I believed that climate change is real so I became a passive environmentalist, who supports the actions of active environmentalists, working in the field. On my last post about environment, I got a comment, which suggested me to change the background color of my blog page to black to save the energy of computer monitors (and hence reduce CO2 emissions). That was irritating. Grrrr… A black background would make my blog page unreadable. My blog readers are not stupid rock music fans, who recognize only black and red color. I couldn’t take that comment in the true spirit of blogging. And, I suddenly became indifferent and somewhat sarcastic to the issue of environmental damage due to human actions. Don’t call me egomaniac, its just that I love my blog page.
With this indifferent attitude, one day, while watching the TV, I came across a news report which said that Mumbai and Kolkatta would be drowned under water within few years due to climate change. Another day, I saw another news report, which said that very soon whole water on earth would be evaporated. If I would have seen these reports before that comment was posted on my blog, I would have appreciated the theories with fear in my mind. But on that day, I laughed out loud.
Those two news reports made me think that, is climate change a balloon which is being bloated by all the half knowledgeable people around us? I approached my favorite tool, Google, for an answer and started looking for some serious information. I got an article on an eminent scientist and climate change advocate, James Lovelock (Click here to go to the article). He says that "Our future is like that of the passengers on a small pleasure boat sailing quietly above the Niagara Falls, not knowing that the engines are about to fail." He claims that our carbon-di-oxide (CO2) emissions are responsible for the climate change. I was scared again as I couldn’t deny research done by somebody of that stature. But somehow I didn’t lose my sarcasm and kept on searching net. After all, the question was about my blog page.
As I delved deeper into the information about climate change, a huge fog started building around me. The reason was that there are many people who based on scientific data claim that climate change is real but not because of our CO2 emissions. (Click here to read few of those articles). They say that it is because of the very nature of sun that we are experiencing a climate change. In short, “It's the sun, stupid!", which was also the title of a recent article on climate change in Business World magazine.
Now, I am confused, I really find myself in a dense fog because of these two contradicting theories. Which one should I believe? This fog is going to stay until either of the theories about climate change die down. But, this will take time. Till then, my dear environmentalists please don’t bargain for a black background. But if I keep a white background, you would deem me a soulless person. So come on guys, let us settle down for a blue one! What do you say?
With this indifferent attitude, one day, while watching the TV, I came across a news report which said that Mumbai and Kolkatta would be drowned under water within few years due to climate change. Another day, I saw another news report, which said that very soon whole water on earth would be evaporated. If I would have seen these reports before that comment was posted on my blog, I would have appreciated the theories with fear in my mind. But on that day, I laughed out loud.
Those two news reports made me think that, is climate change a balloon which is being bloated by all the half knowledgeable people around us? I approached my favorite tool, Google, for an answer and started looking for some serious information. I got an article on an eminent scientist and climate change advocate, James Lovelock (Click here to go to the article). He says that "Our future is like that of the passengers on a small pleasure boat sailing quietly above the Niagara Falls, not knowing that the engines are about to fail." He claims that our carbon-di-oxide (CO2) emissions are responsible for the climate change. I was scared again as I couldn’t deny research done by somebody of that stature. But somehow I didn’t lose my sarcasm and kept on searching net. After all, the question was about my blog page.
As I delved deeper into the information about climate change, a huge fog started building around me. The reason was that there are many people who based on scientific data claim that climate change is real but not because of our CO2 emissions. (Click here to read few of those articles). They say that it is because of the very nature of sun that we are experiencing a climate change. In short, “It's the sun, stupid!", which was also the title of a recent article on climate change in Business World magazine.
Now, I am confused, I really find myself in a dense fog because of these two contradicting theories. Which one should I believe? This fog is going to stay until either of the theories about climate change die down. But, this will take time. Till then, my dear environmentalists please don’t bargain for a black background. But if I keep a white background, you would deem me a soulless person. So come on guys, let us settle down for a blue one! What do you say?
4 comments:
nice artical ,carry on..
Here are my "invited" comments:
a) What makes you think that your blog will become unreadable if you make the background black? It's an insult to all the years of computing on the black bash/csh shells.
b) I suggested changing the colour of your blog because *you* seemed concerned about the environment. It's good that my comment made you think (in)differently. On that note, environmentalist typically mention 200? was the hottest year in the last 30 (or blah) years- what made the temperature so high 30 years back?
c) Your TV shows told you that icebergs will melt and water will be evaporated, result- balance! :-)
d) What will/did you do when some people said you can make money even without studying (and sited Bill Gates) while others (family) said Education is the only hope you have for earning your bread? You played safe (I assume) and got your masters. So when in doubt, play safe, do your bit for reducing your carbon footprint (http://www.carbonfootprint.com/ )
Ok now I have started thinking whether I should keep commenting on your blog and encourage you/your readers till you change the background :-)
Thanks a lot for your comments. Comments add a lot of charm to blogging.
From a broader perspective, saving the environment would be at the cost of economic development. In future, if it is proved that human intervention wasn’t the reason of climate change, we would have lost many years of economic development because of a wrong theory. So from this point of view, “play safe” would mean that take a middle path i.e. use a blue background:-). I would say that your phrase, “play safe”, is the crux of my post.
As I mentioned in the post, now I am not indifferent to climate change but confused about it. Hence, I still do my bit to support the active environmentalists, working in the field, until the CO2 fog around me is cleared.
Yes Bhanawat, as I understand the scientists are not to blame for this confusion..Weather is a very complicated effect driven basically by sea surface winds which gets affected by
1) % volume of green-house gases like co-2 which is guides by human as well as natural activity
2) distance of earth from sun.. ( In this century earth will be furthest apart from Sun resulting into fall in temperature. There are prediction of ice-age if other factors dont come into picture.)
And many more which I dont know
This is resulting in change in wind directions which is causing heavy rainfalls in some part, dry mansoon in others, cold wave in in some parts and hot summer in others..
Anyway weather is very difficult to predict.. Someone told me that the weather model is build on not less than 1000 parameters :-)
Another twist to the ice melting on Antarctica: an active volcano found underneath the thick ice shit :-)
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