Did someone say maladaptation? – Issue #71
Questions arise on Assam, in its spirited bid for a World Record, planting an astounding 6.32 lakh tree saplings in a single hectare to create a tree mosaic depicting the map of the state.
The Big Picture
This instalment of Energy Trends is being tapped out from Guwahati.
And so, that is where we will start. By the looks of it, Assam state is in a tree-planting frenzy. Late last week, on the day we landed, the state made a bid for the Guinness record for the most number of saplings planted – wait for it – in one hectare of land. “The State Environment and Forest department today planted 6.32 lakh tree saplings in an area of about one hectare... in Tinsukhia district to create the largest tree mosaic depicting the map of Assam in a bid to create a Guinness World Record.”
That was just the start. The next day, the state took another shot at horticultural greatness. It flagged off the Amrit Brikshya Andolan. “Under the programme, 10 million saplings of commercial tree species will be planted across the state on September 17,” reported The Assam Tribune. Next year, the state government aims to plant three crore saplings in non-forest areas and another five crore in forest areas. In 2025, the attempt will be for 5 crore seedlings each in non-forest and forest areas.
In all, the state aims to set a total of nine Guinness records. Amongst them, the largest spiral of saplings; largest number of seedlings distributed in one day at one venue; most trees planted by a team in 24 hours; most trees planted in an hour; largest planted tree mosaic; most trees planted by a team of 100 in an hour; largest photo album of people planting trees.
In keeping with the zeitgeist, the state also rolled out an app on which people can update the health of their saplings and earn Rs.200 for every sapling that survives for three years. As an Assamese website says: “Under Assam Amrit Briksha Andolan, Financial Grant aid of Rs.100 will be given as Direct Benefit Transfer after Planting the Seedling and Uploading the Image onto the Portal/App and Rs.200 will be paid by the State government in the 3rd Year for the Survival of the Plant.”
One reads all this and wonders where environmentalism ends and theatrics begins. How many of those 6.32 lakh saplings planted in just one hectare will survive? Even if all these saplings had to be planted, wasn’t it better to plant them around March, when rainclouds starting gathering over Assam – as opposed to now when the clouds are receding and the air over much of the state is warm and enervating?
Libya goes under
One feels especially galled about the pageantry in Assam when superimposed with the floods that have devastated the northern African nation of Libya.
In Derna, as we now know, close to a quarter of the city was swept out to the sea after two dams collapsed. Why did they collapse? Post Gaddafi – thanks to the west’s ill-thoughtout interventionism – the country is governed by two rival administrations, each supported by an assemblage of external factors including neighbouring countries and Russia’s private paramilitary force -- the Wagner Group. Maintenance had been hardly a priority in the state as it struggled to find any semblance of political stability. In tandem, poorly constructed houses had come up close to the river.
As usual, the media filled up with reports about loss and damage. Like this one (Guardian). And this one (FT). And this one (Grist). And this one (CS Monitor). With crumbling public health infrastructure and practically non-existent services, concerns are now mounting of a massive disease outbreak risks as flood waters recede. As of writing this issue, at least 11,300 people had been declared dead and more than 10,000 people were still missing.
Floods there last week are another reminder that terrible costs will follow when climate change overlaps with state failure. If that is not enough, in the first 11 days of this month, the earth has produced eight devastating floods on four continents. As NBC News wrote: “Before Mediterranean storm Daniel sent floodwaters surging through eastern Libya, severe rain inundated parts of central Greece, northwestern Turkey, southern Brazil, central and coastal Spain, southern China, Hong Kong and the southwestern U.S.”
And yet, India (and most of the world) is sleepwalking into a future of fraying state capacities and worsening climate change.
A country-side in distress
Given the poor rains across most of the country, experts are warning of high distress migration this year. Here is Jaideep Hardikar: “Two trends are thus unfolding at once — extreme rainfall lashed the hilly north causing destruction of property and paralysing life and, at the same time, long dry spells in many regions are affecting agriculture and life... There is likely to be a massive outmigration of people from the rain-deficit regions after the monsoon and drinking water shortages will cripple allied farm sectors like poultry and horticulture. Food inflation may rise and so will the retail prices of perishables. The countryside will be hit harshly. What is needed is for the Centre and the state governments to do an immediate ground assessment and draft drought-mitigation plans to tide over the possible devastation.”
His conclusion is worth reproducing in full. “In the long run, India needs a well-oiled strategy to deal with sequential droughts, especially in vulnerable regions like Marathwada, and extreme weather events. This cycle of excessive rainfall followed by long, debilitating dry spells come with cascading effect on people and their economies. Long monologues and photo-ops won’t fix the problem. We need meaningful action.”
