Power plays but Planet pays!!
We all know a little about Global Warming and Climate Change. Some know more, some know little. This is like saying, some countries are developed and some are developing! Some are rich and some are poor. Some can afford to trash the planet, while some others clean it up! India is playing second fiddle to everything, being labeled a “developing” nation !
The upcoming meeting in Copenhagen in December is vitally important, to set a path for future generations to come. Never ever in the history of mankind has something been so important, something that will affect everyone living on this planet, directly or indirectly. It will set the ball rolling for the so called “developed” nations to do something concrete about implementing mechanisms that will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are otherwise allowed to escape into the atmosphere. These greenhouse gases have traditionally been allowed to accumulate and warm up the planet, so much so that we are now witnessing drastic weather patterns such as drought, heatwaves, more than average rainfall in parts that are otherwise not used to them.
Industrial and technological dominance and the hunger to be a world leader has ensured that we have let these greenhouse gas concentrations escalate beyond control. Developing countries are still being labelled “developing”, because they have never been able to catch up or compete with the so called “propserous” nations. India has just recently made its position clear that it will not accept any emissions reductions that may arise out of Copenhagen. They are right in saying this because it becomes difficult to define an exact formula for developeing countries that will ensure they are limiting their emissions while continuing to provide basic amenities like electricity to 800 million that live under $2 per day. India already has one of the lowest per capita CO2 emissions (a greenhouse gas largely responsible for global warming).
India’s argument has always been with its contribution (or lack of) to climate change. Compared with “developed countries”, India’s contribution has been small. With 16% of the world population, its contribution has been 4.6% of green house gas emissions, while the US has 5% of the world’s population and contributes to more than 20% of the emissions.What India really needs is access to latest state of the art technology that can be implemented in existing or new coal-fired power plants. Technolgies like post-combustion, pre-combustion, and Oxy-fuel combustion that will help mitigate CO2 emissions. The Kyoto Protocoal gave rise to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI), under which rich nations would heavily invest in clean energy projects in developing countries.
What we really need is clean energy initiatives. Investing in clean energy sources like solar, wind and biofuels will ensure India achieves its target of electrifying the remotest parts of the country while still being a responsible emitter. What comes out of Copenhagen remains to be seen, but one thing is sure- we are warming up the planet!
-Yash Divekar
