OpEdNews - Page 3 of Article: WHY COGNITIVE and EPISTEMIC REGIME THEORISTS PREDICT that CHINA, INDIA, BRAZIL, and other large developing states will j

A model already exists. Just today a huge European consortium (supported by EU governments) and North African regimes have signed an agreement to produce in North Africa solar energy for Europe in decades in the future. This DESERTEC project will cost at least 400 billion dollars, but the project is historic and doable. The European project is described thus. "The Desertec plan requires a new grid of high-voltage transmission lines from the Maghreb desert to Europe. No new technology needs to be developed, according to Hans MÃ¼ller-Steinhagen, who works at the German Aerospace Center and has researched the feasibility of Desertec for Germany's Environment Ministry. The idea has existed for years, but the high cost of building the infrastructure has kept investors away."

More than that particular project is historic here. The precedent for such a technological transfer and partnership is one that various regional anchor states, like China and India are willing to work with each other, OECD lands, and neighboring states on right away.
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Similarly, the USA and Mexico could work together on such vast projects. Why can't Australia and Indonesia take on a similar partnership? What about eventually South Africa, Namibia and all their neighbors? Surely they can get involved.

COGNITIVE REGIME THEORY

Cognitive and Epistemic regime theorists believe that power-plays and putting-oneself-first are not always the best way for cooperation to take place internationally, in order to solve multinational problems. They also feel that short-term costs of the free market do not always provide the best incentives (if there are no common beliefs, norms, and common education concerning the facts). This is why education and educational transfers are important among key governmental and civic actors. We have seen these educational, research, and civic actors making the world well aware of the effects of global warming over the past 12 years or more.

Now, by 2009, the facts about our warming planet are becoming more well-known and more commonly understood than every before. Not only intra-governmental panels, like the IPCC (Inter Panel on Climate Change) have been actively educating government officials and congressmen, but the internet has been spawning a global understanding among individuals, groups, news media, and nation states. These stakeholders in great unison in America and elsewhere now all finally give-a-damn about global warming and what-its-effects-on-us will be.

[The Bush-Cheney regime had tried to fudge for nearly a decade the facts, but Americans as a whole have been very concerned despite the misinformation fed to them.] Likewise, China, India and other anchor states cannot ignore the data and information accessable on the internet and in their daily papers. Even the most rural peoples have noted that something is up with their climate.

Being educated about the problem is the first step. Now the world has the potential for decades of common action on this issue if global partnerships are formed by OECD lands with developing countries to get alternative energy on the table for them (and if technological transfers take place which reduce overall greenhouse gas production).

Let's get on with it-Planet Earth--start acting in partnership on this anti-global warming project now!!

NOTES

Bauer, Steffan & Richerzhagen, Carmen (2007), "NACHOLENDE ENTWICKLUNG UND KLIMAWANDEL", Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte, 47/2007, pp. 20-26.

Stoda, Kevin (1998), Hybrid Regime Theory, http://www.geocities.com/eslkevin/kyoto.html

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