Ramu was a fourteen year old boy residing with his parents and grandfather in a village neighboring a forest. Every morning he accompanied his grandfather to offer prayers in the temple of goddess Kali, a mile away. One day, he encountered a group of panic-stricken men running towards the forest, with sticks and spears in their hands. On enquiry by his grandfather, they said that a tiger had killed a cow in the cattle pen of a house and taken it towards the forest. They were going to track the tiger and kill it.
“Why don’t you inform the local policeman to contact the forest officials who will take necessary actions in trapping it, after ensuring it is not a man-eater?” advised his grandfather.
“Why did you dissuade them to kill the tiger?” asked Ramu surprised. “In fact all the tigers in the forest should be killed, so that everyone in the village can live without any fear of being killed, or losing their cattle”.
“No, my dear!” admonished his grandfather. “Every living organism in nature has a role to play in maintaining the ecological balance. If you destroy one species, this balance will be disturbed and adversely affect the other species”.
“What is this ecological balance?” enquired a puzzled Ramu.
“You see, in the forest there are two kinds of animal species. The herbivorous animals eat grass and plant leaves, while the carnivorous animals eat other animals. The herbivorous animals, such as deer, rabbits, etc., breed at a faster rate than the carnivorous animals, such as, tigers, leopards, wolves, etc., which keep the population of the former in check. If the population growth of the herbivorous species goes beyond the critical limit, they will destroy the forest by eating more plants than the new ones which replace them. If the forest is destroyed the herbivorous animals will be deprived of their food and will die, followed by the carnivorous animals, which will be deprived of their food, too. Human beings belong to the omnivorous species which subsist on plants and animals. If the forest is destroyed then the human race will also be destroyed. This is called ecological balance, which enables all species to coexist,” explained his grandfather.
“Why did nature not create only trees and human beings? The forest can expand and the humans can get their full requirement without fear of carnivorous animals,” asked Ramu who was still in a state of confusion.
“Oh, my dear, plants need the help of animals in their fertilizing process and survival! Animals that eat seeds of plants disperse the seeds when they poop them out and help the seeds to get away from the parent plant into new, un-colonized habitats. In this way the area of forest cover increases, along with a better chance for their survival. Animal feces contribute to the fertility of the soils by adding nutrients such as nitrogen and potash which are absorbed by the roots of the plants and help in their growth,” explained his grandfather.
Next day, Ramu appeared very happy when he returned from school. He went straight to his grandfather’s room to give him some good news.
“Did you hear that a big oil company is going to set up a refinery close to our village? They are also going to build staff quarters for the staff and a big school for the children. I need not worry about my higher education. They have begun work on cutting down the trees in the forest to clear space for the buildings,” said Ramu, excitedly.
His grandfather did not share his excitement, but looked glum. “Forests are extremely beneficial because they absorb the harmful gas, carbon dioxide, from the atmosphere and release the life sustaining gas, oxygen, into the atmosphere. All animals, including humans, breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. After the refinery is set up, it will release pollutants and other gases which will also be absorbed by the forest. However, since the forest is being cut, these harmful gases will remain in the atmosphere and oxygen will be reduced, causing a serious threat to life and health,” he said, while dashing Ramu’s optimism.
“Won’t the pollutants be washed down by the rains?” enquired Ramu.
“Yes, only during the rainy season, but it cannot give oxygen, which will continue to be in short supply. Besides, trees absorb and store rainwater, reducing the danger of floods and replenishing groundwater supplies,” replied his grandfather. “The tree-roots keep the soil together, enrich it and prevent erosion during floods. The shade provided by the leaves cool the soil and reduces evaporation,” added his grandfather.
“What about the prosperity the refinery will bring for the village people? It will be transformed into a town with all the benefits, like roads, transportation, electricity, hospitals and many job opportunities!” explained Ramu.
