Time for India to build its Net Zero Silicon Valley

India's net zero pledge should now be used to push a new Silicon Valley in India.

Time for India to build its Net Zero Silicon Valley

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Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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• The story: India needs to have a net zero target now, as it is a responsible global citizen, and has the ambition and technology to do it. Let India not do it out of any pressure or blackmail.
• The change is here: The world is already warmer (than pre-industrial levels) by 1.09°C, and witnessing heatwaves, forest fires, cyclonic storms, cloudbursts, floods, droughts and more. Most of South Asian coastline is at risk of sea erosion. Imagine what will happen when large chunks of Mumbai or Bangladesh will go under water - loss, migration, chaos.
• In it together: The world has to battle climate change together, but since no one nation is totally responsible for it, no one takes full responsibility for it.
• What Paris Agreement 2015 did: It told the rich world to give both money and technology to the emerging world. Since the rich world did not do that properly, the poor world can also refuse to do its bit. But that would be bad for everyone.

1. India has 17% of the world's population, and the largest share of young that can learn STEM and creative sciences, and halt the march of climate change
2. Indian unicorns have proven they can build something of their own, far removed from being mere imitations of Western successes
3. Now new technology is being developed to remove CO2 from the atmosphere directly, and for adaptation purposes (new crop varieties in altered climatic conditions). Then fortification against nature's fury is needed too (green ways).

• How Silicon Valley happened: In the post Second World War era, the American defence was willing to fund new tech projects, and Stanford Univ. turned research into business (and bright students into entrepreneurs). A whole ecosystem of firms and funds sprang up - HP, Shockley Semiconductors, Intel, Kleiner Perkins etc. DARPA kept adding fuel to this fire, and has funded even the mRNA technology. [DARPA - Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency]
• How Pearl River Delta is happening: China is doing the same in "Pearl River Delta", innovating and commercialising rapidly. In EVs, it is racing ahead.
• India can do it too: Since capital is available now in large chunks, India can build its own model quickly. The whole structure - angel funds, VC funds, PE, public markets, regulation - is well-developed.

1. India needs new urban plans, new types of buildings and roads, new commuting methods, clean coal tech, removing CO2 from air, and so on.
2. India did the nuclear deal by the US, due to which it became a part of ITER (the global collaboration on nuclear fusion). Clean energy will need both fission and fusion. Time for India to speed up its fast breeder plans that use local thorium.
3. Regular solution to the problem of RE intermittence are storage batteries, stored hydel and hydrogen. New ones are possible.

• Summary: Net zero world means opportunity. Unless India aggressively commits to net zero, it cannot even ask the rich world to go net negative.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) India has a golden opportunity to shine in the new Net Zero world. Explain how. (2) What are the reasons India must proactively commit to net zero, and pursue a tech plan for it? Explain. (3) What factors created the Silicon Valley in America? Explain.

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

#Netzero #netnegative #siliconvalley #renewables #pearlriverdelta

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