Rio+20: The Future We Want

"Someone asked me once if I could see angels and faeries. I told her, 'look to the sensitive, loving, caring ones who bring so much to our world and take on the sufferings of others. They're the earth angels, sent to earth to help us on our life journey ... This world needs all the earth-angels it can get” -- author unknown

Twenty years ago, 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio Summit, Rio Conference, Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 June to 14 June 1992. At this conference, very critical issues concerning our planet earth was discussed. These included:

1. the production of toxic components, such as lead in gasoline, or poisonous waste including radioactive chemicals

2.alternative sources of energy to replace the use of fossil fuels which are linked to global climate change

3. new reliance on public transportation systems in order to reduce vehicle emissions, congestion in cities and the health problems caused by polluted air and smog

4. the growing scarcity of water

Very extremely important decisions were made for a sustainable earth. At this Earth Summit the world got the
•Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
•Agenda 21
•Forest Principles
•Convention on Biological Diversity
•Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

But after 20 years, how far have we moved in achieving sustainable development? What have been our successes in cleaning up our environment?

Once again, the world meets 20 years after the RIO conference to think about our future. But I keep asking myself: “IS IT WORTH IT?” Is it worth our time when some countries continue to position themselves in a manner that prevents any concrete actions from being taken? There are already attempts by certain countries to determine what the outcome of the conference will be. We are witnessing attempts “to weaken, ‘bracket’ or outright eliminate nearly all references to human rights obligations and equity principles in the text, "The Future We Want", for the outcome of Rio+20”.

What happened to the ‘Polluter Pays Principle’, ‘Precautionary Principle’, ‘Common But Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR)’, etc. How did all these laudable ideas fail? Why can’t governments commit to actually do what they claim to support in principle? The same attitudes that were put up after Rio which has brought us to this stage where right to food and proper nutrition is not respected, and right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is eluding us is coming up. What future are we looking for? Are we really looking for a future where all humans will have equal right to a clean and healthy environment, which is essential to the realization of fundamental human rights?

In my opinion, the relevance of the United Nations is at stake. If we want to create a sense of belonging, then we should act it and not just pay lip service. I should live because you are living. My actions should not prevent someone from getting his livelihoods going. When we make decisions, let’s make them in sincerity and respect for one another. Let’s make good decisions and work on them to achieve a good future. What future do we want? It’s all in our hands.

“The future depends on what you do today.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

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Climate Change awareness: facts or scaremongering?

“Alarmism is excessive or exaggerated alarm about a real or imagined threat. So an alarmist basically inflates a potential threat beyond the real issue”. - New Anthropocene

After going through the data and learning of how climate change stories have plummeted in most global media and also noting, as keen observer of Ghanaian media, how a similar trend is happening in Ghana, I started thinking of the possible causes. One thing that struck my mind is the trend of the articles that are published on climate change! It always seems to be predicting doom! Can that be what is throwing people off?

I took time off to talk to a few non-scientist friends and find out from them what they know about climate change. I just sent this message via Facebook, yahoo messenger and skype: “My friend, please I want to ask you a question so kindly answer me. It's just for research purposes and I want a quick, frank answer. When you hear CLIMATE CHANGE, what comes to your mind? Is it good news or bad news? What emotion does it convey?” The answers I received within 5 minutes were really insightful. I am reproducing some of the answers I got in this piece:

“This climate change thing, I am even tired of hearing it. If we are going to die, let’s die. After all, we shall all die one day” – An accountant, Ghana

“Climate change means unpredictable weather patterns. It’s bad news, we are always see the bad effects of it who will be happy to see the effects of drought, acid rain, storms and hurricanes-just to mention a few”- Banker, Ghana

“Scary, some kind of the world is changing from good to bad. That's the feeling I get. I've never thought about any positive side” – IT person, Ghana

“When I hear climate change, it's a bad news for me” – Secretary, Burkina Faso

I think it is good news. With much attention to the gradual depletion of the ozone layer, I personally don't like to walk much under scorching sun – IT person, Ghana

“I know it has got something to do with the change of weather over a period of time. It could be either good or bad depending on the pattern and I am even sure that we as humans also contribute to this climate change” – Business Analyst, Ghana

“All the negative things we have done to destroy the environment are now coming to hurt us. It’s bad news. I am afraid for the future” – Development worker, Ghana

“Tsunamis, flooding, disaster, all are bad things. It is bad news” – Student, University of Ghana.

