Skip to main content

India's GHG emission may 'soon' become second largest in world: CJI told to intervene

Counterview Desk 

Shankar Sharma, a senior power and climate analyst based in Karnataka, in a letter emailed to Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, even as expressing concern over “climate emergency” looming large over India, has said that there is a “massive societal concerns over the pollution/ contamination of air, water and soil in the country.”
Referring to his earlier emails to the Supreme Court as also senior officials of the Government of India on “concerns of the people over the alarmingly deteriorating environmental condition in the country which can be associated with potentially enormous consequences”, Sharma apprehends that while India’s total GHG emissions is already the third largest, the current growth trajectory suggests “India can soon become the second largest emitter after China.”
According to him, while China, UK, EU, Japan and South Korea have joined over 110 countries that have set net zero green house gas (GHG) target for mid-century, “there is not a single projection or policy of our country which may even remotely indicate that India’s total GHG emissions will be reduced even by 2040/50.” 
On the contrary, he says, “The draft national energy policy, 2017 projected that energy related Emissions per capita will increase from 1.2 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent/capita in 2012 to 2.7-3.5 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent/capita in 2040.”

Excerpts:

The UN secretary general has recently said on the existential threats associated with climate change. He has urged all countries to declare climate emergencies. Such a message indicates the gravity of the situation at global scale, and needing concrete measures by every government. At least 38 countries have already declared such a state of emergency.
Recently, the UK announced that it would seek to cut emissions by 68% (compared to 1990 levels) by 2030, and a few weeks earlier, China announced that its emissions would peak by 2030, and reach net zero by about 2060. But it is sad that India has not yet deemed it necessary to declare a climate emergency or a commitment to reduce its total GHG emissions even by 2040. This scenario throws up the question whether the Union government does not see any serious threats to its communities, especially the poor and the vulnerable sections, from the looming consequences of climate change?
China, UK, EU, Japan and South Korea have joined what the UN estimates is now a total of over 110 countries that have set net zero targets for mid-century. Together, they represent more than 65% of global emissions and more than 70% of the world economy. One environmental observer has noted: "To stand a reasonable chance of hitting the 1.50 C target we need to halve total emissions by the end of 2030, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.”
The UN says it wants to see coal phased out completely, an end to all fossil fuel subsidies and a global coalition to reach net zero by 2050. This scenario requires at the global level that on an average every country (certainly the larger polluters like USA, China, EU, Russia, Brazil, India) has to halve the country level emissions by 2030.
But there is not a single projection or policy of our country which may even remotely indicate that India’s total GHG emissions will be reduced even by 2040/50 (at least, such indications are not visible in the public domain). On the contrary, the draft national energy policy, 2017, had projected that “Energy related emissions per capita will increase from 1.2 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent/capita in 2012 to 2.7-3.5 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent/capita in 2040.”
For a population of about 1.35 billion, which is expected to reach about 1.5 billion by 2050, such a projection shall mean that the total GHG emissions of the country can be about 2.0 - 3.0 times more than what it was at 2012. It is safe to state that there is no single economic policy indication on the horizon that in a business as usual (BAU) scenario, the total GHG emissions of the country by 2030/40 will be anything less than that in 2012.
In view of the fact that since this draft national energy policy has not been finalised yet with modified projections, or since there are no policy statements to show that the consumption of fossil fuels will be considerably reduced by 2040/50, it is but natural to project that India’s total GHG emissions will not be consistent with the global requirement. India can be said to have failed to seriously consider an economy-wide-net-zero target, which will be a major concern very soon in the international arena.
India’s total GHG emissions is already the third largest, and with the same growth trajectory and because of its vastly growing population, India can soon become the second largest emitter after China in the context of total GHG emissions. Such a scenario can neither be in the interest of global efforts in combating climate change, nor in the true interest of our own communities; because such a vast level of GHG emissions at the country level should also clearly indicate the alarmingly deteriorated status of natural resources, on which our communities depend so much for their day-to-day needs.
There is no single economic policy indication on the horizon suggesting total GHG emissions of the country will go down by 2030/40
There will also be massive international pressure on India to reduce its carbon footprint, and in such a scenario the country will be forced to take drastic, urgent, and unpopular measures to reduce its total GHG emissions, which will bring enormous misery to our people. Hence, there is a critical need for the country to gradually but resolutely move away from coal/fossil fuel reliance as early as feasible, and to take the stakeholders into confidence on all the associated policy implementation measures.
In this context, it can be safely stated that even if our political leaders refuse to objectively consider safeguarding the true welfare of our communities from the looming threats of climate change, India cannot afford to continue to ignore the consequences of enormous pressure from the international community w.r.t our GHG emissions.
The above mentioned concerns of the people are supported by the relevant provisions of our Constitution:
(i) as per the sections 48 (a) and 51 (a) (g) of our Constitution it is the duty of the STATE and every citizen to make honest efforts to protect and improve our environment by protecting and improving rivers, lakes, forests and living beings;
(ii) the letter and spirit of the water Act of 1974 and the Air Act 1981 are hard to notice in their compliance in the power sector;
(iii) even if we consider the relevant Acts of the Parliament pertaining to the electricity sector in isolation of the other sectors of our economy, it is almost impossible to notice the compliance of the letter and spirit of Indian Electricity Act 2003, and National Electricity Policy as far as salient features such as efficiency, economy, responsible use of natural resources, consumer interest protection, reliable supply of electricity, protection of environment are concerned.
The various associated concerns expressed by some of the leaders of our country such as yourself, the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, and some of the Union ministers, while also advocating an early move for our country from the existing over reliance on coal power to a green energy-based economy, may not lead to any discernible action at the national level because of the continued reluctance/ insensitivity of the government to objectively consider such advises.
Many representations to the Union government. in this regard have not evoked any response so far. It is becoming increasingly evident that the looming and dire consequences of the fast-deteriorating environmental conditions in the country can be satisfactorily addressed if and only if the hon’ble SC of India intervenes urgently so as to make the government take adequate and urgent actions to minimise the GHG emissions as required by the UN.
In this larger context, may I request that this email appeal may kindly be treated as a public interest litigation, and that the Union government be asked to declare climate emergency as called for by the UN Secretary General, and also to implement adequate policy measures to minimise the total GHG emissions in the country, thereby also protecting the natural resources in the country?

