Global warming, means increase in the average temperature of atmosphere, oceans and land masses of earth. The planet earth has warmed and cooled many times during the 4.5 billion years of its history. At present earth appears to be facing a rapid warming which most scientists believe results at least in part from human activities. The chief cause of this global warming is considered to be burning of fossil fuels as coal, oil, natural gas, which released carbon dioxide and many other substances known as a green house games. As the atmosphere become richer in these gases, it becomes a better insulator, retaining more of the heat provided to the plant from sun.
The average surface temperature of earth is about 15 Centigrade (59 F) and over the last century, this average has risen by about 0.6 Centigrade (1 F). Scientists predicts further warming of 1.4 to 5.8 Centigrade (2.5 to 10.4 F) by the year 2100. This temperature rise is expected to melt polar ice caps and glaciers as well as warm the oceans, all of which will expand ocean volum and rises sea level by 9 to 100 cm (4 to 40 m) flooding some coastal regions and even entire islands. Some regions in warmer climates will receive more rainfall than ever, but soils will dry out faster between storms. The soil desiccation may damage food crops, disrupting food supplies in some parts of world. Plants and animals species will shift their ranges towards the poles or to higher elevations seeking cooler temperatures and species that can't do so many extinct. The potential consequences of global warming are so great that many ot the world's leading scientists have called for international cooperation and immediate action to counteract the problem.
The Icelandic Committee for Climatic changes has reported that all the glaciers in Iceland may disappear within next 100 years. The melting of glaciers may give temporary benefits to the population like increased water for irrigation and hydro-electric power generation. However, in the long run these areas may turn barren and the sea level may rise more than 7 meters which could be disastrous for all low lying countries especially Island countries. Himalayan glaciers are receding in a similar way as glaciers in these areas could, at current rates of global warming, disappear within the coming decades. Half a billion people in the Himalaya-Hindu-Kush region and a quarter billion downstream who rely on glacial melt waters could be seriously affected. The current trends in glacial melt suggest that the Ganga, Indus, Brahmaputra and other rivers that criss-cross the northern Indian plain may become seasonal rivers in the near future as a consequence of climate change with important ramifications for poverty and the economics in the region. The glaciers in Kashimr are also facing a similar threat. There has been a dramatic change in some of the glaciers over last 30 years or so in boht Kashmir and Ladakh. These have receded not in meters but in kilometers. The water in Kashmir have also political connotations as these are being shared between India, Pakistan, and Kashmir. In a number of places "Water Wars" have already started between various claimants. In fact the World Environment body feels that major wars in future may be on water. We need to wake up to this future possibility and try our best to retard the melting of these precious glaciers. Recently, a team of "The Energy Research Institute of India (TERI)" visited Kashmir to study some of the glaciers. The team led by Professor Iqbal Hussain which was accompanied by an expert from Iceland concentrated their studies on Kolahoi glacier in Pahalgam area, the largest in the valley. The University of Kashmir is also collaborating in this study. The report of the team is eagerly waited and it would be advisable for the Government to enlarge the scope of the study to include many other glaciers including those in Ladakh and Kishtwar area of Jammu. It is hoped that the team would also include some positive and practical recommendations for slowing down the meeting of these glaciers. Kashmir is already facing a number of environmental disasters involving waiter bodies and depleting forest cover. The accelerated melting of glaciers would be another tragedy in this environment downside. Apart from the Government, the common people too need to be made aware of these dangerous trends facing this, "Paradise on Earth" which has remained so only in name! They should become the prime movers for the environmental protection if Kashmir has to survive as a livable place. Otherwise as mentioned in one of the stories of famous Urdu story writer Krishan Chander, Kashmiris may be growing dates sometime in distant future.
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