Politicians and Environment

A G8 meeting was convened some time ago in L’Aquilla, Italy. The G5 countries that comprise India, Brazil, China, South Africa and Mexico were also participated in the Summit.

The final declaration contains a statement on the limiting of the green gas emissions. It “recognized the scientific view that the increase in the global average temperature above pre-industrial levels ought not to exceed 2 degrees C.” the declaration envisages “a global goal of substantially reducing emissions by the year 2050.

The declaration calls for a global response and would very much like to attain “a 50 per cent reduction of global emissions by 2050. It expects global greenhouse gas emissions to reach its nadir in the near future and go down in scale afterwards.
All this look very optimistic and creates a rosy picture of Mother Earth with considerably less greenhouse gas emissions tainting the Environment. And the irony of the situation is that none of this is legally binding on the member nations. Still, they do look good on paper, don’t they?

But what is the real state of things? Can such reductions achievable? And if it is indeed proves to be so, then will that be sufficient?

Oh no sirree, not by a long shot!

The truth of the matter is that to set global warming to a 2 degree C limit, a 50 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases is quite insufficient. The 1977 report of the 4th Assessment Report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Control (IPCC) categorically states that the 2 degree C limit can be achieved only if a whopping 85 per cent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions can be maintained.

Will the industrialized countries agree to such a draconian measure? Can the politicians who can’t see beyond their noses are capable of coming to such far reaching, far sighted decisions? Can they overcome their dilly dallying, procrastinating, ostrich-like nature and really do something about it?

Like the great Bob Dylan sang, “The answer is blowing in the wind.”