COP 15 – Copenhagen 2009 Tentative Accord

December 21, 2009

By Padmini Arhant

The two-week long climate summit evidently dissatisfied the scientific and the international community despite the arrival of the world leaders from around two hundred countries to discuss the climate change confronting humanity at the present time. Although, the international forum provided the platform to share the concerns among the delegates representing many nations, the entry prohibition to the civil society and other legitimate voices is undemocratic aside from being discriminatory towards the nexus organizations.

It appears the contentious issues demanding focus include the following:

First, the developing countries in Africa and island nations fear the catastrophic effects of not reaching a binding agreement in this meeting. It’s justified given the status quo already proved to be cataclysmic in the economic and ecological sense with Tsunamis, droughts, famine, and floods for the poorer nations. Similarly, the developed counterparts hit with other kind like the wildfires in Australia and the rapidly melting glaciers eroding the villages in the Swiss Alps such as Fiesch and Aletsch Glacier shrinking gradually and forcing residents to rely on prayer for salvation.

Industrialized nations competing with the emerging economic powers China and India should not circumvent the commitment on their part in the carbon emissions reduction, considering the multinational investments in these regions is yielding huge profits from the pollution at the expense of the local population. Australia for instance, is the major coal supplier to China and a formidable competitor to the Western bidders especially the United States in the uranium supply to India.

Elsewhere in South East Asia, the energy company Chevron Texaco has established strong ties with the military junta in Burma aka Myanmar regardless of the political standoff between the regime and the rest of the world in order to exploit the natural gas exploration in the oppressed nation.

The western nations cannot pretend to be the environmental force when they are being the polluting source on the planet. Based on the prevalent situations across the globe, it is appropriate for the developing nations to hold the industrialized countries responsible for the major proportion of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Western industrialization throughout the twentieth century and until date in the absence of rigid safety regulations and environmental standards not barring the industrial waste deposits both on and off shores has contributed to the challenge facing the global population. As a result, the economically disadvantaged segments in the society are imposed with perpetual air and noise pollution exacerbated by chemical exposure and poor sanitation causing enormous health hazards and life threatening diseases that eventually transform into a worldwide epidemic.

Whether it’s the Gulf Coast, the industrial towns in New Jersey and across U.S.A, or the overseas locations like Bhopal in India, Nigeria in Africa, Latin America and the island territories, the energy and other sectors’ culture dominate. Contamination through oil and gas leakage concurrently in the oceans and on land, release of toxic substances from the industrial waste blending with the river streams have become increasingly common taking toll on the human health, regional economy and the weather conditions.

Is it extreme for the victims to claim climate debt or reparation from the governments owned by these corporations?

Historically, the industrialized nations are indebted to the planet for wreaking havoc through nuclear retaliation in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and pursuit of non-nuclear yet environmentally devastating warfare until date by the military industrial complex.

From Vietnam to Iraq, Gaza and Afghanistan not excluding civil wars in Africa and Latin America, the damage to the natural elements particularly the air and water is unsustainable, rendering the resources in the existing war zones unsuitable for consumption.

Further, the use of landmines popular during the Vietnam era has produced substantial civilian casualties, the majority being children with prosthetic legs upon survival. Often, the landmines are found in the agricultural lands entirely wasted due to the hidden explosives buried beneath the earth contributing to the environmental degradation.

Recently, the global mine ban treaty was adopted by most nations except for India, China, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, Egypt, Finland, Poland, and the United States. It’s a travesty and reflects the lack of sensitivity by the non-signatories.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/nov/26/obama-landmine-ban-treaty.

“The US has announced that it won’t sign the global landmine ban treaty.

Yet on Tuesday, as Americans’ attentions were turning to the Thanksgiving holidays, a state department spokesman, Ian Kelly, quietly announced that the Obama administration would not sign the international antipersonnel landmine ban.

He also said that the Bush-era landmine policy, a regression from Bill Clinton’s position, “remains in effect.”

In terms of conventional warfare, it’s worth highlighting the presumptuous display of the deadliest arsenal used in the contemporary wars by the United States & NATO as well as the allies and the adversaries.

GBU-43/B / “Mother Of All Bombs” used in Iraq by the United States in 2004 with a caption ‘Shock and Awe.’

The White Phosphorus rain akin to the ‘radiation rain’ in Gaza by Israel in Dec 2008 and Jan 2009.

Russian military showdown against Georgia in the wake of 2008 South Ossetia invasion.

The continuous shelling from the military operation in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan generating endless explosions through suicide bombings by the insurgents, are catastrophic to the environment.

Certain syndicated columnist and the conservative anti-environmentalists continually debate global warming as a ‘myth’ and disdain the developing nations’ funding plea with the affluent ones for various preventive and operational strategies during disasters.

It’s not surprising as the groups have long denied the extreme weather conditions experienced by them at home and overseas. Their accusation against the so-called “third world” countries being dependent on industrialized nations’ charity to curb the burgeoning crisis is typical of them to isolate the global issue as the regional problem.

They conveniently ignore the fact that most multinational companies situated in Africa, Asia and Latin America have not only defaulted on their responsibility towards humanitarian laws but also frequently violated environmental regulations and gotten away without any or adequate compensations to the victims. Some examples already cited above.

Likewise, with respect to the environmental woes, the Boston Globe feminist columnist in a bizarre stance targeted the “third world” again stressing the need to address the population growth in those areas through education and contraceptive distribution to women.

Although, the population rate vary globally, the escalation in teenage pregnancies in the western nations in spite of the contraceptives and education availability along with the instances such as the “Octomom” misuse of science sensationalized for reasons other than social enigma deserve attention from the biased journalism.

As for the accord reached among the five nations, the United States, China, India, Brazil and South Africa, the long overdue recognition towards individual carbon reduction is significant. However, the United States acceptance at 17 per cent level signifies the refusal to apply itself on par with others especially when the U.S. is in equivalence with China as the largest polluter.

Additionally, the informal consensus on the verification and monitoring of the greenhouse gas emissions through reliable methods is a progressive measure. Nevertheless, it’s not credible unless the accord transformed into a binding agreement with effective consequences viz. the diplomatic censure and the economic sanctions irrespective of the hierarchical stature.

