Impressive moves

Nagpur is taking a lead to become the first solar city in India by 2012. Just launched is an ambitious programme of development of solar cities. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy proposes to develop 60 such cities during the 11th Plan Period. At least one city in each state to a maximum of five cities in a State will be supported by the Ministry.

The objectives are to meet the peak electricity demand of cities, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and expensive oil and gas for energy and to promote increased use of renewable energy.
Up to 10 per cent of energy consumption of the city will be met through renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. Fifty per cent of the cost will be shared by the Ministry.

The ministry plans to develop two cities as models in this regard, providing Rs 9.5 crore for the same after a master plan is submitted by the applying city. Great!

Going one step ahead, Himachal Pradesh is coming out this March with an environment master plan on climate change towards becoming the country’s first carbon neutral state. Setting up of an environment fund, a voluntary initiative has already helped the government to generate awareness about serious affects of environmental pollution. The drive to undertake an environment audit of all government departments and CFL scheme has invoked a positive response.

Payment for Environment Services(PES), an issue which Himachal Pradesh had raised with the Planning Commission, after its team visited Costa Rica to study the country’s model, has received endorsement from environment experts. The state plans to adopt technological interventions for reduction of Greenhouse gas emissions from sources such as industrial, business, residential, automobiles, energy, landfills and agriculture sectors.

It also aims to mitigate emissions through undertake conservation strategies such as afforestation programmes, promoting use of renewable energy, meeting energy requirement from the hydel power, biomass rather than fossil fuels, recovery of energy from the waste and to prevent change in forest land use, etc.

Impressive. What else can one say? In a nation which has for long been using the excuse of development to delay emission mitigation, such actions are laudable. It raises questions like: why should ecological concerns be seen always as opposing development? Isn’t there some definition of development we need to rework in an economy where people in the BPL levels don’t seem to reduce?

Is it a great achievement that a farmer sports a mobile phone? Ok, he has access to markets but what about access to good hospitals or education? The costs are far too high. Forget the farmer, even the urban middle class is finding the costs of basic essentials prohibitive.

Let us know what you think.

Meanwhile, a recent survey study, by HSBC’s Climate Partnership , has noted that nearly 45% of Indians surveyed view climate change as a higher priority than economic turmoil. However, what is being done is not much. In a report titled, “Green India Standards” published by the Institute of Financial Management and Research, Indian states were evaluated on an Environment Sustainability Index based on performance based indicators covering components such as environmental stress, environmental governance, and population pressure. Overall, only a handful of India’s 28 Indian states achieved a high ESI ranking.

Possibly it is the dual control over some subjects by the state and centre that hampers states from acting in a sustainable manner. Perhaps localized decision may be best as they are more in touch with the pulse of the stakeholders, resources, etc. But if the HSBC survey is anything to go by, it is time our governments woke up to the job.

Do we merely become stragglers in the green movement or take a lead?