Global Warming: Contending in Vain

Let me preface this by stating that I believe the role of the national government to be protection of the people, pertaining to all assaults on our basic human rights. I consider peace, equality, clean air, drinkable water, health care and the opportunity to work to support one's own family basic human rights. Today, I'll begin with global warming as it is the most pressing issue considering its irreversibility.

“Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.” -Friedrich Schiller

We were forewarned of our hardships by this Asimovian adage in the 70's. But who would have thought science fiction would ring true in such the near future? The sentiment of the proverbial novel was not so much to lead us to solve the energy crisis while we still had a chance, but to make us aware that any attempt is futile against the bull-headed stupidity of politics.

I am not prepared to accept defeat just yet. While there has been irreversible damage done, we are not yet on a downward slide into mass climate change. The next president has the opportunity to launch a defense against carbon emission such that we may be able to salvage what is left of our way of life.

In the US, global warming is an assault on our rights in two ways: national security instability and resource depletion. As the earth's climate changes, resources such as fertile soil and water supplies move and disappear and weather patterns become more erratic. With the possible exception of Hurricane Katrina, we have not yet felt severe effects of these changes in the US. In other parts of the world, climate 'moving' is already taking its toll. The genocide in Darfur is a prime example of violence arising from added stress on the region from the expansion of the desert. Such conflicts are expected to continue to arise as resources continue to be depleted across the globe. With such unrest ensuing, combating climate change becomes a issue of national security for we do not live in isolation.

The other issue, though we seem to be in denial of it, is the depletion of our own resources. The southwestern US is already beginning to experience water shortages as the glacial build-up months shorten. As the glaciers shrink over the years, the spring run-off which quenches the surrounding land diminishes. We have the ability to transport water, but this transport requires carbon, only accelerating the problem. As carbon supplies run dry and carbon emission becomes a more eminent threat, these sort of resource shortages will turn to crisis.

My Disappointment:

In one word, my reaction to Obama and Clinton's energy policies is “how?” Obama and Clinton's websites have a lot of subheadings with subsequent short paragraphs which do not say much more than the heading. While both candidates accurately state the problem on their websites and in their speeches, they do not connote the sense of urgency appropriate for the issue. Their plans reflect this lack of urgency.

Their plans focus on reduction, renewable fuels and research investments. The most concrete portion of either of their plans is cap and trade. The concept of paying to pollute is a little morally grey to me, but like many grey areas of politics, it may be the most realistic way to pay for other changes. So, I'll suck up my sense of queasiness about the notion that the wealthier you are, the more right you have to irreversibly change the environment, and say that this is a realistic plan that will actually make some big changes. I'd like to see the time set-point more immediate than “by 2050”, but at least there are real numbers and a real plan.

Renewable fuels seem like an all-around crap shoot to me. I'm growing tired of seeing the words “ethanol” and “green” in the same sentence. Ethanol is still a carbon source. It still emits carbon dioxide to burn and it is not necessarily more efficient to burn than gasoline just because it comes from plants. The energy we obtain from burning fuels is directly proportional to the number of carbon-carbon bonds we break in the oxidation process. Each time a carbon is freed by oxidation, it becomes a carbon dioxide molecule. So, burning ethanol is identical to burning gasoline from a carbon-emission perspective Ethanol may help relieve dependence on foreign oil, but it is not green.

The majority of both Clinton's and Obama's plans center around research investment. While I too want more money invested in greening research, the way the candidates present research is deceiving to the general public. Research is not a “fix all.” We know a lot and most new developments, at least those which will occur in the near future, we know are feasibly possible, we just do not yet know how to make them work for us. It is possible something great will be discovered and we'll be able to drastically increase our efficiency but this is quite unlikely.

The time frame of investing in research producing results which will impact our energy policy is also quite long. The candidates websites portray a Manhattan-Project-esque series of events in which government investment in research leads rapidly to the best minds coming together to quickly solve a major problem in a matter of years. However, they are not presenting plans for the creation of government labs devoted to green research with full creative control. What occurs when money is devoted to research is that scientists which hope to do such research (mind you, money does not immediately create more of these scientists) start with preliminary studies. Once something looks promising, they write to the government for a grant. If approved, they receive the money. Now, they can hire more graduate students, techs and post-docs to do said research. This process of starting new research or even dispersing monies among scientists already doing green research can take years. Once the money is dispersed, there is no guarantee that any applicable results will be produced.

