Opinion
Do we need a new Copenhagen plan?
04 Nov 2009 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| Business Standard
A big polluter like China comes across as wanting to curb greenhouse gas emissions. India has a GHG-plan but unless this is tabled, we come across as spoilers\'
The issue of whether India should change its position on climate change is largely academic. In reality, India\'s climate change position has already undergone progressive transformation with the establishment of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council on Climate Change and its formulation of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The overview of the NAPCC clearly states, \"our approach must be compatible with our role as a responsible and enlightened member of the international community, ready to make our contribution to the solution of a global challenge, which impacts on humanity as a whole\". The NAPCC includes eight separate missions, the very first being the solar energy mission, with plans to set up approximately 20,000 Mw of solar capacity by 2020. This is clearly a deviation from business as usual, because India has promoted only coal-based thermal or hydro power on this scale.
The oil fires in Rajasthan
03 Nov 2009 |
Dr Leena Srivastava
| Financial Chronicle
The raging oil tank fires in Jaipur have once again highlighted the state of disaster preparedness and response mechanisms in India. What is particularly alarming about the incident is the knowledge that hundreds of such oil depots are probably spread across the country with scant regulatory oversight and even lower levels of awareness about the magnitude of storage, risks and vulnerabilities amongst the residents around the area.
This fire is not the first such incident in the world. There have been oil tank fires in China, the UK and the US as well. The accusation flow in some of these countries closely resembled what we are witnessing around the Jaipur incident today. But the key question is what do our regulatory authorities learn from similar incidents that occur internationally? What is the level of coordination between the various departments that authorise the establishment/continuation of a hazardous enterprise in given locations and the authorities that may need to deal with the consequences of a disaster occurring? It would be useful to do a case study on the roles of the fire department, the traffic police, the disaster management authority, the pollution control board, the health department and others to learn lessons for the future.
India pushes for common responsibility
21 Oct 2009 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| Nature
Online collection
India expects a strong agreement at December\'s United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen for several reasons. First, the country is very vulnerable to the effects of climate change, both those projected to occur within its own territory and those in neighbouring countries. Bangladesh, for instance, with a population of 160 million people is extremely vulnerable to sea level rise. This, along with the growing intensity and frequency of cyclones and other extreme events could result in large numbers of migrants fleeing to India. Equally serious are the problems associated with glaciers melting in the Hindu Kush region. Most of the rivers in northern India originate in these glaciers, and a decline in river flows because of reduced glacial mass would lead to water scarcity for India and its neighbours. Climate change is also likely to directly affect agricultural production, because there is growing evidence that some agricultural crops are seeing a decline in yields due to climate change, most notably wheat crops grown in North India (H. Pathak et al. Field Crops Res. 80, 223–234; 2003). Consequently, India has a vital stake in the stabilization of Earth\'s climate system.
The climate is changing now
20 Oct 2009 |
Dr Leena Srivastava
| Financial Chronicle
In meeting after meeting in the international arena, Indian delegates have supported the stand of their government, articulated brilliantly in 1992 during the Rio Conference, that the developed countries are historically responsible for emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which have put planet earth at peril.
It is this historical degradation of our environment that has fuelled the economic growth of developed countries and given them their current income levels and, therefore, it is they who need to pay for the ‘clean-up’ — the polluter pay’s principle. We have also concurred with the equity principle that bestows an equal right to consume (or pollute) earth’s resources on every citizen of the world.
The disappearing deal: American obstacles in Copenhagen
16 Oct 2009 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| Newsweek
This December representatives from around the world will meet in Copenhagen under U.N. auspices to hammer out a new agreement for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and taking other measures to tackle climate change. The deal is expected to include a commitment by developed countries to pay for measures in developing states to adapt to the impact of climate change and to cut emissions, as well as providing them with easy access to clean technologies.
Growing Technology: Drought-proofing India needs us to get moving on biotech
14 Oct 2009 |
Dr Vibha Dhawan
| The Indian Express
The initial failure of the monsoon in large parts of India, and the subsequent floods in the South, are seriously affecting production of our major crops. Sugarcane is expected to decline by nearly 30 per cent in Maharashtra. Incomes of small rain-fed farms in semi-arid Andhra Pradesh could decline by 20 per cent under harsher climate, forcing farmers closer to the poverty line. Today, approximately 20-30 per cent of our production is affected due to extreme weather conditions.
Teaching sustainability values
07 Oct 2009 |
Dr Leena Srivastava
| Financial Chronicle
In a recent conference in Istanbul, a delegate expressed wondrous surprise that her three year-old daughter displayed concern for water conservation while brushing her teeth. She said that she would not expect such behaviour from older children or indeed adults. Her wonder would come as a surprise to most in the poorer countries of the world where conservation is a way of life … conservation of water, of energy, of space, of paper and so on are values ingrained in us from childhood. Don’t waste food, take as much as you can finish - a common diktat in most households. Share your meagre resources – a common refrain.
Revamp environment laws
05 Oct 2009 |
Mr Sakarama Somayaji
| Financial Cronicle
The Awakening, a science fiction novel by Risto Isomaki published in the late 1990 had a very interesting storyline. In it, the West Siberian permafrost and offshore methane hydrate deposits started to melt, releasing huge quantities of methane into the air.
And soon, people started to suffocate to death when the atmosphere became too poisonous for them. Purely fictitious at that time, but less than a decade later, I am not so sure. A sentiment also echoed by the author of the novel.
CSR and sustainable development
21 Sep 2009 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Economic Times
Capitalism and the role of private enterprise are currently being questioned across the world, particularly after the last year's economic meltdown and the current economic recession, which has gripped the world. Criticism, which appears largely valid, focuses on the factors that led to the current crisis.
There is now widespread acceptance of the fact that a lack of effective regulation of private sector activity combined with unethical decisions at the leadership level in the corporate sector have been the main cause of the current impasse.