Rising temper - blame it on climate change!

Are you increasingly turning out to be short tempered? Are your children becoming increasingly arrogant and violent? Is your relationship with your partner being hurt due to silly fights? Are people on the road tending to argue / fight for trivial reasons?

Have you ever pondered over these questions? 

No? , then please pause for a movement, close your eyes and think about your experiences. Are humans slowly turning out to be more violent?

Researchers from the University of California Berkeley recently published a paper in the journal Science, in which they suggest that humans may become more hostile as global temperatures rise. Their suggestion was based on strong evidence linking the recent regional conflicts and climatic changes. One of the most classic example of which is the fact that changes in the local weather pattern coupled by an acute shortage of wheat largely fueled the Arab Spring.

The researchers assumed an average increase of four degrees Fahrenheit and concluded that humans would do little or nothing to adapt, but simply turn violent and perish! The study also claims that occurrences of human and inter-group conflicts would increase by fifty per cent by 2050. We already know that humans would turn to cannibalism when climate change causes a food crisis, but would needless violence predate this by decades? Is the recent turmoil in the Middle East, the rising number of rapes in India, increasing terror related violence in Pakistan, the occupy wall-street movement in the west and the anti-government protests in China and Russia just the beginning?

Yes, the occurrences of such events will increase exponentially, but no government will understand the real reason behind them and take steps to mitigate climate change. This can be comparable to the attitude of the governments during the sixties when the first research linking cancer and cigarette smoking was published. Since scientists could not explain the exact phenomenon linking the two, every major government in the world chose to ignore it. The same is the case with this research. While our elected representatives time and again choose to simply betray us, the mammoth task of protecting our future and that of our children is in our hands. 

If you are a parent reading this, please pause and ask yourself – Is this the future you want your child to experience? I am sure your answer is no. But you would also immediately express your helplessness about the issue. After all what can an ordinary person like me do? Well, you are no ordinary person. You are an earthizen. And every earthizen has the moral responsibility to protect nature and the right to make decisions regarding this. We all live in a selfish world – where everything within my house in important. But nature has no boundaries, and therefore let’s not be selfish about this! Change begins at home. Start leading a greener life. Educate and encourage your neighbours to follow suit. You can start a revolution! Go for it!

Honey - not so sweet?

When you look at a beehive, what is the first thing that crosses your mind? Is it the hunger for free honey? Is the fear of a bee sting? Or is the fascination for these marvelous creatures?

Honey forms an essential part of our diets. Its nutritious and medicinal value has been well documented.  We also have learnt in school about the entire process through which bees make honey available. But is it all for us? And did we ever question, why do these bees store the honey? These questions I leave it to you, because today I want to confront you with another, more difficult question – What role do honey bees play in nature?

Albert Einstein, one of the greatest physicists of all time, famously claimed – “If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live”. Of course back then no one took him seriously, especially because he was famous for making huge claims, which were often proven false. But in this particular case, Einstein was one hundred per cent right.  Honey bees are the single most influential creatures that hold the keys to human life.

Honey bees extract honey from flowers and in the process help the plant in completing the process of pollination. Nearly one third of the global farm output depends on pollination, mostly by bees. About thirty five per cent of the calories, most of the minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants in our daily meals are obtained from foods, whose production needs pollination by bees. Virtually every fruit and vegetable you enjoy needs pollination by bees. And yet bees are disappearing at an alarming rate – either by being killed by humans or through the process of colonial collapse disorder. But no one seems to care. After all, for a busy man like me, do bees matter?

But the simple fact is that whether we like it or not – bees matter. I had a chat with a friend of mine who owns a coffee plantation. Most planters do not share their troubles or problems with the world outside. But this lady chose to give me a rare look into their grievances. Their problem – a steep drop in coffee production due to lack of cross pollination by bees. She exclaimed and I quote – “There are no bees left!”

The bee crisis has not been accorded a much alarming status as of now, but the UN's food index rating sums it all. Globally food availability has decreased and food prices are at an all-time high. Where food is available in plenty, quality of this food is the cause of concern. Will food security soon be a thing of the past?

Where are we headed? And what are our reactions? Do we care? In my opinion, it is high time we start giving a damn about this problem. Our big bank balances or large properties won’t assure us / our children food. Nor can we / our children go about eating money! It is time we rise and act. Join hands in protecting the bees. Educate your neighbours and prevent them from burning down beehives. In this way, you are securing food for your children.

We live in a selfish world, but we can always work towards a change. Change begins at home. Think about your children and grandchildren. Preserve and protect nature. Remember – it starts from your own backyard.

The six degrees unto death

Global Warming- not a new phrase right?

While our world leaders are politicizing it and scientists are shouting 'crisis', and we honorable earthizens are sitting silent digging our own grave. We are a simple bunch of uneducated folk - who simply do not make any attempts to learn and explore. Its human nature to be so. But the situation is grim and time is fast running out. We have to wake up and rise.

"There should have been panic on the streets," says Mark Lynas in his book, Six Degrees, "people shouting from the rooftops, statements to parliament and 24-hour news coverage." . It's a very serious problem we are dealing with.

