Estimating the Economic Benefits of Arsenic Removal in India: A Case Study from West Bengal

People living in almost fifty percent of the districts in West Bengal are exposed to arsenic contaminated water. This paper seeks to estimate the economic costs imposed by arsenic- related health problems. We use data from a primary survey of 473 households carried out in the districts of North 24 Parganas and Midnapore. We take into account household actions to either decrease the exposure of family members to unsafe water or to alleviate the health effects of consuming arsenic-contaminated water. This allows us to assess the benefits of arsenic- safe water by estimating a three equation system that includes averting actions, medical expenditures and a sickness function. We find that by reducing arsenic concentration to the safe limit of 50 mg/l, a representative household will benefit by Rs 297 ($7) per month. The current cost of supplying filtered piped water by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to households is Rs 127 ($3) per month per household. Thus, investing in safe drinking water is economically feasible and households are willing to pay for such investments if made aware of the effective gain in welfare. Poor households, who make- up the highest proportion of arsenic- affected households and incur the largest number of sick days, will be major beneficiaries of such investments

Counting the cost of water pollution : an investigation into arsenic poisoning in West Bengal

This policy brief is based on SANDEE working paper no. 21-07, "Estimating the economic benefits of arsenic removal in India : a case study from West Bengal"Arsenic contamination affects drinking water in almost half of the districts of West Bengal in India. This in turn has a significant impact on the health of many people in the area. In an attempt to find a solution to this health crisis, a SANDEE study examined the costs of contamination and its implications. It finds that households would benefit to the extent of Rs. 297($7) per month if arsenic concentrations met safety standards. The current cost of supplying safe piped water by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is Rs 127 ($3) per month per household. Thus, investing in safe drinking water is economically feasible. The study also finds that poor households, who are most affected by the pollutant, will be major beneficiaries of any such solution

Petroleum Sector-Driven Roadmap for Future Hydrogen Economy

In the climate change mitigation context based on the blue hydrogen concept, a narrative frame is presented in this paper to build the argument for solving the energy trilemma, which is the possibility of job loss and stranded asset accumulation with a sustainable energy solution in gas- and oil-rich regions, especially for the Persian Gulf region. To this aim, scientific evidence and multidimensional feasibility analysis have been employed for making the narrative around hydrogen clear in public and policy discourse so that choices towards acceleration of efforts can begin for paving the way for the future hydrogen economy and society. This can come from natural gas and petroleum-related skills, technologies, experience, and infrastructure. In this way, we present results using multidimensional feasibility analysis through STEEP and give examples of oil- and gas-producing countries to lead the transition action along the line of hydrogen-based economy in order to make quick moves towards cost effectiveness and sustainability through international cooperation. Lastly, this article presents a viewpoint for some regional geopolitical cooperation building but needs a more full-scale assessment.publishedVersio

Exploring adaptive capacity: Observations from the vulnerable human-coastal environmental system of the Bay of Bengal in India

This article presents the factors that help build the adaptive capacity of individuals to reduce vulnerability from natural threats. The findings are based on primary data on individuals engaged in various livelihood practices in the Digha-Sankarpur- Mandarmoni region along the eastern coastline of the Bay of Bengal in India. Coastal communities have their individual perceptions about their vulnerability to natural threats and associated risks to various assets. Based on perception survey responses, “adaptive capacity” is measured and the determining factors are analyzed with an aim to provide policy guidelines for strengthening the adaptive capacity of people dependent on coastal ecosystem-based livelihoods. Findings show that income security for individuals in coastal systems can be achieved through a livelihood diversification strategy. The scope for individuals to build personal savings, have access to financial institutions, and engage in collaborative actions with immediate neighbors in the community help to prevent multiple losses at the individual level aids in their adaptive capacity. Government actions to provide institutional and governance support and incentives to promote livelihood diversification and personal savings would enhance adaptive capacity through institutional actions. Public investment in public goods and services, including protection and monitoring of natural coastal ecosystems, infrastructure development, technological intervention, providing access to information, and community empowerment, have important roles to play in enhancing adaptive capacity

Sectoral approach : what is in it for the Chinese economy?

