Opinion

Lead by example on climate change

10 Aug 2007 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Sydney Morning Herald

One of the most serious aspects of climate change is the equity dimensions of the problem. The largest responsibility for the increase in concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere lies with the developed countries, but the worst impacts and the highest vulnerability applies to several developing countries.

The Asian megadeltas, which include cities such as Dhaka, Kolkata and Shanghai, would be some of the most vulnerable spots against the projections of sea level rise, with prospects of coastal flooding and other serious consequences that would affect a large number of people and property.

What the climate change implies

17 Jul 2007 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| Business India

In the last few months, there has been an escalation of interest on the part of the public, relating to the global threat of climate change. This has been brought about by a series of developments and events, such as the impacts of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as well as other extreme events in several parts of the globe, the advocacy of several political figures who have been at the forefront of defining the challenge of climate change and, of course, most recently, the release of three working group reports, as part of the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC.

Indian shopping malls are not environment friendly: Pachauri

27 Jun 2007 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| Indiaprwire

Gigantic shopping malls that are mushrooming across India's big and small cities are 'environmentally disastrous', says Rajendra K Pachauri, chief of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

'The shopping malls in India are environmentally disastrous and their designs are not suitable for India's climatic conditions,' Pachauri, who is also director-general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), told IANS in an interview.

The bigger challenge

17 Jun 2007 |
Ms Mili Majumdar
| Business India

In the 18th century Amber fort in Rajasthan, you'll find landscaped gardens, shaded arcades, light finishes, thermally massive walls, jali walls for ventilation and to control daylight. Over the years\his traditional wisdom has been lost and we have become dependent on energy intensive air-conditioning, and lighting to meet our thermal and visual comfort needs.

Security for India

17 Jun 2007 |
| Business India

The issue of energy security in India is quite often considered synonymous with the issue of oil security for the country. While the geopolitical implications of growing demand for hydrocarbons and increasing dependence of the country on oil are important, energy security in India has to be viewed in the context of primary energy supplies, both commercial and non-commercial. It should not be limited to the concerns about availability of hydrocarbons alone.

Industry in context of its watershed

13 Jun 2007 |
Dr Kapil Kumar Narula
| Business India

Water is a finite resource that needs to be shared between industry, the people who keep industry moving and the environment that sustains the whole process. Watershed, a natural habitat of water, is an area of land that drains water, sediment and dissolved materials to a common receiving body or outlet. The term is not restricted to surface water runoff and includes interactions with subsurface water and groundwater. Watersheds vary from the largest river basins to just acres or less in size. If we imagine a maple leaf the stalk of the leaf is the river and the veins threading into the stalk are the tributaries flowing into the river. The complete leaf represents a river drainage system, or watershed.

Did G8 achieve anything on climate?

11 Jun 2007 |
Dr Leena Srivastava
| The Economic Times

The agreement to "seriously consider" a halving of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 by the G8 countries can, in the context of the stone-walling being done by the United States on any climate targets, be seen as a significant step forward. The adequacy of this longer-term step, with no immediate or short-term commitments to alleviate the risks posed to developing countries from the committed climate change, is highly questionable.

Climate change: Pachauri moots new crop pattern

25 May 2007 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| Deccan Herald

More hot years. More extreme weather events. More species on the vanishing trail. More health problems. Less food to eat.

Reiterating what he called the "horror story" to a small audience at the Bangalre International Centre was Dr R K Pachauri, none other than the man who helped script it, or rather put the global warming story on the front page. As chairman of the International Panel on Climate Change, Pachauri has played no small role in the panel's four assessment reports which have looked into the various aspects of global warming.

Times of a nation

24 May 2007 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| Indian Express

Introduction of two time zones would be a very small step in facilitating efficient use of resources in the power sector. But today every little bit would help

The deficit in supply of electricity against demand in the country is affecting the economy adversely. While estimates of the cost of electricity shortages vary from 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent of the GDP, even more serious is the enormous loss of human welfare on account of an erratic and unreliable supply of power. While official figures indicate a peak shortage of 13.9 per cent and energy shortages amounting to 9.3 per cent, the recent performance of the power sector does not provide any assurance that relief is in sight. One basic flaw lies in the sole emphasis on adding supply capacity without adequate regard to bringing about efficiency improvements and implementing measures for demand management.

It's not cricket

26 Mar 2007 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Indian Express

The 2007 World Cup in cricket is likely to go down in history as a tournament that all lovers of the game would like to forget, essentially for the dark shadow cast by the murder of Bob Woolmer, one of the most likable persons in the game. This tragic killing brings to the surface only a symptom of all that's gone wrong with the game of cricket across the world and more particularly in India and Pakistan.