People are dying due to the ‘heat wave’ that has struck European countries these days. The temperatures that have caused this calamity do not bother the average Indian, it is being pointed out. The reason is that the entire infrastructure and lifestyle in Europe is designed to withstand the usual severe cold rather than heat. The sudden onset of higher temperatures has found people unprepared. In France, houses do not have air conditioners because ‘they contribute to global warming’. Whether this transformation is going to be a permanent one, or is a once in a lifetime event will become known only in the coming years.
Global warming is attributed largely to increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. While much of the present damage is due to the pollution caused by industrialisation in the ‘West’ over the past couple of centuries, climate activists demand that ‘industrialising nations’ like India cut back on their emissions, no matter what the needs of their economies. While India has promised to abide by the UN Paris Agreement, it can only do so in its own way and according to its priorities. Over the years, it has done a good job, all things considered, in shifting towards sustainable and climate friendly energy sources.
Even as the effort is being made worldwide to reduce the impact of human activity on the climate, very few seem to be focusing on the impact of ongoing wars in this regard. Is the totally uninhibited use of armaments of various kinds environment friendly? The Ukraine-Russia war has been ongoing for over four years and there has been little inhibition regarding targeting of refineries, power plants, dams, factories, etc., which events are very likely pushing up temperature and pollution levels. The US-Iran war has more or less involved just bombing targets with the most explosive weapons available.
So, how does one convince industries in India to adopt costly environment-friendly practices at the risk of reducing profits, even sustaining losses, when the ‘rich’ nations are exhibiting not even the slightest sense of responsibility towards the climate? In fact, one of the most loved traits of Donald Trump among many Americans is his global warming denial and promotion of using oil as an energy source. If those prescribing climate friendly practices to non-European countries do not themselves address such unmentioned heat-inducing wars, they are likely to face even worse consequences than just the occasional heat wave.
