Sir — This refers to the editorial, “Meeting climate goals” (December 30). The climate change phenomenon is, in fact, a ‘threat multiplier’ and may impact ecosystems and populations in the manner we do not yet know. Here, India really faces a double-whammy. A major chunk of our burgeoning population is to be lifted from extreme poverty and squalor, and rest to be provided with reasonable standards of comfort.
Then there are climate change pressures which land us in an extreme vulnerable spot with predicted droughts, excess rains and floods in many areas, unusual and extreme fluctuations in weather and eventual flooding and devouring of many parts of our coastal areas, including cities like Mumbai and Mangalore.
These have an adverse domino effect on our economy and the Gross Domestic Product. Extreme weather in some parts can also force a new kind of refugees escaping vagaries of temperatures. Some studies indicate that an increase in use of fossil fuels may even locally enhance impacts of climate change, adding to our woes.
like the US, we cannot afford to go against the incoming catastrophe and the world opinion which, after all, is for the good of the whole planet. China, with all its negatives in its carbon footprints, has come up and taken the world leadership in this fight. Europe is shifting to renewable energy and abandoning fossil fuels shortly. India may have to rethink, re-strategise and remodel its undertakings. With ample solar radiation, higher wind possibilities and unmatched talent pool, it has to take the challenge to justify its aspiring world leadership.