The Corona Virus strikes us all.
We don’t know who is next to fall.
When will this war be finally won?
While lockdowns help, they are no fun.
Now every policy maker strives
To balance livelihoods and lives.
No livelihoods is such a cost
But once any life is lost
Nothing at all can bring it back
So keep safe policies on track.
If many people are immune
We can open up quite soon.
The vulnerable should isolate
The rest can start to pull their weight!
The immune should be allowed to roam
But many still could work from home.
And if we take a stance that’s wise
The economy will slowly rise.
Reforms are now the need of the hour
And let us hope that those in power
Get the message straight and true
We need to build the economy anew!
There is a need in every nation
To recover from Corona’s depredation
But progress we also need to see
In Climate Change and inequality.
The crisis is indeed a pain
But there is so much to gain.
At first any major change
Will appear to be most strange!
But then we can begin to see
A striking opportunity.
While all of us are badly burnt
Indeed there’s much that we have learnt.
Work from home is now a breeze
And we can now gain a release
From travel bills and office rent.
Indeed this time can be spent
To reimagine and reinvent
A better world, a broader tent.
Surely we can aspire to both
Sustainability as well as growth!
At first survival must be prized
So cash must be prioritised.
And when we’re past survival fear
We can start to reengineer.
No good crisis should go to waste
All of us should now make haste
To completely redesign our world.
A new vision should be unfurled.
Our gaping wounds we should suture
For a happy, healthy future.
And what should this vision be?
A world with more equality.
Government, business and society
All acting synergistically!
Lockdowns were indeed a pain
But there is much that we can gain
Our air became extremely clean.
We see the benefits of going green.
And wildlife now roams on the streets.
A sprightly monkey sometimes greets
Me as I wander in my garden.
To those bereaved, I beg their pardon.
In this darkest hour, there is some light
And now we have a clear sight
Of what a different world might be.
And yet that false dichotomy
Between growth and being green
Unfortunately is often seen.
But I for one am always loath
To see either or, for I want both!
It is no longer Climate Change
Within a tolerable range
But a climate emergency
Is what we now clearly see.
A crisis is what it’s about
With fires, floods as well as drought.
It only serves to prove the point
That everything was out of joint.
If we must, we will adapt,
Prevention though would be more apt.
There is a cost to adaptation.
It’s rising fast in every nation
As well as for the world at large.
This will be a heavy charge.
In fact we should all conclude
Prevention would be really shrewd.
In the Godrej Group it is seen
That our goals of Good and Green
Though ambitious will be done
Sustainability can be won.
And so without partiality
Our goal for all's neutrality.
Whether water, carbon or solid waste
By 2020 we will make haste
To make our net emissions zero.
Will that make the group a hero?
In 2010 the goal looked tall
But we took a reasoned call
Technology would save the day.
So far it has turned out that way.
And gradually we could see
A step by step strategy.
As technology takes a leap
Green energy gets very cheap.
At first we thought we'd have to spend
But that's not true, for in the end,
The more we thought, the more we slaved,
We did invest but we also saved.
And solar will hit the goal
Of being cheaper than even coal
In just a handful of years.
Already we and our peers
Are sourcing solar electricity
At lower rates than the utility.
For quite some time we've been extorted
As their finances still aren't sorted.
A silver lining can be seen,
Since it incentivises green.
There are many paths that we can see
For achieving Carbon neutrality.
But the cheapest way is certainly
Through energy efficiency.
Real interest rates are rather low
And high returns quickly flow
From any energy saving device.
For business this is very nice.
Not only are returns quite brisk,
There’s also very little risk.
With water too why not use less
And so reduce the effluent mess
New effluent treatment’s very smart
Unlike the prior difficult art.
A boom tube is the way to go
As many benefits will flow.
It operates at lower cost
Nor is a useful product lost.
Pure water is a major stream
The other product is a dream
A solid waste that is good news,
Can easily be put to use
As chemicals or fertilizer.
We clearly see that it is wiser
To adopt this technology
With wide applicability.
To constantly minimize
Our water use is very wise.
