SCIENTISTS and all those who matter — those hundreds of thousands across the whole world — have been going crazy for years now, to stop the rot: for the industry of the world to lower carbon emissions, asking for the reduced discharge of carbon fluorocarbons (CFCs), into the atmosphere. CFCs are gases which are extensively employed in aerosols, refrigerators, perfumes and the like.

So many are crying hoarse for people to stop degrading the Mother Planet, but, do we pay heed? Shall we ever change for the better? It is definitely an affliction for our children, and theirs too if we do not restrain or check ourselves in the indiscriminate use of CFCs.

CFCs, or their compounds, are employed worldwide and with impunity and freedom from any moral or ethical constraints, against which voices are being raised only now. Although the fear and apprehensions against their extensive usage, and the consequent damage to environs, particularly the benevolent ozone layer, is in ample evidence, one greater, and rather immediate, nemesis awaits us.

Ninety-two per cent of the world’s ice is locked at the poles — those wonderful blessing of Mother Nature that does incredible good to us in controlling our weather patterns, besides being home to world’s Polar bears, walruses, caribou, Arctic wolves, penguins, whales and sharks who use the cold Arctic waters to breed and millions of other animals, birds, worms and flora of numerous kinds (no snakes, though!).

How many of us truly realise that these groups of flora and fauna will just take a 100 years or a little more to be almost completely wiped off the face of the Earth? Those that will survive will find it impossible to go through evolutionary changes over such a small period of time, over bare rocks and loose earth. These and more of them will rest into the text books alone, not in real. But ramifications of the change brought about by CFC elements is of far greater consequence.

Let us consider how:

Melting of the Polar ice will release trillions of tonnes of water into our oceans, whose levels will rise appreciably. All the rest of the ice presently in the hills and the valleys, will fill our rivers which will break their banks all over the place inundating millions of villages and islands all over the world. Tens of thousands of islands will disappear under deep water, together with much of their population and livestock, never to emerge again.

If that is not enough, the radically increased amount of water will give rise to a thick pall of clouds that will be present in our skies at all times, blocking much of the sunlight. This will lead to more rains, far more than our planet can sustain. There will be water everywhere. Numerous cities, harbours, and the much needed forests will disappear. So will countless bridges. The world, so manfully built by thousands of years of handiwork of man and Nature will come to a naught. Mauled by water.

Where will all the people go in the face of such devastation?

Those who survive the catastrophe will not receive as compensation chunks of the Polar land that will be released by molten ice. No fears! The developed nations will decide up the million upon millions of square kilometers of land thus released amongst themselves with the drop of a hat, reducing the dispossessed ones to slavery or something worse.

Karachi, and the vast coastal areas of the country as well as India will be irreversibly affected. Exactly to what extent, that you can imagine yourself.

Shall we turn the Green/Blue/Turquoise planet into one full of water? The same water that gave us life of a myriad kind over a billion painstaking years? Can we think, and act beyond that? Can you prove a poor astronomer/environmentalist wrong? I’d give my life to be proved wrong. For you, my dear, loving children, children of the world.

Green tips

THINGS you can do to stop global warming and pollution

Change a light: Use an energy saver or LED light instead of the regular bulb. You will save energy and money on your electric bill.

Turn off electronic devices: Turn off all the electronic devices such as TV, DVD player, microwave oven, computers, chargers, etc. when not in use. You will be saving electricity, which is produced by expensive bio-fuel that is part of Earth’s resources. So you will be saving Nature’s resources as well as your money this way. Don’t leave things on sleep mode.

Drive less: Walk, bike and use public transportation. Use the school van instead of your car to commute to school or even car pool with friends who live nearby.

Use less water: Use less water for everyday routine tasks such as showering, washing up and brushing your teeth. Most of us are guilty of letting the water run while we soap ourselves when showering or washing hands. It takes very little effort to turn off the tap while doing so but it saves a lot of water. The water should also be turned off when we are brushing our teeth or an adult is shaving. Also tell your mum and the maid to run off the water when they sponging the dishes and turn it to medium while rinsing.

Suggest to your parents to install low flow taps and shower heads so that less water is wasted. Do you realise water is in acute shortage in many places around the world?

Save paper: Write on both sides of the paper. For rough work, use old notebooks which have some blank sheets. Remove the blank sheets from old notebooks before discarding them and staple the sheets together to make a rough pad. Many businesses today are turning to a paper-free environment by using electronic means of data storage and communication. Paper comes from trees, by saving paper, you are saving trees. Recycle paper, notebooks and newspaper.

Not littering: Keep the Earth clean as you keep your room and homes clean.

Avoid plastic bag: Use paper or cloth bags instead of plastic bags. You can ask your parents to take the cloth or paper bags you already have at home when going out shopping; return the plastic bag the shopkeeper gives you and keep your shopping in the bag you are carrying.

Plant a tree: Last, but the most important — plant trees. If you live in a small house or an apartment, have potted plants so that they absorb the carbon dioxide in the air to give you clean air to breathe. — A.A.