Our Climate, Our Ecosystem and We

Article 

Our Climate, Our Ecosystem and We

 -    Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh

Writer, Author & Social Activist

Blogger - "Climate Diary Of Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh"

 

"We live in the seasons

And many seasons live in us.

Rain, sun, wind

As long as it is balanced

Until then

We are and our world is..."

     - These lines are from my long poem which I wrote after seeing the frequent changes in the weather. At the same time I felt that our ecosystem, our climate and we are the three corners of such a triangle, in which deterioration of one can spoil the other two as well. Unfortunately, the same corner where we are standing is responsible for all the mess.*

 

We, our climate and our ecosystem, all three are interdependent. Climate determines the seasons and everything starts changing as the seasons change. For example, after the winter season is over and as soon as the summer season starts, warm clothes are washed, dried, pesticide pills are put in them and handed over to the boxes. Cotton socks and cotton gloves take the place of woolen socks and gloves. Instead of a warm hat on the head, a sun-protecting hat comes. Cotton clothes to wear, cotton sheets on the bed and normal showers are used instead of geysers. You would think that even children know this, why am I discussing all this? Well, when the season changes, the lifestyle changes. This very simple thing that In the summer, instead of a room warmer, have definitely takes place a cooler. With the change of season, our diet also changes. Where we used to spend our days with tea and coffee, we start liking soft drinks. Instead of avoiding the cold, advice is given to avoid the heat.

If we look at nature, then as soon as the season changes, nature also changes its dress. The green leaves turn yellow and start separating from the tree and we understand that autumn has come. As the temperature of the season increases, so does the greenery. The flowers and leaves which were visible in the winter season are not visible. Other flowers and leaves take their place. Semal, Palash flowers have also developed the power to absorb heat on their own that is why their petals are thicker than Marigold or Dahlia flowers. Surviving in less water is the specialty of these trees. These summer trees paint the earth in their own distinct color.

As soon as the summer comes, CC Road and Tarkoal Roads start heating up. Earlier there was a practice of planting dense shade trees on both sides of these roads. We can see the evidence of this in our history books as well. The rule of the same king was considered the best, which used to plant fruitful and shady trees, dig wells, make ponds and step wells for the convenience of his subjects. Be it Europe or India, there was a trend of planting big gardens till the medieval period. For example, Shershah Suri's rule, despite being short-lived in Indian history, is considered a good medieval rule. If we go further back in history, there is a mention of planting beautiful gardens in India even during the reign of King Vikramaditya.

Our ancestors were not careless about the ecosystem. They knew that just as it is necessary to have clouds for rain, it is necessary for clouds to have water in rivers, ponds and oceans, and for these water bodies to have water, it is necessary to have forest. In the same way trees are necessary for birds to shelter. It is necessary to have and birds are necessary for pollination of trees. Our ancestors knew that every living and non-living things of nature are mutually dependent on each other. That's why they considered rivers, oceans and trees as deities and worshipped them. We adopted the method of worship from our ancestors but our attitude towards rivers, oceans and trees changed. We have polluted the huge and holy river like Ganga, by disposing all kinds of garbage in the oceans, we are polluting it as well and our current generation has shown complete ruthlessness towards trees.

We did not take lessons from our past but did all those things to make our life convenient, which may make our present life look convenient but its future is dark. Think a while, how does climate change influence the lifestyle of people? So answer is that with a change in season, there is a change in food habits and clothing. There are also changes in the variety of crops and fruits grown. Burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests and farming livestock are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth's temperature. This adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming. Impacts from human activity on land and in the water can influence ecosystems profoundly. Climate change, ocean acidification, permafrost melting, habitat loss, eutrophication, storm water runoff, air pollution, contaminants, and invasive species are among many problems facing ecosystems. We're the ones who burn fossil fuels, produce livestock and clear trees, increasing the amount of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. 2011-2020 was the warmest decade recorded, with global average temperature reaching 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels in 2019. Human-induced global warming is presently increasing at a rate of 0.2°C per decade. An increase of 2°C compared to the temperature in pre-industrial times is associated with serious negative impacts on to the natural environment and human health and wellbeing, including a much higher risk that dangerous and possibly catastrophic changes in the global environment will occur. For this reason, the international community has recognized the need to keep warming well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.

Actually, we ourselves are responsible for weakening the links of our ecosystem. We are the ones responsible for pushing our climate into the abyss of catastrophic changes. That's why we have to rectify our mistakes and change our habits which are responsible for climate change. Uncertainty in weather has not come on its own but has come because of us, so instead of blaming the weather for any loss in ecosystem, we have to look at our own faults.

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 (02.04.2023)

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