World Environment Day

Ban Ki Moon voices serious concerns today in the Int'l Herald Trib.

First, the science is clear. The earth's warming is unequivocal; we humans are its principle cause. Everyday brings new evidence, whether it's the latest Greenpeace report on Mount Everest's retreating glaciers or last week's discovery that the Antarctic Ocean can no longer absorb CO 2. Think of that: the world's largest carbon trap, filled to capacity.

But he too ends by hinting that nothing would be possible without the United States's (albeit tacit) agreement. You can read the entire article here.

cross posted on nomadlife

Then, who?

Last week I changed all the light bulbs in my house. I discarded the incadescent yellow light emitting ones and replaced them with white compact fluroscent lights or CFLs. I then went on to tell my Mom that we've just reduced our carbon footprint a little bit.

Cut to another scene, there is a water crisis of gargantuan proportions looming over the city of Bangalore. With 9 million people and growing, there simply isn't any water to go around, or if there is corruption is seeing to it that people pay 3 - 5 times the normal amount they would for it.

Conservation of resources and preservation of the environment are two behavioural characteristics closely tied to each other I think. Those who understand it...well understand it. Those who don't, don't seem to really apply much thought to it. Nobody likes being preached at and hence for those few beacons of hope that are out there are shut out or laughed at or have a now common phrase thrown at them, " But there isn't enough science to support your theory". Ludicrous of course....friends of mine actually believe in this rubbish or even if they see what is happening to our natural resources, aren't worried enough so long as you open the tap and have water flowing or flip the switch and there's light.

This brings me back to a basic premise of being a responsible citizen, not just of your community or locality but of the entire planet. Once we internalize this concept, we allow room for change. I keep saying that its not about awakening any latent change agent characteristics...you can't go around expecting people to wake up and do volunteer work or save the whales. The only thing that can be done is to provide easy access to information and hope that people will eventually become more sensitized to these pressing issues. Once people are sensitized, its amazing the things they do. But till such time I can only sit back, read how a 100 countries came together, all agreed climate change is real and went back home...meanwhile the lightbulbs burn bright all over Bangalore and commercial renewable energy is but a distant dream and hundreds of thousands of people go without potable water and electricity in one of the world's biggest technology hubs.

Irony likes its jokes cruel.