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World Environment Day : Observing Environment Day on a climate volcano

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5 June 2013 04:35 am - 0     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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It was the beginning of 1945.

The production process, related to a topmost secret experiment was underway in Los Alamos, United States of America. It was all about producing the world’s first Atomic bomb! At the height of these activities, Jewish scientists, including Einstein were mighty worried that Nazi Germany or Fascist Italy would beat them and develop the Atomic bomb before them.

Finally, with a sigh of relief, the project director, scientist Robert Openheimer was convinced that his team could produce this bomb which could release an enormous amount of heat and radiation. However, at the end, hesitatingly, Openheimer had called his scientists and mathematicians and posed a few pertinent questions such as, would there be total inflaming of the whole atmosphere due to heat released by the explosion? Would the heat generated burn all oxygen in the atmosphere? Would it liquidate all polar ice caps, inundating every continent? Would an atomic ice age be created when solar radiation is prevented from reaching earth due to formation of ash clouds?

After a few days of serious arguments and mathematical calculations, scientists firmly asserted that the atomic bomb which was to be detonated shortly, would not generate sufficient heat to bring about disastrous effects that Openheimer feared. Armed with these data, Robert Openheimer detonated the first atomic bomb in New Mexico in July 1945 and subsequently, the US Air force dropped two bombs, one each on Japanese cities- Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing 140,000 people and devastaing the two cities, completely.

Later, several world renowned scientists and sociologists conceded that the mathematical calculation done by Openheimer on global destruction due to atomic explosion, as the most important mathematical calculation ever done by a scientist.

" A few weeks ago, an equally important (socially) mathematical calculation and observation were made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scientists. They alerted the world leaders that atmospheric concentration of CO2 had reached the threshold of 400 particles of CO2 in one million particles of air. "

A few weeks ago, an equally important (socially) mathematical calculation and observation was made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scientists. They alerted the world leaders that atmospheric concentration of CO2 had reached the threshold of 400 particles of CO2 in one million particles of air. Is it so important? Yes, because it is related to the very existence of man kind.



According to the IPCC situation report (2007), CO2 concentration in atmosphere is the main cause (70%) for the global warming phenomenon. Prior to the Industrial revolution, the atmospheric concentration of CO2 level remained at 280 ppm and at present it is 400 ppm. Therefore, a 1.50C increase in global mean temperature has now become a possibility. If it reaches 450 ppm, a two degree Centigrade rise in mean temperature also will become a possibility (50:50). If this happens, it will pave the way for an irreversible catastrophic environmental disaster and for the sixth great extinction, endangering the existence of entire humankind. Ironically, this year we are celebrating the World Environment Day, sitting on a global warming volcano!

Global warming has become a hacked topic as many have started talking about it and its related issues without really understanding the basic science behind this phenomenon.
Generally, weather is our day to day relation to atmosphere, i.e. temperature, humidity, wind, rain; snowing etc. and our scientists are now capable of predicting day to day short term weather patterns.

Climate is a long term pattern of weather and it is related to monsoons and certain other seasons. Therefore, our agricultural activities and social structure are based on it. However, as it is evident, nowadays climate is erratic and chaotic and therefore it is very unpredictable. The reason for this is the continuous rise of global mean temperature.

According to history of Western science, it was Benedict Saussure (1770) who likened the atmosphere to a blackened house with a glass roof. He called it a hot house because all heat coming through its roof was absorbed by its walls and floor. Later, it was called Green House. French scientist Joseph Fourier later noted that the roof of Saussure’s Green House was a lid which could be opened and closed, facilitating exchange of heat with space. However, Englishman John Tindal found in 1858 that it was CO2 which absorbed heat, but other gases like N2 and O2 which composed 98 percent of the atmosphere did not absorb any heat. Swedish scientist Arrehavs suggested some co-relation between the CO2 concentration in atmosphere and global mean temperature. According to his calculations, if we reduced CO2 concentration by half, the global temperature would be reduced by 5-6 degrees Centigrade. In 1938, Stuart Colander proved the relation of CO2 concentration to global temperature, water cycle, wind pattern, oceanic currents, formation of ice caps etc. Afterwards Roger Revel and Keeling proposed mathematical models to calculate the above relationships. When Von Neumann developed modern computer (1948), it became very useful to him to make climate change predictions. Later, the invention of theory of chaos and fractal geometry revolutionized the whole episode.

Carbon means life. All living beings are complex carbon forms. It is also exchanging from atmospheric carbon, living carbon and geological carbon etc. forming  a carbon cycle.

Our planet earth is always exposed to rains of heat and radiation from the sun and therefore, it too is a hot body, radiating heat with long wave lengths. If the exchanging of heat was to be balanced, the earth’s mean temperature would be -19 degrees Centigrade! Why is that not happening? Because of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, some heat is being trapped, creating earth’s mean temperature to be 14 degrees Centigrade. Therefore, carbon would be the agent which controls coldness too, giving comfortable temperature to sustain life on earth. However, now the problem is that excessive carbon in the atmosphere, generates excessive heat and thereby contributes to temperature rising. Clear case of human beings not treading on middle path!



When the temperature rises, the vaporization process gets accelerated. Then we experience hot days and finally drought. When high vapour causes precipitation, we experience torrential rains and floods! Water is being polarized –called water stress- between dry-drought and wet-flood. High temperature causes permanent ice caps to liquidate. Polar ice acts as a giant mirror to reflect much solar radiation. If ice caps are turned to the ocean, it absorbs heat and radiation, creating a vicious cycle. It is also noted that methane and other green gases which cause global warming are trapped in permanent frost and if warming causes this frost to liquidate, methane will get released, accelerating the process of global warming. It will be another vicious cycle. If permanent ice caps are retreated, sea level may rise to dangerous levels. 36 nations out of 192 in the United Nations are now in danger of getting annihilated during 21st century as those Island nations will become low level land masses in the event of any such sea level rising.

Basically, winds are formed due to earths spin. Cyclic winds can be formed due to excessive heat accumulation, oceanic currents, tidal waves, tornados and cyclones may happen frequently due to these thermal stresses.

There is a natural adaptation level for every environmental stress. However, the high risk level and frequency of occurring environmental disasters due to global warming make this impossible. We are now doomed to perish. Thanks to the so-called modern development which consumes more and more fossil fuels.

" There was a period, we as human beings thought science and technology could solve or fix any problem. The same science is now warning us against dire consequences of advanced technology based on fossil fuel. Unless politicians and relevant officials fail to make a strong turn towards unselfish globally binding acts the entire human race is doomed to permanent extinction "

We, human beings gloat over our economic development and amassed wealth. However if poverty is now considered to be shameful then excessive affluence is a crime against humanity. There was a period, we as human beings thought science and technology could solve or fix any problem. The same science is now warning us against dire consequences of advanced technology based on fossil fuel. Unless politicians and relevant officials fail to make a strong turn towards unselfish globally binding acts the entire human race is doomed to permanent extinction.

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