From warmth to heat to pain to...

Humankind has lived in the lap of nature for millennia. Mother Earth and its environment served as the cradle in which we evolved and grew. The planet nurtured us.

The relationship remained warm till man started exploiting natural resources without caring for the consequences.

The Industrial Revolution in the western world triggered reckless use of fossil fuels. It has been the norm for decades now.

The planet and its environment were dealt deathly blows by us in our pursuit of unsustainable growth that we prefer to describe as development.

The warm relationship is now marked by heat, anger and pain. Both sides are suffering. Our activities have led to recurrence of natural disasters. Heatwaves are one of the silent killers attacking our environment, health, economy, agriculture et al. No country has been spared. No domain has been left unhurt.

Your Epaper servedplanet.com is focusing on this matter of concern in its second issue (May 1-15, 2023). All our reports and analyses discuss one or the other aspect of heatwaves.

April 2023 has been the worst April in decades if it comes to the heating of the earth. Over a dozen countries in Asia, including some relatively cooler climes in Central Asia, have witnessed the mercury crossing record levels. As I pen this piece, reports of heatwaves hitting Spain and Portugal, in Europe, are making it to the media.   

The world is pained. Sensible minds are concerned over the lack of coordinated and concerted efforts by countries and governments to tackle the root cause of heatwaves.

Economists have predicted losses running into trillions of dollars by 2050. That may seem far away. But there is a strong school of thought that the process of mankind’s extinction may begin much earlier if global temperature levels are not reined in within a few years. We are already facing lethal pandemics.       

Time to pay heed to heat!

Basant Chaudhary

Publisher