Greetings Everyone!

With this article I begin my journey for Tunza Eco-Generation, for the very first time, as an 'Indian Ambassador'. I've written this some time back and have decided to kick-start my report publication with the following feature article about what I think of climate change, biodiversity and sustainability. I hope my esteemed fellow friends from across the globe find it interesting and informative. Although it's quiet long, but I believe you will enjoy. During the coming weeks, I'll write about the spectacular beauty of North-East India which comprises of the states: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Agartala and Sikkim! In case, I've made mistakes somewhere, please feel free to knock me and rectify it. 

Let's begin!

"Leave the world better than you found it, take no more than you need, try not to harm life or the environment, make amends if you do.? – Aldo Leopold, a Land Ethic, from Sand County Almana.

Reminders...Conferences...Reminders...! 

Conferences...Action plans...Policies...Petitions for protection and conservation of the environment are being held continuously. Climate is shifting. Even the minute activity of ours in day-to-day life stimulates a strong impingement in the local, regional and global sphere. The evidences are all around us. Green House Gases: Water vapour, carbon dioxide, troposphere ozone and methane, the primary causes of global warming, the gases is being emitted continuously into the atmosphere. Combustion of fossil fuels harms the atmosphere. 20% of carbon dioxide emission is due to human induced deforestation. The thickness of Arctic ice has melted off by about 40%. The global mean sea water level has enhanced from 12 to 22 cm during the last century. It has already created a serious impact in the coastal areas and in particular among the poor people, whose sustenance is mainly based on coastal economy. Wildlife species are in a state of susceptibility which leads to extinction. Natural habitats are destructed. Outpouring of deadly chemicals polluting the environment is thrown off into the open fields. Extinction has passed up to a significant extent eliminating several wild species of flora and fauna. Approximately, 27000 species are disappearing every year. Average global temperature from 1850 to 2005 has increased by about 0.76 degree Celsius. It is projected to rise about 1.4 - 5.8 degree Celsius by the end of the century (2100) which has the potential to wipe out 30 percent of plant and animal species from the Earth.  It will require only an increase of 6 degree Celsius rise to wipe out the human race.

We can see it, experience it, think about it and also can take requisite actions about it. A firm robust focused universal action is extremely crucial at the moment to tackle global climate change. This is the challenge, which we the common people should stand for and fight against. The decision makers, leaders, scientists and few of the thought-making citizens are substantially concerned about the current modifying drift of climatic conditions. The turning point in human history is the Industrial Revolution which started during the late 1700s with the machine-beginning era. Mother Nature has been transferring since post industrialization era and heading towards a cataclysm where humanity is foreseen to be eradicated from this wonderful planet. A collective phenomenon has been occurring continuously where Global Warming is being raised by our day-to-day actions, soaring temperature across the continents. The repeating outcomes of floods, droughts, cyclones, soil erosion, rising of average global temperature changes in rainfall pattern, diminishing snow cover and melting ice layers at the arctic and the Antarctica, premature abrupt extreme weather events, increase in level of ocean water etc. are some of the effects to-be-seen. Human beings and anthropogenic factors exhaust the coral reefs, swamps, marshes, wildlife habitats, flora and fauna etc. Climate is the mean and variability of relevant quantities of atmospheric composition and quantities over a period ranging from months to thousands or millions of years. Though the manifestations are in our reach but we still tend to neglect the transcending climate change show. Human activities are responsible for the earth to heat up. Listing the major causes of global warming are burning of fossil fuels, cutting down forests, Green House effect, air pollution, ozone layer depletion, volcanic eruptions, melting of glaciers, industrial effects, and usage of chemical fertilizers. Human beings are primarily responsible for global warming. Emission of carbon dioxide from automobiles, dumping of trash anywhere and everywhere, lack of sewage treatment, excessive use of banned plastics unlawfully, smokes from industrial units etc. are key activities destroying the planet at a much faster rate of which we are unaware

            Biodiversity is the sum total of all biological living elements on earth like genes, species, populations, ecosystems and biomes. It is composed of about 30 million definite species on Earth ranging from omnipresent microbes to big animals. Literally, the incredible services of the ecosystem ranging from food productivity, water circulation, running of nutrient cycles etc. all depend on the exceptional good health of biodiversity. Essential goods which the ecosystems contribute are all because of the wonders of biodiversity. It is the root where human society has emerged and established. Biodiversity has played an instrumental role in shaping the present generation. Study suggests that at least 40 percent of the world?s economy and 80 percent of the needs of the underprivileged poor are derived from rich bio-resources. The richer the biodiversity of life, the greater the opportunity for medical inventions and discoveries, development of economy, and quick responses to climate change challenges. Since time immemorial, the natural resources have been playing a key role of living beings adaptation process in evolutionary phenomenon. Our planet comprises of a diverse number of species of plants, animals, microbes, unique ecosystems like deserts, rainforests, and coral reefs. They are now in danger. Current decrease and loss of biodiversity has the audacity to restrict future socio-economic developments. It is to be noted that a sustained biodiversity is very much essential for the planet earth to maintain its structure and functional aspects. More the diverse resources of biodiversity, we gain more the productivity from the ecosystem. Every species on planet earth has a defined value which plays an important role.  It is estimated that by the end of this century Mother Nature has to incur maximum loss of biodiversity of which the current trend of climate change is being responsible for the occurrence. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which is the apex body of UN climate change research studies suggests that the slow and steady increase of temperature is triggering the changes in the functional and structural elements of the ecosystem. The uneven distribution of biodiversity rich regions would suffer the risk of worst impact from time to time. The impact would vary from region to region. The first one suffering is the regions of far north and south mountainous regions where the concentration of biodiversity materials are most concentrated. As a result of changing climatic conditions the ecosystems would broaden into new areas and others being depleted and exhausted completely.  Flora and fauna with limited number of species or fragmented populations restricted to smaller habitats are especially vulnerable to climate shifts which are likely to get extinct. Global warming and sea level rise will persist for centuries. The need to adapt to climate change is inevitable.  Necessary actions must be taken immediately.