But let's say somebody does develop something. There is still the additional time lag of engineering the new development into something cost-effective and practical for production. Once this occurs, people still have to be willing to use it. No matter how much research is done, it cannot be implemented for change without a significant shift in politics. For these gods of ingenuity contend in vain against those who will not utilize their fruit.

Now the thing is, we already have many technologies which could greatly increase efficiency which are not being implemented effectively. So please Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton, can we focus on what we already have? (An aside, I do applaud Clinton for her mention of power-saver light bulbs).

Our technologies are nowhere near the ability to efficiently sequester carbon, so we need to focus on conservation. We have an abundance of means to effectively reduce emissions. So here is my plan for carbon reduction focusing on realistic, and immediate, changes.

The government needs to subsidize, and even require, implementation of power-saver light bulbs, solar hot water heaters and roofing projects, including green roofing and better roofing and window materials. There need to be better emission standards. To start this, SUVs should have to meet the same emissions standards as cars if people are choosing to drive them as recreational and everyday vehicles. I would go so far as to implement individual carbon quotas. While businesses can be regulated with cap and trade, individuals absolutely should not be given the ability to pollute based on their class. Although related to cap and trade, I would also support an added tax on gasoline to fund alternative energy research. People can prioritize how they choose to spend their pollution capital, but no person has the right to pollute more than anybody else. I consider excess pollution an assault on my physical well-being and on our national security.

On a societal scale, I see carbon emission reduction occurring through green energy production, such as solar, wind, and geothermal. Obama pledges 25% of all US energy production to be produced through these means, but realistically the figure could be higher if we drastically reduce our usage as we need to.

The catch of gas taxes and carbon quotas is that transportation is necessary to maintain our economy. So as it is now necessary to invest in alternative energy, it is just as important to invest in alternative transportation. It used to make sense to keep mass transit privatized, but in the wake of such a looming threat as global warming, it is time to convert to a public system. Train lines are incredibly efficient compared to planes, cars and even buses. Philadelphia is a prime example of poor utilization of rail lines. We have few rails and the ones we do are expensive. The argument that the trains would not be as reliable if they were government run is hard to believe considering the shabby state of SEPTA.

Precedented with Eisenhower's building of the interstate system, the government needs to build interstate rail lines which are efficient and affordable. It should always be cheaper to ride a train than drive or fly and one should be able to to travel between any major city and its suburbs by rail. Europe and Japan have shown that this is possible, so there are no excuses.

We are in a state of emergency and it should be treated as such. We have the means to drastically reduce emissions by 2020 well below the currently pledged amount by 2050. Let's do it.


Dear Mr. Obama,
Be smart.
Much love,
Molly

Hiatus

My hiatus is over and, per request, my blog is back. I hope I don't lose too many readers from my months away. A quick update of the last 7 months: I've readjusted to life in the states, moved to South Philly, am working at Philadelphia Runner (quite happily!) and am applying to graduate school for biochemistry.

Naturally as a Philadelphian, I've been thinking a lot about the presidential election. I mean, we finally matter! I'm not one to be shy about my political affiliations, so I'll put it out there to start this off that I'm supporting Obama. I'm quite excited about the race as it's pretty revolutionary that we've got a man of color and a woman as the prime candidates. In general, the choices for this election on both sides (with the exception of maybe Romney) have been head and shoulders above our choices in the last two elections. It's relieving to actually believe that these people have our best interests at heart, even if I do disagree with everything that comes out of their mouths (Huckabee).

Now while I'm feeling more optimistic about national politics than usual, I still feel a deep sense of disappointment with both Obama and Clinton. Where are the issues? How much vague, liberal speeches can they expect me to listen to before asking, “that sounds nice, but what are you going to do?” Why don't we demand more of our candidates? Why don't we demand they pledge to develop concrete plans to meet our basic human needs? Do we really want to just sit back and be inspired with no concept of reality? The topics I'm most disappointed on are global warming, health care and illegal immigration. I'll be posting why in the next few days.

