An Ageda for G 20 meet

 The Statesman, Sept 7 2023

 

There is much excitement about the G20 summit to be held in Delhi this week. The city is looking beautiful. We have Ashoka lions placed at regular intervals and cut-outs of Langurs to keep away the common monkey. For animal lovers like me, this gives an earthy feel. The G20 slogan ‘One Earth. One Family. One Future’ is very positive. This summit is a wonderful opportunity for world leaders to follow the spirit of the slogan and set a new narrative wherein ordinary citizens’ concerns are treated as paramount.

When we think of a country, we think foremost of its people and culture. When we travel to a country, we are enticed by its natural beauty, wildlife, and heritage monuments. Travellers are not attracted to a country for its GDP, armoury, or foreign relations. Yet, often, when our elected leaders return from international visits, newspapers are filled with headlines outlining the intricacies of negotiated arms deals, lauding them as milestone achievements for our country. Unfortunately, there is rarely any mention of shared concerns regarding the environment, gender, race, or citizens’ rights. These issues are systematically swept under the carpet by categorizing them as ‘internal problems.’ This is reminiscent of when domestic violence used to be considered a ‘personal, family issue’ until it reached a point where almost one in three women became affected.

A wiser triaging of topics that must be given importance is necessary. Considering that the most serious challenges citizens face today are environmental issues, mass migrations and human rights violations, it makes sense to keep them centre stage in global, political discussions.

Here are some of the issues many citizens would appreciate seeing addressed by the heads of state in the G20 summit. Resolutely putting true wealth forests, above superficial wealth, machine-generated banknotes: Today, most countries face significant environmental problems, such as the raging wildfires in Canada and Hawaii or the fast-sinking townships in our Himalayan foothills caused by unrestricted construction.

Despite this, serious discussions about a green future are relegated to the annual conference of parties (COP). The complex financial arrangements countries draft at the COP with respect to compensation for past carbon footprints are time-consuming. Nor have COPs achieved consensus on putting a hard stop to coal mining. Relying on a single annual global climate summit for dealing with a pandemic of daily natural catastrophes is incredibly inadequate. It may be wiser to take small steps towards environmental collaboration at each intergovernmental meet, starting with G20.

For example, India could build on its ancient culture of revering trees, including the Peepul, Ashok, Neem, Coconut, and Bodhi tree (where Gautam Buddha is said to have found enlightenment). This would resonate with many other cultures such as Japan and Madagascar for example (with their love for Cedar and Baobab trees respectively).

A joint declaration by a handful of nations to protect our common natural, green heritage of ancient trees and prevent even one tree above 25 years old from being cut, as well as rebuilding our lost forest cover, is important. A concrete target of increasing mixed species forest cover by 5 per cent annually for three years, followed by 1 per cent annually thereafter, is easily achievable and will preserve our most precious universal commodity – natural carbon sinks.

Cutting trees or clearing forests under the pretext of ‘development’ must now be declared a crime against mankind. It is ironic that large business houses are allowed licences to destroy the creations of God – pristine forests, while climate activists who destroy man-made paintings to raise awareness about the need for environmental protection are sentenced to years in prison.

Leaders also need to talk about rogue governments that thwart international aid to citizens for political reasons when extreme weather phenomena wipe out lives, houses, and livelihoods. A grave collective threat to mankind’s existence is nonbiodegradable plastic, which harms the environment greatly. Insidious micro-plastic creates several health hazards in our bodies, affecting many systems such as the endocrine and nervous systems and exacerbates cancer development. Leaders, while sipping tea in sustainable earthen ‘Kulhads,’ a lovely Indian lifestyle accompaniment, can work out modalities of banning plastic altogether, rather than allowing its mere tweaking to the still hugely damaging ‘bio-plastics’ Capitalism as a failing model: Though political coffers benefit greatly from capitalism, it is time to acknowledge that unchecked capitalism has proved to be a failure.

According to a recent Oxfam report, the top 1 per cent richest humans garnered 63 per cent of the total increase in wealth during the last 2-3 Covid years. At the other end of the financial spectrum, we find 47 per cent below the poverty line and 8 per cent of the world living in extreme poverty. Three billion people (out of a total of 8 billion) cannot afford a healthy diet. That millions remain entrenched in poverty indicates that this economic model is spectacularly inefficient on a larger scale. In other fields, ineffective models are quickly replaced. In medicine, for example, before any drug is licensed for actual use, it must surpass the efficacy of pre-existing drugs. For any surgical technique to be widely adopted it should have a high success rate across patients.

