Saving Us From Ourselves

“Humanity is cutting down its forests, apparently oblivious to the fact that we may not live without them.” – Isaac Asimov.

With record breaking temperatures this summer, rising sea levels and unpredictable weather, it’s safe to say we are facing a climate crisis. Global warming and climate change are pressing global issues that are affecting all of us; The temperature has risen 1.1° Celsius since 1880.

One of the major causes of global warming is deforestation.

Forests are the lungs of the Earth. They act as carbon sinks. They absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and give out oxygen, which we need to live. With less forest cover, less CO2 gets absorbed, which leads to increased levels of CO2 in the air. This increases the greenhouse effect and increases the temperature.

Trees also release moisture into the air. This moisture falls to the earth in the form of rain. With less Trees we’d have less rainfall and with less rainfall the temperatures further increase. Without rainfall, we’d also have droughts and famines.

We need trees to live.

Yet we cut them down for “development” and “progress”.

What progress can be there when the last river is poisoned, and what development can exist when the land is inhospitable?

Forests are cut down every day. We are all slowly destroying our planet, destroying ourselves. It feels closer to the end of the world every day. And it feels like nobody is willing to change.

But that isn’t to say we can’t change.

History doesn’t write itself. The pen is in our hands; we just have to write.

We can bring change, we can save ourselves from ourselves, and we have done it before.

The Ozone Layer

In the 1990’s there was a hole in the ozone layer. It was a huge global crisis. If we didn’t stop it, then there would’ve been several holes in the ozone layer by now. By 2050, the world would be uninhabitable.

But we did stop it.

There were several treaties signed, including the Montreal Protocol, which is the only treaty signed by every country in the world. And the hole in the ozone layer is healing day by day.

Kancha Gachibowli

In recent times, there was a massive issue in Hyderabad. The Telangana government was trying to cut down a huge urban forest. This could’ve been disastrous and they even started the deforestation.

The people could’ve shut up and let it happen.

But they didn’t.

Students from the nearby University protested, and the matter eventually reached the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court has slammed the Telangana government and ordered the area already cleared to be restored.

How can you help?

·      Educate yourself and others around you. Knowledge is the most powerful weapon. If we want to take action, we need to have knowledge about which actions to take first.

·      Speak out. That’s what the students of the University of Hyderabad did. Peaceful protests are one of the most important tools in a democracy.

·      Plant as many trees as you can and help conserve the trees around you.

·      Support organizations that help conserve forests such as this one. Donate as much time or money as you can to these organizations.

This planet is ours, we have no other home, and we must take care of it. Every action counts, no matter how small or big. Change doesn’t happen overnight. It happens as a series of small actions. We don’t need grand gestures to change the world. All we need is the truth and the guts to work for a better tomorrow.

So, the real question is: What will you do today to save us from ourselves tomorrow?

These lands, filled with despair and sorrow

The spirit of wilderness, wiped out for the ‘progress of tomorrow’

Where once was an empire, alive and green,

Now lies a lone, lifeless leaf

All around us, there’s a silent scream

A silent scream, a desperate plea:

“The world is ours-but not ours to keep

For how will we keep without lungs to breathe?” 

~ Anoushka Arbhi

Regards,

Pritha Paul,

Editorial and Research,

Maza Maharashtra Mission