Every time I call our good friend Bittu Sahgal, editor of Sanctuary Asia, I get to listen to a bit of Bob Dylan as I wait for him to pick up the phone. Well, the classic Dylan line, "the times they are a-changing" seems quite appropriate for the recent news coming our of India. A leaked letter from the Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh seemed to indicate that India may be on track to re-strengthen there commitments to tackle climate change. Here is what Bittu Sahgal, along with our friend Malini Mehra of Centre for Social Markets, have to say about the situation:
Jairam Ramesh – breathing fresh air into climate talks
In an interview to Sanctuary Asia Jairam Ramesh, Minister, Environment and Forests lists his priorities as follows: 1. significantly improve India’s natural forest cover; 2. establish an effective environmental grievance redressal regime that is effective, speedy and fair; 3. chalk out an effective climate change agenda that is both pragmatic and self-sustaining.
Click here to continue reading on the Sanctuary Asia site.