Corruption, Culture and Colonialism

Throughout this experience, I've been continuously told that corruption is "part of the culture" and that wanting to change the situation is "degrading to the Africans."  While I am adamantly opposed to the westernization of the third world, the notion that corruption is some intricate or quirky part of their culture is quite degrading to the Africans.  Don't get me wrong, I expected some level of corruption and did not travel with any intention of changing that aspect of the region.  Perhaps bribing to get a form processed or being ripped-off as a muzungu at the local shops can be accepted as cultural, but large-scale embezzlement of funds and running a US-funded operation with no transparency seem to fall into quite a different category.

I have three major problems with the assertion that problems of African corruption are cultural:

First, calling anything blatantly negative and unsupported by the locals "cultural" is degrading in itself.  Just because something is rampant in a country does not mean that it must be preserved as "cultural."  Much of the corruption in the region is a result of the aftermath of colonialism, so can that really be called cultural anyways?  It is neither here nor there.  An example: violence in schools is a problem in the US inner-cities.  This could be called part of the culture of the cities, which may not be entirely inaccurate, but it is not something that anybody would like to preserve.  Wanting to make schools safer is not degrading to the urban poor.  I think one would be hard-pressed to find an urban mother who would not be appalled by somebody wanting to help the school systems but leave the violence in place.  Another example: Slavery was certainly part of the US's past culture.  But should it have been preserved for cultures sake?  Perhaps it was OK that it ended because the US itself defeated it, but the north was not of the same culture of the south and we defend that it was right to end it.

So why should we treat Africa with other standards?  Is something being rampant an excuse for tolerating it?  Perhaps ironically, de-corrupting the third world would actually make it less westernized, which leads me to my second point.

Secondly, I question whether corruption can really be called cultural.  It is ubiquitous to human civilization.  Certain systems of corruption lend themselves to certain political, governmental and cultural systems but the corruption itself seems more inspired by human nature.  A man of any culture may ascribe to the same means of corruption should he be placed into the system which allows for it.  In the US, it may be direct theft or tax fraud whereas in Uganda it's skimming off the top of the local western-funded charity.  Is there really a difference?  Both are powered by the drive for power and money with a complete lack of conscience.  It's just a matter of what one can get away with under the circumstances.  My guess is an Enron executive, if sent to Uganda, might set up a non-profit, start a program and fix the books to skim for his own profit.

Third, I am struck by the irony of wanting to stand by and allow the corruption to take place by the US funders for fear of acting as colonists.  The programs were started to help orphans and those that have been left behind by the school system.  This is wonderful and the programs actually do alleviate some of the hardships felt by these groups.  However in the process of creating these programs, an unhealthy power dynamic was created in the community by funneling all of the funds through one man with no call for transparency.  I actually find it hard to blame this man for the problems as the system was created with the temptation of skimming in place and no checks or balances to indicate he might ever be caught.  If absolute power corrupts absolutely, how could he resist?  It was almost as if the funders wanted him to be able to skim.

Now that this issue is becoming more obvious, everybody seems to be playing dumb (in both ways, either eluding blame or just not entering the discussion).  In the well-meaning attempt to help with an existing problem, an arguably worse (or at least more complicated) problem has been created.  They may not have meant to control the situation, but by not implementing proper oversight when such large amounts of funds were being transferred they did create a power structure.  Now people are saying "that's just how Africa works."  Really?  That's not how the town was working before the US funds created the power-structure.

As nobody will accept blame for the situation, nobody wants to fix it.  The general consensus seems to be to deny the enormity of the power structure or problems with the programs and keep funding.  I'm not sure if this is because people have invested so much that they have trouble admitting it might go to waste in the long-term or that people wanted to enjoyably give funds to a project which they thought was worthwhile and never gave the consequences of their money much thought and now that they're presented to them aren't ready to commit their time to proper oversight.  Perhaps it's some of both or something else entirely.  Both seem like natural human tendencies, but that doesn't help the people of this town escape the nightmare which has been created.

