Climate Change and Low-carbon Economy

I would like to share this essay, which I wrote as part of the assignment for a MOOC entitled, "Climate Change," on Coursera. Rapid climate change driven by global warming associated with human activity is seen as one of the biggest threats to the future of humanity. The rate at which the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs, primarily carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons) in the atmosphere is quite alarming. Greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere absorb thermal radiation emitted from the earth’s surface, thus acting as a blanket causing global warming.  Carbon dioxide is regarded as the most important of the manmade greenhouse gases blamed for raising the temperature on the planet (Figure 1). It is worth noting that GHG concentrations have increased from around 285 ppm CO₂e in the 1800s to around 445 ppm as on today and it is estimated that this is likely to reach 750 ppm by the end of this century. This could result in an eventual temperature increase of more than 5 ^oC compared with the pre-industrial era. In fact, the planet has not seen even 3 ^oC for about 3 million years and it is predicted that a 450 ppm gives rise to around 20% chance of greater than 3 ^oC [1]. Therefore, there is an urgent need to contain these greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Solving this problem poses unprecedented challenges to the mankind. It requires multipronged strategy involving scientific, technical, economic, cultural, social, and political elements and a switch towards low-carbon economy (LCE). 

Figure 1: Figure showing the overlay of the average global surface

temperature and atmospheric CO2 for the past million years follow

a similar trend. Notice that warmer temperatures and higher CO2 

levels as well as colder temperatures and lower CO2 levels correlate 

well with each other (top). Figure showing the history of atmospheric

carbon dioxide concentrations as directly measured at Mauna Loa,

Hawaii (bottom). Bottom Image credit: Narayanese, Semhur, and
NOAA via Creative Commons.

What is a low-carbon economy or LCE?

LCE is an economy characterized by low energy consumption, low emission, and less polluting. It is characterized by the range of activities which emit low levels of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In other words, LCE is higher energy efficiency and a cleaner energy structure which will maximize the value and growth across the whole economy [2].  Traditional economy focuses on the continuous growth, prosperity, costs and opportunities without paying any attention to the increased emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. LCE on the other hand emphasizes the need for sustainable growth with efficient use of resources, technology and man power, which are environmental-friendly compared to high carbon resource-intensive traditional growth economy.

In October 2006, British government issued a report “Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change” by Sir Nicholas Stern, former chief economist of the World Bank. In the report, Sir Stern claims that with 1% of annual global GDP invested to address climate change, we could avoid future loss worth 5% to 20% of annual GDP [1]. He further called a transformation to LCE. According to Lord Stern, “The evidence shows that ignoring climate change will eventually damage economic growth. Our actions over the coming few decades could create risks of major disruption to economic and social activity, later in this century and in the next, on a scale similar to those associated with the great wars and the economic depression of the first half of the 20th century. And it will be difficult or impossible to reverse these changes. Tackling climate change is the pro-growth strategy for the longer term, and it can be done in a way that does not cap the aspirations for growth of rich or poor countries. The earlier effective action is taken, the less costly it will be."

For effective minimization of carbon dioxide emissions from all sectors in a LCE requires innovative solutions including new technologies and new energy sources. This will attract new ideas bringing new technologies from prototype to mass market and presents significant investment opportunities. These can include renewable energy sources such as marine or wind energy or other low-carbon technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells. Thus, a LCE not only opens up new investment opportunities but also new business as new markets emerge. Because LCE involves diverse sectors, the nature of its growth is also unpredictable unlike the traditional growth economy.

Need for Private and Public Sector Investment

LCE offers significant commercial potential and encourages private sector organizations to enter and capitalize on the revenues that are available in this area. Nearly, $2.5 trillion is estimated to be financed by the sources procuring low-carbon technologies.  A case in point is “The Carbon Trust” set up in UK. Their ventures like Connective Energy and Partnerships for Renewables are a great success [3]. Likewise there are many others who ventured in this sector such as Accenture, McKinsey and others [4]. There’s a need to spread this across the spectrum rather than limiting to few large companies. Climate bonds set up recently would suit this purpose very well. Climate bonds, which are defined as asset-backed infrastructure bonds designed specifically to finance climate change solutions like climate change adaptation measures and or mitigation projects that deliver genuine reductions in emissions. Climate bonds allow governments and/or private sector to raise funds to build renewable energy generation and related infrastructure, implement energy efficiency measures in cities and industries as well as support the adaptation measures. This market has touched more than $12 billion as per 2011 estimates [5,6].