Regarding the immediate aid $10 billion for three years to the developing nations in coping with the climate change, it falls short of the requirement given the magnitude of the global dilemma. Synonymously, the conditional offer to raise $100 billion by 2020 is evasive of the reality confronting the vulnerable parts of the world like Africa, Latin America and the entire coastal regions.

When the United States could allocate $626 billion for wars supplemented by another $128 billion in the recently Congress approved massive $1.1 trillion federal budget, it’s incomprehensible to view the United States’ reluctance to contribute more and lead its allies towards active participation in the planet goals.

Obviously, there is an urgent need to shift priorities from the life destruction to the life protection policy. There is no time to squander with the precipitous decline of the earth disintegrating from the failure to act decisively by the leaderships in the pivotal moment at Copenhagen.

Containing the rise in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit was the aggravating factor for the attendees and the dispute is valid.

The scientific data upon careful study and review of the alarming sea level rising anywhere between 20 to 30 feet during the interglacial age portends the emergency in the current period accelerating in the range possibly reaching 5.6 degrees Fahrenheit in the not too distant future.

That’s why the island nations and the poorer countries’ request to aim for 1.5 degrees Celsius or less before 2050 absolutely conforms to the scientific evidence. Besides, it underscores the dangers involved in seeking the optimum temperature maintenance at 2 degrees Celsius by the industrialized nations.

Therefore, it’s incumbent on the nations responsible for global warming to come in terms with the actualities and respond to the genuine complexity endured by the poorer economies.

I concur with the environmental critics on one aspect that the forthcoming summits should be aimed at restricting carbon footprints by the dignitaries attending the meeting. Otherwise, it exemplifies the irony in the action and the notion.

It’s encouraging to note that India, South Africa and Brazil acknowledged as the important dealmakers in the climate climax while they are conspicuously avoided for permanent memberships in the U.N. Security Council to resolve other major international crises, suggesting the political convenience.

Finally, the universal reaction to the COP15 climate conference is, the accord is a refreshing change but it’s imperative to solidify the same into a formal treaty by all nations for a meaningful course of action. It must incorporate the vital demands based on the deteriorating habitat and the scientific proof urging the world leaders to expedite the implementation of the concrete environmental policy.

Meanwhile, the United States and others resting on the fence should ratify the Kyoto protocol due to expire in 2012 as their confirmation of the firm commitment to save the planet.

Where there is a will there is a way.

Thank you.
‘
Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Environment | Leave a Comment 

COP15 – Copenhagen 2009

December 11, 2009

By Padmini Arhant

I welcome all nations attending the climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. It’s a symbolic recognition of the ‘greenhouse gases’ affecting humanity at the present time.

Since the nations across the globe have come together to arrive at a consensus in containing the burgeoning environmental crisis threatening life existence and sustenance on earth, it’s vital to display solidarity in dealing with the humanitarian challenge.

Prior to the conference, the anti-environmentalists coalesced to spread the propaganda against global warming through ambiguous data arousing skepticism in the public mind. Unfortunately, whenever there is opposition to a common cause benefiting humanity, the isolated views temporarily overshadow the reality. Therefore, it’s necessary for the world population to invade the fiction with facts during such meeting or any other time.

The polarizations are inevitable in a global discussion on the various problems contributing to the environmental deterioration. However, protecting the habitat is an individual responsibility as much as it is the collective goal. Having stated that, the industrialized nations being the major polluters through carbon emissions are seemingly resistant to solid financial investments and serious commitments urgently required to alleviate the planet degradation.

It doesn’t come as a surprise considering the priorities of waging war that is proved to exacerbate the ozone depletion in the atmosphere justified over imminent danger to the evolutionary process. The presumptuous policy is indicative of the folly and blissful ignorance.

Evidently, the United States is leading in this context with the ‘Cap and Trade’ legislation tossed in the back burner at the domestic front. Further, the defiance to requests on climate debt and reparation designed to assist the poorer nations experiencing the worst climate disasters in the form of famine, floods and unnatural hazards caused by the U.S. and multinational corporations’ industrial pollution dismay the victims.

In yet another respect, the U.S. ambivalence in ratifying the comprehensive Kyoto treaty extension, alternatively the formation of a similar agreement enforcing universal standard on carbon reduction constructively rather than destructively reflect the continuation of Bush-Cheney policy.

Nevertheless, the international community is presented with a unique opportunity at this forum to turn the tide by solemnly pledging to explore all options and exhaust the available means within reach to avert climate catastrophes. The timeframe set to achieve the targets should be in the near and not the distant future in acknowledgment of the apocalyptic-like events witnessed recently in the impoverished regions such as Africa, Latin America, The Pacific Islands and South Asia particularly the Philippines, Burma and Bangladesh.

Given the new revelation in the world stage with the powerful conglomerate determined to execute the ‘New World Order,’ through iron fist strategy otherwise the militia embodiment in direct violation of the national constitution,

It’s imperative for every citizen around the world to come together as the unified singular force representing the human race in resolving the enormous issues ranging from the environment to economic meltdown created, managed and manipulated by the oligarchs drumbeating the war message in preparation for the World War III.

I urge the global community to actively dissent military aggression and occupation in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere that is not only absorbing a significant proportion of the national GDP towards military expenditure but also depriving the nations from investments in environment, education, health care and long-term progress.

If democracy is slighted then the leadership is dangerously straying from the path of governance to dominance and the citizens obligatory to defend the constitution. Please don’t forget the powerful were once powerless. In a democracy or any form of government the real power lies with the mass, i.e. you. So, don’t let your voice be unheard. Think about our troops, the brave men and women being sent away and separated from their families around Christmas and Thanksgiving for years in search of an invisible Osama Bin Laden they have been looking for since October 2001.

