India Says Its Carbon Emissions Not Harming World

A tannery emits smoke in Kolkata in this August 23, 2002 file photo. India, considered to be one of the world's top polluters, said on Thursday that it was not doing any harm to the world's atmosphere despite increasing emissions of greenhouse gases. REUTERS/Jayanta Shaw
India Says Its Carbon Emissions Not Harming World


Atleast India did sign the Kyoto Protocol. (The US and Australia are the only 2 developed nations that did not) Having said that, given the fact that the number of vehicles on the road has risen exponentially in India, and that it is a developing country with growing energy needs, it's probably a good idea to invest in non carbon based sources of energy. I dont think Al Gore's "offset" idea would work in India- well, maybe not now, but perhaps sometime in the future. The basic concept of the above idea is self explanatory- individuals "offset" their annual carbon emissions by planting trees, using appliances that have the Energy Star label certifying that they are energy efficient (and consequently more expensive), investing in non carbon based and/or renewable sources of energy etc. Gore himself says that he is carbon "neutral", and I'm inclined to believe him. Generally speaking, I think Global Warming is something that seems to be widely accepted in India ( I am talking about a general scientific consensus as well as a recognition of the fact by most educated people. However, neither a general trend of rising gas prices nor worries about global warming seems to have made a dent of SUV sales in India. Interestingly enough, India is gradually becoming a new destination for those companies who want to sell their gas guzzling polluting vehicles. This is probably due to the fact that as since it has a growing and relatively healthy economy, there are plenty of buyers of such vehicles and I am guessing the emission standards in India are probably more relaxed than they are in the west) as opposed to the US where there are plenty of pseudo scientists funded by Shell etc who claim the phenomenon does not exist. For those who haven't had the opportunity to see it yet, I strongly recommend Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth". The trailer can be viewed at: http://www.climatecrisis.net/


Then again, there is that old Pink Floyd song that sums it up quite eloquently (Take it Back, Division Bell):

"Her love rains down on me easy as the breeze
I listen to the breathing it sounds like the waves on the sea
I was thinking all about her, burning with rage and desire
We were spinning into darkness; & the earth was on fire

She could take it back, she might take it back some day

So I spy on her, I lie to her, I make promises I cannot keep
Then I hear her laughter rising, rising from the deep
And I make her prove her love for me, I take all that I can take
And I push her to the limit to see if she will break

She might take it back, she could take it back some day

Now I had seen the warnings, screaming from all sides
It's easy to ignore them God knows I've tried
All of this temptation, you know it turned my faith to lies
Until I couldn't see the danger or hear the rising tide

She Could take it back, she will take it back some day
She Could take it back, she will take it back some day
She will take it back, She will take it back some day"