Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam Centre for Ecological Audit, Social Inclusion and Governance (CEASIG) ,

1. Accelerating mitigation of climate change through adoption of inter faith commons and globalising renewable resource based energy livelihoods, habitats, transport systems et all Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam Centre for Ecological Audit, Social Inclusion and Governance (CEASIG), a collaborative project of Sewa, Labour League Foundation and Sufi Trust A presentation on the occasion of Oceanic group and IHC seminar on renewable energy and Climate Change 5 August 2008 Gulmohar Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

2. Conventional wisdom!! • Petro-modern systems have a short past (how many years??) • Petro-modern systems will have short future (peak oil production has reached!!!) • Need for basket of energy sources (Rahul Gandhi addressing the debate on nuclear deal) • Climate action plan of the government of India addresses the need of ecological safety and social inclusion (not quite)

3. Non-renewable/ ecologically unsustainable energy • Fossil fuels (has a short future) • Nuclear energy (has a short future) • Thermal energy ( has a short future)

4. Renewable/ ecologically sustainable energy (green energy) • Solar energy ,Wind energy, Water based turbines • Geothermal energy • Biofuels but we need food first • Hydrogen powered cars • But production systems must be green too..40th century standards

5. What is climate change • It is a change in the climate with rise in temperature of earth, change in rainfall patterns and others caused due to emission of CO2 and other gases known as Green house gases (GHGs), • Everywhere with impacts beyond the national boundaries • Several recorded evidences • UN intergovernmental panel on climate change • National responses.. a security concern Brahmma Chellaney

6. What is being done • Lots of seminars and conferences • Kyoto protocol emission targets • National strategies • International agreements • Mobilization of civil society, youths groups and governments • Policy advocacy for R&D in renewable energy –the era of innovations

7. What are the instruments that are advocated • Energy efficient technologies for reducing consumption • Replacement of non-renewable energy • Treaties signed but not religiously followed • More funding for research for globalizing renewable energy based services and utilities • Binding targets on emission reduction

8. Problems in the strategies • Defeating strategies as GDP estimates does not factor the costs on environments • Quarterly reporting on the increase in the GDP does not factor the increase in green house gas emissions ( 7th Generation Initiative in Canada with wellbeing measurement Act factoring the ecological costs and cost of women's work at home) we need this in India too urgently • Most of the political parties continue to have short term vision • Reducing consumption of GHG emitting services is not yet our national priority and we are waiting for attaining the emission levels of ecologically hostile economies and societies

9. Problems in strategies contd.. • Continued marketing of fossil fuel intensive consumption patterns (ecologically hostile tourism, long drives, fashion, culture of dancing and drinking intoxicating drinks) • Continued political support for atheistic neo-liberal cultural products and processes that are inimical to national and global ecological safety • Absence of concerns for addressing the root causes of ecological and man made disasters • Marginalisation of the faith based groups by the atheistic intelligentsia

10. Towards a solution/ preparing for end of petromodern times • Reduction in the emission of green house gases through promoting measures and decision patterns that moderate the consumption of services and utilities based on the consumption of green house emitting fossil fuels • Personal, community, organisational, national and international /global responses for reducing the emission of green houses • Adoption of faith based responses that are common across the faith groups • Campaigns for adoption of measures for transforming consumption patterns through seminars, discussion groups and so on

11. Personal faith based responses for transforming consumption patterns • Prayer 5 times a day for transforming leisure use pattern recognising that leisure use patterns are one of the key social engagements consuming fossil fuel based services and utilities • Command for prayer is common across the religious texts • Abstaining from avoidable travels • Rejecting food and other properties bought from ecologically hostile and socially inequitable usurious money and other receipts ( bribery, commission and so on)

12. How does adoption of prayer transforms the consumption • Men and women practicing prayer (salahin Arabic) do not visit dancing halls and bars • They abstain from exhibitionist consumption • They abstain from adultery • They donate out of the sustenance for poor • They do not waste • Their average ecological footprints are likely to be very low

14. Inter faith commons • Ishwar smarate panch awasare- shiv sankalp taru • Establish prayer at the appointed hours 5 times (The Holy Quran) • Commands in Bible and Torah • Buddhist monotheistic tradition fighting the ‘mara’ Dhammapada • Gurus in the Sikhism and tirthankers in Jain traditions are examples of austere life filled with prayer, penance, donation • Prohibition of usury ,corruption, food bought from illegitimate means, adultery, homosexuality ,dishonesty and several other ecologically sensitive commands

