Against this grim scenario it is also essential to push the Indian economy and the structure on which it is built towards much greater efficiency in the use of energy. This would happen only if we promote, for instance, much more public transport in place of the usage of private cars, more energy efficient buildings and commercial complexes and some shifts in lifestyles. Distortions in pricing are clearly a major hurdle in attaining energy efficiency.

For instance, with oil at $130 per barrel, the implied subsidy on kerosene consumed in the country would be in excess of Rs 60,000 crore annually. Kerosene is regarded as the poor man’s lighting fuel in rural areas. For half the value of this subsidy, every one of the 80 million rural homes in this country that have no electricity today could be provided with solar lanterns that would provide clean, sustainable lighting. It is for this reason that we have launched the programme of “Lighting a Billion Lives”, which is based on the provision of solar lanterns to a large part of the 1.6 billion people in this world who do not have access to electricity.

But nuclear power is needed urgently to fill the fuel gap for large-scale power generation in India. Hence, to ward off the impending energy crisis, there is an urgent need for all politicians to support what would help India gain access to relevant technology and fuel resources.

The writer is director-general, TERI, and chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, recipient of the 2007 Nobel peace prize

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