There are always two opposites in the world of nature. They always counter each other. For example, antigens cause diseases, while antibodies restrict them from doing so. If carbon emissions are antigens, then agriculture plays the role of antibodies for the earth. The industrial revolution generally, and the discovery of fossil fuels specially, have poured carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmisphere. Annually, almost 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide are being spewed into the blanket of air around the earth. The amount of carbon dioxide has reached 0.04% from 0.03%, and it is constantly hiking the graph of carbon emissions. Developed nations and capitalists are blamed for the rise of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Some developing nations like India and China are also adding their numbers to the list.
The role of voters is extremely important. They must pressurize their candidates to take initiatives that may promote the green revolution. Cities are being extended and green areas are being replaced by infrastructures which will do nothing but add carbon to the atmosphere. Therefore, policies of extension must be abolished as soon as possible.
Carbon emission has already crossed its yellow line, and if swift and early measures are not adopted, is about to reach its red line. A two-pronged policy is required for recovery. One is to halt carbon emissions as much as possible and the other is to enhance carbon absorbers’ strength. Since the industrial revolution, the menace of carbon emission has compelled the world’s think tanks to gather on a platform and find a way out so that this piece of the universe may help its habitants to live a healthy existence.
The UNO arranged the Rio Conference in 1992, famously known as the “Earth Summit” to give it a practical shape. The primary purpose of the conference was to raise awareness in the minds of people that things would be out of control if a collective effort would not be made to overcome this disaster. Carbon emissions have helped temperature rise in the stratosphere. Owing to the rise in temperature, irregular rains are being invited by nature. Besides the rains, glaciers are losing their bonds due to intense temperature rises. Subsequently, floods are the uninvited guests.
A country like Pakistan, which has the world’s second largest glaciers, cannot afford such calamities. Pakistan have twice seen the floods in the running century, resulting in billions of dollars lost. According to an estimation, recent floods in Pakistan cost it $33 billion. Moreover, it engendered inflation, food scarcity, and many water-borne diseases. So much has been discussed about the negative results of carbon emissions. Let’s discuss the possible ways out. There are three:
- Farewell to industrialization, especially fossil fuels, and replace it with environment friendly techniques, which seems practical but time taking. Considering the current status of lifestyle, it seems impractical too.
- Installing artificial carbon absorbents like Direct Air Capture (DAC). But such installations are not just costly but insufficient too because the world’s largest DAC can absorb 4000 tons of carbon, whereas there are 40 billion tons of emissions.
- The most methodical and economy-friendly way out is augmenting the number of trees which will naturally capture and restore carbon and help in making biodiversityflourish.
Humans have perturbed nature for their personal gains and nature-based solutions appear efficient. Plants and other plant-like species function as carbon absorbents. They not only absorb carbon but also improve the quality of air which makes it healthy for humans. With the assistance of digital mapping, it was brought to the light that almost 700,000 acres of forest land has been encroached by mafias and the illegal practices of the timber mafia was adding insult to injury. If the encroached land is turned into forests the percentage of forest land in Pakistan can be improved from five to seven or eight percent
If industry cannot be given up, then green revolution is the only option we have left for the survival of humans on the planet
“Blue carbon” is a novel idea. Plants like mangroves and seagrass have the capability to absorb four times more carbon than others. Luckily, Pakistan is one country with a handsome amount of such trees. They grow in water and also act as a barrier between water cyclones and land. It was planned that one billion mangroves will be grown under the 10 Billion-Tree Tsunami program. It seems like an initiative must be initiated in which species of best carbon-capturing trees are planted in every city by fixing small patches of land containing an acre or more depending upon the population, size and emission level in every city. They will act as tiny forests that will perform as natural air filters. Only the “Green Revolution” can moderate the impacts of “industrial revolution”. It can also promote the tourism industry in Pakistan and it can also provide a habitat to a number of organisms.
The role of voters is extremely important. They must pressurize their candidates to take initiatives that may promote the green revolution. Cities are being extended and green areas are being replaced by infrastructures which will do nothing but add carbon to the atmosphere. Therefore, policies of extension must be abolished as soon as possible.
The following couplet of Parveen Shakir is apposite:
Kal raat jo indhan keh lye katt keh gira hai,
Chirion ko bohat pyar tha us boorhay shajar sy.
“The tree, cut for the sake of fire, last night,
Sparrows had great love for that old tree.”
Dr. Sumeera Asghar Roy earned her Ph.D. from the National key laboratory of Fruit Sciences, at the China Agricultural University, at the College of Horticulture Biotechnology, Beijing. Currently, she is working as a Post-Doc researcher at Guizhou University and Huazhong Agricultural University (mutual collaboration).
Rehan Saeed is a PhD candidate at the College of information science and Technology of the University of Science and Technology (USTC), Hefei, China.
Shahzad Asghar is working in Punjab education sector.
