Press release - March 29, 2007
DADRI / NEW DELHI, India — Greenpeace activists today beamed huge slides on to the cooling tower of the National Thermal Power Corporation Plant at Dadri to brand the culprits of climate change. The words on the cooling tower "Stop Climate Change – Energy (r)evolution now!" sent a message to the Indian government to rethink their energy strategy before Climate Change starts affecting economic development of the country*. This activity was preceded by similar activities at the Ennore Thermal Power Station, Chennai and the State owned Raichur Thermal Power Plant in Karnataka, last week to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change.
Campaigning for a future free from climate change, Greenpeace activists beam a message on the cooling tower of the NTPC Thermal Power Plant at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh. Coal burning emits large volumes of carbon dioxide leading to climate change. Climate change will hit India hard. Clean, renewable energy is the solution!
"The burning of fossil fuels is the major cause of climate
change, yet we continue to burn coal which is the dirtiest fossil
fuel to satisfy our growing energy needs. This is simply suicidal!"
said Srinivas Krishnaswamy, Climate and Energy Expert of
Greenpeace. "There is a solution to combat climate change while
continuing to supply a growing economy with electricity. Energy
efficiency measures coupled with an increased uptake of renewable
energy sources is the way forward", he asserted.
The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) released in February this year states that continuing
business-as-usual practices is likely to increase global average
temperatures between 1.1°C and 6.4° C above 1980-1999 levels by
2095 which will have grave impacts for countries developing
countries including India. In fact, India could face a loss in GDP
to the tune of 9-13% by the year 2100 if we did not do anything to
stop climate change, according to a report commissioned by the UK
Government on the "Economics of Climate Change" written by a former
World Bank Economist Sir Nicholas Stern in 2006.
The impacts of global warming in the form of severe droughts,
floods and heatwaves, unusual rainfall patterns, sea level rise and
increase in vector borne diseases have already been witnessed in
India. In July 2005, the strongest ever rainfall recorded in India
shut down the financial hub of Mumbai. While Barmer in Rajasthan
experienced floods, the northeast region of the country experienced
a mere 20-30 per cent of rainfall. In the Sunderbans, two islands
have already disappeared and others are vulnerable; wildlife
experts say rising sea levels and coastal erosion caused by global
warming are steadily shrinking the mangroves in the region. Dengue
fever surfaced in New Delhi in March this year, well before the
onset of Monsoon.
Srinivas further said that "We should not waste any more time on
further impact assessments or endless negotiations about which set
of nations should reduce their fossil fuel consumption first. It is
time that all countries act immediately; otherwise our children
will suffer the consequences".
Greenpeace calls on the Government to increase the share of
renewable energy from the current level of 4% to 60% by 2050.
This can be achieved if a renewable energy law is adopted not later
than 2010. At the same time the Government needs to check the
unsustainable growth of energy consumption in the country by making
energy efficiency mandatory and phasing out all inefficient
products, starting with the incandescent bulb and gasoline guzzling
cars.
For further information, contact
In Delhi:
Ruchira Talukdar – Greenpeace India Communications
+91-9900264127; 
In Bangalore:
K Srinivas – Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace India
+91-9845112130; 