Surfing the Urban Chaos

I think about our cities often these days. And it’s not just because we are associated with the India Urban Conference. It’s because it’s become difficult not to. Living in Delhi for a good part of my life, I have seen its deterioration unfolding in front of me. The supposedly newly laid sidewalks across the city remain somehow unfinished lending it a somewhat unkempt look despite the seemingly new exterior. The subways are dark and stinking forcing one to brave the traffic to cross roads. One continues to pray for shorter powercuts and longer duration of water supply and the only ones who seem be benefitting with these prayers are inverter and bore well manufacturers in the city. People fight with each other over petty issues exposing the stress that seems to govern our everyday existence.

The recent New York Times story seemed to capture it rather well. Just that this isn’t the state of just Gurgaon, but all Indian cities, large and small. The story ends with a baffling comment by Mr. K. P. Singh, the chairman of DLF, one of India’s largest real estate players- 'If Gurgaon had not happened, the rest of India's development would not have happened, either. Gurgaon became a pacesetter.'

I am sure Mr. Singh didn’t quite mean what he said….for if he did, I am deeply distressed by what the captains of our infrastructure business deem as “development”. Roads where one doesn’t have sidewalks to stroll, or 3 km long malls, entirely run on diesel-powered generators, and electricity (unavailable most times) at a staggering price per unit that is four times the price its available in adjacent Delhi surely can’t be a model for our cities and towns in the country to emulate.

Last week, I also attended a workshop on “Inclusive cities” organized by SEWA, The World Bank, DFID and IIHS, and came out stumped unable to comprehend the magnitude of the urban problem we are facing in our country and its complex hues. On one hand, India is increasingly getting urbanized- in the next few decades, more than half of our population will be in “cities”, adding roughly 100 mn people to her urban areas every decade. Within the next decade, 3 of the world’s 10 biggest mega cities will be in India. And our allocation of funds is the lowest for urban development as a nation.

Should we be surprised that this NYT story written about yet another town after 5 years, would have the same content? We need to redefine development, not blindly emulate urbanization in other countries and find a roadmap for us that works for us.

I am deeply concerned and I definitely don’t want to be a silent spectator to this chaos around me. Addressing how we can make our cities livable now may not change how we live our lives overnight, but it may perhaps make it a better, safer and healthier place to live in for my son who turns 10 next week. And I can’t help thinking I owe it to him to be the change.

If you have ideas for bringing about a change to make our cities more livable, comment on this or on our facebook page / twitter with the hashtag #transformurbanindia.

Deadline extended till April 10th for the atmosfair India Renewable Energy Innovation awards

atmosfair in partnership with niiti consulting is inviting applications from individuals and organizations for atmosfair India Renewable Energy Innovation awards that provide innovative proposals for existing projects, new projects or projects under incubation. The projects must meet the following criteria

• reduce greenhouse gases in India, preferably using biogas, cook stoves, waste management, solar lamps, pump efficiency or solar water heating.
• enhance the quality of life of people in the project area,
• provide opportunities for economically viable, locally run businesses
• should be able to develop into a GS CDM/GS VER (Gold Standard Clean Development Mechanism/ Gold Standard Voluntary Emission Reduction).

"We see a high need as well as great opportunities for sustainable energy projects in India, especially community-based projects. We would like to transform our current support for projects in India into a more direct involvement by extended partnering with institutions who are working on the ground,” says Robert Müller, Carbon Project Coordinator at atmosfair.

Gopinath Parayil, co-founder of niiti consulting says, “We are fortunately witnessing a conscious change of ideology in Indian organizations who are taking up the responsibility for carbon emission to not just retain a competitive edge in the global business environment but also nurture a climate friendly movement. Let's look at the climate change challenge as an opportunity to build up renewable energy reserves in India and demonstrate a strong triple bottom line impact for our industries.”

