Goodbye, jungle cats…

A tiger census in 2002 estimated that India had over 3500 tigers. Sadly, that number seems to have been over-estimated and a recent report suggests that only 40% of that number- a tad over 1400- may actually exist in the wild. Poachers continue to indiscriminately hunt down the majestic jungle cats in the wild. And if that is not enough, animals that come close to human habitats are also killed.

Would it not be a tragedy if our kids and grandkids had to rely only on photographs of the majestic tiger to get to know what they looked like?

Tax breaks for automobiles with lower emissions

The PM has promised to use policy as a means of driving behavioural change. This is a welcome step. There is talk of a reduction in excise duty/import duties for cars that run onybrid fuel technology. This should also encourage domestic auto manufacturers to improve engine design so as to comply with ever-tightening emission norms.

But just as importantly, the government must act on existing old vehicles, that do not comply even with emissions norms of 10 years ago. Every city has several hundreds of cars, buses, trucks or autorickshaws that belch smoke. Unless policy is also changed to make sure that such vehicles are not issued roadworthiness certificates, much of the gains made by the tightening emission norms wil be lost.

And finally, the only sustainable solution really is to provide quality mass transit infrastructure that will enable people to travel quickly, comfortably, safely and conveniently across the towns and cities they live in.

Tata’s “Nano” technology

It’s finally here. The much awaited “people’s car” from the house of Tatas was unveiled at the New Delhi auto expo a couple of days ago. Initial reactions seem to be quite favourable. The design, the promised mileage/fuel-efficiency, the compliance with safey and environmental norms and of course, the price tag of Rs 1 lakh (INR 100,000 if you are not familar with the word “lakh”) are all incredible. Ratan Tata (and of course, Girish Wagh’s team) has delivered- possibly to the chagrin of several people who expected the Rs 1 lakh car to be no more than an auto-rickshaw.

In a separate piece, I have written about the contribution to traffic jams across the country the “Rs 1 lakh car” will make, and the impact it will have on our fuel import bill, emissions/carbon footprint etc. I do not feel any more reassured on these counts having seen the picture of the Nano or having read various reports. If anything, the prospect of having a 100,000 Nanos on our roads in the next 18-24 months is terrifying. But even so, kudos to Mr Ratan Tata’s vision and perseverence.

Given its fuel efficiency and supposed compliance with Euro IV emission norms etc, I wonder how the Nano would do if it is exported (assuming of course that a dealer and service network are in place and it meets the toughest safety and emission norms). Think of the large number of Indian students or IT professionals who live in the US and Europe. Especially in the US, an automobile is an absolute necessity. Rather than spend $3000-$5000 for a used car that has clocked 100,000 or more miles, would it not make sense to buy a new Nano for close to the same price? Perhaps the Nano, with its 600+cc engine can’t negotiate US expressways as well as that second hand Toyota or Honda can. But for city driving, it may just be what people are looking for. And if I am not wrong, the first Honda cars launched in the US all those years ago were also around 650 cc. Strange coincidence, eh?

For the reasons above (and the fact that India does not have a very well-developed used car market), the Nano might also make a huge dent in the prices of second-hand small cars. A second-hand car has an awful lot of information asymmetry stacked against the buyer in India (or anywhere, I guess). Therefore, why risk a lemon? Be safe with a new Nano.

Think about it…..

Are we already too late?

Each day brings some new report about how close we are to environmental apocalypse. I am told that low lying areas in Bangladesh and West Bengal could be flooded by heavy rains that will occur more frequently than in the past. Another report in some newspaper I read said that by 2013- and this is just another 6 years away- ice in the North Pole will melt during the summer, leaving only cold water.

Dr Pachauri has already come out strongly about the Tatas’ Rs 1 lakh (approximately US$3000) car. The argument is that if cars are made so low-priced, they will become far more affordable. They will cannibalize scooters and motorcycles, and add to the country’s carbon footprint. While there is some merit to the argument, it is not entirely fair. After all, it is similar to developing countries saying to the developed world that for all these years, you have messed up the environment- and now you want us to cut down on our emissions? Status symbol apart, cars in India provide the users with more flexibility and comfort relative to public transport. The only way we can come out of this trap is to provide high-quality (air-c0nditioned, comfortable) trains/mass rapid transit and buses. This is why the red air conditioned Volvo buses introduced by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) have become so popular, in spite of a hefty price premium relative to the ordinary buses.

Forget life 30 years from now. Forget future generations. By nature, all humans are selfish. Let us, at least for the reason of selfishness, agree to work actively and proactively to cut down  environmental damage. Think how much more money can be made on the stock markets if we all worked to make sure the world (and the stock exchanges) exist for a few more years!

The nuclear deal with the US

As the sabre-rattling by both major partners of the UPA coalition ratcheted up several notches over the past several weeks, my first reactions were of anger and disgust- that these two parties are bringing the country to the brink of expensive elections- rather than use the remainder of their term in government to drive more reforms and spur growth.

