For the first time in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report, climate threats have universally topped the chart of global concerns for 2021. Scarily, the top five global risks according to these 750 leaders for 2021 are all environmental.
DR. MARIANNE FURTADO DE NAZARETH
If we look at the world around us in just this past decade - inventions which were hailed by us at the turn of the century, are now banned and in the dock to be phased out. Man who considers himself master of the universe, has had to understand that a number of his inventions which bring convenience to his life and living, do untold damage to the planet around us.
Fossil fuel and why we must stop using them
Take the first very basic example of the energy that we use, made from coal. We have hammered the planet using coal, which is a type of fossil fuel. This is a nonrenewable energy source whose extraction always damages the environment. Fossil fuels are made from decomposing plants and animals. The side effect of burning and the use of coal-fired energy is the cause of the ozone layer around our planet being depleted and Climate Change becoming a very real threat, not tomorrow or in the future - but right now this minute.
The difference between these two types of resources is that renewable resources can naturally replenish themselves while nonrenewable resources cannot. There are four major types of nonrenewable resources: oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy. These sources of energy are collectively called fossil fuels and scientists have educated us on why we need to move to renewable energy as against the use of these old dangerous sources.
Today, much of the world has realised the need to phase out fossil fuel usage and help heal our planet by using renewable energies like wind and solar which are freely available across the globe. Yes, they are expensive to invest in and yes there were hiccups when they were first installed, but today most of the world’s leaders have realised that if their countries are to progress, it is in the direction of renewable energies.
The inconvenient truth about plastic
Another ‘progressive’ invention is plastic. It has seeped into every aspect of our lives. But now man is looking back at the horror he has created, which does not seem to be going away, unless it is totally banned. Plastic is a material made to last forever, yet 33 % of all plastic - water bottles, bags and straws - are used just once and thrown away. Plastic cannot biodegrade; it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. Disposed plastic materials can remain in the environment for up to 2,000 years and longer.
Toxic chemicals leach out of plastic and are found in the blood and tissue of nearly all of us human beings. Exposure to them is linked to cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption and other ailments. There are thousands of landfills in our country and buried beneath each one of them, toxic chemicals from plastics drain out and seep into groundwater, flowing downstream into lakes and rivers.
Wildlife become entangled in plastic, they eat it or mistake it for food and feed it to their young, and it is found littered in even extremely remote areas of the Earth. Everything suffers: tourism, recreation, business, the health of humans, animals, fish and birds, because of plastic pollution. The financial damage continuously being inflicted is inestimable.
Finally the world is taking note
For the first time in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report, climate threats have universally topped the chart of global concerns for 2021. The report annually interacts with more than 750 global experts and decision-makers, who are asked to rank their biggest worries regarding the year ahead.
Scarily, the top five global risks according to these 750 leaders for 2021 are all environmental. These include extreme weather events, failure of climate-change mitigation and adaptation, environmental damage and disasters such as oil spills and radioactive contamination, major biodiversity loss and natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.
Borge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum, said: “The political landscape is polarised, sea levels are rising and climate fires are burning. This is the year when world leaders must work with all sectors of society to repair and reinvigorate our systems of cooperation, not just for short-term benefit but for tackling our deep-rooted risks.”
So, instead of blaming it all on politics, let us try and do our small bit, by cutting back on plastic usage with determination, and looking at solar panels for our external lights and water heating. ∎
Dr. Marianne Furtado de Nazareth is former Assistant Editor of The Deccan Herald; and is a professor of Media studies.
