Opinion

University system in the US: fostering technological development and decision-making

17 Aug 2000 |

Dr R K Pachauri

| TERI Newswire VI(16)

This is the Labor Day weekend in the US, and everyone is on the highways here getting away for what is generally regarded as the last weekend of the summer. The travel-intensive population of the US is on the move to the beaches and other holiday spots by the millions. The drive up the East Coast to New Haven, Connecticut was slow and arduous, taking over 7 hours from Wilmington, Delaware. But, mercifully there was no mishap in my journey even though the highways had many speed fiends who zoomed along at 80 mph, changing lanes dangerously.

An integrated energy policy

16 Aug 2000 |

| The Economic Times

Inaugurating the Retreat, a training-cum-conference centre designed by TERI to run exclusively on renewable energy, the prime minister gave a timely call for an integrated energy policy. The matter is complex and an initiative only at the PM's level has some chance of success.

Centre for Electronic Governance: a step in the right direction

02 Aug 2000 |

Dr R K Pachauri

| TERI Newswire VI(15)

Independence day this year was an inspiring occasion as usual marked by the Prime Minister's impassioned speech from the Red Fort and celebrations all over the country honouring the national flag and the memory of those who sacrificed everything for the country's freedom.

The light of their lives

18 Jul 2000 |

Dr Ajay Mathur

| The Economic Times

Laatu is an agricultural labourer who lives in the village of Mangraulli which is part of the VIP Lok Sabha constituency of Amethi. Laatu and his family use a kerosene lamp for lighting their hut.

Walking towards sustainable development

17 Jul 2000 |

Dr R K Pachauri

| TERI Newswire VI(14)

Two significant events took place last week, which may not be very significant in themselves, but are symbolic perhaps of a powerful trend that seems to be taking place in the developed world. The very forces that have in the past contributed to an unprecedented level of environmental degradation are now at work to move the world towards a new balance that includes environmental protection in the decisions made by the consumer and big corporations. The first of these events was a meeting attended by the chairpersons of some of the world's largest corporations, an Under Secretary General of the UN, the Administrator of UNDP, and a small number of academics like me to discuss the role of the global corporation in the 21st century. Amid the sylvan surroundings in Aspen, Colorado, this group of 23 participants discussed threadbare every aspect of corporate social responsibility, the expectations of civil society, and plans that were developed for the participants to implement in their own respective spheres of operation.

Phasing out oil

09 Jul 2000 |

| The Economic Times

The World Petroleum Congress in Calgary, Canada, opened in mid-June 2000 amidst protests by hundreds of demonstrators, forcing the police to take extra precautions. This was not so unexpected. Protests against oil exploration in ecologically sensitive areas have been voiced for quite sometime now. The problem of greenhouse gas emissions from the use of petroleum products has also been increasingly regarded as serious, more so since the Kyoto Protocol of 1997.

Removal of poverty: need for better understanding

02 Jul 2000 |

Dr R K Pachauri

| TERI Newswire VI(13)

There is growing interest among multilateral and bilateral organizations in formulating development assistance schemes to remove poverty. The Asian Development Bank, for instance, has developed clear-cut criteria that will be used as a screen for evaluating if it should finance specific projects or not. The World Bank, of course, has been emphasizing poverty removal as a major objective of its activities, as have other organizations such as the Canadian International Development Agency and the Department for International Development.

Indian economy: time to unleash forces of change

17 Jun 2000 |

Dr R K Pachauri

| TERI Newswire VI(12)

Recent estimates on the rate of economic growth have proved to be better than expected. The growth rate for 1999/2000, for instance, based on current estimates, appears to be in excess of 6.5% as against the expectation of a little over 6%. Overall, the Indian economy shows some positive features that provide a basis for optimism. Industrial recovery seems healthy, exports are increasing, and the prediction of a good monsoon this year provides optimism on the agricultural front. In fact, even last year when the monsoon rains were somewhat lower than normal, foodgrain output was about 204 million tonnes, which exceeded earlier expectations.

Environmental security: challenges ahead

02 Jun 2000 |

Dr R K Pachauri

| TERI Newswire VI(11)

On 15 and 16 June, the German Foreign Ministry held a conference on 'Environment and Security: Crisis Prevention through Cooperation' at Berlin, which was attended by very senior officials from the German government, including Dr Ludger Volmer, State Minister in the Foreign Office. I was one of the three or four participants from overseas and the only speaker from a developing country. The tone of the entire proceedings was very heartening, with considerable emphasis on how the developed world has created environmental crisis worldwide through excessive consumption and use of the environmental space of the developing world. This has led to the threat of climate change with all its harmful impacts on sea level, agriculture, forestry, and water availability.

From ashes to abundance

01 Jun 2000 |

Ms Anuradha Vashisht

| The Indian Express

Fly Ash is an environmental hazard in Delhi which has somehow escaped the attention of the environmentalists. The media too has focused rather inadequately on it. Fly ash, which consists of silica, alumina and oxides of iron, calcium and magnesium, is the waste generated by thermal power plants. It is the most undesirable part of coal, which causes erosion, corrosion and creates environmental pollution.