Centre for Ecological Audit, Social Inclusion and Governance, Delhi, a

joint initiative of Sewa, Delhi, Labour League Foundation and Sufi Trust

Muhammad Mukhtar Alam, PhDExecutive Director (Hon),

April 2009

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Carbon Neutral Neighborhood Discussions/ Consultations

(CNND/Cs) for Ecological Audit: Personal and Neighborhood

Processes for Mitigating Climate change

Contexts

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The impacts of climate change caused by the globalization of non-renewable resource based consumption, production, habitats and transport and so on are well known such as global warming, deforestation, rise in sea level, melting of glaciers, change in weather patterns and others.

International Panel on Climate on Climate Change has been producing reports on the impacts of the climate change.

Governments alone cannot address the issues. We as citizens need to take responsibility for our contribution in the emission of the green house gases (GHGs).

Copenhagen Summit 2009 : An occasion for decisive action.

….contd.

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There is a need to disseminate information through various means for mitigating the ecological disasters and build consensus on the required responses for reducing the personal contribution to emission of Green House Gases (GHGs).

Submerging of Coastal Areas as result of increase in the level of sea level needs to be prevented.

Fellow men and women living in the cities especially has a responsibility to work for mitigation of climate change while taking best measures for adaptation.

Protecting Ecologically safe habitats is the most urgent need

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Carbon Neutral Neighborhood Discussions/ Consultations

(CNND/Cs)

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The discussions, conversation, conferences that are held in the neighborhood that can be reached by foot or carbon neutral transports such as bicycle, bullock carts, horse driven carriages and others.

The discussion that we hold at home and in the neighborhood spaces such as parks, tea/ coffee shops ,vegetable shops, milk shops . All in the neighborhood.

The CNNDs initiated by CEASIG are proving to be an important measure for eliminating personal contribution to the emission of green house gases.

CNNDs on what?

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• For discussing personal responses for reducing the emission of green house gases (GHGs) that are responsible for global warming.

• Transforming travel decisions for energy intensive leisure i.e. Leisure using GHG emitting transport and venues such as bars and discotheques.

• Discussing alternatives ways for getting the feeling of wellbeing including faith base practices such as practice of prayer/yoga 5 times a day, meditations individually and collectively, reading from the holy texts, visiting neighbors and elderly .

CNNDs with whom

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With all irrespective of class, caste, race, religion, ethnicity, gender etc. as we all are contributors to the emission of green house gases in various measures and the impacts of the climate change are affecting us all.

With children who could contribute through avoiding the green house gas emitting engagements by shaping the decisions in family

With women who are the potential consumers of the fossil fuel based energy, services and leisure

With youth who are the potential consumers of the fossil fuel based energy, services and leisure

With community leaders who are the potential consumers of the fossil fuel based energy, services and leisure

Potential Contributors to the emission of Gigs

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Who are potential contributor to the emission of green house gases?

All of us are the potential contributor to the emission of green house gases

Both poor and rich, black and white, brown and yellow across the cities and villages

Across the nations, across the neighborhoods

Men and women across the age groupsFriendly nations and opponents

What is needed for Ends

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Information on climate change and its reasons

Commitments for communicating the same Setting personal examples for addressing

the impacts of climate changeDesire to talk to people in the neighborhoodCarbon-neutral Spaces for conducting the

Ends A group of friends or relatives in the

neighborhood ( we all have common ancestors)

CNNDs for Communicating Ecological Audit

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Ecological audit of the consumption patterns- there is need to communicate ecological audit of the consumption patterns so that we are sure that we consume for survival and not for luxury and exhibition.

Ecological audit of the transport patterns- reduction in fossil fuel based transport is critical for reducing emission of green house gases. It is important to consider the interests of future generations for ecologically safe habitats. Fossil fuel based transports have a short history and short future. There is need to prepare for the end of petromodern times

Ecological audit of the use of water, energy, food and time

Ecological audit of the travel needs

Ecological audit of the consumption patterns

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There is need to communicate ecological audit of the consumption patterns in order to ensure that we consume for survival and not for ecologically hostile and socially inequitable luxury and exhibition

Ecological Audit for learning about the ecological costs of the consumption of exhaustible and non-renewable resource based commodities and services

For learning the difference of renewable and non-renewable resource based consumption

Ecological Audit of Consumption patternFor realizing the need to prepare beyond petro-

modern times i.e. the time and age when we or the posterity would not have access to fossil fuel based services and commodities.

For assessing the sustainability and equity of consumption through answering questions for the duration of the availability of consumption and the number of people who would be able to consume both in the rural and urban areas.

For enquiring whether what we are consuming would be available for children of 40th century

For getting beyond 5-10 years plan visions: envisioning the first plan in the year 4001 AD.

Ecological Audit of habitations and habitats

What habitations and habitats are ecologically sustainable?

Even the horizontally spaced mines based habitats do not have a long future.

Does the energy intensive skyscraper laden urban habitats have a long-term future.

