God has blessed us with an amazingly beautiful earth; it is alive, poignant, reproductive, and generous. In nature, we observe dynamism in living things, contrasted with the static state of the vast majority of that which is man-made. We can find an objective basis for sustenance in nature, with the infinite bounties to navigate our way through life.
Nature’s Geo ecosystem is an amazing management apparatus that makes life bloom and move on the earth. Its major component, water is undoubtedly the single most precious gift of nature to mankind. Water is indispensable for the global ecosystem to function. All life and its tangential activities would come to halt without water. All living organisms have water as the dominant component in their bodies. A normal healthy human body is around 60% water. Water is the dominant structural component of the human brain as well as the heart. Water is fundamental to life. It is difficult even to imagine a form of life that might exist without water.
Water is of paramount importance for agricultural, industrial, and manufacturing processes, hydroelectric power generation, waste assimilation, recreation and nutrition of wildlife, etc in addition to our life sustenance and hygiene. On the surface of the earth, nature has provided huge stores of water in the form of oceans, seas, glaciers, freshwater bodies, rivers, wells, lakes, etc.
Of the total earth’s surface, water occupies about 71.00 percent, while landmass accounts for only about 29.00 percent of the area. Out of the total water cover, about 97.00 percent is seawater, while only 3.00 percent is freshwater fit for human consumption. About three-quarters of this freshwater is stored in glaciers while a minuscule portion comes from lakes, ponds, rivers groundwater, etc. Therefore, glacier ice is the largest reservoir of the freshwater required for the sustenance of life on the planet.
Glaciers supply freshwater that supports human communities across the countries. Glaciers are keystones of Life on Earth. As giant freshwater reservoirs, they support the planet’s life systems and influence our day-to-day lives, even for communities who live far away from them.
Besides, these white ice masses prevent the earth from overheating. Two primary polar ice sheets of the planet protect us from the worst effects of global warming.
A glacier is a giant, perennial accumulation of enormous lumps of crystalline ice, snow, rock, and sediment. Over multiple decades the recurring accumulation of snow results in large masses of it metamorphosing into huge glaciers. Rising temperatures cause mountain glaciers to melt and water runs downhill away from the glacier into the human habitats. Changing temperatures and seasons maintain the water supply around the year and, as the mean annual temperatures over the glaciers are close to the freezing point, winter precipitation produces further accumulations of snow to replenish the spent amount and the cycle has been going on since the time life progressed on earth. Moreover, in normal circumstances the temperatures patterns throughout the year do not result in the complete loss of the previous winter’s snow accumulation hence glaciers keep on getting consolidated year after year.
Glaciers act as gigantic resvoirs of water that persist through summer. Continual melt from glaciers contributes water to the ecosystem throughout dry months, creating perennial stream habitat and a water source for plants and animals. The cold runoff from glaciers also affects downstream water temperatures.
Unfortunately, these enormous treasures of nature are threatened by the rise in global temperatures due to human activity and are retreating at an alarming speed. Furthermore, due to adverse global climate glaciers aren’t being replenished at their usual rates, hence suffering the loss in terms of shape mass, and area. Where glaciers are melting into the ocean, they contribute to sea-level rise. The phenomenon affects the water cycle for regions impacting our water supply. Human activities are at the root of this phenomenon. Specifically, since the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions have raised temperatures, even higher in the poles, and as a result, glaciers are rapidly melting, draining off into the sea, and retreating on land.
The degradation of the environment on earth has been going on since the advent of the industrial revolution but its impact has been felt on a far greater scale during the past century. The ever-increasing reliance on fossil fuels and the resultant greenhouse effect has increased global warming to the extent that the whole ecosystem is being disrupted. Rapid industrialization, increased population, and advanced anthropogenic activities cause the global temperature to rise at a rate that polar ice masses cannot resist. These activities influence all forms of snow deposits, causing them to melt faster than ever. According to a survey, the global mass of glacier ice has decreased significantly in the last 50 years and currently amounts to 335 billion tons of lost ice each year. This corresponds to an increase in sea levels of almost 1 millimeter per year. Studies predict that glaciers could disappear from almost half of world heritage sites by 2100 if business-as-usual emissions continue.
Shrinking glaciers would inevitably mean lesser fresh water. If the recession of glaciers continues unchecked, mankind’s biggest disaster, the water shortage will hit us. That is why it is said that future wars would be fought for water. Turning a casual eye to the problem is like trying to swim against a riptide.
It is critically important to shift from energy produced by fossil fuels to clean energy sources such as wind and solar energy. We must come out of the wishful perception of the inexhaustibleness of natural resources and bounties, and refresh the environment that makes it possible to preserve these treasures both for the life in each of us and for those that come after us. Rebuilding them is beyond human scope. Loud War cries and gun fire from supersonic jets across many regions in the world may have muffled the alarm bells from the nature for now, but the threat looms large in front of us signaling very hazardous consequences.
