Greenhouse gas emissions in many industrialized countries are decreasing due to a global economic crisis. India is among the few countries that are still growing and polluting more–and rightfully so, says Indian environmentalist Sunita Narain.
 | Sunita Narain, Director of the Centre for Science and Environment and the Society for Environmental Communications"The most difficult aspect of climate change is that it is about sharing wealth." (Photo: Allianz) |
In the face of a global economic crisis, many governments seem torn between economic development and environmental protection. What is more important?
I don’t think we need to make that choice. I think we can have economic growth with environmental protection, but if we do not have environmental protection, we will not have long-term economic growth.
The more the environment degrades, the more people suffer, because people live off their environments, and when they do not have the basic needs like water and firewood, they get poorer.
But I think the bigger connection is wealth and environmental degradation, because so far, we have found only one way of becoming wealthy, and that is by degrading the environment. Once we start understanding that we can have growth and protection, then we can make sure that we don’t blow up our planet.
Despite the crisis, India is still growing. Can this growth be powered in a climate-friendly way?
I think that it is possible for us to find a different way, and for the first time, because of the economic crisis, my own government is realizing that other countries don’t have the answers, and that maybe we can think differently.
India is not so badly affected by the economic crisis, because in some senses, we have tried out a different way of growth. We have depended more on agriculture, we have built resilience in local communities, and we are not too export-oriented.
The Indian government and our policymakers have the chance to invent a new model of economic growth that builds the well-being of large numbers of people; not the wealth of some - a model where we will not first destroy the environment and then invest in cleaning it up. If we can do this, then we will actually leapfrog to new, cleaner technologies.
The possibilities are enormous. The question is will India do things differently. And that is the big question for the entire world, because everyone is talking about it. and still the actions don’t match what needs to be done. We have to do something, but we don’t seem to get our act together.
 | A view of the Corus steel factory in IJmuiden, India owned by Tata Steel, one of the world's biggest steelmakers. Along with its economy, India's greenhouse gas emissions are growing steadily (Photo: Reuters) |
What is the most important environmental challenge in India?
To my mind, it is the issue of water. We will have a massive water crisis all over the world, but particularly in a country like India. And climate change makes it even worse, because we get a change in the monsoon patterns. The monsoon is India’s true finance minister; so much of our wealth and economy depends on the rain it delivers.
It is going to be very hard if we don’t make sure that every community has a tank and a pond to capture the rainfall, and that every city does not waste water and pollute its rivers.
Do you already see impacts of climate change in India?
Definitely in our part of the world, we can see the effects of climate change. The monsoon patterns are changing and we are seeing more extreme weather events. That is making people’s ability to cope very difficult, because if you cannot predict your rainfall, how do you plant your crops? How do you now when to harvest? How do you know what your options are? That is a very tough thing for people who are so dependent on nature.
So yes, in our parts of the world, we can see it. In other parts of the world, you might not be able to see it today. The question is should we really wait for the catastrophe before we do something?
India has been criticized lately for blocking emission reduction targets for developing nations. Will this change?
India must keep on insisting that the West has to take deep cuts. And I think India is very right in demanding a fair way to share the atmospheric space. The most difficult aspect of climate change is that it is about sharing wealth. It is about sharing economic growth. It is easy to talk about it, but it’s difficult to do it. So India will keep on asking for its fair share, even if the rest of the world is blaming India for blocking.
Negotiations for a new climate treaty are underway. What do you expect of a “new Kyoto Protocol?”
I definitely want from Copenhagen a very firm, clear commitment from the industrialized world on how they will cut their emissions by 30 percent by 2020. It should be done through domestic action, not through offsets, which really means coming up with a clear roadmap on how to make the cuts.
I also want in Copenhagen a framework which pays countries like India and China so that they can leapfrog dirty technologies, mitigate emissions, and invest in new technologies. And I want an adaptation funds so that the world commits itself to paying the victims of its own excesses. These three issues should get done.
But I don’t think we are close to it. In the 90s, Europe was with the good boys in climate, but today, when you really have to do something, Europe is dragging its feet. And whether it is President Obama or President Bush, we know that the economic interests in the U.S. are very tough on these issues.
The rich world is extremely reluctant to give up its space, and I feel that all we will get in Copenhagen is more finger-pointing at India and China. We are the bad boys; we will need to be lectured. We know what we want. It is not unjustifiable, but everything is being made today to avoid what clearly needs to be done.
editor: Thilo Kunzemann
publishing date: March 17, 2009
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