What is this jamboree all about? These talks about climate change and a whole lot of heads of states descending at Copenhagen, the innocent me is star struck. What a bloody congregation, nothing like this has ever been seen for something so unfathomable. You see, if the temperature of our planet rises by just two degrees, we are doomed. It is all about gas – yes emissions and ways and means to reduce them. There are a whole lot of very committed young men and women out there fighting the Danish police every time there is a press photographer around. And then they sit around and drink coffee till they spot another blighter with a camera, and the routine is carried out solemnly. The police throw them around, and they try to push the cops back – a hugely committed lot I must say! These are the green terrorists. They think that the planet is going to seed because of the callousness of us all. They have a point, but I see a larger reason behind these ferocious and sometimes not so loud demonstrations that have been going on outside the venue of the talks.
Inside the venue, people are walking around very purposefully and seem all business till one finds that very little is being actually achieved. The ones that matter like the representatives of the developed and the BASIC countries are the first to admit that the talks are still at a very nascent stage. But the crowds of people inside the venue seem to be so purposeful and busy as if the burden of humanity has fallen on their frail shoulders. This sure is some gathering!!!!
I am not a skeptic by nature. I like new ideas and people with a mission. But the Copenhagen summit looks like one big carnival with little purpose. Do they really care about the planet? Most of the dignitaries including Prince Charles, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Obama and others have flown in on a chartered flight – a personal plane. How much were the emissions per person- carbon footprint? Copenhagen as of now must be the most overcrowded polluted city in the whole of Europe. And they are talking about climate change.
The Americans have very magnanimously put forward a sum of 100 billion dollars by 2020 for the developing countries as their contribution towards climate change. Magnanimous – is it not? India is saying that they will sign the agreement if they double the amount. Ridiculous! Why is the US so eager for the climate talks to fructify? Are they really keen on this? Do they really believe in the theory that this planet is in peril? To me it seems more about economics than about any real concern for the environment. If we know anything about the Americans it is that they will invest in anything only if it benefits them. Why are they so keen on a legally binding treaty? And why are countries like India and China not too eager to commit themselves? The Americans want to trap the developing and the least developed countries, especially those that have abundant natural resources. What kind of a trap is this? Well, once the developing and the least developed countries commit themselves on legally binding emission norms then they will have to ensure that they follow that in letter and in spirit. They will then be made to import western ‘green technology’ that will reduce the emissions to the levels that they have promised. That includes nuclear power plants and technology to reduce emissions in thermal power plants, and solar technology and others that they shall insist these countries import. So what they are putting forward as monetary compensation will all go back to the west in the form of imports that will be incumbent on these countries to ‘reduce emissions’. Obama is not a fool to bring hundreds of his top bureaucrats and officials to Copenhagen for nothing. John Kerry and many other Senators make up the American entourage. The west is not ready to put a cap on their emissions and even if Obama did sign a ‘Copenhagen declaration’ he may not be able to get it ratified in the Senate. The Kyoto protocol was set aside and was never accepted by the lawmakers on the Capitol Hill. So why is Obama so keen on a Copenhagen pact? He is hedging his bets, that if they can get the developing nations to sign on a legally binding emissions cut, he would then be able to sell the deal back home. That is why there is so much pressure on countries like India, China, Brazil and South Africa. The Chinese played a smart move when they ensured that the African countries withdraw from the talks en masse. The Chinese have leverage with the Africans as they are the largest investors in Africa. This was the Chinese way of putting the pressure back on the west. The crowds jostling with the police outside the venue are also a pressure building tactics on the part of the western nations to make sure the developing countries fall in line.
India has been trying to play the role of a mediator between the western countries and China while making sure its own interest is not jeopardized. In that the interests of the BASIC countries are closely linked and India is on the same page as China. Yet India would not be totally averse to an agreement at Copenhagen. For one, India really believes that the right way forward is the green way. The other more compelling reason is that India believes that it will benefit from this agreement as India has some very useful green technology in companies like Suzlon who are in a big way into solar and wind energy and could benefit from these international norms. India also has the expertise of making small nuclear power plants that can be useful for some of the smaller underdeveloped and least developed countries. So, India sees itself not totally out of sync with what the west is aiming at. Most of these least developed countries and some of the small island nations that have tourism as their main source of income can also afford some of these green technologies that should be useful for them and which India can provide. Other least developed countries have natural resources that the west and the developing world could use. At Copenhagen what all countries are looking at is; what they are giving and what they will benefit. Can we say that they have anything to do with climate change? Copenhagen is more about economics than any real concern for the planet. Obama and the Europeans hope to be able to steam roll over all those who are resisting the west’s agenda. Manmohan Singh was not too keen to go to Copenhagen, but he was almost dragged from Delhi on a flight to Copenhagen. The Danish prime minister taking over as the head of the Summit showed as to which way the winds were blowing.
The world is decisively moving towards greener future. The only caveat is that what these big monoliths are doing should also percolate down to the ground. Basic things like the use of plastic bottles for soft drinks and mineral water must be banned. These are non-biodegradable and a big burden on the ecology. This should not be too difficult. Planting more trees must be a way of life. Use of cars and trucks must be curtailed and mass transport must be encouraged. Cities must be planned in such a way so as to facilitate this lifestyle. Solar and wind power must be harnessed. Planes must adhere to strict emission norms. Ships must have wastage recycle system so that they do not dump everything into the sea. Sea lanes are becoming more and more congested and in these areas there are hardly any fish left and the marine life is endangered. Off shore drilling must be done in such a way that marine life is not affected. If we are really serious about saving this planet we must learn to conserve energy and resources so as to reuse what we are using. Ecological awareness should be a way of life. Copenhagen is not about climate change – it is more about economics. And at the end of the day, I am not sure the agreements that these leaders take back home will be ratified by their respective parliaments and law makers. Copenhagen is about lobbyists jostling against one another, and I am not even mentioning East Anglia.
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