Cement, Energy and Environment

across the border. The Asian Brown Cloud is an example of the effect that airborne pollutants can have on the environment of a region. particularly coal-powered ones. According to a World Wildlife Fund report, Re-think coal's rule in India, for coal to play a role in India's energy future, the made readily available for research and development and immediate deployment of zero– and low-emissions coal technology. Coal mining is a temporary process. Therefore , once mining gets over, the land acquired for this purpose is left degraded. And this is an aspect that has received little or no attention in India. Unscientific mining, poor planning, and the absence of proper closure plans are largely responsible for the continuous degradation of land. One needs to have a proper closure plan for the mines, so as to ensure clean water and fertile land in the future with minimal local tension. However, even with a proper closure plan, the problems associated with coal do not end. The next set of problems is related to the use of this fossil fuel. The future The global climatic conditions require India to reduce its dependency on coal and go for alternative solutions such as improving energy efficiency and using renewable sources of 'The need to reduce C02 emissions from coal has become an important issue just when populous developing countries, such as India and China, are rapidly industrializing. Following the development pattern of industrialized countries in Europe and North America, these newly developing countries intend to utilize their significant coal resources to further their economic development goals and to increase the standard of living of their citizens. The DECO countries are mainly responsible for the current high C02 atmospheric concentrations. However, due to accelerating growth in emissions from China and India, these countries will have to engage in reducing C02 emissions from their energy sectors as well, despite the fact that these countries are expected to continue to have lower per capita emissions than the DECO countries over the next several decades. Furthermore, new technologies such as clean coal technologies, carbon capture and storage, and other low-emission technologies are likely to be developed and deployed first In industrialized countries. Key challenges for subsequent transfer and deployment of these technologies in developing countries include adapting the technologies to specific developing country circumstances, building Indigenous capacities, and addressing issues of cost and financing. How advanced technologies are developed and who pays for their deployment will continue to be crucial questions in many International forums, including the ongoing climate negotiations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ' - A Resource and Technology Assessment of Coal Utilization in India by Ananth P Chikkatur, Johan F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, October 2008. Government policies must be strengthened, particularly the Environmental Impact Assessments that involve civil society in decision– making processes and protect the local communities from coal's negative impacts. Low-emissions coal technology, such as Supercritical, Ultra- supercritical, Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle, needs to be rapidly and widely deployed. Because of the longevity of coal plants - some of which operate for 25 - 35 years - the decisions that India makes today will have long-term and in some cases, irreversible ramifications for the people and the environment. The time to implement environmentally and socially responsible energy policies, therefore, is today. 'The move of the populations of China and India from poverty to middle-class prosperity should be the great historic achievement of the centurv. Without coal it cannot happen'. - Freeman Dyson, a world- energy. However, one cannot deny the fact that for a developing country like India, coal will have an important role to play in the near future. India's power generation would continue to depend heavily on thermal power plants, following measures are an absolute imperative to protect local communities and the environment. renowned physicist and The true costs of coal in India, arising from its social and environmental impacts, must be internalized, so that funds are mathematician. Courtesy: TERRAGREEN, February 2010, Pp27-33. 26