Compensation for climate change victims
Friday, 7 December 2007
THE UN-sponsored global conference on climate at Bali in Indonesia has riveted the attention of anxious people round the world. The conference could not have come sooner. A specialised technical body of the UN has recently divulged the information that mankind is now very close to a climatic disaster on a global scale from the failure to act in time. The UN Secretary General issued a call to world leaders sometime back to drive home this urgency. He underlined how serious the dangers are and the indispensability of taking actions against climate change without wasting precious time. The Secretary General's deep worry is shared overwhelmingly by the scientific community including especially environmentalists and climatologists.
Thus, the Bali conference is taking place in the shadow of such grave dangers looming over mankind. Those participating in it have the briefs of their respective governments to pursue in this critical meeting. But they and their governments must not forget that unless they act now, the worldwide environmental doomsday would become a reality. It would be wrong to think that poor and developing countries of Asia and Africa mainly would bear the brunt of climatic changes and consequences thereof such as sea level rise, submersion of low lying areas and displacement of people in coastal areas. Uncontrolled emission of greenhouse gases would not also spare the developed nations of the North, disrupting predictable patterns of the weather inflicting irreversible damage to agriculture, fisheries, health and biodiversity.
However, the Bali conference cannot be considered as having kicked off with an inspirational note. The main expectation was that the United States of America, the single biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, would commit itself to endorse the last signed Kyoto protocol on reduction of greenhouse gases or at least give indication that it would do so at an early date. But the US delegation has outright ruled out any possibility of its adhering to the Kyoto protocol. Among the big polluters, only China remains outside the protocol. But China's argument is that the industrialised countries, particularly the US, which have been the greatest offender, should show proofs of adhering to the protocol scrupulously or become a party to it. It is alleged that some of the developed countries which signed the Kyoto protocol to reduce emission of greenhouse gases by 2008-12 to a level below 5 per cent of the levels discharged in 1990, are yet to meet their national reduction targets. And the US is free to go on polluting as it is not bound by any treaty.
Therefore, it would be logical for those observing the Kyoto treaty to apply collective pressure on all to respect their commitments under the treaty. The developed countries that adopted the Kyoto protocol should persuade the US government diplomatically so that it may come under the treaty's umbrella immediately or to at least conform to its guidelines on emission reduction, provisionally, until it becomes a signatory to it.
Meanwhile, emphasis must be put also on devising an appropriate international response to the needs of the poorest countries that are already seen to be suffering from the consequences of climate change. A global fund must be drawn up to help the affected countries. Considering its population size and as one of the worst to be affected by climate change, Bangladesh should be especially compensated from such a fund. Not only the affected countries are to be helped with money, they should also be given supports to build infrastructures and enhance technical capacities to cope with climate change.
Thus, the Bali conference is taking place in the shadow of such grave dangers looming over mankind. Those participating in it have the briefs of their respective governments to pursue in this critical meeting. But they and their governments must not forget that unless they act now, the worldwide environmental doomsday would become a reality. It would be wrong to think that poor and developing countries of Asia and Africa mainly would bear the brunt of climatic changes and consequences thereof such as sea level rise, submersion of low lying areas and displacement of people in coastal areas. Uncontrolled emission of greenhouse gases would not also spare the developed nations of the North, disrupting predictable patterns of the weather inflicting irreversible damage to agriculture, fisheries, health and biodiversity.
However, the Bali conference cannot be considered as having kicked off with an inspirational note. The main expectation was that the United States of America, the single biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, would commit itself to endorse the last signed Kyoto protocol on reduction of greenhouse gases or at least give indication that it would do so at an early date. But the US delegation has outright ruled out any possibility of its adhering to the Kyoto protocol. Among the big polluters, only China remains outside the protocol. But China's argument is that the industrialised countries, particularly the US, which have been the greatest offender, should show proofs of adhering to the protocol scrupulously or become a party to it. It is alleged that some of the developed countries which signed the Kyoto protocol to reduce emission of greenhouse gases by 2008-12 to a level below 5 per cent of the levels discharged in 1990, are yet to meet their national reduction targets. And the US is free to go on polluting as it is not bound by any treaty.
Therefore, it would be logical for those observing the Kyoto treaty to apply collective pressure on all to respect their commitments under the treaty. The developed countries that adopted the Kyoto protocol should persuade the US government diplomatically so that it may come under the treaty's umbrella immediately or to at least conform to its guidelines on emission reduction, provisionally, until it becomes a signatory to it.
Meanwhile, emphasis must be put also on devising an appropriate international response to the needs of the poorest countries that are already seen to be suffering from the consequences of climate change. A global fund must be drawn up to help the affected countries. Considering its population size and as one of the worst to be affected by climate change, Bangladesh should be especially compensated from such a fund. Not only the affected countries are to be helped with money, they should also be given supports to build infrastructures and enhance technical capacities to cope with climate change.