Thousands of participants flew to the Qatari capital Doha to participate in the UN Climate Change Conference, where policies taken by the countries of the world are being discussed, in an attempt to face what is known as “the challenge of global climate change and greenhouse gas emissions”. Since the 26th of November 2012, dozens of airplanes from all around the world have landed in Doha, releasing these same greenhouse gases, and transporting hundreds and hundreds of participants to this conference that will last till the 7th of December. Politicians, experts, and journalists are transported from Doha International Airport to dozens of fancy hotels where air-conditioning devices roar every night despite the ideal outside temperature: not exceeding 21 degrees.
But, despite all this contradiction between the words and the deeds, and for us to see the full half of the cup, it should also be said that this conference is different from other conferences, because it includes the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was signed in 1995. It’s also different because what is agreed upon in this conference usually finds its way to implementation through the renowned Kyoto Protocol of 1997, which was a product of the Framework Convention and was ratified by industrial countries (except the US and Canada who recently withdrew), thus committing to reducing their emissions of greenhouse gases.
But how is this relevant to us today in the Arab World? Aren’t reducing carbon emissions and caring about environment some sort of intellectual luxury in the light of what our region is passing through, in terms of political and military unrest, collapsing of some countries and troubled nativity of others? Who is thinking nowadays of environment in such highly troubled places like Damascus or Gaza or Tahrir Square? Wouldn’t the priority be to get rid of occupation and dictatorship, rather than thinking of environmental policies and climate change?
This logic might sound convincing to the Arab citizens who are astounded time and again by the political authority with decisions, ammunition and missiles, which might as well fall on and hurt them, just as they affect their usual lifestyle. The truth, however, is that there are those who think of green solutions, even in the most troubled places of the region. Recently, Syrian activists started spreading a method of using organic house waste for producing cooking and heating gas. Of course, their intention of developing such a method is not reducing the carbon emissions of the Syrian revolution. In fact it is an effective way to deal with the shortage in energy supplies affecting many Syrian areas, as well as to increase the people’s resistance and steadfastness (sumoud). The same happened in Gaza some years ago, when the Israeli occupation cut the fuel and cement supply. At the time, the people of Gaza transformed their cars to electrical engines, and built their houses from mud and sand instead of cement.
Crises and emergency situations in our world reveal the fragility of our life system that is drenched in consumerism and extremely dependent on oil products. Such calamities thrust people to finding more effective solutions while economizing their use of resources. Thus, the question is: could the political-economical disorders and armed conflicts force radical change of our lifestyle and ways of consumption in a way more synergic with the environment, or will the world politicians and strategic thinkers, who are now convening in one of the highest energy consuming capitals, have the upper hand in finding solutions?
For latest developments on the negotiations and discussions taking place in the Climate Change Conference in Doha, follow Earth Negotiations Bulletin in various languages, among which are Arabic & English.