Global warming woes

With mercury hitting the ceiling in Guwahati and elsewhere, it is no secret that global warming is the impending disaster for humankind after the submicroscopic strain of virus that has wreaked havoc across the globe. Zooming in on Assam, in particular, the cities of Guwahati, Tezpur and Dibrugarh have variably featured among the top ten hottest cities of India in the last few days of August 2020, according to Skymet Weather Services. Worrying news regarding the bane of global warming has come all the way from the scenic town of Courmayeur in Italy. The residents of this town in the Alpine valley, which is a popular ski resort and tourist destination, have been evacuated as the Planpincieux glacier that is located above the valley, is melting at an alarming rate. The hanging glacier that lies on the Mont Blanc Massif in the Italian Alps has become extremely fragile owing to heat waves in the region. This is just a cog in the wheel of global warming. A recent research at Leeds University showed that tropical rainforests are intaking less carbon dioxide from the air and accordingly, increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In such context, the vocal outpouring of public's emotions regarding deforestation and illegal coal mining in Dehing Patkai and the sharp criticism against the draft EIA 2020 notification seem extremely imperative and appear to be steps taken in the right direction by the common citizens.

Mandeep Sarma,

Guwahati.