Sunday, May 04, 2008

Loch Ness' Nessie

We watched the movie 'Water Horse' recently. It rekindled the wonderment I had felt as a child regarding the existence of a magical creature somewhere in far off Scotland. There isn't much scientific or photographic evidence to support the theory of a large water creature or the Loch Ness monster. We humans have a consistent attribute - Fascination for the inexplicable. Something within me wants to keep the legend of the monster alive.
What if it really has all the magical powers it is supposed to possess? I wish I could see "Nessie" for myself. Maybe one day, I will journey to the Loch Ness armed with a camera and a week of leisure at my disposal.

Friday, May 02, 2008

How long do we have?

Days appear numbered. I remember watching "An Inconvenient Truth" quite sometime back.
A few facts related to the phenomenon:
1.. The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years.
2. Malaria has spread to higher altitudes in places like the Colombian Andes, 7,000 feet above sea level.
3. The flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled over the past decade.
4. At least 279 species of plants and animals are already responding to global warming, moving closer to the poles.

If global warming continues unchecked the consequences could be fatal:
1. Deaths from global warming will double in just 25 years -- to 300,000 people a year.
2. Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide.
3. Heat waves will be more frequent and more intense.
4. Droughts and wildfires will occur more often.
5. The Arctic Ocean could be ice free in summer by 2050.
6. More than a million species worldwide could be driven to extinction by 2050.
Source:http://www.climatecrisis.net/thescience/

Having stated the facts, I wonder if we can do anything to stall/defeat the imminent catastrophe.
Bangalore has never been so hot. The sun starts scorching early in the morning. For a change, this evening as I walked back from work, I was caught in a downpour.
I am sure all this will not last long, if we don't wake up and make an effort to save the planet. A fallout if this would be our skins will be saved.

I wish I knew how much time we have. In an attempt to add my 2 penny worth of effort in saving the earth I try to do the following:
1. Save water ( Never leave the water running)
2. Carry my own shopping bag wherever possible - this reduces the consumption of plastic bags.
3. Drive a fuel efficient vehicle.
4. I throw trash in designated bins.
5. Try and minimize electricity consumption in my house.
6. Save paper

What I plan to do in the near future:
1. Get a bicycle for short distance errands