Grandfather reflected for a while and said, “When we see a bright light before us we are often blinded temporarily and cannot see what lies in the darkness beyond it. There could be a deep pit! The prosperity is obtained by cutting down the forest and the immediate loss is the destruction of the ecosystem which was created during hundreds of years of evolution. The trees in the forest have the capacity to draw moisture from the ground through its roots and release it to the air, in the form of vapor. It goes up and condenses to form clouds, which precipitate as rain. Now, there will be less rainfall and higher temperatures, resulting in droughts and ultimately, deserts. The soil will also be eroded, preventing the growth of new plants. In fact, studies by a physiologist at UCLA have indicated that Iraq was a very fertile and prosperous place more than ten thousand years ago, but now it is a semi-desert area due to soil erosion problems, coupled with deforestation. The same is the story of the Sahara desert, which scientists believe has been caused by over-grazing of cattle on a-once-fertile grassland. The soil was eroded and the rainfall reduced drastically, resulting in the formation of the desert. Thus, over a longer period of time the destruction will be more than the brief period of prosperity”.
“Does it mean that there should be no effort to set up industries and improve the living condition of people living in the villages?” Ramu could not resist asking.
“No, my dear! Industrialization is necessary for improving the quality of life and ushering in prosperity. But, it must not be done by destroying the ecosystem. A balance must always be maintained. Next weekend I shall take you to the most industrialized city in the country and you can see for yourself the ill-effects of an unplanned growth of industries. We shall then discuss how this catastrophe can be prevented,” advised his grandfather.
Ramu spent a restless week ruminating on the numerous unanswered questions in his mind. Earlier, he was of the opinion that forests were a nuisance which occupied specious space that could be used for industries, but, now, his grandfather has confused him. In the following weekend, he was in a train with his grandfather, heading towards the city of Mumbai. As the train neared the city, he saw tall concrete buildings, with no sign of trees and open grounds that were prevalent in his village.
As they came out of the railway station, Ramu could only see cars, buses and a sea of humanity weaving between them hurriedly, like robots. The putrid smell emanating from the garbage bins along the road, together with the smoke of the exhaust fumes from the vehicles seemed to choke his nostrils and he yelled, “Grandpa, how do people live in such conditions?”
“You are getting the first view of the effects of industrialization! These fumes contain water vapor and gases, like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, which are known as greenhouse gases. It covers the city like a blanket and only allows the short wave radiation from the sun to heat the surface. The warmed surface emits heat as long wave radiation, which is prevented from diffusing into the upper part of the atmosphere. The trapped radiation increases the temperature of the surface layer. Since there are very few trees to absorb the greenhouse gases, they remain in the air and inhaled by the people causing various lung diseases,” explained his grandfather.
“What do they do with all the garbage in the numerous garbage bins?” Ramu was curious to know.
“Oh, they are collected by trucks and dumped at certain selected places on the outskirts of the town. One of the most devastating effects of piling garbage is that it can easily lead to soil pollution, apart from harboring flies and insects. This means that the area affected may not be able to yield good plant growth, which will lead to less vegetative coverage. Another effect is that it is likely to lead to emission of greenhouse gases, such as methane. When this takes place, the ozone layer in the atmosphere is damaged and global warming is enhanced. Since ozone protects us against the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun, it will lead to an increase in skin diseases. In some countries, this garbage is treated with certain chemicals and used to generate power,” informed his grandfather.
They now went to the site of an industrial plant, where Ramu saw thick smoke emanating from big chimneys, more than hundred feet tall.
“How are these chimneys emitting smoke?” he asked.
“These chimneys are called ‘flue-gas stacks’, through which combustion product gases called ‘flue gases’ are exhausted to the outside air. Flue gases are produced when coal, oil, natural gas, or any other fuel is combusted in an industrial furnace. It is composed of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water vapor, and small percentage of pollutants, like particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen and sulfur oxides. Stacks are tall in order to disperse the exhaust pollutants over a greater area and thereby reduce the concentration of pollutants to levels required by the environmental regulations. Nevertheless, these gases contribute to the heating of the surface layer over a long period of time, leading to global warming,” explained his grandfather.
“Will not these gases affect the health of people living in the surrounding areas?” asked Ramu.
“Exactly! This is one of the major effects of industrialization,” replied his grandfather. “It also generates waste products, which may include pollutants like mercury and lead. These are released into water bodies for disposal and are consumed by animals, as well as humans, leading to severe health complications. Some industries manufacture plastic products which eventually contribute to waste. The chemical structure of most plastics render them resistant to the natural processes of degradation and hence contribute to plastic pollution. It harms land and marine creatures when they ingest plastic waste.”
