The news of the disappearance of a river in Canada in just four days has been readily attributed to the impact of global warming. The report appeared in the latest issue of the Nature Geo-science journal. Some scientists believe the incident occurred from May 26 to May 29 last year. Few have disputed its direct link to global warming. Rivers do not normally cease to exist in such a short time. In the case of the Arctic glacial melt-fed Slims River, the death was prompted by the diversion of the course of another river. After flowing for hundreds of years, the usual stream of the Slims encountered a great hazard; the river upstream that used to carry water for it from melted glaciers began bursting at the seams in late May last year. As a result it started releasing water into another river instead of the Slims.
As part of geological rule, this change in the upper river's course has left the Slims to get dried up. So massive was the impact of the dearth of water in the river that it took only four days for it to disappear altogether. The unanimous conclusion to the nature-drama was the rapid melting of glaciers and the following 'river piracy'. The whole episode was part of a domino effect of the catastrophic changes in the arctic ecology, coupled with polar melting.
These days, it's too simplistic to don a melancholic mien by saying that global warming is knocking at the door. In the last couple of decades, dozens of previously unthinkable natural occurrences have visited the earth. The sub-tropical countries are becoming used to the frequency of natural catastrophes. But the weird developments in the polar region appear as a distressing reality. Centuries-thick polar ice beds have changed colours from white to off-white, showing traces of earth. The crevices in mega glaciers keep widening, and the hitherto non-negotiable sea routes have lately allowed ships to pass through. Due to the melting of ice blocks, waters lying beneath have begun showing up. Early last week, the residents of Ferryland in Canada's Newfoundland encountered an awe-inspiring spectacle: a mega ice chunk floating near the shores of their town. Scientists have blamed global warming for the strange visitor in the shape of the breakaway iceberg.
These are but a few isolated instances pointing to worldwide global warming. In the last few decades, the hitherto immune continents have experienced disasters common in the tropics. Dominant among them are hurricanes and floods in the regions on the shores of the Pacific and Atlantic. Hurricane Katrina that devastated the Louisiana state in the USA in 2005 thus has been no different from those in the Southeast and South Asia. In terms of killer ferocity and damages to property, these catastrophes are similar in nature. The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami is considered a major precursor of the impacts spawned by global warming. It has killed 230,000 to 280,000 people in 14 countries along the Indian Ocean coasts from Asia to parts of Africa.
South Asia is viewed as a region most vulnerable to the impacts of global warming. The Himalayan ice covers have started disappearing. Bangladesh had a close shave during the onslaught of the tsunami. It may not be that lucky in the future. Moreover, the spectre of sea-level rise looms. Bangladesh can ill afford to bypass preparations to face this calamity. The nation has to cope effectively with this eventuality. Putting in the best of its efforts to get its due share of the climate change adaptation fund is hinged with its survival. At this juncture of the 21st century, it has to continue surviving as a fast-developing nation.
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