11/30/2007
Global Rethink
Emissions disputes symptom of eco-nationalism
Do carbon emissions that are causing climate change and threatening the survival of Planet Earth have distinct and different nationalities? Are they — or should they be — American carbons, Chinese carbons, Indian carbons, etc? Or should carbons — like trade and information — have an increasingly globalised identity? In many forms the 19th century concept of nation states has become obsolete. The transformation wrought by changes in perception of and attitude towards various issues — such as trade, business process outsourcing, employment opportunity, information flow, communication and entertainment — has blurred geographical, cultural and political boundaries, greatly enhancing their reach for common benefit. However, the last bastion of diehard nationalism, the environment, exists as an antithesis of its own nature. The environment ought to be the fundamental, universal premise for any kind of global thinking. Strangely, though, the very environment that makes possible globalised progress on all fronts is burdened with the tyranny of nationalism.
The UNDP’s Human Development Report released on Tuesday, whose contents were reportedly “trashed” by Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, focuses on the impact of climate change on development indices. The report says that the effects of climate change would, for the first time, erase benefits of development achieved in previous years. The other point made is that whether a particular country — anywhere on the globe — takes action or not to curb emissions, the impact would be more pronounced in developing countries of Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands.
India takes great pride in its traditional proclivity for nurturing a universal consciousness. Its leaders have made a habit of quoting from the scriptures to proclaim how the world is one big family — Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. India’s decisionmakers shouldn’t let themselves fall into the very same trap that the developed world is trying to get out of. It is clear that carbon footprints are to be taken seriously. Since emissions do not stay put within national boundaries and since anyway, India would be among the worst hit if global warming continues unabated, eco-nationalism would only drag us deeper into the morass. But then, this is not a problem that can be solved by India, or the developed world alone.
There has to be more thought on what would constitute universal criteria for emissions reduction, which would be fair, equitable and acceptable to all nations. First, we need to clear the decks at the conceptual level. It’s not an either/or choice between clean air and economic growth. Policy needs to factor in both issues.
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