The project that best meets the above-mentioned criteria will win an award of INR 9 lakh. Moreover, the project will be able to gain 10-100% project support from atmosfair, depending on the technology used and the large-scale triple bottom line impact it creates in the destination. “Applications have been pouring in and it is truly encouraging to see the burgeoning number of carbon offsetting initiatives in India. Due to several requests, we have extended the last date for the awards submission,” says Parayil.

The last date for submission of applications is now April 10^th, 2011. Applications should be submitted by email to atmawards@niiticonsulting.com. To apply for the awards or for more information please go to http://atmosfair.in/innovation.htm. The winners will be announced by May 10th, 2011.

For any queries or suggestions, please write to us at atmawards@niiticonsulting.com.

The Okhla case: underlining the need for dialogue and transparency in sustainable development.

Despite apparent adherence to established environmental regulations, the government of Delhi is now faced with an angry community and the threat of delays and looming costs involved in possible relocation of the waste-to-energy plant it had planned to open in July 2011 in Okhla, South Delhi.

The Municipal Cooperation of Delhi (MCD) has entered a public-private partnership with Jindal ITF Ecopolis to build the 200 crore Okhla project, which should convert 1950 tones of solid waste to 16MW of energy per day. Although it is claimed that all precautions to prevent environmental or health hazards have been taken, citizens are strongly objecting the creation of the plant due to expected “poisoning of their living environment”.

For the MCD, the project is a part of the solution to two of Delhi’s most pressing problems: power shortage and waste management.  A representative of the MCD has stated that the project will meet all “statutory obligations”. It will be the first commercial Waste-to-energy plant in New Delhi and the largest of its kind in Asia.

Residents’ opposition to the project, stems mostly from concerns about the air quality of their environment. In a letter to union environment minister Jairam Ramesh, they state that “While there is overwhelming evidence that plants of these types produce toxic gases, residues and respirable particles, the Okhla plant is being set up barely 150m from the nearest established residences”. This claim is rooted in the knowledge gathered that similar plants have not worked as planned due to the composition of waste. According to a resident, in order for the waste to generate enough heat, “elements like plastic will have to be added.” Also, concerns have risen over the amounts of waste that need to be transported to the plant and related noise pollution.

According to Allard M. Nooy, CEO of the company, the technology has been proven and "the plant will be operated after complying with all conditions of the DPR (detailed project report)”. The company has won the 'Frost & Sullivan Indian Environment Industry Excellence Award 2010' and sees itself as continuing to add economic and social value to the economy. In reaction to the residents objections Nooy holds the opinion that any interactions with them to remove their apprehensions should be organised by the authorities and not the company.

In reaction to the residents’ letter, Jairam Ramesh has requested chief minister Sheila Dikshit to reconsider the plant’s location. Now, a meeting will be called with the residents in order to address their concerns. Ramesh has expressed the possibility to consider an alternative location.

To draw a lesson here about the nature of sustainable development, the most important issue is not who is right and who is wrong. Rather, it is evident that sustainable development entails more than meeting all “statutory obligations”. Governments must realise that citizens need to be actively involved in projects that will affect them. This involvement must begin at an early stage of the project planning and must be backed by the company engaging in the public-private partnership by providing transparent information about the concrete possible effects of the project in surrounding areas. Then, if the project is indeed harmless, citizens will have access to this information and need not object. Or, if concerns of the citizens are grounded, the location can be reconsidered at an earlier stage, saving both the negative publicity and the costs of moving the operation at such a late stage in the planning process.  Sustainable development is a process in which dialogue and transparency are essential elements.

Further reading and references:  Officials say plant to be operative in July, Residents up in arms, Sheila to review waste-to-energy plant at Okhla. Facebook page for resident’s campaign: Okhla ka Ghosla

Role of sustainable development in carbon offsetting

The Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) aims to help industrialized countries with emissions reduction targets to meet their targets by generating credits from the developing world, and to help developing countries achieve sustainable development goals and to reduce climate change. Sustainable development forms a core concept in exercising the CDM. However, the term sustainable development is defined rather vaguely.

