Food for Thought – The Hunger Merchants

During the recent World Summit on Food Security held in Rome, political leaders across the globe pledged to alleviate hunger and assist developing nations in achieving self-sufficiency in food production. However, when it came to $44 billion a year hard cash agricultural aid to achieve this solemn goal, the spirit of solidarity vanished. The summit remained high on rhetoric and non-committal in action.

 

Reminded me of a “Walk to end Hunger” I attended in Gurgaon. Participants were provided T-shirts and ample refreshments, TV crew and an ambulance followed the 3.5 Km jaunt by the well-to-do. Poor, hungry women and children who lived in shanties on a stretch along the way approached us begging for the bananas and soft drinks we clutched. They were mercilessly shooed away. That immediately put an end to my delusion and dalliance with corporate sponsored charity.

 

The world summit was attended by Pope Benedict who remarked on the tragedy of hunger and decried the “opulence and waste”. UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon reminded of the 1 billion people who go hungry and later observed a 24 hour fast to express his sympathy to the cause espoused by the summit. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also launched an online campaign asking people to go on a “hunger strike against hunger”. According to FAO farming is the means of subsistence for more than 70% of the world’s poor. FAO also identified under-investment and neglect of agricultural sector as the prime reasons for food insecurity. The spate of farmer suicides India witnessed in recent times is ample proof of this fact.

 

 

The deluge of good intentions and noble speeches notwithstanding, what does reality checks reveal? Many countries while publicly vouchsafing food security and eradication of hunger are clandestinely engaged in facilitating global land grab by investments funds, large corporations and agribusinesses. The intention of the hedge funds and financial institutions buying farm land is far from philanthropic. According to their estimates, climate change and an oil crisis would drastically curtail food production and escalate food prices. Farm land, a rapidly diminishing resource, is also expected to considerably appreciate in value. The twin factors would ensure maximum returns and provide and excellent investment opportunity given the current dismal economic climate.

 

Such blatantly commercial interests are unlikely to exhibit concern for environment or development of the local farming communities. In all likelihood, the intense farming methods employed to maximize production and generate revenue would deplete water resources and sap the soil of nutrients rendering the land useless for further cultivation. In India, where a large population depends on agriculture for livelihood, the consequences of unscrupulous land grabs could be disastrous. Already the supermarket, fast food and agribusiness conglomerates have marginalized the small farmer, wiped out traditional farming methods and extirpated local knowledge paving way for environmental degradation and food scarcity. Farmers are forced to migrate to cities where they eke out a living working on menial jobs or begging on the streets.

 

Despite their dubious credentials, countries by and large are overtly committed to eradicating hunger and poverty. However, politicians and bureaucrats are easy prey to corporations wielding enormous economic and political clout. Governments, hard pressed for money to invest in agricultural reforms can be easily persuaded by lobbyists promising prosperity and rural development to dilute regulations and hand over farm land. Only an alert media and educated public can prevent such a scenario.

Gandhiji once said, “There’s enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed”. The rapaciousness displayed by unprincipled businesses in sub prime lending and other financial concoctions have already resulted in an economic meltdown. Its brand new avatar to profit from helplessness of mankind is likely to be rewarded the same way. We can only hope they would realize their folly and amend ways.

An excellent report on global land grabs can be found here: Link

 

Planetwatch series – Ominous Convergence

Although what follows is the description of an apocalyptic scenario, it is pure conjecture. Nostradamus, The Bible or Mayan calendar has little to do with it. It is not a prophesy. It may or may not come to pass. However, our current trajectory could bring us closer to the catastrophic situation presented here rather than lead away from it. Right now, a course correction is possible. Once this window of opportunity is gone, all we can do is sit back and watch a diabolic story of the planet unfold before our eyes. It might be futile to chronicle it since there might be no one left alive to read it.Climate change reports appear with increasing frequency in news papers and websites, often making headlines. Year 2009 which witnessed a series of cataclysmic climate change events is drawing to a close. Post year 2004 tsunami, there have been a spate of extreme weather events, particularly cyclones and flash floods across the world. The deleterious effects of climate change/ global warming such as sea level rise, flash floods, heat waves, droughts, glacier retreat, sea acidification, cyclonic storms, temperature rise, epidemics and loss of biodiversity are familiar to all. (Click here for the ipcc report summary). People who are dependent directly on the environment for a living, especially the poor, are the most afflicted. Ironically, they are the ones least responsible for the mess. Cities account for 75% of green house gas emissions, but are immune to the ill effects to a large extent. While debate and negotiations rage, livelihood of many are threatened, be it fishermen of Dharavi Island where mangrove forests are making way to Special Economic Zones or farmers in the Gangetic Delta whose land is eroding away. Climate change and global warming cannot be stopped now; at best it can be slowed down. The opportunity to arrest climate change was gone even before we fully realized its import. The infernal ticking of climate change clock is getting louder by the hour.

