The Great Balance (Blog series A: Basics of Climate Change | Part 1)
Embarking on a transformative journey, I had the incredible opportunity to explore various countries, courtesy of the prestigious grant bestowed upon me by the Royal Academy of Engineering. This grant has not only broadened my horizons but has also instilled a genuine passion to contribute towards a brighter, more sustainable future for our planet. As I immersed myself in workshops, conventions, and diverse training experiences across borders, a profound realisation dawned upon me. It unveiled a relentless struggle between humanity and nature—an incessant take-andtake from our end while nature unfailingly gives. The imbalance resulting from our perpetual consumption without reciprocity has tipped the scales of nature. It’s evident that our pursuit of sustenance, often at the expense of the environment, has put us on a collision course with the delicate equilibrium of our planet.
This realisation sparked a clear mission: to restore this equilibrium, to replenish what we’ve relentlessly taken from nature. Our economic endeavours, historically rooted in extraction, need a paradigm shift. It’s imperative to move from a self-serving approach to one that embraces sustainability and circular practices.
But what does this all mean to you?
The implications are dire; we’re teetering on the brink of transitioning from Climate Change to a full-blown Climate Crisis. Crossing this threshold signifies irreversible disruptions to our lives, altering the very fabric of our existence.
In this blog series, we’ll explore the ‘what’ and touch upon the ‘how.’ From deciphering the intricacies of Climate Change and the significance of carbon to understanding its personal implications and the urgency encapsulated in the ‘Climate Clock.’
Climate Change: Within the past two centuries, industrialisation, unprecedented population and economic growth, urbanisation, deforestation, and pollution have wrought extraordinary changes on the land, oceans, and atmosphere of our planet. The principal driver of current climate change is the increased emission of greenhouse effect within the atmosphere.
The Greenhouse Effect is caused when energy from the Sun travels through our atmosphere and is absorbed by the Earth, before being emitted outwards as thermal energy. This energy interacts with greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which reflect some of the energy back towards Earth, heating the planet. One of the greenhouse gases is Carbon Dioxide (100 years in the atmosphere), which is the most damaging. While other cases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, are more potent. There is an abundance of water vapour found in the atmosphere.
(photo credit:https://ugc.berkeley.edu/background-content/greenhouse-effect
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In the later part of the blog, we’ll delve deeper into global and personal solutions along with other technical aspects of Climate Change such as El Nino occurrences, human history: how it all began and several important aspects to cover. However, before we plunge into the abyss of our own making, a fundamental shift beckons-we need a shift in mindset. It’s time for humanity to evolve from a selfish race to one that’s mindful, considerate, and prioritises sustainability in action, not just in theory or paper.
The journey begins now!
Your first stride toward healing and restoring this grand balance involves keeping a gratitude journal. Dedicate a line or paragraph every day, acknowledging and thanking Mother Earth for its boundless generosity. The first radical change you make for this Earth begins with reading this blog, and the second is starting your personal gratitude journal.
Let’s pave the way for future healing and restoring our Earth together – Amod Karmacharya.
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