If one does attempt to define sustainable development as the coming together of social, economic and environmental objectives, most projects which claim to be sustainability-focused suddenly do not seem so sustainable after all. With the lack of a definition, countries have chosen to define sustainability as per their convenience especially considering the conflict of interest they face regarding attracting investment versus sustainable development choices. Many standards are available in the current market to assess sustainable development through indicators but there still continues to be a considerable backlash from academia stating that most CDM projects have not lived up to their commitment of sustainable development as promised.

However, carbon offsetting plays a small part in promoting sustainable development by setting it as a criterion. It advances efficient energy use and moving to better alternatives. Unfortunately, that makes for a very thin silver lining to the cloud and increased standardization is required for fulfill the condition of sustainable development in a more wholesome manner.

Other related reads: CDM Gold Standard, Can standards for voluntary carbon offsets ensure development benefits?

Why India needs to compost

Composting runs in the roots of India. Modern composting as we know it got was born in India. Composting also features as a legal requirement provided under the Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSW) Rules 2000 for all municipal bodies in the country. However, government bodies have not adequately responded to this necessity.

While sustainable waste management should be viewed as a cyclical process, our governments continue to view it in a linear fashion creating multiple externalities and paving our way towards a waste crisis. This has also led to the birth of many entrepreneurs who are providing alternate waste solutions for a greater efficient waste management system. While eco-conscious citizens across urban India have been composting at home using appliances manufactured by these private ventures, rural India is doing its bit by using bio-digesters and similar technology. In this case, the biogas realized is used as an energy source for light and gas.

Improper waste handling has resulted in loss of lives and environmental degradation. Though there are multiple ways to dispose waste, composting by far is the most economical and environment friendly. For city dwellers, there are many companies like the Daily dump that offer waste management systems that you can install in your home. The outcome is organic manure which can be sold to nurseries and gardens and an ecological life.

Other related links: compost, how to compost, compost guide

How carbon finance is making a difference - reaching out to community based renewable energy projects.

Biogas from cow dung, Kolar.
Source: atmosfair.de

In current debates on the transformation to a low carbon economy, sustainability is so strongly associated with renewable energy that the social and economic aspects of genuine sustainable development are drowned out. This is reflected in the nature of carbon offsetting projects that have highly stringent regulations to ensure high standard implementation of renewables. Social and economic impact is treated as an occupational hazard, tested superficially, if at all, in order to get the paperwork through.

There is much controversy questioning the ethics of offsetting with the common argument that it is reinforcing business-as-usual energy use in western countries and obstructing real change. Further controversies involve incidents of forced relocation of local residents as land for renewable energy projects is required and carbon funding used to implement energy efficiency regulations in what remain highly polluting new energy plants.
The critique of carbon offsetting is not without reason, but there is a need to also highlight efforts of organizations within the sector that aim to guide carbon funding in the direction of people working on projects that are making a difference in people’s daily lives, driven by a holistic and encompassing view of sustainability.

A good example is found in the Kolar district in Karnataka where villagers are replacing firewood and kerosene with renewable energy sources like biogas. Innovative biogas digesters made from locally available materials are being used in a project by a local NGO ADATS. Upfront funding for expected carbon credits provided by the French company Velcan made the initial investment available to implement the project, making the project feasible and creating a win-win solution for all involved. atmosfair now supports the project by buying carbon credits.

Now, atmosfair wants to magnify their impact by supporting more such initiatives. "We see a high need as well as great opportunities for sustainable energy projects inIndia, especially community-based projects. We would like to transform our current support for projects in India into a more direct involvement by extended partnering with institutions who are working on the ground,” says Robert Müller from atmosfair.

Atmosfair is taking action from their side, now what we need is people stepping up that are doing the wonderful work on the ground. If you know anyone, or you yourself are working on community based renewable energy projects in India, and are looking for additional support to make your project feasible, get in touch & apply for the atmosfair India Renewable Energy Innovation awards! Deadline is this Sunday, March 27^th! 

