A couple of months back India’s environment minister Jairam Ramesh made a little noticed, yet highly significant move when he called for a small tax on coal . This coal tax - anathema to American politics - will help create a national clean energy fund while reinforcing the vital public principal that the polluter pays.

Building upon this proposal, he is calling for an environmental levy on mining,  saying “A polluter-pays principle could be laid down in the [Mines and Minerals] bill, which mandates an environmental levy for pollution caused by mining activity during the life of the project. This levy should be used directly for combating local environmental degradation…” In essence, over the past six months Jairam Ramesh has done more to uphold this critical principle than the United States Senate has over the past decade.

The significance of each of these acts must be put in perspective for American politicians that dare not challenge King Coal. Ramesh’s call comes amidst Naxalite violence in Eastern India that threatens to destabilize the nation  – so much so the central government has called on the military  to quell the violence. This violence is fueled in part by mining operations that have uprooted and displaced millions. Meanwhile, a coal mafia consisting of over 10,000 groups  across the country illegally mines 5-6 million tons of coal annually for sale on the black market.

This context must then be placed within the prevailing narrative of ramped up energy production fueled by coal to lift the masses out of poverty. This narrative is driving the country to build nine coal-based “ultra mega power projects” (UMPP) – above 4,000 Mw - in order to bridge persistent energy shortages.  However, with some of the highest distribution losses in the world (to the tune of 25-40%), and the fact that many areas will never benefit from centralized grid connections, the wisdom of pursuing centralized coal fired power is dubious. Meanwhile the poor continue to struggle without adequate energy supplies while millions more face chronic power outages. And around and around we go…

The ultimate point is not to criticize India’s legitimate and often daunting challenges, it is to criticize our own. While we continue to hollow out our economy  and feed the giant vampire squid  on Wall Street we are missing the greatest economic opportunity of our time – developing and deploying clean tech innovation to solve the climate crisis. An opportunity that can readily be capitalized upon if we uphold the self evident principle that those responsible must pay for the environmental destruction  they leave in their wake.

While American politicians blame their ineptitude on the vagaries of the economy and US political system, Jairam Ramesh has deftly maneuvered his own minefield of destabilizing violence, mafia activity, debilitating poverty, and energy shortages to uphold this principle. It’s time we do the same – before it’s too late .

This article was originally posted on the Sierra Club India website.

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