Dr. Arun Jhaveri is the first Mayor of Burien. He is a physicist and mechanical engineer, recently co-authoring the book “Carbon Reduction: Policies, Strategies and Technologies.â€Â
He stayed in touch, through email and telephone, with several colleagues who attended the recently completed United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
We asked Dr. Jhaveri to provide his thoughts on the conference.
He kindly obliged with this synopsis:
One must consider the following three separate yet inter-connected three-pronged/triad elements, that holistically encompass Global Climate Change:
- Inter-relationship among Energy, Environment, and Economy (the three E’s)
- Three groups of critical participant nations – Developed/Industrialized, Developing/Emerging, and Less Developed/Poor/Most Vulnerable
- Time-line of Global Climate Change history – Past, Present, and Future
Based on my knowledge and understanding of what happened these past two weeks in Copenhagen, it is absolutely clear that thousands of delegates representing the United Nations’ 193 members, appear to be vocal, determined, outspoken, scared, excited, frustrated, optimistic, enthusiastic, and hopeful that somehow or some way, a consensus would result from their extremely hard work through forceful negotiations, which could become a meaningful roadmap/action plan to significantly reduce the current greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, impacting billions of our earth/planet inhabitant’s future survival and associated quality of life – a truly tall order for this extremely complex, science-dependent, universal phenomenon.
As it turned out, the legally non-binding Final Agreement/Understanding among the major political leaders, fell far short of the desired high expectations. However, based on the past 17 years of very impressive history of the United Nations’ journey from the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, to 1997 Kyoto Climate Change Protocol in Japan, to 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, to 2009 Copenhagen, Denmark’s Post-Kyoto Global Climate Change Treaty Negotiations, it is absolutely remarkable that notwithstanding the unprecedented multicultural diversity, socio-economic variations, degrees of growth & development, differences in science-based vulnerabilities, and unified desire to urgently work towards realistic & quantifiable assessment, mitigation, and adaptation re global climate change, the Copenhagen Declaration has succeeded in marshaling the absolutely critical political, financial, technical, educational, and social framework to move forward, based on mutual trust, respect, communication, coordination, as well as cooperation.
The long and difficult path ahead will surely require hundreds of thousands of decision makers, scientists, community activists, academicians, and business/industry leaders to work together to make sure that the global temperature rise does NOT exceed 2 degrees Centigrade or 3.5 degree Fahrenheit atmospheric temperature from the emitting greenhouse gases and/or the equivalent carbon quantity remains less than 350 parts per million, both in the near future through 2020 as well as long term by 2050, when the world’s population is expected to increase from some 6.5 billion now to nearly10 billion.
This extremely optimistic goal or tall order can be accomplished via very promising Energy Efficiency Technologies, Renewable Energy Sources, Life cycle cost-Effective Financing Mechanisms, Creative & Innovative Clean/Green Business Practices, On-going Awareness, Education & Training, and Periodic Exchanges of Ideas, Expertise, and Verifiable Information.
As an Eternal Optimist with many years of practical experience in Energy, Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change, Economics, Governance, and Leadership, I am more than convinced that the world as a whole would rise to take on the Copenhagen Challenge for not only the survival of the current generation but also to leave a beneficial legacy for future generations to come.
Therefore, we all must begin now, since it takes a Village.
– Dr. Arun Jhaveri
For our previous coverage of Dr. Jhaveri, click here.
Garbage in, garbage out…