{"id":812,"date":"2021-03-22T09:20:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T09:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uantwerpen.one\/blog-usos\/?p=812"},"modified":"2023-08-29T14:27:52","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T14:27:52","slug":"climate-change-is-not-only-an-environmental-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/global-pen-friends\/climate-change-is-not-only-an-environmental-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate change is not only an environmental issue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Correspondence between\u00a0MS\u00a0<\/strong>(researcher at Universidad Centroamericana \u2013 Managua) and Hannelore Peeters<\/strong> (researcher at University of Antwerp). For security reasons, the name of the student from Nicaragua was anonymised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Hannelore Peeters, <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is a pleasure to be able to talk to you about one of the most\nsignificant environmental issues of the last millennium, but above all to learn\nabout the perspectives of our countries on this phenomenon and how we are\nfacing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talking about climate change makes us think of many other aspects that\nare not specifically of an environmental nature, although its direct effects\nare more visible in nature. Undoubtedly, in Central America, we have experienced\nsurprising effects, with hurricanes and droughts being the most recurrent. But\nthe impact of these natural disasters has been the trigger for more problems,\nwhich have hit the most vulnerable populations particularly hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the UN defined the Sustainable Development Goals, they contemplated\nthe lines of action against climate change at the environmental, social and\neconomic levels. This was a great step forward because we understood the\nholistic nature of the issue. But I have many doubts regarding this agenda;\nfirst, whether we are following the right path and responding according to the\nmagnitude of the problem; second, I reflect on whether these goals apply to all\ncountries in the world; and third, I wonder whether we are leaving out some\nother related aspects. Regarding the third concern, I could believe that the\npolitical level has not been explicitly contemplated, considering that this\nissue is closely related to governance and, therefore, to the more efficient\nmanagement of territories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe that one of the main impediments in my country has been that there\nis very little to no participation of those sectors most vulnerable to climate\nchange in decision-making and policy creation. Moreover, the response mechanism\nto natural disasters primarily consists of assistance. This is very common in\ncountries with deficient democratic structures, where those in power take\nadvantage of the majority of the population living in conditions of poverty,\nand offer immediate solutions when these natural phenomena occur, but in\nreality, they do not visualize short or long-term prevention plans. This\nreminds me of the conclusion reached by L\u00f3pez and M\u00e9ndez in their article, \u2018A critique of the concept of sustainable development<\/strong><\/a>\u2019, which\nstated: \u2018When we talk about eliminating poverty in certain regions of the world\nwithout questioning the power structure that sustains it, the question of\nsustainability is falsified\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the above, I want to change the common narrative of countries like\nours a little \u2014 the smallest contributors of carbon dioxide \u2014 that we dump\nalmost all the responsibility on the major emitters worldwide. Undoubtedly, our\ngovernments do not aim to turn us into cities that are adapted to the climate\nscenarios that are coming. But with this I am not exempting the planet\u2019s\nbiggest polluters from blame; instead, I urge them to re-evaluate their\ncommitments made at climate summits and to set goals that are more in line with\nthe impact they produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, as I refer to more realistic goals, I return to the roadmap of the\n2030 Agenda. Since the UN<\/strong><\/a> defines\nenergy as the factor that contributes to 60% of global emissions, transition to\naffordable and non-polluting energies must be sought. I have always had my\nreservations about renewable energies being presented as the absolute solution\nto the fight against climate change, because I know that this does not apply in\nall regions of the world. In the case of Nicaragua, for instance, 53% of the\nenergy matrix came from renewable energy until 2018, but much of that energy\ngenerated is exported, making national consumption mostly dependent on fossil\nfuels. It should also be noted that our renewable energy prices are\nconsiderably higher compared to average prices worldwide, due to the risks\ninvolved in establishing these projects in our country, and many of these risks\nare due to climate change. This means that in the long run changing the\ncountry\u2019s entire energy matrix does not guarantee that we will achieve one of\nthe goals pursued by the SDGs, which is to increase the production of reliable,\nuninterrupted and sufficient energy. I am very eager to know your opinion\nregarding this aspect, because I understand that, in Belgium, they also have\ntheir limitations in this energy transition and rely heavily on nuclear energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final issue I would like to delve into is biodiversity, since my\nrecent experience with the subject has made me realize that this component has\nnot been treated with the seriousness it deserves. Unfortunately, governments\nand businesspeople believe that allocating money to conservation activities is\nan expense and not an investment; perhaps they have not yet visualized the\neconomic value of natural areas, or they are simply not willing to wait for the\nbenefits, which in the case of biodiversity, are only\/primarily visible in the\nmedium and long term. My hypothesis was confirmed by the