Nukhosa Chüzho
Kohima
The global energy crunch is continuous and ongoing. It is offset by access to limited natural resources, resulting in low supply to meet the ever rising demand. Its impact assumes multiple manifestations, including record energy prices and concomitant inflation in European Union and the United Kingdom, and power cuts affecting critical nation’s industries, left millions without electricity and hospitalization of workers due to carbon monoxide poisoning during power blackouts (China, a case in hand). The current global energy is partially caused by Covid-19 induced lockdown. There were reported shortages of workers in (coal) mining sector as localised curbing measures were enforced. However, policies of the governments have also been identified as responsible for the energy crisis.
Member states of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, an international environmental treaty to fight against perilous human interference with the climate system and signed by 154 states at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, were asked to frame their own Intended Nationally Determined Contributions. Under this Contributions scheme, each member state works out its own emission strategy for greenhouse gas reduction for a targeted period. The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) are non-binding national plans and embedded in it were the policies and aims of the parties to the treaty to mitigate emissions in response to climate change. Adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015 thus formalised NDC and hence various member states, including China and European Union, put a cap on emission.
Enforcement of the Paris Agreement in 2016 saw its member states gradually gravitated towards investment in renewable and green-based energy sources. That has expectedly precipitated competitive investment in environment-friendly energy generation. Whereas what is still remaining undeniable is much of the world still heavily depends on conventional sources of energy like oil, gas, coal or nuclear. Contrary to the common projections, energy generation from renewable sources failed to commensurate with bulging market demand. Analysts concurred that curbing emission norms and associated leap to non-conventional sources of energy as contributing factors to the current crises.
The ripple effect went on to disturb energy prices in India, with fuel cost, among other cascading effects, setting record prices across the country. Given that policies of the local/national governments have been a crucial determinant in energy supply chain, the policy makers are incumbent to initiate contextual vital steps at the state/local level.
Developing rural Nagaland assumes significance considering that Nagaland enjoys 71.14 (2011 Census) percentage share of rural population. New technology interventions as well as dedicated approaches to sustainable exploitation of technology-free pristine resources are critical to policy formulation.
Based on the applicability in Nagaland, the technology commonly called as hydroger, a portmanteau of two words – hydro and generator, was developed by NEPeD in collaboration with the Nagaland Tool Room and Training Centre. What is unique to this hill-friendly technology is its indigenous design and simplicity, its adaptability in streams/rivulets negotiating through steep and narrow terrains and its compatibility with both low lying areas and higher heights. Off late, lighting in few villages was briefly powered by hydroger until challenges such as maintenance and dearth of technical knowhow among the locals forced stop the novel initiative in the energy sector. A relook at this intervention by training and equipping the locals with the technical knowhow for basic maintenance work will be a big boost. The locals must also be sensitized that every facility runs with a cost and hence minimal energy price corresponding to consumption may be charged. With no large power consuming facilities and taking into account the river gradients, hydrogers and other indigenous interventions offer a viable solution to frequent power cuts in rural, or even average urban, areas. Further, policy makers ought to seize full advantage of the state’s landscape, acknowledge wind as a potential clean energy resource and exploit ways to harness it.
As per the Nagaland State Human Development Report (2016), the state has 13,318 sq km (80% of state’s geographical area) of forest cover. The state is carbon neutral, or even net-zero carbon, as the state’s vast expanse of forest absorbs more carbon than it emits. Emissions from the traditional practice of slash and burn cultivation forms a major contributing factor. However, NEPED in 2009 had concluded that jhum cultivation in Nagaland experienced a declining trend. This also means reduction in alternate use of land for shifting cultivation and jhum re-growths, leading to re-shaping of jhum landscapes into forestlands and increased carbon sequestration capacity. Though no exact data is available as to how much tonnes of carbon the forests of Nagaland are currently being absorbed, the sequestered greenhouse gases, when released through anthropogenic activities including wildfire or slash and burn cultivation, could negatively impact climate prediction in the long term.
Despite the role of indigenous communities in conserving forests and balancing increasing climate instability, the current model of carbon credit trading do not benefit them at all as the market give primary emphasis on multi-national companies and big business establishments. Policy, as such, need to be framed in the local context to negotiate at the national/global climate forums for incentivising both the state and indigenous communities who forego the practice of shifting cultivation, or had been conserving and preserving the forests for centuries, thereby contributing locally in combating climate change. The proceeds as state share will be additional revenue for the state to invest in R&D on clean energy measures.
Report has it that the ongoing global energy crisis is attributable to shortage of workers and inability to perfectly click investment in non-renewable with renewable sources. The cause of shortage of workers is twofold – less qualified workers and immigration policy offset by Brexit and pandemic. Commissioning oil fields in Nagaland would augment the energy scenario, though miniature it may be. The state in the meantime is imperative to train, skill and equip our youth with the latest technological knowledge and form a workforce on development, designing, governance and use of clean and green energy. The enterprising youth will automatically innovate and indigenise such technologies based on location-specific measures. A well measured step into our future would save us from unwanted extremes.
