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Can a planet with finite resources sustain an ever-growing population with infinite needs? This was the overarching question that dominated an insightful panel discussion at the Nehru Centre on December 11, 2019. Titled "The Science is Clear: How Environment affects Public Health in India,” the discussion was organized by the Asia Society which is a not-for-profit educational institution, the director of its India Centre being Bunty Chand. The discussion was part of Asia Society’s public health series initiative. The panel was helmed by two women distinguished in the fields of science and public health — Drs Nerges Mistry and Rashneh Pardiwala, and moderating the discussion was photographer and filmmaker Ashima Narain. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hour-long discussion touched upon topics such as climate change, social justice, nutrition and urbanization. However, none of these subjects were discussed in isolation; both Mistry and Pardiwala made sure to highlight connections between these issues that might often seem unrelated to the general public. For example, Pardiwala, who holds a PhD in the field of climate change, spoke about why Delhi’s annual air pollution problem is connected to depleting ground water reserves. "Each year, Delhi’s air pollution is blamed on stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana. However, no one realizes that the farmers have to burn the stubble at an accelerated pace because a 2009 law prevents them from sowing paddy until mid-June. The law was enacted because of rapidly depleting ground water levels, but the end result is that farmers have to get rid of the stubble twice as fast to prepare for the winter crop. The only viable solution then is to burn stubble,” said Pardiwala. "It is time we connect all these dots,” she added.
Another topic of discussion was the connection between lack of nutrition among India’s poor and carbon footprint. Both Pardiwala and Mistry explained that while India might not be as big a polluter as other developed countries, the average elite Indian’s carbon footprint is at par with that of people in the United States. The obvious question here is how does this connect to lack of nutrition among the poor in India? Mistry, who is an infectious diseases and public health expert, explained that the poor in India lack access to basic healthcare and nutrition which often leads to their immunity being compromised. "Those who are poor often lack access to proper nutrition; they are also the ones occupying areas of the city vulnerable to flooding and rising sea levels. Hence, their defenses against diseases caused by say flooding or pollution emitting from garbage dumps are weak. It is what I call the ‘double whammy’ effect. The poor are hit by effects of pollution plus under-nutrition, thereby rendering them the most vulnerable.” Both Pardiwala and Mistry agreed to the fact that although a poor Indian’s carbon footprint might be next to negligible, it is they who face the worst effects of climate change.
The discussion extended to the case of Dahanu — a small coastal town not far from Bombay known for its chikoo production. But in focus at the talk was the destruction of this town thanks to Bombay’s insatiable need for electricity. For those of us who are not aware, Dahanu — officially declared as an ecologically sensitive zone — houses a 500 MV thermal power plant. This power plant supplies electricity to most of Bombay while several parts of Dahanu remain in darkness for hours on end every day. Constant migration to Bombay makes sure that the city is bursting at its seams and to provide for this ever growing populace, it is places like Dahanu that are bearing the brunt. Pardiwala spoke about Dahanu at great length because present in the audience was her mentor and activist Kitayun Rustom. Rustom has been at the forefront of the battle to preserve the area’s lush green environs and stop the unscrupulous development projects in the area. Pardiwala made an emphatic point about the development conundrum in Dahanu, "We say this is all in the name of development, but is this the kind of development we want to follow, by crushing every green lung we have?” Dahanu’s example highlighted how the issues of social justice, climate change and urbanization are intertwined in often complex ways.
The second half of the talk was dominated by a dynamic discussion on climate change denial and the impact it has on policy and public health in India. Taking the lead on this was Mistry who pointed out that India needs to do more to improve public health systems and research facilities. She spoke out on how it is not uncommon to hear politicians in India and abroad say that air pollution has no effect on public health. "We need to combat such misinformation and invest in primary data collection. We know that air pollution has effects on health and we can prove it, but there has to be a willingness to invest in labs and other facilities. Denial is often the hallmark of our public health system.” She also spoke in great detail about health problems such as asthma in children, growing lung cancer rates among young adults, infertility and their connection with air pollution.
Also brought into focus was the Indian government’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). When moderator Narain asked Pardiwala and Mistry whether the Plan was enough, they both had an emphatic one word answer: "No!” Both women advocated more goals and more research-based ideas. "It is just not enough,” said Pardiwala. 
The discussion concluded with a robust question and answer session where a 100+ audience was eager to know what Pardiwala and Mistry thought about civil disobedience to bring about climate action or how science can best be communicated to the general public. Both women answered these questions in great detail. On the question of civil disobedience, Mistry answered saying one way to go is, "look at Greta Thunberg.” But she advised caution by saying that governments need to be equal stakeholders in the process and that civil disobedience alone cannot achieve the goal. When it came to how best can one translate climate science into general public discourse, Pardiwala was of the opinion that awareness in schools was the key. Catch ’em young, one might say!
Most talks and panel discussions on topics like climate change can leave one with either one of two feelings — absolute dread or helplessness. This talk did none of that; both Pardiwala and Mistry made sure to infuse their science with examples of positive change taking place across India. For example, Pardiwala spoke about a solar energy program that her organization — Centre for Environmental Research and Education — has taken up with local schools. Her organization partners with low income schools in India to switch to solar energy. The results, she says, are miraculous. Each school has ended up saving lakhs of units in electricity and the money thus saved is going towards improving infrastructure.
Such examples made sure the audience did not slip into plain dread. People left the room armed with more information on how climate change affects every aspect of their lives. The question now remains: Are we doing enough to stop it?