India: economy up, but at what cost to the environment?

India’s economy has been steadily growing over the past decade, but at a significant cost to the environment. The population is now exposed to tainted water supplies. Polluted air. Depleting resources and unstable ecosystems. These problems are only exacerbated by a growing gap between the wealthy and poor. So, what exactly does the country plan on doing about it?

According to the World Banks’ most recent report, environmental degradation is costing India approximately $80 billion per year. That’s 5.7% of the country’s total economy! At that rate, how much longer can they continue to grow and remain competitive on a global level?

Not very long, is the answer you’re looking for.

India, a country known for being a cultural melting pot, needs to start swaying its policy makers of the importance of appreciating natural resources.

A recent survey ranked India 126th out of 132 countries in overall environmental quality, and dead last in the air category. The survey concluded that India has the worst air pollution in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD, narrowly edging out China, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

A whopping 13 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities can be found in India, where poverty is both a cause and effect of environmental degradation. Under-producing crop yields. Deforestation. Disease and famine. They’re all linked to the Earth. In order to survive, the poor are reduced to mining and pillaging the natural resources available to them, creating a cycle of degradation and destitution.

Since 2000, India's economic growth has reduced unemployment, allowing millions to make better lives for themselves. The country is not expected to veer from its current growth trajectory, meaning environmental sustainability is going to become the next hot button issue.

The report begs an interesting question: "Does growth so essential for development - have to come at the price of worsened air quality and other environmental impacts? Green growth is necessary. With cost of environmental degradation at 5.7% of GDP, environment could become a major constraint in sustaining future economic growth. Further, it may be impossible or prohibitively expensive to clean up later."

Muthukumara Mani, a senior economist at the World Bank, claims that "while the overall policies focus should be on meeting basic needs and expanding opportunities for growth, they should not be at the expense of unsustainable environmental degradation.”

There has to be a better way.

That’s why NRGLab has invested years and millions of dollars into developing highly-efficiently, environmentally-conscious methods of converting agricultural waste, natural gas, and even recycled crude oil into useable fuel. For more information, visit nrglab.asia. Learn what you can do to prepare for the future of energy independence.

Another oil spill?! This time in Thailand

It’s cleanup Day 6 in Thailand, where one of the country’s largest oil and gas companies has yet to atone for ANOTHER oil spill.

I feel like I’m starting to sound like a broken record – every week, I’m writing about some new oil spill and the havoc it wreaks. When will the world learn?

This past Saturday, a rupture in a pipeline operated by PTT Global Chemical spilled roughly 13,000 gallons (or 50,000 liters) of crude oil into the Gulf of Thailand.

The spill washed up off Samet Island, a resort that draws a million tourists annually to its exotic beaches.

"This is a failure to solve a problem by a company that earns hundreds of billions [of dollars] every year, using the country's natural resources," says Sathit Pitutecha, a member of Thailand’s parliament. "I wouldn't criticize if this was the first time, but it's the fourth time already. Now the people of Rayong have to bear the burden of risk from the industrial sector."

That’s right – it’s the FOURTH spill the company has had to answer for. Back in 2009, a subsidiary of PTT was involved in the Montara oil spill, one of Australia's worst oil disasters.

Thursday, authorities claimed that oil slicks remained onshore. PTT Global Chemical flew oil spill management experts from Singapore to the site, but failed to stop the spill from spreading.

“We've worked day and night to clean up the bay," says Boworn Vongsinudom, President of PTTGC. "It was supposed to be finished, as we aimed, on the third day, but more oil came in from another spot, so we had to take care of it, too."

Stop Global Warming, an environmental advocacy group based out of Thailand, is accusing the company of being ill-informed and ill-prepared for the disaster.

"The transfer of crude oil through the pipeline takes place every day, but when an oil spill happens, PTTGC tackled it with unbelievably limited resources," claims Srisuwan Janya, head of SGW. "This shows their solutions are inefficient and not enough."

PTT is Thailand's largest energy supplier and one of the largest oil and gas conglomerates in Southeast-Asia.

When will the world learn? Fossil fuels are simply too dangerous to lead us into the future. Let’s stop reading about disasters and death, and let’s start reading about technological innovation.

To start, visit nrglab.asia, and check out our slate of alternative energy projects that are sure to take the world by storm. A good storm, that is.