It is not acceptable altogether
This was what India’s Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Montek Singh Ahluwalia had to say, rejecting the UN Development Programme (UNDP) report that India should reduce it’s carbon emissions by 20% by the end of 2050 to tackle the issue of climate change.
Well, we, as a nation, have the right to defy anyone bullying us, especially on matters such as carbon emissions. And as he rightly pointed out, no one, including UNDP has the right to make any recommendations in matters of such ‘national’ importance! Well, sort of. That is assuming we clean up our act ourselves.
One wonders what gets folks at UNDP doing what they do? In relative terms, the West has done most of the damage since the industrial revolution and world wars. The Russians and Americans continue to out-emit everyone one-on-one. And, for all the moral platitude, countries like Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Spain etc, have consistently exploited this planet for over a century in the name of progress, industrialisation, packaged food, energy exploration and exploitation! Now that countries like India, and China have joined the bandwagon, everyone (the West) cries foul!
What’s funny is the mention about China. The report states that Chinese are the largest emitters on this planet. This does sound skewed. considering the fact that one should look at the consumption side as well, and not the production side alone. Most if not all, of what the Chinese produce is consumed by the West. They are just the smoking kitchen, the dirty laundry room! So, where on earth have the West reduced their emissions? They have just moved their workshops to China. And, that’s easily explained by China’s trade surplus that seems to be doubling every year! In the first 9 months of 2007, they’ve soared to over $187 Billion. And, despite startling human rights abuses, no one dares speak against it, but that’s for another day.
Thanks to Western influence and eroding Indian values (which I believe are environment friendly at their core), we are living in times when every Indian seems to feel ‘Entitled’. True, that this also means we are spending, consuming and contributing to the mess at a startling rate. Then again what could one have expected. You take a country that’s dated Socialism for long, and have it wake up to free markets, capitalism, shopping malls, and multiplexes. People are are too busy experiencing it all, to be bothered about rights and wrongs.
And, when it comes to making commitments to reduce our emission levels by 80%, it’s wrong timing! We are just about beginning to consume! If push comes to shove, we have statistics. It’s simple. We have over a billion people. Only a small percentage of Indians have the wealth to splurge, hence the ability to contribute to emissions. So, the ‘average’ Indian will never be able to out-emit the average Westerner.
Coming to think of it, as long as we have a good number of ‘have nots’, the smaller percentage of ‘haves’ can continue to drive gas guzzlers, and sip soda out of aluminium cans sans guilt. And, as long as we do not make a fuss when the West decides to drill for oil in the Arctic region, we can all pretend like everything is just fine. In truth no one’s bothered about the environment. No one’s bothered if we move people in to whatever little we have left of our forests and pillage it all. No one’s bothered about the tiger! Maybe one should just finish off with them. Why pretend to care!
Viva styrofoam cups and plastic bags, Time to get rid of this greenery we have around us. The new mantra should be chop-a-tree-a-day (this already seems to be the motto of the municipal folks of Hyderabad, my city). We have enough carpet grass dotting road dividers around a couple of neighbourhoods in every city.
We should rid this country of any sustainable practice it has left in it. And, this needs some more effort, as we are culture that isn’t as unsustainable yet. Our desperate attempts to ape Western urban lifestyle isn’t just good enough. We need more two car garages and air-conditioners for every urban family. We are making great progress on that front, so that’s good news. We’ve got to keep course and hold on to the right to indulge in our whims, now that we got our chance.
It’s ironic to even react to a toothless UNDP report. Suddenly, the West become a benchmark for conservation and sustainability for countries like India! That they are being more sustainable today with their policies and consumption is a flawed argument, as long as they have a Chinese laundry!
So till there’s a fair view on this, we can continue to piss around. Right?
Ironically, it’s as good as it gets in this part of the world. While I do love my pick, I am quite aware that I’ve been ripped off. Most imported (foreign brands) goods in India are sold at a premium. And, while Trek’s foray in to the Indian market has a few takers in the form of software chaps making enough money to enjoy a geek fad for a few weeks, it’s assortment of bicycles is a disappointment for someone who knows his bicycle and wants choice. What is worse, the average Firefox dealer has no f*&king clue on calculating body measurements to suggest the right bike frame! Just goes to prove that Trek has no real agenda in India.
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