Climate Change: A reality check
What is Climate change about?
Is it about receding glaciers?
Is it about some numbers and percentages that countries are fighting about?
Is it about a broad ‘North versus South’ or ‘developed versus developing’ debate?
Is it about doomsday prediction or is it about negation and skepticism?
The Copenhagen summit has had at least had one achievement- it has put climate change in the public conscience- it has got the people talking.
However, it is also important to look at what people are talking about and asking the right questions. Does our stand adequately understand the vulnerabilities and are we doing enough to protect the vulnerable? More importantly, what are our efforts at reducing the impact of climate change on those whose lives and livelihoods are impacted? As we try and protect the need of our industries, how do we plan to articulate the concerns of the poor - those who are likely to lose their homes to floods and storms, those who are likely to face crop failure- are they represented in our initiatives on climate change? Whe we talk about 20-25 percent cuts, do we include them in our calculations? When we talk about our developmental aspirations, do we take them into account? If yes, what are the concrete indicators against which we measure the human development aspects of climate change?
As we prepare ourselves for a tough negotiation in Copenhagen let us also ask ourselves some tough questions and seek to answer them through a process that engages those who are impacted.
For more of such discussions visit http://www.csopartners.org.in/blog
-Ipsita Basu
Is it about receding glaciers?
Is it about some numbers and percentages that countries are fighting about?
Is it about a broad ‘North versus South’ or ‘developed versus developing’ debate?
Is it about doomsday prediction or is it about negation and skepticism?
The Copenhagen summit has had at least had one achievement- it has put climate change in the public conscience- it has got the people talking.
However, it is also important to look at what people are talking about and asking the right questions. Does our stand adequately understand the vulnerabilities and are we doing enough to protect the vulnerable? More importantly, what are our efforts at reducing the impact of climate change on those whose lives and livelihoods are impacted? As we try and protect the need of our industries, how do we plan to articulate the concerns of the poor - those who are likely to lose their homes to floods and storms, those who are likely to face crop failure- are they represented in our initiatives on climate change? Whe we talk about 20-25 percent cuts, do we include them in our calculations? When we talk about our developmental aspirations, do we take them into account? If yes, what are the concrete indicators against which we measure the human development aspects of climate change?
As we prepare ourselves for a tough negotiation in Copenhagen let us also ask ourselves some tough questions and seek to answer them through a process that engages those who are impacted.
For more of such discussions visit http://www.csopartners.org.in/blog
-Ipsita Basu
Tags: change, climate, copenhagen
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