With choking cities gasping for air, climbing cases of respiratory disorders in children, India has broken all records to be counted amongst the most polluted countries in the world. Foreign athletes, diplomats, and world leaders dread visiting New Delhi during the polluted winter months. Local authorities routinely warn people from stepping outdoors as the air is too toxic for human consumption. The government seems to be at its wit's end in its response to the complexities of this unrelenting problem.

Production and burning of coal is a major contributor to India's GHG emissions, releasing big amounts of particulate matter into the air and exacerbating the public health crisis. Coal is an exceptionally inefficient fuel that causes disproportionate pollution relative to the energy it produces. Unsurprisingly, many countries have shunned it.

However India and China have stirred international criticism by continuing to build more coal-fired power plants, despite pledges to lower emissions and reach carbon neutrality. According to some experts the affordability and abundance of coal make it indispensable for energy-starved India. Millions of Indians continue to depend on the coal sector for their livelihood, still, many more depend on it for domestic use. Even if India resolves to transition to cleaner sources of energy such as wind and solar, it would take enormous political will-power, huge public and private investments and several decades to get there. Given the massive challenges, reliance on coal is going to remain the reality for India in the foreseeable future.

But what about India’s commitments to the world under the Paris Climate Change Agreement? What about India’s responsibility towards the health and well being of its 1.3 billion citizens? What about the basic right of millions of Indian children to play outdoors in fresh air?

We think an open and fact-based discussion on India’s dependence on coal is warranted.

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DISCLAIMER : The participants in this event express their independent views and perspectives. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in any way responsible for participants stance, words and comments.

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