Page 14 - The Indian EYE 111221

Op-Ed NOVEMBER 12, 2021 | The Indian Eye 14

cOp26, nuclear energy and india’s promises

Views and opinions from the top commentators in Indian media

oinciding with COP26,
India made a renewed
Cpush for membership of
the Nuclear Suppliers Group
(NSG), linking this to its cli-
mate goals. But relying solely on
wind and solar won’t do as this
would sharply increase the cost
of power. Therefore, expanding
the nuclear power infrastruc-
ture is an option that India can’t
afford to ignore. However, In-
dia is hamstrung here by its ex-
clusion from NSG. True, the US
did facilitate a one-time waiver
for India in 2008 which gave
its civilian nuclear sector a big
boost. India has been able to
buy nuclear power plants from Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of COP26 World Leaders'
the global market because of
this. But it is still denied the so- Summit in Glasgow (ANI)
phisticated nuclear technology ing emissions of methane actual- 2030 and 2100. The cost vari- difficult — the firecracker in-
and assured supply of raw mate- ly reduces the amount of meth- ations depend on whether hy- dustry, valued at an estimated
rials available to NSG members. ane in the atmosphere within drogen and CCUS have a big or Rs 5,000 crore and providing
China is India’s only major
hurdle to NSG membership. decades. Methane has a half-life small role in India’s energy tran- employment to around 10 lakh
Ever since India formally ap- of around a decade, so roughly sition. An economy-wide car- people, is a major contributor
plied to join the elite nuclear speaking, if you emit 10 tonnes of bon price will be needed sooner to India’s informal economy.
group in 2016, China has been methane today, 5 tonnes remain than later to raise resources and In fact, in places like Sivakasi,
in the atmosphere after a decade. nudge investments.
which produces 90 per cent of all
stonewalling the process on the --Michelle Cain, The Quint -- Arunabha Ghosh, firecrackers in India, the indus-
ground that India is not a signa- The Indian Express try is indispensable. Eliminating
tory to the nuclear Non-Prolif- Green promises the use of firecrackers will thus
eration Treaty (NPT). Green Diwali?
-- Editorial, The Times of India nce the dust settles over require the rehabilitation of a
large section of this unskilled
urther, any benefit from
COP-26, India would
GloBal metHane pleDGe Odo well to have legisla- the use of green firecrack- workforce. Further, availabili-
e may not know how tive backing for long-term tar-Fers is being compromised ty of viable green alternatives
needs to be ensured to discour-
much displacement is gets. Performance and progress by the continued sale of non- age the illegal sale of non-green
Whappening, but we do towards net-zero by each suc- green crackers — green crackers crackers — distributors in Ben-
know that for the past 30 years, cessive government should be reportedly account for only 5-10
since the Rio Earth Summit, the monitored by the Parliament. per cent of the total stock of big gal are reportedly having to
world has failed to reduce CO2 Developing near-term and mid- dealers and sellers in Calcutta. procure them from outside the
state. The use of harmful chem-
emissions. And so, because we term sectoral roadmaps would In the absence of a robust mech- ical components — barium ni-
have effectively left it too late give businesses policy and reg- anism to distinguish between trate continues to be used, even
to have a smooth reduction in ulatory clarity. Further, a Na- the two, there is concern that a in green crackers — must be
CO2emissions down to zero tional Commission on Climate ban would hardly be effectively
while limiting warming to well Change, as a constitutional body, implemented on the ground. tackled on a war-footing. The
below 2°C, we hope that per- should be formed to deal with If India is to meet its Paris path to a quiet, healthy Diwali
haps methane is going to save climate change as a strategic risk agreement goal, then the com- is, evidently, yet to be free of nu-
merous obstacles.
our bacon. How can methane and an overarching develop- plete phasing out of fireworks -- Editorial, The Telegraph
reductions be so much more ment priority, and improve in- is unavoidable in the long run
effective than CO2 0reductions, ter-ministerial and Centre-state — they release metal particles, Every week, we look at what
when methane contributes less coordination. toxins, and indirect greenhouse
to global warming than CO2? The economic cost for net-ze- gases like sulphur dioxide in the the top commentators in the
It’s because methane is much ro transition will amount to be- air and contribute to climate Indian media are talking about
and bring to you a slice
shorter-lived in the atmosphere tween $ 9,400 billion to $ 14,000 change. However, pronouncing of their opinions and comments
than CO2, and therefore reduc- billion (in 2015 prices) between a blanket ban is understandably

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