Industrial Development & Green House Gases

Green house gases are a must to keep the earth livable. Its lack or excess would make the atmosphere too extreme for life to survive – giving rise to increase in water levels, extreme weather, droughts, devastating tropical hurricanes and floods.
The earth’s atmosphere has warmed almost 1 degree in the last century and the green house effects are now a clearly recognized fact. Environmentalists and scientists have been warning about this for quite sometime.

The major green house gases and factors responsible for global warming are:
1. Carbon-dioxide – 50%
Carbon-dioxide is produced by the burning of fossil fuels like petroleum, natural gas and coal products – the natural source of energy and with depletion of forests the capacity of absorbing the excess carbon-dioxide is further reduced.
2. Methane – 20%
Methane is another potential green house gas and is produced by organic material decomposition in absence of oxygen. It is produced in swamps, marshes, rotten rice fields and paddies covered with water, in digestive tracts of cows and in sealed land-fills.
3. Ozone & Water evaporation
Green house effects are mainly the results of the burning of fossil fuels and destruction of forests, increase in the use of nitrogen fertilizers rotting of rice fields under water and in digestive tracts of cows. Further the systematic production of green house gases have over the years intensified the problem, like CFCs, which cause depletion of Ozone and can survive over centuries.

Industrial revolution, a gift of the western world, commenced over 100 years. The `development’ of civilization globally as of date owes much to this subsequent industrialization and to the excessive greed of the human race. The industries and consumers, primarily of the developed nations, are primarily responsible for the present world condition – the green house effect and global warming. The industrialized society tends to break down communities, societies, families and personal institutions – leaving the individual just another face in the crowd.
Developed countries have developed in terms of industrialization, energy creation and production of consumption goods, some of which are not even bio-degradable, but in terms of land and environmental management, they have wholly failed. In fact industrialization is the root cause of the increase of global pressure on land and natural resources. The attempt of developmental experts to modernize African animal husbandry has proved a dismal failure. United States management of range lands has caused desertification of around 215 million acres – primarily owing to plowing and over-grazing by livestock. Due to the excessive use of fertilizers, pollution of air water and land has become a normal condition.
It thus is not surprising that the northern hemisphere has to first face the consequences of disasters especially in an around the Arctic, like Canada, with the increase of temperatures, melting of ice and flooding etc. Further its resultants also are causing climatic havoc around the world.
In the current form of Industrial Development it is acceptable that nature be exploited and manipulated at all costs for the benefit of humans, material or otherwise. Industrial development has erased cultural diversity, generated boredom, decreased moral values and family life.
There are calls for stiff measures for controlling green house gas emissions and debates on international forums but till date of no concrete solutions or understanding between the nations of the world. Primarily national gains are over riding the basic thought that this is our home planet and the only known place in the universe where man can reside.