Why migration is fuelling inefficient urban waste management

(Source: Syncline Films, Scavenging dreams)

While most people play the role of waste generators, there are very few that really
know where the waste goes after it leaves our homes, streets, offices etc. Does
the municipal authority collect it all? Hardly. Most of this is scavenged by
waste pickers or rag pickers who collect waste which they sell to informal
traders for a few rupees. The waste pickers operate informally living close to
waste sources which are located at the fringes of the city.

Most of these individuals are migrants who come to bigger cities hoping for a better
life. They sift through piles of rubble, domestic waste, medical waste and
industrial waste. Considering the complete lack of healthcare and sanitation
surrounding this informal waste collection, not many are willing but submit to
becoming waste pickers due to their dire need of income. While repeated
attempts are being made at formally integrating waste pickers in the waste
cycle, no urban body has been successful so far. This is due to multiple
reasons. There are multiple stakeholders in every waste cycle and none want to
lose their presence in the changed scenario. Also, while the waste pickers do
their job invisibly, the government can continue to give a blind eye. Residents
are happier because they have cleaner streets. Other than token efforts, like
the provision of rubber gloves, the municipal bodies have not done much to
improve the waste pickers’ lives.

However, many waste pickers die every year. They are treated as outcasts because of
their profession. However, waste picking does not ebb as continued migration has
lead to continuous waste picking. Immediate formalization and reinvention of
the role of waste pickers is required, such that the waste management system
becomes more effective and efficient and these migrant workers find themselves
gainful and respectable employment.

Other related links: RethinkingWaste Management in India, India Together, Sanjay K Gupta 2004

Why cook stoves are changing rural women’s lives

Indians have grown up with images of squatting rural women working wood sticks in their chulhas (cook stoves) to make food for their families. This image often has a rustic feel to it and many of us dismiss it without giving it a second thought.

The cook stove is most often fueled with wood, coal or dung and generates a lot of smoke. Most of these women die every year due to indoor air pollution (IAP). As per a World Health Organization (WHO) report (2006), 1.5 million people die because of IAP annually. Though, IAP has been an old phenomenon, it did not feature in most development budgets across the world. Only in recent years, has the WHO declared IAP has one of the 10 most global health risks.

The burning of solid fuels in the cook stove generates poisonous fumes which are health-damaging and can potentially cause pneumonia among children and chronic respiratory disorders among adults. A positive trend since 1940’s has been the invention of smokeless cook stoves using different technologies to replace the traditional cook stoves. As the traditional cook stoves burn a vast amount of wood affecting climate change, in recent times, several agencies are distributing and producing improved cook stoves to village households as a movement to curb climate change. These cook stoves are not only energy efficient but have improved lives of several women and children across India. Carbon offsetting funding like what atmosfair provides in Lesotho for their efficient wood stove project can be used to reach out to more lives. For more information on different cookstove projects, visit Partnership on Clean Indoor Air.

Other related links: Better burning, better breathing: Improving health with cleaner cook stoves, Environmental Health Perspectives Vol: 18 Issue: 3 pp: A124-A129

What is carbon offsetting anyway?

The average cheeseburger requires about 6.8 pounds of carbon dioxide to produce. This includes raising, slaughtering, transporting, storing, and cooking the food. Surprising, isn’t it?

If we consider all our daily activities and calculate our carbon footprint, we will realize that we do little about global warming other than contributing to it. If you are an active member against climate change which means that you are using green energy and reducing emissions, then carbon offsetting is the next thing that you should do.

Carbon offsetting is a method of countering damage done through the release of carbon emissions from activities such as driving a car, flying or heating a building. For every tonne of CO2 emitted in one place, an equivalent tonne is supposedly removed elsewhere. While it does not undo the harm to the environment, it does become an efficient way to offset future emissions. But we should remind ourselves, offsets are not an excuse for people to continue current emissions.

