“He was quite clear it was the poor of the world in countries like Sri Lanka who will bear the brunt of the problems caused by climate change. Already the country is suffering from early rains ruining the paddy harvest while the dry zone gets ever dryer.”___________________________
by Louise Gray
(April 30, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Everyone knows Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his work highlighting the dangers of climate change but people tend to forget his co-laureates. Not in Sri Lanka.
The country is rightly proud of Professor Mohan Munasinghe, who as vice chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, was instrumental in waking the world up to the problems we face as the polar ice caps melt, desertification increases and millions of people are displaced by flooding.
However, like his share of the glory, Prof Munasinghe's message has been overshadowed, largely because we do not want to hear it.
The wiry Sri Lankan scientist, who has been on the IPCC since its creation two decades ago, emphasises the fact that it is the people in developed countries like Britain that are responsible for climate change, pumping out at least 15 times as much CO2 as the average Sri Lankan.
Therefore it is the developed world that needs to do the hard work. Of course in Sri Lanka this message is as popular as Al Gore's apocalyptic movie An Inconvenient Truth.
I attended a "felicitation and recognition" ceremony for Professor Munasinghe, who is the first Sri Lankan to win the Nobel Peace Prize, in Colombo.
He was quite clear it was the poor of the world in countries like Sri Lanka who will bear the brunt of the problems caused by climate change. Already the country is suffering from early rains ruining the paddy harvest while the dry zone gets ever dryer.
It is up to the richest fifth of the world - that consumes 60 times more than the poorest fifth - to try to mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing its reliance on fossil fuels, according to Prof Munasinghe. It is also up to these countries to help those who will be worst affected through international development.
That is not to say Sri Lanka will not have its part to play. The average Sri Lankan may only produce 600 kg of carbon emissions per annum compared to the 9,000 kg of the average European but this is increasing all the time. Prof Munasinghe said Sri Lankans must also slow down consumption and convert to renewable energy sources if they are to do their bit, while ensuring the country develops in a sustainable way.
This is the basis of Professor Munasinghe's "sustainomics" framework. See his website http://www.mindlanka.org/ for more information.
He believes every nation should develop a "national sustainable development strategy" that not only reduces carbon emissions, for example by reducing energy wastage or planting trees, but takes the environment into account when considering economic and social development, for example by ensuring housing for the poor is not damaging surrounding forest.
Like a true scientist, Prof Munasinghe has put his work before politics and been an advisor to every single government in Sri Lanka over the last 30 years, regardless of political hue.
But unlike many scientists he is realistic about how the system works. Prof Munasinghe realises governments will not change because climate change is happening per se. They will only do something when they realise that the storm to come could affect their income and lifestyle.
So while this modest man dressed in a red tie and blazer was pleased with the "recognition, influence and credibility" winning the Nobel Peace Price has given the IPCC, he is not surprised at the lack of action.
"Personally I am disappointed about Bali and Bangkok (recent climate change conferences)," he said. "I expected more movement but then again the price of oil will have more impact on climate change. It is scarcity of energy and food etc that will move climate change not climate change itself.
"That is why we must show the link between climate change to problems we are suffering. If you show the link between development, poverty, war etc it is more effective than talking about climate change alone."
Prof Munasinghe believes that if developed countries can reduce their own impact on the environment while helping poorer countries to develop in a sustainable way the world can slow down global warming and cope with climate change when it comes.
But despite his big ideas, the earnest-looking scientist is dedicated to supporting the smaller initiatives that are making the difference. Reassuringly for many of us who bother to switch the lights out or recycle, he says the actions of the individual can make a difference to climate change.
Charities like Ruk Rakaganno (http://rukrakaganno.sacredcat.org), The Tree Society of Sri Lanka, are helping to mitigate the effects of climate change by planting trees to absorb the carbon emissions being pumped into the atmosphere. Or My Carbon Stash (www.mycarbonstash.org/blog), a website set up by a group of young Sri Lankans, to share information on ways to cut your carbon footprint.
"While the scale of the problem we face may seem overwhelming, we as individuals have a duty to try to address the issue of climate change," said the professor. "However small it is, we CAN provide a positive contribution which will make a difference."
Prof Munasinghe's talk gave me plenty to think about over the weekend while doing a cookery course in Unawatuna.
I am not going to try to crow bar climate change into making curry but like many traditional practices cooking is more sustainable if you do it in a traditional way.
So curry powder in Sri Lanka is made by simply putting locally grown chillies, curry leaves, coriander seeds, turmeric, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom and black pepper out to dry in the sun for a couple of hours before pounding the whole lot in a stone pestle and mortar - rather than buying a packet put together from ingredients around the world.
Obviously this is impossible in Scotland but I have learned how to make pineapple curry, coconut pancakes and daal from a few simple, fresh ingredients.
Hopefully I will take home the skills to make curry along with the motivation to make a difference to climate change.
As Professor Mohan Munasinghe suggested, in the end it is not about the individuals who won the Nobel Peace Prize it is about the individuals who do something about it.
(Telegraph)
- Sri Lanka Guardian
Post a Comment