Is Poverty an Excuse to Rape Our Environment?

The G8 summit concluded on an emphatic note, declaring that a breakthrough agreement on climate change had been reached, wherein the members had agreed to cut at least 50 per cent of their current carbon emissions by 2050 and also committed to the principle of mid-term reduction or stabilization targets.

How valid is this agreement? Who makes sure that the targets are met? What happens when the targets are not met?

With these questions swimming through my mind, I decided to dig in. To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. I came across an article from The Financial Times written by David Pilling. The article states that China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa have declined to stand by the agreement and have gone on record saying that “They cannot adopt any measure that will endanger the growth needed to pull hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.”

These countries have dangled the poverty card as a license to continue polluting the environment. To what extent is this justifiable? These are the ones who are right now the culprits, contributing to a major share of carbon emissions. They have also adamantly suggested that the “rich and developed” countries are the ones who should cut down on their emission levels between 80 and 95 per cent from the 1990 levels, whereas they should be given a free license to pollute our environment. Yea…license to rape.

I believe that developing countries have the flexibility to adopt measures to check and cut carbon emissions when compared to the already developed ones. Any measure put in place now will hold good even in the coming future, taking into account the fact that there will be continuous increase in population, which will directly correspond to increased amount of carbon emissions.

Why wait till a country achieves the coveted status of “developed” to implement carbon emission cutting measures? Why not now?

The stance adopted by a few countries calls into question the futility of conducting these meetings. Why cheat our conscience by adopting resolutions which will not be adhered to? Go ahead. Rape our environment. We are more concerned about alleviating poverty.

We can always live with the fact that at this rate of increase in pollution, the day when the environment becomes inhospitable for the existence of our kind is not too far away. But we just cannot live with “POVERTY.”

By Rakesh Reddy R