While it is very difficult to calculate CO2 emissions precisely for every event, one of the best ways of carbon offsetting is to offset flights. It is relatively more effective simply because of the ease of calculating the amount of CO2 released. However, even this can be a challenge and agencies are expected to comply with the strictest measuring adherences.

 Offsetting has a bright future with growing globalization. Yet, it covers only a fraction of the total CO2 emitted. More efforts to reduce emissions are still required. Every time you are going to take the car, think of taking the public bus instead. Climate Change needs your help!

Other related reads: Cheeseburger footprint, Calculate your carbon footprint

Can deployment of technology to reduce carbon in organisations make economic sense in the short term?

There have been a lot of discussions around how technology can intervene in offsetting carbon in industries in India. We chanced upon this wonderful report prepared by the Digital Energy Solutions Consortium India (DESC India) and CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, titled, ICT’s Contribution to India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change in Dec 2010. 

In June 2008, the Prime Minister had released the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), outlining the nation’s strategy to manage greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
India has since then, announced a goal of reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 20-25% by the year 2020 compared to 2005. The Planning Commission is also in the process of defining a low-carbon growth map for the country. The DESC Report explores potential GHG reduction opportunities via ICT (Information & Communication Technology) solutions in the focus sectors of the three mitigation-related missions of NAPCC – National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE), National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (NMSH) and National Solar Mission (NSM).

Just the electricity saved by ICT adoption in the power sector can help electrify more than 14,000 villages with an average population of 2,000-3,000. Implementation of ICT measures in the paper sector in 2030 can reduce emissions by an amount equivalent to that sequestered by 3 million trees. Savings achieved via video-conferencing and tele-commuting with moderate ICT penetration can offset GHG emissions more than 70 times the current GHG emissions due to the annual air traffic between Delhi and Mumbai.


Carbon offset while also saving money for travel seems to be a logical way for organizations to offset carbon. Atmosfair has helped companies like Elektrolux and DHL in Germany to reduce their carbon through simple ICT implementation and consulting in their travel systems. The impact of the same in organizations that are more people intensive in India can be huge.

Becoming carbon neutral for companies in India is not just an interesting brand positioning to have. It also makes immense economic sense. The total cost of ICT usage in NMEEE mission sectors – considering moderate penetration of ICT solutions in 2020 and 2030 – is estimated at INR 49,700 crore and INR156,100 crore. These investments correspond to cost savings of around INR 7,300 crore p.a. and INR 29,200 crore p.a. respectively. Similarly, ICT technologies in Transport, Buildings and Solid Waste Management sectors can lead to cost savings of INR 26,300 crore in 2020 under the moderate scenario. This is approximately 0.5% of India’s GDP in financial year 2009-10!!

It’s a wonder that its even a discussion anymore.

Stories of hope

Jose was 22 when he landed at the Palliative Care centre in Calicut.

A few days before he died, he was at his regular clinic undergoing a routine check for his carcinoma, when his doctor inserted the now familiar instrument up his nose for a procedure. Jose sneezed, in a reflex action to the irritation caused by the instrument and splattered blood across his doctor’s shirt. The doctor, visibly upset, admonished Jose for spoiling his shirt and asked him to leave. Humiliated and depressed, Jose walked out of his clinic feeling quite worthless. A patient who had overheard this exchange in the clinic reached out to Jose and told him about the Pain and Palliative Care clinic and told him that perhaps he might be shown more compassion for his condition there.


Jose knew he didn’t have much time left to live when he arrived at the centre but in the few weeks and months of dedicated attention and immense love showered on him by the volunteers gave him a new hope in life. He started volunteering himself, setting a trend somewhat in being a "patient-volunteer", and as his stamina improved, he started to contribute to the centre’s activities. He also started chronicling his amazing transformation from someone who desperately wanted to die to someone who was giving others the hope to live.

Jose didn’t live long. Despite his brave battle against the disease, it did get the better of him. But his notes, that were subsequently published by the Mathrubhumi (Malayalam daily) in a serialized form captured the attention of readers and became popular enough for the publishers to release the series of articles into a book. The royalty proceeds from the book support Jose’s mother to this day.

