Category: Politics & government

Categories
Environment Politics & government

[1458] Of schism in environmentalism

From the authors of the The Death of Environmentalism:

Shellenberger and Nordhaus have now launched an effort to expand the frame of political environmentalism to encompass core American values. Earlier this year the dynamic duo issued a new book, Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility, in which they attempt to outline a positive vision for the future. Shellenberger and Nordhaus identify an emerging faultline that they argue will divide the environmentalist movement of the 21st century. On one side stand the traditional anti-immigration, anti-globalization, and anti-growth greens. They believe these neo-Malthusians “will seek to establish and enforce the equivalent of an international caste system in which the poor of the developing world are consigned to energy poverty in perpetuity.” Eternal limits to growth for the already impoverished.

One the other hopeful side, according to Nordhaus and Shellenberger, stand “those who believe that there is room enough for all of us to live secure and free lives. It will be pro-growth, progressive, and internationalist.” Nordhaus and Shellenberger see this new positive environmentalism as embracing markets and technological innovation in order to create prosperity and protect the natural world. Central to their positive pro-growth version of environmentalism is the development of cheap low-carbon energy technologies. Not only will such technologies prevent dangerous global warming, but they will also lift billions of people out of poverty by the end of the century. But how to get there? [Techno-Optimistic Environmentalism. Reason Magazine. November 27 2007]

Yup. Red green and blue green.

But emerging? I have always taken it for granted, meaning it is already there, here, now and real.

Categories
Liberty Politics & government

[1456] Of non-interventionist, not isolationist

I’m not an isolationism — an isolationist. I want to trade with people, talk with people, travel, but I don’t want… to send our troops overseas using force to tell them how to live. We would object to it here, and they’re going to object to us over there.

— Congressman Ron Paul during the November 28 2007 Republican Presidential Debate, in response to Senator John McCain.

Categories
Environment Politics & government

[1451] Of welcome Australia to the Kyoto Protocol?

The new Rudd administration vows to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. As far as environmental policy is concerned, I am quietly celebrating the fall of the Howard administration in favor of the incoming one. Nevertheless, I doubt Australian ratification of the Protocol will directly affect global greenhouse gases emissions. That however does not mean having Australia amounts to nothing.

Politically, it puts pressure on the United States to do the same. Furthermore, ratification of the Kyoto Protocol or more importantly, clear directed action to reduce greenhouse gases gives Australia the moral authority to pressure developing countries, specifically China and India to improve their emissions.

There are only 5 more years before the Protocol lapsed and while I do hold high hopes for it, results from the Protocol have been mixed so far. The disastrous handling of emissions permits in Europe is especially disheartening, perhaps suggesting and illustrating how emissions permits-based policy may be practically inferior to Pigovian taxes, despite theoretically being an equivalence. But take hearts for discussion on the son of Kyoto to improve the Kyoto Protocol in already under way. The conference in Bali in December this year is the next important step towards that direction, almost 15 years after the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Just earlier this week, the final part of the 4th Assessment Report was released by the IPCC. The key point of the report is that we as a species now are more certain that human is the cause of the current climate change. That has helped steered debate on climate change away from “what caused it?” to “how to prevent and mitigate its effects?”.

On other front, the award of two Nobel Prizes to climate change related topics increases public awareness on the issue. In fact, being a person that loves to go against the flow, with so many people now a green-convert, I think it is now unfashionable for me to be a green. But at least, I could say, I became a green before you became a green. Hah!

Meanwhile, allow me to congratulate all Australians. I, as a citizen of ASEAN, will look forward to embrace a more understanding, cooperative and respectful Australia.

Categories
ASEAN Economics Politics & government

[1447] Of aww, crap

SINGAPORE/MANILA (Reuters) – Myanmar should commit to democracy and release its opposition leader if it signs the new ASEAN Charter, or risk the Philippines not ratifying it, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said on Monday. [Myanmar needs democracy for ASEAN charter: Manila. Reuters. November 20 2007]

I hope that does not derail the planned regional-wide economic integration in 2015.

If it does, we, as in ASEAN, need to kick Myanmar off the tightrope and continue a step towards freer trade. I do not support kicking the country out of ASEAN for such move reduces ASEAN’s say over the country but if Myanmar is dragging the rest of ASEAN member states from achieving freer trade (okay, okay; I know it is regionalism, a slightly perverted idea of free trade but given the pace of the Doha Round, regionalism free trade is the next best thing), we might as well cut Myanmar lose. We may have responsibilities to the people of Myanmar but we also have responsibilities to ourselves. Myanmar must not be that wall that prevents ASEAN from moving forward.

We have waited long enough and I do not want to wait much longer than necessary.

Categories
ASEAN Earthly Strip Politics & government

[1437] Of UMNO versus Batu Puteh

Between Malaysia and UMNO, I do not believe those influential in the party care for Malaysia more than UMNO. I have recently alluded to that idea but it was done in jest, perhaps unwittingly referring to the upcoming rally demanding for fairer electoral process. After observing development in the past few days, the jest is increasingly becoming a legitimate stance. As Malaysia goes to the International Court of Justice to settle a dispute with Singapore regarding Batu Puteh, UMNO is holding its general assembly in Kuala Lumpur. All mainstream media are reporting on the assembly heavily while there is scant mention — in some media not at all — of the development of the hearing at The Hague.

Some rights reserved. By Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams

This is most telling is how Utusan Malaysia treats the two events today and yesterday, which is full of UMNO related news. For these two days, reporting on the dispute should be heaviest as Singapore presents its case in the Court. Yet, the printed media, especially Utusan Malaysia, are dedicating most of its pages to the UMNO assembly, including its front pages. Batu Puteh on the other hand receives a mere back page treatment for today. For yesterday, none at all but the assembly continues to dominate the pages of Utusan Malaysia.

The same case is applicable for Bernama, The Star and the New Straits Times though the stress on UMNO is noticeably less. But the point, the hearing on Batu Puteh receives only passing mention unlike the UMNO assembly which involved deep analysis and spin that pain this assembly remarkably in contrast to those in the recent past, as late as last year, which were jingoistic and filled with deep communal sentiments, to put it politely.

The same trend is observable on television and radio. I dare say, half of the air time is dedicated to the assembly. I am unsure if the same case is observable in media of languages other than Malay and English.

Therefore, the case suffers from limited coverage and due to that, I am forced to rely on Wikipedia, Singaporean media which understandably biased to the Singaporean side and international media.

But perhaps, this lack of reporting from Malaysian sources is due to the fact that this round of hearing is reserved for Singapore. Malaysia will only present its case next week. Still, surely, whatever Singapore, or Malaysia, brings forth as points greatly affects the course of the case. Or, maybe, it is just a little rock in the middle of the sea. Or maybe, Malaysian sovereignty is of little importance.

There is no need to remind everybody that UMNO controls the media in this country, directly or by proxy. Meanwhile, it is clear that those in the media place UMNO higher than the sovereignty of Malaysia in its list. You are welcome to make a conclusion following the two premises.

Such is the sad state of our country.