Sunday, Jul 06, 2025 11:30 [IST]
Last Update: Saturday, Jul 05, 2025 18:23 [IST]
The environment encompasses all living and non-living things that surround us, including air, water, land, and various organisms.
Warming in Europe
In 2025, a rare and early heatwave is blanketing many countries across Europe—Portugal, Germany, Spain, France, and Italy. High alerts are being issued, and people, including tourists, are frantically looking for drinking water during their visits to places of interest. School-going children and the elderly are facing severe discomfort. As the heatwave also grips southern Europe, forests are likely to ignite, similar to last year. This deadly heatwave has already claimed eight lives, leading to health emergencies and power plant shutdowns.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris was temporarily closed as temperatures hovered between 40 and 41 degrees Celsius. In contrast, in India, life seems to go on even when the mercury shoots up to 47 degrees Celsius.
Indian Situation
Jammu & Kashmir has recorded its hottest June in nearly five decades, with average daytime temperatures ranging between 32 and 33 degrees Celsius. As temperatures soar, streams are drying up, leading to a shortage of drinking water. Such a scorching summer was last recorded in 1892.
In Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, the heat became so unbearable in June that temperature records of three decades were broken. Apart from preponing the summer break for children, a few more viable measures are being taken in this otherwise clean and cool hill station.
National Capital Region
Northern India, including much of the National Capital Region, is also experiencing an early and intense heatwave. In just one week, maximum temperatures rose from 39 to 43 degrees Celsius, while minimum temperatures hovered between 20 and 22 degrees. Surprisingly, the humidity and sultry conditions typical of July and August have already been felt in the second half of June. This is despite the region recording the wettest winter in several decades. If such conditions continue for another week or ten days, the India Meteorological Department may have to issue Severe Heatwave Alerts.
In regions such as Antarctica, icebergs have not only been observed floating but are also cracking and breaking apart. This has caused temperature spikes as high as minus 38 degrees Celsius—alarmingly warm by Antarctic standards.
All these developments indicate that global warming is no longer a distant threat—it is a harsh reality. And it is here to stay. Such dramatic changes in climate are bound to become more frequent in the future.
The average global temperature is expected to rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2030. It has already risen by 0.5 to 1 degree Celsius. In some parts of the world, temporary cooling is also being experienced—but only briefly.
Causes of Global Warming
According to updated findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), warming of the Earth’s surface occurs when carbon dioxide traps solar radiation in the atmosphere—a process commonly known as the greenhouse effect.
It is caused by:
These facts should deeply concern us—sooner rather than later. We must act seriously for the sake of future generations. Suffering has already begun. Diseases are multiplying. Crops and fruits are being adversely affected. Yet many of us remain asleep to the crisis.
Who will wake up—or how do we wake up? That is the urgent question.
Perhaps we need to embrace the motto "Catch Them Young." Once children understand and become convinced, they can lead and sustain any environment-related campaign. We have already seen the success of their sincere efforts in campaigns like banning firecrackers.
Let us, therefore, unite to put an end to human-driven climate change—before it’s too late.
