Ticking on: COP 18

Three years ago I went to the island of Ghoramara for the first time. This was right after the destructive cyclone Aila, and much of Sunderbans had faced severe damage. The children I worked with, came from sinking islands, or ones that had already been submerged by a rising sea. They were in the eye of the storm called climate change in multiple ways. Yet, they came to school, everyday, sometimes changing up to three ferries and walking several kilometers, sometimes wading through low tides and knee-deep slippery silt.

For me, all of this was very challenging, very novel. But for the children, it was a way of life. For me, this was what climate change did, not just to the environment, but human lives. To them, it was so they could eventually perhaps get a job, provide square meals to their family, and move inland.. away from the sinking islands, cyclones, below poverty line incomes. I was humbled during this experience, by the people and by the place, and it became pivotal in deciding that I want to be part of the solution.

It all sounds clichéd perhaps, stories heard many times before. But as I sit here at the carnival called COP 18 on day 1, grappling with the unending acronyms, policy and strategy discussions, and thinking “what the hell am I doing here?!” – this humbling time is one I constantly go back to, and it helps make sense of the rest.

[For those not clear on what the COP 18 is or does, you could read this.]

For India, equity will continue to be an important word in the negotiations. Even within our borders we are struggling constantly to bring a sense of equity. There are huge and widening gaps between the rich and poor, our cities are expanding quickly and grappling with urban development issues, energy continues to be a problem.

Given a choice, the kids I was working with would have given anything for a mobile phone or even an iPod, the former being something that populates more of India than latrines. Lays and Coca Cola are easily available where they live, and it’s definitely the more favored option as opposed to the more traditional snacks like spicy puffed rice and chai. India is changing rapidly.

These villages, they don’t have electricity, and most houses run on solar power. Their own carbon footprint is next to nil.

Surely these families didn’t create the causes, the effects of which they are facing. Every other person I encountered on Ghoramara, previously lived on Lohachara, an island that has already sunk. Ghoramara itself is fast depleting. In the 4months I worked there, I watched a house on the edge abandoned and then swallowed by the waves.

There are many who debate the connection of the disappearance of these islands to climate change. And there are also those who claim that mean sea level rise or extreme weather events have nothing to do with climate change. However, given the heightened rates of environmental loss and damage, climate deniers are fading, and in the wake of Hurricane Sandy (and heatwaves, and wild fires) this year in the United States, it’s clear that no one is invincible, and that It’s Global Warming, Stupid!

There are entire countries and cities that will meet the same fate if the climate talks don’t rise up to the challenge, if we forget our shared humanity in favor of national borders, vested and capital interest.

There’s a lot of skepticism around the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) process. Many veterans who’ve been involved with climate issues and have seen this process since its inception have become disillusioned and choose not to engage with it any longer. The tracks keep increasing, more working groups are added, and the placing or definition of a single word can take hours or days. It’s absolutely mind-boggling.

But it remains the only platform where we can engage and talk about the issue. And so, people, especially young people, continue to come here year after year. They bring with them hopes, stories, demands from back home, and rally for justice. The very presence of civil society members, whether they are organizing a march or making policy recommendations, will make a difference.

While the negotiations drag on continue, the fate of thousands of people, like those in Ghoramara hang in the balance. Several important policy decisions are on the cards here in Doha, and occasionally I’ll switch into my nerd shoes and tell you what’s going on with those and how it fits into India’s growth story. Let’s see what it has in store for us!