When the G8 countries force us to submit to safeguards, before permitting us to source fuel for nuclear power plants, or when they ask us to exercise restraint before adding more coal-based plants, I see red.
These countries have built up such a stockpile of nuclear arsenal and when India is poised to enter the club, they start sermonising us. And, when we try to improve our per-capita consumption of energy from the current pathetic levels, they warn us about the hazards of CO2 and global warming. This, after their vulgar consumption of energy for several decades now, during which they have wrecked the planet and brought us close to extinction.
What oligopolistic hypocrisy! Use up fuel mindlessly, spew CO2 recklessly, but introduce entry barriers for new entrants aspiring to cross the consumption threshold.
And now, I hear that Tata’s much-publicised 1-lakh car is about to hit the market.
I again turn red. As if our roads are not choked enough and as if our cities are not polluted enough. Do we really want to open the floodgates and unleash thousands of small cars into our roads and paralyse the arterial roadways and the bronchial airways? Why can’t these guys be contented with their scooters and mopeds?
Those of us who were the first to buy and own cars must get together and place some entry barriers to prevent these senseless new aspirants from crossing the 4-wheel threshold and choking the road with their 1-lakh cars.
These countries have built up such a stockpile of nuclear arsenal and when India is poised to enter the club, they start sermonising us. And, when we try to improve our per-capita consumption of energy from the current pathetic levels, they warn us about the hazards of CO2 and global warming. This, after their vulgar consumption of energy for several decades now, during which they have wrecked the planet and brought us close to extinction.
What oligopolistic hypocrisy! Use up fuel mindlessly, spew CO2 recklessly, but introduce entry barriers for new entrants aspiring to cross the consumption threshold.
And now, I hear that Tata’s much-publicised 1-lakh car is about to hit the market.
I again turn red. As if our roads are not choked enough and as if our cities are not polluted enough. Do we really want to open the floodgates and unleash thousands of small cars into our roads and paralyse the arterial roadways and the bronchial airways? Why can’t these guys be contented with their scooters and mopeds?
Those of us who were the first to buy and own cars must get together and place some entry barriers to prevent these senseless new aspirants from crossing the 4-wheel threshold and choking the road with their 1-lakh cars.
Update : While I was trying to bring out the 'double standards' we all follow, blogger Coyote is quite harsh on the critics of the car, "This is just incredible arrogance, attempting to deny millions of people the prosperity which western environmentalists already share..".
4 comments:
If sarcasm was intended in the last two paragraphs - I get it!
However, if you are serious about not permitting the 1 lakh car - then I guess you need to relook at the hypothesis and probably direct your vent against the govt rather than the Tatas who are enterin the market with a disruptive innovation - if it takes off well!
Kiran, thanks. I was just trying to bring out the double standards as I have explained in the 'update' later. I have no strong opinion, for or against the Tata car.
I feel G8 and most importantly US's policy is just Hypocricism at its worst.
revathi : we are not any less guilty of double standards, ourselves!
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