Overcoming Climate Change: Resolute Determination and Resilience
Climate change is a hot topic worldwide but lay citizen in India seems to be ignorant about it. It also agitates all governments and has become an awesome concern among political leadership, environmentalists, ecologists and meteorological fraternity. Prolonged heat waves as we find in mid April, 2024 across several states in India, recent unseasonal heavy rains in Pakistan and UAE, cyclonic storms often arising in Bay of Bengal hitting coastal states in eastern India portend to climate change. What could be the reason for this rapid transition in few years? Evidently climate change is more ascribed to greater industrial and human activity. The question is which are the countries more accountable? Amidst blame game the Paris Agreement under the aegis of United Nation has found a consensus to combat the menace by the end of 2030. Broadly the agreement aims to strengthen global efforts to keep the global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase even further 1.5 degrees Celsius. It is established that greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions is responsible for global rise in temperature. Per capita GHGs emissions expressed in terms of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent varies amongst countries. Incidentally emissions are higher in developed countries than developing countries say as in the United States of America.
Very recently the world has witnessed several climate change events in American, European and Afro-Asian countries. It has aroused panic in public mind. Current heat wave in many states in India and unseasonal snow fall in Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh has become very ominous. In a spate of articles in print media many have expressed their concern about climate change. Even some have suggested for inclusion of climate change in poll manifesto. Hemanta Pradhan writing in The Times of India (20.04.2024) has raised certain pertinent issues like displacement, migration and loss of livelihood due to climate change. These are no longer items of fiction but are a reality now. Yet they are not discussed by the youths as much as they should be. Politicians do not seem to be very mindful about the gravity of climate change and its effects on global health. Pradhan has tried to appraise us about a 23-point Youth Manifesto urging parties to pay attention to the rehabilitation of displaced persons by climate change highlighting the threats to coastal Odisha. It is equally applicable to other coastal like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. He adds ‘’youths are the first migrants from a climate hotspot, and they should be provided with designated plans to protect their human rights, wages, dignified basic amenities and other support systems’’. His focus has been more for Odisha which encounters natural calamities every year. Odisha State Disaster Management Authority of government of Odisha taking climate change as an obvious outcome of indiscriminate human activity should devise a climate action plan soon.
Expressing their concern in an editorial in The Hindu (23rd April, 2024) about ‘’Restoring earth’s right to ‘good health’, Caitlin Wiesen, Resident Representative, UNDP, India and Ashish Chaturvedi, Head, Action for Climate Change, UNDP, India have cited the landmark decision of the European Court of Human Rights as to how much the climate change is increasingly becoming a human rights crisis. They said planet is under extreme stress, impacting people’s right to live a healthy life. The most important lines are from the message of Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General on the eve of International Mother Earth Day, 2024 which I quote ‘’Humanity is acting like Mother Earth’s delinquent child. We depend on nature for the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. Yet we have brought chaos to the natural world. These actions harm nature, and they harm humanity. Together, we must restore harmony with nature.’’. India among one of the fastest growing economies in the world will be highly vulnerable to effects of climate change as 80 % of its population lives in areas that are at risk due to climate-induced disasters. It is forewarning for all of us – live or perish only two options before us.
The functioning of economy is dependent on land, food, water and energy. Understandably, the economy is based on climate as on now. All natural resources do play a great role on GDP of a country. Agriculture, livestock production and wild life contribute a lot. The quality trait governing genetic pattern for milk and meat are supposed to be compromised due to the deleterious effect of climate change. The variables in animal that steer behavior, physiology, endocrine, metabolic and also immune system, being considered as welfare variables, change by climatic alterations. Animal health is greatly affected for climate change, in particular vector borne diseases. Thus in the changing climatic scenario, it is relevant to address animal production, health and welfare.
Therefore, climate action plan is already afoot under the aegis of the United Nation under the broad heading of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Goal No. 13 of SDG calls for urgent action filled strategy to combat climate change. Primarily the SDG aims to protect our environment and slow the process of climate change from forests to oceans to everywhere leaving no blank space in between. This is the overall goal before the mankind. Do or die and perish or survive being the key words. In short it is a race to win against the time. Like humanism, climate change has no barriers to cross national frontiers. It is the duty and responsibility every citizen, irrespective of clan or cadre to save our mother Earth from possible catastrophe. Water scarcity and low rainfall are the forewarning about things to happen at many places. Mumbai had a 100% cut in water supply in certain areas very recently. Bengaluru in India and Cape Town in South Africa are other examples which have gone through the rigors of water scarcity. That said we must understand about the factors that induce climate change to mobilize public awareness to partner in frontline climate action. Firstly the factors responsible begin from our homes and lifestyle changes starting from dinner table to variety of daily chores and increased human activities responsible for degradation of environmental ambience.
The possibilities and options for action to reduce the global warming are many. One that has attracted immediate attention is to reduce dependence on fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas, considered as chief contributors of global warming, with alternate renewable energy resources. Though environmental impacts of gradually moving from draught animal power (DAP) to different modes of mechanical traction power for agricultural operations in developing countries have not been well studied yet it can be a factor that could have contribute to Green House Gasses emissions (CGGs). CO2 released through natural processes such as volcanic eruptions, animal and human respiration, burning of fossil fuels and industrial activities is the chief constituent of GHGs. Other factors are large scale production and consumption of consumer goods like cement, iron and steel, electronics and clothes, thermal power generation, mining, unlawful and wanton felling of trees in reserve forests and village forests, large scale forest fires, transportation, and raising livestock for food are responsible for increased CO2 load. If unchecked all these aggregately will lead to ultimate humiliation of all living objects by overwhelming the ecosystem. Who shall be the first and foremost to be affected? It will be the poorest and most vulnerable living in the developing countries and populous country like India in particular. For public knowledge we must know about greenhouse emissions and how does it affect us.
