Climate change and bengaluru

Jenny,

When we breathe we take oxygen and produce CO2 which is added to the atmosphere. Plants do the reverse at day under the sun light. Night they also add CO2 like us. We both plants and other mobile living creatures together thus are sustainable in keeping the balance of CO2 in the atmosphere. This is natural balance which has kept us going for some time. I am trying to explain that climate change is a global phenomenon. So it has already arrived in India from day one.

Al gore (1) “the inconvenient truth” CD and (2) Nobel Peace Prize speech of 2007 are good place to start with I think. The concept of “carbon credit” is the fundamental concept to understand.

It is a very good initiative you have taken. I appreciate and support the effort.

PSA 

Hi Jenny,

This is a very commendable idea to work on. It is also something that we need to address urgently.

I think this can work wonders if we can get people to understand what climate change is and how each one is directly affected. as you said "relate to climate change" is the key.

Right now, sadly people belive the climate change affects only the North and South Poles and maybe the polar countries. Hence they seem to ignore its consequences.

If we can somehow relate urban problems like Scarcity in Ground Water, Drought, Increasing Respiratory problems and other such, to a larger factor called "Climate Change" i think then people will start getting aware of it.

I think this problem needs to be attacked in multiple tones (to suit each segement.) The govt. needs pressures, force and strikes to get it into thier heads. Public need to be given more efficient, greener and cleaner alternatives and Incentives. Hence promoting CFL bulbs, rain water harvesting etc etc needs to be publicised. Asking the public to cut down on luxuies is a bit hard - but asking them to switch to a better option benefecial to them and the climate works much better.

The govt. meanwhile needs to be pressurized to enforce and implement laws. We have no conservation laws.

lastly the youth in India are very vulnerable. A good campaign, making Climate change be the "in" thing will automatically get a lot of support. Already "go Green" has become a fashion. If we could encourage this in colleges level, then it could be changing the future consumers.

Interesting Ad by greenpeace:

Narayan Gopalan
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore

It is easy to cultivate environmentally unsound habits and build your economy around that and then realize you are too dependent on that lifestyle to change. Oh wait that sounds like the US to me.

We are at a phase where we are ramping up our factors of production very rapidly. We have to do this sustainably. Build a clean habit that will make it less painful when we are at the brink. Rich countries have the resources to effect a change if they make an effort but poor and massive countries like India and China will find it hard to pump in resources to change track down the line. Dont we have examples in our traffic sense already? look how hard it is to bring people in line now after years of anarchy on the streets!

When countries change their practices they change it for themselves not for somebody else. So it behooves us to include carbon reducing lifestyle not for anybody but for our own sustainability. At least tomorrow other countries will not say, like we do at US now, look who is talking.

With GDP growth being at the centre of everything, it is hard to think of sustainability.  India will say that it can't afford to think about these niceties.  I say we cannot NOT afford to think about climate change given our dependence on the monsoons.  Last year we just about escaped.

As a young boy, I was reading somewhere that bad roads cause some Rs.900 crores of petrol losses or some such number and an equal amount of damage to vehciles and cause frequent repairs, etc.  I thought to myself - why is this such a bad thing.  If Rs.900 crores of petrol is burnt, that means someone sold and bought that petrol.  If more spares are used then some company profited from it.  In fact we should be happy we have so much waste.  Something was wrong.  It then dawned on me that we don't put a negative value to environmental degradation - that is for our children to sort out!  As long as someone else pays the price, nothing is going to be done. 

Srivathsa

So our excuse as a nation  is,

"When half our country doesnt get 3 square meals a day how can think of global warming."

To me they are 2 different problems that need to be looked at parallely. We have too many problems to solve them one at a time.

To me climate change comes above infrastructure, development, foreign trade/investment..etc. The top three problems (all with same importance) of our contry seems to be:

1. Poverty
2. Climate/Pollution
3. Corruption

And just for the record - but they time we get the entire national to eat 3 meals there will be no food left!

Narayan Gopalan
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore

This may be outdated, but some time ago, this is what I had  watched on US TV :

The Per-Capital emmission of harmful gases by each American was some 34 times as much as an Indian.

The Per-Capital emmission of harmful gases by each Englishman, about 18 times more than an Indian.

However, because of the very large population in India, it's total emmissions were high, & were increasing rapidly.

IDS - I have a copy of "An Inconvenient Truth" with me, too. You will recall that the figures quoted in the film were challenged in Britain as an exaggeration. Hence, I mentioned the stats that were shown by Fox News in USA (as best i can remember !).

