Is the Philippines catastrophe another outcome of the same phenomenon? As always in big natural disasters, the poorest suffer the most. They have bad housing, bad information and preparation and no access to resources after the flood. This is a societal problem. But is the catastrophe itself also man made? Many signs point in that direction. It is still discussed if climate change is the reason for more extreme weather phenomena. The fact that they occur more often and we have something to do about it, is unquestionable.
We will not answer clearly if tsunamis with their fatal manifestations in Indonesia, Fukushima and the Philippines are due to our CO2 emission. Anyway it is a fact that we should learn better and faster from those hints of nature. I don’t see this happening. Warning systems are discussed but poorly implemented, especially in the Philippines where typhoons are rather usual. The Japanese government discusses the building of even more nuclear power plants. I wonder if mankind is blinded by its own overestimation or if dancing on the volcano is needed to spice up life?
First, we are playing with the ones who cannot flee or pay for better security and second with all our basis of existence. Sure, lowering CO2 and turning to renewable energy are honorable goals and part of many commissions such as the climate summit. Well, the climate summit. The Warsaw Climate Change Conference just takes place. Yesterday, all big environmental and development organizations left the summit under protest. They say that only the big business players get a forum there and the conference is nothing but a farce.
Numbers support their impression: Since the Kyoto goals to lower CO2 emission, it is nothing but raising. Literally no visible results have been reached. A growing economy uses all means to trade emission certificates and raise their emissions for the sake of growth and profit. Big corporations do not aim at improving the situation of poor people at endangered coastlines. It is simply not the task of a corporation to help environment. Their only purpose is profit and that’s not even meant to blame them. All their logic goes that way, that’s the nature of the market.
It is the task of governments and civil society to control everyone who violates the rules of peaceful and sustainable coexistence. Destroying our environment is a violation just as any other crime. So the question is who makes the rules at climate summits? Who controls the compliance with the rules? Who cares for the people who have nothing to save themselves from nature’s answer to our lifestyle? In a world built on economic growth logic, it is nearly impossible for governments to enforce their rules against the big players who pay for the whole game. We should support them by starting to act different. Buy the right products, work for the right people and goals, support protest, act different. I know this is all tilting at windmills but still better than doing nothing. Not accepting the rules of the big was always the beginning of something new. Stop accepting the rules now!