Social and Cultural Costs

Climate change impacts the economic, social, cultural, and religious practices of all people of all religions in the world. Therefore, the cost of living, moving, eating, and consuming aspects of people across the globe plays a major role in mitigation and adaptation strategies of climate change and thereby the cost benefit analysis in a LCE as well [7]. It is estimated that the monetary losses as a result of global damages related to climate change will equal to 1.5% to 2% of Gross World Product (GWP, defined as the market value of all the goods and services sold throughout the world). This is an estimate for a single, unspecified year – the year when CO2e concentrations will have doubled, which is thought to occur in around 2050 or 2060 [8]. The Working Group III (WG3) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also estimated damage costs of 1% to 1.5% of Gross National Product (GNP) in OECD countries and between 2% and 9% of GNP in countries outside the OECD.

Need for Ethical and Political Framework

The LCE does require ethical and political framework for the governments to support the low-carbon economic activities and development of new technologies. The governments are in a position to plan a long-term strategic perspective regarding the future development of these activities. The governments need to have proper agenda and plans in this direction if they were to cut the global carbon dioxide emissions. Governments need to identify the LCE as an area for global economic growth in the coming decades. The wider political, economic and social context must also be addressed. A coherent portfolio of policy measures and specific mechanisms is needed to drive the transition to a LCE and only the governments can play a critical role in doing so.

Role of Science and Technology

The research and development is a key for a LCE as it involves the development of new and high energy-efficient end-use technologies, natural energy technologies, employing innovative manufacturing techniques such as iron (steel) making techniques using hydrogen instead of coal as a reducing agent, which results in large reduction of CO₂ emissions,  building highly efficient zero-emission thermal power stations, advanced atomic power generation, highly efficient electric power transmission etc. Development of alternative energy sources involve the renewable energy sources including bioenergy, which may be used to produce electricity or heat for home heating and transport through biofuels, advanced solar power generation, and wind farms. Other areas of interest include hybrid technologies in cars driven by hybridized electric motors and batteries, all-electric battery vehicles or fuel-cell vehicles probably fuelled by hydrogen or the combination of the two, etc.  Production of Shale gas for example will reduce the overdependence on LNG as Shale gas life cycle emissions (especially methane leakage, more potent of GHGs) are thought to be lower compared to LNG [9]. Energy Systems Modeling (ESM) by UKERC is designed to develop insights into a range of scenarios of future energy system evolution and the resultant technology pathways, sector trade-offs, and economic implications [10].

Divide Between Developed and Developing Economies

According to Stern review, the poorest countries will be hit earliest and hardest by climate change, even though they have contributed little to causing the problem. Their low incomes make it difficult to finance adaptation. Therefore, the international community has an obligation to support them in adapting to climate change. Without this support, there is a serious risk that development progress will be undermined and also it is for the developing countries themselves to determine their approach to adaptation in the context of circumstances and aspirations of their people. Due to this economic and consumption mismatch between the developing and the developed world, many developing countries are unable to come to terms with any international agreements on climate change. The transfer of low carbon technologies – including some cleaner coal technologies - could play a pivotal role in creating incentives for developing countries such as China and India to enter a post-2012 Kyoto agreement.

Leadership and Regulation from an International Body

Taking cues from the Stern review, the key building blocks of any collective action include developing a shared understanding of the long-term goals of climate policy, building effective institutions for co-operation, and demonstrating leadership and working to build trust with others. Therefore, building and sustaining collective action is very much in need and there is still time to avoid this catastrophe of climate change if strong collective action starts now. Intense strategies are being pursued for a global agreement that will bring all countries to the table. They include funding by the developed countries in most of the investment and R&D to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the transfer of technology at minimal or zero cost to developing countries; and the developed countries to transfer funds to developing countries in exchange for cost of effective reductions of pollution. Let’s hope a global treaty on climate change, which remained elusive would be a reality sooner rather than the later.

---

[1]. Stern, N. Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, 2007, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

[2]. Shengxian, Z. In “Introduction of Low-carbon Economy” Kunmin, Z.; Jiahua, P.; Depeng, C (Eds.) 2008.

