Orissa has A major
share in global warming. The amount of greenhouse gases the state is
producing at present is enough to unsettle the ecology of the country.
One of the major coal-bearing states in the country, the state, by
March 31, 2007, had 1,865 MW of coal-based thermal power stations. In
the last one-and a-half years, the state government has signed
memoranda of understanding (Mou) with over a dozen of major developers
to set up new thermal power plants. These proposed thermal units do not
include the capacity of captive power plants, which will be installed
by around 50 industries in the steel and aluminium sectors. These
plants, which are likely to be commissioned by 2012, will produce about
20,000 MW of power.
"Taking a very conservative view, even if we expect a total installed
capacity of 20,000 MW coal-based thermal station in Orissa by 2012,
they will generate at 80 per cent plant load factor, about 1,40.000
million units of electricity and emit about 152.6 million tonnes of
carbon dioxide every year to the atmosphere," says Mr S.K. Nanda, a
leading environment expert.
Mr Nanda, who is heading the environment panel of the Confederation of
Indian Industries (CII), points out that excessive presence of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere is warming the planet and driving the global
climate change. This climate is already having devastating impact on
the mankind. The climate change has adversely impacted agriculture,
public health and economy.
"The glaciers in the Himalayas are retreating at an average rate of 50
feet per year, consistent with rapid warming recorded since 1970. The
Khumba glacier on the popular climbing route to the summit of Mount
Everest has retreated by 5 km since 1953. The Gangotri glacier is also
retreating at 98 feet per year. At this rate, scientists predict, the
loss of all central and eastern Himalayan glaciers by 2035," he
observes.
Global warming has started to show its results on the coastal areas in
West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. The rising ocean level has flooded
about 18,500 acres of mangrove forest in Chokaria, Sunderban, in West
Bengal in the past three decades. Sea inundation has been a regular
phenomenon in Puri, Kornark and Kendrapara in Orissa, threatening human
habitation on the coast.
Increase in the average temperature of earth is causing more water to
evaporate. The presence of sufficient water vapour in the atmosphere
leads to some vapour condensing to cloud, releasing heat to the
atmosphere, which makes the air parcel warmer, forcing it to rise
again. This process continues and becomes the cause of thunderstorm and
lightening. Thunderstorms are caused when an air mass becomes so
unstable that it overturns violently. The increase in the frequency of
thunderstorm and lightening in the 21st century is caused by
anthropogenically enhanced global radiative forcing. More than 1,000
people have been killed in Orissa due to lightening alone during the
past decade.
In Orissa, the official death toll figure due to lightening in 2006 was
202. This figure crossed 300 mark in 2007. This year, at least 150 have
been killed in lightening so far.
"If this figure is compared to the death toll 10 years back, which was
much lower, even less than 100, the great danger due to the Global
warming and climate change can be well conceived. Similarly, sunstroke
has also taken a huge number of lives during the past few years, which
was almost unknown in Orissa 10 years back," adds Mr Nanda.
The environmentalist suggests the policymakers, industrials houses and
the world leaders should focus on the use of clean and green energy to
save the earth from the imminent deluge that threatens to devour the
entire human civilisation.
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