"Fear?" I hear you, the reader say with incredulity.
"Why fear? we think it is greed and self interest, not fear" You add.
However, I will stick to my guns - I will maintain that it is a climate of fear that is dictating the stalemate that has already happened after a mere 6 days of the Copenhagen climate change meet.
Why fear? Fear of what?
The oldest fear of "I'm willing to take specific action, but I'm afraid that others might not - therefore I will wait till everyone else agrees BEFORE taking any action"
You see what is happening?
The desire to take any action has been superseded by the desire to forge a consensus.
At this global summit nations should have been openly bringing out what they are doing or about to do to control climate change. They should be discussing the challenges that they are facing, political, financial, technological - all sorts of challenges. And therefore, this forum should be working towards creating a policy to help remove those challenges so that everyone can collaborate to a large extent.
Instead, another United Nations has been created with every nation having veto power.
Instead, all nations are rigidly arguing for the perceived interest of their people.
Forgetting that all citizens are facing this common threat, that no one is benefited by fine oratory, by political maneuvers that only increase the global gridlock.
Forgetting that the people that they claim to represent are willing to cooperate, willing to make changes, willing to make sacrifices.
Forgetting that the people sent them there for action - not for more talk.
So our global leaders are scared that they might make some stupid commitment that might cause them to loose power or the very fine administrative post that they hold.
Its OK to lose the world, but its not OK to lose power.
After all, the world is an intangible asset, whereas their positions of power are very very real.
I believe in simplicity.
I believe in the power of doing rather than talking.
I believe that if one or two brave leaders stand up and make specific, unilateral declarations, then it will act as a trigger for others to relinquish their hardened, narrow, self serving stands.
I believe that if some leaders put their mother earth above their nation, and far far above their own personal aspirations, the whole world will follow suit.
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"mother earth above their nation" - You are expecting people to be selfless. Standard hierarchy of selfishness is (self actualized people excluded):
ReplyDeleteSelf
Family
Extended family/Friends
Country
Mother earth.
Add considerations like religion and money and it gets more complex but mother earth stays put at the bottom. You are expecting a change in fundamental human behaviour. It is going to be very difficult if not impossible. Might take few generations. Few environmental catastrophes might help though.
My point is not a bleeding heart "please be good to mother earth" point.
ReplyDeleteMy point is that:
-By and large, citizens all over the world have got used to the idea that some changes, some sacrifices and some expenses will have to be made in the name of climate change
-However, instead of capitalising of this opportunity and initiating firm action, our representatives, elected or otherwise, are playing footsie and wanting to protect their positions, prestige, jobs, whatever
-What is even more galling is that all this is being done in our name
Maybe game theory helps ...
ReplyDeleteThe blogger is more positive in this blog rather than in his earlier blog.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with his opinion. REAL LEADERS have not looked for what others would or should do, but stressed on what they can do. The countries (political leaders) should voluntarily take a stand for actions (reductions) in their territories and make way for colective efforts rather than proposing to monitor (police) other nations' actions.
Protocols like Kyoto did not go far away yet we have a success story in CBD (Convention on Biodiversity).
Putting mother earth before self or a nation is too difficult. Even a nation (nationals) does not think Mother Earth as their "mother". Otherwsie why would they kill the soil and environment with pollutants and pesticides even today and have bigger plans to pollute it for coming days and years with higher targets of pesticides, herbicides, weedicides and synthetic fertilizers!
I admire Anupam's mission to heal the earth. I hope Anupam does not use chemicals that will cause allergy to Mother Earth!
Mohan