Over the centuries, by far the biggest contributor to global warming has been the continent of Europe. Its factories spewed coal soot through chimneys into the skies. Ironically, once climate change caused by global warming had been recognized as a reality by most of the leaders of the world, several European countries sought to ignore their past record and instead place emphasis on the future. India was asked to lower its dependence on coal and other fossil fuels by cutting back on both. India has among the largest deposits of coal of any country in the world, yet its collieries were allowed to languish while imports of coal soared. The fairest way of apportioning responsibilities is to do so on a per capita basis, but such was and remains anathema to several long-term polluters. Despite the injustice, in the interests of being a good citizen of the International Order, India worked hard at greening itself, as did China. The latter have made great strides in the process, with Peak Oil in the transport industry having been reached through electric vehicles, and Peak Oil for the entire Chinese economy not far behind. The Persian Gulf crisis once again reminds the world of the fragility of reliability of supplies of petroleum and gas and spikes in prices occurring every now and again. However, looked at from the secular period, petroproduct countries need to reduce prices and maximise sales, given that it is only a matter of a little over a decade before Peak Demand for petroproducts begins to get reached by more and more countries, once alternative sources to fuel come into common use. India has the third largest known reserve of rare earths in the world, and is well positioned to develop these reserves in the way that China has done. Electricity generation by relying on petroproducts needs to be reduced, as also in the matter of transport. When diesel replaced coal as the primary source of power for locomotives, it was a welcome step, at the time. Now it is electric trains that need attention where development and use are concerned.
Several European countries that sought to pass on the blame for global warming to the Global South are now experiencing the fury of nature mistreated for centuries. France and Spain are among the European countries that have declared a nature emergency, as wildfires spread. Some of these were begun as small blazes by arsonists, but because of weather conditions, these small blazes get converted into massive wildfires. Houses by the hundreds are being burned to the ground each week, in locations across several European countries. What is taking place in Europe is happening on a smaller scale in parts of the US as well, so much so that President Trump has pigeonholed his earlier remarks about global warming being a hoax. France has for quite a while taken climate change more seriously, but whatever has been done to try and ensure protection in case of situations such as the present, they are not enough. Worse, the heat is causing thunderclouds and showers of rain to fall, although through these, only a small proportion of the fires are being doused. Â Global warming affects every citizen, and it has to be an all-of-society approach in dealing with the problem. The citizens who plant trees on grounds owned by them are as yet not enough, for the green cover provided by trees is getting reduced steadily. Trees can be planted on the sides of highways and in schoolyards, with the young being taught to respect nature, unlike in the past. Europe is burning while parts of Asia are flooding. Each time there is a campaign, such as rainwater harvesting, the enthusiasm lasts a short while and then ebbs away. Singapore cleanses sludge water into fresh water for drinking, The Gulf countries desalinate sea water and make it potable. Clean water is a requisite of life, yet in too many locations, even boiling the water does not succeed in removing bacteria. Fevers and illnesses rise through the simple processes of breathing and eating. Elon Musk created SpaceX in order to find planets where human beings could resettle. Given the way the planet is being affected by global climate changes, finding such planets appears to be not such an outlandish idea as was first thought when Musk made that statement. Europeans have lavished fuel in homes and factories for a long time. Now nature is showing the cost of ignoring essentials such as ensuring a future free of carbon emissions of a toxic level.
