Yesterday I went to one of the best one day symposia I have attended, a gathering focused on India and Climate Change. I am glad I attended because it gave me insight as to what role India can and should have in the global debate over environmental policy. Too often, global political leaders and environmentalists lump together China and India when they discuss what these nations should do in combating climate change.
This is unfair. Indians emit carbon per capita at a rate that is a sliver of those who live in East Asia and the West. India is also a large, complex democracy where edicts from above will not just get the job done. Finally, the world needs to engage India, not just disparage it. There is hope; perhaps better coal technologies can help light up India to a more promising future; and the innovation seen in India’s tech sector could be transferred to more renewable forms of energy as the nation’s coal reserves are not infinite.
I met some fascinating people there, so expect more on India in the coming weeks!
[...] energy with intermittent quality and reliability, as well as serious health and environmental concerns. The lack of reliable light at night affects young students’ ability to study and these find it [...]