As the discourse of climate change accelerates at a breath-taking pace and permeates all facets of society and socio-economic, academic and technological disciplines, new terms have been born.
By Peter Makwanya
Can developing countries cope, yet they offer very little in this regard?
The overall factor here is that a new knowledge economy would integrate new methods of production, whose overall aims are to reduce emissions, which contribute to climate change.
A critical analysis of our own situation in developing countries, regarding companies and industries will reveal that they still have lots of catching up to do, in trying to avoid or minimise carbon emissions.
Just like other terms before it, “new knowledge economy”, grounded in rhetoric of sustainability, is quite a mouthful, as well as a techno-savvy discourse, which sounds elitist and goes along with similar words that contribute to sweet nothings in the absence of material and technological back up.
What leaves developing countries walking a tight rope is that, inasmuch as they would want to stick to methods of production, that contribute to industrial and environmental sustainability, these countries always receive a backlash from the ongoing and non-stop rhetoric of climate change discourse.
The discourse of climate change, can be referred to as green discourse, environmental friendly language, eco-conscious communication or language of sustainability.
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There are so many terms referring to how best to communicate environmental issues appropriately and in a smart way. All the components and new attributes of the new knowledge economy, in principle, seek to combat the negative effects of climate change.
In some developed countries, they enjoy the absence of pollutant services.
In developed countries, issues like online music or voicemail help to reduce gases that contribute to climate change while in developing countries, many companies and organisations are still using telephones with hand receivers.
CDs are quite popular as well in keeping information and in playing music.
In some cases, cassettes are still being used to play music on radios.
Although people and organisations are into Skyping, tele and video conferencing are still considered trendy.
Ventures like online shopping, that reduce the costs of travelling, which contributes to carbon emissions, are not as popular.
Many developing countries still have old transport modes that are fossil-fuel intensive, thereby, contributing to pollution in the process.
It is also in the developing countries where some developed countries dump cheap and sub-standard goods and products like used vehicles, computers, radios, microwaves, and many electrical products and machines, which when getting redundant and obsolete, contribute to e-waste, which do not only compromise the human health, but the environment as well.
The language used by experts in developing countries implies that they are in the know, yet they are lagging behind.
Even the methods that many developing countries use to manufacture the little they can are still labour and pollution intensive.
Most of the infrastructure, which includes roads, bridges, industrial machinery, railway systems and communication networks are outdated and dilapidated.
All these reflect systems that have already fallen apart, which need regeneration.
In this regard, it would not be easy to contribute to the new knowledge economy.
The buildings that we use and those that we call homes are less energy compliant and environmentally friendly.
In this regard, as developing countries try to catch up with developed countries, let us evaluate our systems in relation to the new knowledge economy, to establish where we stand and what needs to be done rather than to be engrossed in the folly of rhetoric that cannot improve our situations, let alone deliver the business and environmental benefits that we desire.
Peter Makwanya is a climate change communicator. He writes in his capacity and can be contacted on: [email protected]
