Should India Focus On Development or Climate Change?

Impact on environment due to economic growth and infrastructure development is inevitable. But then the question is what do we chose? What route do we take? Or, do we strike a balance between the two and surge ahead making India a nation that has the creative capability to address the issues of concern simultaneously? Do we have the political will to do so rising above the petty vote bank politics and display a true sense of nationalism? Philosophically, until and unless every individual is transformed and becomes aware of his/her responsibility from within, this appears to be a herculean task.

In the recently concluded UN Climate Meet at New York, on September 23^rd, 2014, the concern expressed by all the participants was about the dire consequences that climate change will have on the security of future generations and on vulnerable ecosystems.

The development of infrastructure involves significant investment in assets which last over a long period and often sits within wider ranging plans for development. New infrastructure development can bring significant benefits, including the opportunity to build in such a way as to meet the challenges posed by climate change and to enhance sustainability. It can, however, also have significant costs on the environment, both in its construction and use. Some costs can be addressed and reduced through the planning and design processes and opportunities should be sought to maximise both direct and indirect benefits.

UN Secretary General Banki-Moon has once again given a clarion call to all the global leaders to make ‘ climate change’ a top priority. While it is of paramount importance to find a smart and pragmatic solution to the real problem of global warming, top leaders of developing and some of the developed countries do not subscribe to this idea. It is a known fact by now that the world does not place global warming on the top of their agenda. According to the survey conducted by ‘The World We Want’, more than 4 million people from different countries across the world gave importance to better education, better healthcare, less corruption, more jobs, affordable housing, good food, and nutrition and as priority number 17, the global warming appears.

Why should it be surprising? About 1.2 billion are still living in poverty and they need economic growth. Over the past 30 years, China has lifted 680 million people out of poverty line and this is one of the biggest poverty reduction rate ever achieved through a systematically planned economic growth schemes and programs. Interestingly, a new study by the Center for Global Development shows cost of focusing on renewable. Spending 10 billion US Dollars on renewable energy in Africa can lift 20 million people out of poverty. But the same 10 billion spent on providing gas would lift 90 million out of poverty. Thus, insisting on renewable energy means deliberately excluding 70 million people in poverty.

According to Bjorn Lomborg, director, Copenhagen consensus center, “…But in a world where million die each year from burning firewood and dung cakes in open fires inside their homes, while poverty, lack of clean drinking water, infectious diseases, poor education and too little food afflict billions, we cannot with straight face claim that climate should be our top priority.”

This brings me to the recently launched ambitious and novel ‘Swachha Bharath’ movement by our PM costing 62000 crores. The movement envisages having clean India by 2019 including rural sanitation under ‘Nirmal Bharath’. This shall remain on paper as a photo opportunity unless systematic and scientific waste disposal mechanisms and procedures are evolved and implemented with immediate effect. To me, focusing on development, economic growth, waste/risk/disaster management, enforcement of strict laws in respect of air and water pollution, conservation of water, recycling of waste, sufficient electricity generation using clean energy options, reduction in corruption, are the points to be on the agenda of our climatic response. The key would be probably in developing a common model that can be applied to all types of infrastructure. Once the model has been developed, the subsequent step will be to identify the environmental and sustainability impacts that can occur at each key stage in the lifecycle of a project and then to strategize a solution.

As in the past, this issue of Built Expressions comes to you with a feast of articles including a special guest editorial by Architect Naresh Narasimhan, exclusively penned for Built Expressions.

Ajit Sabnis