Some Parts of the Planet Are Becoming Uninhabitable and Yet We Still Refuse to go Green!
Temperature threshold beyond which humans can't survive is 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Thousands of Pakistanis are taking the Libya route to seek a new life in Europe. Of nearly 13,000 Pakistanis who headed for Libya and Egypt this year, most haven't returned - including two teenagers whose last words to their mother were not to worry before they and hundreds more sunk of the coast of Greece last year. Every year extreme heat kills upward of 50,000 heat related deaths in the USA alone. In Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula this number is increased tenfold! In the USA California, Arizona and Texas account for 45% of heat deaths!
In 2024, Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan, has experienced prolonged periods of temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit, exacerbated by power outages and high humidity. Hospitals are inundated with hundreds of patients suffering from heat-related illnesses daily, exceeding their capacity. Morgues are struggling to accommodate the surge in bodies. In 2022, similar scenes were witnessed in Europe, but the intensity of the heat was not as severe. This stark contrast is one of the key factors motivating many Pakistanis to risk their lives to migrate to the UK or France. Compared to the extreme conditions in Pakistan, a heatwave in Europe is considered mild. Pakistan is at the forefront of climate-induced migration.
Karachi, the bustling metropolis of Pakistan, not only serves as the country's largest city but also stands as its economic powerhouse. However, amidst its vibrant streets and towering skyscrapers, Karachi has recently found itself grappling with the harsh realities of a changing climate. The scorching heat wave that has engulfed South Asia this summer has mercilessly descended upon Karachi, leaving its residents to endure sweltering temperatures and challenging conditions.
The situation in South Asia has been further exacerbated by torrential rains, leading to widespread population displacement and chaos. The Mekong Delta, a vital region in Southeast Asia, has experienced a drastic drop in water levels, plunging to unprecedented lows due to the relentless dry weather conditions. This has not only disrupted the livelihoods of those dependent on the delta but has also raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of the region.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, Australia has been battling historic bushfires that have ravaged vast swathes of land. Fueled by an exceptionally harsh dry season, these fires have posed a significant threat to both human lives and biodiversity. The images of scorched landscapes and devastated wildlife serve as a stark reminder of the catastrophic impact of climate change.
Moreover, the Pacific and Indian Ocean coasts have been battered by more than 25 tropical cyclones, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. These extreme weather events have not only caused widespread damage to coastal communities but have also highlighted the urgent need for global action to mitigate the effects of climate change.
In the face of these escalating climate-related disasters, it is evident that urgent and concerted efforts are required to address the root causes of climate change and to build resilience in vulnerable regions like South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Pacific and Indian Ocean coasts. The toll of these disasters serves as a sobering reminder of the pressing need for countries to come together and take decisive action to combat climate change before it is too late.
Heat waves are already more frequent across much of the world. The future holds the prospect of whole regions becoming too hot for humans. Parts of Saudi Arabia already have a mean annual temperature of 29 degrees Celsius (84° Fahrenheit). In fact, Mecca, the destination for a huge annual pilgrimage of Muslims from across the world, is the hottest inhabited place on Earth at 30.5°C (87°F). By 2050 more than half the country's area is likely to exceed the 29°C threshold. If nations would only listen to scientists instead of corporate cronies and petro-pharmaceutical legacy billionaires, we might be able to turn things around.
The European Union, was forged after World War II to harness the two most important natural resources in Europe at that time, coal and steel, to create peace and prosperity in Europe at the expense of non-European nations. when the union was founded, it was called the European Coal and Steel Community. But the wheel of Karma has turned, and it is called climate change.
The coal and steel of our day is the WATER (AWG, Desalination, Aquifers), the SUN (Solar Power, Ambient Radio Frequency Wave Energy, Plasma Energy) and the SAND (Battery Technology, Silicon, Melanin based Black tech Eco Energy and Information Transfer.)” Eumelanin is a biocompatible conductor. The groundbreaking process, as described by study senior authors Dr. Alessandro Pezzella of University of Naples Federico II and Dr. Paolo Tassini of Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, resulted in a billion-fold increase in the electrical conductivity of eumelanin. This remarkable advancement paves the way for the development of melanin-based electronics, opening up possibilities for implanted devices such as bionic eyes and eardrums. This is made feasible by the biocompatibility of eumelanin, a pigment present in 90 percent of the global population.
With this newfound potential, the integration of eumelanin in electronic applications heralds a new era of bioelectronics. The enhanced electrical properties of eumelanin offer a sustainable and versatile solution for various technological innovations. The utilization of melanin-based electronics not only demonstrates the power of nature-inspired materials but also underscores the importance of biocompatible components in advancing medical and technological frontiers. As researchers continue to explore the capabilities of eumelanin, the future holds promising prospects for the development of cutting-edge devices that seamlessly integrate with the human body, revolutionizing the field of bioengineering.
Yet amidst all this potential a few greedy people hold the world hostage to technology long past its prime to lead us into a future of deprivation for all but a few. We need to help each other to collaborate to forge those three into a healthy interdependency whose byproduct is not just clean water that can nourish agriculture but also trust that can be plowed back into our respective forward-thinking nations.
Comments