Given that only a small fraction of humanity has benefitted from it, capitalism needs huge overhauls or replacement. It is also truly concerning that a significant part of the economy of the world over is based on war, smoking, and illicit drugs sales. For example, the sales of U.S. military equipment to foreign governments rose 49 per cent in 2022. A joint resolution on implementing curbs on market shares of any one company to a maximum of 10-15 per cent will discourage monopolies, facilitate diversity, and spread economic prosperity among more citizens. Independent India abolished the Zamindari system, and put in place the land ceiling act (which sadly has been diluted in many states in more recent times) to curb excessive land ownership by individuals.

This experience and equitable thought make India ideally suited to usher in meaningful change for a more just distribution of market resources as well. Common justification for capitalism centres on the idea that without financial incentive, people would lose their desire to excel. This is debunked by the existence of several creative geniuses, who lived and died in penury, including Gauguin, Modigliani, De Kooning and Mirza Ghalib. Chore-burdened housewives are not paid, yet they create delicious food and decorate their houses stylishly.

The present model of capitalism does not suit today’s environmental needs. For an idea to be implemented or even researched, it must first prove its market viability (profitability). Due to this, we are losing out on scientific progress that could assist with the worsening climate change crisis. For example, fuel-driven cars are being replaced with electric ones but why not more research on faster versions of simple, light frame, human pedalled ones that would cut down on all external energy and keep human beings fitter too?

Human rights issues: Human rights discussions are frequently brushed under the carpet at important summits. Poorly executed military operations and botched up intelligence reports have often resulted in an unacceptable loss of civilian lives, conveniently glossed over as ‘collateral damage.’ The recently made movie ‘Oppenheimer’ reminded us of the most devastating face of collateral damage when entire cities full of civilians were blown up in Japan, in total contravention of wartime conventions (such as the Geneva convention). Some states in India have suffered unusually prolonged internet shutdowns due to ‘security reasons,’ due to which decent, innocent citizens have lost jobs, students have been unable to study and medical assistance has been difficult to find. There is no redressal or compensation for the loss of productivity, happiness, or destroyed futures.

Apart from the bugbear of unemployment, even citizens in secure jobs find it difficult to flourish. Academicians cannot publish research or direct theses that are unapproved by politicians, journalists are troubled and often jailed for speaking candidly. Artists and singers invited to a public event to perform, suddenly find their shows cancelled if their political leanings upset some official in charge. All these factors lead to a very poor quality of life for the average citizen. Citizens cannot speak freely in many countries specially when their ideology does not match that of the ruling party. In India, for example, elected representatives can freely expound their views on any topic as per their convenience from any forum at any time, with security forces helping with the arrangements for such ‘political rallies.’

On the other hand, citizens who want to express their views, or raise legitimate concerns are only allowed to do so in small designated areas and often treated very shabbily by uniformed policemen. When our Constitution unequivocally confirms the equality of all citizens, these differential rules are jarring. The lovely rural Indian ethos of village elders deliberating every evening on village issues under a large canopied tree (likely in several other countries too), can be magnified to a bigger stage with inclusive spaces for wise elder citizens to openly contribute their wisdom to leaders, with more women members and fewer Hookahs of course! It is unfortunate that when elected representatives of people meet, they prefer to talk more about arms sales, military alliances, and strategic relations rather than share concerns and ideas for the wellbeing of their citizens.

India can make a bold positive contribution at G20 by pulling out the world from the rut of discussing stale agendas to invigorating the hopes of citizens by discussing vital human topics on priority. For as Ellen Glasgow once said ‘The only difference between a rut and a grave are the dimensions.’

(The writer is a Delhi-based medical practitioner.)

Up in Smoke !

 

The Statesman, March 28, 2023

Whilst travelling recently, I noticed booths selling cigarettes at two well-known international airports in India. This, even though smoking is officially banned in public places. I recalled an incident of a few months ago. That day, while driving to work, I happened to pass by a young girl in a car who was being fined by two policemen for smoking in a supposedly public place - the confines of her own car! She looked terrified so I stopped to enquire if all was well. A crowd quickly collected around us and there ensued a lively debate about whether someone’s car constituted a public space. My learning that day was that a personal car when driven out of the home and especially with its windows open was deemed a public space. It was jarring to note how young college students who are not even earning must pay fines for lighting a cigarette whereas tobacco companies can openly indulge in tobacco sales in public places right under everyone’s noses with no adverse consequences.

On yet another journey, I noticed a special smoking room for passengers in the transit lounge of an overseas airport. I wondered about the necessity of pampering adults like this. Could grown-ups not be asked to desist from smoking for just a couple of hours? Contrast this with the strict enforcement of austerity for widows in India some years ago for example – where they were expected to suddenly change their entire lifestyle forever.

