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JAMES DOWSON / FLICKR / PUBLIC DOMAINLEONHARD LENZ / PUBLIC DOMAINand would never achieve the desired
result. There are others, Kevin Anderson
comes to mind, who believe that the
required change can only occur via a social
revolution. Kevin is a fi ne scientist but
apparently not an able strategist; I suggest
he take a close look at what happened
recently in France and try and imagine
what would most certainly happen in the
U.S. if a similar policy was even mentioned.
The ‘Doomsday Clock’ is now
set at two minutes to midnight; why,
is incomprehensible, as far as I am
concerned. A much more pertinent time
would be a few seconds before midnight
and additionally that there is virtually no
conceivable way it will not strike ‘12’
and pass beyond; thereby accurately
refl ecting the very serious change in
the epoch in which we exist. But as
usual, absolute caution dominates all
authoritative statements.
As far as eff ective action goes, it is a
reality that China and India are talking out
of both sides of their mouths (there are
others) and the United States is probably
best characterised as operating with
conscious stupidity. However, we must
commend the commitment of India to
renewable energy and China to electric
mobility - but much, much more, needs to
be done towards a decarbonised economy!
We also need to ensure that best
practices are legislated in terms of
Environment Impact Assessments,
especially for India, where infrastructure
development is on fast track mode.
My life experience learned, and
somewhat the hard way, is that
management is adverse to radical
change (precisely what we require) as
things start to go catawampus and, one
should always focus on a worst-case
analysis (upsides are much easier to
deal with). These two lessons are
inextricably linked because the nature
of our current trajectory suggests that the
most likely outcome will be the
onset of chaos before we are prepared to
act eff ectively.
In the moment of realisation that will
accompany the onset of the associated
chaos that will unquestionably be triggered
by the above, there will be a window of
opportunity for corrective action. Either
we thoroughly prepare for that moment
or our children will bear the consequences.
For me, there are no circumstances
where that is acceptable and hope against
hope that many of you readers will do
everything in your power to prepare for
the inevitable, and thereby engender a
realistic path out of this mess. We only
need to follow and support the likes of
Greta Thunberg, the late Polly Higgins
of Ecocide and a host of other humans,
to ensure our children and grandchildren
have the same legacy, or better, than we
inherited from our forefathers!
One notices a strong element of
‘Cognisant Dissonance’ amongst several
billionaires and industrialists globally, with
relation to climate change. It is almost as
though they will have a safe haven for
themselves should something untoward
occur, which makes them believe that
their bottom lines every “quarter” are
more critical than doing due diligences
and stress tests on their balance sheets
with regards to climate change! Thankfully,
some of them, however, do believe thatABOVE Legendary English broadcaster Sir David Attenborough speaks at the COP24 held in
Katowice, Poland, in December 2018.
TOP Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg at a climate protest march in Berlin.
FACING PAGE Author condemns the watered down approach to the catastrophe that climate
change is wreaking on the planet and all its species including us, and propagates radical and
eff ective change as the need of the hour.leapfrogging technologies in renewable
energy, agriculture, food, water, will help
us alter our course successfully, a point of
view which I endorse completely!
It is now time our youth assert
themselves to ensure that clean air, clean
water and clean food is not a privilege, but
in fact, a birthright! Political parties now
need to make climate change a mainstream
focus, rather than “lip service”! tA climate change researcher for
16 years, working at decarbonisation
with leapfrogging technologies, Perses
Bilimoria is also the Fo d
and CEO of Earthsoul
Products, the Director
of Envisionation Ltd. a
the Chairman of CWRE
Renewables (India).ounder
Bioand d
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