This all seems rather reminiscent of the aftermath of colonialism.  The western influence, often the transfer of money to a select few Africans, creates a power-structure in the community and then doesn't take responsibility for it because Africans are controlling Africans.  The reasons for entry of the westerners is different and I recognize that in this instance the Americans had the best of intentions, but the result is quite similar.  The colonists left and never looked back, will this end the same way?  I suppose the secondary question to this is: is it even possible to 'fix'?  Certainly the perpetuation of funds needs to end, but I'm skeptical that the power will subside so easily.  The amount of money which has been given is astronomical in local terms.  
It's a bit like the global warming problem.  We've already pumped so much CO2 into the atmosphere that we've gained momentum towards climate change, many effects of which are already being experienced.  But those emitting the most CO2, the US and Australia, won't even acknowledge the problem.  So when the focus really should be on carbon sequestration and reversal of the already-felt effects, CO2 is still being emitted, further accelerating the problem.  Hopefully, the power structure doesn't have the same momentum and is on a small enough scale that things can be reversed.  I also trust that the Americans involved aren't as dense as (and definitely aren't corrupt like) Bush.  I'm hopeful that the road to alleviation of these problems (and perhaps even the preservation of the programs) will be much smoother than that to a carbon-free economy.

My conclusion from this experience: If you don't have the ability to intensively oversee a program, only give loans.  They give people a sense of pride and responsibility and create a sense of urgency for making the program work.  If you can commit to long-term oversight, make sure everything is transparent- and still consider a loan, even if you don't care about regaining your funds.  Although it's a wonderful premise to be hands-off since we can't possibly be familiar enough with the culture as it is not our own, keeping yourself well-informed of every transaction and progression is essential and quite different than controlling the project.

An Update and Photos

I'm not going to fill in the details of what has happened over the last 2 weeks on here yet. I'll just say that my situation changed and I was forced to leave Bududa and make a difficult decision about whether or not to stay in East Africa. I made the decision to come home and am doing everything in my power to have the unused funds returned to the donors. Thank you all for your support and I will fill you in on what has happened and why I felt it necessary to return to the US.

I wanted to let you all know that I'm back in Philadelphia for now and will be updating this sometime soon with some more detail now that I have reached safety.

For now, I have posted my photos in online Facebook albums. The links are below.

The Ride In:
http://haverford.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011006&l=abf70&id=7501086

On Hippos and Icebergs (Educative posters and presentations):
http://haverford.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011008&l=f01e6&id=7501086

Youth Survival Project and Children of Hope:
http://haverford.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011009&l=0db1f&id=7501086

Climbing Mountains:
http://haverford.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011010&l=c5224&id=7501086

Bududa:
http://haverford.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011007&l=e2710&id=7501086

Hellen's House:
http://haverford.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011011&l=d7ccb&id=7501086

Kampala:
http://haverford.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011012&l=c54d7&id=7501086

IDP Camps and Massacre Sites:
http://haverford.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011013&l=45222&id=7501086

The North Relief Effort (CoH Lira and Rachele Rehabilition Center):
http://haverford.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011014&l=33d25&id=7501086

I sincerely apologize for the change of plans.

Thank you all again,
Molly

My Faith in Humanity

My title sounds like the newest "Scrubs" episode and I hope my story ends with a happy ending and some deep life lesson in the same way.

Things have not gotten better, but instead of going through the details right now, I've decided to pep myself up. A big part of what has been so devestating about this adventure is my loss of faith in humanity. I came here to really work and help people and have not been able to. Most of my ezperiences (I have no "ecks" button so they will be replaced by "z"s from now on) have been marked my the greed of others. I was crushed by this disappointment; I felt that my previous faith in humanity was the result of naivety and youth and perhaps people really are just rotten bastards out for themselves. As I have been pulling out of this emotional sinkhole, I've been thinking of all the reasons I have faith in the goodness of others. So, I shall take this post to recount many of the people and events which have reaffirmed my faith in humanity in an incredibly non-ezhaustive list.

When I broke my collar bone two weeks before finals and conference championships in a cycling accident, I thought it was the worst thing that could've happened. In the wake of my struggle, the ezperience came to be incredibly uplifting. People who I barely knew came to visit me and offer help when I couldn't cook, or even bathe, myself. Tory came and practically forced me to accept help with tasks I physically couldn't perform but was too proud to accept help with- like pouring a bowl of cereal or washing a dish. Perhaps the most distinct memory of the time I have is recieving get well cards from Tory, Cait, Theresa and the like and finding a thoughtful card drawn by John Bower. I barely knew him at the time and he sincerely offered his help if I needed it.

