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Articles

R K Pachauri: Carrying 6 billion hopes: Dr. RK Pachauri, the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is leading the international campaign against Climate Change for his services to the environment he has recently been awa......read more
India's Climate Change crusader: Mr. Jairam Ramesh: India is a fast developing nation but this development comes at a price, the environment. Our interview with him made us aware that Mr. Jairam Ramesh, the Union Minister of State for Environment and F......read more
He does not deserve the nobel: I have developed the art of using money in creative ways to a point where it has become scientific. The deeply unfortunate occupational hazard that accompanies this rather fulfilling pastime is that m......read more
US & Co: I have experienced three kinds of news. There is American news, which although accurate, skims past the destruction caused by their troops. There is PAkistani news, which tells us of their 'power' and......read more
Jaswant Singh on people, politics and partition: One of India's longest serving politicians, Jaswant Singh's controversial book on Jinnah and India's partition sparked both criticism and praise from people across India and Pakistan. His bold decisio......read more
Statue-tory warning: Your narcissism is injurious to national health: At a time when Maharashtra's notorious Vidarbha region witnesses one farmer suicide every 8 hours, when the entire state is frequented by power cuts as a result of the rains playing truant and the sta......read more
Try: I am 17 years old. I go to school. I come home. I eat, sleep, study.
I go out on the weekends, avoide my parents and am addicted to facebook.
By a broad standard, I am normal.
Can I c......read more
Theplas in Thailand & pickles in Paris: Say hello to the Indian tourist: The Indian tourist seems to have earned himself a global reputation. He may don many avatars, but the stereotype he has earned for himself remains like an unsightly splotch on Indians' reputation aboa......read more
Red tapism in India: "The Common Man walks into the Passport office for the fifth time in ten days. He is sick of standing in the heat. He is sweaty. He is tired of the never ending trips to try and procure his passport. ......read more
Naxalites - a burning problem: The Maoists-Naxalites have been in the news lately. These little understood, much maligned groups, with a common leftist ideology, have been the cause of long-standing violence, arson and disruption. ......read more
Unity in diversity?: With hundreds of different ethnicities, myriad religions, thousands of languages, and an infinite set of values, (some of which are diametrically opposite) India could easily be considered the most di......read more
Every One: India is a country that is progressing at an astoundingly rapid rate. It has proved itself to be a country to watch out for. Its economy is booming, and its people are continuing to prove their abilit......read more
The Indian Judiciary: Does the pillar of strength need to be strengthened?: Do judges in India need to be policed and to what extent? There has recently been focus on the Indian judiciary system. The question has arisen on whether Indian judges need to be policed. The Union C......read more
Defence, Development & the Indian Economy: India today occupies a unique position on the world stage. We are perhaps the only country trying to juggle a rapidly advancing economy, an extraordinary array of infrastructural develoments, an inher......read more
26/11: A year on, an overview of the city of Mumbai yields a result no different then what one would have expected. The city continues to be a bustling, shining beacon of India's ascent to global success, w......read more
Wake up and smell the carbon: Few years ago, there was only one problem the world had to deal with - the nuclear bomb. Today's youth are growing up in the shadows of three bombs any of which can go off any moment, leading to a rad......read more
Apocalypse - impossible? Think again!: 2050, India-a young boy stares at the barren landscape of his hometown, where rising tempartures and water scarcity have made living life a burden. The ganga river has dried up, the once snow capped p......read more
Congress ka 'raj' Thackeray: For anyone who doubts that politics is a dirty game, the recent Maharashtra State Assembly polls was an eye-opener. With cousins standing against each other in a family feud of epic proportions and th......read more
Change after 26/11: On 26^th November, 2008 a catastrophe stuck the city of Mumbai. While the elite class of South Mumbai was dining at 5 star hotels, The Taj Mahal Hotel and the Trident, and the commuters were......read more
The future of Mumbai: Milind Deora's victory for the second term in a row has silenced all his critics. In a candid discussion, Mr. Deora spoke to us about the Maharashtra elections, the MNS, chqanges since 26/11 and of hi......read more
VOTE INDIA: Over the last few weeks, the nation has been keenly observing the movements of a new found political scion, Varun Gandhi of the BJP. Gandhi's radical views, to say the least, have "shocked" some and "......read more
26/11: Are we so naive that we cannot see that some of the problems are from within our country? We don't see the greater good but act in our own selfish and devious ways......read more
Arun Jaitley-a candid discussion: An interview with the General Secretary of the Bhartiya Janta Party, Arun Jaitley gave us an insight into the mind of strategic planner and mast head of this election's opposition party. After years o......read more
The Criminalisation of Indian Politics: India boasts of being the largest democracy in the world; with an estimated 671 million eligible to vote for the 15th General elections to be held in April - May 2009. However, over the last 61 years ......read more
Democracy: As we are made to see it: What do you think about putting 1.147 billion puzzle pieces together? Indian democracy is just that. It is not as simple and sinless as a puzzle, but putting 1.147 billion thoughts together, fixing th......read more
Goolam Vahanvati - the youth's role in India's future: Mr. Goolam Vahanvati, one of the best lawyers in India, tells us we as the youth need to look beyond corruption, he tells us to a look at the larger picture. He says, "You must believe that this is a ......read more
Indian National Congress: The way forward?: We citizens of India are not in the mood to listen to comments like "Bade bade sheharo mein chotte chotte cheese hote rehte hain". The youth want to see some degree of accountability in the entire pol......read more
Jyotiraditya Scindia-India's tomorrow: We arrived at 27 Safdarjung Road, home to one of the most promising and visionary leaders in this country. Part of the Congress youth brigade Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia, having studied at Harvard and St......read more
Omar Abdullah - our hope for change: Mr. Omar Abdullah one of the few leaders in this country who commands respect and does not demand respect, speaks to us about his vision for India. He is one of the most protected men in India with si......read more
PAKISTAN: at the brink of destruction?: Two twins, India and Pakistan separated at birth due to numerous complications, travelled through a long journey since partition. This difficult path took off in August 1947, when, after having surviv......read more
Third Front - an illusion?: We the youth of India desire change and to some the Third front is the only option to provide this change, which makes the Third Front seem as a serious contender. On the other side of the spectrum mo......read more

