Overhauling the Evils and Few Insights on Climate Change

               It has been a few days past two months since I have been in foreign land. I had already opened up on quite a few topics after arriving here in this medium. To reiterate, I am here mainly because of my parent organization and its partner. It would be good if I am confined to this reason of change and work for them. The severity of work done over a period from the platform provided by these entities will bring far fetching and wide-ranging results. If I was never given the run for this long, I would have never been in the U.S. When organisations decide, countries change and when countries decide, organisations change. I am extremely grateful to everyone concerned for providing me a platform and making me this large. It is the people who raised me to this state and there is a need to reciprocate.

               My relocation has placed me on a higher plane, and I am using it to fight the evils around us. The evils are none other than the manifestations of our inner selves in the society and let us get better, purify ourselves. I had written about several areas of priority or the evil-residence which needs an overhaul in the country – ushering in the ideals of Lord Rama, changing the landscape of healthcare, improving gun-control etc. Let us seize this moment and usher in the changes required to kill the rampant evils in ourselves, society. When people take it upon themselves, policy makers act and there will be a momentous shift.

              As I write this, tens of thousands of citizens have marched on the streets today across the U.S. cities against the gun violence and urging to bring action on this. The people should take it upon themselves to renounce the guns, de-activate them permanently and take a common pledge never to use them. Throwaway these guns from anyone’s reach at a scale voluntarily for these are redundant in peaceful, civic societies. In addition, let us defeat the other evils prevalent in society. The important one on this list is climate change and how the U.S. is a major driver.

               We all know, as a matter of fact, that climate change is a major concern across the world. As a leader, the U.S. is very much in the center of the storm. We need to speak some harsh truths and get our process, priorities right. One cannot live as he wishes, causing harm to the climate, planet and the future.  We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrowed it from the descendants. There is a need to repay it with interest, i.e., in far better shape than we inherit. The processes need to be adopted to live a climate-friendly life without causing any harm to the environment. Just as a visible example around us – the rise of technology has led to a looting of the earth and plundering it to no end. The fossil fuels which are used in machinery around the world are now near extinct.  In a few decades, mother nature no longer holds its elements in its stomach.

                Twentieth century is the best century for the U.S., and it is the worst century for the planet Earth. The rise of a single country with norms and conventions of its own has ushered in a degradation for climate and environment. There will come a time when we do not talk about the glory of the nation but the collateral damage it has done to the environment and planet Earth. Take any related indicators and the U.S. is in the top. It leads the charts in current CO2 emissions, all greenhouse gas emissions, emissions per capita, historical emissions, consumption footprints. Since harmful gasses like CO2 which once emitted stays there for centuries, historic emissions need to be considered. The country leads the historic emissions by a huge margin conveying the harm it has done to the planet over the last one and half century.

                The country, once again, de-evolved and should be called a worst nation in terms of the harm it has caused through the process followed. The problem lies in the fact that the nation covers up the blunders it is committing for short term advantages and establishing the same practices world-wide. Due to the heavy coupling and the world becoming a village, the irresponsible leader is being imitated by a number of naïve followers. The mistake is committed and propagated all-over the world under the guise of false progress and development. Rich countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan and much of western Europe, account for just 12 percent of the global population today but are responsible for 50 percent of all the planet-warming greenhouse gasses released from fossil fuels and industry over the past 170 years.

              There is consistent evidence and an ongoing picture which can be seen clearly by our own eyes that these countries have acted in a detrimental way to the future of the world. They have also established this very popular culture in the rest of the world. Just for instance how many were riding motor bikes in India some thirty years back. Hardly any. Now there is a culture established where crores of people spend so much on petrol, emit harmful gasses and ride on bikes at every given opportunity. I am a living example who feels this pain every now and then. There is a tremendous vacuum to mend the ways and get back the lost territory. Climate-consciousness should be in the subconscious mind and a major factor behind every move, decision.

               I would lay out a simple correlation on a few factors at a high-level on how the U.S. is indirectly driving the climate crisis all around the world. This country came into existence in the 17th century and developed most of the modern science and technology which everyone uses. The proliferation of advancements in physical and natural sciences has caused severe stress on the climate by increasing its emissions and exacerbating the exploitation of earth’s natural resources. The U.S. leading the world is dangerous as far as climate is concerned.

