Why New Coal

Perplexed by the inter-related problems India faces as it develops at “The cost of 2/3 rd of its population living outside the economy”, two young advocates from Switch ON - Vinay and Huub, rode their cycles across India, through the coal belt - to question India’s growth based on fossil fuel, and to seek and highlight alternatives for a sustainable and equitable development.

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Why New Coal A Film by Ekta Kothari and Vinay Jaju Featuring - Ambuj Sagar (IIT), Ashok agarwal (Jharia Bachao Sangharsh Samiti), Chandra Bhusan (CSE), David Spratt (CCR), Dunu Roy (Hazard Centre) Gaurav Gupta (TCP India), Girish Sant (Prayas), Kapil Sibal (GOI), M P Narayanan (Coal India), Nitin desai (United Nations), R N Prasad (Coal Ministry), S P Gonchowdhury (WBREDA), S P Sethi (Planning Commission), S K chand (TERI), Sanjeev Ghotge (WISE), Shirish Sinha (WWF), Siddharth Pathak (Greenpeace), Vandana shiva (Naydanya) About the Film Perplexed by the inter-related problems India faces as it develops at “The cost of 2/3 rd of its population living outside the economy”, two young advocates from Switch ON - Vinay and Huub, rode their cycles across India, through the coal belt - to question India’s growth based on fossil fuel, and to seek and highlight alternatives for a sustainable and equitable development. The riders joined by filmmaker Ekta - met with energy, sustainability, climate experts and government of India officials seeking solutions to the above problem within India’s current development framework. The film highlights the misconception we hold about our extractable coal availability, unravels the social and economic costs of coal – and puts forward key questions about who this coal is benefiting thus highlights the true cost of mining and using this coal – in times of a climate emergency, food and water crisis. The film checks the ground reality and acknowledges that India is one of the lowest per capita emitters and for a more inclusive growth in able to provide clean energy to 2/3rds of its remaining population deprived of basic needs – india will have to depend on coal for the next few decades – before we start building alternatives in renewable energy. The immediate solution the film highlights is efficiency and conservation – which requires a war like effort – and ends by questioning our current path of operation which is obsessed with the western concept of growth and development. India can clearly not make the same mistakes as the west, and should truly look at the energy really necessary, and live with respect for its resources and surroundings. This film is critical at a time when when 2/3 rd of india does not have access to clean reliable energy, we are in the middle of the severe power crisis in india, and especially when an agreement has been done between the Coal ministry and environment ministry - to allow approx 50% of indias forests as “Go” area for coal mining. This film gives a new perspective to Coal in India - Addressing India's growing energy needs, problems of energy security and Climate Change Vulnerabilities and asks the most important question our generation will confront – and the possibility of a Bright Future hinges on the answer we choose.

Copyright 2007, Ekta Kothari, Switch ON. Cite/attribute Resource. ekothari. (2009, October 19). Why New Coal. Retrieved March 20, 2010, from EngageMedia Web site: http://www.engagemedia.org/Members/ekothari/videos/WNC_-_small.mp4. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.