A Planetary Adjustment: The Hindu Editorial on India’s Clean Energy Priorities

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, perhaps in his first address on the subject of the environment this year, remarked that the planet was not “fragile”, but people and his commitment to the conservation of nature. From James Lovelock’s Gaia hypothesis – which presented nature’s interconnectedness – to Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen, who warned that chemical wastes were altering the planet’s atmosphere and causing harmful climate change response effects, many has made the case that humanity is in the Anthropocene epoch and is like a geological force shaping the destiny of the planet. However, it gives the distorted meaning that it is a vaguely defined ‘planet’ that needs to be protected, a notion reinforced by apocalyptic documentaries on melting glaciers.

The truth is more complex. Human adoption of agriculture, the dominance of wheat and rice as food crops, and the clearing of forest areas led to large-scale changes in the global climate, although their effects were only apparent over the centuries. The onset of the Industrial Age and the use of fossil fuels caused atmospheric changes, relatively speaking, in the blink of an eye. What these two eras have in common is that the people who suffer the most are the poor, or those who have the least agency to protect themselves from turbulent nature. Last year, rock and snow avalanches destroyed two hydroelectric projects in Uttarakhand and caused deaths. The geology of the Himalayas, scientists have long warned, makes the region inhospitable to major mega-engineering projects and has been repeatedly underscored by numerous floods, landslides and earthquakes. But when the earth rearranges itself, it does so in such a way that it can be disastrous and fatal to those who are least responsible for creating imbalances. Thus, if “fragile” refers to a brittleness requiring care, it is more likely to be people and animals in need of protection than a vaguely defined ‘planet’. India’s position of climate justice is that the right cannot be denied to rely on polluting fossil fuels to improve the living conditions of most Indians with limited access to reliable energy. Thus, India will continue to set coal plants on fire, destroy forests for industry and build roads in horrific geology – in other words, climate-risk the lives of millions of vulnerable people in the pursuit of economic growth. India’s commitment to Net-Zero is set in the future 2070s. Unknown unknowns characterize climate science and India, given its size and population, would be disproportionately vulnerable. It must accelerate and prioritize the transition to energy sources that are minimally disturbing to the natural balance because – and the science on this is certain – the planet, which may be incomprehensible at present, will remain in its current state for a long time. will overtake the residents.