During the recent past, destruction brought about to the local environment has caused immense loss in the form of global warming due to emissions of carbon dioxide and such other toxic gases which lead to harmful side effects. The green houses gases are playing havoc with the life of human beings and other species.
The extreme weather patterns such as hurricanes, floods, droughts etc in recent decades may be partly be the result of green-house gases accumulating in the atmosphere. On the other hand changed lifestyles and the use of harmful gases are causing depletion of ozone layer. Global warming leading to raise in sea levels threat the existence of many islands as well as some densely populated low-lying countries such as Bangladesh where floods are a recurring phenomenon every year.
The over exploitation of natural resources, degradation of land and soil because of export crops, other unrecognized environmental damage and pollution caused by extraction and production processes, loss of biodiversity, contamination of the atmosphere and oceans, introduction of toxic chemicals and the dumping of hazardous waste in the seas, rivers and lakes are the cause for highest concern which calls for swift action.
The exploitative policies of west now seem to be recoiling and haunting the rich countries too in the form of global warming or what might be called planetary ecological rift. While it is varied in its results in specific regions it has resulted in ecological degradation on an unprecedented scale and area. It threatens to undermine all existing ecosystems and species. In fact the very existence of life on this planet is threatened. The atmosphere and oceans have been made the places to release undesirable poisonous gases and the dumping ground for toxic wastes.
Use of fossil fuel above a set rate accumulates a carbon debt making a disproportionate use of environmental space on the globe. It is assessed that way back in 1996 approx 7 billion metric tons of carbon were released into the atmosphere more than 50% of it by US and Europe, a massively disproportionate share. The most stunning fact is that current carbon emissions exceed the amount that environment can absorb. The Inter- Governmental Panel on Climate Change has estimated that at least 60% reduction in carbon emissions from 1990 levels is necessary to stabilize or reduce the risk of further change.