Article of the month

R K Pachauri: Carrying 6 billion hopes

Dr. RK Pachauri, the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is leading the international campaign against Climate Change for his services to the environment he has recently been awarded the second-highest civilian award in India, the 'Padma Vibhushan' as well as the Padma Bhushan. The NDTV Global Indian Award, 2007, the "Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award"- 2006, 'officer De La Legion D'Honneur' from the Government of France and last but not the least the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2007 was awarded to the IPCC under his Chairmanship. In a candid discussion Dr. Pachauri reveals the dangers Climate Change poses, his message to the youth and world leaders before the make or break Copenhagen summit.

Interview by Amisha Shahra, Rishad Adbraham and Jeh Tirodkar

Sir, today you have achieved global recognition in your efforts against climate change, what inspired you to take up this cause?
Well I think what really inspired me is foreseeing the kind of disaster we were heading towards unless we took some action on time. So, it was just basically awareness of the path we are on and where it might end up if we didn�t take any action. It was really conviction that came out of what one might call awareness of the future and what it held for us if we did not take any action.

Next month the Copenhagen Conference is taking place, how much can we actually expect from this conference?
Well frankly it does not look very good at this point of time but I am hoping that even now we may be able to come up with a reasonably good agreement which will show some progress in the right direction. Honestly I am getting quite concerned about the possibility of not reaching any finality in terms of commitments to reduce emissions, of commitments to provide funding for the developing countries and easy access to technology, all of which is on the table as a part of the negotiations. So, at this point of time things don�t look all that bright but I hope that there will be some initiative as a result of which we will get some measure of success over there.

Sir, there has been an abject failure of political leadership in making nations world over climate resilient. What steps would you like to see being taken by leaders at Copenhagen?
I think the developed countries have to make firm commitments to reduce the emissions by 2020; more or less in line with what Europe has projected. Unless we do that I am afraid we are not going to get any action at all and we are losing time. The IPCC has clearly stated that if we want to limit the temperature increase by about two degrees Celsius, then we need to make sure that global emissions peak no later than 2015. Therefore we have very little time. And if we don�t get any strong commitments to reduce emissions by the time the Copenhagen Conference ends, then clearly we would have lost momentum.

Sir, why do you think that the problem of climate change is not being taken seriously by a number of leaders and Nations, given the fact that with the Fourth Assessment report, it has been made clear that Climate Change is detrimental to the future of the Earth?
See part of the problem is that people have such wasteful lifestyles and have become so accustomed to them that they see climate change as a threat to their wasteful lifestyles which they incidentally regard as �a good life�. It�s also an issue of values and ethics and even if I may say so, there are some vested interests that would like to see no action because they believe that their business and their financial successes depend on continuation of business as usual. So it is a combination of all these factors which is unfortunately creating the kind of deadlock we have.

Climate change has been a heated debate for a long time. With the best selling author Michael Crichton saying that it is an evil plot planned by environmental extremists. So really how big or small is global warming?
If you look at the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, you will see how serious it is. And there is growing evidence to even someone who is not aware and facing extreme events that have been taking place all over the world. Changes in climate patterns are becoming more and more evident. So it is clearly a very serious problem and I believe that it carries a threat of really disrupting peace and stability on this planet unless we act early and effectively.

