REVERSING CLIMATE CHANGE - Who's the greenest of them all? India

I: Indian consumers are the greenest in the world, says a global survey of 17 countries, released on a day when the Municipal Corporation of Delhi became the nation's first civic body to cash in on cutting down carbon emissions. A municipal compost plant in Okhla -- run by the private sector ILFS group -- generat- ed a first, modest cheque of Rs 5 lakh in carbon emission reduction (CER) credits for its plan to curb carbon emission by more than 9,000 tonnes over the next 10 years by stopping methane leaks from garbage.
“In an age in which American consumerism has nudged most of the developing world into aping its values, such success stories illustrate public-private partnership model is the way to go,“ said Dr Rajendra K.
Pachauri, chairman of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change.
CERs, or carbon credits, are environmental currency, issued by the United Nations -- after a rigorous procedure that can last two years; the Okhla plant was cleared in one -- to a project that cuts carbon emis- sions. The credits can then be traded on international exchanges like shares. Conducted by the National Geographic Society and Globe- scan, an international opinion research consultancy, the sur- vey of 17,000 consumers said India not only retained its first position from 2009 but increa- sed its lead over other nations.
Brazil is ranked No. 2, while US consumers are ranked last, just below Canada. The survey uses an index of consumption habits and their environmental impact in five categories -- goods, food, hous- ing, transport and attitudes.
India's preference of small cars, its low vehicle density (12 cars per 1,000 people; US has 765 per 1,000), its penchant for fruits and vegetables and local- ly grown foods over imports -- these contribute to the score.
“India has a good baseline,“ said Anumita Roy Choudhury, a transport expert with Delhi's Centre for Science and Env- ironment. “Our carbon footprint is low in part due to our sus- tainable transport practices -- high usage of public transport and non-motorised transport.“
Indians prefer motorcy- cles/scooters and mostly choose to live close to their destina- tions, the survey noted. But, as experts note, this is changing.
“A shift towards buying big cars has begun. The emphasis of transport infrastructure should be to enable public trans- port, walking and cycling, not build expressways, cloverleafs and flyovers,“ said Choudhury.
Quoting a study, she said 60 per cent of Delhi's commuters used public transport in 2001 but by 2008, that number was down to just 4 per cent.
Other experts said there wasn't much difference in the consumption patterns of the rich in India and in the West.
The middle class is not driven by environmental concerns but by what it can afford. “Use-and- throw mentality has not set in yet,“ said Chandra Bhushan, associate director, CSE. “As prosperty rises, so does the carbon footprint.“
I: Indian consumers are the greenest in the world, says a global survey of 17 countries, released on a day when the Municipal Corporation of Delhi became the nation's first civic body to cash in on cutting down carbon emissions. A municipal compost plant in Okhla -- run by the private sector ILFS group -- generat- ed a first, modest cheque of Rs 5 lakh in carbon emission reduction (CER) credits for its plan to curb carbon emission by more than 9,000 tonnes over the next 10 years by stopping methane leaks from garbage.
“In an age in which American consumerism has nudged most of the developing world into aping its values, such success stories illustrate public-private partnership model is the way to go,“ said Dr Rajendra K.
Pachauri, chairman of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change.
CERs, or carbon credits, are environmental currency, issued by the United Nations -- after a rigorous procedure that can last two years; the Okhla plant was cleared in one -- to a project that cuts carbon emis- sions. The credits can then be traded on international exchanges like shares. Conducted by the National Geographic Society and Globe- scan, an international opinion research consultancy, the sur- vey of 17,000 consumers said India not only retained its first position from 2009 but increa- sed its lead over other nations.
Brazil is ranked No. 2, while US consumers are ranked last, just below Canada. The survey uses an index of consumption habits and their environmental impact in five categories -- goods, food, hous- ing, transport and attitudes.
India's preference of small cars, its low vehicle density (12 cars per 1,000 people; US has 765 per 1,000), its penchant for fruits and vegetables and local- ly grown foods over imports -- these contribute to the score.
“India has a good baseline,“ said Anumita Roy Choudhury, a transport expert with Delhi's Centre for Science and Env- ironment. “Our carbon footprint is low in part due to our sus- tainable transport practices -- high usage of public transport and non-motorised transport.“
Indians prefer motorcy- cles/scooters and mostly choose to live close to their destina- tions, the survey noted. But, as experts note, this is changing.
“A shift towards buying big cars has begun. The emphasis of transport infrastructure should be to enable public trans- port, walking and cycling, not build expressways, cloverleafs and flyovers,“ said Choudhury.
Quoting a study, she said 60 per cent of Delhi's commuters used public transport in 2001 but by 2008, that number was down to just 4 per cent.
Other experts said there wasn't much difference in the consumption patterns of the rich in India and in the West.
The middle class is not driven by environmental concerns but by what it can afford. “Use-and- throw mentality has not set in yet,“ said Chandra Bhushan, associate director, CSE. “As prosperty rises, so does the carbon footprint.“