September 16 every year is observed as "World Ozone Day". The celebration of this day is made to pay our homage to the ozone layer, that saves our earth from the harmful ultra-voilet radiation of the Sun.
The life on the Earth , depends on the energy provided by the Sun in the form of various radiations.
Out of total energy received by the Earth, 35% will be reflected back to the space by the clouds, dust-particles and ice particles present in the atmosphere.
14% of the energy , which comes in the form of ultra violet radiation gets absorbed by the ozone layer, thus saving the earth from the harmful effects like over warming of the Earth or diseases like cancer
34% of the energy is radiated back from the Earth in the form of direct solar radiation and 17% radiated back from the Earth in the form of terrestrial radiation.
The part of the energy radiated back from the Earth unabsorbed is called "Albedo". Average Albedo ranges between 29% to 34%. Because of the artificial cover provided by the green house gases the Earth surface is unable to reflect the total energy thus gets heated. So lesser the Albedo more will be the temperature on the Earth and viceversa.
Besides this the tarnishing of ozone layer provides the way to ultra violet rays to enter in the Earth's atmosphere which can cause great destruction , catastrophies (famines ,droughts etc.) and diseases like cancer.
The fact that the density of ozone layer reduced considerably making the situation more horrified. (from 1956 to 1970 the density of the ozone layer was nearly 280 to 325 doveson which in 1994 got reduced to mere 94 doveson. The density has been on a decline since then.)
The gases which are responsible for increasing the Earth temperature artificially are called "green house gases " which includes:- carbon di-oxide, methane, chloro floro carbon (CFC), sulphur herxa-floride, nitrous oxide, perflorocarbon. These gases are called green house gases because they increase the temperature in the glass house made artificially to provide higher temperature in colder areas which in turn helps plants that are native to warmer climates, to grow in the hilly areas.
The gases like CFC, or carbon di-oxide have been used in the modern appliances like air-conditioners, refrigerators, fire extinguishers etc. So its looks like where there is more industrialisation there is greater chance of causing harm to the ozone layer.
But the reality is unbelievable and horrifying. Unbelievable because the ozone hole was discovered in the polar regions where there is negligible industrialisation and horrifying because this reality can cause more destruction in less time. The reason behind this reality is the polar stratosphere clouds provide basis for chlorine molecules (present in the CFC) to act freely in the colder regions ( as in polar regions) and in the presence of sunlight in the Antarctica region the chlorine molecules attacks on the ozone molecules (O3) and kill them in the process. More damaging fact is this molecule could have a life of 45 years to 250 years. This is also causing the glaciers to melt.
The recent report of the Inter-governmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) states that Earth's temperature has increased by 0.74% in the past hundred years. Its effects are disastrous like:
Unexpected increase in the sea level that can submerge low lying regions including UK
The melting of glaciers like Himadri in India, which will first result in floods and then a long lasting drought
Exposure to ultra-violet rays can up the risk of cancers
Unexpected climatic changes
USA which pretends itself as a global leader, is also the biggest producer of these harmful green-house gases (nearly 30%) but hasn't signed the "Kyoto Protocal" - a legally binding global treaty for reducing the emission of these gases.
To efficiently deal with this current fearsome situation, we have to take stringent steps. Some are:
Save trees as they save life by inhaling harmful gas carbon-di-oxide.
more sustainable behaviour in our daily lives like saving energy at every step.
To use technologies which are environment-friendly, like bio-fertilizers.
The expansion of carbon trading by the developed countries from developing countries.
Globalize the technologies to the under developed nations that supports the climate.
Let us act now before it is too late.
Vasu Shena Misra (The author is a development activist who did his post-graduation from University of Lucknow. He is a fellow of CNS writers' bureau)
Rural administrative service is coming up. Courtesy Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Saturday, Gogoi said that to service has been introduced for serving in the rural areas. He said that the new service will recruit candidates for serving in the rural areas to carry forward government schemes and plans specially for the rural areas. He said 30 per cent of the jobs so created will be reserved for rural based candidates who will have to serve in the backward areas for a time-bound period.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday admitted his utter helplessness to efficiently deal with corruption from government department. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Saturday, Gogoi said that corruptions was very much in almost all departments.
