Praful Bidwai on global warming and India

In a candid interview with the author, eminent scholar and environment journalist, Praful Bidwai reveals the major concerns and solutions to bring global warming under control, required amnedements in government plans and India's development

CJ: Mini Kumari

Sun, Jun 28, 2009 12:03:36 IST

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Environment News :

IT IS an old interview, dating some three years back, done with eminent scholar Praful Bidwai, who was kind enough to spare some time out to discuss on global warming and how the world is ignoring it.

Mini: How is global warming affecting the environment today?

Bidwai:There are three very obvious signs of degradation of environment like the erratic weather pattern, melting of Arctic caps and the gathering of dust clouds over Southeast Asia, India and China. Global warming has led to extreme, events like snow in Dubai and warm winters in Europe, receding of glaciers in Himalayan and Tibetan regions. This is a irreversible phenomenon and the effects are already visible.

Mini: Is its impact visible on local and international level?

Bidwai: The impact is clear and growing rapidly. Some of the biggest contributions are from the fast growing economies like India and China. It’s not a favourable sign for our part of the world. The sinking glaciers would lead to flood, affecting the crop production. Even the monsoon behaviour has become unpredictable than before. The floods in West Bengal were an obvious sign to the looming imbalance in the environment. The rate of production of crops like wheat and rice has gone down by 10 per cent in the last three years. The year 2006 was the hottest since 1880. Coastal areas like West Bengal, east coast and Maldives are vulnerable to increase of water level due to melting of ice caps. As a result economy will be disrupted.

Mini: Development is being done at the cost of environment? What another alternatives are available for them?

Bidwai: Emphasis needs to be laid on conservation and strict punishments for over energy consumption, discouraging private transport by taxing and encouraging public transport as it can reduce the pollution and CO2 emitted from numerous vehicles. The luxury goods like AC, refrigerators, Plasma TV (they consume nine times power) should be taxed and instead local indigenous system of cooling should be encouraged.

Mini: Can India afford these alternatives? What problems are there in enforcing it?

Bidwai: India can afford these alternatives. New laws and regulations must be introduced to bring the situation under control. Instead of doing lip-service on the issues regarding environment, the government must focus on alternative means of power generation like wind and solar. If done so, it’s possible to generate 60 per cent more output using wind. The irony lies in the methods taken by the Indian government. The government, reportedly, spends 3000 Euros for obtaining subsidy on three per cent of nuclear energy. Alternatives are available, but we are not looking at it.

Mini: How do you think international efforts like Kyoto Protocol and Montréal agreement will help to reduce global warming?

Bidwai: Most industrialised nations have not agreed to the post-Kyoto agreement. The US will be first to face pressure to control global warming and there will be urgency only if India and China agrees to the target.

Mini: As an environmental journalist, do you think the government is doing enough to control global warming?

Bidwai: No, the government is not doing enough. It has openly welcomed capitalisation without thinking of its impact on the environment in the long run. Less taxes on luxury goods in India has a negative impact on the environment, as its popularity has led to increased usage among the middle–class, which forms the largest section of the society. Despite introduction of CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) as a substitute for petrol and diesel, all the gains from 18,000 public buses run on CNG is lost to the toxins emitted from three million private vehicles.

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