The bogeyman strikes

The Ministry of Environment and Forest has come out with an astounding report that says Global warming has nothing to do with glacier melting, since it couldn’t concoct it fully without sounding absurd it admits that “While some glaciers are certainly shrinking, the pace is not as fast as elsewhere and it is certainly not because of global warming”. How it is certain is not clear. Our regrettable man at helm of affairs is turning out to be small timer bend on pleasing the masters, the moneybags. Jairam Ramesh is playing the role of Phillip Cooney, the henchman for irresponsible corporates. He calls it “informed discussion”, never mind that the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, headed by Dr R K Pachauri, in its last report had, in contrast, warned that "glaciers in Himalayas are receding faster than in any other part of the world" and that at current rate of depletion, "the likelihood of them disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high" if the global temperatures rise unabated. Dr Pachauri, in response to the Environment ministry discussion paper, said, "I'd like to find out the secret source of this divine intervention... I don't understand the logic of this... I am puzzled where this magical science has come from... This is something indefensible." When asked if the discussion paper could be taken into consideration in the on-going round of scientific review by IPCC, he said, "IPCC studies only peer-review science. Let someone publish the data in a decent credible publication. I am sure IPCC would then accept it, otherwise we can just throw it into the dustbin.". Jairam Ramesh it is clear is incompetent to be Environment Minister.

Mister Ramesh has also the temerity to call IPCC “alarmist”. The Machiavellian fellow’s love for Chanakya is an open secret (Chanakya or Kautaliya- in case one is not aware, was the original scoundrel who lived few thousand years back, justifying lack of moral ethical context. The elite sections over the centuries have invoked him for their selfishness and crude behavior). The “informed discussion” for likes of Jairam Ramesh is step towards subjectifying the issue. It is about obfuscating the truth, it helps the scoundrels to sneak in and create havoc. In Market media democracy this theatrics is referred to as discussion, but what it does is polarize the society. Since the whole exercise of market is hinged on perception, there seem to be no reality and the common people tend to take sides on what they feel comfortable about or justify their surrounding or gain. It helps in building up cynicism about reality and acceptable context for emotional reactions. Arrogance of ignorance is the product of market media.

The reason why the world finds it difficult to come into any understanding on Global Warming despite the fact that there is clear and urgent scientific evidence (as also conventional understanding) about these may not be because of any psychology rigidity of elderly (as Manbiot argued in Guardian Newspaper recently-go to my link for further, on the contrary elders in poorer and societies closer too nature will agree with it readily, they go by what they observe) it is more to do with the nature of market economy and the functioning of market media. USA is a good example they have very advanced level of literacy as also facilities to learn, they also have done some experiment with pedagogy and so on. But nowhere in the world despite these advanced levels of availability of information and technology is the society so polarized, for an outsider it borders absurd. The evolutionist- creationist debate is just an example of arrogance of informed ignorance. These unhealthy polarization of societies is the bloodline of elite section, they thrive on it. They rarely work for common good but create adversaries and controversies, and other distractions to take away the realities of common people and replace it with concoctions.

So am I surprised by our home grown Machiavellian, he is doing for his very own survival. This is his opportunity for PR work for his future and in India (as also other poor societies) you had it if you antagonized powerful people or moneybags. Jairam Ramesh is just trying his trick to work on his cost benefit analysis, as also playing for the people who placed him in this position. Infact the logic is everyone is expected to do what is good for oneself, otherwise you are misfit -market economy has justified it for centuries. So if everyone is working for their narrow gains how collective decision making possible that too at global level?. Global warming will seriously impact the poorest and marginalized. The perpetrators rarely pay, and the system has seen to that profit is accrued by small section and they fatten at the cost of majority. So if any attempt is made to rectify these it is clear that powerful people will try to obfuscate. Jairam Ramesh is also making a crude attempt to pit Indian scientist against “western scientist”, it is about science and patriotic sentiments I guess!!. What a shame.

Frankly the reality here is crude form of capitalism has become a threat to democracy. It is being hijacked by moneybags and seriously power hungry people. We seem to have reached an impasse and unless these are resolved there doesn’t seem to be scope for collective actions. Also this blogger strongly believes that there is no developing country and developed country issue here, there are only people who pollute more and people who pollute less. And the people who pollute more are rich and powerful and so they try to create confusion on veracity on anything that threatens their lifestyle or greed. Don’t know about greed but certain level of lifestyle can be maintained with adaptive technology, but if you find it difficult to even do that since it will reduce your profit then it is unacceptable, it is a crime. Indian corporates are basically family businesses, status quo solutions is more profitable. They are rarely known for innovations (check out R&D investment) and basically incompetent to handle changing realities and so need government support. Infact government machinery is being actively used for narrow gains of corporates. In a globalized world governments are not expected to biased towards domestic industries and yes I as a consumer will prefer product that uses adaptive or mitigative technology whether Indian or foreign. There are no borders in global warming.

Post Script: conventional wisdom says that Mister Jairam Ramesh should resign as Union Environment Minister. He has failed to take up the issues of environment, his priorities are misplaced and I wouldn’t be surprised if I find him in the board of some corporate few years down the line or is he trying to collect money to fight elections (that is a tough call, sycophancy is second best option). Anyway our man is trying to secure his (not to forget family and friends) future at the expense of majority, people like him are liability. Why blame him even our Nobel laureate behaves like small time intellectual pimp!!. So when he talks about ecology he gives the impression that he has got his pants down, these are beneath his dignity it seems!. Afterall Marx didn't see anything beyond labor capital!!. This blogger places huge significance on Nobel prizes and has been a major source of reference for many great writings in recent times, but the awards on Economics has rather trivialized the awards. Apart from Stiglitz, Krugman and recently Ostrom and few more I haven’t really found anyone much inspiring. Indeed the whole concept of economics looks rather fragile in the immediacy of the problems the world faces.