Global Climate Change
The Greenhouse Effect

By P. Gopakumar

THE experts on global climate change have for long been blowing hot and cold over melting ice caps, rising ocean levels and unusually hot summers on the other hand and receding deserts shrinking bio-diversity and colder winters on the other. The scientists all over the world are keenly trying to find a solution for the perilous phenomena as it may lead to a catastrophe. The experts on climatology are, however, unanimously in their opinion that regional variation notwithstanding, the earth as a whole becoming warmer - and largely due to human activity and yet, as a continent Antarctica would seems to be bucking the trend.

Alarming

The situation is quite alarming as it may lead to catastrophe. The recent reports quoting the American scientists from south pole say that while temperatures of every other continents have risen over the past century, Antarctica has become appreciably colder over the past 35 years. Since that it would continue to cool, becoming the only one of earth's seven continents to react differently to global warming.

The varied climate changes have sparked off heated arguments in the research circle. The world's average temperature over the last one hundred years has risen by 0.06 degree Celsius on an average in a decade. But between 1979 and 1998, the average actually went up by 0.19 degree Celsius. In the continent of Antarctica, on the other hand, temperatures have fallen on an average by 0.07 degree Celsius in a decade.

Traditional theories of climate changes have held that the effects of global warming ought to be magnified at the two poles. In spite of this fact, the recent research pointed out that while the Arctic is indeed is getting warmer, the Antarctic getting cooler. This will mean that the previous estimate of rising sea levels that included melting layers of ice permanently. Covering parts of earth around both the north and south poles will have to be appropriately changed.

So what is the mystery behind the cooling of the white continent, Antarctica?

Since most of the inhabited and industrialised countries are clustered close the arctic region, polluting emissions to more across to the North Pole. This will need to the creation of greenhouse effect, warming the air, melting the glaciers and loosening the ice caps especially around the North and South Poles.

The problem of gradual rise in the temperature of the earth's atmosphere caused by an increase of gases such carbon dioxide, in the air surrounding the earth, which trapped the heat of the sun. Complex interplay of the ocean current appears to have changed temperatures cooling the southern ocean around the Antarctic and transforming the temperature profile of both the poles. The harsh desert valleys of Antarctica are turning cooler, which paved the way for the way for the setting off series ecological imbalances around the region.

Meanwhile there is another contradiction report from New Zealand describes how global warming induce break-away ice box in the southern hemisphere have effectively blocked the parent penguin access the feeding area's, putting a grave risk of the lives of tens of thousands of baby penguins. The adult penguins are now forced to walk very long distances - as much as fifty kilometers - to reach the sea to search for food and to get back to their young regurgitate the foraged for them. In this process, hapless parent penguins will become exhausted to perform the parental responsibilities. As it is, the flightless bird have very low survival rate, only a few are likely to go beyond adolescence. The iceberg induced entrapments of thousands of penguin chicks might strapped to death, coupled with the cooling of the continent's climate could well spell the serious trouble for the entire penguin population. That is still in existence only in the southern hemisphere.

It is also appropriate to the situation to note that the ozone hole stares at right over the Antarctic, worn away by the release of man-made greenhouse gas emissions and aerosols, leaving the population of parts of South America and Australia easily hurt physically to the ultra-violet radiation.
All these contradictions only show how little we understand the full impact of global climate changes. What is clear, however, is that the worldwide concerted efforts have to be initiated and sustained to rein in human - and completely childish. Emission norms need to be very stringent with a road map to ensure the protection of ozone layer. That has to be our immediate target with a concerted effort.
A study of satellite data covering of a wide swath of northern hemisphere found that most of the area - especially in Europe and Asia have become more densely packed with vegetation over the past 20 years, but that is not necessarily for the government.

Study

According to Ranga Myneni, one of the study's authors and an associate professor in Geography in Boston University, a growth could be the research of warmer temperatures. The air to air changes in growth and duration of the growing season of the Northern vegetation are tightly linked to year to year changes in the rising temperature. The area of vegetation has not intended, but the existing vegetation has increased in density. In addition the growing season in Europe and Asia lengthened by about 18 days as per their research study. They found that the plant life north of 40 degrees north latitude - roughly that of New York, Madrid, Beijing - has been growing more vigorously since 1981.

Potential Of Bee Tourism

By Bhimsen Thapaliya

THERE are nine species of honeybees in the world. All of them are found in Asia. In other continents outside Asia, only one honeybee, Apis mellifera, is found. The Himalayan kingdom of Nepal, geographically occupying just a tiny portion of the globe, boasts of having five honey bee species, giving strong evidence on Nepal's bio-diversity richness. Four of them are native inhabitants.
Bees are now being used as the indicator of the environmental health of a given place. Population of this hard working insects thrives in the areas where the environmental condition is sound. More density and frequency of bees means a particular area is free from pollution.

The impressive wealth of bio-diversity has been one of the factors of pulling tourists in this country. Bee as part of the bio-diversity has good potential of attracting visitors. For example, Malaysia has tapped this potential successfully. This Southeast Asian country regularly holds honey-hunting festivals which draws thousands of tourists. Tourists will not come to see the hybrid bees reared in modern hives. So, in order to make the bees sweet holiday experience for the visitors, a return to nature is a must.

When Eric Valli produced the famous documentary 'Honey Hunters of Nepal' in 1988, the world came to know that this Himalayan Kingdom had the richest honeybees in the world. One of the high altitude honey hunters sweating and struggling to carry a single honeycomb was an illustrating image. What Valli did could provide a good leverage for promoting bee tourism in Nepal. But little has been done in this direction. As the Destination Nepal Campaign is round the corner, it is right time concerned people make efforts to explore the possibility of tapping the native honeybees for tourism promotion. Eric Valli's works may still help.

A blind approach to development may bring adverse consequences. With road projects come the blasts of dynamites. Intensive cash crop system makes use of toxic chemicals. This all means reaping short term benefits at the cost of long term disasters. People in the villages are now wondering why the nice chirping swallows that used to make mud nests in their houses, have vanished. Why has the number of jungle beehives decreased? The unprecedented clearing of the green cover, use of toxic substances and promotion of hybrid bees for commercial rearing have increased the misery of the local species.

The government and non-government agencies helping the communities are talking about honey export by keeping the Apis mellifera, the alien bee. They are overlooking the fact that good environment is sweeter than honey. There are domesticable local bee species that do good to the ecology and the poor farmers. Rearing them does not require modern technology and big investment. Poor farmers can keep them in a simple hollow log and reap the sweet benefit. They can best adapt in the local conditions and contribute in crop fertilisation. The imported hybrid bees not only bring new diseases but cannot endure the harsh local weather conditions.

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is working with mountain farmers to promote native beekeeping. While experiments to keep Apis mellifera has failed, a switch to the indigenous hive bees has worked well. Presently, the agency is working with 130 farmer groups in three western mountain districts. 72 groups are of women only.

"The kind of beekeeping we are promoting is conservation focussed, not honey focussed", says an ICIMOD official.