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1989 & 2009 – Years of Revolution

Published 09th November 2009 - 12 comments - 1896 views -

Today, twenty years ago the Berlin Wall fell. Since this remarkable European event, Europe hasn't really taken advantage of its chances and possibilities to become a leading political actor of the new world order in the 21th century. This has several reasons: "A certain idea of Europe was buried with the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989”, Bertrand Le Gendre writes in the French daily Le Monde. “ That is the paradox of history. At the very moment when the continent recovered its unity as a democratic market economy, it lost the last of its cohesion. … With twenty-seven countries it is nothing more than a Utopia,” he concludes. But not only changes of the political structure of Europe but also external developments concerning international relations and global affairs has led to a loss of influence of the Old Continent among the international community.

Berlin Wall

“Twenty years on we still have to wait and see whether with the rise of Barack Obama a new, multi-polar world order can be established,” writes Hubert van Humbeeck in his blog for the website of the Dutch weekly magazine Knack. “And it's not clear what role Europe can play in this. For emerging powers like China and India, the Old Continent is no longer so important.” Europe still often resolves into nation states, as we could see during the financial and economic crisis. … “If the Old Continent isn't careful, it will end up merely trotting along on the sidelines. If it wants to continue counting for something it has no choice but to make an effort and cooperate," van Humbeeck believes.

But the year 1989 must not only perceived as the year when the wall came down and communism started to end in Eastern Europe. It is also considered as the starting point of modern globalization. And this global development has not only set the stage for above mentioned new world order with the rise of countries like China and India as the upcoming economic super powers. Globalization led to a global fight for western living standards and consequently to an extraordinary burden of the ecological system which accounts for today's climate change. After twenty years of intense global political change this world now needs an ecological change.

In 1989 Berlin was the symbolic place for a peaceful revolution and and the initiation of an upcoming new world order. It might be hard to imagine, but in 2009 Copenhagen must be the place for a climate revolution. Let's not forget this issue while celebrating fall of the wall. Let's combine both dates!

Category: Climate Politics, UN Climate Change Conference 2009, | Tags: climate change, europe, cop 15, 1989,



Comments

Adela on 09th November 2009:

I can imagine how big this was for people living in both Eastern & Western Germany. I was very little at that time and I connect the fall of Berlin Wall with the December revolution that ended communism here.

I hope that this December we’ll see & live another great symbolic revolution at Copenhagen.

Important events are meant to happen every 20 years smile

Nikola Richter on 09th November 2009:

I like the idea of a climate revolution! How would it look like? Any proposals? It is interesting to mention, that many grassroot organisations fighting for a more democratic socialist system in the GDR ante 1989 were heavily motivated by green issues. This was similar in other Eastern European countries. Famous was for example the “Umwelt-Bibliothek” (Environmental Library), a sort of flying educational institution founded in Berlin in September 1986 and dissolved in Dezember 1989: http://www.belfalas.de/ub.htm

The green issue really was connecting East and West: This might be the reason why only the German Greens still carry the name of both the Eastern and the Western party (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen).

Benno Hansen on 09th November 2009:

I second your hope!

And let us also hope the celebrations in Berlin will have the last person on earth realize that the cold war is over and climate change isn’t communism!! (sic!)

Vitezslav Kremlik on 09th November 2009:

True. Every 20 years regime changes. Usually with the opposite polarity. From + to - then from - to +. The previous revolution moved us to the right (privatisation, deregulation, liberalisation). This one is undoing it.

Read “The First Global Revolution” written by the Club of Rome in 1991. You will love it.

Climate change is not communism, of course. But is being used as an excuse for “redistribution”.

Green revolution? Be careful what you wish for. You might get it. Remember that revolutions never end in the way their initiators had planned.

Nikola Richter on 10th November 2009:

@Vitzeslav: I don’t get your point, sorry. What do you mean by “careful with getting a green revolution”?

Vitezslav Kremlik on 10th November 2009:

Nikola, look at history. Revolutions always start with humanist promises and hopes. This is how they get public suupport. But mostly end up as terrorist regimes. Robespierre, Muhammad, Lenin… all the African 20th century marxist revolutions, caudillos…

Mike on 10th November 2009:

Speaking of polar opposites, 30 years ago CO2 was causing the new ice age. Alarmists pretend it never happened.

Andreas on 10th November 2009:

Of course I know that a climate revolution at Cop15 seems to be highly unlikely but nevertheless: certain agreements regarding
- a global emissions reduction target for industrialised countries
- reduction measures taken by developing countries
- technical and financial support for developing countries
came close to a revolution, if you take into consideration that nothing really has been achieved so far!

Nikola Richter on 10th November 2009:

@Vitzeslav: But didn’t we just commemorate the peaceful revolutions in Europe from 1989? Do you see terrorist regimes in Europe today? Of course, not all promises have been achieved. However, many people stay away from politics and don’t engage. It is always easy to complain without engaging or trying to make a difference. Democracy can only be achieved by peoples who behave democratically.

@Andreas: I think, a green revolution can only be achieved by peoples who behave ecologically. It starts with everybody. So yes, Copenhagen might be important to set up certain agreements between states, but what it comes down to is: Changing one’s behaviour. Travelling differently, saving energy, producing green energy, recycling, consuming local stuff, etc.

Vitezslav Kremlik on 10th November 2009:

Some say the green revolution has not achieved much so far. I do not agree. A lot has been achieved!

1) They have established “political correctness” (read: censorship), so deniers are silenced everywhere
2) EU is channelling tax payers money to green lobby. For instance subsidies to solar power plants. Guarranteed 7x higher purchase prices of solar electricity. Etc.
3) Anything can be banned now “to lower carbon footprint”. Ban of Edison light bulbs for instance.

Yes, this all has no big effect on temperatures. The whole green movement is in fact just a greenwash.

Mike on 10th November 2009:

Don’t forget the 40,000,000 child deaths as a result of the ban on DDT. Way to go guys.

Paul Montariol on 27th November 2009:

And now we have the Iran question!
If Iran continue his way to the nuclear bomb, Israel attack in 2010 spring!
Oil price must grow a lot and we must go out of oil;
Without oil Iran is nothing, and war is finished.

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