This year, the Earth Day Network (EDN), a not-for-profit organization dedicated towards mobilizing environmental movement throughout the globe have chosen “The Face of Climate Change” as the theme for 2013 Earth Day celebration. According to EDN, which is associated with twenty two thousand partners in more than 90 countries, more than one billion people will take part in Earth Day activities this year.
Their ideas is to spread awareness and evoke greater participation across the world through photography campaign and by narrating the stories of climate affected communities and individuals including the animals, birds, aquatic creatures and other species which are affected by climate change or are in the brink of extinction due to human induced activities. By highlighting the solutions and showcasing the collective power of individuals taking action across the world, we hope to inspire our leaders to act and inspire ourselves to redouble our efforts in the fight against climate changesays EDN.
Some of the images that featured in the project include and a woman in Bangladesh who can’t get fresh water due to more frequent flooding and cyclones; a man in the Maldives concerned about relocating his family due to the threat of sea level rise; a polar bear in distress in the arctic due to melting ice; a cultivator in Kansas trying hard to make a living as elongated drought has decimated his crops; a tiger in India’s dwindling mangrove forests and an orangutan (ape) in Indonesian forests ravaged by bush fires and drought etc.
The face of climate change also includes students from South Korea doing their part to protect the environment by recycling, reducing waste, and avoiding disposable products; women in North Atlantic researching how climate change impacts the oceans, a group of students in Caribbean cleaning up their village and WindAid in Peru planning to unveil the world highest altitude wind turbine to provide clean energy for thousands of Peruvians.
A billion human beings doing something for the planet earth are definitely going to create an impact. The goal is to bring in more individuals, communities, organizations, and governments to take action for a better earth. And the good news is more and more are happening. Apart from the full time conservation activist and scientists, green entrepreneurs and consumers, community leaders, clean technology engineers, carbon-conscious policymakers and public officials, many ordinary people are committing themselves to adopt sustainable lifestyles.
Climate change is already beginning to transform life on earth. We have seen how earth’s climate has changed life, and also how life has changed earth’s climate. Around the globe, seasons are shifting, temperatures are climbing and sea levels are rising. And in the meantime, our planet must still supply us with air, water, food and safe places to live. Hence, if we don’t undertake precautionary measures, climate change will rapidly alter our lands, forest, oceans and waters sources which we all depend upon for survival, leaving the future generation with a very different world.
Dimapur has not only become hotter but denizens in certain pockets are complaining of drying wells during winter. The acid rain is already causing harm to our forests and water bodies and corroding and deteriorating the paints in our cars, buildings and monuments. The burning sensation that we feel in our eyes when we go out during the day is because of air pollution. Nagaland Pollution Control Board (NPCB) has already confirmed that two station in Dimapur- Bank Colony and Dhobinala exceeded Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) permissible limit of 100 µg/m3 by around 61 µg/m3 in January 2011.
Climate change is global in scale and unprecedented in nature with impacts all over the world, and those people with the least resources have the least capacity to adapt and therefore are the most vulnerable. Developing countries, more particularly its poorest inhabitants, do not have the means to handle floods, droughts and other natural disasters. Non-sustainable use of natural resources, including land, water, forests and fisheries threaten individual livelihoods as well as local, national and international economies.
Water scarcities in the hill districts of Nagaland are aggravating year by year, and poor people including students are facing numerous problems, both economic and non economic, during winter seasons. Women and children have to go miles to fetch water or spend sleepless nights waiting in queue to fill their buckets. Sumer is getting hotter in Kohima and in other districts where households and offices have started installing fans and cooling equipments. Urban water qualities are degrading due to urban waste and chemicals seeping into our soil and water bodies.
Tragopan, the State Bird of Nagaland is on the verge of extinction just like the Hornbill, Slot bear, Tiger-civet, the Indian Bison and host of others. They have become endangered because they are being hunted down indiscriminately; deforestation and conversion of land for agriculture and wild fires have also contributed for the loss of biodiversity and animal species in Nagaland.
Our forest cover is still high, but the quality of our forest has decayed over the years. We have failed to capitalize on the abundance of our natural resources including logging. Most of our forests are stripped of with its wealth- timber. Yet only few Nagas could benefit from it, the maximum profit went to the nonlocal traders. What remains now is a barren land. Mining activities are also seen in certain parts of Nagaland; the same could happen if we don’t remain vigilant. Corporate and traders will just extract the resources, mess the environment and flee when the resources are exhausted. The people and communities shall remain and have to cope with the consequences. Therefore, it is ours to decide what kind of future we want for the coming generations.
Our planet is gasping for breath; our harmful pollutions are choking her, and every day we are reducing nature’s ability to regenerate and recover. Consumerism has taken over conservation. We are being prompted to buy things we don’t need; and we no longer find things we need to replace- for they are all out of production. Durability is no longer an issue of ethical business. Use and throw has become the agenda of corporate publicity. At this scale the planet cannot sustain us. And there comes the need for our action.
Let’s purchase things that we only need, and eat only what we can. That way we can reduce trash and avoid food waste. Reuse all things that can still be repaired or those things that are still okay. Be kind to trees. As much as possible use forests products and timber very well with optimum efficiency. Do not buy exotic and endangered animals, avoid killing them yourself. Stop using chemicals, batteries or dynamites to harvest fish in our rivers. Those are atom bombs to aquatic creatures.
Be responsible with your garbage, dispose them properly. Avoid plastics whenever possible, instead use paper and jute bags. Avoid products that consume more energy; switch towards energy efficient appliances- pressure cookers, solar heaters, CFL bulbs etc. can reduce your energy bills significantly. Practice organic farming and consume organic products. The above small steps could improve our health, our environment and shall reduce our carbon footprint.
“Conserve to Sustain”
(N Janbemo Humtsoe)
Director, Green Foundation,
Wokha, Nagaland.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Readers may please note that the contents of the articles, letters and opinions published do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.