[3]. Delay, T. Low-carbon Economy – What are the opportunities? The Guide to the UK Environmental Industry, 2008, p.53.
[4]. Whitehouse, S.; Lacy, P.; Veillard, X.; Keeble, J.; Richardson, S. Carbon Capital - Financing the Low-carbon Economy, Social Intelligence Series, 2011, Barclays, London.
[5]. Kidney, S.; Mallon, K.; Silver, N.; Williams, C. Financing a rapid, global, transition to a Low-carbon Economy, Climate Solutions II: Low Carbon Re-Industrialiazation, A Report to WWF International, 2009, Climate Risk Ltd.
[6]. Kidney, S.; Clenaghan, S.; Oliver, P. Climate bonds – the investment case, Bond Markets, City UK Financial Services, 2011.
[7]. Kysar, D. A. Climate Change, Cultural Transformation, and Comprehensive Rationality, Faculty Scholarship Series. Paper 383, 2004, 555-589. Retrieved 20 October 2013 from http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/fss_papers/383
[8]. Meyer, A.; Cooper, T. A Recalculation of the Social Costs of Climate Change, Global Commons Institutet Report, London, UK, 1995.
[9] Joffe, D. A role for Shale Gas in a Low-carbon Economy, Modelling at CCC, 2012. Retrieved on 20 October, 2013 from www.theccc.org.uk/blog/a-role-for-shale-gas-in-a-low-carbon-economy/
[10]. Anandarajah, G.; Strachan, N.; Ekins, P.; Kannan, R.; Hughes, N. Pathways to a Low Carbon Economy: Energy Systems Modelling, UKERC Energy 2050 Research Report 1, 2012, UKERC/RR/ESM/2009/001.

Union Cabinet Clears Telangana

Indian Home Minister, Mr. Susheel Kumar Shinde announcing the Cabinet's 

decision to clear Telangana on Thursday.

After intense deliberations that lasted for over three hours, the Union Cabinet at its meeting on Thursday formally cleared the Telangana draft bill bifurcating South India’s largest state of Andhra Pradesh. Addressing the press conference soon after the meeting, Union Home Minister, Mr. Susheel Kumar Shinde said that the newly formed Telangana State comprises of the same 10 districts of the erstwhile Hyderabad state of 1956 with Hyderabad as its capital. The ten districts of Telangana include Adilabad, Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Ranga Reddy, and Warangal. Mr. Shinde also said that Hyderabad will act as the common capital for both the divided states for 10 years and that the law and order machinery during this period would rest with the governor of the newly formed Telangana state. Mr. Shinde also said that a committee would be constituted which will then decide on the capital for the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh within a period of 45 days. Mr. Shinde further added that the Polavaram multi-purpose irrigation project across the Godavari River will be constructed wholly by the center after securing all the approvals from the ministry of environment and forests. The project when completed will irrigate the upland areas of Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari and Krishna districts apart from providing drinking water to the Visakhapatnam city.  

An Experiment With The History Of Internet

Come November, the focus shifts to the internet ─ the great significance this month has in the history of the World Wide Web. It was in November 1990 the British-born Tim Berners Lee submitted the final project proposal entitled WorldWideWeb: Proposal for the HyperText Project to CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, which led to the discovery of World Wide Web or simply Web, the way of accessing information over the medium of internet. The Web uses hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP) to transmit data and services over the internet. In this backdrop, I would like to share here my first experience with the internet and the World Wide Web. Although I worked with computers since 1988, starting with the fourth generation IBM XT 286 computers during my post graduation till the most modern ones today, my real sojourn with internet began sometime in mid 1995. It was in 1995 when I was doing my Ph. D. at a university in India. Those were the days; the internet was just beginning to take shape in the select few universities and academic institutions in India. Being a top-rated university in India, University of Hyderabad has been chosen to host one of the regional hubs for internet access, a privilege very few centers of excellence enjoyed at that time. I still vividly remember how I used to type simple text commands on a UNIX-based Sun Microsystems computer to browse the internet only to see a lengthy text in return at snail’s pace because of the prevailing low bandwidth at that time and also the images/graphics were not prevalent as they are today. Lot of browsing went with texting instead. It was an amazing experience indeed! Later on, I started to communicate through email, which came into being in late 1995. Since, we, students did not have the email facility at that time as it was just evolving; I used my mentor’s address initially to communicate with my peers in the field to exchange ideas and/or research data during my thesis phase from both within and outside the country. I don’t exactly remember what my first email communication on the internet was, but vaguely, it was something to do with a business mail, a symposium-related one that I was replying to the organizing committee thanking them for accepting my presentation at the conference organized by the Indian Academy of Sciences in Bangalore, India. In that sense, I didn’t have much privacy those days because the mails were to and from my mentor’s address and I get a copy of the print out whenever they concerned me.

