Lately, Earth wasn’t feeling well. She would suddenly, out of nowhere, feel so tired and exhausted that she would end up coughing all day and night. She could not breathe properly and was running a high fever.

Sometimes, she felt so sleepy that she would fall asleep amid rotation, and the sun’s rays would scorch her. She also felt nauseous — the putrid smell of the gases on the surface gave her headaches. Then, finally, when she felt like she was getting better, it would start again. Sometimes her fever rose so high that it would cause the forests to catch fire.

She was worried about her deteriorating health. She didn’t know what to do. Anxious, she decided to visit the intragalactic hospital near the asteroid belt. Registering at the front desk, she waited patiently for her turn. She got an appointment with Dr Mars.

Dr Mars was the best planetarium doctor in the whole Milky Way, so Earth wasn’t worried. She was glad that she would be all better now. Finally, after a few hours, it was her turn.

When she went into the room, she saw Dr Mars was red from top to bottom. He had a few crevices on the surface that added character to his personality. He was hilarious and funky too. He tried to calm down Earth by telling the tales about Pluto, the wandering dwarf planet. Pluto was an enigma for the Milky Way, and all the planets loved gossiping about it.

After calming down Earth, Dr Mrs asked few questions and did some tests on her. He then looked at her grimly, “You’ve been feeling abnormally exhausted!”

“Yes, doctor. I get so exhausted that I’m afraid I’ll explode someday!”

“Hmm... I’m afraid, Earth, that you’re suffering from Global Warming,” the doctor explained her cause of illness.

“Global Warming?” Earth seemed to be unaware of the disease.

“Aye, dear. It’s a condition that develops when the atmosphere of a planet stops the sunlight from going back to the sun,” then, turning on his computer, Dr Mars showed Earth a greenhouse filled with plants.

“Doctor, what does a greenhouse got to do with my condition?” asked Earth.

“You see, your condition is similar to the greenhouse effect that helps plants grow. When the heat from the sun comes into the greenhouse, the glass stops it from going back out. This makes the inside warm and helps plants grow.”

“Then, Dr Mars, since it helps plants grow, so it’s not a bad thing?” Earth looked surprised.

“Alas, dear, in your case, it is!”

“Why?”

“Too much of a good thing can be harmful. Unfortunately, that’s the case with you. Dear planet, the gases in your atmosphere stop the sunlight that should go back into space. Your surface also releases heat in response to the heat that our sun gives. This heat, too, needs to go out in space. But it doesn’t. It stays in the atmosphere and, as a result, your temperature shoots up.”

Signing the prescription, Dr Mars looked sadly at Earth.

“The cars on your surface give off too much carbon dioxide, the main gas that stops heat from going out. If this keeps up, all the water on you will dry up one day, and you’ll become a barren wasteland without any greenery.”

“Doctor, what should I do?” asked Earth who looked very nervous.

“The only thing you can do is plant more trees to counter the CO2 and discourage the use of cars and factories that use fossil fuel. They release most of the harmful gases. Your humans need to live more organically and make use of more renewable energy.”

Handing the Earth her prescription, Dr Mars sent her off.

“Good luck, dear planet. I wish you the very best!”

Earth came out from the hospital dejected for she knew there was no hope, the humans will never understand it and her suffering will only increase with time as Global Warming gets worst. She has to suffer for as long as she is alive.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 13th, 2021