Global Warming is real !

I was thinking of writing this piece for over a month now. This is one of the take aways of my trip to Canada in the month of July'07.

The way global warming has been presented to the world is inappropriate if not incorrect. We know that global warming can result in:
1. Rise in sea level (Alexendria, Kolkata, Shanghai etc. will submerge) ... I could not imagine this and hence I did not relate!!!
2. Extreme weather conditions (flooding, drought, storms etc.). These were always there, I could not relate to the concept of increased frequency of such events.
3. Glaciers melting. Aren't glaciers meant to melt. Yes they are receding fast, who cares, its more land to live on. I could not relate to the idea of dried rivers, I don't think I will see that happening in my life time may be even my children may not see that.

All the communication about global warming and its impacts fell on deaf ears as far as I am concerned, and am sure such is the case with most of us. However, one trip to Canadian rockies changed all this. The scale of what I saw was unimaginable and the impact catastrophic. If what I saw and will talk about can ever be mended, it will take generations of human lives to happen.

Canadian rockies are full of pine tree (mainly 2 different types of pine). These pine trees cover almost 80% if not more of the Canadian rockies (source: my own estimate). Due to extreme cold weather for almost 8 to 9 months in a year, these trees have a very small growing season. Hence, some of the big trees that one sees there would be around 200 to 300 years old if not older. Infact, I saw some trees not even as tall as me (am a bit less than 6 ft) which would have been 100s of years old. So, here we were enjoying the lush green mountains while driving on the wide roads without realizing the altitude we gained with every mile. Suddenly all the green vanished!! It all turned into brown. It was brown all around, from where we were till the end of the world it was brown. You would think that the trees would have disappeared and thats why brown. NO!! The trees were brown. All of them infected by pine beetle. Every one in the cruiser (our car) was quiet for the next few hours. The OLD trees were dying, and there was no way to save them. In some years there would be no pine tree left. May be over time some other trees which are resistant to pine beetles may grow (IF), but thats an evolutionary process and may take centuries.

The government is trying its best to prevent this catastrophe but in vain. They try to cut down infected trees, burn them and do what not. But beetle is a beetle, they multiply like (rather unlike) anything. Pesticides cannot be used on such a large scale (we are talking about half of Canadian rockies). So, we just have to see these trees die and once a tree dies the beetles take the next and the next and the next and next.....

Now, what does global warming have to do with this. Pine beetles have been there in the rockies for years. However, in the past due to extreme cold, these beetles could not survive and the growing season for them was very small, so the impact wasn't spread. Now, with higher temperatures during the winters and relatively warmer conditions for a longer time, the growing season for the beetles has increased. So, they spread over miles every season thinning the forest year after year. I could even spot brown trees on some snowy peaks.

The problem of pine beetles may or may not have a cure, but we are sure to loose a great part of the rocky forests in the near future and with it will go many heavenly sceneries and places of this world. I feel lucky to have witnessed the beauty...dont know how long it will last. Ironically these are trees that will vanish, trees which are supposed to be our only protection against one of the most prominent green house gas i.e. Carbon di oxide.

This experience was indeed an eye opener for me as I could see something bad happening and there was a logical and scientific relation to the whole event. Global warming is real. It may or may not be due to human reasons, but we must make sure that we do not add to the already increasing problem.