Global Climate Changes - How Can Man Avoid Extinction?

The current global climatic changes are a source of serious worry to mankind. Life on earth is becoming increasingly threatened with extinction as a result of damaging changes in the earth's climate. Many have not come to the realization that it is possible for man to go extinct. But there are evidences in the past and even today that extinction is not a myth.

Paleogeological discoveries show that certain flora and fauna species have gone extinct in the past. Conspicuous among them are the dinosaurs. The dinosaur extinction theories have it that it was caused by abrupt, harsh and sustain climatic changes to which this animal species could not adapt to.

Today, our climate is noticing very serious changes. Changes that are inimical to the continuous existence of man. Melting of the polar ice, heavily polluted atmosphere and water bodies, serious depletion of forests resources, and therefore alteration of the carbon oxide:oxygen balance, changes in rainfall pattern with some areas getting too much and others getting almost none. These are caused mainly by human activities - aggressive industrialization, urbanization, intensive agriculture, poor waste management techniques and other environmental-unfriendly practices.

At present, people in some major cities of the world do not have the privilege of a clean air or water. People wear gas masks during the day in heavily industrialized cities. China is an example. With time if not watched, we might not have any air to breathe.

To Avoid Extinction

We therefore need to have a rethink. We need to slow down and watch our steps in everything we do - our policies, development plans, energy utilization, daily living and waste generation pattern and disposal methods.

To avoid extinction man must begin to place the environment first in everything he does. Proper environment impact assessment must be carried out before any project is executed. Also, concerted effort must be made by government and industrialists to cut down on the emission of polluting gases to tolerable levels. Internationally agreed standards for emissions and waste discharges from industries must be kept to.

Government should formulate policies that would encourage green living and environment conservation and preservation. Industries whose activities pollute the environment should be made to pay adequately for its clean up and restoration through a functional Polluter-Pay-Policy.

People should adopt climate -friendly lifestyle. For instance, aerosol-based air freshener and insecticides should be avoided. Garbage and rubbishes should not be burnt in the open but rather should be property incinerated if at all it should be.

Adopting a green living ideology is the way cut, it would cut-down most drastically the impact of human activities on our climatic and so ensure the continuous existence of man, Let us act today to secure our climate. A threaten climate means a threaten population.

Fortune Ihunweze is a professional Environmental Resources Manager with a passion for the environment. His passion for the environment made him study Environmental Resource Management in his Masters program and since he finished in 2003, he has been committed to the course of a healthy and better environment. His views and articles on the environment are shared in his website: http://www.environmenthighlight.com The website is part of his effort to help mankind recover our damaged, degraded and threatened environment.