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Young World
2007: Wrapping up the year
NIMI KURIAN
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A glimpse at a couple of issues that played centrestage — climate change and the 123 Nuclear Agreement.
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Photo: V. Sudershan, AP
Challenges:Shiv Shankar Menon and Nicolas Burns firming the deal
This year, the two predominant themes were the challenges of climate change and the 123 Nuclear Agreement. At the 94th session of the Indian Science Congress, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the environmental-friendly technologies being developed across the world must be shared and made available to all. The findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned of impacts such as a rise in sea level which could inundate vast stretches of the coast of
South Asia. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change jointly won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to spread awareness of man-made climate change and to lay the foundations for fighting it. Gore said that global warming was not a political issue but a worldwide crisis.
At the United Nations climate change talks held at Bali, Indonesia, India along with 190 countries agreed on a road map to fight against climate change. In 2012, the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (36 industrial nations have to cut greenhouse gas emissions by five per cent lower than 1990) ends. Over the next two years the “Bali road map” will guide the next stage of the global fight against climate change.
Nuclear power
The U.S.-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006, states that the U.S. will provide access to civilian nuclear technology and access to nuclear fuel in exchange for International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards on civilian Indian reactors. The 123 agreement requires separate U.S. congressional approval and Indian cabinet approval and will define the terms and conditions for bilateral civilian nuclear cooperation.
The energy demands of India and China have grown considerably. This has raised questions on the availability of global energy. The Bush Administration came to the conclusion that an Indian shift toward nuclear energy is in the best interests of the U.S. to secure its energy needs of coal, crude oil, and natural gas. Moreover, the U.S. is convinced of India’s good non-proliferation record and stable democracy. Finally, it also expects that such a deal could spur India’s economic growth and bring in $150 billion in the next decade for nuclear power plants, of which the U.S. wants a share.
India hopes to increase production of nuclear power generation from its present capacity of 4,000 MWe to 20,000 MWe in the next decade.
Recognition
In July, Pratibha Devisingh Patil became the first woman President of the country.
Indra Nooyi, CEO Pepsico, and social worker Mohini Giri, were among the 32 persons awarded the Padma Bhushan. And among the 79 persons awarded the Padma Shri was chess player Koneru Hampy.
Sunita Williams
Sunita Williams became the only woman to stay in space for the longest time and also for having taken the longest space walk.
Among the 100 most influential people featured in the Time Magazine’s list were Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Indra Nooyi.
However, in a major setback to the successes of women, towards the end of the year, Kiran Bedi, the first woman Indian Police Service officer, put in her papers seeking voluntary retirement, almost two years ahead of her superannuation. Kiran Bedi is a Magsaysay awardee, who served the United Nations as Police Adviser in the Peacekeeping Department and was conferred the U.N. medal for outstanding service.
On Independence Day
Addressing the nation on the 60th Independence Day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailed that “we have built the firm foundations of an open society and an open economy,” and reiterated the “quest for a caring, sharing and an inclusive society.”.
While stressing the “unity in diversity” theme, he said “those who profess hatred and extremism, those who spread the virus of communalism and those who believe in violence and terrorism have no place in our society.”
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