— Sharanya Kannan
Tick, tock, tick, we just lost a tree. Statistics says that we lose an area of primary forest equivalent to a football pitch every six seconds. The spectre of climate change haunts us today and deciphering this environmental catastrophe is unthinkable considering the amount of cooperation and coordination that is required. In a world where we have gotten so used to the comforts that technology has to offer which make our lives easier, will we step out of our comfort zone and make inconvenient lifestyle changes? Has climate change crossed the tipping point of reversibility?
The generic way to answer the pressing question of combating climate change is by proposing solutions like reduction of fossil fuel usage, less pollution, afforestation and a cut on chlorofluorocarbons and other greenhouse gases. However, are these feasible solutions that we can implement in the twenty-first century? The conditions of our lives are defined by the comforts we can afford and flaunt. This material desire to have more than want we need will be the death of us, as Gandhiji said, “The world has enough for everyone’s needs, but not for everyone’s greeds.” The possible apocalypse, as a consequence of climate change, is not going to make us change our living habits. The notion of “one person doing it is not going to make a change” prevents us from proportionately consuming our scarce resources. So here are some large scale and small scale measures that we can implement to prevent or stall climate change.
Firstly, the carbon dioxide levels in our at sphere are increasing and this is attributed to the conversion of verdant jungles to concrete jungles. The government could incentivise the growth of cover crops to promote carbon farming. This process helps retain the carbon content in the soil rather than releasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This increases the water retention capacity of the farmer, prevents soil erosion and increases the nutrient content in soils, thus making fertilisers redundant. Adopting vertical farming is a good way to increase green cover despite the lack of area. Here plants are grown on vertical surfaces in rows and there is a common pipeline that helps in irrigation. Countries such as Netherlands and Singapore have inculcated this practice.
Secondly, the Kyoto protocol of 1997, which India has ratified, has introduced the concept of carbon pricing. This consists of Emissions trading system and Carbon tax. The former establishes a cap on the total carbon emissions that can be generated and industries are given certain limits. However, if one industry emits below the credit and another emits above, then the latter can buy the former’s excess credit and release carbon into the atmosphere. This system of trade keeps atmospheric carbon under check. Gujarat has implemented this cap and trade pilot programme which is India’s first emission trading programme. It is time we extrapolate this to the rest of the country by providing firms with carbon credits which is a permit representing the ownership of one metric tonne of carbon dioxide equivalents. This can be exhausted or traded.
Carbon tax refers to a direct price on carbon. We could also indirectly place a carbon tax on fossil fuels to make the shift to renewable energy faster. The additional price that people will have to pay along with production costs will make them rethink their manufacturing methods because at the end of the day all of us possess a capitalist mentality and wish to maximise our profits. Carbon offsets are a healthy way of encouraging the population to be prudent. Here people are given offsets for good deeds like planting trees or cycling and they can cash in these offsets when they are taking a plane or performing an activity that contributes to global warming.
Next, the paramountcy of sustainable development is highly applicable to the present because the choice between the environment and economic development is seen as a tradeoff. The unequal distribution of wealth among the population is a hindrance to achieving sustainable development goals such as poverty eradication, literacy and sanitation. Constructing a community in an undeveloped location without disturbing its ecosystem is one such idea that can capitulate economic development along with a persisting environmental status. This makes us more judicious and does not compromise on the opportunities available for future generations giving them a clean and green environment.
The problem with India is its population explosion, as a consequence of which there is poverty, hunger, lack of sanitation and inequality. It is actually the people who contribute the test to climate change that bear the worst brunt. Poor people from rural backgrounds barely emit any greenhouse gases but are the ones worst hit by this catastrophe. It is well to do people’s actions that are constantly exacerbating the situation and contribute to global warming. This results in an increase in temperature and economically able people deal with this by the press of a button to switch on the air conditioning, this is ironic because this very act contributes to climate change even more. Economically weaker sections have no amenities to help them through these trying times. The same logic can be applied to other living creatures like plants and animals who have lost all agency since when human beings have taken over. We live in an anthropocentric era where human actions have transformed the world to what it is today and the role that animals used to have has now changed and is highly mediated and altered by human behaviour. Thus it is safe to say that climate change is a product of human greed.
Next, we should focus on reducing global warming by resorting to renewable energy sources. There is so much potential for solar, wind and tidal energy to be harnessed. India is already making strides in wind energy which is evidenced by the numerous windmill farms in Tamil Nadu. It will do us good if we develop a way to dispose of nuclear energy because a minute amount of uranium has the potential to power a city for a few years. It is predicted that a full-fledged climate crisis will strike us by 2030, so we should divert our technological prowess to capitalise on renewable energy sources. However, there is also a political bottleneck. Chinese companies produce 72% of the world’s solar modules and 45% of their wind turbines. India’s diplomatic relations with China is not at their Zenith. Thus, climate change is not only an environmental struggle
Additionally, is climate change just a one-off issue that leads to Utopian aftermath? Let’s think of this hypothetical situation where we have prevented climate change and it is no longer an agenda on our list. Firstly, there is always a possibility of a replacement where we revert back to old methods and the battle has to be fought again. Secondly, many countries are not ready for this change. Saudi Arabia, for instance, has most of the world’s oil resources and the income it generates from selling oil is used to finance the economy. It does not tax its citizens because of the surplus it generates from selling black gold. Shifting to renewable resources will generate a whole new crisis for them. They have to structure their economy and deal with other concomitant problems at the earliest to ensure a smooth transition.
In conclusion, the catastrophe of climate change can be combated. The COVID 19 pandemic is a silver lining and lifeline that we should hold onto as it has helped the environment rejuvenate and has also opened new avenues such as video calling to substitute conferences that require people to take flights and travel to different cities. Climate change is a transnational phenomenon and tackling it calls for international cooperation. Now is not the time to point fingers at developed countries and blame them for it. It’s time we accept reality for what it is and tailor our life accordingly, if not there will be no life to live.
Design by Rohit G
Edited by Madhumita R
Article 19 