Mankind is labouring under a serious misapprehension to think or believe that one of the more morbid and enervating threats facing us today is terrorism or the fear of thermonuclear conflagration whether in the form of nuclear war or the likelihood of dangerous fissile material falling into the hands of fanatical elements or groups who may not care about using such weapon against their perceived or intended targets. The more ominous and disturbing truth of the matter which politicians and statesmen will hardly admit is the fact that climate change remains the greatest threat to the modern world and civilization
Opinions may not be uniform as far as the real cause of global climate change is concerned. However, it is generally agreed that global climate change is caused by increase in earth's temperature due to increased amount of gas (Greenhouse Gases) that serves as blanket to the earth. The multitude of human activities causing green house emission is known to have been causing a depletion of the ozone layer at an alarming rate.
The Green House Gas are beneficial in providing the warmth the earth needed to sustain life, but it has been said that increase in thickness causes the long-wave infrared radiations that are usually reflected back into space to become trapped causing the increase in global temperatures or warming and scientists are saying that direct radiation of the sun is significantly contributing to cancer of the skin and other problems or health complications.
It is beyond dispute that there is a progressive change in the global climate and the current climate as we know it and scientists are saying that the current climate will change drastically in a very short period in some places in an unprecedented manner. The inevitable consequences that are and will flow from this are horrifying to imagine. The ecosystems that provide most of the natural resources and on which humankind’s sustenance or livelihood is based especially in the so called third world countries will change causing poor harvest of plants and fisheries, death and possible extinction of plants and animals, and severe changes in weather patterns.
We are already witnessing this ugly and devastating trend in some third world countries and the wealthy and rich nations of the world are doing so little to help these countries against the backdrop that the activities of the rich and wealthy countries are more principally the significant factor contributing to the climate change. Put it more succinctly, they are contributing more to climate change more than the small and not so industrialized countries of the world.
Unrestricted human activities affecting the global environment are already having huge impacts for agriculture output, business development, health and infrastructure in diverse countries of the world with greater catastrophic effects in the so called third world countries. Greater solicitude should be shown towards combating global warming and climate change and environmentally threatening activities on a world scale.
Can poor third world countries suffering environmental depredation activities handle and manage disasters like Hurricane Katrina as America did in 2005? This is one of the question that should be paramount in the minds of third world countries. Scientists are yet to tell us with conciseness and clarity what are the causes of these "natural" disasters but we do believe that environmental havoc being perpetrated by man are capable of aggravating these hazards in a significant way. We cannot fathom how poor countries could have handled this disaster that nearly overwhelmed the big power and wealthy, sophisticated nation like the United States of America.
The enormity of the inexorable challenges confronting the global community in general and the so called third world countries in particular are legion ranging from the pathetic level of poverty, life- diminishing unemployment, and penurious state of infrastructural development to epileptic food production level, fast deteriorating educational standard and perennially problematic and parapleigic health systems. No responsible government can ignore the global concerns about climate change and other environmental related issues. The time for urgent and imperative action to address the issue of global warming and adverse climatic change is now.
It is imperative for developing countries in particulars to adopt urgent measures such as creating awareness on the climate change impacts and urgent institutionalisation of measures to tackle climate change and effective measures to address environmental depredations in their various communities. Every developmental project should have realistic and practical and effective environmental component not just cosmetic policy aspect that merely ends up in papers and documents to beautify projects in third world countries as mere cosmetic surplusage.
This is not about governments alone as it cuts across all sectors and strata of every conceivable activity in every corner of the known world. In the spirit of corporate social responsibility [CSR] Private businesses and operators should also be aware of the potential impact of climate change on their businesses and the environmental in which their business activities are being carried out or operated. There can be no doubt about the axiom or fact that climate change will affect every business directly or indirectly. On the personal level, individuals are not left behind as they should be aware of the changes that might take place and how it might affect their homes, jobs and health. A heightened degree of environmental education and awareness should be promoted as part and parcel of every nation’s objective and directive state principle.
It has been observed by contemporary writers on the environment that climate change presents both risks and opportunities. The opportunities, they argued include development of new products and services for the different adaptation scenarios, creation of jobs, becoming more energy efficient thereby saving costs and improving the environment. It was further suggested that by assessing the risks and opportunities of climate change we can also better understand how they link other government priorities and how they can be integrated to other challenges we are facing. Massive funding and scholarships should be given as incentive to those embarking upon study/research of the environment and environmental related courses like environmental health, environmental law, environmental sciences etc
There can be no gain saying the axiomatic fact that timely action and increased and enhanced commitment remain the only sure way for mankind to survive and weather the storm inherent in the escalating threat to humankind which climate change represents to all of us.
