Climate change is not about change in temperature or rise temperature. Climate change is about economic growth. It is about politics and political negotiations said the Director of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Sunita Narian. Thus, tackling the loop holes and path to development of the each country will determine the global climate change. She added that it is an irony that the world held numerous dialogues as early as 1980s yet nothing much has achieved so far in practical. The issue of global climate change is actually becoming more complex and is expected to continue further. With the more and more economic growth and re-industrialization taking place across the globe, the emission rate is expected to increase in future. Mr. Chandra Bushan, one of the environmentalists with the Centre for Science and Environment presented a paper on how the emissions can be reduced? Mr. Chandra Bushan talked on the options and alternatives to reduce the emissions. According to him, the major alternatives to reduce the emission are:
1. By using the renewable resources or increase the energy efficiency…. That is to increase the mileage of the auto used. Energy is still very expensive….. eg. Cold thermal , it can be done by the using more of these appliances
2. Agriculture by storing the co emission in the soil.
3. Tropical forest is more in storing the carbon but temperate not.
4. Replacing indecent with incandesant tubes by fluorescent tubes or bulbs. Potential
5. Co benefits projects, deforestation reductions. Any carbon storage technology is more expensive and is not feasible
6. Use of nuclear is middle
7. Cement manufacture options in technology
8. Grassland management
9. Convert pasture land into forest.
Many experts and journalist expressed the concern that these options are still very expensive and realization will still take time. For instance today, according to the Director of CSE, Sunita electricity cost in India is Rs 3.5 per unit and solar is Rs.17 per unit making affordability an issue. What about the lower class people? Mr. Bushan said that 39% of India’s primary energy comes from renewable energy. He however said that because of chulhas of poor or cattle rearing since the emit black carbon. It is also the case of other countries in the South Asia.
Some of the jounralists from South Asia raised why do we worry more than industrialized country on climate change impacts? The experts explained that it is because, the impact is more and coping capacity is less and South Asia is monsoon dependent. The experts also said that it is also because South Asia one of the hotspots.
According to the Framework for the global agreement, the industrialized countries by 40% by 2020 but it still remains an issue, which is highly driven by the commitment of the leaders. Politics and climate change in the South Asian country with the political conflicts. Did the political conflicts affect the negotiations on the climate change? This region as whole is definitely affected by the political differences. For instance Bangladesh is known to get a lot of financial assistance from the European countries and need not take part in the issue in the region. But the reality is that since the region is all connected and share a common boundary needs to sort out the political difference to address the issue. The Sharing growth: the emissions are linked to growth. Sharing the growth by reducing the emissions by each share holder to make sure that there is less reduction and more growth is the condition in this case. Initials go down and growth increases. There is no economics on the subject but it is possible. For instance Chinese economy being stable but reducing the emission, that is sharing the growth.
On the science and Impacts of the climate change in the South Asia Dr, Shilash Naik, Secretary of Down to Earth said that “it is an interactive with different components and these interactions in total makes the climate change. Biota, water, air etc are components. It needs a minimum of 30 years and maximum is million years. There is always a effect of the climate change and it is already happening and one example is the collapsing of the infrastructures”. Mr. Saran is the negotiator in India said that “the region is interconnected and thus important for all the countries to work together. We are now negotiating the new climate change in Copenhagen soon. Kyoto protocol” The experts said that the Bali action plan says that the climate change is more dangerous so we need to enhance the provisions such as mitigation ie. to reduce the emission, adaptation and even the science, adequate financial support. Multinational conference at the Copenhagen summit is to bring all these elements. It must be fair and equitable. None of the conventions provision has been achieved so for. The minimum requirement to prevent the irreversible climate change is to reduce emission at least 40% by the developed countries.
The discourse also took place on the fianancial aspects and the climate change. Many said that climate finance is obligation and thus needs to deal separately. However, the experts warn that the finance should not be donated instead has to be as per the priority of that country. Capacity: There has to be global capacity to develop a global mechanism to deal with the climate change. There is has to be technology transfer. Many developed countries do not want to sign a legal framework. Technology: the way is to open the market and have a IPR protection. Climate change is right to grow.
These were some of the discussions that took place the Convention Center in New Delhi during the Media briefing Workshop on Climate Change on 27-28 August 2009. More than 200 journalists, scientists, experts and policy makers participated in the two day conference. It was organized by Center for Science and Environment, India.
Compiled by Sonam Tshering in Delhi
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