report<\/strong><\/a> prepared\nby the European Union, which addresses the effects of climate change on\nbiodiversity. The findings suggested that many Latin American countries have\npolicies and strategies for conservation, but few of them have the budget to\nimplement them. This leads me to conclude that while we continue to create\nnecessary laws and policies, we have no plans to implement them in the\nimmediate future. I would like to know how your country has advanced on this\nissue, and how your government addresses biodiversity in its development plans\nas a nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has been very gratifying to express all my thoughts in this letter,\nalthough it is more critical than optimistic. I wanted to let you know a little\nmore of how we live on this side of the world. I am certain that when you tell\nme about your experiences, we can find points of convergence. I am also sure\nthat in our next correspondence we will be able to envisage alternative\nsolutions for our countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MS
8-March-2021, Managua<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear MS,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thank you so much for your letter. You made some interesting points and\nI will do my best to respond to your questions appropriately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even here in Belgium, with a more temperate climate, we are already\nnoticing the changing climate. The summers are generally drier and more heatwaves\nare occurring, while in winter we have fewer frost days. Here too, storms are\noccurring more frequently, with floods as a consequence. Without going into\ndetail, the predictions are scarily accurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I agree with you on the statement that politics is an essential part of\nthe current climate crisis as well as other environmental, social and economic\ncrises, and that it should also be taken into account in the process of moving towards\na sustainable world. I don\u2019t think the lack of long-term solutions only applies\nto countries with deficient democratic structures. Actually, this by itself\nforms a topic for discussion: is it because the democratic system is deficient\nor is it inherent to current democratic systems? Most democratic systems today mainly\nfocus on short-term, quick-fix, easy solutions. We need to ask why this is so.\nTo find an answer to this question, I think we need to look at what drives\npoliticians. What is their \u2018primary motivation<\/em>\u2019?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I grew up with the idea that politicians are visionaries, idealists who\nwant to change the world \u2013 or at least their part of it \u2013 for the better. This\nusually requires long-term commitments and measures. When we look at the\npresent political system in our countries, politicians are elected \u2013\nfortunately \u2013 for relatively short time periods of two to six years. At the end\nof a term, what would a politician want? Here, the logical answer is \u2018to\nbe re-elected\u2019<\/em>, which of course makes sense, since the person wants to keep\ntheir job and to continue working on their vision, as the latter is rarely\nrealized during a single term. However, in order to be re-elected, the\npolitician needs to gain votes and, thus, the politician needs to please as\nmany electors as possible. This makes long-term decisions that serve the\nso-called \u2018greater good\u2019<\/em> far more difficult, as they often harm a lot of\npeople, companies and the economy in the short term. Following this train of\nthought, the solution might seem simple. If democracy is not working, then why\nnot a climate dictatorship (for x years until the climate crisis is under\ncontrol)? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This solution does not seem desirable to me. During the course of\nhistory, humanity has fought too hard for democracy \u2013 and in many places is\nstill fighting for it \u2013 to voluntarily throw it out of the window now. Even if\nwe were to choose an interim or partially authoritarian system, again history gives\nus plenty of examples showing that this simply does not work. Perhaps because\nthe goal is never (entirely) reached, perhaps because power is \u2013 as so often\nsaid \u2013 addictive. So how can we tackle the current climate crisis without\ndiscarding democracy as such? We need to convince politicians of the urgency of\nthe issue, of the responsibility they have to the present as well as future generations,\nand that political courage in acting for the long term won\u2019t necessarily be\npunished. I\u2019m curious about alternatives you might envision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In parallel, I think we need to evolve again to more community-based\nthinking and living, instead of the individualistic society we have evolved\ninto, and which has led us to this point. For this, education is crucial: on\nthe one hand, education on the climate crisis and why it is essential for all\nof humanity to tackle this crisis, and on the other, teaching community-thinking\nso that we can move to a more community-based society. Education here should\nnot exclusively concern children. Adults too should at least be made more aware\nof the situation and the alternatives, although this is inevitably more\ndifficult to organize. Environmental movements and climate advocates have tried\nto do this for years but hit a wall of resistance or indifference. Therefore,\nthe climate issue is also an issue of communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You make a very interesting point stating that governments like yours\nconsign the responsibility to the largest polluters, without preparing their\nterritories for the consequences of climate change. The historical contribution\nof developing countries is indeed insignificant compared to the large\ncontributors, yet current development increases the footprint of most people\nliving now. This calls for the contested term \u2018sustainable development<\/em>\u2019\nand the even more controversial question of who is to pay for it. Should we\napply the \u2018polluters\npay