Ashwin KV Namboodiri
The second mini –conference of seventh VIBGYOR International Festival held on the topic , Impact of Global Free trade and climatic Change on Future of Livelihood in South Asia stated the clear role of the artificial environmental hazards like deforestation , coalmining etc. In the widespread climate change in south Asian regions in the discussion which was moderated by Jagadish Chandra a spokesman of new socialist alternative included panelists like Wilfred D Casta, Guman Singh etc.
The moderator gave a good start to the discussion by pointing out the rising global term premature which was followed by a tribal song by the Koorg natives which brought out such an awesome picture of memories of life in the forest.
Guman Singh from Himachal Pradesh who is a social activist and the convener of Himalaya Niti Abhiyan questioned the anti-social action of selling huge part of forest across India to corporate powers. He strictly opposes the false impression created by the multinational companies that hydel energy is clean and clear by citing the statistical information that reservoir creates methane in an amount twenty times more than Carbon Dioxide. Then he substantiated his view by reminding us that without Himalaya, almost the entire part of India could be covered in snow following the imbalance of seasons equilibrium.
Renowned film maker and social activist Francesco Taboda Tabone’s words made it clear that
‘destruction’ is a global phenomena. He explained the Mexican crisis by saying about the American anti-human brain of polluting the water and then selling to private companies like Coco cola, Pepsico etc, the victorious three year long struggle for water, resistance by the first independent president of Bollevia Evo Moralis against the GM seeds etc.
Wilfred D Costa, the international convener of Indian social action forum, through his words projected the fierce face of capitalism and privatization. He labels capitalists as ‘Carbon-Criminals’ who are trying to gain profit from crisis. He also said that GM seeds are the small nuclear bombs on the plate. He cried “they tell us to save water , use less energy, use bicycle etc. Before commanding us these capitalist blocks must think how much water and energy is being consumed by private companies and nuclear plants.
The final panelists was Sumesh Mangalassery, the founder of the movement ‘Kabani-the Other direction’. He emphasized his talk on the impact of tourism in the climatic change of south Asia. He made his points in agreement with P. Sainadh’s lecture which gave important to over dependents of cash crops, victimization of marginalized people etc.
Making a general assessment of the discussion, we can draw a strong conclusion that the time has come for a total paradigm shift.