12-22-09: The UN sponsored climate change conference

Recently in Copenhagen, Denmark a big conference took place to devise ways and means to put some control over global warming and carbon emission which is largely, though not exclusively, human made. This conference lasted for two weeks in that beautiful Scandinavian city. Thousands of delegates came to attend with their ulterior motives. Some of them were quite honest and believed in what environmental scientists have been saying for the last 10 odd years. They believe that if we don’t take care of global warming it would become an irreversible process and the Earth could not be saved from such calamity; it would be a doomsday. But it seems that large number of people came from different countries only to safeguard their national interests. They failed to have understood that the meeting was not for that purpose but was for the safety of the planet Earth. Global warming is a global challenge. This challenge has to be faced by all the people. If suppose Bangladesh is inundated with the rise in sea water it would affect the whole of South Asia one way or another. If glaciers which feed Gangotri start rapidly melting the whole Gangetic plain would, first face the havoc of unprecedented flood; Second, Ganges would slowly dry up. The result would be unimaginable. 100s of millions of Indians would starve to death. If glaciers around North Pole start melting rapidly a large portion of offshore cities and town’s other dwellings would be submerged in the oceanic water. This would happen to all the small islands, especially those in South Pacific. The scenario is to say the least devastating.

What happened in Copenhagen has been described by a Danish minister as a total disaster. The British environmental minister has blamed China for not agreeing to any minimum control over carbon emission. With USA, China is the two most important pollutants on this Earth. If they don’t agree then the whole thing would turn into a fiasco. China has strongly reacted against this accusation. However the Indian environmental minister has told his Parliament that India along with China and some other nations were determined not to let a limit to carbon emission is agreed upon in the conference. Earlier and official of Saudi Arabia proclaimed that fossil fuel is not the reason for global warming and for carbon footprint which could be seen everywhere. Fossil fuel not only contain petroleum and other hydrocarbon products but also coal. USA, China and India use coal to produce energy for their developmental programs. The reason is given that developing countries, especially China and India had to develop for the benefit of their population. They tend to miss the vital point that development would be meaningless if there are people who are suffering utterly due to global warming and carbon emission. This is not a paradox; this is a brutally irresistible fact. A truth which cannot be denied. It is true that in 19th and early 20th centuries, Western nations utilized fossil fuels in a highly discriminatory manner for their own development. However the fact remains that they did not know what fossil fuel is going to do to their own country and the world at large. Large tracts of forests were cut down which resulted in more carbon dioxide not being utilized by forests to make them un-harmful. Forests are also vital for rain, monsoon or otherwise. And as we know the fossil fuels produce Carbon Dioxide as their main end product. The global warming could only be decreased, if not prevented by devising means to decrease the carbon dioxide level in atmosphere. If this simple scientific fact is not going the gullets of politicians of the world then they should give up their pretence of running their own countries in a meaningful and democratically stable manner.