SHILLONG: Governor K.K. Paul has suggested the need to incentivize economic policies that promote measures for energy conservation, renewable energy, soil conservation, afforestation and more effective and affordable access to clean water.
“This would impact all levels of Government, including local bodies, which face mounting challenges in delivering better access to potable water, better solid waste management and enhanced, but green, local infrastructure,” Paul said while delivering his inaugural address during the two-day international seminar on ‘Green Economics: The Road to a Balanced and Healthy Economy’ here on Thursday.
He, however, observed that securing the environment is critical for India’s future generations, and not just a matter of international commitment.
The Governor said that a degraded environment reduces the quality of life for all citizens, but the impact is particularly pronounced on the poor and vulnerable groups, as it is they, who suffer the most from degraded access to clean water, air and sanitation, as well as from climate shocks.
While referring to the recently released United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report titled ‘Climate Change 2014: impact, adaptations and vulnerability’, he said that the report has highlighted how rampant and unequivocal climate change is, exacerbating the vulnerability of agriculture and livelihoods through water distress and temperature fluctuations.
“It clearly indicates that Asian countries are at high risk in the coming years and will witness extreme weather events like floods, cyclones, cloudbursts, unseasonal excessive rains and drought,” he said while adding that the findings make it amply clear that the government would need to prioritize on challenges of food-energy-water (FEW) security and reduce the high dependence on thermal power and oil imports.
Paul felt that India would have to mainstream collective mitigation and adaptation strategies towards climate change like incentives for low-carbon technologies, cleaner fuels, phasing out old polluting technologies, a fresh look at the subsidy regime and real time weather data for farmers.
“The IPCC report perhaps is a timely reminder for the government, and industry, where the government needs to take an integrated approach to energy and climate policy,” Governor said.
He also said that corporates need to evolve and manage carbon and climate risks, thus transitioning to a low-carbon economy.
“We as individuals need to assume responsibility by changing our personal behavior, habits and purchasing decisions, to reduce our personal carbon footprint. Raising the ambient temperature of ACs from 26° to 27° itself will save a lot of energy, for instance,” Paul observed.
The Governor also observed that Indian economy faces considerable environmental risks due high population density and economic dependence of more than half labour forces on the natural resources. Earlier, while delivering the keynote address, Prof. Graciela Chichilnisky of Colombia University, USA, said that human being is facing a huge threat of becoming extinct due to its own creation.
“The biggest challenge now for mankind is to fight against this threat,” Prof. Chichilnisky said.
While stating that more than 90 per cent of the living beings have become extinct, she said that even life in the sea is getting extinct.