BW Communities

'Green Growth Needs To Be Broken Down'

BW Online Bureau Nov 08, 2014

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[R.K. Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Director General of The Energy and Research Institute (TERI), spoke to BW's Yashodhara Dasgupta about where India stands in the context of sustainability and the biggest opportunities that are yet to be tapped into Where does India stand when it comes to sustainable development? India has a long way to go. We've followed the path of development that's been followed by the rich nations which is of course, very different. Perhaps it's suiting or suited them but our case is different. We are major importers of fossil fuels. If we continue with our dependence on these imports, there are implications that we have to consider. Our levels of air pollution are quite horrible and we have widespread poverty. Alleviation of poverty is extremely important for sustainable development. Our forest cover has to be increased — it is inching forward. Over the years they have been degraded. Our rivers are terribly polluted and can't sustain any life. If you look at these indicators and trends, we certainly have a long way to go. What are the areas we should work on? We have to start on various fronts. And while in some cases, one may follow another — given the diversity of challenges — in others; they have to be tackled simultaneously. We certainly need to correct out pricing distortions. There are some subsidies which are actually perverse such as kerosene, LPG, diesel. You look at the lack of investment in public transport. We have to come with models that ensure public good. So we need more investment here. Our rivers need to be cleaned up. I think the costs that are imposed on account of our rivers being totally polluted is very high. Water-borne diseases are the biggest killers in this country. Unless we clean up our ground and surface water, the impact on human health is going to get progressively worse and thus, costs will go up sharply. So I think there are a number of things we need to do and we don't have the luxury of waiting for one or the other. We have to do them together. Where is the Indian private sector in terms of sustainability? Which sector has the most potential in this regard? The private sector has to be a part of this. All stakeholders — government, civil society and businesses — have to work towards creating sustainability, together. There are many success stories. There are many businesses that are visionary and have taken steps that may not make immediate financial sense but would certainly lead to benefits overtime. The one sector where there is enormous potential for improvement is the buildings sector. Our buildings are by and large energy inefficient and given the technology that exists — much of which has been developed by TERI — there is a lot we can do in this sector. Even in terms of reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs), the scientific evidence is very clear that the building sector provides you with and enormous opportunity. This has to be done very quickly and not just at the national level. It must be done at state government and local governments levels too because by-laws and regulations are essentially in the hands of local governments. We need to empower and train them. We also need to train our architects and builders because a lot of them haven't had any formal education on some of these aspects of building and construction. How much has the concept of green growth been embedded in policymakers? At the moment, there is acceptance. But there's greater acceptance than understanding. We need to explain to policymakers and businesses what green growth is like. As it happens, there are a large range of options that we have which are negative cost options: that is, you can actually make or save money or the cost is very little, thus the returns are very attractive in financial and economic terms. Green growth needs to be broken down to see what can be done sector by sector. That's where the intellectual community needs to come into the lead to make assessments on what the choices are for different sectors in different activities. All of these when aggregated national roadmap on how we should proceed. What are the new technologies you're looking forward to for the purpose of mitigating and adapting to climate change? Technological opportunities exist across the board. In the building sector there are immense opportunities. For instance, I don't understand why in a city like Delhi every house should not have a water heater. The technology is there. Perhaps the manufacturing base has to be widened but all of that will happen when you regulations by which a market develops. An example is water pumps, which are highly inefficient. If they were to be replaced by superior models, energy consumption would improve significantly. Our study with the Jal Nigam in Delhi and other cities shows that there are many opportunities here. So it's as much an issue of choices as it is an issue of the policy that would drive you to the right choices. Isn't natural gas polluting? If natural gas leaks from the pipeline, then yes, it adds to GHGs. But if you're making a comparison with coal, then from an industrial point of view, it's far cleaner than coal because for every unit of heat, it emits much lower levels of GHGs. What's your opinion on Durban? I wish that discussions in Durban there were more discussions on the scientific findings we have on various aspects of climate change. If that had happened, perhaps we would have had an outcome that was a little more ambitious. It's not for me to comment on what happened at Durban. This is what the negotiators wanted. But my concern is that action on climate change has to be driven by the knowledge of science of climate change.