India must resist its coal temptation

The corona crisis has placed the need for national self-reliance in sharp focus. Unfortunately, when it comes to coal, we seem to be applying the right concepts in the wrong context.

The climate crisis is caused by the addition of large amounts of Green House Gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. Several human activities lead to GHG emissions, the worst of which is coal burning for energy production. Coal is largely carbon, which upon burning leads to the emission of carbon dioxide or CO₂ - a GHG which can stay in the atmosphere for thousands of years. It is a sobering thought indeed that the coal we burn today will continue to harm future generations for several centuries. The CO₂ levels in atmosphere are already alarming - at 414 ppm today, the curve is nowhere close to peaking.

The curve that refuses to peak: atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide. Source: UCSD

In a time when the Indian Government should be washing its hand off coal altogether, its focus is on ramping up coal production. The Union Minister for Coal, Pralhad Joshi, holds that "countries burning fossil fuel can't give sermons on climate change". The idea that we must choose to pollute since others do so is absurd. Moral highstands do not matter to natural systems. An overemphasis on "who is to blame" at the expense of "who is to suffer" distracts us from the rational path. India is projected to have the highest social cost of carbon in the whole world. Simply put, irrespective of who adds GHGs to the atmosphere, India stands to suffer the most. Thus is it quite clear that not only must India avoid increasing its own GHG emissions, but it must also do all in its power to stop other nations from increasing their emissions.

Coal is being pushed in the name of self-reliance, energy security and economic growth. Any proposal can be turned into a rosy picture by looking only at the positive aspects it offers. There is no doubt that all those aspects are important, but what about the damage coal inflicts on the nation? Delaying climate action and in fact aggravating the situation by boosting coal is not just short-sighted, it is self-harming. This step is also in direct opposition to India's boost to renewable energy that was being appreciated world over. The Climate Action Tracker had assessed in 2018 - "If India further abandons plans to build new coal-fired power plants, it could become a global climate leader and Climate Action Tracker would rate it 1.5-℃ compatible." If there is new information available to the Indian Government which justifies not aspiring to the 1.5 ℃ target, it should make it public to its citizens and to climate scientists worldwide.

Aspiring for aatmanirbharta in coal is like aspiring for self-reliance in poisoning. Yes, manufacturing poison leads to revenues, but when the country is also forced to consume the same poison, no amount of economic growth helps. (Of course, it may be argued that such kind of poisonous economic growth will help the financial interests of a small group of people, while others would be left to consume the poison.) The Government must halt its obsession with coal, or at least stop pretending it cares for its citizens. It is simply inhumane to disregard the plight of those who are affected by the climate crisis.

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