Of course it just can’t disappear
To achieve neutrality I fear
We will have to mitigate.
Though fortunately I can state
That developing a watershed
Doesn't cost much and instead
Our agribusiness can benefit.
The government will do its bit
But where it fails we'll fill the breach
And hopefully we will reach
Many farmers on the cheap
But the benefits that we reap
Will compensate for the cost
And once again nothing's lost
In eliminating plastic waste
All of us should now make haste.
Collective collection would be best
For true success in this quest.
Recycling of course would be best.
But mixed plastics don’t meet the test.
Repurposing can be done
Other products can be won.
New technologies can take us far
Producing diesel, adhesives, tar.
And of course it would be great
If we produce polylactate,
As the monomer from which it’s made
Will very readily biodegrade.
And here I think that we all ought to
Pay careful heed to Michael Porter.
With Shared Value there's no cost
For doing good as nothing's lost.
All it takes is a thinking brain
To remove a societal pain
And combine it with a business gain
To create a sustainable chain
Of endless mutual benefit.
This concept is a tremendous hit.
In India mandated CSR
Can help us go very far.
Multiple benefits is what one sees
With water projects or growing trees.
Good livelihoods are created
Our carbon emissions are abated.
Trees planted at a river’s source
Maintain the flow throughout its course.
So many benefits we can see:
The preservation of biodiversity,
Different species can be tried.
Useful products can be supplied
Like biomass or edible fruits
And yet the trunk and the roots
Can sequester carbon, clean the air,
A win-win that is very fair.
So while we decarbonise
Why not also monetise.
So never fall for either or.
Our hearts and minds demand much more.
Neutrality can come with ease.
Some may think that I’m a tease.
All companies are not yet sold.
For some it’s tough, or so I’m told.
Energy intensive groups would say
It’s tougher then, for them to play.
If you can turn all waste to gold
And if you can be very bold
With inventing technology
Any industry can see
Eventual neutrality.
And there is so much more to gain
If it’s across our entire chain.
Our vendors are quite quick to learn
While being green you can still earn.
The case of course is very clear
And yet we are nowhere near
Any kind of firm solution
To end Greenhouse Gas pollution.
Around the world we would find
So many leaders that are blind.
Or perhaps not so benighted
But conveniently shortsighted.
Why undergo any pain
If by the time you get the gain
You will no longer be around.
To politicos this may seem sound.
Prevention is much better than cure!
So learn it now or then endure
The endless pain and aggravation
Of the heavy cost of adaptation!
If you neutralise at a cost.
Competitively much is lost.
A uniform carbon tax
Would protect all our backs.
Collected by each Nation state
But universal in its rate!
All GHGs would be fair game.
Every country should charge the same.
The benefit that this would yield
Would be a level playing field.
Competitors just wouldn’t care
Because this system’s very fair.
Just how high should this tax be?
A range of numbers we can see.
But Sixty dollars per metric ton
Would surely get reduction done.
For carbon this could be the rate
For others we would calibrate.
The appropriate rate, we would select,
Based on the Greenhouse Gas effect.
Based on today’s emissions rate
Quite candidly I should state
It wouldn’t be a trivial sum
But there’s no reason to be glum.
In dollars it would be Two Trillion
It is a lot but not a Zillion!
Compared to global GDP
The percentage is less than three.
Compared to taxes then again
The percentage is less than ten!
Of course some would then take a call
To reduce emissions not pay it all.
But bear in mind it’s not a cost.
For the economy nothing’s lost.
A UBI could be instated,
Some other tax could be rebated.
And if this is indeed just so.
Each economy would still grow.
Now with the right advocacy
Someday soon we could see
An enabling global policy
That would encourage us to be
Quite Carbon neutral with no pain.
The world can only stand to gain.
We can be fair to every nation,
Avoid the cost of adaptation!
But if we don’t collaborate
We can’t escape this sorry state!
Now Covid opened up our eyes
Let’s hope that now we are all wise!
Through action and advocacy
We can help all humanity
To create a world that’s just and fair
And everyone is free to share
Nature’s bounty and be fulfilled
And then I’m sure we’d all be thrilled.