“They say little rainfall and that means no farming and no food. It is bad news. It makes me afraid” – Electrician, Ghan

“Climate change is bad weather. High temperature all the time, flooding all the time. It is causing many problems in Accra, especially” – Fashion designer, Ghana


“When I hear of climatic change, I get the sense that weather is changing not for the better but for the worse, and these are basically due to our own parochial harmful activities. it doesn't sound as good news to me, this is due to the fact that almost all the news I have heard on air about climatic change are directed at the worsened side of the climate. The emotion it conveys is not comfortable at all, I believe much can be done to reduce and possibly eradicate the issues of negative climatic change” – Civil Engineer, Ghana

Those were the responses I got from a cross-section of people. Out of the first 10 responses that came, only 1 person said climate change was good news although the continuation of that answer made it difficult to see the good news in it. This gives a fair representation of how the climate change message has been preached and the feeling it conveys in people. Then I ask myself, what can be the consequences of such a situation?

I don’t believe climate scientists are alarmists or are doing scaremongering but if that is how the ordinary people feel, can’t we do what we are doing in a different way to achieve better positive results? Whatever is perceived as scaremongering has the tendency of making people switch off and treat or such news as a nuisance. How can we put out the facts of our changing climate without sounding alarmists or scaremongers? I believe there is enough evidence of what is happening around us that can be pointed out to the world. There are discerning people in this world that can make informed decisions from facts. All of us climate change scientists and communicators should begin to learn more innovative ways of educating the world without sounding as doomsday prophets. For example, are there not opportunities in climate change; can’t we bring that to the fore as well? It’s time to change tactics.

“Comment is free but facts are sacred”. - Scott, Charles Prestwich

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CLIMATE CHANGE FATIGUE? COVERAGE DOWN AGAIN IN 2011 !

“It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities”. -- Josiah Stamp

Globally, are people getting less interested in talking about climate change? What might be the reasons for the seemingly less interest in climate change stories? Is there a feeling that enough has been said about climate change? Are people frustrated that they talk about climate change and yet see that nothing is happening? Is it to the benefit of the earth that we stop creating awareness of climate change and put pressure on ourselves to find solutions?

Last week, I had a discussion with a friend and we arrived at a conclusion that “climate change” is gradually fading away just as some words had become very topical some years ago and they gradually faded away. Our assertion was not backed by any real facts or analysis but we were convinced of what we said, basing our assertion on the frequency at which we are hearing and reading articles and editorials on climate change in the Ghanaian media. ‘Sustainability’, at some point, was the ‘catchword’ of every debate on the environment but this word gradually faded away; we will discuss this another time. Now, it seems climate change is gradually fading away too.

Then this week I come across a publication by DailyClimate.org that had the headline, ‘Climate coverage down again in 2011’. So we might be right with our assertion after all! In the article, it is stated that “media coverage of climate change continued to tumble in 2011, declining roughly 20% from 2010's levels and nearly 42 % from 2009's peak, according to analysis of DailyClimate.org's archive of global media”. Despite the many extreme weather events that occurred across the globe, famine in the Horn of Africa, Australia's approval of a carbon tax, COP 17 climate conference in South Africa, etc, coverage of climate change issues went down.

According to DailyClimate.org, at least 7,140 journalists and opinion writers published some 19,000 stories on climate change in 2011, compared to more than 11,100 reporters who filed 32,400 stories in 2009. Also, 20% fewer reporters covered the issue in 2011 than in 2010, 20% fewer outlets published stories, and the most prolific reporters on the climate change beat published 20% fewer stories. This information, in my opinion, is a wake-up call for all who are concerned to get back to work and write about this global challenge. We need to make more people aware of what is happening around us. Relentless efforts at creating public awareness of climate change issues which reached its peak in 2009 have helped to make the society more aware of the key issues in the problem. If media outlets and all writers would not relax but step up their game, some more minds would change to accept that climate change is real and there is the need to address it.

Climate-related issues published by the BBC in 2011, for instance, dropped by 30% from 2010, whilst ‘The New York Times’ published 953 stories and blog posts, against 1,116 in 2010 and 1,408 in 2009; according to dailyclimate.org. Reuters published 1,235 stories in 2011 – more than three per day – its output was down 27% from 2010. Looking at this reducing trend, it seems climate change is no longer ‘that new girlfriend’ that was found to be extremely attractive and one couldn’t stop talking about!

One important consideration if we want the reading public to attach importance to climate change issues: “CLIMATE CHANGE should be seen in banner headlines”. “People take their cues about what's important from what shows up in the headline of the newspaper. It doesn't matter really what the articles say," says Robert Brulle, Drexel University.

So I ask again, is there a lack of interest in talking about climate change? What might be the reasons for the seemingly less interest in climate change stories? Is there a feeling that enough has been said about climate change? Are people frustrated that they talk about climate change and yet see that nothing is happening? Is it to the benefit of the earth that we stop creating awareness of climate change and put pressure on ourselves to find solutions?

Let’s wake up!

“In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences”. -- Robert Green Ingersoll

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