We are a group of old and young idealists united by a shared concern for a hurting planet and hence a hurting humanity. Our background ranges from business and marketing to technical. We are based in Mumbai.
"To inform truthfully, urgently and as widely as possible the perils of climate change and to inspire collective action to fight it successfully."
Humanity is facing an existential crisis of its own making. We are poisoning the very environment in which we evolved and flourished. Within this century, 75% of fish and animal species on the planet, 40% of agricultural produce and — the crowning tragedy — 50% of the human population itself could be no more as trees are cut, ice caps melt, sea levels rise, coastal cities are flooded, virgin forests consumed by wildfires, rain currents like the Indian monsoon diverted causing drought. As major tipping points are crossed, irreversible events will bring about consequences we cannot forecast or even imagine.
Those remaining will inherit a heated planet racked by violent storms and floods, heat waves and wildfires, quite unlike the green beautiful one where their forefathers lived.
It may sound extreme. But if irreversible changes are allowed to occur, this frightening scenario could very well materialise. And when we find the leaders of powerful countries from the top polluting countries in the world either denying climate change or giving extended dates for achieving carbon neutral goals, gambling on how much they can push Mother Nature, it is wiser to err on the side of panic.
It is not that we do not know how to prevent these tragedies. The technologies of renewable sources have been around for 20 years. They are now at critical mass, very cost effective and developing fast in an exciting manner.
And because they were on the horizon, around 2020 most of the world's countries declared that they would become carbon neutral by 2050.
Unfortunately, in the five years since those well-meaning declarations, emissions have not decreased. In the last year we have seen governments hedge them with various caveats. Further, the deep-pocketed and influential oil companies which had made many reassuring noises at the time about diversifying to other forms of energy, have now instead doubled down on fossil fuels and say that they do not anticipate any reduction in their output by 2050.
Yes, the renewable sector is growing impressively but so is the demand for power, led by the energy-guzzling new data centres powering the darling of the stock market, AI. So where is the progress? How do we get the desired decline?
Well, by forcing politicians to double down on the principles they have themselves enunciated five years ago, by asking AI producers to compulsorily invest in captive renewable or nuclear power and pressing the accelerator on renewable energy growth by whatever means, even if it means joining hands with China. After all we have a planet to save. Geopolitical rivalries cannot be allowed to stand in the way.
And informing the public in totally clear terms of the looming tragedy and how they can help solve the situation by consuming more efficiently, increasing green cover and working wholeheartedly to increase renewable installations. This is in our view, a patriotic necessity.
If the enormity of the problem was properly and solemnly presented to the population, we are sure they would act appropriately as guided. After all, people care about their children and grandchildren. Already, most of the vulnerable, without air conditioning and air freshening, are suffering.
But most have no guidance as to what they can do. They read the papers of the exciting new technologies and the large renewable projects coming on stream, and they go back to the daily struggle of life with the thought that at some time things will get better. They are not informed of the tremendous wrong which could take place.
And such people who do raise their voices in discontent are countered by think tanks founded and financed by the oil companies who cast doubts on the clear, scientific consensus on climate change and even the evidence of our senses, instead muddying the waters by dwelling, for instance, on the emissions set off by mining and lithium batteries, or by the potential of carbon sequestration and other distracting measures. Climate activists are routinely mocked and called hysterical. In a conference a year ago, the concerned minister of Saudi Arabia asked whether they would like to go back to the caves.
So, when we at CGM thought about what we could do about this desperately important issue, we could think of nothing better than inspiring mass involvement. The sheer size of our population could be our strength. Just as a misguided and ignorant population can waste and pollute, an informed and committed one could consume responsibly and go the green and renewable path. Even if the individual effort is little, multiplied and concentrated, it can become huge. Enough perhaps to probably get corporates and politicians on board.
Hence we will aim to communicate the truth about climate change, the new technologies and how to implement them, the most effective way to plant trees and green our surroundings and how to change our consuming patterns of — among other things — water, plastic and paper. We will try to do so physically and electronically in different forums. We will also talk to various big organisations, be they industries, businesses, hotels or building societies as these big consumers can adopt renewables in a big way and by their numbers become big multipliers. We may also implement renewable projects on our own or with associates, to showcase the benefit they can have on our society.
To start with our focus will be on our home cities, whether Mumbai, Calcutta or Banglore. We want to make them lovely again. Or at the least, make them livable again
The road up is long and winding and somewhat befogged. But climb we must. May the gods bless us.
"A green and beautiful world powered by sun, wind and water, where carbon gives life, waste yields energy, the stars come out at night and even just breathing is a pleasure."