Opinion
Price cuts don't make economic sense
10 Dec 2008 |
Ms Ruchika Chawla
| The Economic Times (Bangalore edition)
International energy prices have been on a roller-coaster ride the past few months. The price of India’s crude oil basket has fallen by 62% over the past four months, since it touched an all-time high.
While the fall in prices has prompted the government to decrease retail prices of petrol and diesel, the average crude oil price for the current financial year hovers around $102/bbl and the prevailing retail prices are much lower than the corresponding trade parity petroleum prices.
Elect a corruption-free regime
02 Dec 2008 |
Dr Leena Srivastava
| Financial Chronicle
The stories don't go away - corruption is rampant in every sub-sector of the energy economy. Coal blocks are being rapidly allocated - as opposed to being competitively bid - to reap the maximum advantage from the informal margin that has been established on it. Environmental clearances for projects are being 'sold' with complete disregard to the long-term damage to ecosystem stability. Rich, dense forests are being compromised in the name of development. Petroleum product pricing cannot be rationalised despite the evidence that subsidies are not reaching the poor, because of the handful of politically well-connected people who own the dealerships/distributorships and are the main beneficiaries of the economic leakages that ensue.
Vagaries hurting climate issue
18 Nov 2008 |
Dr Leena Srivastava
| Financial Chronicle
Pressure is mounting on the world to come up with a climate agreement for the post-2012 period - the time up to which the Kyoto Protocol has been negotiated. Having achieved precious little since the Rio Conference in 1990 and the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, beyond making many more promises for the future, the developed countries are readying themselves to make the clean development mechanism (CDM) their scapegoat.
Conservation: Education begins at the grassroots
01 Nov 2008 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| Navigator 2009
I truly wonder if the term sustainable tourism is understood in its true and absolute sense in India. As we think of it in a broader sense, the form of travel that is taking place does create an environmental impact. There is a definite damage to the ecology and we all contribute towards this.
Confusing signals on bio-fuels
21 Oct 2008 |
Dr Leena Srivastava
| Financial Chronicle
The bio-fuels policy, which was quoted in the media as a done deal, has been retracted and a complete review of it is being undertaken. This is a very good development, as the policy, in the form in which it was, sent very confusing signals as regards its purpose and the intended beneficiaries. To the cynical, the policy reflects a desire to provide income ‘protection’ to the sugar industry vis-à -vis its role in ethanol production or a mechanism by which the under-recoveries of the oil marketing companies can be contained by facilitating access to cheaper blending options. The cynics may be justified in their views, given the policy’s focus on the minimum procurement price of bio-fuels and the use of molasses for ethanol production.
Market fall and climate change
08 Oct 2008 |
Dr Leena Srivastava
| Financial Chronicle
Every passing day is bringing more bad news on the financial markets and the real as well as psychological impact of this meltdown is deepening. The reaction in the US to the government's bail out plan reflects the real concerns of the common man – what would such a large diversion of tax payers' funds mean to development and investments in necessary infrastructure?
Great ideas, great minds – life enhancement
25 Sep 2008 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| India Today
The one big change that India requires urgently and in large measure is for the population to develop a deep reverence for nature. Indian culture and our traditional beliefs have for ages ensured that nature and its bounty are treated with profound respect and value.
Act before disaster strikes
10 Sep 2008 |
Dr Leena Srivastava
| Mydigitalfc.com
A breach in the embankment of river Kosi has created havoc across half of Bihar, causing not only immediate misery, but also leaving a serious impact on the long-term livelihood of millions of already poor people. Established between 1954 and 1959, the Kosi river embankments were meant to protect the people of Bihar from regular flooding threats, but have under-performed consistently with the reality being far from model predictions made at the time.
Only a small price to tackle emissions
08 Sep 2008 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Australian
Awareness of human influence on the planet's climate has grown substantially in recent months thanks to the efforts of Al Gore and the release of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It is no surprise that the outcome of the last Australian general elections was determined significantly by the position that today's Government articulated on climate change during the election campaign.
In the last Conference of the Parties held in Bali during December 2007 the driving force for moving the global community towards an agreement on adequate mitigation of emissions of greenhouse gases was the scientific rationale for taking action. The Synthesis Report as part of the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC, which was finalised in November, brought out some strong findings on the nature of the impacts of climate worldwide, highlighting reasons for concern related to each one of these impacts.
Rationalizing coal prices
20 Aug 2008 |
Ms Anjali Garg
| The Economic Times
Although the last few months have seen international prices of almost all energy resources spiralling, the focus of all debates and discussions has been crude oil price and its impact on the economy and the consequent inflationary pressures. But beneath the headlines, a silent crisis is brewing on the coal front with far-reaching consequences for the power sector and, ultimately, the economy.