2050: Global Warming won’t be a threat anymore????

This month Time magazine for the second time in its history had a cover border other than red. It had a green border reflecting its new found focus on global warming (it has had a black border previously to mourn 9/11) . It was to signify that the magazine has gone completely green and urged its users to also go green to fight global warming. Last year Nobel Peace prize was another extension of the World’s enhanced focus on global warming. Debate on Global Warming has eclipsed the US presidential elections this year, it is topic even bigger than Terrorism. This year, US for the first time admitted to being one of the biggest culprits of global warming and is now willing to do its bit although that might mean a slow down in US growth. What does this really imply??? Is the world coming to an end because of global warming??? Well right now it isn’t....but it will if nothing is done in this regard. Looking at the volumes spoken, the huge coverage given and efforts being done throughout the world to curtail global warming, i am relieved and sure that we will win this war sooner or later. Global Warming is too large a phenomenon to ignore and a lot needs to be done even before we can reach anywhere close to curtailing it. But a start has been made. Today heavy polluting industries are highly taxed (Direct carbon tax, Carbon credits etc.) whereas low polluting industries enjoy huge tax subsidies. Consumers are more environment conscious, not averse to paying more for environment friendly products. Eco-friendly products and services are a multi-billion dollar sustainable industry whereas many polluting industries are struggling to survive. Toyota, GM, Honda etc. all have hybrid vehicles in the market, Virgin has even tested a biofuel driven aircraft and plans to use the technology commercially by 2012. Renewable energy sources like wind, hydro etc. are being used more than ever to produce clean energy. Germany has already cut its emission by 18% below its 1990 level and is working towards achieving even more efficiency. Other countries like France, UK have also enhanced their emission cutting efforts. International climate treaties like Kyoto, current food crisis have further forced world governments to take climate change seriously. We humans have always fought, no matter what the circumstances and have always emerged triumph. Looking at this determination and the current efforts being made, I am assured that although not in the short term but in the long term we are poised to win our war against global warming. All of us are obliged to do our bit to fight global warming and once done so, global warming won’t be a threat anymore. I am not playing down the dangers of global warming, the only point I am emphasizing is that collective efforts will win us the battle against global warming and world is clearly showing signs of doing that.