I heard this, and many other mind numbing stories at the Institute of Palliative Medicine where I spent the weekend trying to help them create a process to document their incredible 17 year old history and develop a road map for the next 5 years, along with Gopinath Parayil. The objective was to help the team of volunteers, old and new to share a common vision and continue the momentum they have built in the last few years and inspire others to replicate what they have managed to achieve.

As a young nurse who is a relatively new member in the programme commented, “I almost feel guilty that I was looking at what I do merely as a job. I feel proud to be a small part of what I think is a historical journey, and I promise I will do every bit to keep this legacy alive”!

India has been rated as among having the worst ratings for End of Life care, but the Palliative Care movement in Kerala makes it impossible for any report in the world to ignore its impact. As the BBC recently, and the Economist in a report a few months back noted, the Kerala model of Palliative Care is the best in the world, mainly because its community-led and largely self sustaining. The recently won recognition of being a WHO Collaborative Centre is just incidental.

It’s one of those projects that we at niiti consulting feel proud to be associated with, and makes me say a small thank you under my breath that I get the opportunity to do what I do!

If you are inspired by this initiative and want to be associated with it, as a volunteer or a contributor, visit www.concernwithoutborders.org and learn how you can make a difference.

Small is beautiful

(Deonar Garbage Dump, Mumbai)

Solid Waste Management is one of the important obligatory functions of the urban local bodies in India. Consider the case of Mumbai - along with the neighboring areas of Navi Mumbai and Thane, Mumbai is a city of about 19 million people. Citing 2008 figures, it is the world’s fifth most populous metropolitan area and currently, Mumbai generates waste to the tune of approximately 9000 tonnes per day.

The MCGM has the Advance Locality Management Scheme (ALM), which involves residents who segregate compost and recycle waste locally. The basic principle of the ALM is ‘self governance’. The main element of the partnership is the segregation of garbage into dry and wet waste, handing over the dry waste to rag pickers and composting of the wet waste within the locality. ALMs fit perfectly between the formal and informal waste management system. ALMs are formed streetwise or small area wise and waste collection and street sweeping are often considered the priority focus of ALMs.

Mumbai’s per capita waste generation rate of 0.5 kg/person/day is higher than the national average. Although the collection efficiency is reported to be as high as 90%, almost half of the city’s 19 million people live in slums, some of which do not have access to solid waste services. The pressing problem for Mumbai is also its acute shortage of land. Due to the lack of appropriate implementation and effort by the government, as well the apathy of the citizens, the city has become a fertile ground for an impending solid waste management crisis.

Though ALMs were considerably active bodies a few years back, much has changed and not many registered ALMs are functional now. Even the reality around Mumbai has changed. People living in rented flats who move in and out of the city do not participate in regular ALM activities. However, some ALM bodies have been active for over a decade. Advanced Locality Management and Networking Action Committee (ALMANAC), a federation of ALMs is one of them. Organized by Rajkumar Sharma who is a believer in waste management, ALMANAC continues to function in the suburb of Chembur. Sharma aims to create a model in Chembur which can be replicated in different areas. To know more, help or participate, you can contact Raj Kumar Sharma on 9820989310 or almanac.rks@gmail.com.

Liability and Compliance in Climate Change

While there is no doubt that Climate Change is a global problem, in order to overcome it, it needs to be broken into blocks. However, that is easier said than done. In attempting to accomplish this, a lot many aspects of Climate Change are ignored and do not receive adequate funding or research. Two of the many such pertinent yet ignored aspects are compliance and liability.

Even within these domains, it is has been difficult to achieve harmonization - international versus national versus local being the main spectrum of difference. Sovereignty issues lead to most international agreements having a weak and flexible compliance system. This has its advantages but non-compliance results in countries’ losing faith in the agreement itself. Such is also the case with liability risks and related insurance.

