CHIDAMBARAM: Slam-ming the West for its "environmentally wasteful lifestyle", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday called for industrialised nations to look at alternative energy sources to save the environment.
"We, in the developing world, cannot afford to ape the West in terms of its environmentally wasteful lifestyle," Singh said at a science conference in Chidambaram, 195km south of Tamil Nadu’s state capital Chennai.
"Equally, developed industrial economies must realise that they too must alter their consumption patterns so that a few do not draw upon so much of the Earth’s resources."
Experts say the progressive use of primary energy sources such as coal and subsequent unchecked carbon emissions could see temperatures rise by 2-3 degrees Celsius in the next 50 years.
According to the UN Climate Change Secretariat, the top five sources of greenhouse gases are the United States, China, Russia, India and Japan.
Experts say that, as global emissions rise, the Indian subcontinent will be one of the world’s regions most seriously affected by climate change, meaning more frequent and more severe floods and droughts, more diseases and poor crop yields.
Addressing more than 5,000 scientists, Singh said India’s energy security demanded the development of affordable sources of renewable energy.
"We have invested billions of rupees in developing a range of energy sources. Be it hydel (hydro) power, thermal or nuclear power, we have to improve the productivity of investments already made," he said.
New environment-friendly technologies being developed to cut carbon emissions must be shared and made available to all so that the planet could be saved, he said.
"This must be a shared effort ... an effort that enables the poor to improve their quality of life, their well-being, their consumption levels without being forced to pay the price for the profligacy and excessive consumption of the rich."
He said "India must find alternative sources of energy supply. We will need bio-fuels, solar energy, photo voltaic, nuclear and almost all sources, which do not burden the conventional sources of energy supply."
Singh said three was also an urgent need to upgrade India’s monsoon forecasting system, especially in rural areas, since this annual phenomenon remained unpredictable.
"The science of climate change is still nascent. This is why Indian scientists must engage in exploring the links between greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. You must also examine its impacts on our monsoons."
The prime minister said that Chidambaram town, home to the imposing Nataraja temple, was an appropriate venue for the conference since it was a reminder of what this year’s theme was all about - "Planet Earth".
"We in India hold the five elements - wind, water, fire, earth and space in worshipful respect. In Chidambaram’s vicinity there are temples to wind, water, fire and earth," he said.
Singh also expressed concern over the declining enrolment in schools and colleges in basic sciences and said scientific teaching ought to be made sufficiently interesting for young people.
"There is also widespread concern about the decline in the standards of our research work in universities and even in advanced research institutes. The university system needs upgrading," he said.
"Universities must once again become the hub of good quality science. We should institute a system of international peer review in our research laboratories to help maintain standards."
At the same time, he said, science research had to me made an attractive career option for students.
"But this will not happen unless younger scientists are groomed to take over top positions." – Agencies
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