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Planning in the air - CSE's Fortnightly News Bulletin [April 9, 2008] ============================= An e-bulletin from CSE, India, to our network of friends and professionals interested in environmental issues. Scroll to the bottom of this page for information on how to subscribe and unsubscribe. INSIDE: * Climate Change: Commentary * Cover story: Global food crisis: causes and implications for India * Related factsheet: Natural burden - Climate exchange * Planning in the air (Editorial by Sunita Narain) * Web exclusive: Video footage of burning hazardous waste at the Bharuch Enviro Infrastructure Limited (BEIL) * CSE releases its study on National Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) More in Down To Earth magazine * News: Hazy about untimely fog that caused power to trip * News: ONGC resumes mining in Nagaland * News: Remodelling will destroy Mumbai's Crawford market * Feature: Oxygen bars may pose health risks * Feature: Chirala saree weavers in hard times * Gobar Times: Genetic engineering: Panacea or poison? CSE's short-term courses * Agenda for survival: Summer certificate course (June 4 - August 2, 2008) * Gobar Times Green Schools Programme Teachers' Training (April 22-23, 2008) Rich lands, poor people: Is sustainable mining possible? * Book release event in Vishakhapatnam [April 8, 2008] * Mine No More: A tabloid ============================= Climate Change: Commentary Climate change is leading to a frenzy of 'parties' in India. Here is Down To Earth magazine's take on the latest developments. We would love to get your opinions agreements and disagreements -- on our short comment. ============================= * Comment: Carbon-free capitalism Climate change is seen as new opportunity to renew old orders In recent months, Delhi has seen unprecedented growth in star foreign visitors flying in by night to advise us on the impending dangers of climate change and hand out 'how to' manuals on reducing the threat (also see Related Factsheet: Natural Burden- Climate exchange, below) These visitors have Indian friends who have just heard of this strange rogue phenomenon and find it damn cute to organise 'climate balls' and 'climate receptions'. The star guests are invariably former heads of states historically identified as the greatest climate criminals. The hosts are the business class, national or global, whose profit maximising activities contribute to this crisis in nature. Is it politically correct to smell a rat? Isn't it nice the criminals have reformed? Ideally, the best result can be obtained if the worst offenders, super-developed states and the global industrial class, participate. But the realpolitik is that the climate agenda has been hijacked by the business class. Global warming must be managed by reproducing, not questioning the very political economy that created it. In a recent interview to this magazine, Sir Nick Stern, who shot into fame by presenting the economics of climate change, when asked about rising consumption and its role in global warming, politely advised us not to question growth. Growth is truth. So how are we going to reverse the trend? Well, the climate evangelists are suggesting technofixes. There is a scramble in the market to reshuffle production portfolios. CSE in its 1999 publication on global environmental governance, Green Politics, clearly showed all global environmental conventions were designed to secure northern business in the future and had little to do with environment or sustainability. This has sharpened; industries and developed nations are looking at a new business opportunity in the time of climate change. The results are showing.Without any noteworthy emissions cut, the rush for biofuel to manage emissions has already created a food crisis.All technofixes -- biofuel, GM crop or nuclear power --will create the next generation of crisis, because they ignore the fundamental problems of capitalism as a system that ignores justice and promotes inequity. In this growth rush, India has lost all moral authority to suggest substantial change for the future. Our smart politicians are also products of institutions working overtime to renew capitalism, maintaining all old social orders of growing consumerism, only with a marginal reduction in carbon emission, if possible. Gandhi is worth only for quotations to start speeches! -- Down To Earth team Read this comment online >> http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=1 -------------------------------------------------------- * Cover story: Global food crisis: causes and implications for India Prices of foodgrains are rising across the world. A variety of reasons, including climate change and the biofuel rush, have caused this inflation. Is India prepared to take on the crisis? Read more online >> http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=3 -------------------------------------------------------- * Related Factsheet: Natural Burden - Climate change The Industrialized world has imposed climate change on poor countries. Ecological damages caused by climate change in these countries are much more than their foreign debt. Read more online >> http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=4 ================================ Editorial: Planning in the air ================================ By Sunita Narain India has added two more swanky symbols to bolster its first-world ambitions: the Rajiv Gandhi international airport in Hyderabad and the gleaming Bengaluru international airport in our software capital. But look beneath this glitzy façade and you will find another instance of development on the cheap. We refuse to admit that our dream of world-class infrastructure is not grounded on the hard reality that we are a rich and poor country at the same time. As a result, we do not think differently and plan for solutions that suit our needs. Our distaste (rightly) for crowded airports, lack of facilities and reported inefficiency leads us towards massive investment in refurbishing or building new facilities by the private sector. Nothing wrong. But we never considered the cost of building and maintaining these facilities and how they would be paid for. In the meantime, air travel has become cheaper, driven by the surge of new and low-cost airlines, competition and public incentives. New airport new private owners say they require passengers to pay a hefty user development fee-up to Rs 1,000 per head to cover their investment; require airlines to pay higher ground handling charges to maintain the new facilities we craved for; and of course, we would have to pay higher rates for cars to be parked in the new multilevel facility. These costs, if accounted for, would make the attractive air travel option less desirable. So, naturally airlines don't want this to happen. What then is the option? The developer-private and poorly regulated-wants to make money. Government can't risk taking sides: with the articulate air passenger lobby on the one side and the powerful development company on the other. The answer is to find another short-cut: developers are asked not to charge passengers (air travel is subsidized) but instead make more money from "extra-curricular" revenue options: open more malls and build more real estate and take larger shares of the profits of these publicly held assets. We can call this public-private partnership and live with it. But this is still not the entire story. We forget public investments, which are required to be made so that private investments can work. In our quest to make private profitable and to keep costs low, we end up short-changing these basic requirements and believe that glitzy exteriors will make our nightmares go away. Take the case of Gurgaon, Delhi's mall-infested suburb and the creation of private developers. It has glass exterior building, which boast of international looks. But it has no provision for water supply, it has no facility for collection or treatment of sewage, it has no garbage site and certainly has never invested a penny in building public transport services. Who will invest in the public services? Who can invest in the services that we have never planned for? Similarly, in our fancy new airports ask how much (or little) attention has been paid to air traffic control. Bengaluru airport is reported to have traffic of 500 aircraft each day; it needs a minimum of 80 air traffic controllers. But it has only 25 on staff. While air travel has boomed in the country, personnel, essential for air traffic control, have not been trained or recruited. Aviation experts say that if we improved our radar reach and connectivity and had more skilled air traffic controllers we could greatly increase the number of flights. This would call for public investment in surveillance equipment and in training institutes. We build swanky airports instead, which we cannot pay for. So we subsidize them at the cost of developmental work. Similarly, we want cheap air travel so we do not pay for its cost of fuel, even go as far as argue that it is an essential service for the aam admi. On the basis of strident lobbying by the airline industry, the minister for civil aviation has reportedly asked state governments to reduce the value added tax on aviation fuel. Already, much to the glee of industry Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and now Maharashtra have brought down taxes from 25 per cent to 4 per cent. This is the diesel-car phenomenon in the air-we want high class mobility but we will run our expensive cars on cheap fuel, we will not pay for parking, forget about costs of pollution or congestion. We have also increased air travel to such an extent that there are crippling congestion problems in air. Much like our solution to road congestion, we believe that we can build our way out of this mess. It is estimated that between Delhi and Mumbai, congested airways lead planes to circle for half-hour each way during peak hours. This means that the plane consumes extra fuel and emits extra pollutants-all this while it is estimated that every month six new aircraft are added to the skies. Congestion increases and we wait for the infrastructure to be geared for this growth. But we never learn that unless we plan differently, the pace of infrastructure development will never keep pace with growth. Take the now famous Delhi-Gurgaon highway, which was planned for everyday