Sunita Narain, director of Centre for science and Environment, noted environmentalist and political activist is someone who needs no introduction of any sorts. In 2005, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. She has been making news these days after the CSE report on contamination of ground water in the city of Bhopal due to the killer Union carbide factory. She discussed various contemporary environmental issues with Tohid Ahemed Qureshi. The excerpts of their conversation are as under;
Q. There has been so much debate on the Bhopal gas tragedy, but I would like to know what is the way forward. How can the city of Bhopal get rid of this toxic waste?
A. Even I am asking the same question, you should ask the state government that what is being done in this context. What they have been doing since the last 25 years and is there any road map of getting rid of this toxic waste in near future.
Q. The state government says that there are no such chemicals left in the factory which are toxic enough to spread any sorts of contamination in the city of Bhopal.
A. I would like to ask them that on what grounds they are saying this? And if this is the case than they should start growing vegetables in the Union Carbide premises and eat them.
Q. So what are your suggestions to the government on cleanup of the ground water?
A. I think first of all the government should stop denying the fact that the problem exists, ground water is contaminated almost 3 k.m downstream from the factory and these are the same chemicals that Union Carbide produced 25 years ago. The call of the hour is a decontamination plan and a very immediate one. The government should take purposeful and timebound steps to cleanup the waste. And the third most important thing is that there is a substantial cost of this cleanup and this should be paid by the Dow Chemicals.
Q. Do you think that any lessons have been learnt from the Bhopal gas tragedy by the Government of India and what should be done to ensure that there should be no more future Bhopals?
A. Definitely, the Environment protection act came after Bhopal and this is one of the most far reaching acts that this country had on Environmental issues. But stil we have not learnt enough, small Bhopals are taking place everyday. Our environment, our body is getting toxicated every day and even this should be checked through tough environmental regulations.
Q. Moving on from Bhopal To Copenhegan, I would like to know that what is the big debate between the developing and developed countries at this summit?
A. The big question is that how the carbon budget of the world is allocated among the nations of the world. Its about historic emissions and its about the space that we would have in the future. Countries like India are not asking for there right to pollute but their right to develop, its because we have not contributed to the problem in the past, we are willing to do something to avoid emissions in the future but that had to be paid for, because we have a legitemate right to the space that we have not occupied in the past. We want money and we want technology which will help us to pay for the transission for environment friendly development. As this transission is very costly.
Q. That means that the developed countries not only have to pay for the transission but also perform negative emissions to compensate the pollution we are going to make in our quest to development.
A. Yes, because we are fighting for the occupation of the ecological space which we have not used in the past and which was used by the elite countries in the past, they have exceeded their space. Now they have to pay for and they should actually be negative. As we have the right to grow, the right to better technology and the right to leap forward.
Q. But in that case all the polluting industries of the world will shift into countries like India and pollute our land, water and air ?
A. I agree, and that is the reason why this is such a complex issue. All these concerns are very much real and need to be taken care of . All things are to be taken care of taking into account in a broad perspective.
Q. Now comes the big question, what is the politics behind all this?
A. The politics is that to convince India to change its position.The pressure is so enormous that once even the P.M is concerned. It is an issue that is going to be very tough to defend it. America and company wants the cut in emissions to be volunteery, while we are asking for a time bound cut. There is going to be a schedule for cut of emissions and the developed countries want India and China to be on the same schedule unlike the Kyoto protocol where the 37 industrialised countries were commited on Annex 1 to reduce greenhouse gases and all the other countries made general commitments. As the summit nears there is so much little time to dismantle the existing agreements and stitch a new one.
Q. So what according to you should be done at Coppenhagen?
A. First of all, there should be an ambitious, internationally legal binding and concreate agreement signed by the rich and powerful, providing a time bound cut in the emissions by the industrialised countries and all those countries should also pledge to provide technological upgrades and financial support to the countries of the third world for their development. Surely the next generations need us to move inthis direction, the planet needs this.
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