Science delivers, politicians take credit

When the first vaccine against Covid was discovered, the World Health Organisastion (WHO) hailed science. Science has delivered, said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Even subsequently, he kept stressing this and called upon the member nations to end vaccine inequity. That's what a true leader is expected to do. I don't think any political leader has either claimed any credit or has been praised for the vaccine. But in India, minister after minister has credited the leadership.

This despite the fact that the government tried to create a pressure cooker type situation for researchers. So much so that the top leader had even set the August 15 deadline and we saw an official circular to the government vaccine company to expedite the vaccine, as if it was like organising a political rally. Political memory isn't short, though politicians have selective memory. They recall what went wrong during the last 60-odd years, but exhibit ostrich-like behaviour when it comes to their own failures or misdeeds.

The Thaali banging, clapping from balconies and singing 'go Corona go' beat science. Yet the nation was led to believe these acts which are not even close to any superstition that we are aware of. Then we had the Health Minister getting the sack for claiming that India beat Covid. Would he have done it without the knowledge of the leadership? If yes, why was he allowed to continue even for a day for exposing the nation to global embarrassment and showing the door during the Cabinet reshuffle?

Now, it is difficult to digest when the leadership is sought to be given credit for scientific developments. Environment is one such subject. Whatever you do to protect it is science. Giving credit to political leadership goes out of context. Union Minister Dt Jitendra Singh said the world is ready to be led by India in its fight against climate change- a concern that like the Covid pandemic, knows no borders, respects no wealth or any other artificial human division. So far so good. But he literally jumps the gun and declares that the Prime Minister is leading the global climate movement.

In a sharp contradiction, Dr Singh goes on to say that the world is facing a triple challenge: the earth is heating up faster than expected, we are losing habitat and species diversity; and the pollution continues unabated. Now, let us look at what the government is doing on the environment front. The Space Application Centre has been entrusted with the responsibility of doing an arduous task of mapping the country's wetlands and preparing the National Wetland Decadal Change Atlas.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Control (MOEFCC) has uploaded it in February this year. The Atlas is supposed to be the Geeta or Bible for protecting over two lakh water bodies. The government does nothing to protect them as it allows their degradation by garbage and debris dumping by big companies such as the largest container port JNPA and the NMSEZ. Now look at the contrast – the PM gives a clarion call to create 75 lakes in each district as part of the hype for the celebration of the 75th Year of Independence. Nothing wrong with it, but first, we must save and conserve what we have; then go for fresh water bodies.

The fact that this government has scant respect for the environment is evident from several developments. The coastal regulation zone has been diluted to allow construction literally into the sea – just 50 metres from the hightide line. This happens at a time when the world over, scientists tell us that the rising sea levels will drown our coastal cities in the next 28 years. Eco-sensitive zones are being cut to make way for concrete jungles. Influential leaders-turned-realtors from the ruling dispensation build massive luxury complexes on river banks with official connivance.

But the buyers of these houses by paying crores or rupees suffer when their buildings get flooded as water finds its way. In yet another anti-environment move, the MOEFCC issues an office memorandum to the States to allow post-facto approvals for construction by violating the coastal zone regulations. Fortunately, the Bombay High Court and Madurai Bench of Madras High Court stayed implementation of this Office Memorandum.

Take rainwater harvesting. Why can't the Centre start implementing it at all its official and residential complexes and showcase it to the States. Why can't the double engine states be run on these benefits and beat droughts? Can we not take a cue from Kolhapur Municipal Corporation which has successfully implemented rainwater harvesting and kept water tankers literally at bay for ten years? Delhi and Mumbai miserably failed on this front. These big city administrations are unaware of any organised efforts to recharge ground water amid heavy concretisation. A query to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation filed by me under the RTI Act drew a blank response after the application was sent to various departments.

Energy production is also based on science and the prediction of consumption ought to be based on scientific analysis. But, what we see here is a series of policy flip flops. Amid sudden rise in demand in the face of resumption of commercial activity post the pandemic blues and rising temperatures, the Centre decides to import coal to supplement the domestic supply. It insists on the States importing 10 per cent of the Gencos' needs. In a veiled criticism of States such as Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, the Centre threatened States which were not importing coal with further cut of 5 per cent of domestic coal supply which would in turn force them to import 15 per cent of requirements.

UP refuses to import and tells all power companies including the IPPs not to buy coal from abroad. Then comes the Centre's policy change of asking Coal India to import. Now the latest in this coal soap opera is that the Centre claims that Coal India production is on the rise. The current dispensation in Delhi are masters of deflection.

Even in the coal crisis they reel out statistics of imports prior to 2014 and compare with the current scenario to claim brownies on the black gold front.

Look at what the official statement says: "Despite steep rise in actual demand for coal from 956 MT in 2019-20 to 1027 MT in 2021-22, coal imports have not increased. Coal import grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.86 per cent during the period 2009-10 to 2013-14. At this CAGR, coal imports would have reached 705 MT in 2020-21 and further to 866 MT in 2021-22. The import of coal could be checked only by sustaining increased domestic supply over the years."

The seriousness (or lack of it) on part of the government to protect our forests reflects in the fact that it has been making efforts to dilute the laws to do away with prior permissions for "strategic project". Recently, MoEF constituted a Task Force to study Proposed Amendments to National Forest Policy, Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and Regulatory Regime for Trees outside Forest. Environmentalists have expressed the fear that this is another attempt to dilute the laws to facilitate the so-called development.

Now juxtapose this with what the Prime Minister said at Jaggi Vasudev's 'Save Soil' event on Sunday. He said among the five main things the government is focusing on is "how to stop the continuous erosion of soil due to the reduction of forests".

Amid these contradictions, it is difficult to trust the government's seriousness to protect the environment and easy to read between the lines. Let us remind the PM what he said during the World Environment Day five years ago: "Connecting with nature is nothing but connecting with ourselves. Nature always refreshes us. Our ancestors conserved nature, we must show the same compassion towards future generations." I rest my case.

(The columnist is a Mumbai-based media veteran known for his thought-provoking messaging)