As and when June 5, World Environment Day comes,
(Or Ozone Day, 16th Sept) it reminds people
of the seriousness of Global Warming, an increase in the earth's temperature due to the
use of fossil fuels and other industrial processes leading to a buildup of
"greenhouse gases" (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and
chlorofluorocarbons) in the atmosphere. It has been known since 1896 that carbon dioxide
helps stop the sun's infrared radiation from escaping into space and thus functions to
maintain the earth’s relatively warm temperature. This is called the "greenhouse
effect." The question is whether the measurably increasing levels of carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere over the last century will lead to elevated global temperatures, which
could result in coastal flooding and major climatic changes, and have serious implications
for agricultural productivity. Since 1850 there has been a mean rise in global temperature
of approximately 1° C (approximately 1.8° F), but this rise could just be part of a
natural fluctuation. Such fluctuations have been recorded for tens of thousands of years
and operate in short-term as well as long-term cycles. Because of the difficulty of
distinguishing human-made causes of carbon dioxide emissions from natural sources, efforts
regarding their control have been slow in coming. However, the potential consequences of
global warming are so great that many of the world's top scientists have urged immediate
action, and have called for international cooperation on the problem.
Many scientists agree that warmer
temperatures would cause rise in sea levels, the oceans when warmed up will occupy
more
space. The glaciers and polar ice will begin to melt. Since humidity of the atmosphere
increases with the temperature, more snow would fall on earth’s extremes. It is
is predicted by 2030, the sea will rise by 150 to 300 mm endangering coastal town and cities
around the world. The growing blanket of Carbon dioxide gas will become thicker and cause
havoc. The Nuclear threat of explosions has yet posed another man made environmental
imbalance and its after effects will have yet to be weighed as to the cause of temperature
effects. Humans on earth can only pray for Green Environment and to do so is in their own
hands.
Some
Info on Ministry of Environment & Forest, Government of India
The Environment
(Protection) Act was enacted in 1986 with the objective of
providing for the protection and improvement of the environment. It
empowers the Central Government to establish authorities [under section
3(3)] charged with the mandate of preventing environmental pollution in
all its forms and to tackle specific environmental problems that are
peculiar to different parts of the country. The Act was last amended in
1991.
The power conferred by the
Environment Protection Act are followed under the following
heads:
-
Coastal Regulation Zone
-
Delegation of Powers
-
Eco-marks Scheme
-
Eco-sensitive Zone
-
Environmental Clearance � General
-
Environmental Labs
-
Environmental Standards
-
Hazardous Substances Management
-
Loss Of Ecology
-
Noise Pollution
-
Ozone Layer Depletion
-
Water Pollution
-
2-T Oil
( Read more on
Ministry
of Environment & Forest, Government of India
Web Portal)
Some
Info on
Department for Climate Change - Gujarat Government
The Forest and
Environment Department in Gujarat implements task force for environment.
The Department has four executing agencies viz Gujarat Pollution Control
Board, Gujarat Ecology Commission, Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology
and Gujarat Environment Management Institute, for discharging its
functions.
Gujarat has also established a separate
Department for Climate Change. This Initiative by Gujarat
Government is a trendsetter not only for India but for the whole of Asia
as it is the “First in Asia” with
a Department for Climate Change. It is the only
4th State/Province in the World
to have a Department for Climate Change.
Set up in February 2009, the Department is headed by CM Narendra Modi to
handle issues of Climate Change. The Initiative is to give a human face
to environmental issues; empower people to become active agents of
sustainable development; promote an understanding that communities are
pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and advocate
partnership, which will ensure all citizens and people in Gujarat to
enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.
( Read More for Smart Goals and Green Initiatives
in Gujarat on
Gujarat State Portal
)
- ilaxi patel