Another crisis, no less damaging, is gradually looming on the horizon – oil crisis. Recent reports indicate that world oil reserve estimates are grossly inflated. Hubbert’s peak, long rubbished as fantasy, after all might have had a grain of truth. However, oil hungry nations chose to underplay the hypothesis to keep prices at bay. Crude oil reserves are depleting. Cost of exploration and production has increased. The age of low hanging fruits, the easily accessible oil deposits is over. Today, new crude discoveries have to be extracted from remote, inhospitable terrain or leached out of tar sands. Stringent environmental and safety regulations have also increased the cost of production, refining and distribution. Oil prices have been steadily climbing and hover around $80.00 today. Countries forewarned of an impending crisis are scouting the globe to strike oil deals. Hedge funds and venture capitalists are moving in to exploit the scarcity. A recent web article (Link) cited knowledge of impending oil crisis as the logic behind Warren Buffett’s acquisition of an US Railway company. Right now the hype is focused on climate change and Copenhagen negotiations. It won’t be long before skyrocketing oil prices push climate change concerns to the background.

Human civilization across the globe, in cities and villages alike, is heavily dependent on crude oil and fossil fuels. Declining availability will force oil producing nations to drastically cut down production in order to safeguard themselves. Oil prices would soar, purchasing power of nations would plummet and global economy would nosedive. Credit will vanish. Countries will go bankrupt unable to raise money through taxes.

Imagine the sledgehammer power with which world would be battered when these mutually reinforcing forces, climate change, oil crisis and economic meltdown, converge. It would tremendously strain the dwindling natural resources and tapering oil reserves. Agriculture and food production would decline. Instead of the calamitous, earth shattering forces shown in the movie 2012, it would be hunger, epidemics and natural disasters that decimate humanity. Consequences for a relatively poor and overpopulated country like India are indescribable. With politicians and bureaucrats are still bickering over emission cuts, it is virtually impossible to avert disaster.

When societies undergo intense stress, the survival struggle could rapidly escalate into war. Many countries have large nuclear arsenal under their disposal presumably as a deterrent. It is not difficult to envisage a situation where unscrupulous politicians or military decide to use nuclear weapons to resolve differences.

End of the world have been predicted many times over in the course of human history. But now, more than ever, circumstances and catalysts exist which could realize our worst fears. My fervent hope is that when world leaders meet to negotiate, the welfare of humanity would be their prime concern rather than short term political gain.

 

Kolkata – Edging towards a climate change disaster?

I began my career working in the regional office of a computer firm in Kolkata. The city went under the name Calcutta then. It was my first exposure to a mega city. I was enchanted by the slow moving trams, the languorous coffee shops, the intellectual climate, historical buildings, museums, the newly commissioned underground metro rail, convoluted cul-de-sacs, the awesome Howrah Bridge, Botanical Garden, I could go on. The city had an old world charm which haunted me. From a professional standpoint I disliked the city, I thought it lacked energy. But Kolkata exerted an insidious spell, gradually wrapping me in a sense of repose, of indolence. It had a charm unlike the other cities I have lived in, which can be best described as a sense of peace, of settling down, of dusk. My memories of Kolkata are still vivid and I remember those days with a sense of nostalgia, a kind of forlorn reminiscence.

So, when I came across the WWF report, Mega-Stress for Mega-Cities, featuring climate change consequences for Kolkata, it immediately caught my attention. The report analyzed 11 major Asian cities which are in the “front-line of climate change impacts”. Kolkata is ranked third on the overall vulnerability assessment. Situated at the estuary of Hoogly River on the Bay of Bengal, Kolkata, with more than 15 million people, is one of the most densely populated coastal cities of India. Being a low lying area, the city is extremely susceptible to sea level rise and storm surges which could inundate large stretches of it. It is also at risk of salt water incursion due to sea level rise and ground subsidence. Over-exploitation of ground water in and around Kolkata combined with sea water incursion has rendered subsurface ground water saline. Altered precipitation patterns and intense rainfall are leading to water run-off. Ground water is not enriched since rainwater no longer seeps underground. Alternate spells of drought and floods are predicted to lead to water scarcity and food insecurity. According to the report, the city also has a low adaptive capability to endure the impact of climate change. Sundarbans, the salt resistant mangrove forest and home to the Royal Bengal Tiger acts as a flood barrier protecting the inhabitants of Kolkata from cyclones and storm fronts. However, this UNESCO world heritage site is also under threat from sea level rise, subsidence, erosion, cyclones and human activity.

So, does all this doomsday prediction likely to make Bengali an endangered species. Gosh! No. They are determined to thrive and proliferate. Awareness of vulnerability of the city is percolating into the consciousness of Kolkatans. Recently, school children from Kolkata participated in the international day of climate action organized by “350“, the international campaign to unite the world in finding solutions to climate change crisis(350 stands for 350 parts per million, the safe upper level of atmospheric CO2).

