Courageous Princes in Denmark?

Therese

As I have been attending talks and blogging about climate change over the past few days, I have thought about the scientific, political, and economic aspects of climate change.  And then I was struck by an idea that perfectly captured how I felt about the ongoing climate change negotiations.

Since I was young, I have loved to read about heroes, fictional and real, who had the problems of the world thrust upon them through no fault of their own.  And they were human, they made mistakes, they doubted, they were afraid.  But one thing united them all: they arose for the sake of others and faced their fears; they had courage.

Today the world is facing climate change, a calamity of unprecedented and unpredictable proportions, a calamity that will submerge countries (first in line are small island states and Bangladesh), lay lands barren through droughts and floods, and cause violent and unpredictable spells of extreme weather. (See the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report, ‘Synthesis Report.’)).  It is the stuff stories are made of, set on a beautiful blue pearl of a planet speeding through endless space, faced by imminent catastrophe, with so much potential, so much to save, and so little time.  A potential best-seller if I ever saw one.  And there are heroes: Farmers doing their best to feed their families despite the droughts(2), activists who dedicate their lives to protecting the environment and raising awareness, scientists researching the issue, and millions of people making changes in their every-day lives. 

I do not wish to belittle their efforts in any way, but I am afraid it will not be enough.  For where, I ask, where are the leaders with whom we have entrusted the responsibility to, as their titles signify, to lead humanity through this challenge?  Where are the valiant princes and noble rulers of the earth?  So I remain dissatisfied...  I was never very fond of tragedies, and this has the potential to be a truly memorable, indeed unforgettable, one.  One that will rival the finest Shakespearean tragedy, and make Hamlet and Macbeth seem cheerful by comparison. 

However, I am yet hopeful that we may turn out to be in an epic drama, not a tragedy, of global proportions.  I am hoping to see, out of the corner of my eye, the knights in shining armour come charging in on the international political arena, full of energy and courage, ready to act.  We have talked for two decades about climate change.  Now is the time to courageously step forward and bravely propose, commit,  enact, and make the green future a reality. 

Courage is the true characteristic of any heroic leader, and that is what the story sorely lacks to date.  Heroes who have the courage to face the press and the polls, the campaign-funders and each other, and who do not fear going down the green road before anyone else does.  Where is this courage to do what science, humanity, and ultimately, our deepest moral convictions tell us is the only responsible course of action?  This courage must be born from the heartfelt conviction that humanity shares one common fate, and that we are all connected. Most leaders will not lose their homes and livelihoods from global warming, but they must act for the sake of those who will. 

Will world leaders come to the Copenhagen Climate Conference, armed with love for justice and the knowledge of the oneness of humankind, and establish an international climate regime that is fair, ambitious, and binding enough to secure our common future?  Will they brave their fears and become the heroes of future generations?  Or will they, like princes in Denmark before them, succumb to prevarication and inaction, bringing us one step closer to global tragedy?