I have included something about care of the environment and the effects on people and nature of military deals made by the colonizing power and the colonized country.
I was hesitant to write because I felt that in Denmark it is not as bad as
many other places. And then it occurred to me that that is exactly a
reflection of how ressources are distributed in the world, and how racism, classism and other oppressions are not seen as clearly here, regardless of that the wealth of our country is to a large extent also built on robbery and colonization of many countries. And the wealth has made it more possible to organize our country in “safer” ways.
I would like to start with Greenland that was colonized by Denmark in 1721. This lasted until 1953 where Greenland was given partly independence, and after a popular vote in 1979 homerule with its own government. The history of colonization was not known and seen as as brutal as in many other places of the world which is part of Danish self-image: We were never really bad, our ways of oppression was more kind than the other European countries, which is, of course, a lie when you look a bit deeper.
In the 1950'ies, the Danish government allowed the US as part of a
NATO-agreement to establish a military base, the Thule base, secretely containing nuclear weapons. The local population was forced to move, and when a B52-plane crashed with nuclear weapons close to the base, a huge area was polluted and people got cancer in big numbers.
Right now, the effects of the heating of the globe as consequence of
CO2-emissions, is seen very dramatically in big parts of Greenland where the “eternal” ice is melting and the heating of the ocean and the land will now come from both over and under the sea, thus accelerating the global heating. There are also devastating effects for wildlife, for animals in the ocean, for the fishing industries and for local people whose possibilities for sustaining life are becoming increasingly undermined.
In Denmark we have had a hot summer, the hottest measured for more than 140 years, and with an exponential uphill-curve during the last 10 years.
On a micro-scale, I have found it almost impossible to keep my usually
beautiful and lush balcony flourishing. Many plant-diseases, and
uncontrolled growth of some and no growth of other plants, clearly a small flower-space out of control and in mis-thriving, regardless of my efforts. Too few insects, to few birds. It has demonstrated to me how all aspects of life are connected and harm to one life form has consequences for all other. That we cannot isolate a place and make it “safe”. We live on the same planet. We breathe the same air.
On a larger scale, there is a crisis in the farming-industry, both the
conventional and also the organically grown. Because of drout, the organic farmers have had no food for their animals so they have been forced to slaughter many of the animals.
The government (right wing) claims to be concerned. It claims that our
ecological footprint on a global scale is microscopic. That what will work is only international action. That China and India must learn to not
over-use. That according to the plan made now, we will have stopped all use of fossil energy in 2050.
On the other hand, Danish people are some of the most energy-consuming and CO2-emitting people per capita in the world. There is a huge debate on all front pages about what to do. Some political parties representing around 20% of the parliament and the population, and all the NGO’s dealing with climate, nature and life, claim that we need a fundamental change, in our way of organizing our economy, of deciding to stop the growth-dogma and market-economy, of changing all transportation to be based on sustainable energy and never more fossil fuel not in 10-20-30 years, but starting now, fewer cars and more public transportation all on sustainable energy, using geothermic means of both heating and cooling etc. Also changing what we eat (less/no meat, grains and vegetables that can live under dryer and
warmer conditions, and all organic). The traditional farming industry
claims more money as compensation for their losses which is not a viable way according to the other part of the political spectrum. We find the massive industrialization of the farming (pig-factories, squeezing grain and other plants out of the soil through heavy fertilizing, GMO, and use of poisonous pesticides) to be a violation of animal and plant life.
The good thing about all this is that the debate is out in the open and
everybody’s concern. It is easier than ever to access discharge to use our COE-goal in sessions and classes. It is easy to ask people what they think and just listen. Fears, concerns, worries are up. Only very few are in denial about climate change.
I am excited about the People’s Climate March on September 8, where several from my RC-community will also come and where we plan to do listening, sharing about SAL and us going to COP24 in Catowice in Poland, and also do some fundraising. We have silkscreens and some pins.
Love.
Susanne Langer
Copenhagen, Denmark