Bletchley Park – the birthplace of world's first electronic computer. 

Image credit: Draco via Creative Commons.

It was in Oxford, UK that I got my first official email when I moved there as a postdoctoral at the University of Oxford in 1996. It was a great experience indeed! It was here in Oxford, my exposure to the full-fledged internet came into being. It was in the historic Dyson Perrins Laboratory building (1916-2004, Department of Organic Chemistry) at the University of Oxford that I accessed for the first time some of the oldest, largest, and most modern chemical databases and journals on a daily basis on the internet in pursuit of my larger research interests. Though I visited Cambridge and London several times during my stay in England attending conferences or on collaborative work meetings, what I didn’t know at that time was the significance of Bletchley Park near Cambridge, which played a key role in the victory of Allied forces and the birthplace of world's first electronic computer.  It’s really amazing to know that the entire Bletchley Park laboratory (close to where I worked 50 years later) was set up to decode wartime messages from German forces during the Second World War and the father of computing Alan Turing broke some of the highly secretive codes of German Enigma, which subsequently laid the foundation for one of the major discoveries the world has ever seen, i.e., the internet, and the World Wide Web almost fifty years later by Tim Berners Lee and Robert Calliau from CERN, Geneva ─ the Mecca of experimental Physics I would say, where Physicists from all over the world would love to visit, work, and collaborate with and while doing so they tend to make some of the best discoveries; a case in point being the discovery of ‘God Particle,’ Higgs Boson in 2012, which fetched this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics for Peter Higgs and Francois Englert ─ virtually transforming the world and the way we conduct our lives today. No surprise, World Wide Web would remain as a feather in CERN’s cap.

Internet users per 100 inhabitants based on data from International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Internet users 2001-2011 and Key Figures 2006-2013. Image credit: Jeff Ogden via Creative Commons.

When I moved to Germany in ‘97 on an “Alexander Humboldt Fellowship” at the University of Saarlandes, Saarbrucken situated next to French border; my association with internet grew further just as the internet itself. Those were also the times internet was literally growing at astronomical speeds. More and more businesses went online and so are publishers, electronic journals etc., and the way we publish our books and research articles became as simple as the click of a mouse. What was a single server when Tim Berners Lee invented World Wide Web in late 1990 has grown into quarter-million servers by mid 1996 and this unparalleled growth of the World Wide Web also triggered the rapid rise of stock markets and economic growth during late 90s and early 2000 that's when the proverbial dot-com bubble or internet bubble or information technology bubble began to burst, which lead to the crash of global markets. I still vividly remember one of those weekly group meetings where we used to exchange ideas primarily of Chemistry; one of my mentors even brought up a discussion on the internet and how fast it was growing and the total number of web pages of information internet already boasts, etc. Well, a bunch of chemists discussing about the progress of internet – internet has come of age! Another connection comes to my mind in this saga of internet and the World War II as they are intertwined in a way (vide supra), my own visit to the city of Nuremburg during my stay in Germany. The city is famous for Nuremburg Trials, military tribunals held by the Allied forces for the prosecution of prominent members of the political and military leadership of Germany. From here on, internet has virtually revolutionized the way I conduct research and many other activities (blogging, http://www.drsirish.blogspot.com/) on a daily basis just as it did to the rest of the world. I just can’t imagine a day without the internet today and in a way, it has transformed the entire society for the better. As an aside, the indexed web contains at least 4.13 billion pages as on Sunday 27 October 2013 (http://www.worldwidewebsize.com/). As per latest estimate, 39% of world population use internet. While 75 out of 100 Europeans surf the web, this number is followed by 61/100 for North America, 32/100 for Asia & Pacific, and only 16 out of 100 for Africa. 

Shiller, Hansen, and Fama 'Shares' 2013 Economics Nobel

The 2013 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was awarded jointly to Eugene F. Fama and Lars Peter Hansen of of University of Chicago, IL, USA, and Robert J. Shiller of Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA "for their empirical analysis of asset prices," said Nobel Committee in its press release. The trio will share the coveted 8 m Swedish Kroner ($1.2 m) prize money for their pioneering discoveries on predicting the asset prices using empirical models, which provide greater understanding of how financial markets work and stock prices react over a longer periods of time, say 3-7 years horizon. Fama and his colleagues studied short-term predictability of asset prices from different angles and found that the amount of short-run predictability in stock markets is very limited. This has had a profound impact on the academic literature as well as on market practices.

Source: Adapted from "The Prize in Economic Sciences 2013 - Popular Information". 

