We are living on a ticking time bomb. David Attenborough, a noted natural historian, predicted that “collapse of the civilization is on the horizon” at the UN Climate Summit in Poland. Studies have shown that carbon emissions are set to rise. If carbon emissions are not rapidly reduced, the catastrophe would be at an unprecedented scale, the likes of which are already being witnessed in various parts of the world in the forms of massive floods, droughts, wild fires, earthquakes, coastal erosions, etc. Apart from natural disasters, it will also cause mass displacements leading to socio-demographic imbalances with political consequences.
The most desirable ways of getting CO2 out of our atmosphere is through our two major natural carbon sinks: oceans and forests. Oceans are already being artificially injected with atmospheric CO2 to catalyse the process of carbon sequestration, but with negative consequences on marine life. The other and the more desirable option is by photosynthesis through forestation. Apart from reducing the amount of CO2 and thereby regulating global temperature, it also has numerous other benefits, mainly to combat natural disasters, and by drastically improving quality of life.
A major part of carbon emissions come from combustion of fossil fuels. Non-renewable sources of energy have to be replaced with renewable sources to reduce emissions. India’s total energy generation for the FY 2017-18 is at 1486.5 TWH. 81.9% of this energy was generated from fossil fuels, of which 62% is met exclusively from coal, a major pollutant and a non-renewable source of energy ,which is depleting at an alarming rate. For India to fulfill her pledge at Paris Climate Agreement of generating 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022, both the state and private entities have to work synchronously. In this direction, Luminous is leading the way by installing solar powered street lights and and planting 5,000 saplings under mission Victory Solar Light Project and Pollution Abating Plantation Abhiyan (PAPA), respectively.