Copenhagen Revisited

As disappointing as the Copenhagen Summit was and in spite of the Hopenhagen and other green movements grass root efforts, it did outline a few facts:

1. The world agrees that we have a problem of global warming.

2. There is a need to take some action, sometime

3. That countries do put their short and medium interests ahead of the well being of the planet.

Efforts to introduce legislation that preserves the environment are always under attack by the Oil and Coal lobbies and other special interests. Any legislation that involves clean air, clean water or clean energy is always under attack.

All these TV advertisements of the oil companies touting their research and work to produce clean and alternative fuel or clean up the environment and how hard they work to provide us with a better future seem so hypocritical when we hear about the efforts of these same companies to derail legislation meant to promote and legalize their hard work.

I sometimes wonder if the oil and coal lobbies breathe the same air we do or even live on the same planet. We should not let short term profits endanger the long term health and well being of our children and grand children and the way of life that we all claim to defend and preserve.

It is not the existing way of life that we should preserve, at least not the one that promotes dirty energy and waste. It is a new way of life that we should be working for, one as equally good as the one we live now, a way of life that is benign to the environment and the planet, that uses clean energy and promotes efficiency and productivity.

Hopenhagen

The people of the world are awaiting the World's Leaders meeting for the UN Climate Change Conference December 07 - 18 at Copenhagen. Great expectations are pinned on this conference but most think it will not amount to much.

Hopenhagen "When People Lead, Leaders Follow is a movement, a moment and a chance at a new beginning." It is a movement of people across the world telling our leaders that we demand change. Change that will provide a better future for the planet and its inhabitants. It is a demand for a greener economy. It is a change powered by us, the people.

Scientists and Politicians are still debating whether climate change is caused by mother nature or is induced by human activity. At least, we all agree that there is a climate change. A climate change that may threaten the way of life we are used to. Even if this climate change is a natural thing, is it that wrong to help ma nature to reduce it.

Charity starts at home. We all can contribute to the well being of the planet from energy saver light bulbs, car pools or even walking, to recycling and using recyclable material. This is not sufficient, what we need is a green revolution, government intervention to stimulate a move towards a greener economy. This intervention should be in the form of incentives to stimulate innovation in greener technology, tax credits for individuals that install solar power panels or insulate and reduce the carbon foot print of their homes and in the form of taxes on services that involve carbon emissions to ensure that alternative energy forms are given the chance to reach competitive and sustainable levels.

Oh, I can hear the loud screams of conservatives against taxes and government intervention that will affect our lives in the immediate future. We need to look at the long term at the sustainability of the standards of living we enjoy and would aspire to continue enjoying.

Change was never easy and people will resist change even when they know it is good for them. But change we must if we want our children and grand children to have a clean environment and a habitable planet.