Shifting focus on the climate change, the melting glaciers, the rising sea levels, the tsunami, the extreme weather patterns and the earthquakes are directly related to the precipitous decline of the ecosystem. In addition the imbalance is attributed to deforestation, overfishing, inadequate preservation of wilderness, wetlands and natural resources, offshore drilling for oil, and limited measures in energy conservation. As a result of these factors the endangered species are rising not barring the excessive toll on human beings.

More than a billion in the world population, the majority being children are battling with death from starvation. In the United States alone 49 million people reportedly went hungry in 2008 and sadly 1 million among them were children. It’s completely unacceptable for any nation and certainly for the affluent country that allocates disproportionate amount towards hypothetical warfare but fails to provide the citizens with basic necessities.

The United States must lead the world in regulating the environment contamination by the energy industry and other sectors. It could share the technology and innovative knowhow with the developing and under-developed nations in waste management.

Vigorous campaigning and incentives to recycle products along with the manufacturing of biodegradable and non-toxic items for consumer use is crucial. Consumption of organic produces against genetically modified food is lot cheaper for the poorer nations and the multinational corporations should be deterred from marketing chemical fertilizers that have harmed the agro-based economies drastically.

I admire the sincere dedication towards climate justice by a fellow Australian, the 24 year old Anna Keenan on hunger strike into the 35th day and currently awaiting outcome from the COP15 meeting. The world is proud of honorable citizens like Anna and look forward to seeing the fair minds in the leadership role, perhaps the future Prime Minister of Australia. Accordingly, Anna should end the hunger strike in order to continue the crusade in protecting the planet.

Likewise, there are great many activists relentlessly engaged in safeguarding the best gift to mankind, the beautiful earth, the habitat for all living species. We should not allow it to perish through the willful act of negligence.

I trust the COP15 conference in Copenhagen, Denmark will be a huge success with an international treaty in place for the global community to adhere to in terms of carbon reduction within the next two years. Energy solutions via natural sources are absolutely essential for independence from foreign oil and fossil fuels.

Above all, a genuine agreement on nuclear disarmament to eliminate the desire for nuclear energy by some nuclear free nations is paramount. It would eliminate the possibility for endless wars under the guise of establishing freedom and peace on foreign land.

Let’s cherish and celebrate Mother Nature. Save the planet and secure the future for all.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Environment, Featured | Leave a Comment 

Corporate Role in the Environmental Crisis

October 1, 2009

By Padmini Arhant

Tragedy strikes once again in the earthquake prone Indonesia causing a chain of events in other coastal territories viz. the Western Samoa hit with Tsunami, The Philippines embracing the worst casualties in the poorest region from the Typhoon, Japan and Hawaii remaining on alert due to the warnings issued by the U.S. Geological Survey.

When calamities of this magnitude happen, it predominantly takes toll on the poorest population unwillingly surrendering themselves to premature death or scrambling to survive the wrath of the environmental force. It’s no longer the natural disasters as once declared but instead the insatiable appetite to satisfy the ‘wants’ is forcing the entities to use the means for their material status at the habitat’s peril.

Unfortunately, rescue, evacuations and rehabilitation are costly even to the rich nations, evidenced in the Katrina victims still in the process of reorganizing their lives. Thankfully, the generous investment of time, money and resources by the private philanthropists like the actor Brad Pitt, organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and volunteers from all walks of life is easing the burden on the natives in rebuilding their homes.

For the poor nations, recurring crisis of this nature cause tremendous economic and social challenges leaving them in poverty, hunger and disease that leads to the political turmoil common in the island nations of The Philippines and Indonesia. The people in these parts of the world deserve a decent existence prevalent elsewhere.

Global summits like G-20, Earth Day, Peace Forum, etc., are crucial to evaluate the international goals and achievements on important issues pertaining to life. However, these summits become ‘elite and exclusive’ if the tree bearing the fruits fails to provide for the entire inhabitants on earth.

The rich and the developing nations can do more on their part in alleviating global poverty and disease through the democratic process by defining the ethical standards for the corporations, the defense forces, and the mass media, the dominant forces in the evolutionary process.

Environmental abuse by the domestic and foreign corporations of the industrialized and emerging economies worsening at the expense of the people… particularly the middle, the lower and the poorest groups in the economic strata. The irony being these neglected demography constitute a significant part of the consumer chain and yet receiving little or no respect and value from the free market beneficiaries.

In the global economy, when the mighty corporations venture into the continents rich in natural resources but lacking in technical know-how and basic tools for self-sustenance, the local population involuntarily mortgage their precious agricultural lands and lives including the freedom to the foreign investment power.

The foreign investors’ role not limited to short-term profit oriented schemes;
In fact, it’s often expansive with a long-term strategy infiltrating into the political infrastructure of those nations as proven in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East leaving those regions in eternal political instability, civil wars and environmental catastrophes.

The ‘so-called’ investors successfully subvert any horrific industrial accidents and deliberate environmental pollutions by influencing the political powers in the respective domains. Thus, the ‘corruption’ stigma assigned specifically to the exploited regions. Meanwhile, the responsible sources honored as the ‘noble,’ wealth distributors dedicated to liberating the poorest nations from the misery.

In the absence of any international indictments against the culprits, the systemic ethical erosion has contributed to the obliteration of the once solid socio-economic structure yielding the status quo.

Not all is lost as the people in every part the world have the power to create a cornerstone for the collective benefit rather than the individual interest. It may not happen instantaneously, nevertheless the foundation required to build the monument that would accommodate the needs of all.

Human values appreciated through genuine care and support to the victims of such disasters. Crisis is indiscriminate to color, race or religion and the human concern or the lack thereof immensely impact the recovery.

Please reach out to the victims by offering any affordable donations through international organizations like the Red Cross and others engaged in the humanitarian relief.

I share the grief and sorrow with the victims’ families in this tragedy.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Environment | Leave a Comment 

Environment Crisis

October 1, 2009

By Padmini Arhant

Tragedy strikes once again in the earthquake prone Indonesia causing a chain of events in other coastal territories viz. the Western Samoa hit with Tsunami, The Philippines embracing the worst casualties in the poorest region from the Typhoon, Japan and Hawaii remaining on alert due to the warnings issued by the U.S. Geological Survey.