Wouldn't they be rendered barren when reserves of non-renewable resources would exhaust?

It can be seen that nations competing with numbers of skyscrapers adorning their urban habitats are indulging in ecologically dangerous visions.

Fossil fuel based habitats do not have long future

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Ecological audit of production and production processesProduction systems based on fossil fuels (coal,

petroleum, gas) neither has a long past nor it would have along future.

Only renewable resource based production has a future.

Therefore destruction of non-renewable resource based production systems assuming continued supplies of fossil fuel base energy is dangerous.

Recession is ecologically benevolent. Recession needs to be stabilised for reversing the climate change processes through abandoning ecologically hostile industrial production and urban expansion.

Ecological audit of the transport patterns

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Ecological audit of the transport patterns : reduction in fossil fuel based transport is critical for reducing emission of green house gases.

It is important to consider the interests of future generations for ecologically safe habitats.

Fossil fuel based transports have a short history and short future.

There is need to prepare for the end of petro-modern times

Non-renewable energy do not have the age of stars

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Ecological Audit of the use of energyCarbon-neutral neighbourhood discussions are

needed also for conducting ecological audit of energy use in homes and public places.

Non-renewable resources and energy would not be available for humanity in the time in future and therefore there is a need to make use of energy only for the essentials during night.

Switching off extra lights and using sun light during daytime optimally is ecologically safe.

Ecologically safe housing, workplace and production plants needs to planned considering the peak oil production and requirements of climate change mitigation efforts.

Creator of the universes does

not love extravagance

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Ecological Audit of FoodThe Creator of the universes has guaranteed

sustenance for all the creationCreation of food sovereign

neighbourhoods/communities/ nations is a necessity for all region specially the regions that has been geographically less productive

Ecological Audit of food shows the need to create food sovereign neighbourhoods as we would not have packaged food in say 40th century

Food production based on renewable resource based methods are ecologically sustainable

Ecological audit of devotion to nation, community, nation and humanityHow do we envisage the future of our

community?How do we envisage the future of our nation?How do we envisage the future of humanity?Do we envisage ecologically safe future for our

community, nation and humanity?If we do, then are we considering endeavour for

ensuring ecologically safe futures?Are we relating well with communities of

practice to ecologically safe futures?Which community and religion has the best

prescription for ensuring ecologically safe and socially equitable future?

Devotion to ecologically safe community, nation and

leadership

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Ecological Audit of the use of time: key questionsHow do we use our time?What are the carbon neutral ways for using the

leisure time?Can we change leisure use engagements that

involves emission of green house gasesCan we replace that with the adoption of faith

based carbon neutral measures such as prayer 5 times a day ?

How do we respond to the challenges of global warming ? Do we allot time for responding to this?

Are we making personal contributions for reductions in the emission of green house gases?

Using time for prayer, recitations, supplications etc. It is important to make the use of time for prayer,

meditation, recitations and repentance for being the best mediator

Practice of prayer 5 times a day creates reasons for staying away from ecologically hostile engagements such as dancing halls and bars

It is important to understand time use patterns and find out about the engagements where green house gas emissions are a by-product for personal use of GHG emitting vehicles.

Adopting of the culture of prayer and meditation should be considered the best option along with caring in the neighbourhood. This reduces travel involving energy intensive transports.

Ecological audit of the travel needs

Assessing what are necessary travels and what are not.

Asking questions whether travels can be minimised within the city and across the cities and, within the nation and across the nations.

Using carbon-neutral modes of social engagements in the neighbourhood for social needs.

Avoiding leisure engagements where emission of green house gases is involved.

Transforming travel intensive leisure through adoption of carbon-neutral faith based measures

Prayer 5 times a day is indeed a way out for spending leisure in the home and neighbourhoods

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Ecological audit of the use of water

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Water supply in the urban areas has become an energy intensive process rendering Ecological audit of water use necessary

Petromodern water supply systems for energy intensive water distribution systems would not be there

Supplying water to multistoried building would be extremely difficult in the near future

Are we planning for equitable distribution of water ?

Are we planning for carbon-neutral systems for supplies of water and preparing for the same?

Ecological audit of educational policyWhat are the visions that we have for the

children in 40th century?Are we preparing the educational policy for the

end of petromodern times?Ecologically sustainable development of lives

and social systems is critical for all nations and we all need to take simultaneous action for integrating the vision of ecologically safe and socially equitable habitats for future generations.

Education policy needs to get coherence in visions across the primary, secondary and higher education.

Anger of Birds/deprived could be real

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Impacts of CNND/Ss and Ecological Audit

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Reduction in the personal contribution to the emission of green house gases.

Multiplication of the discussion across the neighborhoods

Multiplication of the personal decisions for reducing the emission of green house gases.

Adoption of neighborhood carbon neutral measures for leisure ,relaxation, spiritual wellbeing and procuring the provisions .

Ecologically safe future for children of 40th century with the permission of Almighty Allah, the Creator of Universes.