KHAIRPUR:
Since 2005, a rather peculiar skin disease, called ulcerative dermatitis, has been killing dolphins worldwide. According to Science Alert, concrete evidence regarding the disease was first observed in the US — where about 40 bottlenose dolphins were inflicted in the New Orleans area following Hurricane Katrina — and then Australia. Now, 15 years later, researchers have finally discovered its cause: climate change.
The rise in global temperatures and frequently occurring natural disasters such as hurricanes have caused the salinity in the water to decrease. As a result dolphins develop patchy, raised lesions over their bodies that sometimes cover more than 70% of their skin causing fungus and bacteria to colonise it. This condition, also called “freshwater skin disease”, sucks all the vital nutrients from the dolphin’s body, eventually leading to organ failure and then rapid death. With the effects of global warming exacerbating every year, more and more dolphins are at risk. The danger of such sudden deluge events is that they are adversely affecting marine life in particular and the global ecosystem in general. The rise in water temperature will have serious implications on the natural habitat of marine animals, with pollution aggravating the problem even more.
The issue of global warming can no longer be taken lightly since we are looking at our own extinction. Winning the war against it would entail serious global and collective effort. Individually, Pakistan must take proactive measure to mitigate the effects of global warming by switching to green and clean energy.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2020.
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