Now is the time to invest in renewable energy

Dr. Seema Javed

After  the government launched an auction of 41 coal mines for commercial mining, it has become apparent that the central and state are not on the same page regarding the move.

In Maharashtra ,after strong criticism from the state’s environment minister Aaditya Thackeray and forest minister Sanjay Rathod,  the Government has decided to scrap Bander coal blocks, near the buffer and eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR).

Jharkhand, which is home to 22 of the coal mines, has already moved the Supreme Court over the auction, Soren claimed his government has not granted the mandatory environmental clearance to the 22 coal blocks.

Even Chhattisgarh has managed to get four blocks — Sayang, Madanpur (North), Morga (South) and Morga-II — in the Hasdeo Aranya area off the auction list as this region has been declared a Lemru elephant reserve.

The labour unions are bristling with indignation about what it means for job security and wages.

Coal may still be king, but globally its empire is unstable. The race to Zero carbon emissions is gaining momentum. Now is the time to invest in renewable energy and other key forms of green infrastructure.; The government support for firms should be contingent on strengthened commitments to emission reductions and avoid supporting old technologies and potentially stranded assets such as coal.

 Sectors such as renewable energy, tree-planting and home energy retrofits offer major opportunities for near-term job creation and would also shift the economy onto a net zero trajectory. This is a clear win-win opportunity which must be seized.

Major miners, such as BHP and  Rio Tinto, have publicly withdrawn from coal mining, as have    staunch Asian financiers from funding coal plants. Globally, though, natural gas has become the preferred successor to coal. Branded as “molecules of freedom” by the US Department of Energy, it emits ~50% less CO2 than coal per kWh. But at the same time, it comes with dangerous methane emissions.

( Author is an Environmentalist & Independent Journalist & strategic communicator)