The attacks in London, explosions
in Kabul, terror attacks in Manila, incidents in Melbourne and diplomatic
turmoil in the Arab world, all increased the threats of the times, as manmade tragedies
abound and levels of fear remain high. Yet amid the obvious destruction being
wrought, the globe continues to slide into further peril as temperatures rise
and climate change is probably our silent enemy.
Forty five years ago,
the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment deemed it necessary and
timely to integrate human interactions and the environment. The landmark
decision in 1972 saw the commemoration of the first World Environment Day in
1974. Action over the decades has included commitments on the part of states,
which haven’t always been realized owing to the nature of that which has been pledged.
The reductions beings sought are from the industry, which states have to
convince and entice into respecting. Irrespective of the nature of the arrangement,
the undertaking has been considerable.
On the eve of the 2017 commemoration,
the American President opted to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, which had
taken tremendous effort and courage to finalize, and which came into operation
in November 2016. Seen as new course in the global climate effort, the
Agreement saw states trying to strengthen the global response to the threat of
climate change by maintaining a global temperature rise well below two degrees
in the 21st century.
Prerequisites set by
the United States for ratifying such international treaties are many. Back in the
nineties at the height of negotiation of the Kyoto Protocol, the US Congress passed
the Byrd-Hagel resolution which made it compulsory for developing countries to first
actively participate in the setting of global emission targets, if America was
to be a signatory. The effort in 2015 was equally challenging, though then
President Obama claimed it was due to ‘strong, principled American leadership’
that the accord was finalized. One and a half years later, that American
President isn’t in office, neither is his French counterpart, Francois
Hollande, or the Chairman of the Conference, former Foreign Minister Laurent
Fabius, nor even the then UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. The leadership has changed,
yet the commitment is expected to remain resolute.
Trump’s decision to
withdraw unless the Agreement is re-negotiated or a new one is evolved,
indicates the supremacy with which he views the world, the lack of
understanding of the environment and more importantly the inability to
comprehend the destruction that America has wrought on the planet. Speaking in
the Rose Garden, he stressed that ‘exiting the agreement protects the United
States from future intrusions on the United States’ sovereignty and massive
future legal liability.’ He also revealed that with the opening of new coal mines
in ‘Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia (and) so many places’ American workers,
whom he loves very much, given the consecutive expression of endearment, would
benefit. The risk posed to humanity as a whole, appears irrelevant.
The creation of the
United States Climate Alliance has seen the Governors of California, New York
and Washington pledging their support to the Paris Agreement. Inviting other
states to follow suit, the Alliance being established has the support of three
key states that jointly contribute one-fifth of the American GDP and at least
ten per cent of American greenhouse gas emissions. In calling for states and cities
to join the effort, the move could be one towards the rise of such entities,
reversing the international order, as city-states return to the forefront, as
was seen with London in the Brexit vote.
Efforts have been made in
the last several decades to curb environmental harm, degradation and
destruction. From the 1962 Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the
Sea by Oil, to the Ramsar Convention of 1971, the MARPOL Convention and CITES
in 1973, the Montreal Protocol of 1987, the Basel Convention of 1989, the 1992
Earth Summit in Rio as well as the Kyoto Protocol, have all aimed at preserving
the planet, from diverse threats created by humanity.
Climate change remains as
real as it ever has been. Trump need not look too far to see climate change in
action. When the 27th American President, William Howard Taft created
the Glacier National Park in 1910, it encompassed 150 glaciers, which have been
reduced to a mere 30 a hundred years later, as the area has shrunk by two-thirds.
As environmentalist Daniel Glick warns, ‘from the Arctic to Peru, from
Switzerland to the equatorial glaciers of Man Jaya in Indonesia, massive ice
fields, monstrous glaciers, and sea ice are disappearing, fast.’
Yet the world has been
reminded of the importance of American coal workers, and the preservation of their
jobs, casting aside concern that those very same workers’ future generations
might not be around to carry on the work envisaged for them. Until and unless
greater concern is demonstrated for the wellbeing of the other, nature will
ensure that the threat of rising temperatures remains our foremost enemy. Unfortunately time for action, maybe fast running out.
- Awarelogue Editorial