“We need to check the system to stop corruption," Gogoi said adding that his government is stressing e-governance, RTI Act, decentralization of power and peoples empowerment to check corruption. Gogoi said that he supports any movement against corruption but not the one being undertaken by the IAC.
In a bizarre incident that sends shockwave across the state, a couple committed suicide in a Guwahati based lodge. Identified as Bipin Saikia and Poppy Saikia were found hanging inside the Capital Lodge in Ganeshguri on Friday evening. The couple hailing from Golaghat had been lodging in the hotel for the last four days. Investigation is going on.
BJP infuses fresh hope in Assam even nearly two and a half years ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The party on Friday appointed Sarbananda Sonowal as the interim president of the state. According to BJP General Secretary attached to Assam Vijay Goel, Nitin Gadkari has appointed Sonowal as the Assam unit chief after Ranjit Dutta had citing poor health. Sonowal is a former MP from Dibrugarh and a former MLA from Moran seat of Assam. He won both these polls on an AGP ticket. He has also been head of All Assam Student Union.
The Planning Commission has cleared a huge Rs 14.49 crore flood control scheme for Kamrup Rural district. The project will involve the dyke of the river Brahmaputra river from Gumi to Kalatoli. The entire project would be completed by 2013-14 and Plan accounts will be closed by March 31, 2014. The project will have to be executed as per the approved outlays in the State Annual Plans. The Finance Department will restrict the expenditure to the approved cost and no additional expenditure beyond approved cost will be permitted unless the revised estimate is got approved following the prescribed procedure.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi stressed amicable solution of to the simmering border row with Nagaland. He said it to the Assam-Nagaland Goodwill Team when it it visited him on Friday in Guwahati. He told the delegation that both sides sit together and arrive at a mutual understanding. He said that the state has good relations with Nagaland, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh despite border problems. An eight-member team of Assam-Nagaland Goodwill Team said the people of Nagaland want solution to the long festering Assam-Nagaland border amicably and peacefully outside the jurisdiction of the apex court.
The November 18 India-Yemen match in Guwahati was cancelled. According to All India Football Federation, they received an email from the Yemen Football Association that their players' tickets 'were cancelled due to some problems with the airlines.' AIFF vice-president Ankur Dutta and secretary of Assam Football Association, said apart from the national team, this was a big loss for the fans from north-east also. The issue has been reported to the Asian Football Confederation.
The much-awaited ASEAN car rally will be flagged off from Guwahati on December 17. Kamrup (metro) district administration, GMC, GDD and PWD departments have been asked to spruce up the entire city roads. The rally will kick off from Yogyakarta in Indonesia on November 25. But in the absence of a road link between Indonesia and Singapore, the rally will be given its ceremonial flag-off on November 28 from Singapore.
The rally, with 31 SUVs, will cover the ASEAN countries of Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and India. The rally will enter India through the border town of Moreh in Manipur. It will reach Guwahati thorugh Kohima and Dimapur in Nagaland on December 17 from...
"Conflict in BTAD, Issue of Influx and Land Alienation in Assam: Problems and Perspectives"
Date: November 8, 2012Venue: Mavalanka Auditorium, Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi.
Where is the end of the conflict?
Conflict is ever unwanted but inevitable in the society and its civilization as I understand. Conflict emanates certain course of development and entire world has the more or less similar history. And yet conflicts of certain areas require special focus and understanding in order to reduce the same. Government agencies, NGOs, Civil Society organizations and all others also have achieved very little in conflict resolution despite their honest efforts...
Come Wednesday. Anna Hazare will address a national conclave in Guwahati on infiltration. Former army chief Gen VK Singh will also accompany the veteran social activist in the two-day event.
Organised by the KMSS, the conclave will chalk out a roadmap to resolve the problems of infiltration from across the Bangladesh border by bringing together various organisations, political parties, leaders, intellectuals and activists on a single platform.
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