2010: choose your future today

A new decade. For me¤ three decades of work in environment. I wonder: have matters improved since the early 1980s¤ when I began? Or¤ are things worse off? Where do we go from here?

The polluters say they will not pay

We know what the conference was supposed to agree upon: drastic emission reduction targets by industrialized countries and actions supported by finance and technology by emerging countries such as India.

Not learning from Bhopal

It is 25 years of the Bhopal gas disasterthe night when chemicals spewed out of the Union Carbide factory to kill and maim thousands over generations. The question is if we have learnt from the disasterlearnt how to handle chemical accidents; to dispose of industrial toxic waste; to manage crucial medical relief, to give monetary compensation speedily and to establish the liability of pollutersso that accidents like this do not happen again.

Time a resource curse got lifted

Take a map of India. Now mark the districts with forest wealth, where the rich and dense tree cover is found. Then overlay on it the sources of streams and rivers that feed us, our water wealth. Upon this, further locate mineral depositsiron ore, coal, bauxite, all things nice that make economies rich. Dont stop here. Mark on all this wealth another indicator: districts where the poorest people of our country live. These are also tribal districts. So you will find a complete match. The richest lands are where the poorest people live.

Making water-excreta accounts

How will India supply drinking water in cities? Many argue the problem is not inadequate water. The problem is the lack of investment in building infrastructure in cities and the lack of managerial capacities to operate the systems, once created. This line of thought then leads logically to policy reform, to invite private investment and hand over public water utilities to private parties to operate.

2nd coalition of the willing: bad for climate and for us

Let me be straight: As the clock ticks to Copenhagen, how low is the world prepared to prostrate to get climate-renegade US on board? Is a bad deal in Copenhagen better than no deal?

The new lords of misrule

Last fortnight, we began discussing ‘authorities’, and asked: Is this variant of governance reform working? This time, let’s consider the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSA). It was created because of a recommendation of the Joint Parliamentary Committee which investigated our report on pesticide content in soft drinks and the lack of standards to regulate contamination in food.

The new lords of misrule

Last fortnight, we began discussing 'authorities', and asked: Is this variant of governance reform working? This time, let's consider the Food Safety and Standards Authority (fssa). It was created because of a recommendation of the Joint Parliamentary Committee which investigated our report on pesticide content in soft drinks and the lack of standards to regulate contamination in food.

Why authorize it?

If it's broken, don't fix it. That's the new motto of the government: forget it and build another. Do not sort out details. I am talking of what the government believes will form the spine of regulation in future. The flavour of the day is 'authorities': separate, independent institutions not bound by departmental morass, not tied down by procedures or personnel--the bane supposedly of any implementation or regulatory initiative. I think it is time to review this gelato of current governance.

Single drops of water make the mighty economy

The 2009 Southwest monsoon has finally arrived in many parts of the country--with a vengeance in several places--leading to flash floods and loss of lives. With images of rain and news of reservoirs getting filled up pouring down TV sets, our macro-economists are seemingly clueless about the damage the delayed and deficient monsoon will cause. Agriculture plays a marginal role in the nation's gdp numbers and so, even if the crops fail, it will not make a dent in the growth rate, they say. Then the stock market is going up, all growth fundamentals are sound.