SHILLONG: Dr Barbara UnmuBig , President of the Henrich Boll Stiftung, Germany which is linked to the Green Political Foundation with its office in India, delivered a talk on “Green Economy : Promises and Pitfalls,” at the Asian Confluence here on Friday.
The Green Political Foundation is an institution that that shares a green world view which apart from environmental concerns is also committed to human rights and gender equality.
Barbara UnmuBig critiqued the much touted Green Economy calling it the G-20 Club of powerful industrial and elite grouping backed by the World Bank, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), European Union, the German Government, OECD etc, which she says have adopted a Business as Usual attitude towards climate change. “We need to de-carbonise the economy and depart from the fossil fuel economic model and get out of the brown economic paradigm which has produced global climate change,” UnmuBig said, adding that the world is losing biodiversity at a rapid rate leading to water stress and depleting forests.
UnmuBig said to reduce global warming by 2 degrees, countries have to reduce carbon emission by 80-90 % by 2050 and leave two-thirds of the fossil fuel resources in the earth. “ You in the region and in India have not yet stepped into a fossil fuel based economy and therefore have an option to look for alternative economic model that can bring prosperity without growth,” UnmuBig observed.
Observing that the global elite of only 10% are living at the expense of millions of people, UnmuBig said the business as usual attitude is not an option any more as the world especially the Global North is facing multiple crises of environment, social and democratic issues as inequalities are rising. “ The Green Economy may create new jobs but it also creates new inequalities,” UnmuBig stated.
She further warned that the world today is not only facing a climate crisis but also depleting all eco-systems in an irresponsible, irreversible way.
Pointing to the sin of over-consumption of the Global North,she said it is time to critique all mainstream concepts about the Green Economy and the optimistic view that the G-20 countries are placing on it, even while those who live closest to nature and are best placed to conserve it are not included in the Green Economy .
She further pointed to the commodification and monetisation of carbon and of trading forests as carbon sinks and rued that the World Bank has now termed this as “natural capital.”
She criticized the setting up of mega wind and solar energy parks which have huge demand for land – a dwindling resource. “Globally we have used 33% of land to grow crops to feed animals. This conflicts with the right to food, UnmuBig said.
While rooting for renewable energy UnmuBig said they have great potential to create local jobs but this is where political will is needed so that decisions taken are for the social and economic good of the people.
Stating that the world is full of alternatives, she said that countries can no longer wait to take decisions for using clean technology as it has become an imperative.
Meanwhile Meghalaya Chief Secretary, KS Kropha highlighted that Meghalaya has contributed to controlling emissions by increasing its forest cover.
He however lamented that management of land is unregulated. “There are no records of land rights and no one knows who owns what. The clan ties have weakened with the advent of nuclear families and there is no societal discourse on these issues. While land is a resource, there are no policy regimes and everyone is in litigation over land.” Kropha said.
