Carbon dioxide Level in Air Touches Milestone; So What…??

Today, we are breathing pernicious carbon dioxide gas more than we did at any given time in our historical past.

     And if the trend continues, soon we may have to reprint the science pages of the school books teaching the air composition in the atmosphere, and if we remain alive to do that, have to face a slew of problems ranging from health hazards including newer (and more unpredictable) types of epidemics to nose-diving agricultural output, thanks to an increasingly disturbed monsoon pattern across the world.

     In a major but distressing development, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration observatory in Mauna Loa, Hawaii have recently detected that the average concentration of carbon dioxide gas has reached the level of 400 parts per million, meaning approximately 400 molecules of CO₂ is now present in every million molecules of air we breathe in -- unprecedented in the human history.

     Increasing concentration of CO₂, a major heat-trapping agent present in the atmosphere, changes climate and acidifies the oceans. CO₂ is generated in volume during various human activities, especially burning of fossil fuels, which, scientists agree, is majorly responsible for pushing CO₂ concentration to the level unheard of during human habitation on the earth.

     “It (the latest CO₂ level) also is kind of a warning sign or red flag that hey, we really need to tackle this problem. It’s happening right before our eyes,” Professor J. Marshall Shepherd at University of Georgia and a climate change expert was quoted as saying by a media report.

     More disturbing, the impacts have already started setting in. We may unknowingly notice them, or may try to ignore them knowingly with eyes wide open, but the impact is becoming more palpable with every passing day.

     Increasing concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere results into trapping of more amount of heat that invariably causes global warming.

     With growing CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere, the earth is turning greener.

     Good news…??? Well, it’s just the opposite.

     A warmer atmosphere is responsible for shrinking of snow cover in the pole areas that have been under thick ice since time immemorial but have recently started sneaking out into sunlight and the exposure is giving birth to tinge of greens thereon. Though the shrinking snow cover is putting the polar species like penguins under serious threat, it also holds promise of opening up a huge continental area, unseen so far, which may present us with a jackpot in terms of un-trapped resources such as oil, gas and minerals.

     Cat-race to lay hands on the yet-to-be-seen resources has already begun. India and China were among the six countries that recently pocketed observer status in the eight-member Arctic Council; according to official estimate, 30% of the world’s gas and 13% of oil deposits remain untouched beneath the glowing white cover there.

     However, don’t forget to flip the coin. The situation is not as rosy as it seems; the changes are capable to giving birth to something as big as another World War (the 3^rd, maybe).

     Don’t be puzzled…. Let’s look at the “simpler” implications first.

     Scientists warn, the fast reducing snow cover will hamper the world climate in a way that may not be fully analysed or predicted till the time the situation unfolds itself, and then, the countries (especially, those with long coastline such as India and the United States) -- many of them are harbouring hope of claiming the jackpot -- may have to shell out an amount much bigger than what they would earn thus to deal with the impacts like inundation of their coastal resorts and other sea-side habitats.

     The continental ice cover that reflects a good amount of sun rays back will not be able to do the same any more, if there is reduced or no ice, leading to further increase in the overall world temperature. Besides, we don’t know clearly how the world ecosystem and food-chain will react if the species like polar bears and penguins become extinct.

     Now, come to the war -- this time for the custody of water (just like we have read in fiction write-ups) -- and it does not seem a distant dream anymore. Wondering how…!!!

     The huge collection of polar ice in Arctic and Antarctic regions store most of the fresh water under the sun, and you don’t have to play an Einstein to understand that mingling of the fresh water stock with the salted sea water would hamper the current water cycle running on the green planet, probably irreparably, and potentially can trigger water scarcity throughout, thus resulting in two contrasting lobbies -- water haves and water have-nots.

     If you are minutely following the latest developments in the world of research and survey, you’ll know that our environment has already started sending signals that all is not well with its health.

     Some university study has recently found that various catch fish species are being evicted from their habitats, thanks to gradual warming of the sea water, and going deeper into the sea or even migrating towards comparatively cooler pole regions. Some fish species are being even displaced by their warm-water counterparts.

     This recently detected development has some serious implications.

     If such disturbed trends emerge (and it looks like it will sooner or later) in the riverine and coastal South Asian or South-East Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Japan and Indonesia, where millions of people are solely dependent on the fishery industry, unemployment and poverty will come down haunting a large section of the population, besides hampering the food security of scores.

     We, the nations, have fought enough with each other. Now, before it’s too late to act, all countries need to come together and adopt pro-active policy measures to avert the impending crisis that is looming large, and the good news is that the end of 2012 showed some ray of real hope.

