DIFFERENTIATING IMPACTSWho gets hit most and hardest? Poland questions...
By Redster
Well, yes, there is really a difference when it comes to climate impacts and issues dealing with responsibility and accountability. And it's a bit more complex - and simple - than we think.
Here are a few things to ponder on as we confront the global menace of our rapidly changing global climate:
1. Climate impacts will affect everyone. For now, a few may benefit. But very soon everyone will be hit badly - we live in one planet and the logic of physics - and the mystics - is still true: everything is connected, believe it.2. The impact of climate change will fall disproportionately on those who are least responsible for it.
3. The developed world, which sometimes is called the North, is historically responsible for the problem. What the North needs to do is not just to cut their emissions drastically, the North also needs to pay reparations to the poor people who are now unjustly paying for their greed.4. But the climate issue cannot just be about North versus South (which is another term used to refer to developing countries). It is also - it is really about the rich and the poor. Because in rich countries and poor nations, elites are the ones most responsible for the humongous majority of global greenhouse gas emissions. And in poor countries as well as rich nations, poor working people are the ones who end up shouldering the burden of the gluttonous ways of their respective elites.
5. But it will be extremely foolish to believe the world is divided into the rich and the poor - because we need to differentiate as well among the vulnerable. In the end, as study after study after study has shown, women end up carrying the burden of climatic impacts.To call for climate justice is not enough. As a wise group reminds us, "There can be no climate justice without gender justice!"
The last pic is a photo taken from the parallel event "Women and Climate Justice" held at a venue just beside the Poznan convention place. The event was packed! And the free cookies were nice...
1 comment:
Red, the lunch was nice too..., but the most important was the feeling that we are not alone in fighting for better future for women and their families (of course the husbands are included, don't worry).
Poznan is cold but this creates a feeling that soon we will enter a cozy and warm place. Colder than the weather outside COP 14 event, are people who decide about our future. Those cold-heart people create a feeling that soon we end up in a huge men-made disaster. What people needs, what women want, are not important. Those men in black-suits have one one thing in mind --money. The climate crisis is a good opportunity to make money. And, they used us as reason.
The Indonesian government delegation in its briefing paper (of course for internal use only), 'go to Poznan, uphold the national interest'. Sorry, whose 'national interest' are you talking about? For sure not my interest and millions of people including women, who suffer under flood, draught, loss of agricultural production, etc.etc...
Yes, clear differentiation between rich and poor should be made. It is not only about North-South, or Singapore and Indonesia, but also there is elite in developing countries who exploit their own people.
Last night as I walked out from the Women and Climate Change workshop to catch my train, I saw a big sign --like a compuer game sign-- above a tunnel that said "Mission failed". Somehow it was a symbolc thing. Yes, the mission to bring humanity out from this climate crisis and disaster failed, as long as all those decision makers' brains are still occupied with 'money and market' as a solution.
So, gathering of women yesterday gave strength to fight forward to get what we think and feel good for our children and grand grand children. I don't want to face a question by my grand grand daughter one day "what did you do as those bad guys screwed up our planet and our lives?"
Titi
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