Most countries are losing the will to trade economic development for protecting the environment. Analyse (200 Words)
Refer - Business Standard
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 5 years
KEY POINTS
Current situation
The report on the state of global climate by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows record spikes in sea level, ocean acidification, Arctic snow loss, and freakish weather events in 2018. It validates the notion that climate change is outsmarting all efforts to contain it.
Response from countries
· The world’s biggest polluter, the US, have gone to the extent of threatening to withdraw from the Paris agreement.
· Financial contributions to the Green climate Fund, meant to assist poor nations to slash their emissions and go in for climate-resilient development, too, have not been forthcoming.
· Recently Government of Australia decided to stop contributions to GCF.
· Moreover, the anticipated reduction in the use of environment-vitiating fossil fuels, including coal, does not seem to materialise.
Even India can ill-afford to forgo the use of coal, regardless of taking significant strides in the renewable energy sector.
Efforts to combat Climate change
· Recently Germany launched The Coradia iLint is the world’s first passenger train powered by a hydrogen fuel cel,.This zero-emission train emits low levels of noise, with exhaust being only steam and condensed water.
· ITER, an engineering megaproject, which can effectively curbs dependency on fossil fuels, thereby reducing cumulative carbon emissions.