That Kolkata will survive the onslaught of climate change cataclysms is beyond doubt. However, if actions recommended in the report are implemented the city would be in a much better position to weather the storm when in arrives. Viva Kolkata…

Download Mega-Stress for Megacities report here: Link

 

Planetwatch series – Are climate change theories overestimated

Climate Change Theories Over-estimated?

Recent research by a team of scientists at Bristol, UK has established that atmospheric CO2 levels have not changed substantially since 1850 even though emissions have increased 17 fold. This indicates that nature’s capacity to soak up atmospheric CO2 have not diminished contrary to previous projections which signalled a reduction in the capacity of oceans to absorb CO2 as temperatures rise. The study also concluded that green house gas emission figures currently attributed to deforestation is grossly overestimated.

Read the full article here: Link

 

 

Dalai Lama on climate change

During a speech delivered at Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh the Dalai Lama exhorted people to protect environment and be mindful of the risks of global warming. Good to see that religious leaders are taking cognizance of climate change. Also brings to mind Al Gore’s efforts to introduce a religious twist to his future documentaries to gain wider audience.

Read the full article here: Link

 

Climate change impact on small glaciers

While Antarctic ice melts and retreat of large glaciers have been in the spotlight, effects of climate change on small glaciers have been largely ignored. Recently a team led by glaciologist Prof. Syed Iqbal Hasnain from TERI has undertaken a study to establish benchmark data and measure the recessionary trends of small glaciers across the Himalayas. The team shall also examine the effects of black carbon deposition on glacier melt. Initial results from the study indicate that small glaciers and their tributaries are retreating at a faster rate. Large glaciers like Gangotri are also receding. Since the region is dependent on glacial melt water, the adverse impact of glacial retreat on the environment could be significant.

Read the full article here: Link

 

Jute Geotextiles

Geotextiles are permeable fabrics used to strengthen the soil or protect soil against erosion. Geotextiles were typically made from polypropylene and polyester. Eco-friendly geotextiles made of jute and coir are becoming more popular. The new materials are “earth-friendly” and bio-degradable and have a life span of 3 – 5 years.

Read more on this topic here: Link

 

Plasticki

 

The Plastiki is a catamaran made of reclaimed plastic bottles and recycled material getting ready to set sail from San Fransisco, USA on its way Sydney, Australia. En Route the vessel shall visit 12 ecologically susceptible locations, including the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. On board shall be a team of scientists and artists led by David de Rothschild, a prominent ecologist. The purpose of the journey is to bring to attention the enormous amount of garbage being disposed in the sea.

 

Planetwatch series – Green aviation fuels et al.

Fly Guilt free

Airline industry is poised to adopt green fuels as an alternative to traditional aviation jet fuel. Major airlines like Qatar airways and Virgin Atlantic have already conducted test flights using engines running on sustainable bio-fuel or GTL, a 50-50 blend of natural gas and conventional fuel. Airlines expect substantial reduction in carbon footprint by employment of green fuel alternatives.

Read the full article here: Link

Intelligent Gaia

Retreat of Antarctic ice caps and glaciers have exposed large tracts of open water which has been rapidly colonized by carbon-absorbing phytoplankton. As they die these phytoplankton sinks to the sea bed locking away the absorbed carbon for millennia. This ingenious carbon capture and sequestration technique devised by Mother Nature helps to mitigate the effects of climate change, albeit marginally.

Read the full article here: Link

Maldivian Initiative

Recently Maldives made headlines when it held a cabinet meeting underwater to illustrate the plight of the nation due to climate change effetcs. Maldives, with an average ground level a mere 1.5 meters above mean sea level is the country most threatened by sea level rise. In an initiative to demonstrate the country’s commitment to renewable energy and reduction of green house gas emissions, Maldives is planning to set up a 75 MW wind farm which will power its capital and the tourist resorts.

Read the full article here: Link

 

 

 

 

Planetwatch series – Huarango forests of Peru

Huarango forest

Huarango (Prosopis pallida) is the ultimate survivor. This hardwood tree has survived in the arid and frigid Atacama – Sechura deserts of Peru for over a millennium. Veteran trees since the time of Spanish conquistadors still exist in isolated pockets. The trees are critical to the ecosystem. They nourish soil, capture moisture from the sea fog, prevent desertification and soil erosion, increases biodiversity of the region and provide food and timber to the villagers. However, centuries of deforestation have depleted Huarango woodlands to 1% of its original size. Although conservation efforts are underway, cutting down of Huarango for firewood continues unabated.

Here again the immediate business of survival and profit have taken precedence over preservation. Someday, jolted out of our complacence we would blink and see that the only jungles left behind are concrete ones.

