On Monday, February 11 the U.N staged a thematic debate on Climate Change. I had the opportunity to attend and listen to what the U.N delegates and speakers had to say about this ever-growing and frightening issue.
There were two panel discussions which were led by moderators and had speakers from all different countries and professions there to lend their unique perspectives to the issue. The first panel concerned the issue of co-operation with the private sector and how to enlist them in the effort to offset climate change. The second was entitled 'The UN at work' and focused on what the UN could do specifically to address the issue. The President of the U.N, Srgjan Kerim, captured the U.N's general policy for most issues in saying that, "The U.N can set the table but the rest of the world has to act". The idea is that if delegates and representatives from all over the world come together and discuss the issue, that they will return to their home countries with the necessary information in order to act locally. What everyone agreed was necessary was the participation of the private sector in any global movement against climate change. Governments can only do half of the work in drafting legislation, private companies must take it upon themselves to decrease their carbon footprint. As the panel member from the Board of Chinese Business Council put it, "we need to develop a good faith collaboration". Both the private and public sectors need to come together honestly and sincerely to solve the problem.
What was stressed over and over was the fact that the poorest countries produce the least carbon emissions but are affected the most by climate change. For example, while U.S and Chinese (the two most polluting countries!) factories and businesses churn out environmentally damaging gases, it is the small, poor villages in Southeastern Asia that are being washed away by tsunamis. It was also noted multiple times that while 20% of the world's population resides in cities, cities produce 80% of total gas emissions. So, it is evident that large cities such as New York carry a larger burden in trying to reduce their carbon footprint. Mayor Bloomburg spoke about some small changes that NYC city is undertaking to combat this problem, such as converting all NYC taxis to energy efficient vehicles, taxing drivers in Manhattan during peek hours and planting 1 million trees within the next 10 years. Although they may seem like small changes, these are the things that do make a difference in the long run. The 1st world and pollutant countries also bear the burden of helping the 3rd world countries develop with new, greener technology with private funding that will help not only in battling climate change but also in battling poverty.
One of the panel speakers, Martin Korr from Indonesia, spoke of the danger of overloading the agenda. We need to focus on the four main areas of attack: finance, litigation, technology and adaptation. If the problem of climate change is addressed on these four fronts then the global community has a chance of succeeding!
As an American, it was interesting to watch this discussion be played out in New York City. After the U.S government refused to sign the Kyoto treaty in 1997, it was a disheartening and embarrassing failure on our part to address this important issue and it seemed as if it would never be taken seriously in the US. But ten years later, it is the issue on everyone's lips and more and more people are taking small steps to do their part. Every citizen, and especially the YOUTH who will have to live with these decisions long after the aging administration, should pressure their government into taking action NOW so that we might have the possibility of saving the earth and saving our way of life!
