158
5 Fourth Industrial Revolution and India
India is no different. With more than 60% rural population and modest education,
people are least sensitive toward climate change mitigation. Almost all of them are
unaware of the causative factors and the point and non-point sources of greenhouse
gases. For example, not many Indians know that the thermal power plants in their
cities emit obnoxious gases such as sulfur dioxide, carbon mono and dioxides, oxides
of nitrogen in addition to dangerous compounds of arsenic and fly ash. If people living
in the vicinity are informed of the health impacts of all residues, there will be massive
public support for solar and wind power. But this may not be in the interest of mining
and other groups that may not be interested in financial losses.
The economics of thermal power projects includes the cost of mining, transportation, power generation, and distribution, but intentionally excludes the cost related
to environmental and climate change impact. This is deliberately done to keep high
profit margins for mining and power industries and ensuring viability of project. A
win–win situation for all—the producers as well as end-users of electricity—a path
of least resistance. Adding the cost of climate change impact will, in most cases,
make the project unviable, a decision most economist detest to arrive at. Conservative estimates by International Energy Agency (Outlook, India Energy 2015) indicate
that 30% of India’s population in 2040 (close to 480 million) mostly in rural areas
will remain bereft of clean energy despite the best possible efforts from all. Not only
that, more than 60% of India’s power will continue to be generated by coal-based
thermal plants. Under these circumstances, it will be imprudent on anyone’s part
to accept that India will or can switch over to low-carbon economy. And if India
continues to release greenhouse gases in quantities greater than natural sinks can
absorb, the climate will continue changing with greater risks for wellbeing, health,
economic development, and poverty reduction. The more we delay actions for lowcarbon pathway, the more difficult and expensive it will be to reduce GHG emissions
sufficiently to stay within a low budget of cumulative emissions—because of the
long lifetime and relatively high capital cost of energy infrastructure.
Most Indians have forgotten what the then UN Secretary General said in 1970
9
while addressing 7th session of the General Assembly in New York:
As we watch the sun go down, evening after evening, through the smog across the poisoned
waters of our native Earth, we must ask ourselves seriously whether we really wish some
future universal historian on another planet to say about us: ‘With all their genius and with
all their skill, they ran out of foresight and air and food and water and ideas.
The young generation has a propensity to use more energy as they earnings grow
and to substitute manual work with machines not knowing where the energy comes
from, how is it generated, how many million tons of poor quality coal is extracted and
burnt, what is the quantum of GHGs released, and what happens to the residues left in
the thermal power plants. Unfortunately, the older generations that were brought up in
early and mid-twentieth century when energy was scarce and expensive are gradually
disappearing. They have, for bad reasons, failed to inculcate the habits of turning
off appliances or of walking/cycling rather than driving. Among young generation,
9 Cross-Ref: Nicholson and Sikina 2016.
5 Fourth Industrial Revolution and India
India is no different. With more than 60% rural population and modest education,
people are least sensitive toward climate change mitigation. Almost all of them are
unaware of the causative factors and the point and non-point sources of greenhouse
gases. For example, not many Indians know that the thermal power plants in their
cities emit obnoxious gases such as sulfur dioxide, carbon mono and dioxides, oxides
of nitrogen in addition to dangerous compounds of arsenic and fly ash. If people living
in the vicinity are informed of the health impacts of all residues, there will be massive
public support for solar and wind power. But this may not be in the interest of mining
and other groups that may not be interested in financial losses.
The economics of thermal power projects includes the cost of mining, transportation, power generation, and distribution, but intentionally excludes the cost related
to environmental and climate change impact. This is deliberately done to keep high
profit margins for mining and power industries and ensuring viability of project. A
win–win situation for all—the producers as well as end-users of electricity—a path
of least resistance. Adding the cost of climate change impact will, in most cases,
make the project unviable, a decision most economist detest to arrive at. Conservative estimates by International Energy Agency (Outlook, India Energy 2015) indicate
that 30% of India’s population in 2040 (close to 480 million) mostly in rural areas
will remain bereft of clean energy despite the best possible efforts from all. Not only
that, more than 60% of India’s power will continue to be generated by coal-based
thermal plants. Under these circumstances, it will be imprudent on anyone’s part
to accept that India will or can switch over to low-carbon economy. And if India
continues to release greenhouse gases in quantities greater than natural sinks can
absorb, the climate will continue changing with greater risks for wellbeing, health,
economic development, and poverty reduction. The more we delay actions for lowcarbon pathway, the more difficult and expensive it will be to reduce GHG emissions
sufficiently to stay within a low budget of cumulative emissions—because of the
long lifetime and relatively high capital cost of energy infrastructure.
Most Indians have forgotten what the then UN Secretary General said in 1970
9
while addressing 7th session of the General Assembly in New York:
As we watch the sun go down, evening after evening, through the smog across the poisoned
waters of our native Earth, we must ask ourselves seriously whether we really wish some
future universal historian on another planet to say about us: ‘With all their genius and with
all their skill, they ran out of foresight and air and food and water and ideas.
The young generation has a propensity to use more energy as they earnings grow
and to substitute manual work with machines not knowing where the energy comes
from, how is it generated, how many million tons of poor quality coal is extracted and
burnt, what is the quantum of GHGs released, and what happens to the residues left in
the thermal power plants. Unfortunately, the older generations that were brought up in
early and mid-twentieth century when energy was scarce and expensive are gradually
disappearing. They have, for bad reasons, failed to inculcate the habits of turning
off appliances or of walking/cycling rather than driving. Among young generation,
9 Cross-Ref: Nicholson and Sikina 2016.