A disturbing but necessary warning has emerged from The Lancet. There is a growing link between cancer, climate change, fossil fuels and war which is no longer speculative but real, measurable and accelerating.

Environmental degradation was once considered a separate crisis but now it is deeply interconnected with public health and geopolitical conflict. This dangerous triangle is threatening both present and future generations.

This global concern is not distant and abstract. Its consequences are unfolding in India. In ecologically fragile Kashmir this appears more sharp.

Till now climate change framework was seen  glaciers melting, temperatures rising, and extreme weather events becoming frequent. Although this is critical but the discourse has now shifted toward a more immediate and personal dimension - human health, particularly cancer risk.

Scientific evidence increasingly shows that fossil fuel–based pollution releases carcinogenic compounds that directly damage human DNA. These pollutants which are emitted in the form of PM10, PM2.5, SPM, benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are potent triggers of long-term disease apart from environmental irritants. Rising temperatures being experienced  in Delhi now further intensify chemical reactions in the atmosphere which worsens air quality and increases  exposure risks.

But the Lancet goes a step further. It highlights a critical gap in global conversation and that is the lack of focus on accountability. Climate change is not an accidental phenomenon. It is driven by systems of economic, political and industrial considerations. This scenario continues to prioritize fossil fuel consumption and resource control.

The west Asia conflict is adding fuel to the fire and its role is quite alarming. The bombing of oil depots, burning of fuel reserves and destruction of industrial infrastructure release massive amounts of toxic substances into the air, soil and water in all these fossil fuel rich regions.

Reports of black rain is a documented reality. It carries carcinogens........

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