The sustainability imperative
The world is on an unsustainable path. Policymakers, research institutions, industry and environmental groups should cooperate to create a low-carbon economy
The first Earth Day was celebrated on March 22, 1970, almost a year after man first landed on the moon. In the decades that followed, earth’s other close neighbour, Mars, has been visited many times by unmanned spacecraft. NASA aims to send humans to Mars in the 2030s and its fitness for hosting human colonies is being assessed. This is an exciting scientific quest but somewhere in this endeavour lies the recognition that we may be pushing the earth to a point where an additional home may be required.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which tracks and predicts the effects of climate change, reports that extreme weather is increasing the frequency and strength of heat waves, droughts, floods, and wildfires, impacting species and plant life. Data from the India Meteorological Department reveals that 2016 was the warmest year for India since weather data began to be recorded in 1901. The data also reveals that India’s top five warmest years since 1901 have been recorded only in the last 15 years.
While India’s per capita emissions are among the lowest in the world, in absolute terms India is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world behind China and the US. More importantly, between 2000 and 2012 India’s emissions grew at an average of five per cent, compared to a global average of two per cent.
The facts on climate change can turn one so gloomy that one can overlook the infinite potential of human ingenuity and the power of science to combat almost any challenge. McKinsey has famously noted that much of the technology needed to curb climate change already exists. It is most evident in areas like renewable energy, where rapid improvements in technology are bringing down the costs of solar and wind power significantly.
Unfortunately, most cost-effective technologies have not yet been fully exploited. It is important to develop a global carbon pricing system to ensure that climate protection is introduced in a systematic and cost-efficient way. There are ways to introduce economic mechanisms that bolster, rather than thwart, competitive markets. These must be found.
To a large extent it is the private sector that will design and implement a low-carbon economy. Like the last century, many technological innovations will come from the private sector. What is needed now is leadership in action: Demonstration and replication of systems that operate in low-carbon, resource-smart ways.
A key place to start is cities. Rapid urbanisation is one of the most serious challenges confronting India. It is estimated that by the year 2030, 590 million Indians will live in urban areas. This rapid urbanisation will spark a construction frenzy and an exponential increase in the number of residential and commercial buildings. As buildings consume an estimated third of global final energy and create a fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions, it is imperative that superior insulation solutions and building material along with efficient building designs, be deployed to help reduce energy requirements significantly.
More can also be done to decrease the energy and carbon-intensity of the building process. For example, the cement industry is responsible for approximately five per cent of human-induced CO2 emissions globally. Specialty construction chemicals today allow incorporation of high levels of recycled materials — such as fly ash and slag — in concrete, thus lowering cement content. Replacing cement content with recycled ingredients lowers CO2 emissions associated with the manufacturing of cement, an important step in building low-carbon, highly liveable cities.
Transportation is another target for carbon reductions, as it is responsible for an estimated 14 per cent of GHG emissions. A range of technologies that boost efficiency in the transportation sector already exist today: Lightweight engineering plastics help reduce the weight of vehicles and thereby increase fuel efficiency. Emission control catalysts break down hazardous exhaust fumes, hence reducing air pollution. Electric vehicles reduce dependence on gasoline. Supportive policies to speed the deployment of such technologies would benefit the environment enormously.
Energy-intensive industry also must change course. An estimated 21 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to manufacturing primarily from burning of fossil fuels. Novel processes in integrated production facilities allow the waste heat of one plant’s production process to be used as energy in an adjacent plant. Large production facilities today have started adopting such processes, thus avoiding both costs and emissions.
The world is currently on an unsustainable path. It is important that policymakers, academia, research institutions, industry and environmental groups step up their cooperation to lead the world to a low-carbon economy through research and innovation. It is easy today to get overwhelmed by the challenges that we confront. However, technological innovation presents opportunities for the private sector to play a lead role. Working together, we can — and will — curb the danger of climate change and create the foundation for sustainable growth in India.
It is the private sector that will design and implement a low-carbon economy. Many technological innovations will come from the private sector