The Climate agreement in Cancum is an important development, this blogger like all people around the world appreciate the effort and sees it as step forward. Narrow national interests of countries seems to be spoiler, the leaders are not really expected to confine their representation to human societies but the habitat-ecosystem- they represent, human societies don’t live in isolation indeed they are expected to rise above national interests. Economy will have to factor in environment loss.This blogger strongly believes that individual freedom is most important aspect that defines any society. Democracy is not a western concept, as much as science is not. Any idea that emerges from any part of world and if it has truth in it no longer belongs to that region or even time, it belong to humanity and is eternal. There is no two understanding of freedom. The idea that certain society is not mature for democracy is rather primitive. And that idea of governance change with society is patronising. There are some who take this line trying to extend the idea of choice-the post modern hypocrites. They also play intellectual and nonsense media needs them ‘to hear the other side’ it seems!. Ask any human (or for that matter any living thing if they can communicate) anywhere in the world, they will prefer freedom and democracy as a form of government is the closest understanding that helps express freedom. Denying freedom to individuals- to value themselves, is violation of basic right. There aren’t any two definitions for this. Implicit in this is also responsible behaviour as also rules if there is a threat. I will have to add here it also means curtailing exploitative and feudal, even if it comes in the form of religion and tradition (so we have another example from cesspool. The guy had to do his ‘education’ in Britain to blast himself in Stockholm. Not surprising for multiunculturalist society!).
Though the idea of democracy is nearest to the idea of freedom that everyone cherishes but this blogger sees a serious lacuna that has come into focus rather significantly in last few years. Democracy works by people electing their representative for the purpose of lawmaking, the voice of people is reflected in policy making. Fair enough but society doesn’
t consist only of human beings, as much as society is only a part of ecosystem. There is a need for the voice of Nature (plants and animals) be heard and represented. It is clear that these muffled voices speak for ecosystem, for Nature that sustains it. Human societies can only ignore it at its own peril. There are some concerned people across the world who do a commendable job in trying to bring the environmental concerns. But mostly these are ignored and considered hindrance to ‘growth’.
People are votes in democracy and a leader will go to any length to get votes, therefore take populist steps that serves immediate purpose of satiating people. Very few leaders will recognise that growing population is a major concern, the environmental degradation is significant. Increasing populations is a debilitating factor in climate change. Add to the understanding of Economic growth, the capitalism model works on consumption. More the people more the consumers therefore more will be selling and so profit, this i am told is the path to prosperous societies. Many leaders want the people to multiply fast (recently Russian President Medvedev even urged people), rise of India is significantly because of population than anything else. This is downward spiral the incentive on population growth. This is unsustainable, and we are starting to see the affect. There is a severe constrain on natural resources, wild habitats are depleting at much faster rate due to human expansion, species are vanishing.
Incentives on population growth must stop. Democracy will have to factor in this at the earliest. This blogger thinks that the population based demarcation of constituency for the purpose of election will have to go. Areas will have to be cut equally irrespective of population and need be maintained as a constant. Further, and this is controversial but something need be done, voting rights of individuals having more than two children should be curtailed as also further disincentives need be introduced (separate tax structure is not a bad idea). It really cannot go on the ways things are going. I guess Habitat Development Report or (Biodiversity Report) should be as important as Human Development Report. There is an immediate need to move from human centric democracy to Biodiversity centric democracy.
Rather than leaving it to individual states UN should initiate something on this line, and may i also suggest countries having richer biodiversity be given priority than maybe a certain country with ‘more than a billion voices’!. Any country’s prominence or stature in the world community shouldn’t be decided on population or economic clout but by biodiversity. India’s claim is its rich biodiversity, as much as Brazil and Indonesia. Having more human population shouldn’t be treated as an asset indeed in the contemporary context it is nothing short of crime.
Though the idea of democracy is nearest to the idea of freedom that everyone cherishes but this blogger sees a serious lacuna that has come into focus rather significantly in last few years. Democracy works by people electing their representative for the purpose of lawmaking, the voice of people is reflected in policy making. Fair enough but society doesn’
t consist only of human beings, as much as society is only a part of ecosystem. There is a need for the voice of Nature (plants and animals) be heard and represented. It is clear that these muffled voices speak for ecosystem, for Nature that sustains it. Human societies can only ignore it at its own peril. There are some concerned people across the world who do a commendable job in trying to bring the environmental concerns. But mostly these are ignored and considered hindrance to ‘growth’.People are votes in democracy and a leader will go to any length to get votes, therefore take populist steps that serves immediate purpose of satiating people. Very few leaders will recognise that growing population is a major concern, the environmental degradation is significant. Increasing populations is a debilitating factor in climate change. Add to the understanding of Economic growth, the capitalism model works on consumption. More the people more the consumers therefore more will be selling and so profit, this i am told is the path to prosperous societies. Many leaders want the people to multiply fast (recently Russian President Medvedev even urged people), rise of India is significantly because of population than anything else. This is downward spiral the incentive on population growth. This is unsustainable, and we are starting to see the affect. There is a severe constrain on natural resources, wild habitats are depleting at much faster rate due to human expansion, species are vanishing.
Incentives on population growth must stop. Democracy will have to factor in this at the earliest. This blogger thinks that the population based demarcation of constituency for the purpose of election will have to go. Areas will have to be cut equally irrespective of population and need be maintained as a constant. Further, and this is controversial but something need be done, voting rights of individuals having more than two children should be curtailed as also further disincentives need be introduced (separate tax structure is not a bad idea). It really cannot go on the ways things are going. I guess Habitat Development Report or (Biodiversity Report) should be as important as Human Development Report. There is an immediate need to move from human centric democracy to Biodiversity centric democracy.
Rather than leaving it to individual states UN should initiate something on this line, and may i also suggest countries having richer biodiversity be given priority than maybe a certain country with ‘more than a billion voices’!. Any country’s prominence or stature in the world community shouldn’t be decided on population or economic clout but by biodiversity. India’s claim is its rich biodiversity, as much as Brazil and Indonesia. Having more human population shouldn’t be treated as an asset indeed in the contemporary context it is nothing short of crime.
