Gazing through the crystal ball

The requirements of a younger nation differ radically from aging countries like Japan or even China, for that matter. By 2020, India is set to become the world’s youngest country with 64% of its population in the working age group. A UN HABITAT report states that while income levels in cities may appear to be higher, the cost of living is also constantly increasing, resulting in shrinking savings, inadequate access to health care and lack of quality education.

And so, I believe that our young, growing country demands a progressive, result-oriented transformation-and a nation that can cater to theaspiration and temperament of the young population. India 10 years from now will be more intelligent, more informed, less tolerant of incompetence and regressive practices. I believe that we are growing more aware as a nation.

I believe that a decade from now, we will be a more transparent, and accountable nation-where change and progress will get more apparent. I don’t believe that a radical transformation would be required-but stable, steady and sustainable growth is more desirable and will perhaps, be delivered.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s book, 2020 – A Vision for the New Millennium, examines in depth the weakness and the strength of India, as a nation, and offers a vision of how India can emerge to be among the world’s first four economic powers by 2020. This is a goal post that we can all agree, is desirable and on everyone’s agenda.

However, I believe that there is another critical component to development in the country. Inclusive growth and a green economy are the government’s guiding principles for its development agenda. Sustainability-economic, environmental and social can provide a balanced approach to the development of the nation.

The UN Environment Programme’s Green Economy Report demonstrates that green economies are a new engine of growth, generate decent jobs and are vital to eliminating persistent poverty.

And so, while I hope for a stable and progressive country in the decade to come, I also hope that our economic social and environmental goals will align with sustainable ideals.

My Profession
As a Sustainability and Green Building Consultant, I am currently part of some of the most topical conversations with regard to environment, renewable energy, energy efficiency, technology etc. Sustainable solutions mean meeting our lifestyle and existential requirements in a manner which is harmonious with the environment and does not jeopardise the future of our existence on this planet.

Sustainability is no longer a buzzword but reflects an indispensability as our survival depends on it. India, aspiring to be an opinion leader and increasingly emerging as one, especially in the aftermath of the recession, needs to be at the vanguard of this movement and lead from the front.
Indians have realised the importance of making their residences compatible with environment, and regulators have also become active. If environmental activists continue to be as vociferous as they are now, I would like to believe that Consulting on Green building will probably have ended-I am going to have to find something else to do! It will be passé, as projects will be designed to be more efficient through inherent design, effective resource consumption and innovative technologies.

I would like to believe that the profession of a sustainability consultants will disintegrate into creating impactful policy level decisions to ensure sustainable growth in the country-regardless of the sector-agriculture, healthcare, real estate etc. I would also like to believe that sustainability consultants can use their experience to think as innovators to solve solutions of environmental degradation- in all fields.

Expectations
Transparency. Responsibility. Accountability. These are the expectations from our government.

We as citizens, understand that we are stakeholders in the issues pertaining to the country’s development and growth. We would like to understand our responsibility and the manner in which progressive policy formulation is done. There needs to be transperancy in this regard.

For this to happen, I believe that governments need to respect and understand the role of sustainability, for growth and superior long term returns. As US President, John F. Kennedy once said, “There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction.”

Organised action toward sustainable growth with measurable outcomes is expected. For example: strategies to manage resources like water, and energy must be measured and regulated in a responsible manner. Corruption with regard to regulation of other natural resources must be stopped. Education at large, and an emphasis on sustainability will allow ups to be equipped for future needs and requirements. Progressive policies on agriculture and even urban farming to mitigate long-term environmental risks and hazards is key. Furthermore, policies that require us to measure, monitor and regulate carbon emissions at large, across all industries and domestic sectors is critical.

The Indian private sector, known for its resilience and entrepreneurship, is ideally placed to lead this movement and the government’s policies in this regard, although not adequate as of now, are at least encouraging and reflect the right intentions. A combination of entrepreneurship and adequate policies has the potential of making India a role model for many to follow and emerge as a true super power, as only a high GDP growth rate is not the sole criterion in today’s scenario to be considered a superpower.

Most importantly, I believe that sustainability needs to be a way of life for it to become a reality. Our present state of excesses and skewed development is against the very grain of sustainable development. It needs to be community driven to not only provide everyone an incentive to be a part of the movement but also ensure equitable distribution of resources. The focus on rural areas is inevitable as two-thirds of the country lives in villages and small towns. They need to be made a part of the movement and made to see the benefits of the same before they are bitten by the ‘so-called development’ bug. The lifestyle and culture of an average person in such areas is conducive to this movement and all these attributes can be dove-tailed to fulfill the needs of Indians in a sustainable manner.

After all, as explained in a quote from Lakota, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; We borrow it from our children.”