The current environmental crisis, which in the long run threatens the existence of mankind on the Planet Earth, calls for urgent attention of the world leaders.
A meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which preceded a major conference the UNFCCC had with its 191 member states in Bali in Indonesia in December, wound up in Vienna a few days ago discussing ways of countering the increasing threats of climate change.
The meeting was held without a clear decision on what should be the next global strategy for protection of Earth from the devastating challenges, particularly in light of the continuing impediments in the way of implementing the Kyoto Protocol. The major industrial nations, particularly the United States, Russia and European Union, reportedly are the leading opponents to the protocol.
The UN body has issued dire warnings about the deteriorating climatic conditions that “threaten the future of the planet and the life on it unless immediate and serious attention is paid to the circumstances that lead to it.”
Haya Rashid Al-Khalifa, president of the UN General Assembly, said in New York recently, “the climatic changes would cast the poor countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America to sharper divisions.” The world as a whole is currently drifting toward a serious danger, which most people do not realize or care for, Haya added.
The UN official promised that the UN bodies would strive to draw the attention of all nations and organizations to the dangers posed by the climate change. She assured that the international body was responsible for assisting these countries in coping with the challenges of the climate change.
In Paris several experts on the climate change issued special warnings about the havoc wreaked by the greenhouse-gas emissions resulting from human activities. They said if the gas emissions continued to increase at the present rate, it would lead to the rise in sea levels above human habitations throughout the world over a few centuries.
The scientists have no doubt that human beings played the greatest role in the rising temperatures since the middle of the 20th century.
The greenhouse-gases are components of the atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse effect. Most greenhouse gases result from human activities such as burning of fossil fuels including coal. Greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone.
Despite all the warnings, the Vienna meeting failed to come up with a clear strategy for the protection of the climate to minimize the climatic changes. The participating countries, particularly major industrialized countries, were divided over the urgent steps to be taken. They refused to be committed to the provisions of the protocols made under the UN for the reduction of the activities that would lead to global warming. The US and Russia refuse to endorse or accept the Kyoto Protocol in the present form arguing that its provisions would hamper their economic and industrial development. The European Union also refuses to endorse the amendments to the UN agreement on the matter and pose a threat to the Kyoto Protocol.
All the people and nongovernmental organizations should take a united stand against the unhelpful attitude of the industrialist nations. The industrialist nations should be asked to abandon their shortsighted policy that prevents them from taking decisive steps to protect the Earth against global warming and other man-made calamities.
The massive levels of energy consumed by industrialized countries will only aggravate the problem. Therefore political decisions will have to be made in consultation with scientists and technologists.
Solutions are not impossible. All efforts should be made to make the Bali conference adopt strong decisions to keep the Earth fit for our future generations.
