ER.MOHAMMAD ASHRAF FAZILI
Coevolution of climate and life:
The climate system of the earth consists of many interacting subsystems: the atmosphere, the oceans, the cryosphere (ice and snow), the biosphere (biota and their environment plus humans and their activities), the bottoms of oceans, and some of the solid material below land and oceans. The interacting components of these subsystems are called the internal climate system, whereas those forces that drive the climate system, but are not an internal part of that system, are known as external forcing or boundary conditions.
Environmental Conservation:
The conservation of nature is fundamental to human existence and is the concern of all people everywhere. It is not to be accomplished by the setting aside of specially protected natural areas but must be always practiced in all places. All areas must be protected areas to some degree, since even the most heavily urbanized areas provide suitable living spaces for many wild species.
With the increasing use of fossil fuels and the spread of industrial technology, the use of energy in the industrial world increased steadily, from the original 15,000 kilo calories per person per day to about 2,50,000 kilocalories in the USA in the middle 1970s. By that time most of the energy was derived from the petroleum, but during the 1960s and 1970s a growing percentage was derived from a non-solar source, nuclear power.
It is worth pondering to consider the question of basic energy needs as distinct from mere wants or “greed.” Every person must have food and means of keeping warm or cool through clothing or shelter, as well as the ability to transform unpalatable to palatable food through cooking. These are basic needs, everywhere and were recommended easily within the 15,000 kilocalorie per day limit. They are still the basic needs for those living close to the earth and deriving their livelihood from the land. In industrial societies, however, organized the way they are today, basic needs cannot be so simply defined. The separation of home, work place, food supplies, and the sources of other essentials is so great in most urban communities that the possibility of traveling from one to the other by foot is ruled out.Even bicycles are not really useful if one lives at a great distance. Adequate transportation, with all of the energy used associated with it , becomes as basic as food itself, since it is the means for obtaining food.
Global Warming:
The earth has not been 1 to 2 degrees C warmer than now during the 10,000-year era of human civilization. The previous ice age. In which mile high ice sheets stretched from New York to Chicago to the Arctic was “only” 5 degrees C colder than the current 10,000-year-old interglacial epoch we now enjoy.
Humans have altered the natural green-house effect by adding 25% more CO2. 100% more CH4 and a host of other greenhouse gases such as N2O and CFC since the Industrial Revolution.
Most forest species “migrate” at rates of at most 1km/y and would not be able “to keep up” with temperature changes at a rate of several degrees centigrade per century without human intervention to transplant them (i.e., ecological engineering)
Climate Change:
Climate change is a pressing global issue with far-reaching consequences. Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening:
Causes of Climate Change:
Greenhouse gas emissions: Human activities like burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and agriculture release carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases, trapping heat in the atmosphere.
Industrial Revolution impact: Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have significantly increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels by 50% ¹.
Effects of Climate Change
Rising global temperatures: The global mean near-surface temperature in 2024 was 1.55°C above the 1850-1900 average.
Extreme weather events: Intense storms, droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires are becoming more frequent.
Sea-level rise: Melting glaciers and ice sheets contribute to sea-level rise, threatening coastal communities.
Water scarcity and food insecurity: Changes in precipitation patterns and increased evaporation due to warmer temperatures affect water availability and crop yields.
Impacts on Ecosystems and Human Health
Biodiversity loss: Climate change forces species to adapt, migrate, or face extinction.
Human health risks: Warmer temperatures increase the spread of diseases, heat stress, and other health issues.
Food and water insecurity: Climate-related disasters and changing weather patterns impact food production and access to clean water ¹ ².
What Can Be Done:
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions: Transition to renewable energy sources, increase energy efficiency, and adopt sustainable land use practices.
Adaptation and resilience: Implement measures to protect communities from climate-related disasters and promote sustainable development.
Global cooperation: Encourage international cooperation to address the global nature of climate change.
Overview:
Climate change may be due to natural internal processes or external forcings such as modulations of the solar cycles, volcanic eruptions and persistent human-induced changes in the composition of the atmosphere, ocean or in land use.
“Anthropogenic” or “human-induced climate change” results from human activities which are already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. These can include:
Burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, land use and land use changes, livestock management, fertilisation, waste management, and industrial processes.
According to IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report, human activities, principally through emissions of greenhouse gases, have unequivocally caused global warming. The 10-year average global surface temperature for 2011-2020 is estimated to be 1.1 °C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial baseline (IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report).
Human-induced climate change has led to widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere, affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe and causing widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people.
Global greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase, with unequal historical and ongoing contributions arising from unsustainable energy use, land use and land-use change, lifestyles and patterns of consumption and production across regions, between and within countries, and among individuals. Only with deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can we limit the temperature increases and avoid the worst impacts of climate change. (Source: IPCC Synthesis Report).
Impact:Widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere have occurred.
Human-caused climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. This has led to widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people (IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report SPM). For example, the changing state of our glaciers has caused significant sea level rise.
Risks and projected adverse impacts and related losses and damages from climate change escalate with every increment of global warming. Climatic and non-climatic risks will increasingly interact, creating compound and cascading risks that are more complex and difficult to manage. For example, increased air pollution from burning fossil fuels can worsen the impact of natural disasters like heat waves and droughts on human health.
Constraining global warming to 1.5°C, rather than to 2°C and higher, is projected to have many benefits for terrestrial and wetland ecosystems and for the preservation of their services to humans.
WMO’s response:
WMO and the United Nations Environment Programme jointly set up the Inter-governmental (IPCC) in 1988 to provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies. IPCC reports are also a key input into international climate change negotiations. The IPCC is a body made up of governments that are members of the United Nations or WMO.
WMO also works in partnership and collaboration with Members and organizations worldwide to coordinate studies of the climate, its variations and extremes and impact on human activities, as well as coordinating development and use of climate services as an essential component of climate action.
Together, we work to understand the influence of climate change on human health, safety, and welfare, so that countries and communities around the world can make evidence-based decisions to mitigate and adapt to its impacts.
J&K Scenario:
We have witnessed last centuries worst flood in September 2014, a hotter summer in J&K last year with a dry spell having lesser precipitation affecting our crops and the generation of hydropower, Even River Jhelum our lifeline had almost dried up in this winter and some earlier winters. Besides, our glaciers are depleting at a faster rate than before which has been a matter of concern as debated in many seminars on the last World Water Day.
Climate Change Station launched:
Here is good news that India’s first climate change station has been inaugurated at J&K in Udhampur district yesterday the 8th of April 2025. The Central University of Jammu’s Himalayan High Altitude Atmosphere and Climate Research Station aims to study atmospheric and climate phenomena in the Himalayan region. It is reported that “This initiative is bound to enhance our understanding of climate change and its impacts on the environment.”
Er. Mohammad Ashraf Fazili is a Former Chief Engineer.