But today, as I listened to an expert on sustainability say that India and China alone will contribute hundreds of thousands of CO2 emissions every year once all their coal-based power generating units go on stream, my reaction has turned to one of more fear than anger.

I now feel that the shenanigans that have led to all but the formal cancellation of the “123 agreement” have harmed India far more than I previously thought. Energy is needed for growth and development of our nation. And lower the cost of this energy, better for us as a nation. “Low cost” not just in terms of the purchase price paid for the raw materials and power generation/distribution- but also in the sense of the environmental costs- carbon footprint, other pollution, enormous water consumption etc.

I do not know the relative economics of thermal power vs nuclear power. But I think the latter is much cheaper. But unless we get access to the technology to develop even safer and better nuclear power plants, we risk a lot more by expanding our nuclear energy generation. There is also the ticklish issue of procuring nuclear fuel to run these power plants.

I confess that I also do not know the details of the proposed deal with the US. There may well be clauses that are inimical to our national interests- and not for one moment am I suggesting we sacrifice these interests on the altar of ideology (or any other altar for that matter). All I am saying is that the Left should have engaged with the Congress to see if a negotiated agreement is possible. The Left should have gone public with exactly what its objections are and why the deal is against Indian interests, rather than take shelter behind the all-encompassing cloak of “ideology”, as it seems to have done. For that matter, even the Chinese are planning to produce 40,000 MW of nuclear power in the next 4 years or so. And the Russians have been producing nuclear fuel for decades (Chernobyl notwithstanding).

So does the Left really care for the people? Go figure….

Each one of us can help save our earth

Till a decade or so ago, topics such as global warming, greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion, sustainable development and so on were usually the preserve of academics and researchers or the very passionate members of organizations such as Green Peace, Ecowatch and so on. By and large, businesses did not care much- unless there was an Exxon Valdez kind of mess or a disaster like the Bhopal gas tragedy.

But in the last 10 years or so, there has been a marked increase in people’s awareness. Even ordinary citizens have begun to realize that their lives are getting impacted. The environment is no longer “somebody else’s problem”. In Indian cities for instance, reliable potable water supply is proving to be a bigger problem with each passing day. Bore wells are drying up and new bores need to be sunk to several hundred feet to reach water- adding to the cost. The same citizens are also business leaders and investors- and are worried at the alarming rate of depletion of resources and spiralling energy costs- for this hurts profits and stock market performance. Automobile companies like Honda and Toyota are in fact actively positioning themselves as companies that care for the environment (eco-friendly hybrid cars, hydrogen fuel cell based vehicles). Petroleum majors such as BP and Shell are talking more and more about alternative energy sources. Enormous amounts of money are being spent on developing cars that run on alternative energy sources.  “Green” manufacturing and “green IT” is now “in”.

I also think that environmental protection is one area where judicial activism is called for. The Supreme Court of India should direct state governments to bring in legislation that bans buses, trucks and cars that are older than say, 15 years. I am told that fuel efficiency norms will become law in the next 18-24 months. In other words, car manufacturers have to guarantee a certain mileage in their models- and can be sued for non-compliance! As a consumer, I am delighted….. if this does indeed become law, automobile makers can no longer boldly claim “unrivalled mileage” of 15 Km/l (or whatever other figure) and get way with a litle “*” as the superscript that says “under test conditions”. I’d really like to know how many of us drive daily in “test conditions”?!

I was quite proud of the little kids in our apartment complex in Bangalore, who went door to door last summer, asking the residents to conserve water, make sure their taps don’t leak and not keep their faucets running when they brushed their teeth or shaved. It is this kind of a mass movement that our earth needs. Not just in Bangalore, but across India. Not just in India, but around the world.
At home, we as a family are very conscious about power and water consumption and always look for ways to reduce wasteful consumption. For relatively short distances, we walk instead of driving.  We recycle paper- paper blank on one side is quite handy for writing lists or messages for each other. My 10 year old daughter understands enough about the hole in the ozone layer, melting polar ice caps and the impact of such phenomena on the rain-fed Himalayan rivers and eventually, on each of us. My wife and I use every posible opportunity to teach our daughter about the imperative for environmental protection and to get her to be more sensitive towards our environment.

We strongly believe that each one of us can play an important part in preserving our earth. I urge all of you to become more environmentaly conscious in your everyday living. Start today- remember, better late than never. And don’t delay lest it becomes a case of too little too late.

Al Gore shares wins the Nobel Peace prize- climate change gets centre stage

Former US vice president Al Gore and the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were declared as winners of the 2007 Nobel Peace prize earlier today.

The prize recognizes their efforts to create awareness about the dangers of man-made climate change and to lay the foundations for combating it.

It is heartening that the world is becoming more concerned about the dangers we are creating for ourselves and our children (and our aging parents as well).

To paraphrase from the preface to Al Gore’s book, we have not inherited the earth from our forefathers; we are merely custodians for our future generations. If each one of us can remember this and do whatever we can, in oue own small way- the world will be around for much longer than is currently likely. On that sombre note, congratulations Mr Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.