In an article titled"Acceleration of global warming due to carbon-cycle feed-backs in a coupled climate model", published in November 2000 in the scientific journal Nature - the UK Met Office’s Hadley Center for Climate Change, rings the loudest possible alarm bells. In layman's language, Hadley simply expresses its helplessness, while calling for an immediate response to this problem . According to this report, nature itself would become increasingly uncomfortable and would turn violent. There would be unpredictable changes in the weather patterns, which at first would be less violent and the latter would even turn fatal. Acute shortage of food and quality drinking water would plague the world and man would be forced to even turn to cannibalism! It would be an absolutely lawless world, filled with misery and grief, until nature finally pulls the plug.

It's human tendency to accept and understand only the facts that please us. Global warming sadly is one of those unpleasant facts. Mark Lynas states "The end of the world is nigh, and it's already been published in Nature."  Therefore it is essential for us to first understand the implications of our actions, effects of climate change and then try and implement a few proven solutions. As step one towards our learning process, let us understand the gradual changes that are going to happen around us, as global temperatures rise .

1c Increase - Ice free Sea absorbs more heat and accelerates global warming; fresh water lost from a third of the world's surface; low-lying coastlines flooded.

2c Increase - Europeans dying of heatstroke; forests ravaged by fire; stressed plants beginning to emit carbon rather than absorbing it; a third of all species face extinction.

3c Increase - Carbon release from vegetation and soils speeds global warming; death of the Amazon rain forest; super-hurricanes hit coastal cities; starvation in Africa.

4c Increase - Runaway thaw of permafrost makes global warming unstoppable; much of Britain made uninhabitable by severe flooding; Mediterranean region abandoned.

5c Increase - Methane from ocean floor accelerates global warming; ice gone from both poles; humans migrate in search of food and try vainly to live like animals off the land.

6c Increase - Life on Earth ends with apocalyptic storms, flash floods, hydrogen sulfide gas and methane fireballs racing across the globe with the power of atomic bombs; only fungi survive.

I assume this brief prediction sums it all. It’s a selfish world we live in, filled with ignorant and stubborn people. On an international level a lot of tantrums are thrown by world leaders about the steps that they would take (at a time of their convenience) and how through these steps they would be saviors of mankind. But the reality is – any government that tries to push towards policy reforms concerning climate change is isolated internationally. The best example is that of Ecuador – which recently gave up its vows to prevent drilling in the pristine Yasuni National Park. 

You may now wonder – why don’t the world leaders act? And why aren't the big business houses that control these world leaders pushing them to act?

The answer is extremely simple. Two per cent of the world’s population (comprising of these business and world leaders who in-turn control 98% of the wealth), have already invested in technology that would probably transport them to another planet, where they would live safely. What about the rest? Oh yes, we are the fools living in this selfish world.

It’s high time we open up our eyes and understand the truth. Let us all join hands and fight to secure a future for our children.

(For a more in-depth analysis of how the world leaders are out to destroy us and what can be done to save ourselves, please read my book Shall we save the Earth?)

Oh foolish man!

We live in a time of uncertainty and imbalance. An unstable currency, price rise, instability, poor governance – all these could make one feel as though these are troubled times. On the brighter side we are in the golden space age. Sci-Fi movies of the seventies are turning out to into reality. Technological advances have certainly made our lives comfortable and certainly very complicated. The internet boom, the reduced commuting times, smart phones, faster computers, smart gadgets – all seem to have come as gift from the almighty himself.

We live in an age where anything that is smarter, faster and better is acknowledged and the rest discarded. Our obsession with this new age philosophy has also reflected on our demands for better health. It is after all common understanding that a good health is an integral part of a good life. I spoke to my grand mother a few days ago with the intension of understanding the health situation during her days as a young adult. I was surprised to learn that they enjoyed a healthier childhood than the one we had, even with poor sanitation and low food availability.

Human health can be easily regarded as one of the most important priorities of mankind and the total monetary expenditure in this sector can only be matched by defense. Billions of dollars are invested every year on healthcare research and yet as the day passes by – we are in a more insecure health situation. The basic question we can then ask is – why?

Our grandparents and our parents were brought up in an environment which was pristine. The low pollution levels, good quality food and water, favorable temperatures – made their childhoods memorable. The situation has however drastically changed in the last twenty years! I pity the kids born today!

The high levels of pollution welcome them into this earth offering them gifts of respiratory illnesses; they grow up into an uncertain future of sudden climatic changes and unpredictable weather patterns. Their lives would be miserable!

It’s a foolish world we are a part of, and we are equally ignorant. I have a beehive on the ceiling of my third floor apartment balcony. The moment the other tenants in the apartment complex noticed it – they saw free honey; their immediate reaction – burn it down. Even after my repeated attempts to make them understand the importance of bees to maintain the natural cycle of life, they were unrelenting. This standoff continues to the day. Introspecting on their replies, I was convinced that this generation of young adults / parents has either become extremely heartless or is just ignorantly stubborn.

I would go with the fact that most of us are ignorant. But the situation warrants that we must open our eyes and act. Global climatic changes would drastically affect our lives and those of our children. No parent amongst us would want to gift his / her child an uncertain future. We do a lot of sacrifices for our children - most notably by building a strong monetary system to support them. But we never pause to think about the basic necessities that would be required for their survival - good food, clean air and pure water. If you are a parent reading this, I am sure you have now understood what is at stake. Educate yourself first, then your neighbor.
Spread the word and save the world!
It’s a foolish world we live in. You can opt to make it less foolish!

Let greed not destroy us,

Wake up!