There is no single right track to development: Paul Shrivastava

What is the mandate of Future Earth?
Future Earth will be an international hub to coordinate new, interdisciplinary approach to research on three themes: Dynamic Planet, Global Sustainable Development and Transformations towards Sustainability. It will also be a platform to ensure that knowledge is generated in partnership with society and users of science. 
 
What are the challenges before you?
The challenges are to deliver water, energy, and food for all by understanding how their trade interactions are shaped by environmental, economic, social and political changes. We also need to build healthy and productive cities by shaping innovations that combine better urban environments with declining resource footprints. To decarbonise socio-economic systems, safeguard terrestrial and aquatic natural assets and promote sustainable rural futures, sustainable consumption and production patterns are also our focus areas.

How do you plan to achieve these?
We wish to achieve these by stimulating debate, illustrating good practices and mobilising capacities for solutions-oriented science, technology and innovation, fostering collaboration among national and international agencies, creating a critical mass of scientists, policymakers and civil society.
 
Sceptics insist that fear of global warming is a little exaggerated. 
 I disagree. There is very good scientific evidence that human activities are the cause of climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the National Academy of Sciences of many G-20 nations have published several reports summarising this scientific evidence. So, people who disagree are not “sceptics”, they are climate “denyers” and the denial of this reality is often tied to non-scientific considerations. 
 
Which countries according to you are following the right track to development? 
 There is no single “right track to development”. Every country has to make changes suited to its own economic, social and political conditions. Many countries have recognised the need to move from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the need to conserve water and other ecosystem resources, the need to eliminate poverty and reduce wealth inequalities. Most countries are coming together this September to agree on Sustainable Development Goals. This is the right track, not just for individual countries but the whole world. 
 
Do you think that the victims of Bhopal gas tragedy got justice?
“Justice” is a complex concept and takes many forms.  From some perspectives what constituted justice was the fact that the Supreme Court settled the case between Union Carbide and the Government of India many years ago. Many victims have not received adequate medical services or economic compensations that they consider just. My own position is that the effects of the disaster were not sufficiently understood scientifically; there was lack of medico-legal documentation of effects on the victims, there were inordinate delays in providing compensation and other help to victims. These inefficiencies and insufficiencies corroded the quality of justice for disaster victims.