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> India in particular is insisting on their right to build more coal plants and ramp up the amount of fossil fuels they burn over the next decade. The sense of
by tester89 4y ago
> India in particular is insisting on their right to build more coal plants and ramp up the amount of fossil fuels they burn over the next decade. The sense of urgency is a bit lacking over there. They feel entitled to helping destroy our planet. And you could argue it would be fair given other countries have done their part and continue doing so. But it's our planet. Let's stop destroying it instead.
Western countries developed through the use of fossile fuels, and contributed to most of the carbon dioxide currently in the atmosphere, as well as increase in global temperature. We also have most of the world’s wealth. If we want to stop destroying the planet, then a good way to do it would be to pay India and China to stop using fossile fuels.
India is not a developed nation. Other developed nations developed through exploiting it. If a zero carbon technology were cheaper, then of course they would use it, but by and large right now most are more expensive. Western countries can afford to buy the technologies by adjusting for future externalities, but for India the extra money could very literally be the difference between life and death for a large section of the population.
If we want to save the planet so badly, surely we can afford to pay them to decarbonise as well.
- jillesvangurp 4y agoIndia's GDP is about the same size as the UK; if not bigger by now. They have a space program, they are a nuclear power, they have a lot of industry and healthy economic growth. They could step up and be better than their former colonizers rather than just bigger economically. Certainly, they should start leading and stop following. If they can invest in nuclear and going to space, they can invest in clean energy tech. It all boils down to choices and priorities. India will be ground zero for a lot of global warming related misery. Sure, it's our problem but mainly their problem. Let's face it: it will be them shoveling corpses into mass graves when this goes wrong. We'll send help and best wishes and maybe some financial support. Sure. But they should be the biggest activist for tackling the issues related to that. But that's incompatible with their short term agenda of growing at all cost. So, they are not and are acting like they are in denial. Coal is only cheaper if you consider Indian lives to be worthless. Wet heat bulb events and smog are going to be a likely combination. Cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and other large cities all over India are going to have to deal with that. Potentially very soon and very regularly. That's going to be costly and disruptive. Who's accounting for that cost? India? Coal plant operators? Anyone? IMHO as soon as wet bulb heat events become a regular thing in India, they'll be shutting down coal plants in a hurry. Accounting for that now would make building new ones super expensive. The math does not add up if you only get to operate a plant for ten years or so. So they don't. The smart thing would be to adjust plans now and take into account future events.