 The powerful tobacco lobby has created an enormous market for itself. Millions spent on advertising helped generate the aura that (the addictive) smoking was somehow cool and smart. As a youngster, though I did not smoke, my list of favourite advertisements included the cowboy in a checked shirt welcoming people to ‘Marlboro country’ and one glorifying the special thin cigarettes for women – Virginia Slims – which had the tag line ‘you’ve come a long way, baby.’ People lit up to feel smart, and to attract a potential mate. Today, about an eighth of the world’s population -1.3 billion people-use tobacco and an overwhelming number of these (80%) live in medium to low-income countries. As the sales of cigarettes went up phenomenally - about 6 trillion cigarettes are currently manufactured every year -; on the medical front, the rates of lung cancer, a truly rare occurrence in the beginning of the 20^th century, increased concomitantly.

The lungs, heart, and blood vessels are very vulnerable to the effects of inhaled tobacco smoke which contains harmful chemicals like nicotine, tar, etc. The spectrum of lung problems is vast:  irritation of the airways causes a smoker’s cough (bronchitis); acute lung infections (pneumonia) as well as chronic structural lung changes (emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) can occur; and of course, there is the dreaded lung cancer. Changes in the blood and vessel linings increase the chances of heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral circulatory problems. Smoking impacts other organs like the eyes, causes cancers in multiple organs other than the lungs too, and increases the propensity to develop diabetes. About 8 million deaths a year are attributed to Tobacco. For a country like India which is reeling from a spurt in cancers in the North West (a likely fallout of pesticides and crop modifications used to bring about the ‘green revolution’), and is also known as the diabetic capital of the world with 77 million or so diabetics, we can ill afford the smoking addiction. India currently is the second largest consumer of tobacco products, after China, with 267 million adults using various forms of tobacco.

Along with vigorously promoting the sale of cigarettes, tobacco companies in the mid-twentieth century actively suppressed information emerging out of scientific research that showed the link between lung cancer and smoking. This evidence had been painstakingly collected from diverse sources: large population studies; live animal experiments; cell pathology studies. Scientific scrutiny of the composition of cigarette smoke revealed that it contained numerous carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrosamines, among others.

Realizing that their star product, tobacco, might well go out of fashion, even sworn rivals in the tobacco world colluded to protect their common source of profit. These companies created a deliberate smokescreen around the compelling scientific research showing that tobacco was harmful to health. They poured in money to induce other scientists to question these studies to ensure that the public remained in doubt. Their actions were clearly unconscionable, as they subtly promoted an addictive substance through behind-the-scenes manipulation. Criminal groups that openly and illegally peddled drugs were labelled cartels but these companies deliberately propagating an addictive item with full knowledge of its destructive potential got away with the less pejorative collective epithet of ‘lobbies’.

The stranglehold that the tobacco industry has on the decision-makers ensures that the product is still sold freely albeit with a warning printed that smoking is injurious to health. The so-called ‘safer’ alternatives to conventional smoking such as E-cigarettes are also harmful as their vapour contains nicotine and other toxic chemicals and they can be as addictive as regular cigarettes.

The ill effects of smoking reverberate far and wide, affecting not only the smoker but those in the vicinity as well. Formal scientific studies have highlighted the perils of ‘passive smoking’ which refers to the smoke inhaled by a bystander close to a smoker. Passive smoke has been found to have a 2-4 times more toxic effect since it is inhaled into the lungs without going through any filter (as is found on the end of a cigarette). Though malnutrition, the early age of marriage of women, inadequate healthcare facilities and not enough health education are some of the factors blamed for the huge number of low-birth-weight babies in India, the contribution of passive smoking has not been highlighted to the extent it deserves. Pregnant women, even when very careful themselves, often have limited influence on the smoking habits of other family members. Inhaled smoke can impact foetal development negatively. According to the National Family Health Survey number 5 (19-21) the prevalence of low-birth-weight babies in India is 18%.

Tobacco deserves far greater attention at climate change discussions for many reasons: it is not a soil-friendly crop; the process of curing tobacco prior to consumption is expensive; the disposal of cigarette butts and packs adds greatly to toxic waste as well as creating plastic micro waste. The fine smoke particles that settle on surfaces around us like clothing, hair, carpets etc form the ‘thirdhand smoke.’ They can persist for a long while and can be acted upon by oxidants in the atmosphere to release carcinogens into the air such as tobacco-specific nitrosamines and toxic aldehydes which pollute our environment.

Today, a significant number of people are suffering from long Covid (estimates put this between 7.5% to 45%). Amongst general symptoms indicative of this like chronic fatigue, memory fog, insomnia etc, lie specific cardiovascular effects such as hypertension, tachycardia, and heart attacks. Many patients who have recovered from severe Covid have highly reduced lung capacities. Thus, people now are even more vulnerable to the ill effects of tobacco smoke than before. Moreover, smoking reduces a person’s general immunity – something one can ill afford in a Pandemic and where millions are being spent on vaccines to boost immunity.

So instead of putting our health and our environment on a slow burn, we can do away with smoking, and by this single impactful act save our civilization from literally going up in smoke!