The Hindu Business Line : Environment: Time is running out

Thanks to the 2007 deliberations of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change, there is now lot more awareness on the problem and the fact that we do not have much time to address it.

Bhanoji Rao

Volcanoes never give notice of their eruption so impossible to estimate the extent of destruction. The same is true of environmental degradation. We never know when we will pay the price and how much.

There is one difference though. Volcanic destruction is purely local, with some, often moderate, effects across a nation or region. Environmental degradation, however, could have global consequences and hence the responsibility for taking care of the environment is with both individual nations and global institutions.

Useful MOSPI Publication

We should acknowledge the work of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) in bringing out a comprehensive document, Compendium of Environment Statistics, though the latest available version refers to 2000. A reading of the Compendium will be of great benefit to each and every elected representative, civil servant, and graduate student. At the minimum, those who count should read at least portions of the document, which has in all seven chapters and an appendix. It is, as one would expect, rich in statistics, though they are somewhat dated.

For most people, development is what counts and what must. Quite rightly, development is translated as more buildings and highways via forest clearing, industrialisation and urbanisation, extended agriculture and crop diversification, more industries, better and more furniture and fixtures via timber extraction, etc. All these, however, have significant environmental impacts, as the Compendium neatly indicates in a tabular statement.

Forest clearing and land resettlements could lead to direct reduction in forest cover, extinction of rare species of flora and fauna and also the creation of conditions for the growth of mosquitoes and other insects with potential health hazards. Industrialisation and urbanisation often leads to air and water pollution.

Air Quality in Cities

Ever increasing and polluting industries and motor vehicles have been creating unacceptable air quality in our metros and other cities. One important agent of air pollution is the Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM). Low, moderate, high and critical levels have been specified by the environmental authorities. Data collected in 2002 for major cities indicate that the RSPM levels were critical in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, while the levels were on the high side in Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Most recent information for February 2007 (from the Ministry of Environment and Forests) shows that against the national standard of concentration of 100µg/m3 for RSPM, the levels in Delhi and Mumbai averaged 175 and 291 respectively. In February 2007, addressing a legislators’ conference on climate change at Washington, Sir Nicholas Stern, the author of a 2006 report on the subject, declared that India and other countries in the sub-continent stood to suffer the most from global warming.

‘Stern’ Warning for All

As explained by Sir Nicholas to his audience, global warming will cause torrents during the wet season and dry rivers will bring drought in the dry season. Thus, both rural and urban areas of India will feel the adverse impact. In his report, Sir Nicholas notes that due to rising temperatures, the Himalayan glaciers could melt and millions in India and several million in China might be adversely affected. There could be changes in the rainfall pattern and affect the livelihood of farmers and people at large. Another 2006 report by the Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation of the Australian government warned of the likely rise in temperatures up to 2 degrees C by 2030 and as much as 7 degrees C by 2070.

Many reports over the years have sought substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, especially in the wake of surging rates of economic growth in China and India. Despite the entry of the two populous actors on the global scene, it is well known that the major culprits are the industrialised nations. The fact is fully corroborated by all available evidence on emissions data. The UNEP’s GEO Yearbook 2007, for instance, provides the following per capita carbon-dioxide emissions in tonnes: 19.8 in North America, 8.3 in Europe, 7.2 in West Asia, 2.6 in rest of Asia and Pacific, 2.4 in LAC and 1.1 in Africa.

Thanks to the 2007 deliberations of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change, there is now a lot more awareness on the problem and the fact that we do not have too much time to address it.

Development and Environment

All evidence undoubtedly points to the extraordinary responsibility of the industrialised nations in reducing emissions. Also, it is not fair to impose universal and common constraints on all countries, since development and poverty alleviation has top priority for developing nations such as India and China. Yet, all countries have the responsibility to work towards policies and measures that would ensure environmentally friendly developmental initiatives. Two examples would suffice to illustrate this point in the context of India.

First, we use a lot of coal for power generation and it is pointed out that the electricity extraction rate is low compared to levels achieved elsewhere. In an instructive article in The Hindu (June 30, ), Dr M. R. Srinivasan (form er Chairman and now member of the Atomic Energy Commission) notes how plant size makes the difference. Reducing coal usage is also possible with intensified use of alternative sources of power generation.

Second, there has been an explosive growth in the motor vehicle population and the high rates of growth will continue in line with expected high growth of the economy. Similarly, there is likely to be high growth of pollution prone chemical and other industries. Policing of pollution from vehicles and industries is too lax to expect major changes in emissions from those sources.

Incentives and disincentives have to be used and price mechanism galvanised to address the problem. For example, battery operated or LPG based vehicles should attract concessions and petrol vehicles should be taxed heavily. Environmental concern and actions to reduce emissions are not just national issues; they in fact define our relationship with those now growing up.

(The author, formerly with the National University of Singapore and the World Bank, is Professor Emeritus, GITAM Institute of Foreign Trade, Visakhapatnam and Visiting Faculty, Sri Sathya Sai University, Prashanti Nilayam. He can be reached at bhanoji@gmail.com)

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