The Bush administration�s non cooperation in countering Climate Change must have caused major delays.
Well you know to be quite honest, in the US it is not merely the administration but there are several other vested interests that are at work even today. You know that even the Obama administration is generally supportive of action in this area but they are not really being able to move because they are stuck with legislation in Congress. There�s a whole array of lobbyists who are paid huge sums of money to counter legislations. These vested interests are unfortunately holding up progress in this area.

If India does not combat climate change till the United States acts on the issue; don�t you think that the situation will become detrimental to the future of India?
Unless you have a global solution, then any one country acting on its own is not going to make a difference. We know that we have to cut down global emissions and if India was to do the utmost and others did nothing, it would still produce no results. So I�m afraid, we really have no time and we have to make sure that the whole World acts in unison as far as this problem is concerned. Of course India has to do what it is capable of, but I am afraid that by itself it will not be adequate. We really need a global effort that will bring about a major cut in global emissions. We also need to provide funds for the poorest countries who are going to be the worst victims of climate change.

Do you agree that both mitigation and adaptation should be carried out in our own national self interest, given that India is so vulnerable to Climate Change?
We need both, there is no question about it. One cannot go without the other because you see there is so much inertia in the system that even if we reduce our emissions to zero today climate change will continue for a few decades and we will have no choice but adapt to certain level of climate change. But, of course, we have to mitigate. Unless we carry out mitigation urgently and adequately, climate change will be much worse over a period of time. So we really don�t have a choice, we�ve got to do both.

We as civilians are mute spectators to the watering down of important policies like Coastal Regulatory Zone and Environment impact assessment. What in your opinion can be done to put pressure on the government to bring about more stringent policies?
I think the most important thing that we need to do is to ensure that the enforcement of some of these policies has to be essentially in the hands of local bodies. These local bodies must be accountable to civil society, perhaps a group of really distinguished and respected people in every local area. They should function transparently. In order to create accountability, you have to have people reporting to the local authority and that local authority has to be empowered, has to be transparent in its operations and therefore much more effective than would be the case if you have a bureaucratic system which is centrally driven. I think we need complete restructuring of the way institutions function in this field. There has to be much greater accountability at the local level.

Sir what is the relationship you share with Al Gore, the man with whom the IPCC shared its Nobel Prize and who had differences with you earlier?
Well we are good friends and I have a lot of respect for former Vice President Al Gore and I think he has a positive feeling about me and we work together.

Sir in your address to the United Nations General Assembly you stated that limiting temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius will postpone economic growth by a few months. Today with economists not being able to analyse the world economy correctly, how is your organisation confident about this fact?
Well I am not even making any assumptions on economic growth. All I am saying is that the actions that are required to reduce emissions are really so attractive in economic terms that in several cases it is going to involve negative costs. In other words, you would have a net gain rather than a net cost in taking those actions and I can give you several examples like changing incandescent lamps in your homes with CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) or LED (Light Emitting Diode) systems, using modern air conditioning and much greater use of public transport because cars are usually running with one single occupant. So you know, all of these actually save money and therefore if you want to add up all the benefits from higher energy efficiency, greater use of renewable resources, you would actually be able to compute the cost which in real terms would turn out to be negative. I am not even making assumptions about economy growth, all I am saying is that if you were to bring about a shift and adopt these measures, you would actually save money. You are doing this because it is not only better for everyone around and you are not doing it only because you want to solve the problem of global warming but you actually save money by taking these steps.

Sir there are a number of organisations against Climate Change, however other than being idealistic in their goals and producing reports, they do not do much. What can we as the youth do to Combat Climate Change?
Well I think there are 2 things that the youth of this world can do. Firstly, you have to join hands and create strength in whatever movements you are mounting because its one thing to act in isolation, its quite another to be able to act in unison. And secondly, I think you have to adopt and perpetuate lifestyles that are sustainable and you can do a great deal in your own daily personal existence. If you were to do that on a large enough scale, then adults will also get the message. The youth can shame adults into doing the right thing. So I believe the youth of this country and the rest of the world have a major responsibility for taking the initiative and bringing about change in the right direction.

Sir if we do not increase our efforts to combat Climate Change, what will be the state of this planet in 2050?
There would be chaos in several parts of the world. You would have sea level rise which will inundate parts of Bangladesh. You will have impacts on agriculture, on human health and a whole range of human activities as a result of which we would be suffering from a state chaos. So we must realise the seriousness of the situation and start taking action urgently.

With the Copenhagen summit approaching, what is your message to leaders and policymakers across the world?
Much of what I would say is what I said during the UN meeting on the 22nd of September. What I would tell world leaders is that even if you want to limit temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius, you must accept the fact that 2015 is the period when global emissions must peak. Therefore it is essential that you come up with very clear actions and commitments targeted at 2020. I would also say that Copenhagen is critically important because if we miss this opportunity then all the momentum that we have achieved will be lost and we cannot afford to do that.