Cement Energy and Environment

majority of the population in the world, to go through the process of modernization. But, it has to be a low-carbon economy; not the high-carbon one built on oil and coal, with which we poisoned the world. In your opinion, what role can the renewable energy sources play in safeguarding the environment? Absolutely critical. But, we cannot get too carried away with it. What if the wind stops blowing or the water stops flowing, or the sun stops shining? Renewable energy is a major part of the play, but it is not the total play. For instance, nuclear, which we have always had sensitive feelings about, is going to be a major part of the energy mix, but so will coal, oil, and other such fuels. So, we need the money to develop technologies, such as clean coal technology, which can allow the use of coal. But, this would be expensive. I always wonder why is it that cannot put all the world 's money together for common research on some of these technological advances? I think that this is slowly coming , too slow though , and this requires a global agreement. What do you think is the deliberation versus action equation? A lot of deliberation is taking place at regional as well as global levels, but is it being converted into action? 1 he threat of the hole in the ozone layer, which is causing a great deal of skin cancer, was solved by the world coming together and stopping the emisl?ion of the gases responsible for the problem. Kyoto was the first protocol that we negotiated, in which several nations came together. What we are now trying to do is successfully cut emissions at various levels. But, the growth of our economies is faster than the rate at which we are cutting the emissions-this is not enough. think that there are successes that we have seen. As time goes on, the problems related to climate change have to be shown on every television in every country of the world. It is a crazy world; but, the situation is changing. What role can local initiatives, throughout the world, play in creating the momentum towards building a sustainable future? find this interesting, because it depends of what you mean by "local". Global involves countries. But, would you call California local? Even though the President of the country is against the Kyoto Agreement, Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Governor of California, has followed a policy that northern states of New England have connected with Canada and Quebec to develop carbon policies, electricity exchanges, and so on. Similar initiatives are being taken in China, India, and other countries. These are not some small projects of local governments, and they are, obviously, quite welcome. Now, take for example, the solar lights of The Energy and Resources Institute's (TERI ) Lighting a Billion Lives (LaBL) project. The idea is fantastic! It is local and small, and helps entrepreneurial development. But, "local" should mean national plans; voluntary ones, which collectively make for a global solution . We just have to be a little bit more ambitious in our definition of "local " . Please tell us about some of the policy instruments that UK has adopted to mitigate climate change. Britain has not only achieved its Kyoto targets, but also, in 10 years it has increased the growth of the economy by 33 per cent, got two million more jobs, and cut GHG emission by 8 per cent. So, it has proved that it is possible to have growth and, at the same time reduce emissions. We told the industry sector that we are going to impose a "Climate change levy"; some may call it "energy tax". We told the companies, which use energy extensively, that if they do not reduce their use of energy and use it more efficiently, keeping in mind the targets that we give them , we will fine them and it will become a tax. But, if they meet the targets, then they do not have to pay. And, the companies went ahead with this. So, they not only achieved the targets, but also profited from using energy efficiently, and did not even have to pay the levy. We have to find similar kinds of answers. What kind of cooperation do you see between India and UK with regard to the environment? I hope to see a lot of cooperation . India and UK share a great deal of history and are very close , culturally as well as economically. We both have to learn a lot from each other. When I look at Shri Jairam Ramesh and hear what he has to say, I am so pleased to see that India is coming out with a very strong voice with the right things to say, encouraging others - this is India playing its 26