New foes

The world’s oceans, from where evolution is believed to have begun, and which have nurtured life forms in many different ways for centuries, will soon become the worst enemies of man and mankind. Growing carbon emissions could lead to at least 30 percent of the northern hemisphere’s permafrost melting by the century’s end, releasing billions of tonnes of carbon which will further poison the atmosphere. A new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that sea life would be killed in droves, snatching away food from the mouths of those that live off it and creating a host of other perils. In addition to this, dangers such as glacial melt threaten the earth while due to these factors and the melting of the polar ice caps, sea levels are rising by up to one meter in many parts of the world, threatening coastal areas and islands. This is all due to human interference. We have destroyed the world which supported human life form through the centuries.

This should be a matter of far greater concern than is currently the case. The continued denial by some of the world’s most influential personalities that climate change is an exaggerated phenomenon means that sufficient action is not been taken to save the world. We are effectively letting ourselves sink deeper and deeper into the depths, until no hope of a fight-back is left. Indeed, we are already close to that point. The question is whether there can be any possibility of turning back the tide. This could happen only if the world acts together and there is a consensus that the only home we know in this universe is in very real danger, mainly due to human activities. Perhaps some solutions can be found if scientists and climate experts from around the world, with the support of their governments, put their heads together and consider what can be done. There is less and less hope of undoing the massive damage already caused. But to save our species we must act the best we can. The oceans, which form most of the world’s surface, have been our allies since the very beginning of life. Taming them is not a task that can be taken on lightly. But it is one that has to be attempted, otherwise we may be seeing the beginning of the end of life on Earth.