Ministers: if you could stop your mind from changing, the youth would stop the climate changing!
While the world is grappling with meeting immediate concerns of mitigating the climate era around us the diplomats are dilly dallying their decisions every minute. How much longer are to wait for justice to arrive from the lawmakers? We have numerous examples of development models around us. When the western society wanted to become the leaders of the world, they really had no predecessors. We came up with the model of industrialization of the world. Little did we know that mechanizing our lifestyles would have its far reaching effects which we notice only today. Of course, there are no second thoughts about the fact that we innovated a lot to get to what we are. But, the vital question is, are we going to use our intelligence to get ourselves out of the rut we are in?
The Indian environment minister seems to never make up his mind on what is his stance about the subject. One day we have him say that “forget Bangladesh, forget Maldives”… “India is the most vulnerable country”…. because of the combination of 5 points:
• Dependency on monsoons
• Mean sea level rise
• Deforestation
• Submerging forests
• MELTING OF HIMALAYAN GLACIERS!
We have just read in the media now that the Geological Survey of India has published a report which doubts melting of the Himalayas are because of human induced activity! This apparently seeks endorsement of the environment minister again. A few days back we have a leaked letter from the environment ministry to the PMO which asked for an official change in the stance of the Indian government mandating voluntary emission cuts. And now a government undertakes research which wants to voice out natural melting of the Himalayas. The leader of the opposition demands a debate on the floor of the parliament about the matter, which is yet to see the light of the day yet!
What is the point of fighting all our way to the Copenhagen to get a deal at an international conference, which has barely been debated with the entire cabinet? As we know that the commitments made at the conference are modified later on the home ground which ultimately is a compromise we are up for?
On the other hand we have the Chinese government, who were very clear in the last decade that all they wanted was to uplift their society out of poverty. They were aware of the environmental hazards but their priority was to get a large part of the society out of the poverty – which they have been able to do quite well. Now they seem to realign their priorities to achieve sustainable modes of development. But the Indian government is yet to make up it mind whether they want to uplift their agenda of poverty elimination or move marrying the idea of development along with eliminating poverty!
I would want t reiterate that the youth movement which has uplifted spirits in this entire situation of negotiations are congregated in large numbers in Copenhagen and we are in for making our own movement a success. We do not have to wait for diplomacy to take concrete shape in the form of a climate deal. Historical revolutions have been possible without the participation of diplomacy and this should be no exception either!
