Feature story - January 15, 2009
Coal is responsible for two-thirds of the CO2 emissions in India, and the single largest contributor to Global warming.
Some of the climate bicyclists
Coal has a social, environmental, material and relocation cost,
which is always overlooked when calculating the cost of coal based
electricity. If these 'externalities' were to be considered, coal
would not be economically feasible as against renewable energy.
When we have renewable alternatives cheaper than coal which will
answer India's concerns of energy security, poverty eradication,
renew our economy and solve all inter-related problems.
Two young individuals concerned about the Climate, are cycling
up to New Delhi carrying voices of thousands of people - to
question the Government on its carbon intensive energy policy. They
are asking the key questions - "Why New Coal ?"
"A few year back I'd have never thought I'd be cycling halfway
across the country. But in the face of the crisis we face today, if
we don't challenge our complacency, and get off our addiction to
fossil fuels, we'll leave a mess for the future generations to deal
with,"says Vinay Jaju, spearheading the ride.
The Climate Riders will be visiting different coal affected
communities along the Coal Belt of India on their way to Delhi
documenting the environmental and health hazards these communities
face. They will depict what life on earth will have to deal with in
the future if coal dependance continues. They will also highlight
existing solutions.