The rapidly emerging economy of two of the world’s most populous countries - China and India (now popular as Chindia) that have been on the expressway to ‘development’ is not going unnoticed in the global financial market. As the economy of these two countries evolves – sometimes in partnership but mostly in a competitive mode, there are also significant environmental impacts that are now getting even more visible. The Atmospheric Brown Cloud (formerly the Asian Brown Cloud) that was most prominent in 2004 and 2007 is just one of the visible examples.

With no official records from China and with BBC suggesting that the country is adding about two power stations every week, the situation is alarming as almost all of this energy is being harnessed from burning coal. The Indian Government has in turn approved the commissioning of 213 new coal power plants in the next eight years. This frightening and irrational decision by the Government was protested by the Why New Coal? Campaign – a cycle ride from one part of the country to the National capital.

The struggle for ‘power’ in this economic struggle to get ahead is but obvious. The dangerous obsession for coal power and a complete sidelining of renewable options for meeting the energy needs is however neither logical nor, in the present climate crisis, a good strategy. Unfortunately, that is how rapid ‘development’ is to be achieved – with total disregard to environment versus development debate and keeping the principles of sustainable development at bay.

This is what the Why New Coal campaign highlighted in the climate ride, that also went through the coal belt of India in an attempt to highlight the real (/social) cost of coal production in the country. Taking the 350 message with them, the climate riders also passed through the Taj Mahal in Agra and through several cities before finally reaching New Delhi. In the National capital, the riders were joined by Mr. Kapil Sibal, the Union Minister for Science and Technology who led the way by getting on a cycle and flagging the ride off.

The ride did what it intended to, raise awareness among the people and the government, and pass on the message that the shift from the existing coal based economy is needed and that a clean powered economic growth IS POSSIBLE.

This article originally appeared on Yale Environment 360

On March 2, 350.org Director Bill McKibben will join demonstrators who plan to march on a coal-fired power plant in Washington D.C. In this article for Yale Environment 360, he explains why he’s ready to go to jail to protest the continued burning of coal.

It may seem odd timing that many of us are heading to the nation’s capital early next month for a major act of civil disobedience at a coal-fired power plant, the first big protest of its kind against global warming in this country.

After all, Barack Obama’s in power. He’s appointed scientific advisers who actually believe in… science, and he’s done more in a few weeks to deal with climate change than all the presidents of the last 20 years combined. Stalwarts like John Kerry, Henry Waxman, and Ed Markey are chairing the relevant congressional committees. The auto companies, humbled, are promising to build rational vehicles if only we give them some cash. What’s to protest? Why not just give the good guys a break?

If you think about it a little longer, though, you realize this is just the moment to up the ante. For one thing, it would have done no good in the past: you think Dick Cheney was going to pay attention?

More importantly, we need a powerful and active movement not to force the administration and the Democrats in Congress to do something they don’t want to, but to give them the political space they need to act on their convictions. Barack Obama was a community organizer — he understands that major change only comes when it’s demanded, when there’s some force noisy enough to drown out the eternal hum of business as usual, of vested interest, of inertia.

Dr. James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and a top climatologist, has these inspirational words to say about the March 2 action in Washington, DC.

To RSVP for the Capitol Climate Action, go to http://capitolclimateaction.org/