Nobelprize.org, and citations therein.

Robert Shiller discovered in the early 1980s that stock prices fluctuate much more than corporate dividends, and that the ratio of prices to dividends tends to fall when it is high, and to increase when it is low. This pattern holds not only for stocks, but also for bonds and other assets. Hansen made fundamental contributions first by developing an econometric method – the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM), the findings of which broadly supported Shiller's preliminary conclusions that asset prices fluctuate too much to be reconciled with standard theory, the so-called Consumption Capital Asset Pricing Model (CCAPM). Together, the three Laureates have laid the foundation for current understanding of the asset prices. When asked about his first reaction over telephone by one of the committee members, Professor Shiller expressed his disbelief and replying to a question about the predictability of asset pricing, he felt that there's an element of uncertainty and irreducible human element in predicting what asset prices will do and that's part of the reason why the field of finance will never completely understand asset pricing movements.

Chemical Weapons Watchdog Chosen for 2013 Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2013 has been awarded to the chemical weapons watchdog, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in The Hague, The Netherlands, OPCW with its 189 member states is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which prohibited the use, but not the production or storage of chemical weapons. Through inspections, destruction  and by other means OPCW has been playing a buoyant role in implementing the 1925 Geneva Protocol including the most recent and ongoing inspections in Syria.

The OPCW Inspection Team leaving for Syria on 30 September. 

Image credit: opcw.org

Canadian Author Alice Munro Wins 2013 Literature Nobel

The Nobel Prize for Literature for 2013 has been awarded to Canadian author Alice Munro for her contributions in the literary field, what the Norwegian Nobel Committee termed as  “master of the contemporary short story”. Born in the Canadian Province of Ontario, Munro is primarily known for her short stories and has published many collections over the years. Her works include Who Do You Think You Are? (1978), The Moons of Jupiter (1982), Runaway (2004), The View from Castle Rock (2006) and Too Much Happiness (2009). The collection Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (2001) became the basis of the film Away from Her from 2006, directed by Sarah Polley. Her most recent collection is Dear Life (2012). 

Karplus, Levitt, and Warshel bags 2013 Nobel Prize for Chemistry

This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry was jointly awarded to three American Scientists of varying nationalities ─ Martin Karplus (Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA, and Université de Strasbourg, France; born in Austria; US and Austrian citizen) Michael Levitt (Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA; born in South Africa; US, British, and Israeli citizen) and Arieh Warshel (University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, born in Israel; US and Israeli citizen) for their pioneering discoveries, which laid foundation for the powerful programs that are used to understand and predict chemical processes. Computer models mirroring real life have become crucial for most advances made in chemistry today, opines Nobel Committee in its press release.

Modelling of an  Enzyme-DNA complex depicts the molecular interactions  at play.

Molecular modelling plays a vital role in our understanding of chemical processes 
in real life. Image credit: Zephyris via creative commons.

‘God Particle’ Fetches Nobel for Higgs and Englert

Peter W. Higgs (left) and Francois Englert (right). Simulated experimental data showing the collision of two protons producing the God Particle, Higgs Boson, which decays into two jets of hadrons and two electrons. The bright orange lines represent the possible paths of particles produced by the proton-proton collision in the detector (Center). Image credit: Lucas Taylor via creative commons.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2013 jointly to a British-born Peter W. Higgs of University of Edinburgh, and a Belgium-born François Englert of  Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, for their pioneering research on the theory of how particles acquire mass. The theory, originally conceived in 1964 by the duo independently of each other was later confirmed in 2012 by the discovery of a so called God Particle, Higgs Boson at the now famous CERN’s subterranean laboratory, Large Hadron Collider (LHC) located just outside Geneva, Switzerland. The duo was awarded the coveted prize “for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider” said Nobel Committee in its press release.

CERN's main site, from Switzerland looking towards France (Image credit: Brucke-Osteuropa via Creative Commons). Did the Nobel Committee overlook CERN ─ Europe’s and world's leading particle physics laboratory, the very organization that is instrumental in finding out the existence of Higgs boson in 2012 after a series of experiments conducted at its LHC, a particle accelerator ─ while awarding this year's prize? 

