CHPATER 02: Treading Dangerously on a Compromised Pathway
Chapter two presents the current scientific evidence and shows that we cannot afford to continue this fossil fuel dependent development process on earth. A 2°C emergency pathway is proposed to achieve at least a liveable world. But, international climate change negotiations are failing because they are not based on such foundations that offer equity, wellbeing and happiness of all. With all the hype and drama that is created over climate change, how realistic are we in our efforts to achieve this target?
(from pg 45) ..... "On the 17th October 2009, the President and Cabinet of Maldives physically went twenty feet undersea in an attempt to draw the world’s attention to their climate plight. The archipelago is believed to go under water by the end of the century due to the rising sea levels. The government of Maldives has made an open appeal to the international community to adopt their nation. Emergency calls have been made to countries as well. But, no global authority or nation has responded positively to this heart rendering call of a nation that fears an ultimate destitution of disappearing from the face of the earth. No human or animal would want to die without a struggle, and so would the Maldivians. "
(from pg 49) ..... "Climate change in the meantime may help my Swedish friends derive more happiness by the fact that it will help them have longer summers. In addition, Stockholm and their other beautiful cities be will be overjoyed by an arrival of a greater number of tourists, but it may be a fact that Swedish agriculture sector may prosper quite significantly as well. "
(from pg 50) ..... "While, I am happy for my Swedish friends who always encourage me to relax, my thoughts are also with my climate destitute friends in Bangladesh. In the year 2004, my planned visit to Bangladesh had to be postponed several times until the dangerous floods that hit the country eased off. After the floods were controlled, I visited Dhaka to conduct the ‘Asian Review on Sustainable Consumption’ and had the opportunity to witness the plight of millions of suffering people. I only had to look out from my hotel room window to see how people live in areas partly succumbing to water. It was just a matter of the flood to come and take away their belonging and lives."
(from pg 55) ..... "International climate change negotiations are failing because they are not based on such foundations that offer equity, wellbeing and happiness of all. These negotiations at the United Nations are designed as a process of bargaining led by short sighted political leadership and their representatives. It is a bargaining place for the managers of the prevailing erroneous global governance and economic system. UN negotiations are not places where the countries congregate with mutual trust or confidence. Each of them tries to bargain for their own best share rather than for the betterment of the planet. Therefore, these negotiations can hardly provide hope of a radical change in the approach or attitude towards creating a different system for a better world. If the international climate negotiations continue to fail in reaching an implementable agreement very soon, we would be allowing our global leadership to design for us an ultimate destiny to perish."
(from pg 56) ..... "The failures of our times can only provide news makers a grand opportunity to narrate stories of dramatic proportions. Natural disasters are now becoming major news business for commercially driven media which already thrives on the sufferings of a society, through war and violence. Reporting of events in a sense of cruelty seems to attract worldwide audiences, but falls short of creating the sensitivity required to act. International media are champions of investigating in detail the corruption and undemocratic governance in the South. They do not leave a single stone unturned when it comes to reporting the injustices in the developing countries. Yet, the same media demonstrates its own interpretations of events which sadly lacks the commitment to reveal the actual reasons for such natural calamity on earth."
(from pg 58) .... "People around the world also cannot continue to provide the media the numbers for animated news presentations. It is high time that they too stand-up and become significant on earth in the rightful and mindful ways. The need of the day is for human mindfulness to prevail. But it would be lying to say that we are close to prevailing in such mindfulness. It is also a lie that we are going to seal the deal on a climate agreement. The only deals prevailing are to keep the poor being poor, and make the rich become richer. The fact is that scientific evidence is now available on the need of an emergency 2°C pathway to prevent the emergence of an un-inhabitable world of us humans. The fact also is that the establishment has found a convenient exit point in the economic downturn to distract attention away from their climate responsibilities. The reality is that the climate negotiations are on a cat and mouse game for the developed and developing country groupings of the world. We need to wait and see who becomes the cat and who becomes the mouse, because the world order too is changing. Cat or mouse, climate change is a big reality and we must not allow stupidity to prevail on earth! ...."
