Four Quotes from Romeo & Juliet By William Shakespeare

"A lawyer without history or literature is a mechanic, a mere working mason; if he possesses some knowledge of these, he may venture to call himself an architect."

Sir Walter Scott, 1771-1832. (Scottish Novelist, Poet, Historian and Biographer)

Taking the above advise, I have taken to reading serious English Poetry. And guess where I started, the ultimate love story and quintessence of English Poetry of all times: Romeo & Juliet. I fervently believe in the saying that the best way to learn is by sharing. And in the spirit of sharing, and the hope that in so doing my mind will retain, I bring you these four quotes from the famous play. I attempt a beginers explanation which may, to an expert's eye, be mere parroting of study guide's stuff. But I do not pretend to write for the experts here!

1. Romeo: But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
   It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
   Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
   Who is already sick and pale with grief
   That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she. . . .
   The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars
   As daylight doth a lamp; her eye in heaven
   Would through the airy region stream so bright
   That birds would sing and think it were not night.

   (Act II. Scene (i). Lines 44–64).

   (Explanation: Romeo speaks these lines in the so-called balcony scene in the love play, while hiding in the Capulet's garden after the feast. He(Romeo) sees Juliet leaning out the window Juliet's surpassing beauty makes Romeo imagine that she is the sun, transforming the darkness into daylight. Romeo personifies the moon, calling it "sick and pale with grief" at the fact that Juliet, the sun, is far brighter and more beautiful. Romeo then compares Juliet to the stars, claiming that she eclipses the stars as daylight overpowers a lamp—her eyes alone shine so bright that they will convince the birds to sing at night as if it were day.)

2. Juliet: O Romeo, Romeo,
   wherefore art thou Romeo?
   Deny thy father and refuse thy name,
   Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
   And I'll no longer be a Capulet.

   (Act II Scene (i) Lines 74–78)

   (Explanation: Juliet speaks these lines, perhaps the most famous in the play, in the balcony scene . Leaning out of her upstairs window, unaware that Romeo is below in the orchard, she asks why Romeo must be Romeo—why he must be a Montaque the son of her family's greatest enemy ("wherefore" means "why," not "where"; Juliet is not, as is often assumed, asking where Romeo is). Still unaware of Romeo's presence, she asks him to deny his family for her love. She adds, however, that if he will not, she will deny her family in order to be with him if he merely tells her that he loves her.)

3. Mercutio: O, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you. . . .
   She is the fairies' midwife, and she comes
   In shape no bigger than an agate stone
   On the forefinger of an alderman,
   Drawn with a team of little atomi
   Athwart men's noses as they lie asleep.

   (Act I. Scene (iv) Lines 53–59)

   (Explanation: This is Mercutio's famous Queen Mab speech. Mercutio is trying to convince Romeo to set aside his lovesick melancholy over Rosaline and come along to the Capulet feast. When Romeo says that he is depressed because of a dream, Mercutio launches on a lengthy, playful description of Queen Mab, the fairy who supposedly brings dreams to sleeping humans. The main point of the passage is that the dreams Queen Mab brings are directly related to the person who dreams them—lovers dream of love, soldiers of war, etc. But in the process of making this rather prosaic point Mercutio falls into a sort of wild bitterness in which he seems to see dreams as destructive and delusional.)

4. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
   A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,
   Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
   Doth with their death bury their parents' strife. . . .
   O, I am fortune's fool! . . .
   Then I defy you, stars.

   (Explanation: This trio of quotes advances the theme of fate as it plays out through the story: the first is spoken by the Chorus (Prologue.5–8), the second by Romeo after he kills Tybalt (III.i.131), and the third by Romeo upon learning of Juliet's death (V.i.24). The Chorus' remark that Romeo and Juliet are "star-crossed" and fated to "take their li[ves]" informs the audience that the lovers are destined to die tragically. Romeo's remark "O, I am fortune's fool!" illustrates the fact that Romeo sees himself as subject to the whims of fate. When he cries out "Then I defy you, stars," after learning of Juliet's death, he declares himself openly opposed to the destiny that so grieves him. Sadly, in "defying" fate he actually brings it about. Romeo's suicide prompts Juliet to kill herself, thereby ironically fulfilling the lovers' tragic destiny.)

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN CARBON TRADING IN KENYA

Introduction
The climate change industry promises to be one of the largest in the world and offers the prospect of substantial financial rewards to the Kenyan business Carbon trading (also called emissions trading) is now and established fact. At present 172 countries have endorsed the Kyoto method of arresting climate change through carbon trading trading, Kenya has been a signatory of the Kyoto protocol, the basis of carbon trading since 25th February 2005.