“Cell Transport & Delivery System” Fetches Medicine Nobel for 3 Scientists

The 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was jointly awarded to two Americans, James E. Rothman (Yale University), Randy W. Schekman (University of California at Berkeley), and a German, Thomas C. Südhof (Stanford University) for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells. The three will share the coveted 8 m Swedish Kroner ($1.2 m) prize money for their independent work on how tiny membrane-bound sacs called vesicles pass through the cell compartments and deliver the cargo of chemicals to the right address. Vesicle transport throws insight into disease processes. “The three Nobel Laureates have discovered a fundamental process in cell physiology. These discoveries have had a major impact on our understanding of how cargo is delivered with timing and precision within and outside the cell,” the Nobel Committee said in its press release. Randy W. Schekman discovered genes encoding proteins that are key regulators of vesicle traffic.  James E. Rothman discovered that a protein complex enables vesicles to fuse with their target membranes. Thomas C. Südhof studied how signals are transmitted from one nerve cell to another in the brain, and how calcium controls this process.

It's Official Now - Telangana Is Born!

Nearly two months after Congress Working Committee (CWC) unanimously voted in favor of bifurcating South India's largest state of Andhra Pradesh, Indian Cabinet formally okays the proposal on Thursday's cabinet meeting thus formalizing the birth of a new state of Telangana with Hyderabad as the capital amidst serious protests from the people of Seemandhra, who are fighting for the United Andhra Pradesh. The city of Hyderabad however will act as the joint capital for 10 years after which new capital will be identified for the rest of Andhra Pradesh. Image credit: Rajesh Dayanchal via Wikimedia Commons. 

India carves out a new state of Telangana

A tv-grab of the press conference by Mr. Digvijay Singh, the in-charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs and Mr. Ajay Maken, AICC general secretary announcing Congress party's decision to create a separate state of Telangana (right). Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is seen  walking into the CWC meeting on the left.

India’s Congress party, the major partner in the ruling coalition, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) headed by Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has finally recommended the cabinet to create a separate state of Telangana bifurcating South India’s largest state, Andhra Pradesh. Addressing a press conference soon after the meeting of the party's august decision making body, Congress Working Committee (CWC), its general secretary Mr. Ajay Maken and the in-charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs, Mr. Digvijay Singh revealed that CWC has unanimously voted in favor of the creation of a separate state and the new Telangana state constitutes the same ten districts of the erstwhile Hyderabad state that were merged with the then Andhra state to form Andhra Pradesh in 1956 with Hyderabad as its capital. The city of Hyderabad, the bone of contention between the two states and the Information Technology hotbed however will act as the common capital for 10 years to both states. The new capital will be identified thereafter for the rest of Andhra Pradesh. The constitutional process for the new state becoming a reality may take anywhere between four to five months and the new Telangana state when formed will be the 29^th in the Union of States of India. This also puts an end to the six-decade-old struggle for the demand of a separate state by the people of Telangana.                                                                                                      Listen to the podcast below.

                                                                                      

The nation betrayed ─ Why a rich nation India remained poor?

According to Planning Commission of India, 3 out of every 10 Indians live below 

poverty line earning  less than 50 cents a day!

“He is a barbarian and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature.” This popular quotation from George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra, suits India’s politicians more than anybody else. I am constantly embroiled in a battle with myself trying to find answer to the question, why a rich nation, India, remained poor? By saying that, I am not exaggerating the facts here. India is culturally, emotionally, scientifically, and intellectually a rich nation. Before, anybody else, Indians invented the numerical zero [1]. Apparently, Sanskrit, the ancient and classical language of India is believed to be the oldest and most systematic languages of the world. According to Forbes magazine (July 1987), Sanskrit is the most convenient language for computer software programming. Indians or persons of Indian origin have won Nobel Prizes for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Economics, Literature, and Peace. Yet, this nation remained poor. Why? The answer to this question must lie with India’s politicians. They had completely let down 1.2 billion odd Indians. They are responsible for the sad state of affairs that the country is in today even after sixty-six years of self-rule ever since India gained its independence at the stroke of the midnight hour on August 15, 1947 from Great Britain [2]. Before drawing any conclusions, I thought I would examine some of the key statistical evidence on human development and the good governance, the two critical aspects of any nation’s progress. 

The other day, I stumbled upon a news report on the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Report 2013, which ranks India at 136 out of 186 countries measured using the Human Development Index (HDI) [3, 4]. Put into perspective ─ this is below Ghana (135), a younger sub-Saharan-African nation, which received independence in 1957 much later than India, and has been marked by military coups  and frequent government overthrows ─ and just above the war-ravaged Cambodia (138). What an irony! Here comes another startling fact. According to a recent report released by the Planning Commission of India, three out of every ten Indians are living below the poverty line earning less than 50 cents a day. The study is based on the monthly per capita expenditure (MCPE) of Rs. 673 for rural areas and Rs. 860 for urban areas [5]. According to some unofficial estimates, as many as 5 out of 10 Indians are living under the poverty line.

