Today I visted my first school in Mexico, a private school near Ensenada where most students spoke English about as well (ok ok, better) than I speak Spanish. I gave one presentation in English and one (!) in Spanish. I encourage you to click on the movie on the left.
Right now, I am embarrassed to be from the United States. This past week Montreal held international talks about what to do after the Kyoto treaty expires. The representative for the United States, at the critical end of the talks, stood up and walked away. This is disgraceful, as the United States uses one quarter of the world’s fossil fuels.
Stopping global warming requires the countries of the world to work together – both rich and poor. Here is why: consider a situation where the United States continues using fossil fuels but Canada imposes limits on fossil fuels. Businesses, finding fossil fuels cheaper than alternatives, will move to the United States. This would both hurt Canada’s economy and cause the United States to emite more carbon dioxide, partially offsetting Canada’s efforts.
Here in Mexico, my message is that we must all work together, as a world, to solve this problem. I also share that there are many people in the United States who are doing something about global warming even if our president is not. I am proud that my governer, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is trying to pass legislation that would help California reduce its emissions. There are mayors across the United States that have made pledges. I also share stories of student initiatives such as urally.
I am sensitive that I cannot tell people in Mexico what to do, and that there are many problems perhaps more pressing than climate change here in Mexico. Nonetheless, even if the United States has to act before Mexico, eventually, especially in the lifetimes of the students I am visiting, we will have to work together with Mexico to reduce emissions.
This is my message. (Of course, the students are often a bit more interested in passing around my home-made camping stove or helping me out with my Spanish.)
Checking out the BBC website this morning I ran across this fact:
“Latin America’s political map could find itself being redrawn as 12 of the region’s countries prepare for presidential elections between November 2005 and the end of 2006. One of the key issues – being closely watched by Washington – is whether the recent left-wing trend in the region will continue. And, if it does, what will be the likely nature of any new left-leaning government. Will newly-elected leaders be of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez variety or of the moderate Brazilian President Lula variety?
(more country-level details here)
This will be a really interesting and transitional time to be biking through this part of the world. Keep us posted!
Bolivia just elected their own version of left-leaning Chavez! This, indeed, is an incredibly interesting time (politically and otherwise) to be biking through the Americas. Can Latin American countries choose to develop in their own way or is the force of globalization, as we know it, inevitable? When I was recently in Bolivia, it seemed as though some people I talked with seemed to want a stable government despite its political leanings.
This from the NY times today:
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 – On the campaign stump, Evo Morales liked to say that if he was elected president of Bolivia, he would become America’s nightmare. After his election on Sunday, a State Department official said essentially the same thing, calling Mr. Morales “potentially our worst nightmare.”
The Bush administration says it fears that Mr. Morales will follow through on his promise to join Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan president, as an anti-American, leftist leader, while also carrying out his promise to reduce restrictions on his nation’s production of coca leaf, the primary ingredient of cocaine, much of which finds its way to the United States.
Mr. Morales made an early strike on Tuesday when he told Al Jazeera television in an interview that President Bush was “a terrorist” and that American military intervention in Iraq was “state terrorism.”
In 2004, the United States spent $150 million on coca-eradication programs in Bolivia, the State Department said. But Bolivia still produced 60,500 acres of coca plant, enough to manufacture 72 tons of cocaine.
fyi – Castro Welcomes Bolivia’s New Socialist Leader
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-cuba-bolivia.html
“This is a gesture of friendship with the Cuban people,” Morales said.
“The Cubans are going to offer massive medical and educational assistance and whatever else they can, like they did with Venezuela when Hugo Chavez became president,” a Latin American diplomat said.
Fantastic. Purely fantastic. The world needs more people like you.
“Have you told the auto industry to make cleaner air vehicles? Recently?”
is/are a question/s we all should be asking each other more often…
http://www.autobuyology.org/HYTTAITMCAVR.pdf
… above all is the air … what goes around, comes around …
Tell auto makers to make cleaner air vehicles… to save our breath, lives,
money & planet…
http://www.autobuyology.org/tellcarmakerstocleantheair.pdf
Toward a saner future,
Rand
Re : Kyoto I am glad our rep. walked out . Kyoto is a rip off its all about getting money from USA . How about China what are they doing ???? I for one am sick and tired of supporting these ” world organizations ” that have meeting eat fine food, stay in fancy places and drink booze at our expense . This includes the UN .
David,
Thanks for telling Mexican students and adults that many of us in the US are trying to offset this problem instead of adding to it, despite the opinion and actions of our president.
This has irked me no end and embarrassed me, but thanks to you, we have a voice before another corner of the world.
Heartfelt thanks,
Dorian
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