Greenhouse gas emissions are our unseen foes and how does it impact the environment should be our immediate concern. Greenhouse gas emissions blanket the Earth and prevent escape of Sun’s heat that leads to global warming. When human activities grow, the world will get hotter with each passing day. With warmer temperatures are all around there shall be a change in weather patterns manifested by unseasonal rain, excessive or scanty rain and dry seasons upsetting the natural balance of our planet leading to unnatural calamities unseen or unheard in the past millennia or more. If we could reasonably predict the outcome of CLIMATE CHANGE what should be our collective effort and strategies to minimize the effects of climate change amidst continual developmental activities in developed, developing and under developed countries. Climate change mitigation initiatives to reduce greenhouse emissions should be a multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary exercise in a MISSION MODE to protect people and planet. To speed up the pace of climate action governments, business houses and civil society should sail in the same boat. It is to prioritize action plan.
What we need to do:
- Protection of habitat of all living objects for a healthy ecosystem that would provide a healthy living for all on our mother Earth.
- Minimal use of thermal power replacing it with renewable energy like solar power, wind power and hydropower.
- Conservation and save water mission. That drinking of unsafe water is the one of the most common causes to invite health hazards is unknown to most Indians in rural areas and that it emanates mostly in areas that are prone to water scarcity region should have greater focus for the safety of all creatures including humans.
- Protection of Ecosystems and Biospheres.
- Rivers are lifelines where most of our civilization has prospered from the time immemorial. With climate change and industrial use of water these lifelines have either shrunk or getting dry gradually. Plantation of fast growing perennial trees with a spirit of NATIONALISM which most of us LACK. It will also protect and enrich the top soil around.
- Sustainable action for soil conservation.
- Action plan for compatible agriculture for food grain production and diversification of ‘shift cultivation’ or ‘’Podu Chasa’’ as practiced by tribals in Koraput district of Odisha by alluring them to other trades for livelihood. It is a difficult proposition though to distract them from centuries-old practice. It is easier said than done. For realization of this goal greater emphasis need to be given on livestock production.
- Total ban on stub burning in agricultural fields after harvest. Burning of plant residues adds to the atmospheric pollution and environmental warming.
- Minimal use of mechanical power in agricultural operation and gradually reverting to animal draught power with suitable development of improved healthy bullock power. Research on this aspect should be intensified in the engineering section of all Agricultural Sciences Universities and University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences to ensure as to how best bullock power with improvisation of agricultural implements in order to replace mechanical power. The protocol may vary according to agro-climatic zones and pattern of implementation and adaptation should be designed accordingly.
- Over exploitation of mineral wealth should be limited to the extent possible in mining areas of mineral rich States which has become major cause of climate change. As of now there has been no compensatory plantation in the areas where the forests have been denuded by mining operation. This should be taken up on war footing in order to arrest soil erosion and reduction in ground water levels in the concerned regions. It is more relevant to Odisha.
- Learning from the tribal or aborigines the art of loving and hugging tress to learn about conservation of ecosystem.
- So far the wildlife, especially tigers, have been the guardians of our forests but wanton killing by poachers has made it possible for the mafias to invade forests for felling of trees hastening degradation of soil and climate change. People living inside or in villages adjoining the forests should be enlightened about the perils of deforestation and climate change which will ultimately affect their life and livelihood. Massive awareness campaign to save forests along with compensatory tree plantation with pumping of enough funds with volunteer vigilante groups to keep an eye on malpractice or corruption is the call of the day. There is no time to lose.
- That climate change will affect and influence human, animal, wildlife, plant life and environmental health is well known. It is suggested to have interdisciplinary and multispectral strategies in place under ‘One Health & One World’ concept to protect universal health.
- Creation of Climate Change Research Fund to encourage private sector under Corporate Sector Responsibility to fund all projects since the Corporate and Industrial Houses are the main stream of climate change.
- In nutshell let us increase the number of trees and water bodies, reduce carbon emissions level through utilization of renewable energy, down scale growth of concrete jungles, management of wastes particularly non-degradable ones like plastic and rethink of reverting to draught animal power (DAP) which served so well before industrial revolution. For better DAP the Departments of Animal Breeding & Genetics in Veterinary Colleges should carry out research to develop better draught animals. Ongole based animal genes have contributed to the development of some wonderful cattle breeds like ‘American Brahman’ and ‘Santa Getrutids’ in Latin America useful for beef production and DAP. In Indonesia Ongole breed of bullocks are commonly used for plowing agricultural land.
To conclude our discussion on the seriousness of climate change it is worthwhile to quote the observation of Hon’ble Supreme Court of India published in the Times of India on 20th April, 2024 captioned as ‘’Earth Doesn’t belong to man, forests must be protected at all cost’’. The Hon’’ble Court said that ‘’Article 48A of the Constitution envisaging protection of environment and safeguarding of forests and wildlife has direct nexus with citizen’s right to life and asked the governments to protect forests to save the country and the world from ill-effects of climate change’’.
Dr. Simant Kumar Nanda
Joint Director (Animal Welfare), Odisha
