INDImag – Contemporary fiction | Motivational short stories | Social stories | Short story criticism

It has never been this good for green lovers. The US-2008 elections are round the corner, and most candidates, cutting across party lines, seem to agree on the energy crisis. They are in unison on it’s catastrophic nature, and more importantly, the acute need to address it, right away. Sure, they have their takes, but, who doesn’t ? Me and my shadow usually disagree. Pun apart, the hoary dogma of Earth being a self corrective system that needs little attention, is being challenged by all. Most of the campaigns have a substantial green docket, promising a president, as green as a toad. This would have been unforeseen 3-4 years ago. Are our politicians having a green awakening of sorts ?

All Democratic front-runners emphatically support cap-and-trade, allowing businesses to swap carbon credits and make them carbon neutral. They also prognosticate reducing energy consumption by 10-20 % in the next decade. They foresee a reduction in carbon emissions by 60-80% over the next 2-4 decades apart from more stringent gas mileages for automobiles. McCain, with his strong bipartisan stance, comes close to the Democrats, while many other Republicans are a lot more progressive than the party has ever been. The Republican graduation from, denial of Global Warming-Energy Crisis to acknowledgement of the same, is a big win.

Politicians, among a million other things, have been likened to diapers, or more subtly, as people who build bridges when there’s no river at all. What caused these masters of subterfuge to change ? Ironically enough, the answer, is, ‘a politician’. A former politician at that — Al Gore. One cannot, but admire Gore’s leviathan achievements in this area. Badly bruised in the 2000 elections and left to lick his wounds, Gore lay low for a couple of years, making great strides business wise. But, he still seemed to pine for something else. A quest for that personal glory he was denied in 2000, maybe ? Glory or a call of conscience, one could hardly imagine that the answer to his quest, would be an innocuous power point presentation — ‘An Inconvenient Truth’.

With a former Vice President at the podium, people lent their ears and their support to his presentation on the banes of unbridled Global Warming. The movement had a new leader, and Gore, a new found purpose. Between the presentations, the book, and the movie, people sat up and took notice. An Oscar and Nobel prizes later, Gore seem to have found his true calling. In staying away from the 2008 race, he has shown great character. It makes people like him more — for, it was not a ploy to catapult him to the 2008 presidential race leader-board. His efforts seem heartfelt, and you can see the contentment writ large on his face. The pontificating veep from 2000 seems to have made way to a new leader, who is bent upon staying germane to the cause. The world needs Gore, the green activist, more than his political alter ego.

The obvious good thing about what Gore did, is to shed light on a much needed issue . But the collateral impact of it, has been anything but expected. Unlike other green initiatives that just get relegated to a coffee shop conversation in green friendly Oregon or Washington, Global Warming, and it’s impending repercussions, are on the global map today — it needs to be. Countries and companies are in a race to get the better of the competition, and be painted green. China & GeneralMotors(GM) alike are spending billions of dollars ; BASF advertises about bio-degradable plastic bags, that after a year will decompose to compost ; Oil giants are pumping billions into alternative fuel explorations ; Dell announced that it would be carbon neutral, ahead of schedule by 2008 ; bottled water manufacturers are using better design which uses 30-40% less plastic.

While all of these efforts may not yield expected outcomes, what will stand us in good stead, is the interest that has been kindled in the people. It is innate in us to respect mother Earth ; but avarice, usually trumps that gumption. No where is it more obvious and pronounced than in government and big corporation spends. But those flagrant oversights are being questioned now.The good thing is, it is not just restricted to big players. People from all walks of life have a better awareness and a new found willingness to do their part. So we have People, companies and Governments are making a concerted effort, for the first time. This time around, the Green movement has arrived to stay and, our politicians know better than to take it lightly.

Thanks to Gore, that my friends, is the ‘Inconvenient Truth’ as to why our politicians have had a change of heart.

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