'Consumer activists needed to allay global warming'

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Despite global concern and concrete studies, there have been abysmal efforts to reduce carbon footprint and sustain carbon-free economy. While the need to switch from fossil fuels and on-grid energy to alternative resources has increased manifold, and renewable energy holds key to India's inclusive growth, lack of stringent policy framework, lackluster response from corporate sector and unavailability of bursary mechanism have beset the sector, feels Greenpeace.

Addressing the CyberMedia-Greenpeace third annual summit, Decarbonising Economy: Moving towards a Clean Energy Future, former NASSCOM president, Kiran Karnik, pointed out that manifestation of global climate changes was a matter of concern. "Global warming is going to hit all of us. The researches corroborate it. With policy framework, we should come together to mitigate risks and need to get heads together, before it gets too late," he asserted.

Corporations, Karnik said, needed to wake up and that there should be competitive advantages assured to companies going green.

"There is a need of consumer activists," he added. Carbon-intensive industries, such as manufacturing transportation and insulation, the industry veteran said, required special efforts to reduce carbon footprint. The companies should look at solar panels to reduce dependence on diesel.

"A lot can be done on the technology front and RoIs can be derived. The national solar mission aims to generate 20,000MW energy by 2020, while more could be done that could also complement our environment," he added.

On the issue, Alcatel-Lucent India chairman, Arun seth, said that despite so much talk, there was no action yet and that businesses should go beyond mere CSR service. "For renewable energy resources, investments are needed to be stepped up," he further stated. Consumer awareness, Seth said, was a painpoint, while he also believed that solar panels manufacturing industry was in deep trouble.

"National policy on manufacturing needs to focus on solar equipment," he added, emphasizing that there should be zero dependence on fuel imports.

Carrying on from there, green evangelist and tech maven, Prasanto K. Roy, said that oil constituted 31 per cent of India's total imports. By 2031-32, 53 per cent commercial energy would be based on imports, which is alarming. "With 10 per cent power deficit, renewable energy is growing at relatively very low pace. Topline revenues of all large corporations are going into energy bills," he informed.

"Alternate energy resources have a potential to generate 1 million job opportunities. With energy sustainability and growth, there exists a huge business opportunity," he reckoned.

The convergence of Internet and distributed power, in his opinion, would trigger the next industrial revolution. He feels that there would be huge shift towards outsourcing around energy economy.

"But the onus should not be on MNRE alone; a broader approach is needed and everyone should be responsible for energy sustainability," Roy concluded.