Let's save the only planet we have.

It feels weird to think that the coming generation may not see the plants and animals that we see on our planet today. More than 500 species of plants and animals have become extinct in the last decade. The rate of depletion of our natural resources is very high than what our planet can sustain. Mankind is dangling close to extinction.

It's real, the climate change. There is a documentary, 'An Inconvenient Truth' released in 2006, which talks about how humans have messed up the planet. It somewhat awakened the world about the consequences of global warming. This also made an impact on the greater part of the population and initiated global debates. However, people were still skeptical of the warnings. Some of us did not believe that our planet could ever be running out of resources. Most people thought that these discussions would take place among scientists and various environmentalists, and, that impact of the climate change would never be felt by us. And if it were to be felt by us, it would take a couple of centuries at-least.

In almost 14 years, the predictions have become real and are alarming. It's almost like the effects of climate change are at our doorsteps. Cyclones such as Thane, Vardah, Bulbul, Ockhi have affected India in recent times. Chennai saw terrible floods in 2015. Floods are regular in Assam, Himachal Pradesh, and Bihar. Mumbai is receiving record monsoon rain. Cyclones like Fani devastated Odisha. Kerala witnessed floods for the second consecutive year. All of these are because of the climate change. Other continents are also getting affected. Europe saw the highest temperatures ever recorded since the records have been kept. Paris recorded the highest temperature of 42.6°C in July of 2019.

What can be made out of this is that humanity is paying the price for using fossil fuels indiscriminately. It's a fact that the increase in global temperature started with the industrial revolution. It is predicted by experts that if the global temperature keeps increasing further in the next 30-40 years, it will have catastrophic consequences.

Industries, automobile vehicles, burning of fossil fuels, thermal power plants are emitting large scale of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, and methane. The increase in these gases are trapping the sun's heat and increasing the earth's temperature.

The effect of global warming can also be seen in agriculture - production of rice, wheat, maize, and soya will decrease. Climate change will also give birth to newer infections and illnesses. Imbalance of these will, in turn, lead to conflicts and global unrest. It is already melting the polar ice caps. If this continues, sea levels will rise and submerge coastal cities; which experts have already predicted. Even many major cities in India are part of the list of places which will get submerged in the near future. This will make millions of people climate refugees.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations that is dedicated to providing the world with an objective, scientific view of climate change, its natural, political, and economic impacts and risks, and possible response options. In one of their report, they stated that averting a climate crisis will require a reinvention of the global economy. By 2040, there could be global food shortages and a huge refugee crisis.

Steps that can be taken. United Nations and other climate experts have called for the declaration of a global climate emergency. Many countries like the U.K., Canada, and France have already declared climate emergencies. Many local bodies and NGOs around the world have also declared the same and started taking action. Recently, 11,000 scientists from across the world came together to declare a global climate emergency. Unfortunately, India and the U.S. are still lagging and are slow to act. The stage of countries debating and pointing fingers at each other is long gone. Global warming will affect individuals in every country. It is everyone's duty to take the necessary steps to stop the climate crisis. The Indian government should also declare a climate emergency immediately. It is being suggested that immediate policy changes should include reducing the usage of fossil fuels by half by 2030. This can be done by encouraging greater usage of public transport, increasing forest area, having good water management, implementing plastic ban stringently, banning the burning of waste. Let us all come together and save the only planet we have.