Climate Change and Ecological Alternatives | Soma Marla

Everyone agrees to the fact that Climate change is caused principally by burning of fossil fuels. Capital consumed heavily these fuels in industrialization especially during the last hundred years. Powerful Western nations and big capital instead of elimination of harmful use of hydrocarbons are suggesting other green washing technologies as a solution. Still a s small window is open to mitigate climate crisis by adopting ecological solutions to address this crisis.

Scientists note nine planetary boundaries beyond which we can’t push Earth Systems without putting our societies at risk: 1. climate change,2. biodiversity loss, 3. ocean acidification, 4. ozone depletion, 5. atmospheric aerosol pollution,6. freshwater use, 7. flows of nitrogen and phosphorus, 8. land-system change, and 9. Food security. According to Climate Impact Research, (PIK), Postdam already seven of the above listed nine boundaries are at red light zone. Ozone layer and fresh water availability will also soon reach a critical state. Recent untimely heavy rains followed by floods in Kerala, Andhra Telangana, Delhi and Himalayan states indicate that we are nearing the tipping point of climate crisis.

According to Carbon Major Database (2024) some 57 oil, gas, coal and cement producers are directly linked to 72% of the world’s global fossil CO2 emissions since the 2016 Paris climate agreement. These fuels are consumed by, thermal coal power plants, transport systems, steel, fertilizer, cement industries, agricultural and military systems. These technological systems are in turn, embedded in the social and economic systems that we live in and are dominated by big capital. 

Human civilization started taking shape nearly 6,000 years back, and till the onset of industrial revolution in eighteenth century, man lived in a “give and Take relation ship” with mother nature without disturbing the equilibrium. In India for example, we have more than 1 billion mobile phones and other electronic gadgets in use by population. However, safe drinking water or drugs against Tuberchloresis, malaria and several contagious diseases are not accessible to general public. No sophisticated rocket science is required to solving these common problems. Capitalism out of greed for big profits confiscated major resources of nature, recklessly squandered energy for mass produce certain commodities for big profits. This is the root cause of prevailing present climate crisis.

Green Wash Technologies

Global West is suggesting technologies such as Carbon capture and fixation, carbon credits, Netzero, blue and grey Hydrogen production (which in turn are not eco-friendly). These tehnofix technologies generally consume enormous energy sourced again from Methane and other fossil fuels. Only Green hydrogen, does not consume fossils in electrolytic process for splitting water to produce hydrogen. Besides solar and wind energies can also used in production of Green hydrogen in place of fossil fuels. Estimated that 2,400 gigatons of CO? have been emitted by human activity since 1850. Of which, 950 gigatons still remains in the atmosphere after absorbtion by oceans.. Capturing Carbon dioxide and fixing it deep in the soil is like attempting to stop sun light by putting a hand against it. Strangely Green Capitalism totally ignores viable ecolological alternatives and only advocates other technologies for energy production that use fossil fuels. These green wash technologies do not address root cause of the problem. It is necessary immediately to move away from dominance of energy production by big corporations such as EXON Mobil, Shell, Adani coal, RUSNEFT and others. On the other hand these invasive technologies are designed to slow down the transition away from fossil fuels and green wash the problem. The Climate Justice Fund is achieved after several battles in various past climate summits to help developing South to adopt climate resilient technologies, carbon capturing, forestation and others. However, as shown in the Fig1 below, a major chunk of resources( 68 % funds) are being grabbed by major Western automobile and nonconventional energy industries. Island nations in Pacific, African nations, Pakistan and other nations worst affected by drought, floods and submergence received a pittance.

Source . IPCC 2023.

The forthcoming UN climate change summit COP 29 in November 2024 will be hosted by Azerbaijan in Baku. Azerbaijan is a major producer of fossil fuels and this is a cruel joke on humanity.

Monopoly of Technologies

The Technofix paradigm to tackle climate change keeps changing Netzero reduction goal posts periodically and hides ongoing big capital investments for expansion fossil and coal industries. These energy generating technologies are heavily patented and kept away from developing nations. For example, prices of solar panels or automobile e-batteries are inaccessible to consumers in developing nations. Because big fossil (including coal) producing multi national corporations such as Shell, Riotinto or Adani Green control renewable energy generation ventures, either it be solar power or hydrogen. In tday’s neoliberal era Big capital is getting possession of community commons such as forests, mines, land, water bodies and other natural resources. In turn these corporations are attaching price tags to natures resources and trading in speculative commodity share markets. In turn alienating adivasis and other commoners from nature. On one hand, these MNCs are redoubling exploitation of people in the Global South. On the other hand, these Technofix technologies are designed to slow down the transition away from fossil fuels, to perpetuate their dominance in energy production.

Public ownership of natural resources and means of Production
Workers, petty producers and farmers invest their skills and labour in commodity production. However, private ownership on means of production enslaves these producers and greed for bigger profits gradually alienates these producers from place of production. That’s why we must aim to change the ownership of means of production. Once liberated from big capital, public ownership on means of natural resources, production technology the collective responsibility guards nature and secures it for future generations.

Alternative Eco-friendly Technologies

 Increasing the efficiency of industries by employing solar, green hydrogen sourced energies, adopt conventional practices in order to reduce the use and consumption of costly, scarce, and environmentally damaging inputs. For example replacing coal with hydrogen in steel and cement manufacturing can be done.

Sustainable agriculture: By improving climate adopted local germplasm (of plants and animals), use of non invasive biotechnology technologies such as genomic breeding, genome editing and others to get high yields. Unlike big agribusiness marketed Genetically engineered varieties or hybrids these varieties developed using germplasm are less affected by pests and diseases and do not require high doses of fertilizers, pesticides or ground water. Adoption of integrated natural plant protection, earthworm culture, compost and other sustainable practices in turn rejuvenates soil health and cause less damage to environment.

Democratization of UN global climate summits by reducing say of culpable Western nations and banning participation by major fossil production lobby. Representation of global south and independent public sector scientist bodies should be increased.

IPR, Patenting and other restriction on renewable energy production should be eliminated and make them freely accessible to global south.
Impose certain climate taxes on fossil, chemical, automobile, aviation industries culpable for pollution. Thus collected money should be used as Climate justice fund to help developing nations most affected by climate change. All the natural resources should be brought back to community ownership and climate fund be allocated for their efficient management.

A sensible attempt to restore the normal equilibrium between human society and nature with a vision to preserve it for future generations is only possible with transfer of ownership on natural resources and means of production to the hands of real custodians of nature i.e. with with system change to socialism.

(Author: Dr. Soma Marla, Principal Scientist( Genomics), retd, ICAR NBPGR,, New Delhi.)