Former AEC chairman bats for nuclear and solar enrgy

Former Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman Anil Kakodkar said India needs to accelerate its efforts to harness solar and nuclear energy while pursuing environmentally friendly policies in order to enhance its economic growth. He was speaking a panel discussion organised by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).

While speaking at a panel discussion on ‘Climate Risk and Security’, Kakodkar said, “While we pursue environmentally benign policies, how do we enhance our GDP? If we want to do that, I have been convinced for some time, we must accelerate solar and nuclear energy in the Indian context.”

Kakodkar stressed on a scientific outlook towards the issues of energy sufficiency and environment, saying that a rapid development in science and technology solutions to these issues was needed. He said the approach needed to be not just towards adoption or mitigation of the issues, but towards the larger issue of global warming too. In the coming decades, he said, action should be taken to ensure rapid growth of GDP while following sound environmental policies, without much apprehensions about the risks involved.

“It is essential there is global effort and ability to find such solutions but there should be global understanding. Everybody should be convinced that implementing such solutions is risk free,” he said.

Noting that climate risk is important to understand for countries like India, where both developmental deficits and aspirations are very large, he said that the country must aim to accelerate its development, which would in turn increase its ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change better.

“India is the largest part of the world civilisation with maximum developmental deficit… (be it) in terms of energy or any other parameter,” he said.

Noting that the climate issue is global and one has to worry about rising seas, floods, shrinking landmass and migration, he said that all of it calls urgently for united action.