15. Steps for ecologically safe and socially inclusive economy with happiness for all • Elimination of usury..RBI to lead. Stop payment of interests • Debt free credit and interest free loans leads to zero debt distressed suicides and bankruptcies • Ecologically sustainable habitats with renewable resource based life support systems • Freedom from worries of energy crisis affecting energy intensive transportation systems and habitats (urban areas with shopping malls will no longer expand and remain within ecologically sustainable limits) • Equitable distribution of renewable resource based livelihoods (land, water, forest)

16. Who will lead the charge • Pious men and women across the world prohibiting peacefully what is wrong and prescribing what is right • Youths and corporations who are market for non-renewable energy intensive services and utilities • Governments especially Ministries dealing with education, finance, power seeking convergence • signs of ecological distress affecting the lives of billions are clear indicators for change and taking corrective action locally and globally

17. Hurdles in the way • Neo-liberal atheistic ideology • Lack of coherent national and international policy • Lack of inter agency cooperation for example UNDP works against UNEP mandate • Environment assessments /ministries are slighted for benefiting ecologically hostile proposals/ policies SEZ

18. Geostrategics/Ecostrategics/ the Day of Judgement • Geostrategics must supersede nationalistic aspirations based on the possession of non-renewable resource based markers of development ecologically hostile skyscrapers Olympics and commonwealth games • Ecostrategics call for sacrifice of desires for comfort and services based on GHG emitting energy and resources • Our fate on the Day of Judgement/ interests of children in 40th century must be a pointer for shaping our behaviour in here and now

19. Socially inclusive and ecologically safe Governance frameworks • A governance that is cognisant of the needs of poor, rights of farmers and villages to ecologically sustainable livelihoods and habitats • A governance that eliminates fictitious inflationary money responsible for expansion of ecologically hostile habitats • A governance that promotes pious and ecologically safe consumption and production pattern

20. Ecologically safe and socially inclusive governance-2 • A government that plans for ecologically safe disaster free future for all • A governance that ensures ecologically safe distribution of natural resources • A governance that works for the interests of all • A governance that ensures policy making for the rights of children, future generations and poor

22. Essential features of ecologically sustainable and socially inclusive anti-inflationary economy • Debt free money and interest free loans with public control on the creation of money • Rights to renewable resource based habitats • Ecologically sustainable leisure use patterns • Distributive justice for renewable resource based livelihoods • Freedom from worried of energy crisis • Protection of Renewable resource based livelihoods

24. CEASIG /LLF-Sufi Proposal • Multiplication of carbon neutral neighbourhood discussionsacross the cities and villages • Multiplication of ecologically safe responses through promotion of green journalism, green politics /open politics, transformation of leisure use patterns • Mandatory conduct of ecological audit, calculation of ecological footprints , minimising ecological rucksacks • Policy advocacy for inclusion of a subject on climate change for educating the children

25. Proposal..contd-2 • Ecological Audit of the consumption patterns • Interfaith dialogue for addressing the climate change, farmers suicides, social security for workers in unorganised sector • National Convention on Inter Faith common responses for addressing the climate change • Youth colloquiums ( Majlis-e-naujawan/ Yuvjan Sabhas) for contributing in mitigation of the impacts of climate change • Preparing for the end of petromodern age and planning for the children of 40th century in India

26. Proposals contd..3 • Curriculum Renewal considering the demands of climate change ( not merely tree planting but concrete reduction in emission of green house gases) • Creation of a special ministry for dealing with climate change and responses • Creation of a discipline called Ecostrategics for coordinating national and global best practice for transition to renewable resource based ecologically sustainable economy, polity and culture

27. Prayers / celebrations (!!!!) of the children of 40th century !!!! Preparing for post-petromodern futures • Let us think about the children of 40th century and their future • Let us pray for their safe habitats with renewable resources • Let us download their interests and vibes in here and now • Let us ensure that they have a future with the blessing of Almighty Allah/ God / Ishwar/ Elahom/…/..the creator, sustainer and master of all universes

28. Karo bhalai zameen par khuda khush hoga arsh-bareen par Do good on earth ..Allah/ God/Ishwar/../../ will be happy in the heaven Thanks for viewing and thanking in anticipation of support for endeavours for ecologically safe future for our children in 40th century and beyond..80th century…200th century AH/AD/ …./../