"The earth has changed...I can feel it in the earth, I can taste it in the water, I can smell it in the air. Much that once was; is now lost…" Those immortal words of J.R.R. Tolkien written over half a century ago, is more relevant to the earth these days than when he was alive.

The earth faces extinction. For centuries man ravished the bounty of the earth without a thought to continuity or sustainability. In recent times, these rapacious activities escalated with the collective forces of greed, corruption and manipulation wreaking havoc with the fragile balance of nature.

It is payback time. We are teetering on the brink of a massive disaster whose chief visible signs can be read in the tangible and dangerous changes to climate stability. If we are to be able to stem our rush down a dusty road to doom, then, collectively, as global citizens, we must be prepared to make reciprocal and equally sweeping changes to our lives, lifestyles and ways of doing business.

What exactly is the problem? How to we plan a counter-strategy? What do we need to do? Where do we need to go?

The questions put the problem in a nutshell. Our lack of knowledge of the extent of the problem and how dramatically and dangerously it can affect our lives is perhaps the key reason why so little is being done by so few. It is time that those who are aware of the issues to act – fast, and create similar awareness and appreciation amongst the generally and specifically ignorant.

Regardless of who or what caused the problem, its universal impact implies that both those who are responsible and those who will be most affected should join hands in mitigating it. In order to do so, it is imperative that citizens have a clear understanding of the entire problem, its base causes and its outcomes. Citizens of the world should also understand that this is a disaster that was created by the people, with the people, for the people and that the solution will have to come in precicely that order.