Melanie Douty- everything about this woman bleeds selflessness. Whether she is taking in those who haven't been given a second chance or playing games with some middle schoolers down by the river, she truly puts others before herself with joy.

Honest, sincere, loving and unprompted hugs from Darian.

Tim Miles speaking about his little brother and his love of cooking and Emril.

Hellen's selflessness for the community and giving of every spare shilling she has. Her children are also a godsend. She told me a story about her son Pauli that was particularly touching: he had 2 uniforms for school. Each day he would come home, wash the second secretly and bring it to school for an orphan who could not afford a uniform. He did this for a long time until Hellen went to visit the school and the headmaster asked her if she recognized the uniform. When she confronted Pauli about it she reprimanded him for not just giving the boy the uniform.

Claire Roden- such a tree hugger that she actually wants to make sweaters for them.

When my grandmother was dying in the hospice center, there was a woman nezt to her whose daughter was having trouble coping with her soon death. My grandmother counseled her through it, as well as her mother, and the other woman was buried with my grandma's rosaries.

The support I felt in my efforts to come here from my parents, grandparents, friends, friends of the family I hadn't seen in years, my advisor and the Philly running community.

Tory- I don't tell her nearly enough, but the immense amount of love and forgiveness she is able to give to others with no ezpectations of return. I have fond memories of she and Cait arguing about doing the dishes- at one point Tory actually sidechecked me into the wall so that she could clean them.

I could go on, but I'm running out of time on the internet. But I would like to end by just saying thank you to everybody in my life. No amount of disappointment here could ever shake the amount of love and support I have been so fortunate to be given.

Stuck on page 96

I've been staying in Bududa this week now that the workcampers are gone with a lovely woman called Hellen. Her house is really sweet and her kids are amazing. They are 6, Martha, and 8, Edigar. They both have this playful attidue to them and are very warm. Martha is ridiculous. Hellen says people think she's a man because she wears shorts and refuses to wear dresses unless one of the western visitors bought it for her. She's definitely a rough-and-tumble girl. She has this awesome laugh that sounds like a villan straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon. Edigar is pretty great, too- he made us dinner the other night and despite chapati that was a bit too thick for Martha to eat without any front teeth, it was all very good. Kids here develop skills way early. There are 3 year olds with 2 foot pangas (machetes), 6 year olds lighting sigueris (coal or kerosene stoves) and 4 year olds carrying around 2 year olds. It's also amazing how entertained they stay with no toys- it's really amazing how they don't have many broken bones considering the high percentage of sugar in their diet and how hard they smack eachother into the concrete floors.

It is a delight to live with Hellen. She is incredibly warm and speaks freely and openly when we are home. Although she is widowed and has had a rough life, she is incredibly generous and spends much of her time working to better the community and create opportunities for others.

Ok, so a brief and incredibly undetailed tale of what has happened...
From the first day in Uganda, there was a lack of warmth felt towards us. We were supposed to stay in Kampala for a night after traveling for two days, but instead our host did not say a word and we loaded a minibus which we thought was going to the hotel but turned out to be taking us all the way across Uganda to arrive late at night in Bududa. We didn't use the bathroom and our group of vegetarians was fed a bag of chicken and a fried egg. This event turned out to be foreshadowing of the experience with the host organization.

Throughout the workcamp it became obvious that the organization we were sent to work with was not working in the manner which we expected it to. One of the fellow workcampers, Mike, sent an e-mail explaining our disappointment and concerns to the US working group and AGLI. The response from the US was not friendly and we were treated as heretics, threatening to destroy the organization. We asked for phone calls, but did not receive any and our contacts from the US organization were unreachable due to moving, incorrect phone numbers and vacationing. In our frustration and concern, we travelled to Lira for a few days to visit with another branch of the AGLI. That was a particularly wonderful experience and has thus far been the highlight of my trip here. Although those people have experienced deep hardship, there are many efficiently-run organization in the region working hard to improve the quality of life of the former child soldiers, orphans and displaced people. Despite the poverty, there is an aura of hope in the city.

