India’s position on climate change has come under close scrutiny in the recent past, most notably during US secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s visit.
The issue of climate change is emotive and must necessarily be seen in the right context if we are to make meaningful progress towards a solution to this complex problem. It requires us to answer several questions, many of which will have no clear answers.
Firstly, any discussion on climate change needs to examine if there are other social benefits of industrial growth, which might be as important as ensuring that climate change is minimized.
Secondly, are the main perpetrators of environmentally unfriendly actions powerful companies and the well-heeled, or are they actually disadvantaged groups, which might not be well placed to adopt green practices? We run the risk of creating a sense of security that something is being done by placing the onus primarily on industry and private citizens when the government should really take the lead in this regard.
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Finally, what can a government in a developing country really do given the political and economic realities on the ground? We believe that addressing these issues can focus us towards what is realistic and achievable.
Climate change supporters rely on a moral high ground which seemingly pits climate change against industrial growth, as though the two are polar opposites. This position ignores the very real soft benefits that industrialization can provide to poor nations.
Green concern: Small farmers and people in the tribal areas have been as culpable in damaging the environment as the polluting factories. Rajkumar / Mint
While there can be some criticism of the contribution of American style consumption to the environment, it is also now well recognized that countries that have adopted the US way of life have also enjoyed a range of socially beneficial outcomes. These include the increased empowerment of women, a reduced incentive to turn to violent activity and a greater support for democracy.
As Thomas Friedman notes in his book—Hot, Flat, and Crowded—access to energy, often seen a cause for climate change, also has substantially beneficial features, by enabling access to education and healthcare. Most notably over the long run, the wealth created by industrialization and consumption also results in reduced population growth, a trend which can only help the battle against climate change. It is moot whether, when one balances these multifarious benefits of economic growth, the case for imposing climate change related limits remains quite so unambiguous as the green brigade might suggest.