What can we expect from the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban? Nothing worthwhile, said activist and political analyst Praful Bidwai on Tuesday. The Kyoto Protocol could be killed at the conference. The onus is now on the Centre to work on policies to protect the people, he said.
“Move away from ‘GDP-ism’, tax luxury consumption, and encourage public transport. We have to make tough choices with the commitment to equity in favour of the poor,” he said at the launch of his book The Politics of Climate Change and the Global Crisis: Mortgaging our future.
“Goods sold in the country are not as power efficient as they are elsewhere. Monitors, fans could be run on fewer watts than they are now. Coal-fired power for ACs just doesn’t make sense. It is not sustainable. The country needs tough remedial action,” added Bidwai.
At the core of India’s attitude to climate change is inequality. “Inequity is written into the story of climate change in India,” he added.
Sanjay Biswas, professor emeritus at IISc, said the global crisis is much bigger than crisis of climate change. The world is divided into two camps —haves and have-nots. India is in an advantageous position and can move towards reliance on renewable energy sources.
“That the country is still not completely connected to the national grid provides it with an opportunity to develop projects that give clean energy,” added Bidwai.
However, the country should steer clear of nuclear energy, which is expensive. Only India and China promote nuclear energy at enormous risk to their people, he said.
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