Like China, India depends heavily on coal for energy. With coal
as the primary source of industrial and electricity generation,
it is also the main source of greenhouse gas emissions. However,
Nandita Mongia, deputy coordinator of the Global Environment Facility
for Asia and Pacific of the UNDP, stated that there is significant
potential for reducing emissions in the country and saving money
while doing so. There are mitigation options for the electric
power and forest sectors, and carbon emissions may profitably
be avoided through both efficiency improvement and fuel switching.
A switch from coal to natural gas is one option. If it is not
feasible, a switch to a renewable such as biomass is a good possibility.
Among renewable options, hydropower has tremendous potential but
has not been adequately tapped. Possibilities for savings from
reduction of CO2 emissions by the year 2005 are greatest in the
aluminum and steel industries, followed by household lighting
and wind power generation. Scenarios for the years 2005 and 2025
show efficiency, fuel switching and renewables make fairly similar
contributions.
Professor Saifur Rahman was skeptical; he felt there are not
data to back up the conclusions. Rahman recently moved from Virginia
Tech University to the National Science Foundation to head its
energy programs. Unless the industries involved are brought in,
he feels there is a poor chance for success of reducing emissions.
There is no visible support from government on the policy level.
Talks with shop owners, public servants, students and others reveal
little interest in climate change.
Karan Capoor of the Environmental Defense Fund remarked that
politicians respond to votes and money. In India, the constituents
are the people plus the steel and paper industries. Industry needs
up-front capital; to fund energy projects it needs to get the
financial sector to see where money can be made. The most substantial
financial support must come from the private sector. A major obstacle,
he said, is lack of agreement on incremental cost of financing
green energy projects.