     In Doha, during the 18^th Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, the only legally-binding international treaty to counter global warming that had entered into force way back in 2005 with an eye on reducing emission of greenhouse gases such as CO₂ and was to get over in 2012, received an extension agreed by nearly 200 member countries till 2020 and the meeting also cleared way for replacement of the famous protocol with another international treaty to control climate change by the year 2015.

     Yes, hope is there indeed… But only the actions will bring the real difference…

Hilsa dishes are at stake...!!!

Some of the most delicious Bengali dishes are under threat.

  Not because of the skyrocketing price of cooking gas. Not even because we are reluctant to invest price, time or energy (despite busy life and growing expense) to try out different recipes to satisfy our taste buds.

  But because Hilsa, the wonder fish that has become an inseparable part of Bengali culture and cuisine, is now facing extinction.

  Overfishing of Hilsa is indeed a threat the fish species has been under for quite a long time. According to the world’s catch statistics, around 90% of the total Hilsa harvest is reported in three south Asian countries – India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Bangladesh, part of erstwhile undivided India, is topping the chart with 50% harvest, followed by India (25%), as the harvest from the Indo-Bangladesh estuary, especially from the River Padma, is in high demand not only in the sub-continent but abroad as well.

  However, yearly Hilsa catch has significantly come down in the last 30 years, making it dearer to buy with every passing season. Sometimes Hilsa has made the foodies shell out even Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000 for single kg. Take the example of Kolkata, a major Hilsa market in eastern India -- a 50% drop in Hilsa supply was reported last year.

  But why the extinction threat…!!!

  By nature, Hilsa is a resident of sea for most part of its life but migrates more than 1,000 km inland through the major river estuaries during their breeding seasons following which they again return to their original habitat, if not caught. However, that is not the concern.

  The newborns (“Khoka Ilish”), before approaching the sea, where they spend their adulthood, stay in the lower opening of the river estuaries for a few months and are caught in numbers by the fishermen, thanks to a widening gap between market demand and supply. As increasing number of young members of the fish community fail to reach their adulthood every season, the reproductive cycles also get cut and so the overall number of fully grown fishes able to reproduce nosedives.

  The situation has turned grimmer over the decades. Lack of sound regulatory mechanism to stop the fishermen target the schools of juvenile Hilsha during the breeding period has played havoc and now the experts fear that unless fishing is restricted, if not stopped altogether, during the breeding seasons, the fish species could be wiped out from the planet, and we would have to visit the museums to remember Hilsa and replace the recipes the Bengali has been cherishing.

  Hope of a turnaround is there though.

  In an unexpected turn of event, the United Kingdom-based policy research body International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has received monetary grant worth more than 1.5 crores in Indian currency from Britain’s Darwin Initiative to find ways to protect Hilsa from the threat of overfishing.

  “We started the conservation project in April this year in Bangladesh. In two years, we will involve India and Myanmar. Hilsa colony numbers are plummeting. If fishing does not stop during breeding season, the species faces extinction,” Dr Essam Yassin, the lead project officer from IIED, was quoted by a national daily as saying recently.

  Last year, the International Trans-boundary Policy Dialogue on Hilsa Fisheries Management between Bangladesh and India, organised by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and India’s Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) underlined the importance of maintaining flow of freshwater in the region’s estuaries and associated mangrove ecosystems for sustainable Hilsa fisheries.

  Now, discussion and contemplation are something that often stay far off the ground level implementation. Nothing but a multi-pronged approach would be able to handle the situation.

On one hand, we can use modern technologies like remote sensing and satellite imaging to stop the fishermen from throwing nets on the juvenile members of the fish species during the breeding seasons. On the other hand, some timely and serious initiative to spread awareness among the fishermen is a need of the hour.

  But why should they listen to such an advice at the cost of extra income…?? The answer lies in convincing and not forcing after all.

  The financially poor fishermen, who spend days after days on fishing trawlers away from their families frustrated and hoping for some good catches and better profit margin, would be convinced to do the extra bit only when they are provided with alternative ways of income that would help them in monetary terms. So, I guess, it is time for some innovative thinking…

  There are scores of recommendations regarding the matter.

  A recent study, The Importance of Migratory and Spawning Patterns for the Conservation of Hilsa in Bangladesh and India, has found that most of the juveniles start downstream migration during the months from March to May. The study also advises India to follow the policy of its eastern neighbour, which restricts the usage of bag and scoop nets for Hilsa catching below a certain level, in order to ensure smooth migration of the juveniles to the sea. The study also recommended targeted dredging along the Hooghly-Bhagirathi river systems, besides the Padma-Meghna, to maintain proper water flow and thus ensure smooth Hilsa migration.

  So, we need to be proactive before it’s too late and the Hilsa fails to continue with its magic in our kitchens...