When calamities of this magnitude happen, it predominantly takes toll on the poorest population unwillingly surrendering themselves to premature death or scrambling to survive the wrath of the environmental force. It’s no longer the natural disasters as once declared but instead the insatiable appetite to satisfy the ‘wants’ is forcing the entities to use the means for their material status at the habitat’s peril.

Unfortunately, rescue, evacuations and rehabilitation are costly even to the rich nations, evidenced in the Katrina victims still in the process of reorganizing their lives. Thankfully, the generous investment of time, money and resources by the private philanthropists like the actor Brad Pitt, organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and volunteers from all walks of life is easing the burden on the natives in rebuilding their homes.

For the poor nations, recurring crisis of this nature cause tremendous economic and social challenges leaving them in poverty, hunger and disease that leads to the political turmoil common in the island nations of The Philippines and Indonesia. The people in these parts of the world deserve a decent existence prevalent elsewhere.

Global summits like G-20, Earth Day, Peace Forum, etc., are extremely important to evaluate the international goals and achievements on important issues pertaining to life. However, these summits become ‘elite and exclusive’ if the tree bearing the fruits fails to provide for the entire inhabitants on earth.

The rich and the developing nations can do more on their part in alleviating global poverty and disease through the democratic process by defining the ethical standards for the corporations, the defense forces, and the mass media, the dominant forces in the evolutionary process.

Environmental abuse by the domestic and foreign corporations of the industrialized and emerging economies worsening at the expense of the people… particularly the middle, the lower and the poorest groups in the economic strata. The irony being these neglected demography constitute a significant part of the consumer chain and yet receiving little or no respect and value from the free market beneficiaries.

In the global economy, when the mighty corporations venture into the continents rich in natural resources but lacking in technical know-how and basic tools for self-sustenance, the local population involuntarily mortgage their precious agricultural lands and lives including the freedom to the foreign investment power. The foreign investors’ role not limited to short-term profit oriented schemes; in fact, it’s often expansive with a long-term strategy infiltrating into the political infrastructure of those nations as proven in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East leaving those regions in eternal political instability, civil wars and environmental catastrophes.
The ‘so-called’ investors successfully subvert any horrific industrial accidents and deliberate environmental pollutions by influencing the political powers in the respective domains. Thus, the ‘corruption’ stigma assigned specifically to the exploited regions. Meanwhile, the responsible sources honored as the ‘noble,’ wealth distributors dedicated to liberating the poorest nations from the misery.
In the absence of any resistance from the victims, the systemic ethical erosion has contributed to the once solid socio-economic structural obliteration yielding the status quo.
Not all is lost as the people in every part the world have the power to create a cornerstone for the collective benefit rather than the individual interest. It may not happen instantaneously, nevertheless the foundation required to build the monument that would accommodate the needs of all.
Human values appreciated when genuine care and support provided to the victims of such disasters. Crisis is indiscriminate to color, race or religion and the human concern or the lack thereof immensely impact the recovery.
Please reach out to the victims by offering any affordable donations through international organizations like the Red Cross and others engaged in the humanitarian relief.
I share the grief and sorrow of the victims’ families in this tragedy.
Thank you.
Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Environment | Leave a Comment 

SOS – Save the Arctic

September 30, 2009

By Padmini Arhant

Mother Nature has never been more vulnerable than now with the human power in industries and government targeting every available land on planet earth for profits. With the active space exploration for possible inhabitation on Mars and the Moon, earth’s natural resources depleted to the ultimate under the guise of ‘Clean Energy Act,’ by the yet another indomitable force in the corporate world, the ‘Energy Cartel.’

Should they trail behind in the Herculean contest of crushing democracy and the people it represents?

‘Profit’ revered more than the “Prophet” spares none in its sinister cannibalism revealed in the legislative matters concerning health, housing, finance, wars and even the planet they exist. It is no longer the Darwinian ‘survival of the fittest’ with a subtle hope for efforts to survive if not thrive in the sharks-infested waters.

The profit dominant twenty first century is simple as it cut to the chase i.e.

“All for me and none for you.” Where “I live and you die.”

The gargantuan forces ‘supposedly’ caring for the source – the people and the environment savagely attack through massive pollution, dumping industrial wastes particularly in the impoverished regions of the world as life don’t matter over there to them, further empowered by the slogan driven action –

‘Drill baby drill, Drill now and everywhere’ until the mass disappear into the black hole.

The Bush-Cheney doctrine on matters related to life universally known. Among them, the icing on the cake was the free pass to the free market for a free fall and freedom to erode the earth’s surface through drilling in the Arctic, the Pacific…and beyond the horizon.

Such policy allowing the energy industry to drill in the Arctic endangering life eventually debilitating the food pyramid is due for urgent reversal to protect and save the provider, the environment from drilling or any other destructive mechanisms.

The continuation of the former administration’s policy in light of earth shattering ramifications detailed by the concerned scientists and the discerning ecologists deserve immediate action for life sustenance.

According to the experts, the drilling in the Arctic poses not only grave danger for marine life but also potentially disastrous to the ecosystem’s DNA.
——————————————————————————————-
The Experts Opinion:

“Ruining pristine wild lands and oceans – places like Teshekpuk Lake, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas – is not a path toward a clean energy future.

In fact, it’s a major step in the wrong direction.

Climate change is already making survival harder for arctic creatures.

Oil and gas exploration would bring even more devastating impacts: seismic booms, air and water pollution, and roads, airports, gravel mines and pipelines across a vast and pristine wilderness.

Perhaps worst of all, drilling brings with it oil spills for which – in the Arctic’s icy conditions – no clean-up technology exists. In the Chukchi Sea alone, government scientists predict that once the drills start, there would be a 40 percent chance of a large oil spill.

Once it’s destroyed, it’s gone forever. If we don’t act now, the impact to habitats that we are only beginning to understand and to hundreds of species of Arctic wildlife – caribou, grizzly and polar bears, migrating birds, whales, and many more – could be catastrophic!”

