The exponentially growing population exerts immense pressure on the limited stocks of natural resources available to us. As we move forward on the path of growth and development, the aspirations of the poor and the middle class will escalate and current resources will need to provide a decent quality of life to them. There is a need to converge and contract simultaneously such that different economies account for their common but differentiated responsibilities. Those consuming at a higher rate need to contract their demand to a sustainable level while those countries under-consuming will have to raise consumption levels to ensure basic needs fulfilment for their populations. Thus the world has to converge to resource consumption levels that can be considered sustainable and ensure intergenerational equity.

Clean technology offers a unique opportunity to help economies in this process of convergence and contraction. Enhancing efficiencies in the existing processes of extraction, production and use of material resources is one of the approaches that has found traction especially in the global north. The global south needs access to this knowledge, technologies and changes in socio-economic behaviour to achieve resource efficiencies that will enable them to ‘tunnel’ through to an acceptable standard of living within the resource boundaries agreed to on an international level. Rather than emulate the resource intensive development model of the global north, clean technology presents an opportunity to the developing and underdeveloped countries to fast forward to a low carbon green economy.

Development Alternatives has been working for more than three decades on developing low carbon, energy efficient technologies which also create job opportunities. Over the last couple of years various building material technologies such as micro concrete roofing tiles, energy efficient cookstoves, vertical shaft brick kilns, handmade paper have been incubated. These technologies are affordable, low cost, need low capital investment and have extremely low carbon emissions. The vertical shaft brick kiln re-engineered by Development Alternatives has been accorded as the cleanest and most energy efficient brick firing technology in the world.

However clean technology needs to look beyond incremental gains through the efficiency route. There is a need to look at new ways of looking at products and services to reduce resource consumption. We are already utilising 1.5 times more resources than allocated thresholds for sustainable development. A systemic approach that incorporates aspects of structural and behavioural change among key stakeholders in the government, business and communities will be required to create real impact. Easy access to finance and a preferential policy regime will help create a favourable working environment. Building a cadre of skilled workforce to service clean technology innovations and enterprises will be essential in mainstreaming this approach.

Investment in clean technology after taking a dip following the global recession is beginning to look up again. Venture capitalists are looking forward to investing in clean technology based start-ups. The government and industry are simultaneously promoting research and development in the sector. For developing countries like India, it is important to give a boost to clean technology related research. The opportunity is ripe for taking, the question remains how soon we take it up. q