Copenhagen Climate Conference 2009: Maldives Waiting for Positive Action

Maldives expected some positive steps to be taken towards the reduction of global warming at the ongoing U.N. Climate Conference 2009. However, nothing positive for Maldives has come out from the conference yet. Developed countries like United States have not yet agreed on a dramatic reduction in carbon emissions over the next few decades. US President Barak Obama said that world community should work together to resolve this problem and he is hopeful of passing the US climate change bill in the senate.

However, these are mere assurance for a country like Maldives who could be submerged in next 100 years if global warming continues at the current rate. So, Maldives is still looking for more positive steps from the conference which ends on 18 December.

Related articles:

cbsnews

Wikipedia

International Treaty on Global Climate Change Unlikely in Copenhagen Conference

It seems that the much-awaited agreement on climate change would be happen in the upcoming Copenhagen conference on environment in December. World leaders recent met in Barcelona to discuss about a possible treaty, but the meeting ended without producing any fruitful decision being taken. Leaders of developing nations could not yet reach any agreement over the share of their responsibility of cutting greenhouse car emission.

Maldives, the most endangered country who could be submerged in future if sea water level increased at the current rate, is very much disappointed as there is little hope left on a possibly treaty being agreed in Copenhagen in December. Upon returning from Barcelona, Dr Mohamed Waheed, the vice president of Maldives, has told the local media that there is not much hope on the treaty ahead of Copenhagen conference because there is little possibility of the bill being passed in Congress by December. According to this bill, carbon emission would be reduced by 20 percent by 2020.

Related article:

minivannews

India Planning to Build 50 Weather Stations in the Neighboring Countries

In order to observe the climatic changes and variations, India is now going to build 50 weather stations in the neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. SAARC environment ministers have agreed on the plan during a meeting held in New Delhi on 20 October 2009. Some other important decisions were taken ahead of December’s Copenhagen climate summit where SAARC countries are going to raise awareness among the global community about the climatic change and its devastating effect on the countries of this region.

Samaylive reported:

The eight countries that form the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)-Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka-also decided they would form a bloc at the Copenhagen climate summit this December to make a statement and hold an event there "to highlight our vulnerabilities to climate change and the actions we are taking", Ramesh said.

The recently-held two-day meeting also brought out some other important decisions. Indian environment minister Jairam Ramesh has declared that India is going to pay $1 million for the SAARC forestry centre located in Bhutan and $1 million for the SAARC coastal zone management centre in Maldives.

Mohamed Nasheed about a Carbon-neutral Maldives in 10 years

I came across an excellent article in BBC written by Mohamed Nasheed. He is the president of the Maldives and in this article, he has discussed about his dream of turning the country in to a carbon-neutral place within one decade. Or in other words, he wants to make his country’s environment clean. This is an ambitious plan and the interesting thing is that it has come from the president of a country that is under threat of extinction because of rising sea level. Some people in the West believe very strongly that global climate is not getting hotter and sea level won’t raise either. Anyway, I am quoting from his writing:

Conventional wisdom dictates that small, developing nations such as the Maldives should refuse to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. This wisdom suggests that we should be lobbying for permits to pollute more, while apportioning blame for climate change squarely on the shoulders of big, industrialised nations.

But I am sceptical of this conventional wisdom, and of finger-pointing at the West, for neither of these policy positions does anything to help solve the climate crisis.

It is nice to see that he is a wise president. I hope that other statesmen could learn something from him. May be President Obama can visit Maldives and get some ideas about clean environment. Of course, Obama is right now very busy with GM bankruptcy problem. President Mohamed Nasheed thinks a lot about the environment and this certainly makes him an exceptional leader.