Honest Review: The Climate

By: Anagha Vinay

Climate Crisis is entangled with every aspect of our lifestyle. The Climate Transparency Report is a comprehensive annual review of the state of climate performance of the G20 nations. Its assessment includes 100 indicators for climate adaptation, risks, protection, and finance. The G20 countries coming under this are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.

The report shows a comparative analysis of the climate actions taken by these nations to achieve a net zero emissions economy. It is a global partnership with a shared mission. It is a concise report developed by experts from 16 partner organizations from the G20 nations. The 2022 report theme is ‘G20 response to the energy crisis: Critical for 1.5°C.’ It bridges climate emergency to the energy crisis.

According to the 2022 report, climate change has had a massive impact across G20 countries with wildfires, heatwaves, tropical storms, and rising global emissions. Exploiting our environment for development at an unsustainable pace left us blind and deaf to the wailing cries and consequences of the ecosystem, and now the tables have turned. It is not Mother Nature who is pleading, it is us. We don’t have a choice, but to act, immediately. In this time of crisis, there are going to be no more excuses, and there are going to be no next times.

The report shows that the prices of fossil fuels rose exponentially in the second half of 2021 mainly as a repercussion of the Russia-Ukraine war. China, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom have the highest total fossil fuel consumption and production subsidies. Energy emissions were found to have rebounded across the G20 countries by 5.9 percent last year, returning to the pre-pandemic levels. In 2021, emissions in the power and real-estate sector were higher than pre-pandemic levels. The per capita emissions in these sectors in China and Turkey are currently higher than in 2019 levels. However, the share of renewables in the power generation mix has seen an increase in all the G20 countries between 2016 and 2021. Countries with the highest increase in renewable energy share are the United Kingdom (67 percent), Japan (48 percent), and Mexico (40 percent), and the lowest increase are Russia (16 percent) and Italy (14 percent).

India has suffered the highest heat-related labour capacity reduction, nearly 167 billion labour hours, resulting in a financially crippling loss of about 5.4% in the GDP, equivalent to $159B. India even witnessed reduced wheat crop yield due to record heat waves. It is estimated that around 142 million people or 10 percent of the population of the country may be exposed to summer heatwaves at 1.5°C. India stands third among the G20 nations with high methane emissions, with a soaring 10.5%.

Climate Action Tracker statistics have rated India’s overall climate action efforts as highly insufficient. For instance, the average temperature experienced in the summer of 2017-2021 has been recorded to be 0.4°C higher than the 1985-2005 global mean temperature increase. About 33% of the country is drought-prone, and approximately 50% of this area faces chronic droughts. This, right here, is the Code Red for Humanity. But there’s still so much we can do, together. This is why we need to be out there, making our voices heard as one, louder, and stronger than ever before.

Real change will happen when the concerns of all the vulnerable groups have been addressed and every possible action has been taken to protect our ecosystem. This is the need of the hour. Let’s join hands and be a part of this. Let’s strike to make them listen to us. Let’s strike to make them act. Let’s strike because now the time has come, when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or fully in measure, but very substantially. The real change is coming. All we have to do is be in this fight for what is just, and we shall triumph.

Arrey Forest: Native Environment vs Rigid Headway

By: Gaurpriya Singh Roy

“The Earth has enough resources for our need but not for our greed.”

This most often quoted phrase by Mathma Gandhi depicts his concern for nature and the environment, which initially gives a warm idea of how he envisioned the future generations to tend Mother Nature. Through the eyes of a man whose primary focus is development, it is condescending to believe he would even consider the existence of nature, wildlife, or anything that disturbs or is an obstacle to his developing habitat.

Let’s talk politically. 

In 1991, in his budget speech, finance minister Manmohan Singh declared: “We cannot deforest our way to prosperity, and we cannot pollute our way to prosperity”. These were his prescient words. While India had strong environmental legislation even in the pre-1991 era – the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, Water Act of 1974, Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, Air Act of 1981, and the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986 – this ‘Environment vs Growth’ debate has become much more salient in post-reform India. 

For instance, problems, and thus environmental issues, have entered the mainstream. As the pressure on the environment has increased with development, environmentalism has evolved from an ‘elite’ issue discussed in seminars and conferences to a real issue affecting people’s daily lives, health, and livelihoods. Consider the water table declines and extended droughts in Vidarbha and Bundelkhand. 

For example, water logging in Punjab’s Malwa region has harmed the livelihoods of over 2 lakh farmers, or the pollution caused by unrestricted mining and thermal power generation using low-quality coal in Chandrapur, Maharashtra which causes 10,000 people to become ill with respiratory conditions each year. Also, considering the pollution of the Ganga, where effluent and sewage treatment capacity cannot treat even half of the flow. 

Second, there has been a surge in organized environmental advocacy. The Rio Convention (1992), the Kyoto Protocol (1997), and the subsequent ritual of annual climate change summits culminating in the Paris Agreement (2015) have elevated the environment’s global profile. In India, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have used Public Interest Litigation (PILs) and Right to Information (RTI) as practical effective tools for mobilizing action. As a result, no self-respecting government can now be accused of being soft or insensitive to environmental issues, at least in rhetoric.

Third, judicial activism has gained traction. The Supreme Court established a quasi-judicial body called the “Central Empowered Committee” (CEC) in 2002 to “monitor the implementation of the Hon’ble Court’s orders and place reports of non-compliance before the Court” concerning forestry issues, giving the committee broad powers. Since then, CEC has been an active watchdog on forestry issues, working quietly and efficiently. In popular perception, it was judicial action that forced the government to convert the entire fleet of buses in Delhi to CNG in 2001. A series of impromptu interventions by the court culminated in establishing a National Green Tribunal in 2011 as a professional empowered judicial body to adjudicate environmental and forestry-related cases.

As a result of these developments, the latest fad is “balancing” growth and environmental protection. This is a breath of fresh air in vocabulary. But have we discovered the proper mechanisms for striking such a balance? 

Not yet: Environmental issues are hotly debated, from the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant to Kanpur’s polluting tanneries. Over the last few years, the National Green Tribunal has heard over 1,600 cases, which is only the tip of the iceberg.

Thus, at what cost do we proceed with our buildout? 

Toward a brighter future for the upcoming generations to look at should be our prime focus rather than handing them a world full of concrete and rust, we should keep our center of attention towards providing them with a new and nourishing environment where their minds and body thrive with health and joy rather than forcing them into a world where they know no humble but only brutal growth.