Keeping this in mind, the Centre for Science and Environment(CSE) has organized the International Conference On Compliance And Liability In Climate Change Negotiations which will bring forth the cross-sectoral nature of compliance and liability issues and at the same time, generate discourse around these issues.

CSE 'brings experts from across the globe to discuss these challenges and illuminate upon solutions that we must work towards. The panel comprises renowned environmental lawyers, professors and climate negotiators who will be facing NGOs, campaigners, researchers and together will try to find answers to one of the most challenging quandaries that climate change harbingers.'

Sea change?

There was a week in the beginning of January when Delhi was colder than London!! And in Europe, train services and airport operations came to a grinding halt because of a prolonged freezing weather. Climate change? Perhaps.
What comes as a sea of change is in the attitude of many emerging economies towards this issue, the blow-hot blow-cold opinions on Kyoto protocol notwithstanding. There is a very interesting story in a recent edition of The Economist on the seriousness with which the world's largest economy presently views this topic.
The fact that the world order is perhaps shifting from being acutely unipolar has never been more evident that at Cancun, where largely due to India’s efforts, references to “equity” and “equitable access to sustainable development” were included in the “Shared Vision for Long-term Cooperative Action” to mitigate climate change. Also, a Cancun Adaptation Framework was agreed upon. It exhorts developing countries to prepare and implement national adaptation plans and at the same time, calls upon developed countries to provide finance, technology and capacity building support for the same. The objective of the Cancun Adaptation Framework is to enhance action on adaptation, including through international cooperation and coherent consideration of matters relating to adaptation under the Convention. Ultimately enhanced action on adaptation seeks to reduce vulnerability and build resilience in developing country.
The best way any country can build resilience and reduce its carbon imprint is to find alternate energy options that are scalable that would offset the increasing energy consumption.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol draw a clear distinction between the respective obligations of developed and developing countries. Since developed countries are primarily responsible for causing climate change, the protocol lays down binding emission reduction commitments for each developed country party. Quite appropriately, developing countries are not required to accept such commitments. Their mitigation actions are of a purely voluntary nature (and rightly so) and they are not accountable to any international authority, except in regard to projects that receive financial support from such an authority.
But we have an opportunity to make a big difference through small changes. Question is how fast will these changes happen?

Wake up to Climate Change

The Cancun climate talks resulted in some progress especially in the area of financial agreements made to preserve forests. However, in 2010, the world saw another drought strike the Amazon forests. The forests currently form the lungs of the earth absorbing more than one-quarter of the world's atmospheric carbon, making them critical to the discussion about global warming.

Scientists and researchers have estimated that 8.5 billion tonnes of CO₂ will be released into the earth’s atmosphere due to the absence of the trees which were once part of the Amazon. What is worrisome is that there was a similar drought that occurred in 2005. Climatologists claim that the droughts of 2005 and 2010 are consistent with the idea that global warming will cause more droughts in future, emit more carbon, and potentially lead to a climate change crisis.

Though this news has appeared in through several channels and in mainstream media, the enormity of the situation does not strike till our own experience of extreme weather conditions, unavailability of crops and extinction of local plants and animal species. An interesting graphic (given below) by InfographicWorld (representing the deforestation of the Amazon), provides a stark wake up call.

Sustainable change or no change at all

A lot of us working in the sustainability space know the importance of and necessity for change. Change in policy to support development, change in attitudes for increased awareness of problems, change in technology for better outreach and responsiveness, we all feel and express the need for change.

And we’re optimistic – change has happened in our time and we’ve celebrated it. However, sometimes I am lead to believe that may be we haven’t protested enough. We have moved from cloth bags to plastic bags, from dried leaf packaging to synthetic packaging, from public buses to cars. We celebrated this change, reveled in it. Now, we reconsider it – we ask people to be more responsible citizens by turning towards sustainable alternatives. May be, we should have treaded carefully in the first place.

