Global warming is expected to impact the availability of basic necessities like freshwater, food and energy.
According to the Economic Survey, India, like many developing countries, has not even utilised its fair share of the earth’s carbon space, nor has it achieved basic minimum standards of living for its entire population. Per capita energy use in developing countries is only about 25 per cent of that in developed countries on average, the Survey says, adding that 400 million Indians still do not have electricity in their homes and about 800 million use some form of biomass as their primary or only energy source for cooking which is worrisome.
The issue of funding and the role of the global community have been stressed as paramount for sustainable development and the Survey warns that while in India, climate change and sustainability are being mainstreamed in the development process, global cooperation and substantial additional funding are required. If resources of this magnitude are not made available, outcomes in terms of growth, sustainability and inclusive development are likely to be sub-optimal.
The challenge before this government is outlined as “The essence of sustainable development is meeting the needs of the present without jeopardising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” The key question, the Survey says, therefore is, whether countries like India are prepared to accommodate global targets, given their domestic obligations of basic development, including minimum necessary needs of the poor. The bottom half of the world can do its bit but it cannot be expected to shoulder the bulk of the world’s development, sustainability and climate crisis burden. The Survey says it would be constructive to look at sustainable development in the context of historical, spatial and other dimensions.
In terms of achieving the Millennium Development Goals, India has a mixed bag. While it has achieved the target of halving the percentage of population below the poverty line and is on track to achieve universal primary education, India is unlikely to reach the target of maternal mortality rate of 109 per 1000 live births by 2015.
The other areas of concern relate to the share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector, proportion of births attended by skilled personnel and proportion of population with access to improved sanitation, where India is lagging by a huge margin.
India has also voluntarily committed to an endeavour to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 20-25 per cent by 2020. An expert group was set up by the Planning Commission for evolving Low Carbon Strategies for Inclusive Growth and it has recently submitted is final report.
Projections in this report say that low carbon strategies will bring down the average GDP by 0.15 per cent point, while per capita CO2 emissions in 2030 will fall from 3.6 tonnes per person in the BIG (baseline inclusive growth) scenario to 2.6 tonnes per person in the LCIG (Low carbon inclusive growth) scenario.
