http://www.indianexpress.com/news/changing-course-on-climate/484211/0
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/theres-more-to-life-than-gdp/484995/0
while I am amused when the atlanticist lecture us about emissions - shourie is right that india has to innovate towards greener technologies, especially solar and clean coal. i like his idea of ecology-centered taxation.
incidentally an engineer friend of mine is working on building a sewage treatment plant within an apartment complex i.e. for approx 100 households. the output will be bio-fertilizer and gas fuel. he figures when local government in india is not be asked to provide sewage services, our cities will be clean.
personally i am all for miniaturized manufacturing powered by solar. for example solar powered miniature looms to produce cloth is a potentially workable idea. not to blow my own trumpet - but i have not owned a car for three years. i bicycle to work and use public transit for longer commutes.
15 comments:
Anand Karve, director of the Pune-based Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI) is a pioneer in this field. He is twice winner of Ashenden award and 2007 Jamnalal Bajaj Award.
http://www.anaerobic-digestion.com/html/low_cost_indian_biogas_system.php
This is one of the most meaningful, straighforward and honest articles I have ever read.
My compliments to Arun Shourie.
MNCs have the money to generate and sustain favorable publicity for their aims and they do so too. The dangers of what they peddle can not be understood by all and a majority of those who understand them can be bought off by the MNCs.
A cursory look at any processes that industry in developing countries have followed will reveal that the processes that the developed nations ban today as harmful to their environs have originated with them - individually or collectively. Their policy seems to sell dirt first then the soap to clean it up.
Con men often use this trick: throw filth on a 'mark' surreptitiously, then go point it out and make the 'mark' ashamed of it. Then offer to take him to a water tap or some such and while he is washing it off, his valuables are made off with.
These con men are "suited booted" and tell us that they set the standards.
@Ghost Writer
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good to know about your commitment towards personaly reducing carbon footprint
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http://hinduonline.blogspot.com/
i agree with gj, ghostwriter. mighty impressive that you are living in the US without a car. i tried public transport for a while, with mixed results. my old roommate is like you: he lives in palo alto and goes everywhere by bike. he puts hardly any miles on his car (but he does have a car, as the 'burbs require it).
Excellent article GW..
Indeed, at the personal level, i am searching for green technologies and how to implement this.. and since i am living in a relatively rural atmosphere, i am striving on reviving gobar gas project..
Btw, i am also canvassing few of the engineering students, to focus on alternative fuels and solar technologies..
How about the following DIY projects based on green energy?
http://diysolarpanels411.com/DIY_Solar_Panels.php?tid=ggimc401ag456
Its too costly for me .. i am thinking of a alternative ways to get it..
The July 2009 indian SciAm had a very insightful article on solar and alternate energy.
The relevant point from it was this: even in new technologies, economies of scale are huge.
Hence solar farms that, say cover 10% of the thar desert will be far cheaper than individual terrace level solar farms.
Given indian kakistocracy, we may lose our competitiveness here as well, since governmental attempts to make farms will be huge cash black holes.
Individual ones will not be able to generate power at a price that can match that of the chinese or others.
Sad huh?
I think Ghost lives in Canada, which makes his bicycling to work even more impressive. Ghost, how do bicycle in winter and manage from turning into an ice artwork of a cyclist in motion:-)?
@ KapiDhwaja
I do indeed live in Canada, but on the mild west coast (Vancouver, BC). The cold here is never so bad as to keep you from biking, but in the winter I prefer to walk (or on really cold days take the bus). I concede it is not possible in the rest of Canada to do so; and US design of cities has meant that car ownership is mandatory.
However, my question is why is India not thinking in these terms? it is a tropical country (especially the beautiful south) and riding a bike is possible 12 months a year. Why cannot they make some roads "bicycles exclusives" for peak commute times? it may not work for the punjabi prince in delhi, but a city like bangalore has a cosmopolitan enough crowd for it to work
Around 8 years back I heard of a person in Chennai who developed a small device that uses microwaves to ensure complete combustion of fuel and reduce waste. This device could have revolutionised the automobile industry. It was used successfully in some state transport buses. The inventor's attempts to sell the device to various automobile companies failed. The Govt adopted CNG instead which was extremely expensive, compared to a few thousands that the device would have cost and made even diesel buses Euro 4 compliant. Last heard, the technology had been sold either to China or Korea. We have undoubted geniuses amongst us capable of coming up with inexpensive workable solutions but a government too busy in swallowing money by saddling the country with expensive technologies can hardly be expected to recognise much less respond to simple homegrown solutions!
Ghost Writer,
Really nice to know that you bicycle to work. How far is your office from home? My office in Mumbai is about 18 Kms from home and I never use bicycle on working days.
But I take my bicycle sometimes when I need to work on Sundays.
There is a bicycling enthusiasts group in India and volunteers organize rides every weekend. I join in if the ride is in Northern part of Mumbai. Refer these links :
http://www.cyclists.in
http://www.cyclists.in/events
Regarding your question as to why is India not thinking in these terms, I think the reasons are somewhat different. I may be wrong but I think the main reason is that, in India, cyclists are looked down upon. I have lost count of the people who have told me why do you use a bicycle when you can afford a two wheeler. I know some youngsters who would be embarassed and ashamed to be seen on a bicycle.
Again, what I observed may be a local phenomenon because I was recently in Chennai for 3 weeks and I found a lot more bicycles(by a significant factor) on the roads there than I find in Mumbai.
Pankaj,
Thanks for those links - i will look up some local bike events when I am in Bangalore next
It is sad to see the automobile become a status symbol in India. I am hoping that some elites - such as Narayan Murthy or E Sridharan will bike to work a few days a year just to make a point. There are some reasons - apart form the silliness of status symbols - that Indians cannot bike to work. Subsidising petrol and parking encourages driving. Not to mention a cultural decline - car driver's see bikers as cockroaches that should be exterminated!
I live about 4 kms from work - but I would bike every day even if I was approx 20 kms away. Vancouver is one of the most bike friendly cities in the world, with dedicated bike lanes and a driving public that is generally courteous (except for the 'south asian' taxi-drivers!). The new mayor of Vancouver bikes to work too - the only thing wrong with the blighter is hat he is a tax and spend liberal
http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/transport/cycling/index.htm
ghostwriter, my apologies for accusing you :-) of living in the US. my bad.
i have to introduce you to my bicyclist pal and old roommate -- indian guy -- in california. he rides his bike 100-200 miles on the weekends. he has also ridden cross-country to the east coast, which i think is remarkable.
you are right about the attitude of drivers in india. pedestrians and bicyclists are considered pests.
100-200 miles would be a bit too much. I am by no means that enthusiastic about riding the bike - especially the steep uphills here leave me panting!
no worries on the confusion - I actually stayed in the north-east US for a bit. i am glad to have left though - could not stand the pretentious, snooty nor'easters. good luck to them!
hey Ghost writer!
kudos on your personal efforts- like cycling & using public transport. really impressive.
We in India need to get it right soon. Thanks for bringing this up & linking Shourie's article.
-ananth
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