Responsibility of the west and history of world institutions around Climate Change.

World is experiencing worst of climate changes and the frequent crop destruction, rising sea levels as evident from submerging of islands such as the Jakarta, Lakshadweep and rising threat to Solomon islands (all these are said to submerge in next 80 years completely) and other small island nations. The average sea level has risen 3.2 mm/year since 1993. All this is the beginning as researched by the scientist. The developed nations have exploited the mother earth to advance themselves at the cost of other nations and health of climate. Summers are extremely hot and winters are harshly cold, all this indicates the impact on climate humans have caused.

So, what are the governments around the world doing around for the climate? You must have heard the term 'Conference of Parties'(most recent one happened in Glasgow, UK) had resulted in many nations giving out the benchmarks to reduce the impact of carbon emissions and green house gases on the climate.

Climate change discussions began long ago, but major steps which had an impact on the climate economy and research were made in 1992 at Rio Earth summit when the world leaders came together to set up a framework. It is also known as the UNFCCC (United nations framework convention for climate change.

Later, in 1971 the Ramsar convention took place. Ramsar Convention is a convention on wetlands (Wetland is a place in which the land is covered by water, salt, fresh, or somewhere in between—either seasonally or permanently. It functions as its own distinct ecosystem) that was signed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. The negotiations for the convention started in the 1960s by the different countries and NGOs for the protection of wetlands and their resources. Finally, it came into force in 1975.

There are 49 Ramsar Sites in India currently listed under Ramsar Convention.

Then, 1972 United Nations Conference on the Environment in Stockholm took place which was the first world conference to make the environment a major issue. The participant nations adopted a series of principles and the 26 principles adopted at the conference, placed environmental issues at the forefront of international concerns and marked the start of a dialogue between industrialized and developing countries, the pollution of the air, water, and oceans and the well-being of people around the world.

Fast forward, in 1988 IPCC came which sources it's report from various other sources about climate and it's ramifications, it suggest possible damages and how to prevent these. Over the years this report earned the credibility that it is widely referred and its data and results are used for policy making.

In 1992, Global environment facility (GEF) established which is an independent organization providing grants to projects related to biodiversity, climate change etc.

Then happened the Rio Earth summit. (Photo attached below (Source - un.org )). It brought together political leaders, diplomats, scientists, representatives of the media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from 179 countries for a massive effort to focus on the impact of human socio-economic activities on the environment. This conference gave famous UNFCCC, UNCBD, UNCCD.

All the above named organizations have played and are changing the dynamics and making a difference in the climate politics.

However, as usual western nations were/are not ready to accept that it is them who started the polluting the mother Earth to the extreme by exploiting the resources whether it is the Arctic, Antarctic, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Oceans etc. Exploitative research and destructive mindset of ruling the uninhabited regions and expeditions destroyed these places which play huge role in the ecosystem. As, the Industrial revolution first started in Europe led to invention of machines and steam engine which increased the pollution and India was exploited through unpaid labor and forced/ bondage labor by the British. (Also read, the status of women during British Raj)

Today the western media lecture India and China about controlling the emissions of green house gases and never agrees on taking the responsibility and it was made quite clear in the conference of parties meeting.

Example, In 1997 - Kyoto Protocol was agreed. Developed nations pledge to reduce emissions by an average of 5% by the period 2008-12, with wide variations on targets for individual countries. US Senate immediately declares it will not ratify the treaty.

Data clearly shows, US has released more then 509 GT CO2 since 1850 and is responsible for largest share of historical emissions. China is second with 11%, Russia (7%), Brazil (5%) and Indonesia (4%).

But look at the hypocrisy of the west, no one is ready to accept it. As they say we can't take responsibility of the past, still every western country talks about Nazi Germany (Hitler) to give example of Anarchy, so it is also a history why blame them again and again, what they did to Japan in Hiroshima and Nagasaki everyone is aware. (Isn't that illogical?).

India has started emitting green house gases quite late as we have lot of population to cater and they need employment somewhere to work so we have to create employment by some means. The way the world took shape post the industrial revolution it became a necessity for countries like India to create industries for employing its people via these means. It was not India who was leading the world but the west.

stay tuned for more..

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