Chapter two presents the current scientific evidence and shows that we cannot afford to continue this fossil fuel dependent development process on earth. A 2°C emergency pathway is proposed to achieve at least a liveable world. But, international climate change negotiations are failing because they are not based on such foundations that offer equity, wellbeing and happiness of all. With all the hype and drama that is created over climate change, how realistic are we in our efforts to achieve this target?
(from pg 45) ..... "On the 17th October 2009, the President and Cabinet of Maldives physically went twenty feet undersea in an attempt to draw the world’s attention to their climate plight. The archipelago is believed to go under water by the end of the century due to the rising sea levels. The government of Maldives has made an open appeal to the international community to adopt their nation. Emergency calls have been made to countries as well. But, no global authority or nation has responded positively to this heart rendering call of a nation that fears an ultimate destitution of disappearing from the face of the earth. No human or animal would want to die without a struggle, and so would the Maldivians. "
(from pg 49) ..... "Climate change in the meantime may help my Swedish friends derive more happiness by the fact that it will help them have longer summers. In addition, Stockholm and their other beautiful cities be will be overjoyed by an arrival of a greater number of tourists, but it may be a fact that Swedish agriculture sector may prosper quite significantly as well. "
(from pg 50) ..... "While, I am happy for my Swedish friends who always encourage me to relax, my thoughts are also with my climate destitute friends in Bangladesh. In the year 2004, my planned visit to Bangladesh had to be postponed several times until the dangerous floods that hit the country eased off. After the floods were controlled, I visited Dhaka to conduct the ‘Asian Review on Sustainable Consumption’ and had the opportunity to witness the plight of millions of suffering people. I only had to look out from my hotel room window to see how people live in areas partly succumbing to water. It was just a matter of the flood to come and take away their belonging and lives."
(from pg 55) ..... "International climate change negotiations are failing because they are not based on such foundations that offer equity, wellbeing and happiness of all. These negotiations at the United Nations are designed as a process of bargaining led by short sighted political leadership and their representatives. It is a bargaining place for the managers of the prevailing erroneous global governance and economic system. UN negotiations are not places where the countries congregate with mutual trust or confidence. Each of them tries to bargain for their own best share rather than for the betterment of the planet. Therefore, these negotiations can hardly provide hope of a radical change in the approach or attitude towards creating a different system for a better world. If the international climate negotiations continue to fail in reaching an implementable agreement very soon, we would be allowing our global leadership to design for us an ultimate destiny to perish."
(from pg 56) ..... "The failures of our times can only provide news makers a grand opportunity to narrate stories of dramatic proportions. Natural disasters are now becoming major news business for commercially driven media which already thrives on the sufferings of a society, through war and violence. Reporting of events in a sense of cruelty seems to attract worldwide audiences, but falls short of creating the sensitivity required to act. International media are champions of investigating in detail the corruption and undemocratic governance in the South. They do not leave a single stone unturned when it comes to reporting the injustices in the developing countries. Yet, the same media demonstrates its own interpretations of events which sadly lacks the commitment to reveal the actual reasons for such natural calamity on earth."
(from pg 58) .... "People around the world also cannot continue to provide the media the numbers for animated news presentations. It is high time that they too stand-up and become significant on earth in the rightful and mindful ways. The need of the day is for human mindfulness to prevail. But it would be lying to say that we are close to prevailing in such mindfulness. It is also a lie that we are going to seal the deal on a climate agreement. The only deals prevailing are to keep the poor being poor, and make the rich become richer. The fact is that scientific evidence is now available on the need of an emergency 2°C pathway to prevent the emergence of an un-inhabitable world of us humans. The fact also is that the establishment has found a convenient exit point in the economic downturn to distract attention away from their climate responsibilities. The reality is that the climate negotiations are on a cat and mouse game for the developed and developing country groupings of the world. We need to wait and see who becomes the cat and who becomes the mouse, because the world order too is changing. Cat or mouse, climate change is a big reality and we must not allow stupidity to prevail on earth! ...."
