‘Scared for 2040’: MPs urge check on global warming

The members of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday raised concern over the issue of climate change and asked the central government to coordinate with all ministries, agencies and private sector to take remedial steps to mitigate the effect of global warming.

Senior DMK leader Tiruchi Siva, CPI member P Sandosh Kumar and Congress MP Pramod Tiwari raised a short-duration discussion in the Upper House of Parliament on the serious effects of global warming.

Initiating the discussion, Siva said, “What is looming over our head is very alarming and threatening. I feel it is not just the responsibility of the Union government, but also of the states, private sector, civil society, yourself, myself and everyone in the country. We alone are not the cause, the whole world is the cause for it. But the effect upon us is more. India will be the seventh country to be affected because of this climate change.”

Siva said, “The target of the union government is that by 2070, there will be zero carbon emission. It is around 50 years from now. I am scared for 2040. What was the situation in 2000 and what it is in 2020? We can see the variations. The threat has increased. The alarm bell is ringing like anything. I don’t think that we can wait for 50 years.”

The DMK member said the environment ministry has to coordinate with other ministries such as agriculture, urban development and industries so that a “holistic approach” is taken as activities in each of these areas have a consequence on the environment. “The emission of greenhouse gases by 10 countries amounts to two-thirds of the whole world’s emission and we stand at the third place,” he said.

“China is at number one – it emits 10.6 gigatonnes. Two years ago, it was 9.8 gigatonnes and now it is 10.6, United States emits 4.7 gigatonnes and India emits 2.8 gigatonnes. It is high time and we have to think about it,” he said.

Amee Yajnik of the Congress reiterated the need to enhance India’s usage of renewable and clean energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, while increasing forest cover to meet the net zero target set for 2070.

Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Verma suggested the government start rationing petrol and diesel.

“People are using vehicles even for travelling 100 metres. Someday some government would need to impose a restriction that no more than this amount of petrol will be given to you in a day…Even knowing that this will lead to loss in elections, but in the interest of the nation such measures will need to be taken,” he said.

Jawhar Sircar of the TMC said: “West Bengal is a victim of this delayed monsoon like many other states…This is an effect of climate change and we better realise that we are all contributing to it,” he said.