By Otto Spijkers
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon addressed the young generation, represented by a group of students of the United Nations International School. He spoke to them about his own generation and said: "We are all complicit in the process of global warming. Unsustainable practices are deeply entrenched in our everyday lives. But in the absence of decisive measures, the true cost of our actions will be borne by succeeding generations, starting with yours." And then he pointed at the young students.
The South-Korean Secretary-General added: "Unfortunately, my generation has been somewhat careless in looking after our one and only planet. But I am hopeful that is finally changing. And I am also hopeful that your generation will prove far better stewards of our environment; in fact, looking around this hall today, I have a strong sense that you already are." I am not sure what the Secretary-General saw when he was looking around the United Nations General Assembly hall (where the conference took place), but what he saw seems to have comforted him. The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction created a simple computer game that will help the younger generation understand what to do in order to save the environment (it is called the Stop Disaster Game, and you can play the game here; each scenario takes between 10 and 20 minutes to play, depending on the disaster you are trying to prevent and your skill level).
I find this a bit troubling. First Ban Ki-Moon says that unfortunately the older generation was somewhat careless in looking after the environment, and then he tells the younger generation not to do the same. Al Gore uses a similar tactic. He tells the world that its behaviour patterns must change, but at the same time the Tennessee Center for Policy Research found out that Al Gore consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year. Al Gore does not seem to deny this, but he seems to say that he compensates this by campaigning for a healthier environment and by investing in clean energy. I think Al Gore’s documentary is extremely useful and I think he deserves his Oscar, but the problem remains.
I was thinking: can the younger generation not claim reparations from the older generation, in addition to being lectured on how not to make the same mistakes? Of course the young generation should do better than the previous generation.
The picture comes from the Living Sculptures Website. One can see Atlas who refuses to keep carrying the world on his shoulders.
The “Tennessee Center for Policy Research”, I mean come on! The web-site says “independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan” – and they were just happening to look through the G section of the alphabetical electric bill directory.
The main problem has nothing to do with the will of individuals, and it is not about personal responsibility. Collective action is the only way, and that means governments forcing us to make the hard decisions. That, and the fact that eventually some of the economics will conspire to make greener technologies profitable, are the only things that will save us and the younger generation from ourselves.