BYE FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

The year 2024 also started with National Geographic magazine making the heartbreaking announcement that it will go off newsstands and said goodbye to all staff and avid lovers of the iconic magazine with yellow bordered cover page carrying wonderful photographs and insightful articles on environment.

“Like one of the endangered species whose impending extinction it has chronicled, National Geographic magazine has been on a relentlessly downward path, struggling for vibrancy in an increasingly unforgiving ecosystem”, Washington Post said in its obituary.

ELIXIRS OF LIFE IN DANGER

According to Annual Global Report 2023 published by National Centres for Environmental Information, last year was the warmest year since global records began in 1850 at 1.18°C (2.12°F) above the 20th century average of 13.9°C (57.0°F). This value is 0.15°C (0.27°F) more than the previous record set in 2016.

WWF Scientists say that if emissions continue to rise unchecked, the Arctic would be devoid of ice in couple of decades as ocean and air temperatures continue to rise rapidly. Erratic weather and disasters prefixed with ‘natural’ will become new normal globally.

“ Eighty-seven percent of lifeforms on this planet – microbes to worms, human beings, and all vegetation on the planet is sustained by an average of thirty-nine inches of topsoil and during the last forty years, forty percent of the world’s topsoil has been lost”, observes Sadhguru, the Mystic Guru and the proponent of the Conscious Planet movement to Save the  Soil. Sadhguru predicts that agriculture will become a history in 45 to 60 years, if we don’t act now. Not only losing the topsoil above but also suction of the inner fossil fuel and burning the atmosphere around will make the earth just a suffocating shell ready to crumble.

Necessary actions to fix the soil can take care of water which is another elixir for life. There are some global actions to control the pollution in the air for the later generations to enjoy some oxygen to breathe.  Based on the concept of Pancha Boodha, there are two more elements ‘fire’ and ‘space’ apart from the earth, air and water which collaborate to make the life happen. Fire requires oxygen as fuel and so depends on the quality of air. Space is the fabric on which the entire ‘tamasha’ happens.

DE-EXTINCTION TO EXTEND LIFE ?

If deteriorations go beyond certain level, it may not be possible to revive due to multiple feedback loops involved in the ecosystem as reported in a study by IIT Mumbai. The study published in Dec 2023 issue of Nature reveals that even though greening of India has increased over the last two decades, carbon uptake by forests has reduced due the impact of global warming. Will the unforgiving ecosystem make our earth history too? 

Once endangered, the murphy radio which I got hooked to during the childhood has reincarnated as FM radio on the move providing hundreds of jobs to radio jockeys and income to businesses. They play some music apart from dancing to the music of the market transforming poor listeners to rich consumers. Not to talk about radio jockeys becoming psychologists, coaches, sociologists, judges, and counsellors liberally letting out all possible advice when they run out of humor.

Evolutionary changes in technology and business ecosystem made the radio come out of its hibernation. What about other life forms? De-extinction is the process of resurrecting the extinct species.  Which species will de-extinct the homo sapiens?

UNIVERSAL HISTORY IN THE MAKING

Our universe has survived 13.8 billion years. “It will not be until 22 billion years before sun finishes its job and becomes a white dwarf or 10¹⁴  years before all stars fade or 10¹⁰⁰ years before the galactic-mass black holes too evaporate and the entire universe would be gone”, according to Richard Gott, professor of astrophysics at Princeton University. It will be a cause for concern only if we evolve into homo super sapiens and mange to exist in 22 billionth year.

Nature seems to have its own conscious agenda while homo sapiens have got into a growing consuming agenda. Ecologist and conscientious Tamil writer Nakeeran recollected an incident after watching the so called ‘naturalists’ assembling in front of the marina beach to raise “Save Nature” slogan and dismiss, but not before a press meet. A young local school kid watching the incident seems to have remarked “is it not that nature protects us, why these people want to protect nature?” The answer seems to be in the question which can raise further questions.

If we believe in the idea of multiverse, the existence of our universe is just a bubble on one of the branches of the multiverse. Super homo sapiens may find ways to diffuse from one verse to another before end of our epoch and universal history will be made. In the meantime, minimalist living can be the maxim for the current geography.