Global warming woes
Global warming has increased in recent years due to human activities, especially greenhouse gas emissions. According to NOAA, 2023 was the warmest year on record. The summer of 2023 was the warmest in the Northern Hemisphere in the past 2,000 years. Scientists say 2024 could be even warmer due to the effects of human-caused climate change and El Niño weather patterns. In 2023, global surface temperatures were more than 1.2°C higher than the pre-industrial average (1850–1900), and by 2024, there were increasing heat waves affecting ecosystems worldwide. This trend is reflected in the 2024 data, where sea surface temperatures remained elevated under the influence of ongoing El Niño conditions. Moreover, the cryosphere has been significantly affected. In 2023, Antarctic sea ice extent reached a record high, while Arctic sea ice extent was well below average. The Greenland ice sheet and the world’s glaciers are also experiencing unprecedented levels of melting, contributing to rising sea levels. Studies have shown that the Northern Hemisphere has already exceeded the 1.5-degree Celsius warming limit set by the Paris Agreement in 2015. Researchers are concerned that 2024 could break records for higher temperatures, especially due to recent extreme temperatures in Asia. These trends highlight the urgent need for mitigation measures to address climate change and its impacts. Continued greenhouse gas emissions are likely to cause global warming, with profound consequences for the planet’s ecosystems and human society.
Himadri Dutta
Gauhati University
Appeasement policy
Appeasement has become a very frequently used term in today’s national politics, both by the ruling and opposition parties, which was rather unfamiliar to us in the past. The word 'appeasement' means to me, with my limited knowledge, undue favour shown to someone.
Even in international politics, the policy of appeasement is followed by politicians to woo voters of a particular community, who dominate the voting pattern, to be in power. In this regard, I beg to quote the name of a nation named Canada, once a friendly nation of India. The only difference between the appeasement followed by India and Canada is that in India, the said policy is practiced by the opposition to woo voters of a particular religious community even at the cost of the nation's integrity and security, and in Canada, it is followed by the ruling party to be in power even at the cost of its relationship with a friendly nation.
Let us wait and see who is the ultimate winner.
Lanu Chowdhury,
Guwahati.
Snatching incidents and police
Not a day passes without the media reporting snatching incidents in Guwahati city and in other parts of the state. Though such crimes are apparently increasing, the citizens are not getting the desired help and support from the police.
Recently, a lady in the Lachit Nagar area became a victim of snatching during her early morning walk. When she approached the jurisdictional police station to lodge an FIR, the police refused to register it as a snatching incident and made her re-draft the complaint as a lost case of mobile and cash. This had diluted the gravity of the incident, as the police would not investigate the case with the seriousness it merited. The hapless lady, in order to get a copy of the police complaint, which is mandatory to get her lost mobile SIM replaced by her telecom operator, reluctantly obliged.
Her version was corroborated by a colleague of mine whose distant relative also faced similar resistance in another police station in the city.
As a result of the refusal by police to register snatching incidents as such, the incidents will continue unabated as police will not be required to nab the criminals, and the criminals will get emboldened further to commit such crimes with impunity. The key to tackling or preventing any crime is first to acknowledge its existence and support the citizens in their hour of distress. I request the government implement online filing of FIRs by citizens and direct all police stations to register snatching incidents to curb the menace.
Rajib Sarma,
Guwahati