Our trip to Lira brought backlash, as though we had desserted the Bududa group. In some respects, I suppose we had, but we were caught in a no-win situation. Feeling no support from either our African hosts or American host organization, we were stuck. The last week with the fellow workcampers was good, though, for it was the last week. We spent some time with the host families and travelled to Kampala for a few days. We went to see a chimpanzee orphanage, which was a lot of fun. Chimps are so human-like. I don't know how anybody who has ever seen one could not believe in evolution.

So, I'm back in Bududa now- well, a Mbale internet cafe at the moment. Theoretically, life is good here. I've been climbing up some mountains in the morning, which is nice. People are friendly, but I get much less "Muzungu, how are you!!?!?!?!" from hords of children. The views are absolutely spectacular. I'll upload some photos when I have a chance. The other day I was running down a hill, a little lost, and a 12 year old in a dress and no shoes ran with me the few miles down to school without breaking a sweat. People are in crazy good shape here.

Despite having what I thought I wanted- more free time, less outside contact and mountains to climb and run on- I'm not happy. The aftermath of the workcamp has created an aukward and mildly hostile situation in the village and I doubt whether I could accomplish anything here. Also, many of the people I had considered my friends are now soliciting me for money. I cannot escape the solicitation. Everybody wants something. I'll put an hour aside to read alone and I'll receive a visitor sent to me to ask for money. I can't take it. I feel like Hellen and the other host are the only people who don't want anything from me and don't feel entitled to my non-existant wealth.

I've been reading my "Survival Guide for Overseas Living" culture shock section and although I have all of the overall and withdrawal symptoms, the cure section doesn't seem to help much. I think I'm actually in a situation which is unhealthy as a result of the workcamp. One of the twisted things that gives me solace is reading "The Weathermakers". Somehow knowning the abnormal rain here is caused by the CO2 emissions of home is comforting.



I'm feeling sicker each day and I wake up most mornings with nosebleeds. Even though I keep telling myself that these feelings will pass, I don't know if my body will take the stress. And if I'm only here for 6 months, 5 more, and may not be able to get anything done in Bududa, is it worth staying?

I've decided no. I'm going to stay for a week or so and then travel to Kenya to visit a relative. Then, my mom is coming to visit for 2 weeks and we'll see some animals. It will be nice to have some time that is not people-centric and to regroup with a family member. Hopefully, I'll find another organization which is worthwhile to commit my time to. More than anything right now, I want to be busy. I want to be doing something worthwhile.

I will no longer be a part of the AGLI nor do I know where I will end up, so please do not send donations to the AGLI. I'll will keep everytbody informed as to what I end up doing when I know.

Also, I know that I had said that I did not want a lot of e-mails, but I am feeling welcoming of them now. Reading e-mail and responding to home is an incredible comfort. So please, let me know what's going on in your life!

Thanks to everybody for their support through all of this and I'll keep everybody posted. I apologize to all of my donors for the change of plans and would like to inform you that I am doing everything in my power to either have your funds returned to you or used for a similar purpose in a different region.

Roller coasters

This trip has certainly been an experience. Things change very quicky here. One minute I'll have a sinking feeling of stress and worry and the next I'll be completely in awe of some children playing. I won't go into the details of the last two weeks now, but I wanted to post an update. As of now I'm planning on staying in Bududa and living with a lovely host family. I'll head back tomorrow from Kampala.

The other workcampers left today. I'm not sure how it will be being alone. It will certainly make me find myself more and emerse into the area better.

I'm still in Kampala now, but I'll head back to Bududa tomorrow. It'll be nice to go back to the rural area. The city is quite overwhelming. It's very crowded and there is stuff everywhere- shoes, clothes, fabric, produce- if you want it, there are 50 places within a block to buy it. At night there are a lot of beggers, including small children. It's quite sad. We saw one boy about 2 years old sitting alone begging the other night. Despite this, the city is quite modern and there are a lot of what we'd consider "middle class" people. Best of all, this internet is pretty quick.

Sorry for the brevity and loose thoughts- I'll fill in later.