Ramu had never seen the sea and was stunned to see its vast expanse when his grandfather took him to the beach.
“If the land could have extended to cover the sea it could have given more space to humans and animals to live!” he wondered loudly. “Do the oceans absorb carbon dioxide, too?” he asked.
“The ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere whenever air meets water. It absorbs about a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans create by burning fossil fuels, known as anthropogenic carbon. Studies by the universities of Columbia, California, Irvine and the Goddard Institute of Space studies, suggest that the ocean has taken up increasing amounts of carbon dioxide, keeping pace with the increasing amount of anthropogenic carbon, during the period 1950 to 1980. Thereafter, the uptake had slowed down even more so after 2000. It was observed that as the ocean’s carbon concentration in solution increased, the seawater became more acidic which resulted in its reduced ability to absorb carbon dioxide,” replied grandfather.
“Does this mean that the amount of anthropogenic gases in the atmosphere has increased, due to its lesser absorption by the ocean? Will this lead to more heating of the earth’s surface by greenhouse gases?” asked Ramu.
“Precisely! The ocean absorbs vast quantities of heat which are generated over land due to greenhouse gases. In 2013, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has estimated that the ocean has absorbed more than 93% of the excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions since 1970. This is causing the ocean temperatures to rise, too. In accordance to the IPCC estimates, the upper ocean surface, extending from the surface to a depth of 750 meters, has warmed by 0.09 to 1.3 degrees centigrade per decade over the past forty years,” replied grandfather.
“Does the rise in ocean temperature affect the climate?” asked Ramu.
“Warmer surface water dissipates more readily into vapor, which provides energy to a storm in its formative stage, making it easier for it to escalate into larger, more powerful systems. Weather experts have observed that the frequency of North Atlantic hurricanes has increased since the early 1980s and their intensities are also higher. They have caused more damage to human structures and trees after their landfall,” replied his grandfather.
“Will not the rainfall associated with these intense storms clean the atmosphere of the pollutants?” Ramu quipped.
“Studies have indicated that the distribution of dominant atmospheric pressure systems have changed, leading to a change in the wind patterns. The stronger surface winds over the ocean causes more water to be up welled to the surface from the depth. Since these deeper waters contain a higher concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide, the up welling led to an anomalous release of this greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, resulting in stagnation, or even a decrease, in the ocean’s net carbon uptake. So we are back to square one!” commented his grandfather.
Ramu was flummoxed by these revelations and expressed his desire to go back to his village. “I think living in a village is better than staying in an industrial town with polluted air and water. We need not cut down the forest, but increase the agricultural output by using chemical manure to make the soil more fertile.”.
“Sadly, the chemical manure used in modern agricultural methods has allowed crops to grow bigger and more rapidly, but their ability to manufacture or uptake nutrients, has not kept pace with their rapid growth. The fruits and vegetables are fast-growing and pest-resistant, but have less nutritional value than the ones which I have eaten during my childhood days. A Kushi Institute analysis of nutrient data from 1975 to 1997 found that average calcium levels in 12 fresh vegetables dropped 27 percent. Similar drops were noticed in their iron and vitamin levels, too. In our times, it was the practice to alternate fields between growing seasons, to give the land time to restore its nutrients. Also, organic manure was used instead of pesticides and mineral fertilizers,” commented his grandfather.
“Grandpa, why are people so worried about ‘global warming’? The climate of the earth had changed in the past, too. There was this ‘little ice age’ when the earth had cooled and then warmed again. Is it not the natural cycle of climate change?” asked Ramu.
“True! But, this time the warming is due to man-made activities and that is why it is dangerous. The human population is increasing at an alarming rate. The sustainable world population at the current level of development is around 5 billion. However, the current population is around 7.6 billion, which is much above the sustainable level and increasing by about 12 million annually. The pollution will also increase proportionately and so, you can imagine how difficult it would be for the survival of life on earth, unless drastic steps are taken to control the man-made activities that are responsible for it. The global warming will also melt the giant icebergs in the polar regions, releasing a huge quantity of water to the sea. Researchers have identified an approximate relationship between human-caused carbon emissions, the temperature rise they cause and the committed change in the world’s glaciers. They find every kilogram of carbon dioxide emitted today will eventually be responsible for around 16 kilograms of glacier ice melt. The level of sea water will rise, sinking many coastal places, including the one where we are standing!” explained his grandfather.
