By Nagendar Sharma & Chetan Chauhan (Hindustan Times)

New Delhi: A day after an international panel headed by Indian climate warrior Rajendra Pachauri won the Nobel Prize for Peace, speakers at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit spoke of the critical importance of saving the earth.

Thickening haze clouds due to an alarming rise in greenhouse emissions pose a serious challenge to India’s growth, if immediate steps are not taken to control the situation, environmental experts warned.

University of California-based climate scientist Dr V. Ramanathan said: “It is getting darker and darker for India, as sunlight is going down and the blanket of haze is growing thicker over the Indo-Gangetic plains, which may cause reduction in rainfall during the monsoon. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (headed by Pachauri), confirms this”.

The frequency of droughts could double in the next 25 years, Ramanathan said. “Studies show rising temperatures will have a huge impact on Indian agriculture and the monsoon.”

Professor Daniel Schrag, Director, Harvard University Centre for the Environment, however, said all was not lost yet for India.

“India can make the right choices, not repeat the mistakes committed by China. India can be a leader by making smart choices of adopting clean energy technology in transport, urban planning and power sectors. By doing this you can lead by providing environmental solutions, and use it as a business opportunity for the country,” he said.

Stressing on the linkage between climate change and energy, Professor Schrag said India was among the five countries, which accounted for 75 percent of coal usage in the world. High carbon emissions from coal can be controlled by carbon capture and storage technology, he said.

Professor Schrag pointed out that a climate change mitigation programme does not need global effort: the G-8 countries and India, China and Brazil can save the planet.

The scientist said the US had not done enough to check carbon emissions, and explained that there was resistance to the high cost of replacing old infrastructure. “But I think the resistance is waning, and in next 10 years there would be a dramatic change,” he said.

Dr Ramanathan described the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize for former US Vice-President Al Gore and the IPCC as an important development, saying it would catalyze the global efforts to solve the problem facing the world.

Both scientists underscored that climate change was for real, but it was not yet certain exactly when mankind would feel its impact.

Email: nagendar.sharma@hindustantimes.com & chetan@hindustantimes.com