            Services of sustained biodiversity could provide us lots of reasons to cheer about. The wonderful goods and services which ecosystems provide are: fuel fibre, provision for shelter and construction materials, air and water purification, detoxification and decomposition of wastes, stabilization and moderation of Earth?s climate, moderation of floods, droughts, temperature extremes, pests and diseases control and prevention, genetic resources maintenance, cultural and aesthetic benefits, water resources, soil protection, nutrient cycling, pollution elimination, contribution in reduction of green house gases, food productivity, medicinal resources and drugs, wood and fibre products, stocks breeding and diverse gene pools. In addition to these, some of the benefits which can be enjoyed socially are tourism and recreation facility, culture and tradition etc. For example: The NE region of India which is one of the hotspots in the globe provides rich biodiversity materials. The Kaziranga National Park (Assam), Namdapha National Park (Arunchal Pradesh), Keibul Lamjao National Park (Manipur), Mawlynnong - Asia?s cleanest village are some of the rich places of extreme rich biodiversity. Thus, sustainability in biodiversity is necessary. We build our rich civilization on the pillars of our rich bio-resources. In order to maintain our legacy, the nature?s products are very much essential.

            What does it mean to loss biodiversity? As climate is changing, large amount of massive destructions can be seen in any part of the world. The results are devastating and unfortunate. The changes on the structural biodiversity would have damaging implications that would result in deterioration of natural habitats of animal and plant species, soil erosion and degradation, changes in productivity of the ecosystem, extinction of endangered and rare species, loss of nutrient cycles, acidification of natural water resources, higher mortality rates of the vulnerable ones, decreased production of coastal goods, less agricultural production, decreased fisheries, loss of useful species which balances food chain in the ecosystem traditionally available food resources are lost, spread of fatal communicative diseases etc. Global war, conflicts and security threat would arise due to loss of biodiversity.

The universal picture is quite complicated, complex and uneven. Conscious people ranging from a wide spectrum of social, economic, science & technology has been devising initiatives, plans, and policies to reach an ultimate ambition of ?Sustainability and Sustainable Development?.  It is the call of hour to seriously tackle the threatening call of climate change and ensure sustainable development or else planet earth would face a catastrophic disaster in the days ahead.       

            What is sustainability? According to Brundtland Commission, Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability is the ability to maintain ecological process over a long period of time. Sustainability of the ecosystem is the ability of an ecosystem to maintain its biotic and abiotic structure and function over time against external environmental influences. Sustainability defines ecosystem health. Biodiversity resources are directly related to the sustainability. Greater the sustained biodiversity is more sustainable the ecosystem and vice versa.  A wide variety of genes and species means that the ecosystem is better able to carry out natural processes against external factors in the environment. An unsustainable ecosystem would affect crucially in jeopardizing the attributes like forests and biodiversity, water supply, food supply, health, and developmental process.  The question is how we make use the most use of biodiversity in a sustainable manner?  The answer is to reduce, reuse and recycle the resources, which can help to sustain the natural resources in the long run. Understanding to live within the boundary and limits, respecting the connection among economy, society and environment and equal distribution of resources and opportunities by the mortals can help in utilizing the resources in a sustained way.  We need to utilize the resources at a rate that the earth can renew them because the natural resources take a long timescale to generate its products. It is indeed a perfect respectable way which can be met so that the needs of both present and future generations are held together. Practically, it is the right time to change our patterns of consumption of natural resources from the ecosystem and our outlook behaviour in general.  The way we are consuming the resources from nature is harming the productivity of the ecosystem. Now, we are only left with the option by managing consumption in a sustainable manner, reducing the wastes, recycling them in a clever way and ultimately reuse for our daily needs. Our traditional knowledge into action can contribute significantly in maintaining the services of ecosystem. Biodiversity is our rich heritage. Unfortunately, though sustainability practices are widely recognized and formed in plans and policies, unsustainable use and over exploitation has been continuously occurring and remains a major threat in the sectors of fisheries, agriculture, and forestry. In order to deal sustainability it is necessary to check that the balance between the resources utilized for needs and resources regenerated are well maintained.  We should take into notice that the utilization of resources carried out do not pollute the environment and create things dirty and a mess. It should rather be in a clean state to reuse. The diversity and disparity of the natural eco-systems are need to be properly protected and conserved.

            How to protect our environment? Below are some of the few steps which can help to reduce GHG emissions wisely and help protect and conserve natural resources to a significant extent:

1.      Try to reduce, reuse and recycle the products. It would save 2400 pounds of CO₂ emission annually.

2.      Let us use less heat and air conditioners.

3.      We should replace regular light bulbs with compact florescent light bulbs. CFLs last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

4.      Taking public means of transportation and smart driving would lead to fewer emissions.

5.      Better buy energy-efficient products.

6.      Let us turn the switch ?OFF? in all our electrical appliances when not required.

7.      Finally, the easiest way to protect environment is to plant trees.

Let us pledge that we spread the word out among the community in every possible way because planet earth needs us to LIVE!