In the novel, "The Ministry for the Future" by Kim Stanley Robinson, a character named Chandra makes a very powerful statement, "Everyone knows, but no one acts" (Robinson 20). In this world created in the novel, climate change is affecting everyone, yet most countries aren't making any changes. The glaciers were melting, LA was flooding, and there were multiple deadly heatwaves. Significantly, the novel starts in India with a massive heat wave. It killed everyone but one survivor, Frank. This motivated India to start acting. They were the first country to make major changes to the government to combat climate change. Their first change was to first-hand deal with the deadly temperatures. As the Ministry of the Future discussed, "'Our geoengineering people are saying that if they do it as planned, it will equate to about the same as the Pinatubo volcanic of 1991. That lowered global temperature by about a degree Fahrenheit, for a year or two" (18). They lowered the global temperature for several years which prevented deadly heat waves from occurring for a while. India was very successful in fighting the effects of climate change. Additionally, India completely remodeled their government. They became a true democracy and nationalized the majority of their companies, as stated, "Since sweeping the elections, the National Coalition government has completed the nationalization of all the country's energy companies, and set to work decommissioning all coal-fired plants" (141). By nationalizing these companies, they were able to end the big private businesses and have control over the fossil fuels being used. India's government was able to act and fight against the capitalist system. Lastly, India restored their lands and animals. During Mary's visit to India, she saw that they went completely organic in their farming, created local tenure rights for local farmers, and gave land to the animals (141). These acts brought beauty back to the land, provided food for millions, and most importantly lowered carbon emissions. India first-hand experienced the horrors of climate change; therefore, they wanted to take action against it. They were very successful in all aspects of their plans and became a model for all countries in the novel. They were ready to act.
I think that it is important to note that the actions India took to reduce the effects of climate change in their country were very much reactive. By this I mean, they had no other choice. The climate crisis was too far gone for them. If they did not act, they would have faced even more death throughout the country. While it is brave of them to protect the lives of their citizens and well-being of the country, due to the controversial nature of the temperature-lowering plan, a proactive response would have been better. Although, it can be argued that a proactive response was not a reality for India. As described in the book, the nations who contribute the most to carbon emissions and climate change are those who feel the effects the least. This statement points to America, China, and England. These are places where the general population has the means to keep living their everyday lives without disruption by the effects of climate change and can choose to ignore their individual contribution. Due to this, India’s crisis can be partly attributed to the carelessness and lack of responsibility by these countries. It can also be assumed that if India had chosen to utilize the temperature-lowering plan before the heat wave, to lessen or stop the heat wave, these countries would have taken issue with it. The book states that the plan did have collateral effects on nearby countries and was not a carbon neutral strategy. It is only in the face of immediate danger that this plan was successful.
ReplyDeleteIn The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robison the quote mentioned, “Everyone knows but no one acts,” (Robinson, 20), is a huge theme throughout the novel. Right after the heat waves happened it is stated that “when the funerals and the gestures of deep sympathy were done with, many people around the world, and their governments, went back to business as usual” (25). This goes to prove they all acknowledged the issue and mourned the damage that they had caused but in the end, chose the convenience of keeping their life the same rather than saving their world. Later on the same page, Robinson goes on to compare the climate situation to school shooting events in America saying, “it looked like the great heat wave would be like mass shootings in the United States— mourned by all, deplored by all, and then immediately forgotten or superseded by the next one, until they came in a daily drumbeat and became the new normal” (25). The idea that heat waves will become normal is a hard one, but an accurate one when as a collective population there is no actual change being made. For the world to start fixing the problem, action needs to be taken from everyone just as you mention happens in the novel after India does act and is successful. Prosperity can be accomplished by watching as the world falls apart. Acknowledging the problem isn't enough, action must be taken.
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