Page 34 - Khabar Magazine (February 2020)

Musings

Amidst the pristine beauty of Kerala, the author ruminates about the depressing trajectory of the world—from global warming to global
leaders who seem to be competing with each other to tear down our humanitarian values.

of climate change. For two weeks last year, I could not atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous
step out of my home without tearing up. Yes, I’m an anthropogenic interference with the climate system.”
emotional sort who is easily moved to tears in senti- If this were baseball, I would be shouting, “Hip, hip,
mental Bollywood and Hollywood movies. Both Trump and Modi hooray! Let’s put the UN
But these weren’t filmy tears. No, the sun Secretary-General into the
in my gray sky was eclipsed by smoke from remind me of those Hall of Fame!” I would
fires burning thousands of acres over 100 afflicted with the disease throw a parade for our col-
miles away. The sting of the smoke caused of hubris that has them lective grandchildren’s
the tears and required me to wear a mask looking directly at a solar happy future world. Well,
so that I could breathe. And if we can’t it seems that the UN does
breathe, our world becomes unlivable, eclipse as if their retinas throw parties of a sort. Year
acre-by-acre. California’s thousands of could withstand fire. after year since 1995, there
charred acres have now given way to Aus- has been a Conference
tralia’s millions of scarred acres. I take in the smoky of the Parties. And year after year, the climate gets
air and choke at the impossibility of doing anything hotter and hotter. Protocols such as the Paris Agree-
substantial about climate change. ment are ratified and rejected by the countries of my
When troubled by national and international is- birth and citizenship.
sues, I look to good governance to save the day. Surely America and India’s positions on the protocols
the United Nations or the Prime Minister of India or are quite telling and put one nation firmly in a disqui-
the President of the United States have the foresight eting Hall of Shame and the other in a disorienting
to envision a world that is habitable for my little Es- Hall of Mirrors.
hni. Hooray for the UN. The United Nations Frame- Trump’s United States is a rejecter of the pro-
work Convention on Climate Change has a fine objec- tocols. Modi’s India is ostensibly a supporter. Both
tive to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the Trump and Modi remind me of those afflicted with
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32 • FEBRUARY• 2020 KHABAR MAGAZINE