principle<\/em><\/strong>\u2019<\/a> <\/em><\/strong>or do we\ntreat this as historical pollution and only look forward? The former method\nmight seem the fairest, but comes with many questions on how to estimate the\namount of pollution and what the price should be, similar to the issue of\nreparations in a post-colonial context. The latter then seems more feasible,\nalthough less just. At this point, the urgency is so great that there is no\ntime to waste on endless discussions on rates of past pollution. Everybody has\nto act now. The largest contributors have to make the largest efforts \u2013 and\nhere I mean largest contributor based on consumer emissions (inhabitants\u2019\ncarbon footprint), not territorial emissions (greenhouse gases emitted in a\ncountry). In order to achieve this, a system of carbon credits at the correct\nprice is essential. Briefly, in this way, the price of a product will not only\nreflect the production costs, but could also cover the societal costs. This\ncould lead to a lower number of products sold and encourage less carbon-intense\ntechnologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the topic of renewable energy, a critical view is needed indeed. The\nBelgian energy system is too complicated to explain, so I\u2019ll focus on Flanders,\nwhere we have a dubious approach to subsidies for renewable energy. In short,\nin Flanders<\/strong><\/a> at the\nmoment, 33.69% of our energy supply is renewable, 28.01% is fossil-based and\nindeed 38.30% is from nuclear sources. The problem with renewable energy is\nindeed its variable supply, as well as the slow transition process. Nuclear\nenergy has the benefit of providing a constant supply \u2013 except when reactors fail<\/strong><\/a> again \u2013 has\na relatively low carbon footprint according to propaganda and it is well established,\nmainly because of all the subsidies it has received over the ages. However, to\nfulfil expected demand, new nuclear plants are needed, making it too slow and too expensive<\/strong><\/a>, that is,\nmore expensive than renewable energy per invested euro. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not even considering the issue of nuclear waste. To paraphrase\nemeritus professor Aviel Verbruggen, if renewable energy had been given the\nfunds that nuclear energy has received since the 1950s in Belgium, there would\nnot be an issue today. Apart from the production level, changes at the\nindividual level are also needed. Especially here in Europe, we need to consume\nless energy. We need to change our way of thinking and living. Do we all really<\/em>\nneed a car (electric or not)? To reach the climate goals, not only the source\nof energy needs to change, but also our consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biodiversity, with its long-term benefits, also suffers from the short\npolitical tenure terms. As an EU member state, Belgium has to comply with EU\nlegislation such as the Natura 2000<\/strong><\/a> or Habitats Directive<\/strong><\/a>. Is there a\nNicaraguan or Pan-American counterpart? Although we are certainly not the best\npupil in the class, I think the benefits of biodiversity are slowly sinking in\nand EU legislation is being implemented. Our biggest problem is habitat\nfragmentation in this small, densely populated country. Unlike in many southern\ncountries, where vast nature areas are in danger of being exploited, the damage\nhas already been done and there are very few and small areas left to conserve.\nIn some areas, biodiversity has actually increased due to proper management.\nThe most visible example being the return of the wolf<\/strong><\/a>, but also\nsmaller, yet very significant, changes like the return of fish in the Zenne river<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope I have been able to answer your questions sufficiently and I\u2019m\ncurious about your views. A letter is just too short to express everything on\nthis topic we are both so passionate about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hannelore Peeters
12-March-2021, Antwerp<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear\nHannelore,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I was sure that your reply would bring other interesting points to this\ndiscussion and you have absolutely helped me to further clarify the ideas in my\nfirst letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I agree with you that the authorities do not usually make long-term\nplans, regardless of the quality of the democratic system. This is very common\nin my country, and, moreover, projects being considered by governments that extend\nbeyond their tenure in power are often discontinued by a subsequent government.\nAnd it is definitely not negotiable to replace democracy with dictatorial\nmeasures, but it is necessary to integrate civil society organizations, the\nprivate sector and academic institutions into governmental working groups to\nserve as overseers in order to ensure that the climate actions agreed upon are\ncontinued within the established deadlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the issue of education, it is a great tool to raise awareness\nabout climate change in society. In the youth movements I work in, we have changed\nthe strategies a little to be able to take the message to the entire\npopulation. Above all, we have considered that not everyone is equally engaged\nwith these issues, so it is necessary to be creative to break the wall of\nresistance and indifference that you mentioned. In these volunteer programmes,\nwe have developed community-based science activities such as promoting the use\nof technologies to document the flora and fauna of our environment,\nenvironmental theatre, beach clean-ups and reforestation days. Although some\nactivities may be tilted towards grabbing media attention, they serve to draw\nattention to the problems that exist in our communities and at the same time\nawaken people\u2019s interest in learning more about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing we are clear about is that the costs of climate change are\nabysmal, especially when it comes to adaptation costs, which according to UNEP<\/strong><\/a> will be 140\nto 300 billion dollars per year by 2030. A good alternative is to implement\nmitigation starting with industrial production, instead of after products have\nbeen used. Because of this, Environmental and Social Management Systems (such\nas ISO 14 001), should go from being voluntary standards to mandatory ones for\nthe largest polluting industries, especially in cities with the highest\ngreenhouse gas emissions, and this should be governed by the environmental\nministries of each country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To conclude, I would like to highlight the sentence in your letter that\nsays: \u2018To reach the climate goals, not only the source of energy needs to\nchange, but also our consumption\u2019. In short, the fight against climate change\nincludes commitments at the macro and micro levels, individual and collective.