Green and Greenwash

Context: India’s net zero pledge at Glasgow raises questions about techno-financial feasibility and other doubts.

Challenges before net-zero emissions

• Sustainability of targets on “non-fossil fuel” and “renewable” energy generation.
• Environmental and social costs: Nuclear energy and large hydro-projects consists serious concerns such as, deforestation, people’s displacement, climate change emissions, hazardous radiation. 
• Ecological and social impacts: Promotion of solar and wind energy is largely focused on mega-energy parks, requiring enormous amounts of land.
• Energy-guzzling production processes and lifestyles are being pushed in the name of development. 
• Hidden promotion of fossil fuel in Glasgow meeting: India is continuing to promote coal mining and thermal power, and has no intentions of even plateauing fossil fuel use. 
• Devastation of forests:  It leads to continue devastation of most valuable forests for mining. 
• Displacement of communities from forest: Thousands of Adivasis have been protesting against proposed mining in the biologically rich forests.
• Commitment to “net zero” is pure greenwash: Net zero means, if certain amount of climate-changing emission in one place, it can be “offset” elsewhere in a number of ways, like capturing it in trees or oceans. 
• Emissions from power plants, factories, vehicles have many pollutants other than GHG, that have harmful effects on people and biodiversity. 
• As per the report of Corporate Accountability, proposals for achieving such target are based on unrealistic projections of land available, or unproven technologies. 
• India can use the statement, ‘developed countries have primary responsibility to reduce GHG Emission’ as an excuse, because: Transition needs fundamental changes in economy, which India can make using own resources, but, from an inherently destructive “growth” based, mega-development approach.

Way Forward: 

• Need to drastically cut emissions within a decade or so, 2050 or 2070 is too late for the earth.
• Need to replace current capitalist and state-dominated economic model with pathways of well-being that are decentralised.

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