To me climate change comes above infrastructure, development, foreign trade/investment..etc. The top three problems (all with same importance) of our contry seems to be:

1. Poverty
2. Climate/Pollution
3. Corruption

Since you have put poverty in your list you have automatically included infrastructure, development and FT/FDI. This is because the only way to eliminate poverty is to increase GDP and hence per capita. Which in turn depends on labour and capital. Infrastructure is capital and you need to put it in place to increase GDP. Foreign trade and investment is required to keep the countries balance sheet in check. Development happens when labour is employed in creating capital goods and services. So you cant wish any of these away if India has to eliminate poverty.

And just for the record - but they time we get the entire national to eat 3 meals there will be no food left!

:) you are beginning to sound like George Bush !!! Wasnt he the one who was complaining there was food shortage in US because we started eating more?

:) you are beginning to sound like George Bush !!! Wasnt he the one who was complaining there was food shortage in US because we started eating more?

I was implying that we won't have a planet to grow any more food !! Its a scary thought but I hear china is buying land in Africa so it can grow food for itself!

Look at the amount of Prime Agricultural land being turned into SEZs, IT parks - highways. Why can we build these parks where you can grow vegetation! Farmers are the fuel of the country and we rob their land in the name of infrastructure!

Bush is something else! His logic beats all rational methods!

Look at the amount of Prime Agricultural land being turned into SEZs, IT parks - highways

You have touched upon one factor of production which I ignored to mention because it is finite. The challenge for countries is to increase GDP considering this factor to be finite. The way China and India has to grow GDP has to be a little different considering this finite factor. I am doing a write up on thi in my blog... but I find myself dragged into macro economic strategy which is not my forte.. but I will post something soon to think about.. it will be out of topic on Praja.

I feel - that if anyone can get the basic - Roti Kapada and Makaan - that is the first level of poverty eradicated

How do you propose to provide everybody with roti kapada makaan? If you are thinking CPI style just hand out these items to them on a monthly basis, that is not eradication since it is not sustainable it is called dole. Dole is avoidance as opposed to mitigation.

However whether a sustainable population is more important than a sustainable earth is a moot point

Considering where we are heading, what will you do with a sustainable population that cannot sustain itself in 50 years time? The macro picture looks so bleak that it makes me want to go back to clamouring for dustbins and street signs for Bengaluru. It is easier to keep everything above the carpet look neat and tidy.

Ok, so what we need to do is really find out the root cause for poverty or unemployment. Is it population? - then we MUST tackle it.

I think, that one of the most impt factors is corruption and bad planning. Tribals, get thrown out of the forest (which was thier livelyhood) and are given some barren land - and asked to make a living out of it. Its like taking an Techie from the city, barring him access to the city, giving him a plot of land beyond byllakuppe and asking him to survive!

Second, so what happens to the "compensation" paid to those whos cultivable land is taken away from them for some mega-hyper-superfast-expressway/train? Firstly they probably loose 50% of the compensation by the time it gets to them, secondly what skills to they have to survive elsewhere?

Yes FDI and Infrastructure will help in eradicating poverty - but that cannot happen without eradicating corruption. Else they rich will get richer and the poor become poorer - which is what is happening. Minimum labour laws that state mnimum wages will help. Look at all the construction workers in the city - how much do they make and how much does the builder? Now, I'm not saying the builders is wrong.....but we dont have any laws to make sure that wealth can be spread equally. And if we do - then we have some corrupt babus who decide to ignore it.

Narayan Gopalan
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore

secondly what skills to they have to survive elsewhere?

Aha you are back to one of the factors, labour. Redeployment and employment is one of the variable factors. This is the only advantage India and China have over the other countries. It is important to choose a basket of products that can leverage the labour surplus with minimal retraining across product spaces. The current level of entreprenurship is grossly insufficient to get us to the levels of GDP we need to get us out of poverty. Capital expenditure to generate emplyment (NREGS is interesting in this aspect) and growing entreprenurial businesses in a carefully chosen product space which leverages the labour factor is the need of the hour.

Politicians just pay lip service & try to chant about the realities the world faces today. They cannot do anything else other than what's popular with the people. What our people collectively think & demand is ultimately what comes about. Unless our masses realize that we are on the brink of a serious catastrophe, we will not react & forge ahead of other nations.

Most of our people are ignorant about climate & environment. For the majority, survival itself is difficult, let alone worrying about such issues. Thus, we will continue our neglect of the environment & progress with doing our bit to save the environment will be very slow.

