How to save the world?
What is Climate Justice Muhim?
ontext:
A conservative estimate is that we will cross a major planetary tipping point in the next 10 years in a “business as usual” scenario, after which the planet will become inhabitable within this century. Some reports suggest that we have already crossed it. Many also believe that we will cross it within next year. And within this period of 10 years, the impact of the already heated planet and ecological breakdown will continue to wreak havoc at an unprecedented scale. No serious person can avoid these facts anymore.
Without elaborating, it is with point out what’s at stake. India, within the next 5-7 years will face extreme water (20 cities in India will run out of ground water by 2020) and food shortage, enhanced by the increasing energy crisis India faces a possibility of state collapse by the end of next decade. Vector-borne diseases will increase multiple-fold in India. According to a Lancet report, 100 years of gains in health will be lost in the coming decade due to climate change impacts. Above this the ultimate collapse.
The threats for this complete breakdown are many – not just limited to climate change. It includes the breaking of the nitrogen cycle, mass extinction, loss of topsoil and much more. All interrelated in complex ways. If we focus just on climate change – greenhouse gases emissions, alone as a major culprit, what is required is a reduction of global GHG emissions by 40-50% by 2030. And India alone must reduce its emissions by 50% by 2030. India and China were the only countries that increased their rate of emission last year and India is projected to increase it for the next decade – probably the only country to do so.
India already has some policies to supposedly tackle climate change. All are highly insufficient. Plans of 2008 have nothing substantial to offer and cannot stop global warming below 1.5°C or 2°C. IPCC tells us that Indian pledges under Paris Agreements are 5-8 times less than what they should be.
By any estimate we cannot attain a net-zero world by 2050 if India does not start reducing its emissions by 2020 and dipping them by 2025. But the people in power have other plans, that are more important than human survival. Coal India, world’s 11th biggest historical emitter plans to reach extraction of 1 Billion Ton per year by 2025. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation in its new vision documents sets the target of doubling oil and natural gas production by 2040.
Equity means that those who are less responsible for causing the climate crisis should bear less burden, while who are more responsible should bear more burden. Equity applies between nations and, within nation. Some rich nations are more responsible for greenhouse gases and climate breakdown. Similarly, within India, some class of people are more responsible for climate change. Principle of equity demands that these people, who have profited from fossil fuel based society must bear most responsibility. Not the poor, who have caused less damage and have protected the environment over the decades.
Historically, USA and the west generally have been most responsible for the emissions. USA still continues to be a dominant contributor of GHGs. India and China are today among the three biggest polluters. Their development model while making the countries more unequal and poor is increasingly contributing to biophysical breakdown. Just 100 private and state-owned companies have contributed more than 70% of GHGs (Coal India at 11th). Today, the richest 10% of the world contribute 1/3rd of the emissions.
Against False Solutions:
As this short documentary illustrates solutions that focus on individual lifestyle changes and plastic ban cannot solve the crisis – and will not even make a dent. What are required are major institutional changes. Energy systems, urban planning, agricultural political-economy and manufacturing industry are some of the major systems that are most responsible for the crisis and without cutting emissions sharply and quickly in them there is no hope for stopping the irreversible change.
But we will not let it happen! We direct our energies and bodies towards stopping the institutional machinery that is killing the planet and is causing immense poverty and inequality at the same time. We recognize that the impacts of global warming are disproportionate and affect the poor, working class, women, children, people with disabilities, dalits, adivasis and other minorities the most. Any climate solution must not repeat the crimes of fossil fuel economy that created the crisis – like depriving the poor and peasants of their land and livelihoods for massive energy and infrastructure projects.
Our demands focus on immediate and shape reduction in emissions and ensuring justice and equity in this reduction.
End Coal – The burning of coal is responsible for 46% of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. And more than half of Indian emissions. While just ending coal cannot solve the crisis but it is a major and necessary first step. Rapid coal phaseout plans have been proposed and are being implemented in many nations, notably in Germany. India must start phasing out coal before 2025.
Green Jobs – A 2015 report finds that around 70 lakh jobs can be created with just 1.5% GDP increase in climate stabilizing infrastructures and manufacturing. In the four years the need for quick effort are higher and needs around 5-6% of GDP spending which might create over One Crore Jobs in span of 20 years. We demand creation of such jobs though public and private funding but under public control and management and that they should be well paid, safe and unionized.
The transition from coal and other fossil fuel based industry to actual-green jobs should be just. With measures which must include, but shouldn’t be limited to, early secure retirement plan for workers above 50 years of age, re-skilling of younger workers, assistance to workers family in areas such as health, education of children etc.
Energy Sovereignty – The new renewable infrastructure should be controlled and owned by the people in community. Unlike centralized energy grid of today, energy infrastructure can be democratized. When villages and neighborhoods can have their own power generation and distribution co-ops what is the need for centralized, costlier, ineffective and unjust corporatized energy system which will further displace the people who have not contributed to the climate crisis like the farmers and adivasis.
TACTICS:
Non-Violent Civil Disobedience and Direct Action
While the tactics of petitioning, appeal to political leaders etc play part in any social movement they can be ignored. We are not here to be ignored. The violence of political inaction is killing the planet, depriving the most deprived and making millions homeless. Yet, all this is “legal”. Killing the planet is legal but to stop the coal planet is not.
We are in favor of Non-Violent direction actions that disrupts the working of fossil fuel industry. Many activists, including Gandhi, used these tactics to stop injustices.
There is time for talk and time for action. The time for talk is long gone – it is time to put bodies on the line and stop the crisis. The leaders of the world can be on our side or not but, we cannot be stopped by that.
