Too Hot To Handle

This has been an interesting decade. Beginning with a breakthrough in digitalization, progressing with numerous worldwide developments, and nevertheless, approaching the end with a big BAM! (aka COVID-19)

Out of all of the global episodes that occurred in these 10 years, only one, however, managed to persist, increasing in its severity by each passing second. Any guesses?

Climate change is not a “potential” or “distant” threat anymore. It is, and has been right here, enveloping the grey skies, sheathing the dirty roads, layering the brown and swollen rivers since the past couple of years, insisting to stick around for more.

Climate transformations have resulted in phenomenally rising temperatures, giving way to melting of polar ice-caps and glaciers, depletion of the ozone layers, extinction of plant and animal species and topping the charts, our favourite phrase – global warming.

 Extreme weather conditions are sweeping the globe and their most devastating impact is on mankind. A very prominent example is the calamitic Australian bushfires, which started raging in late 2019, having affected 10 million people, including at least 28 human lives that were lost. Global ecosystems, communities and economies, are perishing rapidly with no emerging ones, and it seems as if we humans are too busy to care.

All we are concerned about is building skyscrapers (especially the ones which take up space), lavish housing societies (again: space) and yes, parking lots (do I even need to mention space?). Rewind a little to October 2019, when all the flashing headlines were about the Arrey forests and how the Mumbai police was being atrocious to the greens of its own city….and why? To construct a car shed? To build a piece of infrastructure which is insignificant in comparison to the number of trees and wildlife the earth lost that day?

Clear blue skies, lush green gardens, untethered birds and animals, sparkling rivers, are all part of an outlying dream for us now. And the one time, the only one time, we were close to experiencing the beauty of nature at its best (almost)….we were(or still are?) nationally quarantined and locked in the four walls of our homes.

The past 2 months were kind of illusive, and at least for the sake of nature, terribly short-spanned. Being in New Delhi, I was frankly looking forward to (finally) seeing what a blue sky looked like, how fresh air felt like, and how the Yamuna cascaded without the burden of garbage dumped in it. However, some kind-hearted and understanding humans (you don’t need to know who) pricked my pleasant bubble of fantasy, bringing me back to the cruel reality. 

 Pollution levels are back to square one, population levels…well….., 👀,Delhi is steadily rising up the “World’s most polluted cities” list, and whatever changes that were expected from the nature (because of course, we have no role to play at all) are not visible now.

The doomsday clock is ticking invariably faster, and we need to act. (I’m hoping you all know that there is no planet B, and my best wishes to all those who are planning to settle on Mars👍👍 .)

With the failure of World Governments to reach a concrete solution, sustainable development plans are dwindling, and the need of the hour is to save the planet and save it fast. It’s time to speed up along the green pathway and back up a bit (maybe more than that) on our carbon footprint.

Remember, though, that being spirited to conserve our natural resources and protect the climate, will not be enough.

Before the Earth becomes too hot to handle (us), it’s preferable to at least start doing what we can, because at home begins the charity, right?  Sparing some of our valuable time to perhaps plant a sapling, save some water, minimise the use of paper and practise the good ol’ 3R’S, would be a tremendous undertaking, right from our own hands, towards safeguarding the Earth. I assure you that these endeavours will count, and in such crucial times, they are the only means we can resort to.

Monitoring and controlling our own actions to save the planet for future generations is the only solution. Influencing the decisions of the World Governments, or the Environmental organizations is not in our hands, but bringing a change in ours is. So, let there be a start somewhere….in our thoughts as well as our actions.

I hope that what we stand on, is what we stand for.

 By-

Tiara Arora

Class XII

cleopatratia18@gmail.com