I write this hoping that we have the foresight to understand the externalities of our progress, our change, and make our decisions rightfully and knowledgeably. I hope that we truly comprehend when change is sustainable and when not because if change is not sustainable, is it change at all?

(Image source: Gettyimages)

Owning a city

I have loved Mumbai from the moment I knew it. I loved it from Bambai to Bombay to Mumbai. I grew up all across the city and if you know Mumbai, you’d know that it is no mean feat.

The entire city belonged to me as I could navigate from north to south, mouth bus numbers and train timings. I knew it like the back of my hand. I knew its secrets. As the city expanded, my expertise decreased, secrets were not secrets anymore and I recognized the city in pockets. If you ask me how well I know my city now, I would perhaps cite in details only the area in which I live.

I grew up cycling on the roads of Mumbai. There was space for me as I used my pudgy legs to drive up the slopes of the suburbs. Now, there is none. I yearn to find myself a spot to stand where I would go untouched and unrushed. Cities and their characters change over time and the biggest and the mightiest of cities have such a tumultuous history. Globalization has done us many goods but in the process we have lost our localized selves to our globalized ones. How dedicated are we at working towards local problems. How effective are local management models in a generation where most of our leaders only understand virtual communities. Also, is the theory of local management applicable in a time where rural-urban migration is at the highest? How can one expect someone to feel instantly rooted and responsible in a city where he has arrived solely to survive?

May be it is time to reinvent the wheels. Educate a new generation of individuals with insight of the new problems of our day. Starting with the bigger question – who’s Mumbai is it anyway?

Water Water....but where??

I had a wonderful childhood growing up in a small West Delhi colony characterized by its haphazard roads, unruly traffic and aggressive residents. When people in a community are faced with the same kind of issues every day, they tend to be closer and more supportive of each other. One of my most striking memories of growing up was the routine of filling up water in buckets before we went to school because the water supply was rather erratic and one never knew whether one could take a refreshing shower when one returned home after a hard day’s work. And this was the case in many parts of Delhi nearly a quarter of a century ago.All one has to do is visit any random colony in the so-called new-age Delhi with swanky apartments with the latest gadgets or even my beloved little colony in the quaint West Delhi area and one ubiquitous thing one can view almost everywhere is the “borewell” or “paani ka motor” as it is called in many parts. Fresh water supply is almost unheard of in the municipal water system. The water pumped out with the “motor” is increasingly hard causing drinking water companies to thrive and price their wares at a premium. If this is the case at the turn of the decade in the 21st Century, I wonder what urban citizens in Delhi will do in 20 years time to meet their water needs.More importantly, is anyone even giving this a thought today?

Rethinking business behavior

It is almost an impossible task to change business behavior when there is a set (and successful, if I may add) way in which we have been operating for a very very long time. Most of us are not naturally altruistic people: we think about improving the self, be it personal or organizational before we think of the larger society. The spirit of self-preservation has become a habit, ingrained into us over the years.

Abundant and inexpensive energy has enabled the world to grow sevenfold in just two hundred years. Cheap oil fuelled the Industrial Revolution and the information revolution; it provided the inputs for the Green Revolution. All of these developments helped increase standards of health and living. However, the growth in demand for energy is increasing and the world and its’ businesses are waking up to the realization, that shortages of energy and its’ resulting price increases may make it impossible for economic growth to continue.

It is also true that in the last decade or so, the world has become a different place to do business. Globalization has integrated the world and technology has bridged distances. And what we do in a small business, in a small nook, in the corner of one country has a fairly significant impact on some other part of the country or event in the globe. How an employee in one location is treated is heard faster by her counterpart in another location than her boss who might be sitting a desk away from her. Or how a cotton crop produced in a location in Thailand has impact on the sales of a garment produced with that cotton in Germany.

And because of this it becomes imperative for businesses to be seen not just as socially relevant, but also BE socially relevant and be a part of the change. It is that self-preservation that will drive businesses to bring about a change in their business models - to do social good not because it is nice to, but because they cannot survive anymore if they don't.