A climate of change, finally

Chennai: Open the United Nations Environment Programme's Web site and go to the page that deals with the World Environment Day. You will come across a 'Do Something Daily' tip — simple things you can do to protect the environment. One such message reads: "When you need a pad for lists and messages, turn over an old document and write on the back of that instead." Simple, yet thought provoking. A gentle reminder for a whole lot of us who would not think twice about tearing off a sheet of paper from a pad or a notebook to scribble a brief message, ot just a telephone number. One can almost hear a tree being felled — after all, wood is the key raw material for making paper. This message on the United Nations Environment Programme Web site ( www.unep.org/wed/2009/english ) ties in with an ambitious programme taken up by the UNEP to get countries and people to save and protect the environment. In 2007, the UNEP launched a worldwide tree planting campaign under a theme titled 'Plant for the Planet: Billion tree campaign.' Then, the UNEP set its sights even higher — it wants to plant seven billion trees, one for every person on the planet, by the end of 2009. In this task, it wants governments, businesses, civil society, and the common people to sign on. The UNEP's effort to involve as wide a section of the population as possible relates to this year's theme for the World Environment Day itself: "Your planet needs you — UNite to combat climate change." Nearly six months after the World Environment Day, all nations will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, to discuss issues related to climate change. The leaders, it is hoped, will hammer out at the December meeting an agreement that commits all concerned to achieving specified targets and goals. The United Nations General Assembly decided to observe the World Environment Day on June 5, the day in 1972 on which the Stockholm conference on human environment opened. The day's agenda, according to the UNEP, is to give a human face to environment issues; empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and, advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future. Mexico will host this year's international Environment Day celebrations. This year's theme is also meant to reflect the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the climate convention meeting in Copenhagen from December 7 to 18. Even as the world observes the Environment Day, preliminary climate change talks are in progress in Bonn, Germany, where delegates from over 180 countries are meeting to discuss issues that will, hopefully, help in clinching a deal at Copenhagen. Simultaneously, the UN has started a campaign — Seal the Deal — for a 'fair, balanced and effective' climate agreement in Copenhagen. The campaign's aim is to encourage governments at the COP15 (Conference of Parties) session in Copenhagen to come up with a deal that will "protect people, the planet and promote a global green economy." Clinching a deal at Copenhagen will rest on the extent to which industrialised countries are prepared to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and how much developing economies such as China and India are willing to curtail the growth of their emissions. Another important issue is how the developing economies are going to be financed in their efforts to curb emissions growth. The new climate treaty will replace the Kyoto Protocol, so called because of the agreement that was reached in the Japanese city in December 1997 and that came into force in February 2005. The Kyoto Protocol set binding targets for industrialised countries for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and was signed and ratified by 184 parties of the UN Climate Convention. However, its primary drawback was that the US did not ratify it. But now with the US President, Mr Barack Obama, keen on pursuing a green agenda, the expectation is that there will be some sort of a deal, with the developed and developing economies appreciating the urgency to pursue a greener growth agenda.

 

Businessline, June 5th, 2009