By Joydeep Gupta, IANS,
Bangkok : Tired of the way industrialised countries are dragging their feet on a global agreement to tackle global warming, young Indian climate activist Leela Raina has found a new way to express her frustration. She has written a blog with 11 reasons on why she will not date a man from a developed country.
The blog, which went up Wednesday evening, created ripples at the Sep 28-Oct 9 talks going on here in preparation for this December’s climate summit in Copenhagen.
Leela, 20, from New Delhi, titled her blog “Why Shouldn’t I Date an Annex-1 Guy?” Under the Kyoto Protocol – the current global treaty to tackle climate change – annex 1 countries are the industrialised countries that have to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases that are causing global warming.
The 11 reasons given by Leela mirror the stance of many industrialised countries at the talks here. They are:
1. He is not willing to COMMIT
2. He takes more S P A C E in the relationship
3. He refuses to FINANCE dinners
4. Hates my mother (Read: Hates the rules imposed on him by the Kyoto Protocol)
5. Doesn’t let me use the TV remote or the computer (Read: no transfer of technology)
6. Wouldn’t save me if I fall off a cliff / Earthquakes hits/flash floods take place
7. Doesn’t follow through and is indecisive
8. Constantly steals the covers
9. Possessive and wants daily reports
10. Have such a consumption-oriented lifestyle
11. Would not make a good father
The full blog is at http://adoptanegotiator.org/2009/10/07/why-i-shouldnt-date-an-annex-1-guy/
Leela, a member of the Indian Youth Climate Network, has been tracking the activities of Prodipto Ghosh, a member of the Indian government delegation at the talks here, since last December’s climate summit in Poznan, Poland.
Many members of youth NGOs are tracking negotiators from their official delegations in an effort to move governments towards an agreement that will be more effective in tackling climate change.
Climate change, caused by excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere – almost all emitted by industrialised countries over the last 250 years or so – is already reducing farm output; making droughts, floods and storms more frequent and more severe and raising the sea level. Developing countries such as India are bearing the brunt of the effects.