#dnaEdit: Tough choices for sustainable development in India

The National Green Tribunal’s ban on diesel cars older than 10 years in Delhi and the launch of the national air quality index, signal a new urgency as well as the implicit acceptance that air pollution has reached levels hazardous to citizens. The colour-coded index, recently launched in 10 cities, will help to inform people about multiple and serious health hazards like breathing difficulty, aggravation of asthma, respiratory illnesses. The recent government moves to seriously tackle the pollution threat could work if these measures are implemented in more cities; and the information is widely publicised through media and other tools of public communication. Unless popular pressure is mounted on the government, efforts to improve air quality will continue to be a low priority agenda. The link between heightened economic activity, consumerist lifestyles and degrading ecosystems makes it imperative for governments to steer public policy in directions that minimise damage to the environment. No less important is the onus on citizens to reduce wastage and adopt sustainable lifestyles. Simple measures like turning lights off, minimising air-conditioner use and using public transport can make a huge difference to our carbon emissions.

A daunting challenge for the government is reining in powerful lobbies that stand to lose from cracking the whip on air pollution. Among the major polluters in India are the mining, automobile and construction sectors which contribute to increasing the country’s GDP figures. Recently, the tobacco lobby stalled the health ministry’s plan to increase the pictorial warnings on tobacco product covers. The automobile industry successfully lobbied and stalled the Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s norms on increasing car mileage for five years. This delayed the roll-out of 10 per cent increase in mileage to 2016 and a 30 per cent increase to 2021. As a result, the reduction in oil imports and the lowering of CO2 emissions will have to wait longer. In fact, the kid-glove treatment meted out to the automobile industry is testimony to the government’s dilly-dallying attitude to reduce air pollution. Though launched in 2010, the Bharat Stage-IV norms are in practice only in 33 cities, and the cost of adopting Bharat Stage V norms have oil refiners and automobile makers complaining about an extra expenditure of Rs80,000 crore and Rs50,000 crore, respectively. It is another matter that experts have questioned the standards adopted in the Bharat emission norms and whether they meet European standards.

The introduction of CNG fuel for buses and autorickshaws in Delhi was a rare and commendable policy decision; an occasion when the government went against its short-term economic interests. But the policy decision came at the bidding of the judiciary. The important gains from CNG induction and the Metro — however — have been frittered away in Delhi by the private vehicle boom and the absence of a bypass road that forces diesel trucks to ply through the Capital. Not to mention the unfettered construction activities in the National Capital Region. Despite catastrophic climate change hovering on the horizon, the approaches of central and state governments are yet to fundamentally change. They continue to ignore the implementation of green measures and technological improvements simply because these escalate input costs. The prohibitive costs to environment and public health are given a complete go-by. The task of purifying the air, water and soil will only get more expensive and complex in future. If India’s per-capita carbon emissions are low, it has to do with 70 per cent of the country being too poor to adopt Western lifestyles. But the same cannot be said of the middle classes. Sustainable development is a favourite buzzword for policymakers. Unfortunately, the measures that put this laudable theory to practice have only been few and far between.