It’s time we stop talking about the potential impact (environmental, social, political and economic) of climate change and take proactive progressive steps towards addressing this grave issue at hand. This surely is a problem that needs to be addressed at a global level; but a country like India, with an ever-growing population and depleting resources, needs not only to act more quickly but also lead the efforts from the front. Existing conventional technologies need revitalization to make them green and sustainable.

Consider the example of conventional thermoelectric generation. It is a known fact that freshwater is consumed in abundance mainly for industrial purposes. Usage of brackish or non-potable water or adoption of dry-cooling technologies are lucrative methods implemented successfully in select countries to save freshwater resources from depletion. This model can be adopted in peninsular India. Currently 75% of the power generated in the country is through thermal power plants. With an increase in demand for thermal generated energy, the per capita availability of water in India has decreased from 5,177 cubic meters per year in 1951 to 1,820 cubic meters in 2001. It is further estimated to deteriorate to 1,341 cubic meters per capita by 2025.

Though seemingly obvious, the implementation of this technology will not be easy. It would require concerted effort on the part of all stakeholders; including the federal and state governments, the public and private sector enterprises and the public at large.

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