Market Watch
The purpose of the climate change summit is to reach an international political agreement on how to combat the evil of carbon emissions – the pollutant causing global warming. However, not all is well. The conference which was meant to bridge the gap between the countries on account of climate change turned into a showdown between the developed and the developing countries.
Both India and China have stated that they will not get into any legally binding agreements, even though they have declared their intentions to cut down carbon emissions by 2020. The problem that has been presenting itself repeatedly over the past few days at Copenhagen is the blame game being played by world leaders. Developed countries say that developing countries are the biggest contributors of global warming as their practices over the past few years have not been environmentally sound. On the other hand, the developing nations point to the historical events such as the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States of America during the course of World War 2 as the cause of the raised temperature levels. Unfortunately, amidst this conflict the challenges posed by global warming have been ignored.
India on the other hand, kept its promises (made before the meet) of contributing positively to the summit, by announcing its plan of establishing climate innovation centers across the developing world, including a centre in India as well. These centers will help in implementing innovative and approved eco-friendly technologies. India is one the few countries, who for the sake their development has refrained from any bonding obligations and to overcome this drawback, has opted voluntarily to uphold the task of a greener and cleaner environment.
The 11-day long summit at Copenhagen has resulted in both agreements and conflicts. There have been no major conclusions and decisions, however minor steps taken by countries, including the United States and India, are considered meaningful if not worth the 11 days of debate. The ball is now passed to the next summit, which happen in New Mexico. But, no matter what decisions are these conferences, what remains most important is how these countries – developed and developing, rich and poor, big and small – tackle the problems of an ailing environment when more severe problems start presenting themselves. However, it should be kept in mind that global warming will affect one and all, irrespective of age, country and privileges. Therefore, before the governments of the world begin their own strategies, we should too be aware of how we as individuals and households are contributing negatively to the environment, and try to cut down on pollution, for after all charity begins at home.
