EcoWorldly

A usual scene from Chandni Chowk: Delhi’s oldest and busiest market

Chandni Chowk (Moonlit Avenue) - a major street in the walled city of Old Delhi, established by the Mughals over three centuries ago, is one of the oldest and busiest markets in all of North India. The region has retained its historical character amidst considerable urban challenges, and the narrow lanes are now almost always choked with congestion.

In the past few weeks, Chandni Chowk featured in the media twice. Once for being declared India’s most polluted residential area and more recently for seeing the launch of solar-powered cycle rickshaws in the capital city. A package to clean the busy Chandni Chowk area has also been declared and solar energy is clearly paving the way for this change!

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In recent years, I hear more and more about developments in solar cars. I also hear frequently about solar car races [South Africa'08, North America'08, Australia '07]. Encouraging as these developments are, we desperately need a way to get these cars widely adopted and out onto the streets.

My vision is probably influenced by my life in a small Californian city and the ways of people here. In the recent times of energy crisis and skyrocketing gas prices, people are readily exploring alternatives such as scooters, mopeds, electric cars and small efficient cars. They are giving-up the comforts of large luxurious, air conditioned cars. A couple of recent articles on cheaper solar cars (in fact, hybrid ones running on solar energy mainly) really sparked hope in me - these solar cars would be ideal to try out in smaller cities.

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In the India Energy Conference 2008 just held in New Delhi by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in association with Petroleum Federation of India (PetroFed) reiterated the fact that as one of the fastest growth economies of the world, India’s energy strategy is critical for achieving her development objectives and that government and corporations must improve access to economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sustainable energy sources.

While discussing alternative energy sources, the conference focused on India’s potential for developing alternative energy sources and identified policy imperatives required to push these sources to move the economy towards a sustainable pathway. Specifically the conference focused on prospects of bio-fuels in the light of the controversies on the use of land for food v/s fuel. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the span of the last century, the charkha or spinning wheel of India has symbolized non violence, independence and economic progress. Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Indian nation, promoted the charkha during India’s freedom struggle as a symbol of self-reliance and as a source of income for the rural population. It was emblazoned on the flag of the Congress party, the political party that was built to govern India based upon Gandhi’s economic vision. Today, more than 50 years after independence, the charkha has also become a symbol of sustainable energy production. Read the rest of this entry »

An innovative campaign from HelpSweden.org aims to turn our notions of wealth and poverty on their heads.

HelpSweden.org has drafted a petition to Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. It urges greater action on the Millennium Development Goals when Sweden holds the European Union presidency in the second half of 2009. The message also holds a reminder of the first world’s forgotten debt to the rest of the world for resources and labor.

Think Africa’s poor?

Not in terms of natural resources. Most diamonds and gold in the world come from Africa. With all the conflict that’s erupted over mining the abundant precious materials in the Congo, there’s a saying, “We’d be so much better off if we weren’t so rich.”

Much of the African continent is also blessed a climate far more lush than, say, Sweden. Yet with a fraction of the natural resources and more snow than you could shake a kräftskivor at, Sweden’s economy is among the top twenty largest in the world, dwarfing any African nation.

So what gives?

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With predictions pointing to a global rise in sea levels over the next century, many countries are beginning the first stages of planning to deal with such increases. For Asia, a land where population density is the least of their problems, but a major problem nonetheless, this foresight could save millions of lives.

One of the countries that is proactively attempting to find solutions is Vietnam. No longer willing to rely on foreign non-governmental organizations, Vietnam is looking to find solutions for themselves.

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Editor’s note: this is a guest post by Dr. Vandana Prakash, an Environmental Policy expert.

Delhiites are once again embroiled in a hot environmental debate–this time over plastic bags. Delhi High Court’s decision to ban plastic bags for all shopping sounds dramatic. However, there is no deadline for implementation. As of now, use of non-biodegradable plastic bags, even large bags and those with a greater than normal thickness of 40 micrometers, continues to be allowed.

The check and balance function of the different arms of the government (judiciary v/s executive) in a federal system is certainly eye-catching. On the one hand, the implementers appear to be skirting around the court-order by seeking deviations (allowing ‘degradable,’ more stringently configured bags); on the other hand, they seem to be abiding by court-order on containing the menace of plastic bags.

Plastic bags have become part and parcel of a Delhiite’s daily life. People reuse each bag numerous times — even after multiple washes. That is also remarkable considering that the bags are often made with very thin material. In the end, in the absence of proper disposal mechanism, the bag appears on the roads of Delhi, littering streets, clogging drains, choking rivers and peeping-out intact when any soil is dug-up.

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The Tata Nano, the cheapest car in the world, is to make its appearance on the streets of India Oct. 1.

A blurb in October’s The Atlantic monthly magazine in the United States raises the obvious concern: A $2,500 car made available in the world’s second most populous nation (approx. 1.1 billion) spells a nightmare for the environment.

This year, in particular, Beijing’s rush to modernization has raised much debate and fretting about what the impact of a 1 Billion-plus society just getting onto its wheels will be on the planet as a whole. Many critics have pooh-poohed the Chinese for the damage we scarcely can visualize is on its way.

Just think, the United States, a country of 300 million people uses 25 percent of the Earth’s oil, and all of the consequences that accompany that. China, a country of more than 1.5 billion people, has been kept out of the candy store for so long and are finally getting the keys to paradise. Read the rest of this entry »

Birth control has become an important issue for woman’s rights as well as the environment. However, a survey of South Korean women age 19-34 found 45% believe contraception should be a man’s responsibility.

The survey, by the Study Group for Contraception, shows that most women are doing little or nothing to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Of the 1000 women who participated in the survey, one in five said she relied on coitus interruptus or timing pregnancy cycles as a form of birth control. Both methods have high failure rates of around 25%.

What’s more, abortion is illegal in South Korea, except under extenuating circumstances. The result is an almost entirely first-world country where each year hundreds of thousands of women practice illegal abortions at “don’t ask don’t tell” clinics.

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Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, is one man you can bet is clutching the prayer beads seeking some solace and hope that a potential nuclear power deal with one of the world’s emerging economies would land his country’s way.

That is, if the US Congress helps him by trashing George Bush’s deal with India before he can sign it into law. And the urgency means it is a critical time for both Washington and New Delhi. This might be easy if there’s no deal before the November presidential elections.

Here are the stakes: India seeks out partners to co-develop its nuclear energy potential, worth about US$ 80 billion. By 2032 the government plans to quadruple total generating capacity, to 700 gigawatts, with nuclear accounting for 63,000 megawatts.

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