COP28 Dubai ka aghaz hote hi yeh maloom hota hai ke agar hum governments aur multinational corporations jese bare, taqatwar idaray par bharosa karenge to hamara climate change se bachne ka maqsad mushkil hai.
Fossil-fuel companies ne 1970s se apne hissay ki climate change mein sharik hone ka ilm rakha, lekin unka drill aur operations ko barhane ka silsila jari hai. Governments ne to UN Framework Convention on Climate Change aur Paris climate agreement jese commitments to ki hain, lekin Production Gap Report ke mutabiq, in commitments ka amal mein koi ahmiyat nahi hai. 2030 tak, top 20 fossil-fuel-producing countries mein output global warming ko 1.5°C tak mehdood rakhne ke mutabiq se zyada hoga.
Government aur fossil-fuel companies ki apni khud-regulation nakafi hai, khas kar jab governments aur fossil-fuel companies aksar ek hi hotay hain. Bohat arsay tak, dono ne public ke concerns ko greenwashing campaigns aur carbon capture and storage jese future technologies ke waade ke zariye tasalli dene ki koshish ki hai. Jab koi public is tarah ke bahane se razi nahi hoti, to yeh governments aur companies aksar azadi-e-izhar, ittehad, aur amanful izhar karne wale logon ko daba dene ke liye tayyar hojate hain.
Fossil fuels ko khatam karne, renewable energy ki taraf transition ko support karne, aur extreme weather aur drought ki duniya mein insani haqooq ki hifazati tajaweez ko lekar governments ko kya karna chahiye, yeh sirf collective action, advocacy, aur civil-society ke hissay lenay se hi mumkin hai. Lekin civil society civic space ke bina nahi reh sakti – jahan nagarik milke sab se taqatwar ko tanqeed aur dabao dalne ka haq rakhte hain, khauf aur dabaao ke baghair. Aur COP28 mein, UN ke “blue zone” ke bahar, yeh civic space naqabil-e-hazir hai.
Dubai duniya ki sab se mehngi shehron mein se aik hai, iska matlab hai ke rahaish, khana, aur doosre kharche aksar logon ke liye bohat mehengayi se bahar hote hain, khas kar un logon ke liye jo climate crisis se sab se zyada mutasir hote hain. Iske alawa, United Arab Emirates mein government ki tareef karna, ya “public interest” ko nuksan pohanchane wale kisi bhi cheez ko kehna, qanoonan ghair-qanooni hai, aur kabhi-kabhi foreigners ko mulk mein mojood hone ke doran kiye gaye comments ke liye giraftar bhi kia jata hai. 2011 ke Arab Spring ke doran thode se dissenting signs ko jaldi aur zabardasti daba diya gaya tha. Aaj bhi, scores of human-rights activists aur dissidents arbitrarily detain hain, jinme se 2013 mein “UAE-94” ke 60 members ko en masse trial kia gaya tha. Char saal baad, UAE ne Ahmed Mansoor ko bhi giraftar kia, jo mulk mein insani haqooq ki himayat kar rahe the.
Government ne COP28 ke qareeb aane se pehle bhi apni dabdabgi jari rakhi hai. Unhone kai qaidi aur unke ghar walon ke darmiyan communication ko khatam kardia hai, bahir talaash karke mulk wapas anay walay Emiratis ko muqadmat mein daal raha hai, aur UN ki calls ko ignore karke prisoners of conscience ko riha karnay se inkar kia hai.
UAE apne unlawful electronic surveillance ka istemal karne ke liye bhi mashhoor hai. Mansoor sirf ek hai jinme se kai human-rights defenders hain jo NSO Group aur Hacking Team jese cybersurveillance companies dwara develop kiye gaye spyware ke shikaar hue hain.
In takleefat ki wajah se wo activists jo COP28 attend karne ka irada kar rahe hain, unke darmiyan ek khauf ka mahol paida ho raha hai. Jabke UAE waada karta hai ke “climate activists ko peaceful assembly aur apni awaz uthane ke liye space dene ka”, to yeh abhi tak dekhna baki hai ke iska amal mein kya izhar hoga. Agar koi UAE ke abysmal rights record ya fossil fuels ko khatam karne mein kuch keh de, toh uss par kya khatraat ho sakti hain? Hum nahi jante, kyunke UNFCCC secretariat aur UAE ne Host Country Agreement ko disclose tak nahi kia hai – jise kisi bhi COP ke liye bare-minimum transparency standard mana jata hai.
Yakeenank, UAE apni civil society ke liye dostana rawaiya nahi rakhta. Duniya bhar mein countries protesters par dabao banane, current law ko climate dissent ko daba dene ke liye galat taur par istemal karne, aur naye qanoonat ko protest ko jumhur karne ke liye saza dene mein lag rahe hain – aksar powerful fossil-fuel companies ke kehne par. Kuch is tarah ke laws seedhe climate activists ko target karte hain, jo annual climate-change COPs jese summits ke liye khaas taur par pareshan kun hote hain.
2023 record-setting heat aur rainfall events ka ek aur saal hone ke bawajood, COP28 kisi maqsadmand nateeja paida karne mein kamyab nahi hoga. Yeh na-insaafi aur dukh bhara hai. Woh log jo climate change ke sab se zyada nuqsaan utha rahe hain, woh heads of state ya fossil-fuel executives nahi hote. UAE mein aur duniya bhar mein, crisis ka bojh uthane wale log aksar wohi hote hain jo apne governments ki taraf se bhatakar aur basic protection ke intezar mein hain.
Kyunki COP28 mein unki mustaqbilat par guftago ho gi, is liye unki participation, activism, aur accountability ke liye talabat zaroori hai. Civil society ke zariye hi hum greenwashing ko expose kar s