Climate change: Dangerous radicals are everywhere... direct and to the point

By Shankar Sharma*
The latest edition of a magazine “Climate News” has a few interesting items. It is interesting to note what the UN Secretary General is reported to have stated:
“Countries that are increasing production of fossil fuels are ‘dangerous radicals’. That was António Guterres’ take on the latest UN climate science report..”
This is pretty direct and to the point. Even a global diplomat such as the UN Secretary General seems to have run out of patience with various country governments. Anyone with sensitivity towards global welfare can only be expected to feel so frustrated. Which countries he was referring to? It should be pretty obvious India must have been one of the few countries at the top of his list of such dangerous radicals.
Our MoEF&CC was reported to have resorted to patting itself on its own back by alluding that the recent IPCC report has appreciated India’s efforts. The UN Secretary General’s statement seems to sum up the scenario a lot better.
Now the question is: since India also has signed off on the latest IPCC report, can we expect MoEF&CC to come with a point wise response to every recommendation of relevance to India?
Whereas many of the environmentalists have been advocating much higher focus on Demand Side Management (DSM) for many years, it is probably the first time that a credible global agency such as IPCC has provided emphasis on DSM. 40-70% cut in emissions is projected to be feasible by DSM alone, as per IPCC. Is it not very striking? It should also mean much less pressure on land, forests, fresh water sources, materials, pollution/ contamination with cascading positive effects on human health. What else is needed from the overall welfare perspective of human kind?
According to IPCC WGIII, The emissions cuts that could be achieved by reducing energy demand across all sectors by 2050 compared with projections based on current policies is 40-70%.
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*Power & Climate Policy Analyst

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