Comments

TRENDING

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Central pollution watchdog sees red in Union ministry labelling waste to energy green

By Chythenyen Devika Kulasekaran*  “Destructors”, “incinerators” and “waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration” all mean the same thing – indiscriminate burning of garbage! Having a history of about one and a half centuries, WTE incinerators have seen several reboots over the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. 

First-of-its-kind? 'Eco-friendly, low cost' sewage treatment system installed in Gujarat

Counterview Desk Following the installation of the Unconventional Decentralized Multi-Stage Reactor (UDMSR) for sewage treatment, a note on what is claimed to be the  first-of-its-kind technology said, the treated sewage from this system “can be directly utilized for agricultural purposes”, even as proving to be a “saviour in the times of water crisis.”

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Indo-Bangla border: Farmers facing 'illegal obstacles' in harvesting, transporting yields

  Counterview Desk  In a representation to the chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, human rights defender Kirity Roy, who is secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), has said that Border Security Force (BSF) personnel are creating "illegal obstacles" for farmers seeking to harvest their ripened yields and transport them to the market in village Jhaukuthi of Cooch Behar district.

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

Wasteland, a colonial legacy, being used to 'give away' vast tracts to Ratnagiri refinery

By Fouziya Tehzeeb* William D’Souza, a 55-year old farmer from Kuthethur, Mangalore, was busy mixing cattle feed when we arrived at his doorsteps. Around 25 km from the bustling city of Mangalore, Kuthethur is a lush green village with thick vegetation. On the way to William’s house the idyllic view gets blocked by the flares and smoke arising from the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL).

CAA disregards India's inclusive plural ethos, 'betrays' ideals of freedom struggle: PUCL

Counterview Desk    "Outraged" at the move of the Central government to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA 2019) weeks before the election, the top rights group, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has demanded that the law be repealed. 

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Invincible, Modi 'taller' than BJP, RSS: An opportunity for Congress beyond 2024?

By NS Venkataraman*  With the announcement of poll schedule for the 2024 parliamentary election, there is palpable excitement and expectation amongst the countrymen  about the shape of things to happen in India after the  results of the election would be announced. There is also speculation abroad about the future course of developments in India.