My sombre musings post World Environment Day

It was of course feared - but not hoped - that the US of A with visionless Donald Trump as its president would pull out of the Paris Climate Pact. He has. In one shocking, fell stroke he has turned the entire Pact on its head. What a gift to the choking, gasping world barely a few days  prior to the World Environment Day! What a slap on the face of the hard-at-work environmentalists the world over! What a setback to the global endeavour to curtail CO2 emissions and heal the wounds of our planet bleeding, wilting and dying from anthropogenic transgressions! By the country notorious for being the highest polluter of earth after China. The Great Barrier Reef, with the corals bleaching rapidly, is under threat. Antarctica’s huge iceberg is separating off from the main body under the singeing heat of global warming. Massive forest fires, devastating cyclones and hurricanes, storms and floods have become more rampant and destructive than ever before. Every summer is breaking the last summer’s record of rise in temperatures that increasing number of cities and countries are sizzling with. Quite naturally, all sane and sensible people are worried; for, at this rate the end of this blue planet is nearer than ever before.

Look at the geopolitical scene. Like some extra-terrestrial demon unleashed upon the earth from above, unconcerned about serious climate change and other existential threats we face, North Korea's Kim is going gaga over launching one missile after another. Doesn’t he look like a crazy, arrogant adolescent rather than a mature, responsible Head of State, treating the deadly nuclear weapons as if they were mere toys? And who in the big, wide world is this rogue country’s trusted long-time friend? None else but our big neighbour China!

China, drunk with power and arrogance of success, is in mad hurry to establish its hegemony over the world and is muscling its way by investing billions in nuclear missiles, submarines, warships and what not. In its bid to gain control over the South China Sea it is intimidating smaller countries:  keep shut, fall in line or else…is the message. With its formidable military might, it is even not unafraid to gnash its teeth and take on the USA. 

 Nearer home, this same country is posing the gravest threat to India also with its unholy and sinister alliance with Pakistan, another rogue country like North Korea. It is America and China that have armed Pakistan to its teeth against India. China has provided it nuclear knowhow, the submarines and missiles brazenly flouting all International codes and norms. Cunningly, it has taken over chunks of land from Pak on the Indo-Pak borders to gain a strategic advantage for a two-pronged war against India should the occasion arise. Ignoring India’s protests it has built its OBOR through POK. It might establish an army base in Pakistan, says Penatgon.

Terrorism is now a global phenomenon. Even Europe, considered relatively safe and less vulnerable earlier, has become its favoured target.

Syria burns. Afghanistan explodes. Iraq, once a cradle of one of the oldest civilizations, is now a sad, dismal war-ravaged wasteland- thanks to Bush and Blair. West Asia is turbulent. Blisters of conflict, mutual hostilities and violence are erupting in the Arab world. In Yemen, even in this 21st century, 100,000 people are stricken with cholera; thousands have already died.

Where are the leaders of vision, optimism, inspiration, catholicity, love, compassion and understanding to guide the destinies of nations and make this globe pulsating with such a wonderful diversity of life a paradise of peace and happiness for all?

Whither are we headed? Perhaps the question now is not WHETHER Mother Earth will survive this multi-pronged onslaught. The question is WHEN and how long before it turns into the lifeless expanse akin to the crater-ridden moonscape where Homo sapiens once walked.

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Some alarming Climate change facts

* Global warming will rise 2 degrees Celsius  above preindustrial levels by 2036.

* Water, food, health, energy, agriculture, economy will be most adversely affected by this change.

* Climate change will displace 250 million people by 2050:UNHCR

* Global flooding could triple by 2030 

* Earth could warm by 6 degrees this century

* Two thirds of Polar bears could be gone by 2050 and completely vanish by 2100

* Coral bleaching has spread over 900 miles  of  the Great Barrier Reef

* Typhoons and hurricanes are getting stronger because of climate change

* There has been terrible flooding in the UK, Myanmar, Spain,         Argentina,Indonesia, Egypt and other countries.

* Simultaneous flooding and heat waves occured in Australia

* Crazy hot weather conditions prevailed in India and the Middle East

* Incredible heat wave in the Arctic has led to lowest ever wintertime ice ever recorded there.

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Quotes of the week

Protecting environment (is) an article of faith for us: PM  Modi (ToI)

Let's judge Priyanka (Chopra) for her actions not clothes: Sunny Leone (DH)

Hope they will kill us, not rape: Former IS sex slave after her return to Iraq village (HT)

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Random headlines

Ancient lake on Mars harboured diverse microbial life:study (DH)

Massive Antarctica iceberg at brink of breaking off (DH)

Trump describes US as cleanest nation: facts muddy the claim (DH)

Playing guitar may protect brain health: study (DH)

Malaria infection may cause brain loss too: study (DH)

New 'promising' ovarian cancer treatment developed (DH)

Washing hands in cold water as good as hot: study (DH)

New AI system can predict your life span: study (The Hindu)

Gun of UP minister's guard gets stuck in Rs 5 crore MRI unit, ruins it (ToI)

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