Is India world's largest open toilet?

The numbers don't end there. The Census data of 2011 show that more than 40% of Mumbai, 35% of Delhi, and 30% each of Kolkata and Chennai's population lives in slums, the residential areas, where the dwellings are unfit for human habitation by reasons of dilapidation, overcrowding, lack of ventilation, or sanitation. The same census also points out that nearly half of India's 1.2 billion people have no toilet at home and more than 53% defecate in the open. This is more than half of all people in the world who defecate in the open according to Asian Development Bank's (ADB) report on Asian Water Development Outlook 2013 [6], which forced India’s rural development minister, Mr. Jairam Ramesh to brand India as the “world’s largest open toilet,” and he even angered some religious groups by claiming “India has more temples than toilets.” The ADB report goes on to add that about 88% of all diarrheal diseases reported worldwide, caused mainly by the ingestion of pathogens in water, have been attributed to the lack of adequate sanitation and accounts for the death of more children under the age of five than anywhere else in the world. That’s 1.7 million children or almost 5000 child deaths a day in India alone, according to a new report by the UNICEF [7]. These are the deaths caused by the curable diseases, which could have been prevented by the proper planning and timely intervention. Aren't these deaths then caused by our insensitive and uncommitted leaders? Shouldn't they be listed as homicides and the leaders prosecuted? 

Not that I am perplexed, but what is worrying is that every time a new report surfaces replacing the old one, the numbers are staggering and the ranks hitting rock bottom. According to a survey conducted by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a nonprofit organization, more than one-third legislators of the 543-member lower house of Parliament faces criminal charges of rape, sexual abuse, and assault against women pending in courts. More than 200 others from state legislatures are facing similar charges in various lower courts. No surprise then that a recent report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reveals that since 1971, there has been an increase of 873% in India's rape related crimes, i.e. more than 20% per annum surpassing all the economic and social indicators [8].  

The flood-ravaged temple town of Kedarnath [9] in Uttarakhand on June 18, 2013

after it was hit by the "Himalayan Tsunami," which is believed to have claimed the

lives of more than 10,000 and is a direct offshoot of deforestation caused by the
rampant illegal mining and mindless construction of dams in the most eco-sensitive 
region of Himalayas, according to environmentalists [10]. Image courtesy: Amitabh 
Nath, Aaj Tak/India Today via Wikimedia Commons.

The list goes on and on if one looks at the number of corruption scandals that rocked the country during the past five years alone. The loss to the exchequer due to these scandals runs into billions of dollars. Ironically, even the Transparency International (TI) in its 2012 report of Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranked India 94th out of 176 nations, below its neighboring countries like Sri Lanka and China [11]. Take the case of recent “Himalayan Tsunami” that hit Northern India’s Uttarakhand state, which is believed to have claimed the lives of more than 10000. This man-made disaster could have been averted and so many lives could have been saved, had Indian leaders heeded the repeated warnings of the expert panel report [12] commissioned by the ministry of environment and forests, Government of India and other environmental organizations [13]; and not give in to the whims and fancies of politically influential sand, mining, and construction mafia responsible for the rampant deforestation of this most eco-sensitive region of Himalayas. Henry Kissinger once said, "It’s the 90% of politicians that give the other 10% a bad name," and he was absolutely right. Weren't these politicians who "ruled the roost" and held the country to ransom through endemic misgovernance and pandemic corruption? Aren't these leaders responsible for the sad state of affairs the country is in today? The buck should stop at them. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Well, there is ─ only if all the political parties of India exercise greater wisdom and caution while nominating candidates with clean image and impeccable character for the upcoming parliamentary elections, which are due 10 months from now and give the people of India a much needed choice in determining their fate. It is high time that they do so! 

Reference:

[1] Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, E. (2000). The Nothing that Is: A Natural History of Zero, Oxford, UK; Oxford University Press. 

