Hardly three months ago, mass media, especially the newspapers and news bulletins, all over the world were replete with the alarming and rather disturbing news that the melting of ice in the North and the South Poles (which had been predicted some years ago) will now be accelerated and hastened, due mainly to the unabated global warming. Besides the rising of sea levels, that would eventually cause the loss of many landscapes all over the world, scientists have predicted many other natural disasters that may even threaten the very survival of human beings, in the long run. 

It is in this sense that this year’s World Peace Day Message (which falls on 1st January) of Pope Benedict XVI is most relevant. For this New Year, he has chosen the theme "If you want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation". The Pope explains his point as follows:

Respect for creation is of immense consequence, not least because "creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God’s works", and its preservation has now become essential for the pacific coexistence of mankind. Man’s inhumanity to man has given rise to numerous threats to peace and to authentic and integral human development – wars, international and regional conflicts, acts of terrorism, and violations of human rights. Yet no less troubling are the threats arising from the neglect – of not downright misuse – of the earth and the natural goods that God has given us. 

When one reflects seriously what the Pope is saying together with scientific evidence, one begins to see the profound truth beneath this papal statement. While certain natural changes are an essential part of nature’s evolutionary process (even some natural disasters), there are some changes in nature (including some natural disasters) that are caused (directly or indirectly) by sheer selfish human acts. Thus, the rising and setting of the sun each day, is purely a natural event. The resulting change from day to night and vice versa, are not caused by any human agent, but they are necessary elements of natural change. The change of seasons, for example, from winter to spring, is a natural happening, and no human agent is responsible for such natural changes. However, there are certain changes in nature which are surely not an inherent part of the natural changes or even of evolution. They are simply caused by free, deliberate acts of human beings (even if they were not fully aware of the repercussions). Scientists clearly tell us that the problem of global warming is not a mere happening in nature, but clearly caused by human beings, human agents. Hence, they not only qualify to be in the sphere of morality, but they also imply the moral responsibility of human agents. 

Scientists have demonstrated that the ten years from 1996 to 2005, with the exception of 1996 and 2000, were the warmest years ever recorded. The record-breaking temperatures in 1998 occurred after three consecutive decades of unprecedented warming, which started in the 1970’s. Although records kept between January 1999 and December 2008, have shown that the global temperature rise has gradually slowed down, the indications are that there has been no global cooling over this period. In fact, during the last decade, most years have remained much closer to the record global average temperature reached in 1998 than to temperatures before the 1970’s. Moreover, all the years from 2000 to 2008 have been in the top 14 warmest years on record. Thus, scientific evidence clearly shows that in spite of minor variations, global warming has not abated, but rather is now consistent, if not increasing. In fact, the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted an average global rise in temperature of 1.4°C to 5.8°C between 1990 and 2100.  

The main scientific reason given for this sudden increase of global warming is the release of high quantities of "greenhouse gases" into the earth’s atmosphere mainly due to modern technological and industrial developments. Already in the 19th century, scientists did realize that gases released into the earth’s atmosphere cause what is called a "greenhouse effect" which in turn affects the planet’s temperature. Put simply, the "greenhouse effect" is the heating of the surface of the earth due to the presence of an atmosphere containing gases that absorb and emit infra-red radiation. In the by-gone years, let’s say before 1970’s, when such infra-red radiations reached the surface of the planet earth from the sun, they were easily reflected back from the earth’s surface through the atmosphere that was not blocked then by green house gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. But today, with the ever increasing human-induced emission of such gases into the atmosphere, there is a certain accumulated layer of those gases which blocks the escaping of infra-red radiations which are reflected from the surface of the earth. Scientists hold that such trappings of infra-red radiations within the earth’s atmosphere is the main cause for excessive heat experienced in recent times. That is to say that greenhouse gases trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere, causing it to heat like a greenhouse. According to UN statistics, 76% of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the developed or industrialized countries in the world. 

The continuous deforesting that had been going on for the past decades has also contributed complimentarily to the increase of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. As is well known, trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen in their photosynthesis processes. This natural process would have been a good natural check on the greenhouse gases. But unfortunately, with the unprecedented rates of deforesting that is still going on all over the world, this natural checking of excessive carbon dioxide contents is also badly missing in our world today, thus, letting global warming a free hand without any checks whatsoever. 

The overall end-result of all this is the ever-increasing global warming which will not only make the glaciers in the North and South Poles of our planet earth to melt and thus, make the sea-water levels rise, but it will also affect agriculture adversely, and thus, cripple the already staggering world food production. Among the immediate serious repercussions of such melting of ice (which is now anticipated by a few decades than earlier predictions) would be the rise in sea water level all over the world, and then, the disappearance of landscapes, especially small islands (archipelagos in particular, such as the Maldives in the Indian Ocean) that dot the oceans all over the world. Coastal areas of many countries are also bound to be lost to the sea, forever. The inevitable loss of land that would result when the sea levels rise higher and higher, is surely going to affect humankind negatively all over the world, especially at a time when there is an acute shortage of land with the ever increasing world population. Needless to say that aligned with such unheard of natural changes, there will most probably be other natural disasters, too, which would be a serious threat to millions of our humanity. 

Global warming is already estimated to have killed millions through the catastrophic effects of climate change on living conditions that are already at the margins of sustainability. Increased heat is also bound to cause many diseases not only among human beings, but also among other living species, most of which were unheard of before. Moreover, the changed weather patterns will be responsible for the extinction of many species of animals and trees, thus, creating a further imbalance in our nature. Besides, many unexpected natural calamities, too, are bound to ensue. Already numerous long-term unusual climatic changes have been observed all over the world, including extreme weather such as droughts, decline of winter, heavy precipitation, heat waves, hurricanes and the intensity of the tropical cyclones. Drying up of rivers, catchment basins and large regions of land also have been on record in recent times, which in turn will affect agriculture and food production. Moreover, unprecedented floods all over the world during the past decade are also a warning signal about serious detrimental climatic changes that are already in place. In fact, if this trend of ever-increasing global warming is not checked as soon as possible, scientists predict even more serious climatic disruptions and catastrophes that would affect areas all over the globe. 

Scientists are unanimous in saying that global warming is not something that happens by itself. It is not part of natural change or evolution. It is rather a human-making. The continuous irresponsible use of fossil fuels (coal, gas and oil), the construction of irrigation dams to block rivers, the large scale-destruction of forests, the pollution of air by the smoke and the pollution of water by the dumping of chemical and biological wastes from factories, ……etc., have all contributed directly or indirectly to global warming. In other words, human beings have been directly responsible for global warming which now threatens the very survival of human race, itself, in the long run.  

Since global warming is the direct result of irresponsible human activities, it is high time that human beings themselves took responsibility for what has already happened, and then, resolved to restore a more sustainable relationship with our environment, at least at this late stage. If as scientists have convincingly pointed out, human activities such as human-induced emissions and the unchecked-deforestation are the main causes of global warming, then, the obvious solution is to reverse those causes and to do damage-repairing as much as possible. Reducing the large-scale emission of greenhouse gases, conserving the remaining forests and expanding the forests by re-planting trees, thus, become an unavoidable moral obligation on the part of our entire human race. Checking wastage of energy, burning oil and coal more efficiently, switching to renewable natural forms of energy (such as solar and wind power), and developing new technologies for industry and transport, also need to accompany such practical steps. All this would need a sense of moral responsibility from the world community as a whole, towards our environment. Concretely, it would demand a sense of solidarity among nations and a firm political will from all humanity, in coping with the threat of global warming. In fact, in view of such noble common, humanitarian goals, various international meetings, conventions and protocols have been in place since 1980’s.