The gong has long been sounded. And it is as loud as it is clear. Planet earth is very fragile right now. It is heating up. An environmental disaster of unfathomable proportions is brewing. Humans are wantonly releasing carbon-dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This is mostly by burning coal, oil and natural gas; collectively known as fossil fuels. Most of the heat that bounces off the earth’s surface is trapped by these gases, allowing only a little to escape into space. Subsequently, the earth’s temperature is rising.
Alarmed, environmental scientists have warned that if the average earth temperature goes up beyond 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the consequences on humanity will be hard to bear. People will die. They will be ravaged by frequent floods, prolonged droughts, unexpected heatwaves and raging fires. It will be pure chaos on a global scale.

And these effects have already begun. Togaru is a coastal village in Fiji. Half the landmass has been submerged by the sea. Barney Dunn, a local native, points out to a flooded graveyard. Only the tallest of tombstones are visible, but only just. He laments, ‘…It’s all underwater now…due to this rising sea levels and climate change. We have been asked by the government to relocate, but no one wants to relocate because we’ve got our great, great grandparents down there in the sea. This is the place we have been brought up in, and it is not easy to leave.

This is the fate that awaits millions and millions of people who live by the seas and oceans. Another lot will be affected by drought and heatwaves. Over 50% of earth’s species are at risk of being wiped out. Unless the whole world moves quickly to combat climate change, the end is nigh is a plausible notion for many. And this is backed by hard science. It is not a sensational apocalyptic or doomsday prophecy.

It is no wonder that Elon Musk  and his crew of daring scientists are frantically rushing to make planet Mars habitable for humans. So that at least a few people can survive what seems to be an imminently catastrophic earth. Better to err on the side of caution. ‘We’re trying to build a massive fleet to make Mars habitable, to make life multi-planetary…it means that we need to have a self-sustaining city on Mars. I think we need, probably, on the order of 1,000 ships,’ Musk says. ‘I’ll probably be long dead before Mars becomes self-sustaining, but I’d like to at least be around to see a bunch of ships land on Mars.’

The high concern about the environment’s existential threat to humanity is completely valid, and is backed by history. In his documentary – A Life on Our Planet – David Attenborough explains, ‘A mass extinction has happened five times in life’s four-billion-year history. The last time it happened was the event that brought the end of the age of the dinosaurs. A meteorite impact triggered a catastrophic change in the earth’s conditions. 75% of all species were wiped out.’

Those human settlements on earth that have been marginalized and categorized as ‘poverty stricken’ will bear the brunt of climate change. Unlike the rich countries, they lack the financial resources to install the necessary infrastructure to shield their populations against the wrath of mother nature. The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the expected state of play should things come to a head. Regarding the vaccines’ distribution exercise, Dr. Githinji Gitahi  lamented, ‘High income states booked over 50% doses for 14% of world’s population and occupy front of the manufacturing queue while the rest of the 86% suffer.’

Africa contributes a negligible 2-3% of total carbon emissions. But in the face of the environmental crisis, this argument makes for a moot point. The effects of global warming do not respect geo-political boundaries. These man-made demarcations really seem fickle in the face of a global environmental meltdown, which is the bigger scheme of things. It is therefore all hands and boots on deck in a quest to save the distressed Mother Earth, regardless of location, affiliations, past or anticipated injustices.

It is worthy of mention that the root cause of climate change is the collective human species and its quest for advancement and progress. Progress is spurred on by activity. The level of activity, which includes hi-tech mechanization, surges with the rapid rise of the world’s population. Everyone is trying to earn a living and fend for their loved ones, whichever way they know best. Activity in turn generates lots and lots of trash, which has to be disposed off somewhere, somehow. All this waste – including the once precious plastic – ends up in oceans and landfills. The once thriving marine ecosystems struggle to survive in dirty oceans. In addition to leachate, landfills produce greenhouse gas emissions, the earth’s dreaded kryptonite. But for the vast majority, life goes on…in complete oblivion.