Amazing blog. A necessary call for a revolution.
Moving and inspiring.

“Because Copenhagen is not about the government and not about the lobbyists. It is about us. 6 billion of us. It is about making each one of us aware and informed about the dangers we face as a planet.”
Very inspiring.

So well said. Leaves you with a bittersweet feeling. Though the reality of it clouds you with pessimism, it’s laced with the ever-inspiring voice of the human spirit that reminds you there’s a silver lining at the end of it all. A glimmer of hope. Something worth fighting for. Worth living for.
Not just for us, but for generations to come.

i’m glad to know that sometimes it really isn’t that easy to give up hope.

Great article. Fist punches in the air! Rocky was a million to one shot. With 6 billion of us that means we got 6 million Rockys out there. Time to whoop ass!

Finally. I was smiling when I read this- “something punched my lack of hope and made a huge hole in my dark cloud and the sun began to shine.” You are on a beautiful journey. Rock on!

you know what i feel bud. every interaction, every post, whether it’s you, whether it’s me, whether it’s us, is a gentle nudge in the direction - forward. god bless.

Well done, well written, and I hope we all live up to your hopes and dreams - even if we only make a small contribution to giving a voice to the voiceless, it will have been worth it.  There are a lot of good people out there working very hard to swing this in the right direction.

wonderful..really inspiring..teaches us a lot….

The illustration is fantastic And the text is wise. I think that the solution lies in the fact that these problems are truly global - that orces us to come together and solve them. All 6 billions of us.

a couple of hours ago, i was reading about an African village boy who built a windmill just by seeing its pictures in a book. why did he do it?

because he really wanted to make a difference, because he didn’t listen to nay-sayers making fun of him at every step… and he says later, that the windmill’s chh chh sound when it first moved was amongst the happiest moments of his life.

we are all like that young African boy. all we’ve to do, is to not lose the belief, the hope; to go on thinking, doing, writing, tweeting, anything howsoever little to make this little blue village of ours a little better than it was before we came.

i know we’ve it in us.

thanks for raising the belief.

and we’ll make this world much better than what it is today.

amen.

super

Inspiring stuff. The equation changes with 6 billion on one side.

Awesome piece of writing!

Will COP 15 at Copenhagen change anything? I’m hoping it’ll change the way we think. All 6 billion of us. Maybe one thought at a time. But hopefully a lot faster than that

Great post. The good thing about our times is we have so many ways for the voices of the individual and the collective to be spread around the world instantly, which helps in influencing local and global decisions.

there should be a follow up blog called “ACT about it.” We all think its a problem.  i do my little bitty bit, turning off lights in rooms im not in, not leaving things on standby, not having aircon or heater on if i dont need it…  recycling, asking for no plastic bags whenever i can… small things but if 6 million do it it will be a big change.

great powerful post, in visual and words.

Good idea Ian! I think these three months will pass very quickly, and we should think about how to keep the network alive after the competition.

As you, and Hemant points out -  what is REALLY important is not what happens at one meeting in Copenhagen, but the actions of 6,8 bn global citizens before and after the meeting.

Thank you all for your comments so far. Very, very encouraging and inspiring to know we all think alike.
@david, I love the Rocky analogy!
@Daniel This is it brother. We need a global alliance of people. And even as we speak it seems to be happening. Driven by all of us. And yes, it isn’t about Copenhagen. it is about what we as people decide to do after the meeting.
@ian Powerful thought - Act about it. And yes together we will!

Really awesome inspiring post dude

What did you all decide to do?
I read an interesting theory a while ago that suggested the thing that’s lacking in people’s minds is not awareness or even necessarily concern for the environment and climate change, but an adequate visual metaphor to help people grasp the problem.

The theory goes that without an adequate way of picturing progress (or rather decline), the problem is too intangible, too sprawling.

More on this here:
http://www.greenlivingtips.com/blogs/200/The-carbon-dioxide-bathtub.html

Or is this thinking out of date already?
Do people now understand the task at hand but lack the spokesperson, the platform, the mandate for change?

Great post.

Very inspiring and rallying post Hemant. I have great hope a great deal of the governments and companies are honest about their green intentions.  But it’s us citizens who need to push, protest and support further greening.

