Bøker av Binayak Ray

Notwithstanding denials by climate-skeptics, the global scientific community considers the world environment is rapidly worsening. They argue that failure to adopt measures to reduce CO2 gas emission in the atmosphere could lead to disastrous social-economic, politico-security and environmental consequences. Skeptics argue that climate changes are due to nature's own cyclical phenomenon. They fail to understand that climatology as a scientific discipline is in its infancy, but overwhelming evidence suggests that human activities are responsible for this. Smart campaigning and some mistakes by the IPCC in its 2007 report enabled skeptics to derail the efforts to adopt a legally binding CO2 emission target in Copenhagen in 2009.

Water: The Looming Crisis in India analyzes the key issues in developing national freshwater policies for the mainland countries of the South Asian sub-continent. Ray suggests that freshwater policy must cover all aspects of physical environment and human life, by noting that food and drought management are parts of freshwater policy and acknowledging that water is a scarce natural resource and has economic value. He calls for the development of basin-wide policies to minimize conflicts within riparian countries, as well as a freshwater policy baseline to minimize internal conflicts on water sharing arrangements. By pointing out the need for full participation of all stakeholders in developing a baseline policy including people displaced by the construction of large dams, Ray suggests a new system in which riparian countries are guaranteed that no water-related project proceeds without a transparently developed environmental impact assessment and evaluation of alternative options.