“Grandpa, our science teacher in school told us that a cube of ice floating in a glass of water does not increase the level of the water, as it melts. How can a floating iceberg change the level of the sea?” enquired Ramu.
“Very intelligent question! This is what the big oil magnates keep telling in order to justify their denial of the effects of global warming,” quipped his grandfather. “When floating ice melts, the ocean levels will not rise, because the ice was already floating in the water. But, when land ice melts, the liquid water flows into the ocean and causes the water levels to rise. The data from the Bermuda monitoring programs show that the carbon dioxide levels at the ocean surface are rising at about the same rate as atmospheric carbon dioxide. But, at deeper levels, 250 and 450 meters, the carbon dioxide levels are rising at nearly twice the rate as in the surface waters. This is not a speculation, but an observed fact and indicates some major changes going on in the ocean.”
“Grandpa, how does the changes in the ocean circulation affect global climate?” asked Ramu.
“You must have learnt about the basic functions of the human circulatory system in your school. The arteries carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the extremities of the body and the veins return blood to be replenished with oxygen, to maintain the life-sustaining circulation. In the same way, oceans provide life-sustaining circulation to the planet. Propelled mainly by prevailing winds and differences in water density, which changes with the temperature and salinity of the sea water, ocean currents are critical in cooling, warming and watering the planet’s terrestrial surfaces and, also, in transporting heat from the equator to the poles. The temperatures over the land surface are also influenced by the temperature over the surrounding seas. This is how the warm Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic Ocean keeps the temperature over the British Isles warm during winter and protects it against the freezing icy winds blowing from the Arctic region. Over a period of time, these changes affect the global climate,” explained his grandfather.
“What is the specific role of oceans in global warming?” asked Ramu.
“Carbon dioxide is one of the most important gases that dissolve in the ocean. Some of it stay as dissolved gas, but most react with the water to form carbonic acid, or form bicarbonates. Recent estimates have calculated that 26 percent of all the carbon released as carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning and land-use changes over the decade 2002-2011 was absorbed by the oceans. It moves between the atmosphere and the ocean by molecular diffusion when there is a difference in pressure between the atmosphere and ocean. Since the oceans are mixed much more slowly than the atmosphere, there are large horizontal and vertical changes in carbon dioxide concentrations, with the deep ocean having a ten percent higher concentration than the surface and the tropical waters having higher concentration than the high latitude ocean.
Scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, in USA, believe that oceans hold the key to potential dramatic shifts in the Earth’s climate, through changes in ocean temperature and salinity,” he added. .
Ramu was alarmed to hear it and asked, “Will our planet also become a dead planet, like many planets in the solar system? What actions should be taken to avoid this happening?” .
Grandpa thought for a while and said, “There are many actions to be taken, but the most important ones are as follows:
- Take immediate steps to contain the human population in the world, particularly in countries with a high population density.
- Immediately, cease all deforestation activities and increase plantation activities of new plants. The industries that depend upon wood, like paper industries, should start researching on the use of alternative material which will drastically reduce the requirement of wood.
- Drastically cut down the use of fossil fuels and encourage the use of clean energy, like solar energy, wind energy, hydroelectric power and other similar technology, which does not release pollutants into the atmosphere.
- It should be made compulsory for industries to set up plants for treating the emanating flue gases to remove the polluting components, before it is released into the atmosphere. Most industries try to avoid the extra cost in setting up such plants, but it must be strictly enforced.
- A near zero- tolerance limit for garbage should be set in cities and the garbage disposal system must work very efficiently. There must be a total cut down on plastic waste.
If these steps are implemented immediately, then in a few decades it can be expected that the climate system will be restored to its natural state. Of course, I would not be here to see this state, but you and your children, would be able to inhale clean, healthy air.""