               World population was 500 million in the 17th century. During this time any tendency for the population to grow was put in check by starvation and pestilence. Only with the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century and modern medicine did population growth break out again. We all know who created science and technology for industries, medicines. We all know a rising population is bad for the environment. More people require more resources, which means that as the population increases, the Earth's resources deplete more rapidly. The result of this depletion is deforestation and loss of biodiversity as humans strip the Earth of resources to accommodate rising population numbers. The west and the U.S. in particular have driven the world to this stage and are sitting on the throne above a dangerous climate-change time bomb.

               You need to thrive in something in order to spread mediocrity around the world. The country thrived in many aspects beyond the bare minimum existence. One of the aspects is average annual per capita emission which is 20 metric tons when compared to the world average of 4 tons. The world will not be a witness to the climate threat if you take the U.S. out of the equation since it is the reason for insinuating the problem and growing it into the modern day challenge. As mentioned, when man becomes greedy, the planet bores the brunt. A major part of North America and places elsewhere were uninhabited before a few centuries ago.  But the greed of the man to exploit natural resources had him occupy all the vast stretches of the world. This recent phenomenon resulted in new-age ways and methods of existence without any subservience to nature. These ways and methods have no tested durability nor longevity. When man lives within nature and in harmony with nature, no problems arise. When man started creating and controlling nature through alternate sciences, the root of the problem began germinating in the ground and over a period, grew into a wild tree. What if the wild tree makes the planet uninhabitable to the future generations if the wilderness is allowed to grow. The climate facts and data doesn’t speak otherwise nor does some of the live examples.

                What is the way forward? The pre-emptive first correct step in the direction is the acknowledgement of the problem. Half of the U.S. hasn’t taken this first step itself who still believe there is still no climate-change or no change whatsoever or even if something changes it will change back to the original state (somehow miraculously). The country which believes in science doesn’t believe in the science of climate change. Convenience matters. Why do the republicans deny the existence of the problem – the same way they denied the existence of gun violence in America and don’t push for any gun reforms. Why does the former President unwittingly and through wit backed out from the Paris Climate accord where 196 innocent nations pledged to reduce greenhouse emissions, but the main culprit exemplified all innocence. The politics in the U.S. are completely another level of science which common sense or any sense can’t comprehend. It's very tough to understand why these people don't pass common-sense climate laws and common-sense gun laws. It's fair to deny a problem rationally but a crime to deprive the future generations.

       We need to act with extreme responsibility and show the world a path which can be followed. You can make funny, sarcastic, irresponsible, immature talk which will be pleasing instantly. But in the long run, these acts and talk of irresponsibility will see its devastating consequences. The elected representatives from the republican party who represent half of the nation cling to this irresponsible or innocent behavior. How shameful it is to take lessons and warnings from teenage climate activists. We need to reform ourselves from this shadow, accept the evils and begin treatment like any responsible, mature leader would do. It's highly imperative that you accept the follies, acknowledge the consequences and begin taking corrective actions. The U.S. is born in the bedrock of climate-change and should learn the art of sustainable living by correcting its course. It is high time; the entire population accepts the mistake and begin working on the solution. It is high time; the organizations and important players mend their ways by according climate its highest priority and become net zero. Climate-change is a hard-hitting, dark, secretive, truth which very few have the courage to acknowledge. Our greed can wait, our money can wait, our lives can wait when we make way for environmental prosperity.

         There are 5 areas which can be worked on immediately by everyone:

Renewable energies. The first way to prevent climate change is to move away from fossil fuels.

Energy & water efficiency.

Sustainable transportation.

Sustainable infrastructure.

Sustainable agriculture & forest management.

Responsible consumption & recycling.

             Finally, an area which needs to be treated first is our own individual actions. Calculate the greenhouse emissions through your lifestyle and focus on living more environmentally friendly. There are avenues which need to be opened to solve green problems. Unlock those paths, go against the prevailing convention and travel on those roads less traveled. When you are true to your inner self and doing the right thing, everyone is going to flock behind you. There is no use when you cut down trees on one hand and preach about climate-change on the other. Make the correct, corrective change to your lifestyle today for tomorrow to reap the benefits. The planet has survived for thousands of years, let us not throw our weight and alter things dramatically in a few decades, centuries. I cannot talk more or over-emphasize on the importance of this topic in the present world. I am extremely environmentally conscious and very much attracted to all the green initiatives. Let us make a green world in our generation and break away from all the conventional practices which put us in jeopardy. As a quick visible transition, let us progress to renewable fuels away from the near-extinct fossil fuels. These all green changes should symbolize a better hope for tomorrow.