[2] Prime Minister Nehru Speaks on Indian Independence Day and related Media – History.com (n.d.) History Channel. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://www.history.com/speeches/nehru-speaks-on-indian-independence-day#nehru-speaks-onindian-independence-day

[3] 2013 Human Development Report – undp.org (n.d.) UNDP. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/hdr/human-development-report-2013/

[4] Human Development Index (HDI) value – undp.org (n.d.) UNDP. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/103106.html

[5] Key Indicators of Household Consumer Expenditure in India, 2009-10 – pib.nic.in (n.d.) Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=73098

[6] Asian Water Development Outlook 2013 – adb.org (n.d.) Asian Development Bank. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://www.adb.org/publications/asian-water-development-outlook-2013

[7] Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed – unicef.org (n.d.) UNICEF. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://www.unicef.org/videoaudio/PDFs/APR_Progress_Report_2012_final.pdf

[8] National Crime Records Bureau Home Page. (n.d.) NCRB India. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://ncrb.gov.in/

[9] The 5000 odd year-old Kedarnath temple was believed to have been built by Pandavas around 3150 B.C. before the start of Kaliyug in  3102 B.C. and later renovated by Shri Adi Shankaracharya during his time around 1000 A.D. See also The Vedic Foundation - vedicfoundation.org (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2013 from http://www.thevedicfoundation.org/bhartiya_history/mahabharat.htm
[10] Indian flood deaths blamed on 'mindless' construction - newscientist.com (n.d.) New Scientist. Retrieved on June 29, 2013 from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23753-indian-flood-deaths-blamed-on-mindless-construction.html?full=true&print=true#.Uc7r-Dsya5w
[11] Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 – transparency.org (n.d.) Transparency International. Retrieved June 24, 2013 from http://www.transparency.org/cpi2012/results

[12]  Assessment of Cumulative Impacts of Hydroelectric Projects on Aquatic and Terrestrial Biodiversity in Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Basins, Uttarakhand - moef.nic.in (n.d.) Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/SEA-Hydro-Report-1604.pdf

[13] Comment on IMG (B.K. Chaturvedi) Committee Report on Upper Ganga Hydro and the River – sandrp.in (n.d,) South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://sandrp.in/IMG_report_on_Ganga_has_Pro_Hydro_Bias_June2013.pdf

The Silent Killer!

The rapid surge in telecommunication industry has witnessed an unprecedented growth in the number of mobile phones in India reaching 867 millions, which is second only to China in the total number of mobile phones in use. This has led to the erection of cell phone towers by the mobile phone companies almost every nook and corner of the country irrespective of the places be it in residential rooftops; schools or college buildings; hospitals or office buildings throwing caution to the wind in every which way. The lackadaisical attitude of the governments both at the central and state level towards these companies in curbing this practice only added to this problem.  For a country with the population of 1.27 billion and growing, and according to the world bank report published in 2012, the population density in India was 411 per square kilometer, which is more than 12 times that of the United States also means that these many lives are under constant threat of mugging under the heat of microwave radiation emanating from these ubiquitous towers, majority of which are illegally sited and without any clearances from the government. As per the recent estimate by the Delhi Municipal Corporation, the nation’s capital alone has more than 2700 such illegal structures hovering over the residential rooftops or inhabited properties. Though this has generated a lot of concern among the general public in the recent past, but many of them are still oblivious of the dangers lurking right over their heads. This is my little attempt to spread that general awareness among the public on the health concerns that these towers pose. This is aimed at keeping it simple without going into the technicalities of radiofrequency radiation exposure, the details of which were discussed in my earlier post entitled, "Why cell phone towers are so bad for your health?", and only highlights the possible heath risks as a general awareness campaign and a free-to-use poster. 

If I were to throw a rhetorical analysis of this poster, it appeals to all the three elements of the rhetorical triangle, i.e., Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. By choosing the powerful title, "The Silent Killer," I appealed to both the pathos and the logos.  The title not only appeals emotionally to the target audience but also justifies the invisible nature of radiofrequency radiation thus satisfying both the pathos and the logos. Apart from this, incorporation of various logos in the middle depicts the underlying diseases associated with radiofrequency radiation emanating from the cell phone towers, informs the general public on the ill-effects these towers pose on their health, and the lurking dangers ahead of them because of these towers thus appealing to the pathos. The text "prolonged exposure" underlines the importance of maximum exposure, i.e., 24x7 received by those living in close proximity to the cell tower. The primary colors along with the carefully chosen fonts used in this poster appeals to the logos. Furthermore, the text "Say no to Cell Tower in Your Neighborhood!" appeals to the commonplaces. Finally, the title and the images together with the caption underlines the sense of urgency with which the governments needed to take proactive steps in curbing the practice of siting illegal cell phone towers primarily in the residential areas, schools and hospital buildings thus appealing to the kairos as well.

Listen to the podcast below.