Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Climate Change: Plant less trees!!

Two things in life are unavoidable – death, and taxes. Well, now there is this third – Climate Change, or Global Warming as it is popularly depicted in media. This globe, what we call ‘Earth’, is older than all of us; at 4.5 Billion years of age it is also, apparently, suffering on account of human activities. Its grown warmer since the Industrial Revolution – and accelerated since after the second world war. Everyone knows it – Climate change is even on the lips of babes & sucklings. The cause, if you follow popular media, is us – humans. There are detractors. Heretics who put forth a counter-current that climate change is natural rather than anthropogenic. That greenhouse gases (yes, it isn’t only Carbon Dioxide) are not affected by human activities to the extent presented. Water vapour is a culprit just as much as are Methane, Nitrous Oxide, and Ozone. That human species came into existence on Earth at a time when climate on Earth was ramped up to change. Anthropogenic influence can’t be denied though. CFC, PFC are well recognised greenhouse gases.

Like a guilt trip, the anthropogenic argument of climate change, receives more media coverage than detractor arguments from more rational minds. On a daily basis, there will be any number of articles with headlines such as ...

  1. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58883234

    (Climate change: 'Adapt or die' warning from Environment Agency)

  2. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/oil-gas-environment-climate-change-goals-why-now-16532566.php

    (Oil companies begin setting environmental goals amid scrutiny over climate change)

  3. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/mass-fruit-tree-plantation-drive-begins-in-west-bengal/articleshow/86683823.cms

    (Mass fruit tree plantation drive begins in West Bengal)

  4. https://theconversation.com/mass-tree-planting-how-to-do-it-right-168583

    (Mass tree planting: how to do it right)

The bottom line is that it is impossible to escape the frenzy around environment. The impression one gets from such articles is of the proverbial doe caught in the headlights of a speeding train. The difference here is that the human species apparently invented the vehicle in whose headlights it is the proverbial doe. The jury is yet out upon whether or not Climate Change is anthropogenic. Regardless of the cause, the fact of the matter is that Climate Change is quite real. The ocean levels are changing, glaciers melting, wind and rainfall patterns changing ... Every single being on Earth is affected. It follows therefore that every single being – capable of it – must take necessary actions to mitigate the effects thereof.

It isn’t as though there haven’t been concerted effects to deal with changing climate on a relatively large scale successfully in the past. London was famous for it’s ‘Pea Soup’ smog as recently as the 1960s. It also dealt with the problem effectively using a multi-pronged approach – regulating vehicle exhaust, factories, household chemicals, and so on. It wasn’t just London that was affected; large cities around the world were part of a study conducted by Manchester University. The results were apalling. From Bangkok, to London, to Mexico, and to Tokyo – poor quality of air plagued the cities.

How does a person, such a tiny entity compared to the gigantic volume of this Earth, attempt to mitigate the effects of Climate Change? To no small extent, the way to do it is to enlist support against the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. There are any number of techniques available legislative, technological, direct action. Here are just a few

  1. Unplug electrically powered devices when you are not using them.

  2. Address the insulation of your home to prevent heat/cold from escaping.

  3. Don’t waste food; if possible purchase from the nearest producers.

  4. Use public transport whenever you can .

The simplest perhaps way you can contribute in battling climate change lies in the tumultuous refrain – plant a tree!

Every tree is an entire ecosystem in itself. From nitrogen fixing bacteria, to providing nectar to bees & fruits thereafter, shelter/succour for residents of the forests – a tree is easily ignored without realising what fantastic service is provided by it in return. Botanists wax eloquently on the properties of varieties of trees. Planting a tree is perhaps the chosen way most contribute towards tackling climate change if only because well, one can put a sapling in the soil, and forget about it for days on end. Water the sapling once in a while, and all will be well. Why trees, though? Because trees are adept at capturing CO2 from the environment, and sequestering it – all the while converting it into wood! The thumb rule is to choose fast growing species ... which is more easily said than done.

Botany is a well established science with an enormous repertoire of literature. At the same time, it goes without saying that growth of any organism – tree or otherwise is not monocausal. Any number of factors are involved; in case of trees some of these factors may be type of soil, nutrients in soil, availability of water, intranecine competition so on. Availability of open spaces, and sunlight are obvious local climate factors that affect growth. This makes it necessary to thin plantations out by trimming, or cutting trees at regular intervals. Plantation must also attempt adequate bio-diversity is maintained. On the one hand this is to prevent the development of an invasive species that affects local flora, and fauna. On the other hand it is to protect the plantation from becoming easy prey to a pest that may decimate the entire plantation.

All this makes it obvious that planting trees is easier said than done. The situation may appear hopeless. Yet all is not lost. It is a matter of record that the vegetables on our dining plates are significantly different from their cousins in the wild. The carrot was pale and yellowish and unpalatable too – now it is orange, white, or even red and delicious to boot! The modern banana is far removed from it’s wild cousin – full of seeds, and a dwarf compared to the banana we know. Pineapples, peaches and many others are almost unrecognisable compared against their wild predecessors. The journey of these modern foods from their wild predecessors was achieved by simple natural selection of the properties that were most desirable ... and took generations to get fixed indelibly in the plants.

It is the quality/quantity argument. A cluster of a few trees of different species could provide the same climate-control effect as a forest. No less important is biovariance. An orchard of a single species is akin to a sponge whereas a jungle of multiple species also serves as a natural obstacle course for pests.

Modern Science, and Technology have made it possible to achieve in short order what took many generations to achieve by means of natural selection. By editing the genes of a species, it is possible to imbue a tree with properties that would appear miraculous. Perhaps then, it should be possible to genetically modify plant species to combat global warming with greater efficiency. Perhaps the transpiration / photosynthesis cycles may be edited to last longer. Perhaps the genes may be edited to also accept gases other than CO2 or even a greater quantity of CO2. The possibilities are limited only by technology itself, and human imagination!

Genetically modified plants (and plant products) are not a novelty. Any number of plant-sourced foods are modified genetically over and above natural selection through the ages. Soyabean, Eggplant, Papaya to name just a few. Applying similar science/es to combat skyrocketing greenhouse gases is a necessity that must be placed on the table.