Climate change is not all about gloom. The turn-of-the-century doomsday scenario could just as easily translate into opportunities. The trick is to heed the warning signs, adapt and evolve. The race to reduce carbon could translate into efficient technology in motor vehicles and higher income from growing value-added cash crops to getting money from developed countries to introduce greener technology. If played right, it is a win-win game for a country like India, described as a country most vulnerable to climate change. These are some of the examples that show spawning of new ideas, technology and innovations on the ground beyond the din of international negotiations in climate conferences. Our correspondent reports

AUTOMOBILES:
HYBRID POWER
Vehicles are the biggest producers of dirty greenhouse gas emissions. In the West, car manufacturers acknowledged this and began morphing existing models running on petrol into cars that had the option running on a green-fuel, mostly electricity. The most well-known of these hybrid cars are the Toyota Prius and the Ford Escape SUV.

In India, industry experts say, the first indigenous hybrids may roll out next year. Mahindra showed a prototype for hybrid cars at the last Auto Expo in Delhi. Tata Motors’ car will have both an internal combustion (IC) engine as well as an electric motor. Tata Motors says that the IC engine will be used at high speeds (and probably at the start and when accelerating suddenly) while the electric motor will be used at mid speed ranges.

“For other new cars, it is going to be fuel efficiency. With 3 to 4 per cent is fuel reduction, the emission can come down by 6-10 per cent,” said Chenoy. Though some sections are demanding mandatory fuel efficiency standards, the industry claims they are doing well without it.

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