FLOODing our minds?!

Posted on 04. Oct, 2009 by Leela Raina in Action alert, India

Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka is under the grip of flash floods. Several towns and villages in the state, particularly in Kurnool, Mahabubnagar and Krishna districts in Andhra Pradesh, have been inundated with the mighty Krishna river and its tributaries in spate for the past two days.

With Tungabhadra dam also in spate, nearly half of the Kurnool town has been inundated. The famous Mantrayalam temple has submerged. Over 25,000 people in Kurnool town alone have been stranded in water. According to unofficial reports, the floods has so far claimed the lives of over 200 people across the state

“At least 25 villages are inundated and standing crops are completely destroyed,” Andhra Pradesh disaster management officer Y.R.V. Sharma told . The recent floods have certainly brought attention to the climate change challenge but not enough for the Indian media. All throughout the first week the Indian media was conspicuous by its absence and all of a sudden they will flood the negotiations in the second week.

My sincere request, please do your homework and catch up with all the recent happenings within the walls of the UN center here at Bangkok , because these very walls won’t speak and with the lack of media present in the first week I don’t see the right messaging having gone out .

While the negotiations just carry on taking circles and not going anywhere , the enormous text is sort of flooding our minds . All the jargon, the acronyms , the “distinguished” formal language somehow loses the idea behind the whole convention. The saving grace is big rallies and marches asking for climate justice which are not only in simple understandable language but remind the negotiators of the purpose behind the negotiations and what they are here for.

Back home, the Indian Youth Climate Network participated the Anti Nuclear rally which was a big hit on the streets of Delhi. We certainly hope that their voices were heard by the negotiators all the way in Bangkok because I sometimes feel they have no idea of all the great local actions taking place in their own country which they should not only acknowledge but celebrate in the plenary speeches here at the UN climate talks.

In honour of those who lost their lives in the recent floods I’d like to urge the Indian media wake up and start spreading the great work India has planned to undertake and put the message loud and clear – WE are WILLING to do everything we are required to which is within our capacity until and unless the annex 1 parties take ambitious targets. Without them committing we have already taken the most ambitious solar mission plan to generate 20,000 MW solar power by 2020 . This is the MOST AMBITIOUS plan of its kind in the world. Apart from that we have all ready committed to 100 million tonne reduction of CO2 by 2020 which is 5 TIMES more than the European Union is willing to commit at the moment ( source is the National Action Plan on Climate Change). If we can commit more than you, with a situation like ours, whats stopping you from being ambitious. Aren’t you ashamed enough yet?

Tags: Action alert, anti-nuke, Bangkok, EU, Finance, floods, India, media, News, UNFCCC