Save The World From Burning

With each passing generation, our experiences related to weather and climate change differ. Our parents and grandparents remember having lived in a very good and well-balanced environment. Climate change and rising temperatures were not much of a concern for them. But it is totally different now. Our experiences are filled with issues of degrading weather conditions and bearing the wrath of climate change and rising temperatures. 

Over the past few years, a heatwave has become a buzzword globally. It is an effect of climate change which is continuously becoming a new normal. Right now, even Europe and the North America are reeling from the effects of heatwaves and wildfires.

The temperature in the United Kingdom (UK) has exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. This mercury rise is the first of its kind causing blazing fire and severe effects on physical infrastructures. Most importantly, livestock and human lives are suffering. 

In the wake of such an unprecedented climate change-related disaster, the UK government has alerted people against it. But if we look at the situation objectively, developed countries have better mechanisms and abilities to tackle the consequences of a heatwave. In contrast, developing nations like ours will be struggling on their part to cope with the effects of climate change, that too without any success. We are bound to suffer due to our weak institutional capacity and lack of finance and technology.

Going back to the topic of heatwaves, people are trying to find ways to survive the scorching heat. This could mean drinking a lot of fluid, using fans and coolers and staying indoors, away from the heat. The current situation will improve after some time. But climate change and its long-term repercussions will remain with us. We have failed to commit and step up measures to deal with climate change and its consequences. Amidst short-term economic development overriding climate change issues, international conventions seem to have become more of a hoax for most countries.

Nepal has not experienced instances of an extreme heatwave as of now. But the adverse consequences of climate change are getting more evident. Temperatures have risen, extreme weather patterns are being experienced. And they are changing the construct of the economy. There are days when rainfalls are very heavy. There may also be times when we don’t get to see even a drop of rain and only the scorching heat of the sun. 

Climate change and rising temperatures have become a matter of grave trans-boundary concern. Before climate change poses a greater threat to the lives of people, let necessary actions be taken. Human life is characterised by unpredictability but we are inviting the climate change to create more suffering. So, it is the responsibility of people living around the world to bring about necessary improvements. The share of responsibility of managing the effects of climate change remains greater in developed countries and a little bit lesser in developing ones. 

It will be a big joke on all of us if we continue to stick ourselves to this cycle of destructive effects of climate change. It is not wrong to say that we are not serious about the only planet that we call our home. After a few months, the countries in the northern hemisphere will experience the winter season. When that happens, we will have forgotten about the heatwave and its adverse effects. And just the next year, right around this time, we will have an unhappier rendezvous with sweltering heat again.