Apocalypse Now?

What a month July has been! Nature's fury has wreaked havoc across the world. Nations, both rich and poor, have faced extreme weather conditions. Floods, sandstorms, unbearable heat have felled lives. There is no pattern to this sudden weather change except the one that's been staring us straight in the face – climate change. That which we read in books and papers and switched channels to avoid, can no more be categorised as an imminent danger, it's happening as we speak.

The wealthy western world is also paying the price. Floods in Europe have killed many with almost 180 killed in Germany alone; hundreds are still missing in Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany. The picture-perfect European towns where every neighbourhood nook demands its own postcard was submerged. The cool climes of north-western US experienced freakishly hot temperatures while 12 American states faced wildfires. Forest fires rage on in Canada, with 166 burning in north-western Ontario and 300 in British Columbia. Temperatures in Moscow reached its highest in 142 years in June while Jacobabad in Pakistan recorded a sweltering 52 degrees. 'The desert is covered in rivers' screamed a news headline as flash floods inundated Oman. China received its heaviest rainfall in 1,000 years, and flooding there has only gotten worse in recent times. Closer home, Maharashtra has been badly hit with several districts such as Ratnagiri and Raigad. 47 have died in a landslide at Poladpur, and the numbers are rising. The chickens have finally come to roost.

Man has destroyed the planet in the last century. Unplanned urbanisation, irresponsible industrialisation, and thoughtless deforestation have steadily but surely decimated the delicate balance between us and nature. Our toxic factory effluents have polluted rivers, indestructible plastic has seeped deep into the earth, our wastage of precious water is costing us dearly. Carbon emissions stuck in our atmosphere has caused global warming. Polar caps are melting, sea levels are rising, and the weather is becoming increasingly erratic. Global warming also causes extreme weather conditions, and we are witnessing repetitions of cataclysmic weather events more and more.

No one is safe and nowhere is safe — the rich nations that have ravaged the earth and now come down harshly on developing nations to control carbon emissions, are facing the brunt like the rest of us. The images and videos of devastation, that we have seen in the past couple of weeks from countries around the world, are a stark reminder that time is up for us. We don't have the luxury to fight against climate change policies. We are way past the ideation and pontification stage. Only action can save us, and that too some of us because, let's not kid ourselves, thousands will still perish.

In this context, it's imperative that nations act on their commitment given to the Paris Agreement. Pledging support to the International Energy Agency's 'Net Zero by 2050' is also being strongly pushed wherein countries must achieve zero carbon emissions in the next 29 years to contain world temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius. As per the pledge, every country promises to achieve carbon neutrality by ensuring that greenhouse gases are removed from the atmosphere through afforestation and futuristic technologies to capture and store carbon. While India has been meeting its Paris Agreement targets better than other G-20 nations, she is yet to agree to 'Net Zero by 2050' because emerging nations such as ours have their foot on the growth pedal. The incessant flash floods, erratic rains, and forest fires in India though are alarming, and we must aim to improve upon our Paris Agreement targets. Whatever the nations around the world decide, they must do so expediently and act swiftly. Otherwise, the world that we leave behind for our next generation will be uninhabitable.

The writer is an author and media entrepreneur. Views expressed are personal