Climate change and the market politics of environment : a compilation of articles / notes

Global warming, climate change, biodiversity conservation and related issues have by now ceased to be 'environmental'; a global marketplace gradually waking up to the new 'values' and 'services' latent in nature has encroached upon and internalised these. This is how capitalism of the globalisation and post-globalisation era proposes to resolve the imponderable, the dilemma per se-of sustainability, of keeping the market alive and growing, without destroying the planet and its inhabitants. Though the process is still in its infancy, there are unmistakable signs everywhere that the development-environment conflicts will no longer plague the investors and project leaders of the future, especially, if you believe in the World Bank, the NGO lobbyists and the new-age environmental diplomats drafting endless strategies and protocols on climate change.

But belief in this new 'salvation' doctrine pre-supposes knowledge of the issue/issues in question, something that is well neigh impossible given the "technical' nature and the sheer volume of climate-change documents, as well as the exclusivity of the international process of climate negotiations. These documents are literally full of communities', and 'participatory' nature of suggested projects (for instance The Revised Forest Strategy, World Bank, 2002), but entire peoples and communities affected/likely-to-be affected by climate-change induced floods, draughts and landslides remain blissfully ignorant: of climate change, global warming. Kyoto Protocol, COP (The Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), carbon sequestration and ecosystem services. Beyond the boundaries of their knowledge, and far removed from the realms of their everyday ecosystem existence, Big People and Experts trade in their forests, land and water, and the future of the world.

Movements and groups working with forest communities and other ecosystem peoples of this country now have the task of exorcising the climate issue, not only of technicalities and jargons, but also 'environ mental' myths like sustainability and conservation. Not underplaying the very real danger of the phenom enon of climate change, the politics of it must be exposed so that people can resist the benevolent and environment-friendly new avatar of the Market and what it stands for: total colonisation of natural re sources, more deforestation and soil degradation, more displacement, more hunger and poverty. Or, at least, they have informed choices if the need arrives.