Question

10. Bahrain - 9. Pakistan - 8. United Arab Emirates - 7. Mongolia - 6. Egypt - 5. Iran - 4. Bangladesh - 3. Afghanistan - 2. Qatar - 1. India & China tell me how we can get countries who are big produces of air pollution to lower their pollution emissions. You can talk incentives, penalties, advances in technology, stricter laws - whatever you want, but you need to address the problem and you need to be realistic. You also need to argue/support your discussion. Keep in mind, as these countries listed above and others become more industrialized and consumers of fossil fuels, the problem is projected to become worse before it gets better

Answer 1

With global warming and associated climate changes coming for real, there has been growing consensus among the countries of the world to the cause of air pollution and the associated effects. Countries of the 3rd world which are mostly developing and rely on traditional fossil fuel as the prime mover is at the centre point of talks.

These countries can reduce their pollution emission by adopting a comprehensive strategy which addresses the core concern of these nations i.e. growth and development. This strategy can include-

Adoption of Cleaner fuel- Fossil fuels are costly as well as polluting. On the other hand’s renewables are associated with cheaper cost in the long term and environment-friendly nature. There must be an enhanced push for developing countries to adopt renewables. On the sidelines of Paris summit, India along with France launched the International Solar Alliance (ISA) which can prove to be a benefactor for all tropical countries which have around 300 clear sunny days a year, which can be harnessed for energy generation.

Transfer of Cleaner Technologies- Rapid use of fossils by these developing countries is due to two simple economics. Easy adoption cost and fewer complicacies in large scaling of these fuels. It means if the cleaner fuels are made available to these countries like Nuclear energy which can potentially plug out fossils from the market, these countries would opt for the cleaner energy source. This can be possibly done by Transfer of Technology (ToT), strategic partnerships, a joint working group (JWG) etc.

Quantifying and commodifying air pollution- Similar to carbon markets which seek to offset, carbon emissions into the atmosphere, air pollution must also be subjected to the same rule book. For every amount of pollution emitted into the atmosphere, countries/individuals need to plant equivalent trees/pay for the emission. This can be an attempt at commodifying the emission by “polluter pays principle”.

Adhering to the nationally determined contributions (NDC) at Paris accord and fulfilling the promise- The Promises made at the historic accord are voluntary. There must be stricter penalties for the nation not conforming to NDC’s and there needs to be constant evaluation of all the NDC’s to set more realistic contribution data.

Need for Financing mechanism- These countries are in dearth of finances since most of these are developing countries barring Bahrain, UAE and China. Multilateral funding system can be the need of the jour which pool in resources from different countries, which in turn can be provided to these countries on a long-term loan basis at nominal interest rates. The implementation of the funds must be internationally monitored for any embezzlements and diversion.

Need for advocacy for the usage of clean fuels, against air pollution, climate change- The impact of associated climate change would be more deadly and serious on these countries which are most vulnerable. E.g. Around 30% of the Bangladesh lands are at a nominal height above sea level. If the projected warming continues, the growing sea level can possibly inundate the countries 30% of coastal lands thus putting the lives of millions at peril. This can not only lead to the mass exodus of peoples from these countries but also threaten regional stability. Hence people in these countries must be made aware of such threats, who in turn can pressurise their governments to follow environmentally clean steps.

These steps can help in dealing with the multi-headed monster in a comprehensive manner. We don’t have much time left considering the rate at which the destruction has prevailed.