@ David Thanks for your comments. Interesting points there.
I think while a lot of people are aware of the problems, a lot of us aren’t. And to me what really is important is to raise awareness so people can make right choices.
For example: Greenpeace is doing a campaign in india taking on Genetically Contaminated food. People don’t even know that their food has GM ingredients,as there is no law in India whereby companies have to disclose it on the packaging.
So Greenpeace decided to raise awareness and then ask people that do they want GM ingredients in the food.
The reason for this example is that climate change is affecting food and agriulture massively. And GM Crops are being sold as a solution. Which to me is a matter of debate.
Similar reasoning goes for the myth of ‘clean coal’. Another industry propogated myth which needs to be questioned.

In the article you mentioned there is a para which reads: Even if you feel that the whole CO2 situation and global warming is somewhat of a crock, perhaps even a deliberate hoax; what do we have to lose by attacking the issue whole-heartedly? We’ll have a cleaner, greener world by taking appropriate action.

And that’s it. I would add, a cleaner, greener and SUSTAINABLE world.

I’m a more educated person already.

while we go about doing our little bits, it’s time we forced our leaders to do what they were elected to do. lead the change i.e. the world leaders are still worried about their backyards.

With hope in our eyes and a dream in our hearts, we fight for fresh air.

@David:

I don’t think it is an outdated way of thinking.
Sadly there’s still a lot of people who don’t believe in climate change and think it’s all some sort of conspiracy. And there’s others who see it as such a huge problem that they feel nothing they could do would really matter.

There’s still a need to comunicate that every individual action counts.

6 billion indivdual actions are an unstoppable force.

Great post, as always.

The only antidote to cynicism is cold, hard facts. Thankfully, I know where to go for my daily dose.

Keep the truth missiles coming Captain Planet.

great note hemant. Hope this effort changes the way we think and more importantly do things.

there are quite a few theories that abound about ‘climate change’ as we know it being a cyclical phenomenon. the ice age is often cited as an example. but the fact is, at hemant, said ‘We’ll have a cleaner, greener world by taking appropriate action.’ and let’s work towards that.

@Waldo Thanks for your comments. Yes I completely agree and believe that a lot of governments and companies are honest about their green intentions. But I also think they are a minority.
We people as consumers and customers of businesses really need to start asking the right questions about the products we consume.There is nothing like consumer power to change the not so honest companies.
For example: Dove (the soap), uses palm oil which is causing the rainforests in Indonesia to be cut down for palm plantations. The UK is also a big consumer of palm oil.
If the demand stops then much can be done.
The problem is, even the governments with honest intentions are hypocritical when it comes to business interests:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2009/sep/09/palm-oil-power-plant-wales

It’s really on the people to bring about a change.

Hemant, you are a beacon of light, hope and action for the world. Thank you for your passion for the Earth and the 6.8 billion human residents.
You are an inspiration.
A change is coming.

@savio couldn’t agree more.

Kudos Hemant!

I second Savio.
The change shall follow soon.

very nice effort hemant. kapil is full of praises for you and the work you do. i can see why. great stuff.

It is true. If we wait for others to do things, they might never happen. But if we take responsibility and act, the world just might become a better place to live in.

Its an eye opener and deserve to be spread across wider horizons…

Salute to all those behind this movement… Now Our Movement… !!!

There is no army, no government, no lobby in the world that can stop 6 billion voices…so true this is what we need to do,stand up and raise a voice for our selves for our world.nice post,njoyed reading it

it’s time that each one of us stands up for our own self..rather than a handful of people decide what the rest need..this is the only way we can deal with the mess created by govt leaders & industrial czars across the world!!!

A nice way 2 spread awareness..keep up

but merely writing blog & commenting on them is not a solution..v have 2 find a way 2 save our environment.

your article is evocative i guess,change has already started.

as u rightly said lets work for a cleaner, greener and SUSTAINABLE world.

God bless everyone

The visual speaks correctly. It is a tornado of irreversible climate change and ugly lobbying. About time we all came together.

Better late than never.

Yeah, Copenhagen is not about the governments, but they are decision makers. We can only try to make them take the right one.

Great opinion article anyway!

A rather interesting update on what governments do when they get together. And why we must get together. This is Jon Stewart talking G20:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-23-2009/cloudy-with-a-chance-of-heat-balls

Maybe cheesy… but moving nevertheless.

