Surya,
Was finally able to read your article is today's BusinessLine. Excellent summary and one that presents the ugly side of the Paris "commitment". This narrative is critical to get a balanced view -- what we heard from the political establishment at the conclusion of COP 21 was a lot of feel good, patting oneself on the back sentiments.
I have a few of questions:
a. How did the geopolitical equilibrium tilt in favor of the developed world on this issue? What kind of machinations did they use to establish such an asymmetric position? After all, the developing world does have the strength in numbers.
b. Why was India, with the size of its population and not insignificant financial clout and a potential marketplace, not able to influence the outcome to suit itself better? Looks like China got a sweetheart deal.
c. This is the one that troubles me the most. Its the global vs. local aspect of this that affects all of us living in India. While we may legitimately argue that India has/should have more headroom to increase carbon footprint to support our growth aspirations, the reality of everyday life in our major cities and indeed even smaller towns (your city Delhi, my city Bangalore are exemplars) tells a different story. This requires that we seek more earth friendly means of development now and not later - conventional methods are not sustainable. Unfortunately, from where I am sitting, I see us go down the same path as the developed world did starting, as you say, in the 1700s. The world is now a different place and better alternatives are available or should be developed that are better suited to India's needs.
Just to give an example, it an accepted practice in agrarian communities to burn agricultural waste products. While it undoubtedly provides heat in the cold season,it contributes hugely to localized pollution. We have the technology to convert the biomass to usable energy (BC's company has products) some of which may be used to keep warm.
Just a few points to kick off the discussions.
Ramanan
On Thu, Dec 17, 2015 at 10:14 AM, surya sethi sethisurya@yahoo.com [bitsremembers] <bitsremembers@yahoogroups.co.in> wrote:
Dear AllAs some of you know, I write regularly on Energy and Climate Change. Do about 15-18 pieces a year. I have never posted my writings on the group site. I am taking the liberty of posting my last of the three pieces on the recent Climate Negotiations in Paris because it is something that should interest everyone. We are rapidly going down the hill to catastrophic climate events perhaps within our lifetimes.My original banner was:"Paris Climate Accord -- The Ultimate Cirque du Soleil which the editor changed to Ten Inconvenient Truths About The Paris Climate Accord.Other than this there were no other changes to the original.Your Critical comments are most welcome.Surya/Suraj
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Posted by: VV Ramanan <vvr@bitsoftsystems.com>
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