|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 3 November 2002 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
The sky is falling by Vimukthi Fernando The sky is falling said the little red chick, and then well, all of us know what happened. But this time, it is much the reality. The bells of alarm are ringing with increasing frequency and intensity resulting in unprecedented devastation. Natural disasters we call them. Drought, floods, earth slips not only in Hambantota, Balangoda or Ratnapura but throughout the globe be it India. China, Germany or USA. Man had been trying to take nature, in to his own hands and now seems to have made a bitter enemy of her. That's the concern global community discussed in 1992, at the first Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro - the changing environment. And one of their major concerns was climate change. Why, you may ask because, the mere existence of the human race, depends on this phenomenon. And now, it is no chick who shouts that the sky is falling. But rather, a team of experts around the globe called the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) appointed by the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC). And their concern six different types of gases called Green House Gases (GHG) namely carbon di-oxide, methane, nitrous oxide, etc. Originally, the function of these gases served earth as a covering, preventing the harmful rays from falling on the earth, stopping the warmth from escaping, stopping the earth from becoming a cold desolate planet, and making it warm and cosy, habitable for humans. But now, human activity has changed everything. There is an over concentration of these gases engaged in the duty of keeping the earth warm and thereby contributing to global warming and climate change. The earth's temperature, which had been static for thousands of years, perhaps since man was borne on this earth had gone up by 0.6 degrees centigrade during the last 100 years. Comparing with the times it had been static, this is a very rapid change earth is unable to cope with. Furthermore, the adverse influences and the rising temperature is continuing at an even faster rate. The last IPCC report predicted earth's temperature to rise to a minimum of 1.4 degrees Centigrade and a maximum of 5.2 degrees centigrade in the next 100 years. So, what can one ask. But the whole question is how much the earth can bear man's interference or how the earth is going to counteract man's efforts to change its course. "No one, knows what the threshold is" says Dr. Pachauri, President of the IPCC. And by the time we learn what the threshold is, we would have had to face a catastrophe, for nature as we all know is, not the best enemy we can make. But, how does all this affect Sri Lanka, a little island in the Indian Ocean? You may want to know. In fact, in Sri Lanka, the effects are already felt by way of El-Nino syndrome says Mohan Munasinghe, one of the Vice Chairpersons of the IPCC, an expert on Sri Lankan affairs, introduced as the Advisor to the Ministries of Environment and Natural Resources, and Power and Energy. Studies in Sri Lanka had shown changes in the monsoon patterns, which makes the wet zone wetter and dry zone drier. While more and more rain increases soil erosion and the run off (the wasted water) contributing to decreasing the productivity of the land, the dry zone will suffer from no rainfall patterns and the increasing temperature will lessen the agricultural production by 15 to 20 percent during the next two decades, says Manasinghe. Further, vector borne diseases such as malaria will expand considerably and studies are in progress to determine the actual impact on these areas. These are, but a few of the impacts of climate change on Sri Lanka. According to the IPCC's latest report, in the absence of protective measures, there will be a one meter increase in the mean sea level during the next 100 years. This will not only flood the low lying coastal areas, but will wipe out cultivations and displace thousands of people. As the saline water moves inland, the freshwater bodies will be affected with increased salinity and some of the mangrove swill be affected by the wipe out of some mangrove species. Increases in the seawater temperature will kill coral reefs with a phenomenon called coral bleaching. The changing wind speed and ocean current will effect the availability of marine fish. All in all climate change is a danger, which has an immediate threat on the world and Sri Lankans needs to pay more attention to this since it is going to be one of the countries which are going to be affected negatively by the reports of the world body convened to study the effect of climate change, the IPCC. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