traffic of 160,000 vehicles in 2016, but opened with 130,000 vehicles earlier this year-daily vehicle numbers have already crossed 150,000. The result is even longer waits at the many-gated toll plaza and even longer time to get past jammed city roads. The car-lobby answer is to build even broader roads-even double-decker flyovers. The answer is certainly not to provide dedicated bus services or have rail connectivity between the two cities. That would require planning to suit our needs and pockets. But no, that would be a travesty. Even if we get grounded-in air and on the road-we are after all stuck in swank and have not even paid for the costs of our travel. How much better can it get? Read the editorial online >> http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=2 To comment, write to >> feedback@cseindia.org ============================= Web exclusive Up in smoke: Burning hazardous waste at the Bharuch Enviro Infrastructure Limited (BEIL) Down To Earth correspondent and citizen-village journalist file picture of the devastating file of burning hazardous waste at the Bharuch Enviro Infrastructure Limited (BEIL). Over 150 tonnes of extremely hazardous waste went up in smoke, which carried toxins to the villages around and is bound to pollute the land and water bodies for a long time to come. The pesticide manufacturer, United Phosphorus Limited (UPL) holds major equity in the this hazardous waste disposal site, which is bidding to get the toxic waste of the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal for disposal. Nobody has been able to explain how this fire occurred; why massive quantities - reportedly over 9000 tonnes of hazardous waste - were stored in a facility which has a capacity of only 50 tonnes each day; or why adequate precautions were not taken for a Bhopal-type situation not to happen. It is only fortunate, say local villagers, that the wind direction changed and the majority of toxins were carried to lands not inhabited by people. Otherwise, another Bhopal or worse was inevitable. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board now has the task of managing this clean up and to take the errant company to task. View video clips >> http://www.cseindia.org/programme/industry/news_burningwaste.htm ============================= "NREGA is not just about drought relief, but relief against drought", says the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). On the eve of NREGA becoming a pan-Indian programme from April 1, 2008, CSE releases its assessment of two years of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA); the study looks at the Act's implementation across 9 states and 12 districts. Read the detailed report online >> http://www.cseindia.org/programme/nrml/nrga.htm ============================= More in Down To Earth magazine ============================= News: Hazy about untimely fog that caused power to trip Did the dense fog -- unusual for March -- cause the tripping of transmission lines across north India? Was the fog a result of rising pollution levels in the region? Or was it because the western disturbances by-passed the region altogether? Down To Earth examines. Read more online >> http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=5 -------------------------------------------------------- News: ONGC resumes mining in Nagaland The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is set to resume mining in Nagaland after 14 years. However, issues with locals and militants, which led to its shutting shop in the first place, remain unresolved. Read more online >> http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=6 -------------------------------------------------------- News: Remodelling will destroy Mumbai's Crawford market A builder-driven redevelopment plan is set to wreak havoc on Mumbai's Crawford market. All protests and appeals against the move have fallen on deaf ears so far.The future looks bleak for this heritage site. Read more online >> http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=7 -------------------------------------------------------- Feature: Oxygen bars may cause health risks Oxygen bars are being patronised by the stressed out. But do oxygen shots really help, or is the effect purely psychological? What about the health implications of this trend? Read more online >> http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=8 -------------------------------------------------------- Feature: Chirala saree weavers face hard times Computer-aided units have driven around 10,000 Chirala weaver families in Andhra Pradesh to starvation and suicide. The weavers and dyers have been left in a lurch because of a loophole in the Handlooms Act. Read more online >> http://www.downtoearth.org.in/cover_nl.asp?mode=9 ============================= Gobar Times: Environment for children ============================= Genetic engineering: Panacea or poison? This new science is dramatically changing the way we view life. Read this online >> http://www.gobartimes.org/ ---------------------------------------------------- Gobar Talk The third phase of Gobar Times Green Schools programme will be formally launched in New Delhi. Venue: 4th Floor, Core 6A, India