——————————————————————————————-
Call for Synergy – By Padmini Arhant

The grievances cannot be more poignant if the industry granted immunity by the White House and Congress today with the extension of the Bush-policy on offshore drilling.

Moreover, as highlighted to the international community on the environmental issue during the G-20 summit in Pittsburg, the United States image as the world leader in the green revolution ahead of the scheduled Copenhagen conference is in jeopardy with the prolonging of the devastating offshore drilling in the Arctic and elsewhere, notwithstanding the hypocritical stance in the worldview.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt phenomenal dedication towards the comprehensive protection of the national environment was the crowning glory among his many other symbolic achievements.

Every President and leaders of the nations have an opportunity to do wonders or otherwise with the power entrusted upon them in a democracy. What’s important to realize is the leadership’s willingness and courage put to test for a reason and that is for them to define their character by rising to the occasion in their national and humanitarian tasks that expands to the future.

Environmental rescue is not exclusive to social dynamics of race and culture or limited to political opinions. The voluntary planet degradation is cataclysmic to humanity as calamity in one part of the world contagiously spreads to the personal domain of every living being on earth.

Transforming desire into action is a challenge. Nevertheless, if policies detrimental to life existence in the health and environmental matter not terminated, it’s just a matter of time for the carcinogens to be deadly.

Saving the Arctic is paramount for the present and future evolution besides being a moral responsibility towards Mother Nature, the only source of life.

Thank you

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Environment | Leave a Comment 

Earth Day

April 23, 2009

The global community has an opportunity to reflect and redeem the loss of earth’s treasure in rare species, fresh air layered with cool breeze, the scent of sweet smelling flowers and pure drinking water once naturally available on the planet and now a scarcity in the congested urbanized world.

On this important day commemorating the urgency to sustain life on earth collectively, it is obligatory on every nation to utilize the human capital with expertise, technology and other resources to reduce and eventually eliminate environmental pollution. There are debates and discussions held to determine the extent of responsibility nations must accept to benefit mankind.

Although the earth’s space demarcated with territories and boundaries, disaster in one part of the world affects humanity multifold particularly through disease in the form of epidemics. Further, depletion of local natural resources impact global economy contributing to trade disputes aside from escalating regional poverty that ultimately leads to war and destruction.

The concept of green technology and promoting eco-friendly environment deserve A-political focus to maximize humanitarian values shared by all inhabitants on the planet. It is incumbent on the corporations of the industrialized nations evidently profit motivated to limit and possibly terminate environmental contamination caused by hazardous chemicals, poisonous gases and other toxic agents in the impoverished and densely populated regions of the world.

Unfortunately, the increasing co-operation by the political systems both local and foreign governments with the corporations in violation of environmental code, safety regulations and ethics proliferate catastrophes. Recently, it has immunized victims in tolerating mass life extinction practices witnessed in the 1984 Union Carbide human tragedy in Bhopal, India. Again, notwithstanding the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident in the former Ukranian Soviet Socialist Republic producing horrendous figures in deaths, terminal illnesses and birth defects up until now. Similarly, the numerous oil spillings along various coastal regions are responsible for enormous damage and loss to aquatic life, local population and their economy.

Meanwhile, the developing and under developed nations receiving international aid must invest in efficient waste management, facilitate clean drinking water and sanitary conditions for decent survival of those at the bottom of the socio economic strata. Their social programs must target the rural and poorest groups in the society to provide basic education, health care and means for improving living standards through agriculture, banking, and small and large-scale industry expansion. It is essential for nations’ with highest population to maintain sustainable growth to achieve economic prosperity and desirable environmental goals.

Despite phenomenal loss of life and precious resources, there is a universal failure to acknowledge the calamities from nuclear reactors/waste, fossil fuel, offshore drilling for oil and natural gas, disproportionate carbon emissions including reckless industrial pollutions in the past and present time. If the trend continues with little or no effort to contain environmental deterioration, the prospects of future life appear diminished.

Earth day is a subtle reminder to cherish the beautiful gift from Mother Nature and the best expression of gratitude would be the preservation and protection of the planet, the habitat for all living species.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Environment | Leave a Comment 

Environmental Policy

April 19, 2009

The recent developments to combat climate change in the State of California and nationwide is commendable. The Supreme Court granting authority to EPA to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions under the Clean Air Act eliminates obstacles on the path to a clean environment. It is significant since according to the reports the projected levels of greenhouse gases “endanger the public health and welfare of current and future generations.”

With the time lapse of inaction on this important matter threatening the mere existence of life on the planet, the new administration under President Obama is seeking the right course of action by having the choice to either legislate or regulate carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases resisted in the past on the notion of negative economic impact.

Further, EPA consideration to reduce emissions including rigorous tailpipe emissions standard also previously blocked in the past eight years is a step in the right direction. This particular issue like others has been subject to criticism and opposition from sectors focused on personal short term gains over long-term future of humanity. Again, the Obama administration’s gesture to proceed toward a national standard on vehicle emissions that will be as strong as California’s is right on target.

It would be appropriate to embrace California’s standard as the national requirement, rather than maintaining individual regional measure and finalize the pending EPA decision over the controversial tailpipe carbon emissions by the automobile industry. The national standard would be beneficial to the struggling auto industry in marketing their fleet in other parts of the country without the burden of meeting the regional expectations.

In a democracy, active participation in public discourse and dissent whenever justified is honorable. However, protest against progress and life sustenance is detrimental to the source contributing to such disruptions. The opposing legislators’ argument on any environmental regulation is weak for it dismissed global warming as a ‘myth’ up until now. Their defense of businesses potentially affected by stringent measures is hypothetical. It fails to recognize that the planet in peril is a hard-core fact with abundance evidence in rising temperatures and several disasters no longer natural because of the none other than greenhouse gases causing ozone depletion in the earth’s atmosphere.

According to the recent article on this topic – Industry representatives voiced a variety of concerns over the prospect of mandatory emissions controls. The National Association of Manufacturers warned that the Clean Air Act was designed to focus on local and regional pollution, and that greenhouse gases “are global in nature and require a new framework.”

