In
the First Earth Summit held in Rio in 1992 new themes concepts and vocabulary
or jargon was introduced to the polity: “Sustainable Development” meant
development would not leapfrog into the jet age but will be undertaken in
realistic march of progress without harming the environment. “Mitigate climate
change” meant - let us try to stop anthropocentric factors of climate change
and global warming induced by human induced eco detrimental development.
Climate change adaptation meant let us adopt such means as to decrease global
warming and thus climate change. “Stake holder participation” meant people
ought to ideally benefit by way of willing participation in environmental
conservation. Starry eyed journalists
covering the summit in the age when electronic media was not as we know it
today, held the dream of ushering change through the power of the pen alone. And
indeed the power of the pen has blossomed without deferring to the glamour of
electronic media.
Little
did these journalists realise it takes more than just the power of the pen to
visualise these complex themes… developmental journalists were the greatest
advocates of growth trajectories, balance or sustainability be damned.
As unsustainable
growth in terms of fossil fuel consumption for the automobile industry and
other consumer electronics increased the economic growth in terms of GDP GNP
and tax returns increased and politicians and consumer were both equally
pleased and the journalists started losing their starry eyed dreams they saw in
Rio. New Delhi was back where it all started – one of the most polluted cities
in the world! World Bank advisories UN policy guidelines were all ignored.
Until one maverick politician – Delhi’s anti-establishment new chief minister
introduced an experiment in sustainable development - something called “Odd
Even”: number plate based traffic regulations to mitigate the winter fog could
not be discerned from vehicular smog in one of the world’s most polluted
cities.
Yet,
it was a perceptive, farsighted, visionary, captivating, and politically astute
masterstroke attempting sustainable development, mitigating unsustainable
vertical economic growth with a compatible green regime; and it was actually
welcomed by the much harassed and exasperated Delhizen. The results of the odd
even scheme – in terms of quantifiable emission reduction targets is yet to be
extrapolated by climate experts (part of the reason for the extreme fog in
November 2015 in Delhi was the El Nino induced hydrometeorological calamity –
fog: and, climatologists conveniently undermine the geological dimensions of
climate change); however the scheme has captured the imagination of the
political class in the Third World.
Thanks
to lack of standardisation in emissions for decades of “economic growth fuelled
by fossil fuel economy” time is now ripe to introduce drastic measures in
cutting vehicular emissions in the emerging economies.
Replicating
“Odd Even” schemes ain’t enough. Indonesia has gone a step fuether. They
register odd even number plates according to regulation. Mature political
vision would call for implementing a cycle friendly infrastructure policy to
substitute fossil fuel economy.
Insurance policies need to be reworded, incentives for the hydrogen
economy and cycling regime – including cycle lanes, traffic signals, cycle
parking plots, security for cycle parking plots have to be introduced. Roads,
highways and cycle corridors have to be designed and constructed in a cycle
friendly manner for a cycle friendly regime. Prime Minister Modi never hostile
to some good publicity ought to set apart political parochialism and encourage
his government’s pet infrastructure projects to come up with cycling lanes on
district roads, urban roads, state and national highways. Existing road
infrastructure especially in cities in South Asia should suffice for no more
than 1/ 5th of the existing traffic volumes. Cars have to be used
only for physically challenged citizens and frail populace. The fit working
class should either pedal it up or use one of seven modes of public transport
in every city. A plural public transport regime should include Metro rail,
trams, suburban trains, four tiered public bus system, taxis, auto rickshaws, radio
taxis and car pools. Radio taxis should be regulated through policy / economic
incentives / disincentives etc to change present booking structures to car-pooling.
Cycling
increases health fitness and reduces dependence on fossil fuel besides, it
drastically decreases emissions. Vehicle manufacturing should be export
oriented atleast for a decade, as that not just increases the foreign exchange
earnings but also increases standardisation and reduces traffic congestion.
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