What is carbon trading?
Carbon trading is basically a commercialized activity that originates from protecting the earth from harmful emission of gases from industries. The concept of carbon credit is that of incentivising the units which pollute less and disincentivising the units that pollute more. The most dangerous gases thrown out by the industrial units are six in number - carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydroflourocarbons, perflurocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride. The group of such gases, which are responsible for removing greenery from our planet, are called greenhouse gases.

On the initiative of UN (United Nations), Kyoto protocol was signed in 11 December 1997 and it came into force from 16 December 2005. The Kyoto protocol aims to tackle global warming by setting target levels for nations to reduce greenhouse gas emission worldwide. The Kyoto protocol is an agreement by which the ratifying countries have agreed to reduce their emission of greenhouse gases. Under the protocol, initial target is to reduce greenhouse gas emission to 5.2 per cent below 1990 base level. 172 countries have signed the Kyoto Protocol. These countries and their companies are the only ones allowed to engage in carbon trading.

Almost all industrialized countries are huge buyer of carbon credit and all developing countries, where industrialization has not reached its peak, are supplier of carbon credit. Japan is the largest buyer of carbon credit while India and Brazil are amongst the largest suppliers of carbon credit. Being a developing country, Kenya is exempted from the requirement of adherence to Kyoto protocol. Kenya, however, can sell the carbon credits to the developed countries.

How it works?
A central authority fixes the limit of the amount of a pollutant that can be emitted into the environment. Now this limit becomes the permit of pollutants allowed into the environment. This permit is devised into several smaller units and distributed to several companies in the form of permit or credit or allowance. This permit or credit or allowances gives licenses to emit a fixed amount of pollutant into the environment.

Now if a company, say Mumias Sugar Ltd, is able to emit only eight units of greenhouse gases out of 10 units allotted to it, then it will be having two units of emission as ‘credit outstanding’ in its ‘pollution’ account. On the other side, if a company say Coca-cola (USA) Inc. emits 12 units instead of 10 units allotted to it then it will be having two units of ‘debit balance’ in its pollution account. Now Mumias Sugar Ltd will be able to transfer its two ‘credit balance’ to two debit balance account of Coca-Cola. So both the companies’ pollution account will be matched and the environment also is able to digest a certain scientifically fixed amount of pollutants. This transfer from Mumias to Coca-cola (USA) will be for some monetary consideration and hence it is referred as carbon trading.

Carbon credit, as defined by Kyoto protocol, is one metric tonne of carbon emitted by burning of fossil fuels. The GWP (Global Warming Potential) factors are used to convert each of the five gases (like methane, for example) that are not CO2 into tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2E), which is the standard of trading. To bring the buyers and sellers of carbon trading on one platform and to augment the process of carbon trading, carbon credits are traded at CO2E exchange in Britain, CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) exchange in Europe. In India recently, MCE (Multi Commodity Exchange) has announced carbon trading exchange with license agreement from Chicago climate exchange. Like the usual stock exchange, carbon credits have all spot transactions, forward settlement and options of trading. Kenya is yet to launch a carbon trading exchange, which is long-overdue.

Prices of credit trading vary and some time back was in the range of Euro six to Euro 12 per tonne of CO2. An estimate suggests that in 2004, 107 million tonnes of CO2 were exchanged through carbon trading worldwide. There is a steep penalty to the tune of Euro 40 per tonne to the companies emitting more than their quota. So companies that are having huge carbon credit can sell these to companies that are deficient in carbon credit or that have exhausted their quota for huge prices.

Big opportunity for Kenyan companies
Most of the beneficiaries of the carbon trading are those companies that are investing in renewable energy like solar, windmills, Biodiesel, Biogas. Actually by investing in such an alternative non-polluting source of energy, these companies will earn carbon credit in the form of CERs (Certified Emissions Reductions) to the tune they have not polluted the environment. These CERs will be sold by the Kenyan companies to companies, say in Japan, at market prevailing rate of CERs and make profit. Companies like KenGen and Mumias Sugar have started projects, which enhance energy efficiency and produce alternative energy and in turn may be earning CERs points. These CERs may be sold to companies in developed countries to earn approximately lift the bottom lines of the concerned companies.

In India, where carbon trading has gained popularity, several companies are adopting such alternative non-polluting sources of energy processes in their production units, which result in earning of CERs. We saw here in Kenya Bamburi Cement launch such production unit. There are huge profits to be made from carbon trading.

Carbon trading is a huge opportunity for Kenyan companies. Companies can earn CERs by adopting energy saving and environment protecting methods and in turn can earn huge incomes by selling them.

Way forward to tap opportunities of carbon trading in Kenya
There is need to establish a carbon trading exchange which is linked to the international carbon markets following the root adopted by India. The challenge here is on the Capital Markets Authority. There is also need for government support in publicizing the opportunities offered by carbon trading to companies and offering incentives to local companies to embrace it. This is a challenge that befalls NEMA and KRA.