by Les W Kuzyk
Chapter 32
Tami scurried about her flat, awaiting a last minute Holo-Skype with Nishat. Light frocks for the dry Africa heat lay piled into her suitcase. Needing be out the door in one hour, she glanced over her trip list of must-haves. The HI/EC negotiations finished today, and she was sure the update from Minister Jabbar will include a reaction of sorts.
They spoke briefly yesterday, and that discussion held a serious tone. No preferred happy ending came up at all; quite the opposite, as Nishat reviewed harsh real world threats. What one could almost term climate conflict, with multilateral politics proclaimed to be working vying in direct opposition with other political pacts. While on the sidelines potential unilateral actions of populated and powerful countries adjusting the global situation to accommodate national interests waited.
Quite sad. But as the Minister said, she needed consider all global possibilities in any decision going forward. Even scenarios that one could only imagine come to that. Many situational circumstances remained unknown, undiagnosed, unfathomable.
Tamanna had compared select messenger Canada with the countries on her circuit. Lower latitude regions, seasonally dry and tropical like the Sahel, stood to lose crop productivity at temperature rises of even one degree. Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole was projected to reach new temperature normals well above any current heat wave extreme. Projected heat extremes, and especially their influence on the hydrological cycle, would have huge impact on ecosystems and agriculture. Sahel country economies being highly dependent on agriculture dictated a people economically with very low ability to adapt.
As Tami counted the minutes, she imagined a charismatic HICCC speaker. And what that one might say. Well, you Europeans and you of European descent you have come, you have occupied and taken possession of our lands, your corporations have invaded and economically colonized our communities, you have taken our resources, and to top that off now you destroy our climate. All while you act only to insulate the effects of climate change from your own citizens. You, the Economically Cooperating world have dumped carbon into our common atmosphere, floating across our borders into our airspace. Well then, in return, our sulphur has been sent forth to mingle above your lands, to mix into your atmosphere.
Charismatic... or maybe not. One must somehow turn voice to an inspiring we, not an accusing you. Our geoengineering project will bring about our wellbeing and restore our national security, and we certainly regret any negative outcome affecting you. You will cooperate if you wish or you will not, but we will at this time do as we see fit. You no longer hold the advantage of whatever barbaric attitude of indifference to our welfare you have chosen in the past. Her voice would best not be the one speaking. The message must be much more practical, much more political. In a truly succinct and pragmatic sense, they needed the world to know their global cooling release would be reduced in direct correlation with measured reduction in OECD climate warming emissions.
Time digits flipped—when would the Minister call??
She’d double checked her adjusted final Sahel circuit bookings. Coastal Nouakchott in Mauritania still first, and then inland to Bamako in Mali, but she then leap frogged over Niamey to N’Djamena in Chad and one desert hop further to Khartoum. Her final flight returned from the Sudan to Niger in the middle.
The short long two tone audio signal began, and Tami stepped up to her kitchen table to accept. Nishat’s face flickered into focus in the cube and Tami stared at the Minister’s stress-ridden face.
“The meeting has not come off as we wished,” Nishat said, resolutely.
Tamanna listened, snapping her suitcase closed.
“The Russian economic scientist calculated all political and economic benefits to Russia of further climate change.” Nishat spoke urgently. “He went so far as the 5 degrees quick shift scenario. Some Russian grain fields wither to dust, but he showed cost benefit analyses offsetting any negative with abundant political benefit estimates. While he spoke of a balmy St. Petersburg, our HICCC delegates rose in concert and filed out of the meeting room.”
“You walked away from the negotiations?” Tamanna said. “There will be no more talks?”
Nishat waited for Tamanna to return to the table before looking at her directly. She told Tami keeping the HICCC plan under wraps no longer held benefit. Everyone must know, the whole world must know, but first the contract personnel.
“You will tell them, all of our African project personnel,” Nishat said. “You will tell them of each other, and you will tell them we will fully implement Phase III, the Sahel regional release.”
“The mid-Atlantic business jets?”
“We have quotes, an option, yes.”
The HICCC represented the voices of one third of the global population she reiterated. They had sufficient internal cooperation. Now they must become as equally indifferent to the OECD desires as those countries had been to their wellbeing. The colonial past carried significant political weight, popular support among citizens. Tamanna gave one last nod and signed off with Minister Jabbar. Her overwhelmed mind raced as she grabbed her bags, stepped out and locked the door behind.
At each circuit stop she must tell engineers to ramp up Phase I from whatever level to full Phase II national, combined to become the Sahel regional sulphur release. Her mind scrambled to recall, but yes, she was sure Jake’s latest operational reports analysis confirmed the time target achievable. Right, she’ll need each national team to know, now, of all other Sahel engineers and how her business partner in London had compared their field test results. Projected numbers looked mutually supportive. She’d explain how the purpose had been to confirm outcomes with identical specs through independent tests—good science—but now the combined effect would be implemented to create the desired Green Sahara. They’ll need adjust their calculations accordingly.
She had minutes to join the Heathrow train.