The industry demand to distinguish the Clean Air Act to curtail domestic pollution from greenhouse gases produced globally is worth clarification. In the latest G-20 summit, it is not clear if the United States sought any guarantee from the participants with respect to individual and consolidated global effort in greenhouse gases reduction. Even though the G-20 gathering predominantly focused on global economic rescue plan, the equally challenging environmental issue deserves universal commitment in achieving the desired goals.

It is imperative for the inhabitants of planet earth to pay serious attention to the environmental degradation arising from industrial pollution, population explosion, poor waste management and revolutionary demographic shifts among the population of the emerging economic powers in the world.

In the United States, the bipartisan consensus is paramount if legislation required to promote healthy and safe environment for the well-being of the present and future generations of the nation. To reiterate any partisanship during legislation combined with industry objection in compliance of regulation would lead to dire consequences and irreversible state of earth’s natural resources due to ecological imbalance.

Mankind best interest lies in the protection and preservation of the habitat, the planet earth.

Save the planet and secure the future for all.

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Environment | Leave a Comment 

Save the Planet

October 19, 2008

It is not merely a slogan. A grim reality dismissed as a myth by extreme political factions.

What is a slogan?

“Drill baby Drill, Drill now, Drill here ” … until there is nothing left and the entire species vanish in a black hole .

Such political psychodrama far outweighs the speculation of similar outcome from The Large Hadron Collider as the "Big Bang " experiment, conducted to unravel the mysteries of the origin of the universe across the border between France and Switzerland.

The nation, as the pioneer in virtually most frontiers of humanitarian needs is advancing towards the dangerous zone with policies like “offshore” oil and gas drilling… rejecting the real consequences to the environment.

Political rhetoric to satisfy the humanity’s insatiable appetite for energy demands is sweeping across the nation without any rationale or logic.

In the process, the moderate thinkers in the political aisle are forfeiting their commitments to the environmental cause and denying the call from the reasoning faculties within.

The electoral process is a mechanism to promote irrational ideologies to justify victory by any means.

Even, if such radical platform is detrimental to the existence and survival of self and other species on the planet.

It makes one wonder! What is the driving force behind the extremism preventing the political power from exercising judgment for the benefit of all inhabitants on the planet?

The simple response is — the Special interests or the “lobbyists” , the active and most successful operatives in every election.

Their argument as purveyors of the elections from Congressional to “Presidential ” is, electoral process is an investment vehicle to promote Corporate agenda based on profiteering at all expense.

In essence, Corporations determined to maximize personal gains against all odds run the government, supposedly “democratic ”.

The real authority behind the entire management of elections especially in the United States is the Conglomerate operating across the Atlantic, and thus far highly successful in the nomination of their choice of “Presidential candidate ” to advance the personal agenda and devious modus operandi worldwide.

That is why, the recent fear mongering tactics… against a candidate in opposition to such policies, is stigmatized a Socialist and cast as a threat to “Capitalism”.

It is common knowledge that the free market or “Capitalism” is always healthier for the enrichment of ideas and competitiveness to benefit consumer based economies provided,

The monetary gains and welfare are widespread among the investors and consumers alike including the work force/ human Capital, the most important resource for “Capitalism” to succeed.

Therefore, a threshold is necessary to define the role of “Capitalism” in a democracy.

Both extremes — the extensive Corporate role in the legislation and government intervention in the micromanagement of free market system undermine the success of democratic market economies.

In the environmental front, there are serious challenges confronting the global community.

The solutions to the problems created by none other than human force for various economic reasons are within the realm of people power.

Every individual can make a difference in resolving the current environmental crises. The first and foremost strategy is to reflect on the cause and effect factor.

Simple actions like recycling, supply and purchase of environmental friendly products and services, cutting back on carbon emissions and recreating lifestyle would greatly contribute to the cause.

The lifestyle by an average household with modified energy consumption could help the humanity in general.

The recent article shed light on the impact of global warming on other living species.

Government declares beluga whale endangered

By DAN JOLING Associated Press Writer – Thank you.

Article Launched: 10/17/2008 07:38:33 AM PDT

Qannik, a 6-year-old beluga whale, swims in a tank at his new home at…

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—First, there were the polar bears. Now, beluga whales. Washington and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin just don’t see eye to eye on wildlife protection.

The beluga whales of Alaska’s Cook Inlet are endangered and require additional protection to survive, the government declared Friday, contradicting Gov. Sarah Palin who has questioned whether the distinctive white whales are actually declining.

It was the Republican vice presidential candidate’s second environmental slap from Washington this year.

She has asked federal courts to overturn an Interior Department decision declaring polar bears threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The government on Friday put a portion of the whales on the endangered list, rejecting Palin’s argument that it lacked scientific evidence to do so.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that a decade-long recovery program had failed to ensure the whales’ survival.

"In spite of protections already in place, Cook Inlet beluga whales are not recovering," said James Balsiger, NOAA acting assistant administrator.

The decision means that before federal agencies can issue a variety of commercial permits, they must first consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine if there are potential harmful effects on the whales.

That has the potential to affect major Alaska projects including an expansion of the Port of Anchorage, additional offshore oil and gas drilling, a proposed $600 million bridge connecting Anchorage to Palin’s hometown of Wasilla and a massive coal mine 45 miles south of Anchorage.

The state does have serious concerns about the low population of beluga whales in Cook Inlet and has had those concerns for many years, Palin said in a statement.

"However, we believe that this endangered listing is premature," she said.

Palin in April successfully lobbied for a six-month delay in a listing decision until a count of the whales this summer could be included in deliberations.

That count showed no increase over 2007 numbers—375 whales, compared with a high of 653 in 1995.

Federal regulators and conservation groups said further delay would be harmful.

NOAA said Friday the Cook Inlet population declined by 50 percent between 1994 and 1998 and "is still not recovering" despite restrictions on the number of whales that Alaska’s native population can kill for subsistence.

It said recovery has been hindered by development and a range of economic and industrial activities including those related to oil and gas exploration.

The National Marine Fisheries Service "will identify habitat essential for the conservation of the Cook Inlet belugas in a separate rule-making within a year," the agency said.

