It’s no longer about polar bears, melting ice caps, or even global warming. Climate change is now the biggest national and global security crisis, as confirmed by the Central Intelligence Agency.
Since climate change is a serious issue, the United Nations’ 192 members plan to meet in December in Copenhagen, Denmark to create another agreement that will be more effective than the Kyoto Protocol. To make sure the negotiations are smooth, some of the UN delegates gathered this September in New York City in order to pre-negotiate and to prepare.
Previously, environmental issues have emphasized saving nature. In the past few years, however, the alarming rate of climate change has caused many human deaths and causalities.
Although the connection might not be clear, climate change is responsible for many of the issues that threaten the world today, according to members of United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank. Asthma, other respiratory diseases, desertification, natural disasters, famines, and flooding are only a few examples.
The flood in Istanbul, Turkey, for example, killed eight on September 9 this year. The repetitive floods in Bangladesh, which caused thousands of casualties in the past few decades, is yet another example.
These floods and other natural disasters will occur more frequently if countries continue their environmentally damaging activities, according to UNICEF employee Kerry Constabile. Countries like China, Canada, and the U.S. are most at fault because they are the highest emitters of greenhouse gases, the leading cause for rising temperatures and sea levels.
It might not seem like a concern for the U.S., but climate change is currently harming and will continue to damage developing nations the most. These countries suffer from the footprint advanced nations like the U.S. and China leave on the environment because ultimately we all share the same air, water, and certain resources. It is obviously not fair that the actions of developed nations damage those that are poor and developing.
Adefola Adeosun and Adetola Adeosun at the conference
posing with actor Djimon Hounsou.
“The countries that are the most vulnerable have the least history in carbon emissions,” said author, NY Times reporter, and active environmentalist Andrew Revkin.
Many island nations like Papa New Guinea will no longer exist in the upcoming decades due to rapidly rising sea levels. The 380,000 people living on the Islands of the Maldives live only one meter above sea level. Yet, they barely contribute to climate change but will soon loose their homes and most likely have to relocate to Australia.
While speaking to the UN delegates, the President of the Maldives, Mr. Mohammed Nasheed addressed this possibility stating “We will die. Our country will not exist.”
Besides facing destructive disasters and extreme weather conditions, many people lack basic resources, including useable water and arable land, especially in underdeloped countries like Bolivia and Indonesia.
“People are currently fighting simply over water,” said environmentalist Caroline Howe, referring to the water wars occurring in countless nations and even among U.S. states.
Although climate change is a compelling issue, the most important goal for the UN delegates is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050, but the negotiations happening now and in December deal with agreements that need to be met by 2020.
80 percent is a high number even with 41 years left, but according to World Bank Specialist and former Senior Advisor at the Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Edward Cameron, the scientific community agrees if that number is not met, we are likely to expect even more calamities caused by higher temperatures that are the result of greenhouse gases.
Moreover, none of the nations that agreed to the Kyoto Protocol fulfilled their 5 to 7 percent reduction requirement.
“If we failed on five percent, how can we reduce 80 percent?” questioned Mr. Cameron.
Surprisingly, several nations agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Sweden promised a 25 to 45 percent reduction, the EU collectively offered to reduce by 30 percent, China by 15 percent, Japan by 25 percent, and a few other nations made similar promises that they plan to meet by 2020.
Sadly, President Obama didn’t commit to any significant reduction; he simply boasted about what the U.S. has done so far and added that the U.S. will contribute to the fight against climate change, only if the rest of the world also contributes.
“How far does the other side have to jump before we move,” asked Mr. Nasheed, implying that countries asking each other to go
first are making childish decisions.
Despite the simplicity of many of the solutions for climate change, the UN faces serious challenges as its members attempt to create an agreement that is this progressive.
Firstly, UN delegates, presidents, prime ministers and other leaders are chosen by their people to represent their respective national interests, and fighting climate change appears to be a global issue that might not necessarily benefit all.
Countries are also arguing that developed nations, as primary contributors of greenhouse gases and consumers of the world’s resources, should be fighting climate change.
“The negotiations are going far too slow, and they are still lacking real progress,” said Mr. Reinfeldt, Prime Minister of Sweden.
Besides disagreements among countries, for many political leaders, especially those with term limits, it seems climate change is an issue that will be relevant to national policy. However, nations that face the repercusisons of climate change today should be leading the race against it.
“They [world leaders] don’t think outside the to-do list for today… It’s not like everyone is going to sign the sheet,” said Mr. Revkin.
“I know deep down you [U.N. members] are not listening,” agreed Mr. Nasheed
If countries fail to act, an already large number of countries will lose resources, biodiversity, and most importantly people, due to the impacts of climate change.
Fortunately, some leaders are concerned and are willing to make wise decisions for the future.
“[Climate change is] a truly global responsibility, said President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame.
Despite the lack of action from many politicians, youth around the globe are expressing their concerns about the planet and adapting to climate change.
According to Caroline Howe, college students in India and Connecticut, raised funds to install solar panels at their campuses.
Similarly, students at a German high school were the first to donate to the adaptation fund created by the UN.
After viewing the enthusiasm of young people around the world, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon and UNICEF selected 13 NY high school students, with diverse ethnic backgrounds and one exchange student from Pakistan, to persuade world leaders to promote eco-friendly policies. These 13 student delegates each wrote a letter about their personal experiences with climate change, and four of them narrated a film to the UN members asking the members to act instead of simply talking.
Later another four of the 13 students shared a luncheon with the spouses of UN delegates, including Michelle Obama, during which they discussed the importance of climate change education.
“They [the first spouses] were so down to earth. And knowing they shared our concerns about education and climate change made the lunch all the more interesting,” said junior from the High School for International Studies in Brooklyn, and student delegate Gabriel Wahab.
Actor Djimon Hounsou also participated by reading a passage from Carl Sagan’s The Pale Blue Dot.
International, national, and local efforts against climate change are essential to preserving the planet because, as Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said, “The consequences will be made more serious for all of us.”
Collaboration is also needed. “We cannot simply accept the situation where part of the world wants to save the planet while others simply don’t care,” said French President , Nicholas Sarkozy.
Although the speeches in the Assembly Hall might have had strengths and weaknesses, hopefully the presidents and delegates had more productive discussions in the hallway and during lunch, where their poltical success is not on the line.
“The most important decisions happen behind closed doors,” said former lobbyist and UNICEF employee, Vidar Ekehaug.
