Clean air and a livable climate are
inalienable human rights. And solving this crisis is not a question of
politics. It is a question of our own survival.
Climate change is real. Global warming
is the root cause of climate change. Far too often climate change is
dismissed as an issue for the future. Numerous studies have shown that
the earth’s temperatures are rising, and that’s already harming
countless humans.
According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), air pollution is responsible for the premature
deaths of over 7 million people worldwide per year. “Pollution kills
more people every year than wars, car accidents, and homicides
combined,” Arnold Schwarzenegger has noted.
Climate change is having devastating
impact on the lives of children in poorer countries like India and
Bangladesh — whose childhoods are being washed away. Over 50 children in
the age group of one month to 14 years die of cancer every day in
India, according to a recent study which also highlights the significant
monetary burden of the disease and lack of advanced treatment options
in the country.
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| Traffic in Delhi, India. Attribution Some rights reserved by Lingaraj GJ |
A number of cities in the Persian Gulf
region may be unlivable by the end of the century due to global warming
if humans do not curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to new
research. Every year, we’re seeing new and undeniable climate events,
droughts, intensifying extreme weather events, Greenland ice sheets
melting at unprecedented rates — and all decades ahead of scientific
projections. Our oceans are acidifying, with methane plumes rising up
from the ocean floor. And unless we reverse course regarding the
fossil-fuel-burning path chosen, there will be even more such early
deaths attributed to the igniting of these fuels. Climate change is our
single greatest security threat. Pollution control should be the top
priority for India, as well as other countries.
The answers to climate change are very
simple. The world needs to create a future powered by renewable energy.
Renewable energy (especially solar and wind) is a game-changer for most
countries in the world. It has the potential to re-energize the world by
creating millions of new jobs, achieving energy independence, and
combating climate change. Even providing 100% renewable energy is not a
fantasy for someday, but a reality today. Many countries have already
set a target to reach 100% renewables in the very near future.
World leaders have it in their power to
make a real and measurable difference putting the planet on track. What
is needed now is a new focus and global efforts by governments,
corporations, citizens, and nonprofits to comply with the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). I urge them to do so
now. It is our moral and ethical obligation to prevent this human
tragedy because it is totally preventable. I remain unwaveringly
convinced that if the air-pollution crisis is resolved, we resolve the
climate-warming issue in the process. I call that a win-win proposition
for humanity.
Actions Needed to Reverse Climate Change and Global Warming in India
What we need in India is a bold new
climate and energy policy. And we need a whole new set of social and
technical knowledge to get us there. We need transformational thinking
and new policy tools. We also need major legislation such as putting a
price on carbon. However, we also need to know if those steps will even
be enough to keep us below the scientifically endorsed and aspirational
goal included in the Paris Agreement to limit global average temperature
increases between 1.5°C and 2°C by 2100. We need to immediately find
solutions to solve these pollution problems.
1. Introduce a carbon tax:
Capturing carbon and planting trees could help slow and eventually
reverse global warming trends. A carbon tax could be used to deter more
emissions and some of the cash could then be put into important
solutions on the other side of the coin, such as capturing carbon and
planting trees.
2. Exponentially increase the deployment of renewable energy:
Aggressively expand large-scale deployment of both centralized and
distributed renewable energy — including solar, wind, hydro, biomass,
and geothermal — to ease the strain on the present transmission and
distribution system — and to allow more off-grid populations to be
reached. Provide incentives to kickstart renewable energy programs for
massive solar rooftops — over 100 million — and with home energy storage
batteries.
3. Develop a national renewable energy (RE) policy:
Enact and deploy a comprehensive new energy roadmap with innovative RE
policies. In addition, set National RE Standards such as 20 percent by
2020, 40 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050 — to create demand, new
industries and innovation, and a new wave of green jobs.
4. Electrifying transportation:
Expedite a move to electrify transportation by encouraging expanded use
of electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrids, alongside deployment of
solar-powered EV charging stations around the country. Develop and
implement time-of-day pricing to encourage charging of vehicles at night
and other times when peak demand is low. Adopt nationwide charging of
electric cars from solar panels on roofs, carports, and solar-powered EV
charging stations around the country. In addition, like China
is doing, launch the public transportation system of the future with
“zero-emission” battery-powered electric buses in all major cities.
India must make a massive shift that will lead to widespread adoption of
EVs in the next 5 to 7 years.
5. Energy efficiency:
Promote energy efficiency in the economy, notably in industry,
transportation, buildings, and appliances. Make energy efficiency a high
priority by expediting the development and implementation of
cost-effective energy efficiency standards. To reduce the long-term
demand for energy, engage states, industrial companies, utilities, and
other stakeholders to accelerate energy efficiency investments such as
large-scale, nationwide use of LED lamps, etc.
6. Utility-scale projects:
Plan for the long term — phase out conventional energy subsidies and
develop a long-term plan to replace fossil with utility-scale renewable
generation. We can no longer ignore the effect of pollution and climate
change on health of our citizens.
7. Renewable Innovative Financing Solution:
Provide innovative financing (e.g., tax-free solar bonds or green
infrastructure bonds, etc.) to instill more confidence from potential
investors and decrease the cost of financing for renewable energy
projects. Create and fund a national smart infrastructure bank to
accelerate local demand for renewable energy.
8. Decentralized energy:
Avoid future fossil fuel investments in India and, instead, emphasize
nationwide deployment of community-scale solar projects and microgrids
with storage. India’s present 40 GW solar target should be extended to
include photovoltaic panels on the rooftop of every home in India,
generating enough power to reduce the country’s massive dependence on
fossil fuels.
9. Microgrids:
Aggressively invest in a smart, two-way grid and also microgrids. Invest
in smart meters, as well as reliable networks that can accommodate the
two-way flow of electricity.
10. Solar Roadways:
India should also take advantage of its vast network of roads across the
country and the sun that beats down on them and turn them into
energy-creating solar superhighways. The idea of solar panel roads is to
replace traditional asphalt roads with glass-based “solar panels that
you can drive on” in a bid to turn roads into sources of renewable
energy.
11. Develop energy storage:
This includes thermal storage, grid battery storage (e.g., Tesla
Powerwall home battery backup), compressed air/gas,
vehicles-to-grid/home, pumped hydro, fuel cells or other hydrogen
storage, flywheels, superconducting magnets, and supercapacitors.
Develop a “Hydrogen Economy” plan. India can export sunshine around the
world by converting solar energy into “Liquid Hydrogen Fuel.”
12. Transform India into a global solar manufacturing hub:
Establish R&D facilities within academia, research institutions,
industry, government, and private entities to guide technology
development.
India can easily build a 100% renewable energy system at costs comparable to or less than what it would have to spend to continue its reliance on fossil and nuclear power. There is no downside to this transition. We can make India the world leader and superpower in renewable energy, and eliminate the suffering of millions of people in Delhi and many other cities from pollution problems.
*Darshan Goswami has more than 40 years of experience in the energy field. He worked as a Project Manager for Renewable Energy, Micro-grid and Smart Grid projects at the United States Department of Energy (DOE) in Pittsburgh.
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