague in Surat (1994), SARS (2002 – 2004), Dengue and Chikungunya (2006), Gujarat Hepatitis (2009), Odisha Jaundice (2014 – 2015), Swine flu (2014-2015), Encephalitis (2017), Nipah Virus (2018), and Coronavirus (2019-2021). The non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney malfunction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) etc are rising in greater pace posing serious challenge than the communicable diseases because of global warming, exposure to pollutants and radiation. If the warming of planet Earth and environmental pollution go on unabated the possible and inevitable catastrophe may land us into the sixth mass extinction in not too distant future.
Towards a livable future we must adopt low-carbon lifestyle, improving energy efficiency, conserve energy and water, plan cities better, save forests, managing the coasts, recycle the waste, adopt circular economy in preference over linear economy, accomplish a second green revolution, curb environmental pollution, improve health, end environmentally destructive subsidies, safeguard biodiversity, stabilise human population.
Urban lifestyle is now order of the day. A conservative estimate puts it that about 40 per cent of the urban GHG generation is from the urban buildings. The principal source of energy is fossil fuel like coal-fired thermal power, petrol, diesel, kerosene, cooking gas, fire wood, etc. The burning of such fuels emits carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, sulphur dioxide, methane, etc.
The municipal garbage, the leftover stubble in the agricultural fields, plastic and electronic wastes are also often lit fire and burnt, in absence of its scientific management, which also emit such gases. The ambient air in urban environment is generally polluted. The per capita electricity consumption per annum in India is low with 1,208 kWh compared to global per capita consumption of 3,600 kWh.
Lower the quality of coal higher is the amount of fly ash and other waste generation. India plans to retire its coal-based plants that are at least 25 years old and contributing excessive pollution, totalling 11,000 MW of capacity. Some diesel generator plants and gas turbine plants were also decommissioned in 2016.
Unprecedented increases in global temperatures have occurred in tandem with record levels of GHGs concentrations and emissions. Since 1750, atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased by 31 per cent, with more than half this increase occurring in the last 50 years.
CO2 concentrations are increasing at an unparallel rate. About three quarters of the human-caused carbon emissions of the past 20 years are due to fossil fuel burning, with the remainder coming from deforestation and other forms of land use change. The 5th Assessment Report of IPCC also warned that if GHG emissions continue to rise, the Earth will pass the threshold beyond which global warming becomes catastrophic and irreversible. That threshold is estimated as a temperature rise of 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, and on current emissions trajectories we are heading for a rise of about 5 °C. Natural forest plays a pivotal role in climate resilience.
The indirect function of forest is maintenance of thermal and ecological balance and the direct function is availability of its food resources, house building materials, etc for consumption. Unfortunately, our forests are shrinking fast. The impact of deforestation is most devastating to the poor in particular.
Earth is now sustaining heavy loss of species due to frequent weather-related disasters. Prioritising development activities paying scant regard to natural habitat and ecosystem and alienation with nature and environment leads to newer problems like spread of corona virus in recent years casing global health emergency. Earth is our only planet in the universe where life is possible till date. We are consuming natural resources faster than its regeneration running into ecological deficit. It is very essential to maintain its natural assets in order to continue life on it.
(Dr Patro is president, Orissa Environmental Society, snpatro11@gmail.com, 0943790420)
