Almost every country in the world agrees that we need to fight climate change but no one agrees on who is going to pay for it.
Historically, most developed countries grew unsustainably, mainly by mining for coal for their development. In the process, they have released great amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which causes climate change. Scientists have predicted that an increase in CO2 increases the temperature and if the temperature of the Earth goes beyond 1.5°C, it will lead to irreversible damage.
Any form of development like better housing, transportation, access to goods and services, food choices etc has historically been directly linked to emissions and increase of CO2 emissions. According to the statistics, since 1980, these emissions have nearly doubled. The current emissions of India stand third in terms of net emissions. Driven by the lifestyle of urban centres like Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and India’s industrial growth, the per capita emissions are rising. Reducing emissions is an emergency to fight Climate change but in India, we have more than 300 million people living below the poverty line. Building toilets, education, water and medical treatment are the immediate concerns affecting people today. Climate change is a disaster and certainly, an emergency, a sort of slow-onset disaster that is creeping upon us. It will have huge impacts and erode any development gains we make in the next 15-20 years if we do not take proactive actions. Because of these immediate concerns and these immediate challenges to the livelihoods of millions of people below the poverty line in places like India and other developing countries, climate change at times doesn’t get the kind of attention it needs to.
Arjuna Srinidhi, a research analyst specialising in Climate Change policy, Natural Resource Management and Sustainable Development, discusses the demand for equitable distribution of carbon space and the importance to address climate change urgently along with the above said immediate concerns in the podcast “Climate Emergency.” In this episode, he talks about how climate change is interrelated with many of the immediate concerns that developing country like India has and how we will not go any further without addressing climate change.
“In terms of overall emissions and per capita emissions, I think India is still way below the global average. On average, it is probably not a concern, but it is important for us to keep in mind that we continue to make responsible choices,” says Arjuna.
Talking about the importance of individual action, he says, “There is a lot that is in our hands and the choices that we make will make a huge difference.” He goes on to add, “the choices that we make, we have a lot of power in our hands to ensure that climate change stays within these manageable limits and India remains an example for sustainable development and an example possibly for the rest of the world to follow.”
Apart from the discussion on overall emissions, the episode also features engaging conversations with Arjuna around the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, The Paris Agreement and equity.
Tune in to the full episode on Suno India. This podcast episode is a part of our podcast series Climate Emergency hosted by Rakesh Kamal.