The current global climate emergencies and heartwrenching plight of a vast number of people in different countries and particularly India clearly demonstrate how far humanity has strayed from the wise counsel of our sages and seers of the past.
A recent UN climate panel report and the Russian attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear plants do not offer much hope. Unless we think of more radical solutions, eco-shaming may not be enough to prevent us from facing a catastrophic future.
A common scientific theory opines that changing rainfall patterns as a result of climate breakdown is a key driver of drought, but the report also identifies the inefficient use of water resources and the degradation of land under intensive agriculture and poor farming practices as playing a major role.
The CO2 emissions, riding on the increasing demand for coal in electricity generation, will increase by almost 5 per cent in 2021 to 33 billion tonnes. Asia, more specifically China, is set to lead the demand for coal by more than 80 per cent, in 2021.