Undoubtedly the worst offenders are the US and EU..the big boys on the block as far as polluters are concerned. But, there are 2 bears around the corner that are barelling down at a rapid pace and will dwarf the big boys in 30 years if things stand currently where they are and nothing is done.

Particulate matter pollution amplifies global warming
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=109712
I am trying to dispel any myth there may be about how particulate air pollution affects climate change. As far as global warming and climate change are concerned, Diesel&Kerosene engines are as much a culprit as clean burning greenhouse gas emitting petrol engines.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3786067/
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/ships-are-a-major-source-of-global-warming-pollutants_10010920.html
Excerpt from above link -
"Also, black carbon or soot, which is another pollutant released by ships, can warm the air hundreds of thousands of times more than the same amount of carbon dioxide. This is quite alarming as black carbon may be responsible for as much as 25% of observed global warming."

We in India and China are looking at nothing short of a health and climate change catastrophe if air pollution (particulate matter & greenhouse gases etc.) & deforestation are not brought under control.

I guess the bottom line is the US and EU have to mend their ways drastically and China&India have to literally do a 90degree or 180 degree turn in the way they do things in order for there to be any significant impact in global air pollution and climate change.

As far as direct actionable items in Bangalore, the following need to be done -

- Green cover needs to be protected as well as expanded on a war footing via proper&effectively enforced urban planning

- Stricter pollution control norms should be established and enforced on industries as well as transportation . Especially 2 wheelers,
autos, public transport buses & trucks as these are big time culprits hand in hand with cars.

- Provide effective clean burning pulic transportation & mass transit and encourage it's use as opposed to using private vehicles.

- Most importantly control Bangalore's expansion through effective zoning and bye-laws plus enforcement of those bye-laws. Explore development of self sustaining neighbourhoods complete with pedestrian/cycle facilities, public transportation hubs, shopping facilities etc. which reduces requirements for motorized transportation as far as possible.
 

Any action to limit emissions without first building awareness may seem "forceful" to people & runs the risk of failure. The campaign, if started must begin with steps to create awareness, even amongst the very poor.

To overcome difficulties with this, a desi version of "An Inconvenient Truth" or entertainment that includes spreading the message about the current destruction of the environment is what is required.

If the leaders are serious, they could pass laws that make it mandatory for bollywood & other language films to include such educative content amidst entertainment instead of the excess idolization of glamour that is routinely being dished out.

People in Scandinavia, though responsible in part for the problems facing us today, are so aware about this important issue that even commoners amongst them argue with us about our subsidy for car fuel, lack of initiatives for cleaner mass transport, destruction of forests, etc.. Thus, it is obvious that the more successful emission control programs there happened in large measure as a result of efforts to create public awareness.

- Paint the roofs of your homes/office white 

How come white paint is not recommended for the mud block houses? paint is considered environmentally unfriendly. I find a lot of energy absorption with mud blocks not painted with a light color consequently increasing lighting expenses.

- Conserve fuel and reduce consumption of fuel ( walk/bike/take public transport as much as possible)
- Conserve electricity - since the maximum GHG emission comes from coal , reduce demand/switch to CFL,monitor my energy bill and bring it down by 25% 
-Conserve water - since the embedded energy in water is one of the highest in Bangalore atleast reducing demand for water/harvesting rainwater/reusing greywater reduces carbon emissions
- Turn a vegetarian as far as possible ( go figure that one out :):)   )
- Plant trees and ensure they grow
- Paint the roofs of your homes/office white 
- Reduce paper consumption/recycle paper - subscribe to less magazines/ignorance may be carbon saving if not bliss :)
- Lead a lifestyle that uses less materials - less is more
- Reduce packaged food/eat fresh food and vegetables preferably grow them yourself
-  Take a train instead of a plane when you can 

Come to think of it even if I dont save environment atleast I will save some money by doing most of the above. :)

Obama on his discussions with Manmohan Singh at the G20

 We talked about a whole range of other issues related to, for example, energy and how important it is for the United States to lead by example in reducing our carbon footprint so that we can help to forge agreements with countries like China and India, that on a per capita basis have a much smaller footprint and so justifiably chafe at the idea that they should have to sacrifice their development for -- for our efforts to control climate change, but also acknowledging that if China and India, with their populations, had the same energy usage as the average American, then we would have all melted by now   ...

...  In some ways, our -- our European counterparts have moved more quickly than we have on this issue, but I think even the Europeans have recognized that it's not easy. It's even harder during times of economic downturn.

There is going to be a cost associated with growing the economy in an environment friendly way and it has to start with the regulators and Govt being aware what it is and how it needs to be driven. At the same time push for per-capita measurements globally.