Sometimes it’s exactly what you need it to move on and cheer up.

By the way, the Jon Stewart fragment was hilarious. >_<

I am actually quite optimistic about future of climate. In the last 10 years global warming stopped. And it is quite likely we will see decades of cooling. I feel relieved. It is good for the islanders, they do not have to worry abotu sinking during our lifetime.

Cheer up.

@Federico. Sometimes I think we need to rise above facts and proofs and data and think what do we really “feel”?
I kept aside all the logic and addressed what did I feel about the whole issue.
Because there is nothing as powerful as common sense. And common sense tells me that Copenhagen talks will fail. But the world is coming together over the issue. The common people around the world are coming together like never before.
And that will bring about the change.
However cheesy it may sound, it is the only hope we have.

Really inspiring stuff, Hemant - it *is* all about the lobbies.

Destroying the profit is profitable, because it minimizes costs - so corporations, under pressure from shareholders, will always take destructive shortcuts. It’s this self-interested system that will push us all to the brink of extinction - but hopefully not beyond.

Keep posting!

@hemant
indeed, the future does not look bright. But we do have to keep trying, maybe our only hope is the determination, the quintessential emotion of human qualities.

@Barrington thanks! Yes you are right. The self-interested system that will push us all to the brink of extinction - but not beyond.
Funny thing is, there have been people who have been advocating a better system of economy even.
While we follow Milton and Keynes, we forget their contemporary - EF Schumacher. He was a brilliant economist who talked about sustainable living way back in 1973. If you haven’t already read it, I suggest you get a copy of Schumacher’s Small is Beautiful. You will love it.

Good effort Hemant!

After my collage days nature activism, all I’ve done is sat on the sidelines and watched. And after I had enough, wanting to be next to nature, landed up in Uganda.
It saddens to see that there are hundreds of NGOs here, promoting every possible cause they can find, from AIDS to hand washing campaigns. I wonder where they’ll get clean water soon, as trees are getting chopped down to make charcoal for cooking…
Maybe 15 years back Uganda was very green and there was enough to fuel their cooking. But now with an exploding population growth, things are not the same. You can’t blame the poor, that’s the cheapest fuel they can find…
There’s not a single NGO who’s promoting alternative/environment friendly fuel source out here…
And here I’m sitting close by the sideline and watching…

Having experienced lobbying and discussions on European climate change policy from up close myself, I have become more positive towards the people, companies and governments trying to find a careful balance between e.g. green goals and employment, energy security, consumer rights,...

I do believe a lot of companies would love to go green (even f.e. Dove), but they need support from governments, citizens and consumers (deliberately put apart). It is hard for Dove, pressurised by unions & shareholders, to switch to more expensive soap if governments/citizens do not act against un-sustainable practises with Dove’s competitors or if consumers do not want to pay more for a sustainable future.

The latest from the G20 summit seems to be bad news.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the summit only took up global warming in broad terms and that he simply didn’t know whether there would be a new deal to be signed in Denmark to replace the Kyoto protocol.
“I’m not an astrologer,” Singh told a news conference dismissively.
In fact, it seems most leaders were dismissive.
It’s amazing really, that while people are serious and concerned, and for good reason, the governments aren’t.
maybe the best we can expect from Copenhagen is mass awareness and nothing else.
Even that would go a long way, as I believe we are running out of time.
Here’s the article about G20:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090926/sc_afp/financeeconomyg20climatewarming

Great post buddy.
I think COP 15 wont bring much change. Articles
like this will make people think and come together over the issue,And that is what will bring the change.

Things will begin to change ten years from now.

The current crop of world leaders, all in sixties apart from oddballs like Sarkozy, will start copping it in a few years from now.

The current crop of corporate maniacs, in their late 40s and 50s will start retiring in a few years from now.

The digitally-connected younger lot, the type that elected Obama, will be in the forefront.

Much wiser and experienced by then.

That is when we will see change. And it will not need Copenhagens. It will happen from more doorsteps the world over than has ever before.

Go green for Cop15 - http://www.denmark.net/cop15 - share your tips on going green!