Inspired by article in NY Times – Link

Planetwatch series – Ice Man of Ladakh

Climate change. Till yesterday it was merely scientific jargon, today it has reached our doorsteps. Yesterday it was a matter of debate, a controversial topic, today it is concrete reality. Each organism, be it man, animal, bird, insect or plant is experiencing the effects of climate change, directly or indirectly. At times we are consciously aware of it, most times we are oblivious. But in recent years there have been times when it intruded into our consciousness, making its presence felt, reminding us to do something about it. We are still waiting for the curtain to rise.But there are a few who has risen up to face the challenge, to mitigate the disastrous effects within the extent of their power. Chewang Norphel and the Leh Nutrition Project is one such initiative. Norphel is a retired government civil servant and has built 11 artificial glaciers so far since 1987. He is still enthusiastic about the project despite inadequate funds and lukewarm cooperation from villagers.

Ladakh in northern India, is a cold desert. It is also a major tourist destination. People of Ladakh depend on glacial melt water for irrigation and domestic use. However, glaciers have been receding at an alarming pace in recent years leading to severe water shortages. It is in this context that Chewang Norphel’s initiative gains significance. In a pioneering effort, he has made embankments on mountainsides to collect water which freezes during the winter months into an artificial glacier. During summer the ice melts providing water to nearby villages. It is a venture astounding in its simplicity and practicality, well adapted to the necessities of the region. Such conservation methods are infinitely more preferable to digging bore wells which deplete ground water resources.

Ladakh have been experiencing higher average temperatures, unusual rainfall patterns, reduced snow cover and other associated fallouts apart from deterioration of glaciers in the past few years. Despite experiencing these problems firsthand and understanding the antecedent causes, attitude and behaviour have remained unchanged. It is business as usual. Vehicular pollution is still relatively high and littering continues to be problem. It looks like we find it easy to relegate long term effects of climate change to the background in favour of the immediate occupation of survival and comfort.

The Copenhagen summit to frame legally binding treaties to address climate change issues have already hit a road block. US, the world’s biggest cumulative greenhouse gas emitter has declined to submit to emission cut targets and timetables. Developing nations are not willing to jeopardize their economic agenda by subscribing to restrictive environmental regulations. When the world at large is engaged in acrimonious debate over such a critical issue, it is a relief to find that a few have chosen to act instead. My heart goes out to Chewang Norphel.

Inspired by: Op-Ed article in The Hindu by Meena Menon, 7-Nov-09

 

 

Quo Vadis

I am surprised that climate change issue is still debatable. Over the past few years, we have witnessed many effects of climate change first hand. This year has been one of the hottest here at Gurgaon, with mercury hovering at 46 °C during summer. It is the end of September and still the average temperature is around 38 °C. There has been a huge shortfall of rain across the country. Many states have been declared drought hit. Open any newspaper or turn on the TV and we are overwhlemed with news of diasters across the globe, many of which are related to climate change.

Until recently, we shrugged off climate change as mere scientific speculation. Temperature rise, rise in sea levels, sea acidification, melting of glaciers – all these were considered remote events, no way impacting our lives. Not anymore. Today, we are experiencing the effects closer to home, jolting us out of our complacency.

In “An Inconvenient Truth“, Al Gore compared our attitute to that of a frog kept in water which is being gradually brought to boil. If the frog is thrown in hot water, it would immediately jump out. However, if the temperature rises gradually, the frog does not realize the danger until it is too late. A large proportion of us are still under a similar spell, lulled by the gradual rise in temperature. In a recent New York Times article, Paul Krugman called climate change scientists Cassandras of climate – “gifted with the ability to prophesy future disasters, but cursed with the inability to get anyone to believe them”. Even though scientists have warned us of the clear and present danger, we continue to vacillate between denial and affirmation. The polemic of climate change detractors have also added to the confusion. But, probably, it is less a matter of confusion than consious denial because the truth is too “inconvenient”, as Al Gore put it.

We cannot shutdown our refineries or power plants tomorrow. Neither can we stop driving to work or stop running the air conditioners. Currently we depend on fossil fuels, be it coal, oil or gas for our energy needs. But we cannot survive unless we drastically reduce pollution, cut back energy consuption and embrace green energy. This would mean adopting technologies which are nascent and more expensive. It would also mean changing our lifestyle, giving up the SUV’s, installing solar heaters, harvesting rain water and conserving energy. Without sufficient appreciation of danger by all, no one would be willing to make such sacrifices, fearing themselves open to exploitation.

It would need universal awareness, cooperation, commitment and joint affirmative action to save the planet. Being the purportedly rational animals, can we achieve such a consensus? Otherwise, our nemesis would not be asteriods or aliens, but ourselves. We have nowhere to go from here, the planet is our only home. It is time for us to define our future on planet earth. It is time to choose our path. Quo Vadis?