\nPublic resources and the capacity of governments to face this problem without\nsupport are limited, and, therefore, in addition to being a challenge, climate\nchange is an opportunity to innovate. I believe that more experiences should be\nexchanged between countries, whether in areas such as renewable energies,\nbiodiversity, response to climate disasters, or any other issue related to\nachieving the sustainable development objectives. Space for exchange results in\nthe innovative solutions that we need so much and that make us feel like a team\nwith a common goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope in the future we can talk again about a more hopeful outlook on\nclimate change. For now, I thank you for talking to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MS
16-March-2021, Managua<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear MS,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for sharing your comments on the ideas in my last letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists and civilians have been trying to get governments to listen\nto them on regional, national as well as international levels, e.g. Klimaatzaak\nand IPCC. Klimaatzaak<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 which\ntranslates to Climate Case \u2013 is a famous non-profit citizens\u2019 initiative which\nis suing the Belgian government for negligence in failing to take proper care\nof their citizens and some other fundamental human rights with regard to the\nconsequences of climate change at this very moment. There are recent precedents\nin the\nNetherlands<\/strong><\/a> and Ireland<\/strong><\/a>. Yet,\ngovernments don\u2019t seem to listen to the experts when it concerns climate\nchange, biodiversity or other environmental and long-term issues. Now, with the\nCOVID-19 pandemic we see an exception. All of a sudden experts are consulted\nand listened to \u2013 to a certain degree of course. However, after having listened\nto the experts carefully and having followed their advice, it seems that\npolitical games have taken over again, when it became clear that we\u2019d be in\nthis situation for a longer period of time. The integration of different organizations\nand different stakeholders at different policy and implementation levels to\nensure the effectiveness and execution of long-term action plans does seem like\na plausible solution to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiatives you take part in sound truly amazing! I am also involved\nin a scientific collective for clear, fact-based communication about climate\nchange, and I work with adolescents on this and other environmental issues in\nmy free time. It makes me happy to hear that there are so many initiatives and\nvolunteers dedicating their time and energy to this issue around the globe. Yet,\nit also saddens me a little that this is still needed, especially counting\nmostly on just these volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think we have reached the point where emission prevention alone is not\nenough anymore. As we have both written, we are facing the consequences\nalready, making mitigation most urgent in addition to lowering greenhouse gas\nemissions as quickly as possible. I agree that the largest polluters should pay\nthe most and that this money should be used for mitigation strategies. Doing\nthis directly has not turned out to be very easy, especially when the system is\nnot corruption proof. An alternative is to pay the \u2018pollution tax<\/em>\u2019 to\nsome kind of fund that manages and invests in mitigation strategies. In the\nspirit of turning this crisis into an opportunity for innovation, the EU has\ncome up with a plan for a more sustainable economy, \u2018The European Green Deal<\/em><\/strong>\u2019<\/a>. In this\ndeal, the EU will invest EUR 100 billion in e.g. the energy transition. This is\nof course tax money, but I\u2019d rather they invest my tax money in this than some\nalternatives. However, this amount could be even larger if they entirely divested\nat the same time. At the moment, more than EUR 137 billion every year<\/strong><\/a> still goes\nto fossil fuels in the form of subsidies, fiscal regulations and tax advantages\nfor company cars, the shipping and aviation industry, agribusiness and even\ncoal and gas power plants. Belgium<\/strong><\/a> is the worst\npupil in the class, with over EUR 600 per year for each citizen, mainly going\nto diesel-fuelled company cars. Imagine what could be realized in the EU alone if\nall this fossil money was redirected towards mitigation and adaptation\nmeasures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a pleasure reading your letters, writing to you and exchanging\nsome ideas and thoughts on the most urgent topic of climate change. Let\u2019s hope \u2013\nor better said \u2013 let\u2019s keep on fighting for the changes in the system we deem\nnecessary to limit the consequences of climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best regards<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hannelore Peeters
22-March-2021, Antwerp<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Correspondence between\u00a0MS\u00a0(researcher at Universidad Centroamericana \u2013 Managua) and Hannelore Peeters (researcher at University of Antwerp). For security … <\/p>\n

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