We face the risk of having an agreement worse than Kyoto (see http://wp.me/pv9fo-4T), That’s why we have to mobilize against false solutions (like carbon trading) and for the decarbonization of our societies.

The recent 350 campaign is a shining example of people power. It is indeed about the people and 30 has shown what people can do when they come together.

Another reason why COP15 may not work is we seem to be reaching a political impasse. Here is Sunita Narain:
The US’ intentions are not good for the climate. It has proposed that it will not take international commitments but will follow a domestic legislation route. So, it will act on targets legislated nationally. Indeed, the amount it will cut is nowhere close to what is required of it. The global consensus is industrialised countries need to cut at least 40 per cent over 1990 levels, to avert a 2°C rise in temperature. But the US, after much fanfare on its Nobel-awarded president, has proposed a puny target of 20 per cent of 2005 levels by 2020. Now, this country’s greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 20 per cent between 1990 and 2005. Thus, it is saying it plans to do nothing but stabilise by 2020. It does nothing to cut its gargantuan emission share—with some 5 per cent of the world’s population, it currently emits 18 per cent of global emissions. This single country is responsible for 30 per cent of the global stock of emissions in the atmosphere — this is criminal, when you think of the impact of climate change on the poor of the world.

More here:
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/sunita-narainclimate-coalition/374004/

Read this is the Guardian. They seem to agree
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/nov/01/observer-editorial-copenhagen-conference

Have fun fantasizing about impossibilities, meanwhile I’ll be in the real world actually working to get something done.

If you want to tax CO2, I’ll make it my ambition to work myself into a position that will truly punish you all for that decision.

See, isn’t it fun to fantasize?

Mike
I have seen all your comments in various posts. You are aggressive, but could put your aggression to good use.
You are a climate change denier and I suggest you should take your concerns to the scientists.

And since you like to bury your head in the sand, let me tell you about something whch happened recently.

October 24 was the day when people came together in the world and made it into the biggest environmental protest in the history of the world.

If you ever take your head out of the sand, do visit: 350.org

And now, let me get back to the real world. Of which you obviously have no clue.

@satbir singh
350 proves that people are willing to make the effort to change things.
It proves that they’re willing to do the right thing.
My 90 year old grandmother recicles… maybe we don’t have to wait 10 years for things to change.

Hmm, climate change denier? How aggressive.

I do not deny climate change. It changes all the time, with or without us. No, I’d say the only climate deniers here are the natural climate deniers; those who deny the overwhelming forces of nature that dwarf any and all human activity.

And now for a little George Carlin. Come on let’s save the planet people!

George Carlin did make a lot of sense, didn’t he? Always loved this video.

heeey
grrr8!
i cant stop myself frm tweeting abt d post!

kp goin!!

Let’s go my friend!

It’s also easy to just write stuff about how things should be. If the business men from industries don’t want to stop pollution it’s because the people won’t stop buying. It’s simple. WE, the whole society, won’t trade what’s comfortable for what’s ecologically right. Most people won’t leave behind the comfortable way of life to save the planet. And to keep living like this whithout killing the planet, the price to pay is too high. World leaders can’t do much about it. The point is not that they don’t want to (although they won’t make a huge effort to change things), the point is that they can’t. It’s too late. It’s sad but, not much will change in the next years…. That’s Realism in the International Relations Affairs. The world was united at one place like a catastrophe was about to happen and still nothing came out of it. Some still tried to make a deal in the last moments.. like they could save the world in one night… They will always try to give society the impression that something was done to help the nature, but that’s not the truth. There will be always something behind, covered, not told. But society doesn’t even know what they want. They talk about the planet without knwoing the costs. In the end people wouldn’t like to change their life style. Leadrs have to deal with that. It’s really hard that something will change unless/until/if something catastrophic happens.
I honestly hope people start caring more about the environment… And I’m personaly doing what I can…

@ Tali:
thank you for your testimony which I share.
Here, on this platform I learned that the Earth does not need the man. It can live without the man.
The man cannot live without the Earth.
With oil and the nuclear power the man thought that he could do everything.
He learns today that there are limits.
There are two orders of limits:
Physical limits and limits of populations.
This question remained absent from negotiations.
With the forced use of new energies the man would learn very quickly where are its limits.
There would be much more wisdom!
It would be a beautiful objective for COP16.