The federal decision pleased environmentalists.

"We can finally focus now not on whether the belugas are endangered, but what we can do to protect them," said Brendan Cummings, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that petitioned for the listing.

Cook Inlet stretches 180 miles from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage.

It is named for Capt. James Cook, the British explorer who sailed into the inlet in 1778 on a quest to find the Northwest Passage.

Beluga whales feed on salmon and smaller fish.

They can also eat crab, shrimp, squid and clams. During summers, the whales, which reach a length of up to 15 feet, often can be spotted from the highways leading away from Anchorage, gathered at river mouths, chasing salmon that have schooled before a run to spawning grounds.

Beluga whales’ natural enemies are killer whales, but something else has been keeping their numbers down in Alaska’s Cook Inlet.

Craig Matkin, an independent biologist who has worked in south central Alaska for 25 years, said the delay in the listing had held up a comprehensive research plan to find out why the population had not recovered after subsistence hunting was curtailed.

The concern is not just in numbers, he said, but in distribution. Whales in recent years have been staying in northern Cook Inlet near Anchorage.

"They’re just gone from these areas," he said of his own home near in Homer, near the tip of the Kenai Peninsula and about 100 miles from Anchorage.

"Why they aren’t coming down into this habitat is a question I’d like to answer."

Future development won’t be helpful to the recovery, Cummings said, starting with the noise and pollution associated with industrialization of the inlet, which includes oil rigs off the Kenai Peninsula.

Global warming, changing ocean conditions and higher temperatures in salmon streams may be another factor, Cummings said.

The Port of Anchorage, helped by congressional earmarks secured by Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young, has embarked on a $500 million project to double the port’s size and replace its aging docks.

Environmental groups also have expressed concern about a planned coal mine 45 miles from Anchorage across Cook Inlet, where developers propose to mine 300 million metric tons of sub-bituminous coal, roughly equal to the energy of a billion barrels of oil, over 25 years.

That would mean noise and boat traffic associated with building and operating a mine, a potential effect on salmon streams and more warming.

The Cook Inlet beluga whales are one of five populations in Alaska waters and the only one endangered.

Other beluga populations off Alaska inhabit Bristol Bay, the eastern Bering Sea, the eastern Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea.

——————————————————-

Reality Check :  Gov. Sarah Palin — Welcome to the National Political Arena!

Your performance on SNL last night may well be the cause for celebration as an “anti-environmentalist. ”

Even though, your judgment or the lack thereof, in the environmental matter is analogous to the rhetoric on your campaign trail invoking fear and Anti-American euphemism against your opponent, the Democratic Presidential Candidate, Senator Barack Obama.

As one among many advocates for the voiceless and defenseless species, I am obligated to pose the following questions to you:

1. What exactly is the issue you don’t understand about the environmental crises?

2. As a self proclaimed maverick , how do you propose to sustain the ecological balance, crucial for your present survival… against the cavalier offshore oil and gas exploration and other projects?

3. Please, explain to the American electorate your bizarre stance in the pivotal issues —

A. Your personal claim, highlighting the foreign policy experience equivalent to the panoramic view of the residence of Russian Prime Minister, Mr. Vladimir Putin from the convenience of your porch while,

B. You choose to remain oblivious to SOS calls from the native species of your home state Alaska.

Perhaps, this could be a revelation for you —

Global warming is real due to reckless policies and irresponsible human behavior.

Save the Planet , for Life matter .

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Environment, Featured | Leave a Comment 

Save the Planet

October 19, 2008

It is not merely a slogan. A grim reality dismissed as a “myth” by extreme political factions.

What is a slogan?

“Drill baby Drill, Drill now, Drill here” … until there is nothing left and the entire species vanish in a “black hole.”

This far outweighs the speculation of such outcome from “The Large Hadron Collider” as the “Big Bang” experiment, conducted to unravel the mysteries of the origin of the universe across the border between France and Switzerland.

The nation, as the “pioneer” in virtually most frontiers of humanitarian needs is advancing towards the dangerous zone with policies like “offshore” oil and gas drilling… rejecting the real consequences to the environment.
Political “rhetoric” to satisfy the humanity’s insatiable appetite for energy demands is sweeping across the nation without any rationale or logic.
In the process, the moderate thinkers in the political aisle are forfeiting their commitments to the environmental cause and denying the call from the reasoning faculties within.
The electoral process is a mechanism to promote “irrational” ideologies to justify victory by any means.
Even, if such radical platform is detrimental to the existence and survival of self and other species on the planet.
It makes one wonder! What is the driving force behind the extremism preventing the political power from exercising “judgment” for the benefit of “all” inhabitants on the planet?
The simple response is — the “Special interests” or the “lobbyists”, the active and most successful operatives in every election.
Their argument as purveyors of the elections from congressional to “Presidential” is, electoral process is an investment vehicle to promote “Corporate” agenda based on profiteering at all expense.
In essence, “Corporations” determined to maximize personal gains against all odds run the government, supposedly “democratic”.
The real authority behind the entire management of elections especially in the United States is the “Conglomerate” operating across the Atlantic and thus far highly successful in the nomination of their choice of “Presidential candidate” to advance the personal agenda and devious modus operandi worldwide.
That is why, the recent fear mongering tactics… against a candidate in opposition to such policies, is stigmatized a “Socialist” and cast as a threat to “Capitalism”.
It is common knowledge that the “free market” or “Capitalism” is always healthier for the enrichment of ideas and competitiveness to benefit consumer based economies provided,
The monetary gains and welfare are widespread among the investors and consumers alike including the “work force” / “human Capital”, the most important resource for “Capitalism” to succeed.
Therefore, a threshold is necessary to define the role of “Capitalism” in a democracy.
Both extremes — the extensive “Corporate” role in the legislation and government intervention in the micromanagement of “free market” system undermine the success of democratic “market” economies.
In the environmental front, there are serious challenges confronting the global community.
The solutions to the problems created by none other than “human force” for various economic reasons are within the realm of “people” power.
Every individual can make a difference in resolving the current environmental crises. The first and foremost strategy is to reflect on the “cause” and “effect” factor.
Simple actions like recycling, supply and purchase of environmental friendly products and services, cutting back on carbon emissions and recreating lifestyle would greatly contribute to the cause.
The lifestyle by an average household with modified energy consumption could help the humanity in general.
The recent article shed light on the impact of global warming on other living species.
Government declares beluga whale endangered
By DAN JOLING Associated Press Writer – Thank you.
Article Launched: 10/17/2008 07:38:33 AM PDT