In any international negotiation on climate change close link among science, economics and politics can hardly be ignored. The argument for mitigation in case of long lived stock pollutants can never be rationally based on current growth level. It is a complex situation and any over simplifies approach will further complicate rather than lead to any positive solution. Competitiveness argument, border adjustment, trade barriers on emission intensive goods and services of Annex I countries can hardly be justified even at the current market share in trade, production, consumption. The best way to approach the problem can be to combine domestic and international actions judiciously. Need for transition to globally low carbon economy by the end of the century is least contested today. Common responsibility of attaining decarbonised growth path for global human welfare is uncontested but much contested is the differentiated responsibility design mechanism. Differentiated responsibility is a dynamic notion. So who should do how much and when, in dynamic context, is still an unresolved research question. But what is understood well is a fully functional global carbon market with global carbon price can provide a least cost solution with desired level of autonomy chosen by each country. Past attempts through CDM provide a small short term step towards that for flow of finance in niche investments and new technology, Sectoral Approach (SA) can provide a second level of stepping stone towards fully functional carbon market through financial flow into non niche market such as energy efficiency type of investment. China today is the leader among Non-Annex I countries in CDM and with first layer of capacity building it can be the natural leaders in SA

Impact of economic growth on climate Change: An Environmentally Extended Social Accounting Matrix (ESAM) based approach for India

This paper analyse the impact of growth in sectoral output and employment on green house gas emissions (GHG) in India. To analyse this we have used environmentally extended social accounting matrix (ESAM) based approach for India. The ESAM shows inter relationship between the economic activities as well as their impact on environment. The environmental impacts are captured through emission of GHGs, depletion of natural resources like land, coal and crude oil. India was an early leader in social accounting matrix (SAM) based analysis but this is the first ESAM for India. In this study we have constructed 35 sectors ESAM for India for the year 2006-07 with detail description of energy sectors. The pollution trade-off multiplier obtained from this ESAM helps us to analyse total (direct, and indirect-induced) impact of growth in sectoral output and employment on GHG emission in India. Here we have assumed public investment and foreign trade as exogenous variables. So the result shows that due to interdendency between the production sectors total increase in GHG emission is higher than their direct effects. Sometimes researchers rely on the direct relationship between the economic activity and GHG emissions but their indirect impact must be incorporated to see economy wide impact on GHG emission. The result of this study shows that the direct effect of paddy sector on GHG emission is substantially lower than their indirect-induced effect. The direct effect of paddy sector on GHG emission is around 6tons/Rs. lakh of output but its total effect on GHG emission is around 32 tons /Rs. lakh of output. Also this study shows that growth in service sector in India will not be the jobless growth and its total impact on GHG emission is not significant

Unpacking sustainabilities in diverse transition contexts: solar photovoltaic and urban mobility experiments in India and Thailand

It is generally accepted that the concept of sustainability is not straightforward, but is subject to ongoing ambiguities, uncertainties and contestations. Yet literature on sustainability transitions has so far only engaged in limited ways with the resulting tough questions around what sustainability means, to whom and in which contexts. This paper makes a contribution to this debate by unpacking sustainability in India and Thailand in the context of solar photovoltaic and urban mobility experimentation. Building on a database of sustainability experiments and multicriteria mapping techniques applied in two workshops, the paper concludes that sustainability transition scholarship and associated governance strategies must engage with such questions in at least three important ways. First, there is a need for extreme caution in assuming any objective status for the sustainability of innovations, and for greater reflection on the normative implications of case study choices. Second, sustainability transition scholarship and governance must engage more with the unpacking of uncertainties and diverse possible socio-technical configurations even within (apparently) singular technological fields. Third, sustainability transition scholarship must be more explicit and reflective about the specific geographical contexts within which the sustainability of experimentation is addressed

Call for papers: sustainability transitions in the Global South – learnings from COVID-19 and future directions

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