Outcome of Copenhagen summit
Thursday, 24 December 2009
Gopal Sengupta
THE expected happened at Copenhagen. The so-called summit of hope turned out to be nothing more than a damp squib. The world leaders behaved as though they were bureaucrats haggling for a government tender. None of them seemed to realise the impending danger.
Let us pledge ourselves to save our planet. The much-trumpeted climate talks, which started with a bang, ended with a whimper. The governments of the world preferred economics and commerce to the survival of the planet. The money spent on the extravaganza could have been used meaningfully to alleviate the disaster caused by the changing climate patterns.
Presidents, Prime Ministers and a plethora of delegates could have stayed back in their countries and avoided going to Copenhagen spewing carbon dioxide from their planes. The two-week tamasha (fun game and blame game) was a cruel joke on posterity. And generations to come will not pardon the leaders for doing nothing to turn the climate clock back.
However, it is certainly a good beginning. The rich nations, at least now, accept that there is a change in the climate and that it may adversely affect human life which is why it is imperative to limit carbon emissions. This is the foundation on which, with greater understanding, cooperation and financial support, world leaders can build an everlasting solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
(The writer is based in Canada:
gopalsengupta@aol.com)
THE expected happened at Copenhagen. The so-called summit of hope turned out to be nothing more than a damp squib. The world leaders behaved as though they were bureaucrats haggling for a government tender. None of them seemed to realise the impending danger.
Let us pledge ourselves to save our planet. The much-trumpeted climate talks, which started with a bang, ended with a whimper. The governments of the world preferred economics and commerce to the survival of the planet. The money spent on the extravaganza could have been used meaningfully to alleviate the disaster caused by the changing climate patterns.
Presidents, Prime Ministers and a plethora of delegates could have stayed back in their countries and avoided going to Copenhagen spewing carbon dioxide from their planes. The two-week tamasha (fun game and blame game) was a cruel joke on posterity. And generations to come will not pardon the leaders for doing nothing to turn the climate clock back.
However, it is certainly a good beginning. The rich nations, at least now, accept that there is a change in the climate and that it may adversely affect human life which is why it is imperative to limit carbon emissions. This is the foundation on which, with greater understanding, cooperation and financial support, world leaders can build an everlasting solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
(The writer is based in Canada:
gopalsengupta@aol.com)