Voices of Concern

Life,
Consists of propositions about life...
The whole race is a poet that writes down
The eccentric propositions of its fate...'
- A 19th century poem titled Men Made out of Words by Wallace Stevens

Voices of concern: world leaders join the green choir

In a world that is flooded with propositions for a better tomorrow, sustainable development is perhaps a topic that has received more propositions than any other. With all the attention that the issue has garnered, an entire spectrum of suggestions on sustainable development by a host of global leaders and eminent scholars now exists.

The world is now waiting for these propositions on paper to actually convert into actions. And although the recent Copenhagen conference failed to reach an accord, it at least brought the ‘whole race’ (in Stevens’ words) together to chirp in a ‘green choir’, discordant notes and all. Despite all the differences between the North and the South on the climate change issue, the recognition that national boundaries are fading away and that they no longer separate nations distinctly is coming fast.

Ranging from ideological shifts on sustainable development strategies to practical solutions, a variety of insights have been coming to the global ‘green’ table regularly. Who will serve as the international policeman if a particular nation fails to deliver on its obligations? What part of the cost of reducing emissions in the poorer nations will be shared by the richer ones? What steps will be taken to ensure that upcoming green technologies will make it to the market, despite stiff resistance because of their exorbitant prices as compared to fossil fuels? It is some of these vexed questions that will dog the post-Copenhagen discourse as the nations of the world stumble on to the Mexico meet later in 2010.

Jigyasa Jyotika and Suparna Mukherji bring to you the discussions by global leaders that crisscross the ‘green tables’ across the world. The themes range from novel suggestions for fundamental ideological shifts in sustainable development strategies to the constraints and unique perspectives of leaders of the developing world and the highly successful ‘green’ stories of the various countries.


Full story at http://terragreen.teriin.org/index.php