Opinion
Democracy & Environmental Policy
18 May 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Newspaper Today
A few weeks ago, President George W. Bush of the United States caused widespread dismay by his communication addressed to four different members of the Senate literally burying the Kyoto Protocol. The US President obviously did not anticipate the massive criticism and protest this action would provoke. The result of his abandonment of the Kyoto Protocol, questioning of the science of climate change and refusing to do anything about reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from US power plants have been rightly seen by many as a backward step. Not only have leaders in Europe openly criticised President Bush's stand, but a delegation from the European Union led by the Swedish Environment Minister flew to Washington, DC to meet important officials in the Administration in an effort to convince them of the unreasonableness of this change in posture on the part of President Bush.
Recapturing the spirit of Rio in Johannesburg
17 May 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| TERI Newswire VII(10)
In the preparations for the WSSD (World Summit on Sustainable Development) to be held in Johannesburg in September 2002, several global issues are coming to the fore as matters of concern. The Summit itself is being organized 10 years after the Rio conference on environment and development, which was a unique event where world leaders from across the globe gathered to discuss and debate the future of the planet and the development of human society. The Rio summit found agreement on various documents, which were hammered out and finalized, including the Framework Convention on Climate Change, Agenda 21, and the Rio Declaration.
Start operating buses on ULSD
16 May 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| Auto Monitor Vol 1(10)
Dr R K Pachauri, Director-General of TERI, has maintained that the Supreme Court order on converting the entire bus fleet in Delh to compressed natural gas (CNG) was no a practical suggestion. He met Nitika Bhardwaj recently for an interview to elaborate his views.
The Greening of Corporate India
05 May 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Newspaper Today
Bill Ford, Chairman of the Ford Motor Company said some months ago that his company should look ahead and never get into the same situation as the tobacco companies have faced in recent years in the US. His concern stems from the fact that automobiles are a major source of pollution, and the public would not for all time to come accept a technology which is polluting in nature. He, therefore, wants to position Ford Motor Company as an environmentally responsible entity. Ray Anderson, a manufacturer of carpets in the US decided that carpets, which are replaced, are generally thrown away as waste material and only add to pollution in several parts of the US. He, therefore, initiated an arrangement for leasing of carpets and taking them back once the customer had made adequate use of what he had installed. This allowed Ray Anderson to recycle the material and bring about a major reduction in pollution. These are just two of many examples whereby corporate leaders in the US and in other parts of the world have shown their responsibility to protect the environment.
Preserving the Himalayan ecology: concrete action needed
02 May 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| TERI Newswire VII(9)
Several seminars and meetings have been held on the ecological problems enveloping the Himalayan range. These have led to some actions and solutions, but a much larger challenge remains to be met for revitalizing the ecological health of the Himalaya. Ensuring ecologically sustainable development is of critical importance to mountain nations like Nepal and Bhutan. It is, however, also critically important to countries like India and Bangladesh, both of which depend heavily for their water supply on flows coming from the Himalaya.
Ninth session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development: the energy focus
01 May 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Newspaper Today
The ninth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) opened at the UN headquarters in New York on 16 April. The agenda for this session requires participants to consider the sectoral themes of energy and atmosphere, the cross-sectoral themes of information for decision-making and participation and of international cooperation for an enabling environment, and the economic sector theme of transport. The session's multi-stakeholder dialogues, at which scientists will participate for the first time as a major group, will be on energy and transport.
On track with Teheran: Shift in India's West Asia strategy
20 Apr 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Times of India
Prime Minister Vajpayee's visit to Iran lends substance to aspirations for a close relationship between the two countries which is based as much on historical factors as mutual interest defining the future. Geopolitical realities emanating from the Talibanisation of Afghanistan, the emergence of the Central Asian republics after the break-up of the Soviet Union, and the enormous economic opportunities for trade in natural gas to India and science-based services and products from India to Iran provide the imperatives of a strategic relationship between the two countries. The inclusion of a strong group of business leaders in the prime minister's delegation provided the necessary economic thrust to this visit, which was a major factor in the announcement of a $200-million line of credit by the Indian government.
CNG: The right choice?
18 Apr 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Economic Times
CNG, known to be a clean fuel, is certainly not the only choice for public transport. It is a desirable option to convert petrol-based vehicles, such as taxis and three-wheelers, to the use of this fuel.
India's food security: need for reorienting priorities
17 Apr 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| TERI Newswire VII(8)
The food situation in the country exhibits a set of paradoxes, which are typical to the Indian scene. On the one hand, there are record stocks of foodgrains in the godowns of the FCI (Food Corporation of India), implying considerable wastage in storage and subsequent movement. On the other hand, there are many in this country who are undernourished and underfed. This, of course, is a function of poverty and lack of purchasing power. Another facet of the agricultural scene is the significant number of suicides by farmers in recent months because of the effect of drought and reduced output or their inability to repay the loans that they have taken for financing their operations. It is sad that after the widely touted Green Revolution, our policies still suffer from serious imbalances, and the existence of widespread poverty continues to impose several hardships on hundreds of millions of our countrymen who remain undernourished and deprived.
Delhi and the CNG Muddle
15 Apr 2001 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Newspaper Today
A major development that has gripped the attention of the public in Delhi and the rest of India is the changeover to the use of CNG (compressed natural gas) for a very large number of vehicles in the Capital, with effect from the 1 April 2001. Air pollution in Delhi has reached alarming proportions, and in response to several expressions of extreme dissatisfaction with the way various government departments both at the Centre and in the states had dealt with this problem, the Supreme Court of India has stepped in and appointed the Bhure Lal Committee to advise the Court on actions that the Government must take to improve air quality to acceptable levels. The result has been the selection of CNG as the preferred fuel for the bulk of the city's public transport system.