Reading this account from Derna might shake people up a bit.
EMBED:
https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa/status/1702593402624221674
Murkiness ad infinitum
News emerged that even Mauritius had cracked down on one of the investment funds holding equity in the Adani Group.
In May 2022, reported The Indian Express, “Mauritian financial regulator Financial Services Commission... revoked the business and investment licences of Emerging India Fund Management Ltd (EIFM), the controlling shareholder of two Mauritius-based funds that invested in publicly listed Adani companies and are now under investigation.” The reason? EIFM had breaching several provisions of money laundering and corporate governance laws, says the report.
The company made headlines on other fronts as well. A new petitioner joined the chorus around the allegation of stock price manipulation by the company, saying SEBI had not only concealed information about previous investigations into the group but also “tweaked... regulations to keep the group’s regulatory contraventions and price manipulations undetected.”
Another petitioner joined as well. Ajay Kumar Agarwal, a director of EBPL Ventures, which was the electrical contractor for Adani's Sarguja Rail Corridor project, filed an application seeking the apex court's permission to intervene in the matter saying he has seen how Adani shifts money.
In all this, the group is trying to project normalcy. Last week, Gautam Adani anounced Adani New Industries had received Type Certification for its 5.2MW onshore turbine. In more substantive news, TotalEnergies is back in talks with Adani to invest in Adani Green projects. About six months ago, Total had put joint green hydrogen production plans with Adani "on hold" following allegations made in the Hindenburg report.
Spray and pray
The blurring of core competencies in Indian CPSUs continues. Over the last two weeks, we have heard about the diversification plans of India’s oilcos – into everything from green hydrogen production to carbon sequestration to what have you. Yet earlier, we have read about Coal India’s plans into foray into power generation and energy intensive manufacturing and NTPC moving into nuclear. Now comes the news that NTPC is also getting into global battery mineral exploration.
Mercedes and a calculated bet
Mercedes has opened its EV charging network to customers of other brands as well. The move will help in further accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in India, said the company. Its announcement is a chance to look at the economics of outdoor EV chargers. Firms installing them have to pay rent for the real estate these occupy. At the same time, even if these charge one vehicle every 30 minutes, that is an upper limit of 48 vehicles in a day. Against that, as carandbike estimates, the first-year cost of setting up a charging station can run as high as Rs 40 lakh – with subsequent years costing Rs.10 lakh. That works out, from year two, to a daily cost of Rs 2,800 a day. Or Rs 114 for every hour of charging to break even. In other words, slow chargers will be cheaper to install but costlier for users. Which is what Mercedes is banking on – as it also tries to push up capacity utilisation.
In other news
India’s offshore wind auctions might be just around the corner.
Concerns continue to be voiced about small hydro in the hills.
India’s drive to indigenise solar module manufacturing is resulting in high solar cell imports.
A study reported last week that the US accounts for more than a third of global oil and gas expansion planned by mid-century. Apparently not wanting to be left behind, ONGC warned India about under-investing in oil and gas.
Ad of the week
This one, from Apple.
What we need to understand better
CBAM discussions: India mulls carbon tax repatriation from EU
Climate long-reads of the week
Will the new CEC be able to protect India’s forests? (Frontline)
Northeast India’s Forests: The Complex Intersection of Laws and Rights (Sentinel Assam). While on forests and the new forest law, also see this report in Article 14. Govt Reports Warn How India’s New Forest Law Will Accelerate Fragmentation Of Critical Animal Corridors
Meet the Shadowy Global Network Vilifying Climate Protesters (New Republic)
How Odisha Is Tackling Protests Against Mining: An Abduction, Arrests, Terror Cases Against Adivasi Protestors (Article-14)
Hawaii quit coal one year ago. Here’s how it’s been going. The lights stayed on, but the state’s experience offers some lessons on what can go wrong in the transition to clean energy. (Canary Media)
Talking of state capacity and climate change, see this too. Liberia to concede territory to UAE firm in carbon offset deal. Leaked information alerts Liberian campaigners to secret deal that would give UAE firm blanket rights over 10 percent of Liberian territory. (Middle East Eye)
Electric Shock: Interpreting China’s Electric Vehicle Export Boom (CSIS)
Book of the week
This week’s pick is Critical Mass: Decoding India’s Nuclear Policy, by academic R Rajaraman.
Here is an excerpt.