Habitat Centre, Lodi Raod, New Delhi Date: 25th April (3 pm onwards) ---------------------------------------------------- New edition of the Green Schools Programme manual The Green Schools Programme is an environmental audit of a school done by its students. With backgrounders on key issues, additional chapters on sanitation and oxygen balance, the new edition allows students to explore a whole new way to understand their school environment. Get this online >> http://csestore.cse.org.in/store1.asp?sec_id=1&subsec_id=18 ============================= Short Training Programmes ============================= CSE's Anil Agarwal Green Centre (AAGC) seeks to make knowledge investments in society through education and training programmes. Courses help participants better understand issues that lie at the interface of environment and development policy, science, technology, poverty, democracy and equity. * Agenda for survival: Summer certificate course on policies, politics and practices of environmental management in India (June 4 - August 2, 2008) The certificate course for students and young professionals will -- through lectures, readings, debates, weekly outings, reportage and a five- day field tour to rural India -- explore the complexities underlying the environment-development debate in the country. Several fellowships are available to support students. Register online >> http://www.cseindia.org/aagc/agenda.asp For more information contact: Sharmila Sinha <aagc@cseindia.org> ---------------------------------------------------- * Gobar Times Green Schools Programme Teachers' Training (April 22-23.2008) A two-day training programmes for teachers, educators, development workers and people interested in environment education. More details >> http://www.cseindia.org/programme/eeu/html/training.asp?id=4 ============================= Rich lands, poor people: Is sustainable mining possible? 6th State of India's Environment - a citizens' report ============================= * Book release event in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh The Vishakhapatnam release function, the fifth in a series of nation-wide releases, holds great significance for the region whose fragile ecosystem and forest-coastal communities are threatened by new, large-scale private mining proposals. Press Release [April 8, 2008] >> http://www.cseindia.org/Aboutus/press_releases/press_20080408.htm ---------------------------------------------------- * India's mining hotspots (clickable maps with data) >> http://www.cseindia.org/programme/industry/mining/home.htm ---------------------------------------------------- * Mine No More (Tabloid with CSEs 6th citizens' report on mining) 'Rich lands, poor people: Is sustainable mining possible?' This tabloid (24 p.) has been culled from 'Rich lands, poor people', CSEs 6th State of India's Environment - a citizens' report. A must read for those who want a concise introduction to the bare facts and consequences of the mining sector. Printed on chlorine - free paper. Online store (secure payment gateway) > http://csestore.cse.org.in/store1.asp?sec_id=1&subsec_id=1 ============================= Books & Films ============================= Environment & Sustainable Development: Films These twenty-four films on environment and its link with sustainable development have been compiled for use by schools, researchers, students, civil society groups, institutions and concerned citizens. * Online store (secure payment gateway) > http://csestore.cse.org.in -------------------------------------------------------- Wastewater Recycling: Film & Manual This combination of film and manual will interest architects, engineers and other professionals keen on implementing wastewater-recycling systems. Showcases various low-cost, effective wastewater treatment technologies from across India. * Online store (secure payment gateway) > http://csestore.cse.org.in/store1.asp?sec_id=4&subsec_id=14 -------------------------------------------------------- Climate change: Books & films A careful selection of 22 films & 3 books on climate change. A vital educational and information-loaded resource for researchers, students, civil society groups, institutions and concerned citizens. * Online store (secure payment gateway) > http://csestore.cse.org.in ============================== About this e-mail =============================== You are receiving this newsletter because you have asked to be included in our list, attended a CSE event or requested information. To stop receiving this e-bulletin, please e-mail: feedback@cseindia.org with the word 'unsubscribe' in the subject. CSE is an independent, public interest organisation that was established in 1982 by Anil Agarwal, a pioneer of India's environmental movement. CSE's mandate is to research, communicate and promote sustainable development with equity, participation and democracy. Contact CSE: http://www.cseindia.org/aboutus/feedback.htm Address: 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110062 E-mail: <cse@cseindia.org> Privacy policy: http://www.cseindia.org/misc/privacy.htm Subscribe to this e-newsletter >> http://equitywatch.org/phplist/?p=subscribe&id=6
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