Practical Solutions to
Climate Change
Anand
Krishna*
This is my third day at the UN Conference on Climate Change
in the beautiful island of Bali….. Listening to one
distinguished speaker after another, my conviction gets stronger
that the solution to Global Warming and Climate Change lies not
in this Conference Hall. It lies not with Governments and
Government Officials – but lies in the hands of the people of
the world, the commoners like you and me.
Just think of the sheer amount of money being spent on this
conference, both by the host country, my country, as well as the
delegates, the participating states, and the Non-Governmental
Organizations, the Media…. Amazing, but also distressing. We
are trying to find solutions to Climate Change caused by Global
Warming, but the energy and money being wasted here during the
conference may only cause more Global Warming.
Not to speak of some of our environment-ignorant delegates
polluting the air around the conference grounds with their
cigarette smoke. Now, what do we expect of them? Even the Event
Organizers and the Hotel Management are not really concerned if
the toilets are dirty.
Kyoto Protocol has failed or perhaps failing if one is a
bit more optimistic about it. Clean Development Mechanism
developed by large corporations in the developed countries is
but another way of terming Expensive Technology that must be
bought by the developing countries. The Transfer of Knowledge is
not free. No free lunches in the world where even drinking water
is fast becoming scarce and expensive.
Global Warming is not a Political Issue. So, it is very
funny indeed to hear our politicians’ debate over it. Climate
Change is also not an issue for our Economists, who are trying
to connect the solutions with so called economic growth,
progress and development.
What growth, what progress, what development?
In spite of its unparallel beauty and tranquility, here in
Bali we have 7 to 10 suicides every month. Even in the
developed, rich and prosperous Scandinavian Countries, the
suicide rate is still quite high.
In the
Name of Growth and Progress,
We have not only Abused Mother Nature,
but also Caused Much Depression
to All Her Children!
At the end of the day, all growth, progress and development
would mean nothing if human beings are still unhappy and living
in misery. The question is: How happy are we?
But, that is another story.
I have written about that elsewhere (Please refer to my articles
in
www.aumkar.org, and “Be Happy!” a book in Indonesian
to be released in January 2008). Very briefly, according to the
findings of Foradoksi (Forum of Educators, Doctors and
Psychologists), about 94% of Indonesians suffer from some kind
of depression. We are a nation of depressed people.
The Businessman turned Minister is depressed for he is
unable to perform effectively. His business and ministerial
duties are in conflict. The Artist turned Official is depressed,
for he knows not how to deal artistically with his corrupt
officials. The Industrialists and Businessmen are depressed over
the red tapes and lengthy and expensive procedures. Even our
students are depressed over the national examination and other
issues. And, our professionals in all fields are at a complete
loss. They do not know how to measure success. Or, whether what
they consider as success is really a success.
So, let us not expect any solution from our conferencing
officials, politicians, economists, and representatives of large
corporations. It is the people of the world that must unite and
work in unison, to find solutions.
The solutions are to be found within the Being of Human…..
Indeed, it is in “Being Human” that we can ever find the
solutions….. It is right here, within you and me, within our
core essence – our Humanness!
Check on
Your Needs – Let Go of Your Wants!
West must learn to live simply; East must stick to its
simplicity. If East is to imitate the West, as is the case now,
then as Mahatma Gandhi once warned us, East will turn into Neo
Imperialist. East with its huge population will need many more
colonies than was once needed by the West.
Our own National Icon of Education, Ki Hajar Dewantara did
warn us too, “If we do not let go of western way of living, we
shall never ever be free!” His words are as true today as they
were decades ago.
The consumptive way of living that is termed “modern”, has
benefited not the populace but the large corporations which are
getting richer and richer. The ordinary citizens live in debt,
and on debt from the banks owned by those corporations.
The Great Soul, Gandhi once said that there was enough in
this world for everyone’s need but not for a single person’s
greed. In the past, greed led the business houses in the west to
move eastwards and colonize us. The trend has not changed much.
History bears witness to the conspiracies of large corporations
in starting and ending the wars – even in financing the
conflicting sides.
We, the
People of this World must
“Unite” and Say “No”
to the Atrocities Committed by the New Rulers
Trying to Rule Our World and Our Lives.
Unto that end, even the Good Offices of United Nations must
awake and recommit itself to its August and Noble Role as the
True Representative of All Nations, and not of Governments. The
present Secretary General of United Nations, I believe is
capable of leading the Organization unto that goal by freeing it
from the shackles of large corporations which are holding even
the governments and the people of the so called rich and
developed nations as hostages, by controlling their banks and
finances.
All kinds of treaties and agreements and environment
friendly technologies will not mean anything, if our conscience
is not awakened. It is this very conscience that we must first
work with.
I am reminded of the closing remarks made by Mr. Yvo de
Boer, the Executive Secretary of United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change, in his Statement for the Opening
Session on the 3rd of December:
“I Wish
You Vision,
I Wish You Compassion and I Wish You Wisdom.”
Vision, Compassion and Wisdom – yes, these are our needs.
Alas, until the 3rd day of the conference these needs
have not been adequately addressed to.
So, what do we do?
We work on these needs ourselves…..
My country needs a clear vision of its place in the world
today, and of-course its contribution to the world. In the past,
we have shared our wealth and resources with the entire world.
Indeed, we are still doing that. But, more than that, we have
our Cultural Heritage and our Living Culture to share. We have
our Values to share - the age old values which are still
relevant today, the values of:
Simplicity
and of Living in Harmony
with Mother Nature.
My country needs to show more Compassion toward those who
have just seen the dawn of civilization. When the West was still
living in the caves, and the Middle East in the tents, we were
already building castles. Indeed, we were exporting our spices
to as far away places as Madagascar in Africa, using our own
ships.
Unto that end, my country must rise to educate the West in
the values of Simple Living and High Thinking. My country must
take up the role of an elder brother to advise the west on the
ills of the consumptive way of living that they have adopted.
And, above all, my country must have the Wisdom to
differentiate between what is right for us and what is not. We
should not be against modernity and modern values. We should
adopt all such values which are right for us. At the same time,
we should also not fanatically cling to all of the old
traditions if they are not right.
This
Climate Change Issue can be turned into
an Opportunity to Unite Us All in Love,
Compassion and Mutual Understanding.
Let us not waste this opportunity. Let each of us awake to
our destinies and roles in bringing the world together. Indeed,
this Togetherness alone is the Solution.
By becoming less consumptive, the West can help the East to
grow more naturally, humanly and rationally. The economists
certainly cannot see this point. The politicians may also fail
to understand it. But, that is natural…. For Life is not all
economy and politic.
Life is
All about Nature,
and Living in Harmony with the Nature
is the Only Solution to Climate Change.
* A
Spiritual Activist, Anand Krishna has written more than 110
books (www.aumkar.org;
www.californiabali.org)