Qannik, a 6-year-old beluga whale, swims in a tank at his new home at…

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—First, there were the polar bears. Now, beluga whales. Washington and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin just don’t see eye to eye on wildlife protection.
The beluga whales of Alaska’s Cook Inlet are endangered and require additional protection to survive, the government declared Friday, contradicting Gov. Sarah Palin who has questioned whether the distinctive white whales are actually declining.
It was the Republican vice presidential candidate’s second environmental slap from Washington this year. She has asked federal courts to overturn an Interior Department decision declaring polar bears threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
The government on Friday put a portion of the whales on the endangered list, rejecting Palin’s argument that it lacked scientific evidence to do so. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that a decade-long recovery program had failed to ensure the whales’ survival.
“In spite of protections already in place, Cook Inlet beluga whales are not recovering,” said James Balsiger, NOAA acting assistant administrator.
The decision means that before federal agencies can issue a variety of commercial permits, they must first consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine if there are potential harmful effects on the whales.
That has the potential to affect major Alaska projects including an expansion of the Port of Anchorage, additional offshore oil and gas drilling, a proposed $600 million bridge connecting Anchorage to Palin’s hometown of Wasilla and a massive coal mine 45 miles south of Anchorage.
The state does have serious concerns about the low population of beluga whales in Cook Inlet and has had those concerns for many years, Palin said in a statement. “However, we believe that this endangered listing is premature,” she said.
Palin in April successfully lobbied for a six-month delay in a listing decision until a count of the whales this summer could be included in deliberations. That count showed no increase over 2007 numbers—375 whales, compared with a high of 653 in 1995.
Federal regulators and conservation groups said further delay would be harmful.
NOAA said Friday the Cook Inlet population declined by 50 percent between 1994 and 1998 and “is still not recovering” despite restrictions on the number of whales that Alaska’s native population can kill for subsistence. It said recovery has been hindered by development and a range of economic and industrial activities including those related to oil and gas exploration.
The National Marine Fisheries Service “will identify habitat essential for the conservation of the Cook Inlet belugas in a separate rule-making within a year,” the agency said.
The federal decision pleased environmentalists.
“We can finally focus now not on whether the belugas are endangered, but what we can do to protect them,” said Brendan Cummings, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that petitioned for the listing.
Cook Inlet stretches 180 miles from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage. It is named for Capt. James Cook, the British explorer who sailed into the inlet in 1778 on a quest to find the Northwest Passage.
Beluga whales feed on salmon and smaller fish. They can also eat crab, shrimp, squid and clams. During summers, the whales, which reach a length of up to 15 feet, often can be spotted from the highways leading away from Anchorage, gathered at river mouths, chasing salmon that have schooled before a run to spawning grounds.
Beluga whales’ natural enemies are killer whales, but something else has been keeping their numbers down in Alaska’s Cook Inlet.
Craig Matkin, an independent biologist who has worked in south central Alaska for 25 years, said the delay in the listing had held up a comprehensive research plan to find out why the population had not recovered after subsistence hunting was curtailed.
The concern is not just in numbers, he said, but in distribution. Whales in recent years have been staying in northern Cook Inlet near Anchorage.
“They’re just gone from these areas,” he said of his own home near in Homer, near the tip of the Kenai Peninsula and about 100 miles from Anchorage. “Why they aren’t coming down into this habitat is a question I’d like to answer.”
Future development won’t be helpful to the recovery, Cummings said, starting with the noise and pollution associated with industrialization of the inlet, which includes oil rigs off the Kenai Peninsula.
Global warming, changing ocean conditions and higher temperatures in salmon streams may be another factor, Cummings said.
The Port of Anchorage, helped by congressional earmarks secured by Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young, has embarked on a $500 million project to double the port’s size and replace its aging docks.
Environmental groups also have expressed concern about a planned coal mine 45 miles from Anchorage across Cook Inlet, where developers propose to mine 300 million metric tons of sub-bituminous coal, roughly equal to the energy of a billion barrels of oil, over 25 years. That would mean noise and boat traffic associated with building and operating a mine, a potential effect on salmon streams and more warming.
The Cook Inlet beluga whales are one of five populations in Alaska waters and the only one endangered. Other beluga populations off Alaska inhabit Bristol Bay, the eastern Bering Sea, the eastern Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea.
——————————————————-
Reality Check: Gov. Sarah Palin — Welcome to the National Political Arena!
Your performance at SNL last night may well be the cause for celebration as an “anti-environmentalist.”
Even though, your judgment or the lack thereof, in the environmental matter is analogous to the “rhetoric” on your campaign trail invoking fear and “Anti-American” euphemism against your opponent, the Democratic Presidential Candidate, Senator Barack Obama.
As one of many advocates for the voiceless and defenseless species, I am obligated to pose the following questions to you:
1. What exactly is the issue you don’t understand about the environmental crises?
2. As a self proclaimed “maverick”, how do you propose to sustain the ecological balance, crucial for your present survival… against the cavalier “offshore” oil and gas exploration and other projects?
3. Please, explain to the American electorate your bizarre stance in the pivotal issues —
A. Your personal claim, highlighting the foreign policy experience equivalent to the panoramic view of the residence of Russian Prime Minister, Mr. Vladimir Putin from the convenience of your porch while,
B. You choose to remain oblivious to “SOS” from the native species of your home state Alaska.
Perhaps, this could be a revelation for you —
Global warming is real due to reckless policies and irresponsible human behavior.
“Save the Planet,” for “Life matter.”
Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Written by Padmini Arhant · Filed Under Environment | Leave a Comment 

« Previous Page