My Deep Interest In Economics And Climate Change

The imminent Hurricane Michael in Florida, the devastating Kerala floods of 2018 and Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Maria of 2017 are climatic events that serve as grim reminders of the economic, environmental, human and social costs climate change is already extracting from us. A warmer world increases the frequency and/or magnitude of droughts, flooding, hurricanes and sea level rise. The latest report from the International Panel on Climate Change, based on data from over 6000 scientific publications and authored by 132 experts, predicts harsh consequences of 1. 5 degrees centigrade rise in global temperatures for our earth. The world has just a dozen years to act on climate change, before reaching a point of irremediable catastrophe. Over the past five years, climatic vagaries have caught my attention.

In school, I was briefly exposed me to the key points from Stern report on the economic consequences of climate change. Its central message of economic and social benefits of mitigation resonated with me, and it was to serve as an impetus for my inclination towards both economics and climate change. During high school, I interned at the Earth Savior’s Foundation due to my interest in environmental conservation. I was able to understand issues like depletion of forest cover and contamination of water bodies as real events that affected communities. I also participated in organizing tree plantation drives and in assessing zones within Delhi that could be designated as car-free. My experience with this foundation also provided me with an opportunity to learn the importance of information dissemination via marketing strategies, campaigns and presentations. After this experience, I volunteered for a research position at the Jawaharlal Nehru University to work on Delhi’s air pollution problem. Here, I wrote a short paper on “Deteriorating Air Quality in Delhi” and made a presentation that covered various aspects of global warming including its causes, effects and mitigation strategies. I followed this training with yet another internship at the Airports Authority of India under their sustainable development program.

For the project, we analysed solar panels and their sustainability for implementation at the Cochin airport in Kerala. We also prepared a report on the cost-benefit analysis of solar energy versus conventional sources in India. This report was presented to the chairman and to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It is encouraging that the World Bank Group is now helping India to generate solar electricity with a loan $1 billion, the largest-ever financial support for solar power in any country. Recently, the solar-powered Cochin Airport was given United Nation’s highest environmental accolade. Between 2013 and 2016, I worked for a non-governmental organization called CanKids, which lends holistic support to children suffering from cancer. During this period, I learnt the strong scientific links between poor air quality and cancer, even among non-smokers. This experience had a deep impact on me as I realized that the very air that sustains life is also poisoning it, especially so in Delhi. I find it disturbing that millions of world citizens are trapped in the vicious and tragic cycle of environmental pollution, disease and ensuing unwarranted healthcare costs. In the fall of 2016, I enrolled in Delhi University as an undergraduate in economics and was part of a project team on “Carbon Neutrality in India”. Our team concluded that the benefits of low-carbon cities would far outweigh the investment by India in building efficient public transport systems. Recently, I have an internship at The Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi with a focus on climate finance.

At this institute, I will be trained in the formulation of financial aid packages for climate change mitigation in Bangladesh, India and Indonesia. The economics of climate change is of deep interest to me as it combines my love of the environment with economic analysis. My passion for wildlife photography has deepened my bond with the flora and fauna. I have travelled extensively in the jungles of India, witnessing first-hand wild tigers, elephants and other beautiful denizens. Indeed, it was very heartening for me when in 2018 the state of Uttarakhand accorded animals the same rights as humans. Over the past few years, through extensive discussions with forest officials in India’s wildlife parks, I have gained some insights into the detrimental impacts of climate change on the forest ecosystem.

For example, I noticed that due to very high summer temperatures in Ranthambore National Park its main lake has mostly dried, and this directly affects the wildlife behaviour. In fact, several wildlife parks in India have evolved a policy of providing artificial waterholes for animals given the defunct ponds and lakes and ponds during the summer. With predictions of worsening heat waves, droughts and water scarcity, this unmanageable scenario is not only dismal but also economically disastrous, especially given that wildlife tourism is a substantial financial resource. Hence, wildlife preservation and the socio-economic system of neighbouring human habitations are intimately tied. On my last safari trip to the Ranthambore Park, I had observed two sub-adult male tigers (siblings), only partly submerged, struggling to remain cool in the shallow and muddy water resource. This image summarizes the upcoming tragedies in Indian national parks and presents yet another area that requires urgent attention. Past summer, I studied the EC351 international economics course at LSE where I especially liked the emphasis on trade relations. I realized that existing international trade mechanisms are influenced not only by global politics but also climate change policies. At LSE, I shall have the opportunity for interdisciplinary education via its Department of Geography and Environment, and the Grantham Research Institute. My economics background has provided me with strong quantitative and analytic skills. Alongside, my passion for environmental issues has grown.

These two facets lay the foundation for my commitment to pursuing the MSc course in Climate Change and Environmental Economics. Developing countries like India require expeditious and viable measures to counter the catastrophe of adverse weather events that mark climate change. The World Bank has estimated that the cost of environmental decay to India is over $80 billion, and this staggering sum can clearly be better utilized in national development. Therefore, my career goal is to return to India and contribute to devising solutions where a better balance between economic development and environmental conservation can be achieved. I have travelled extensively in Asia, Europe and USA.

These experiences have opened my vistas and I consider myself a global citizen who has global concerns. After a master’s degree, I wish to enrol for the doctoral program and immerse myself fully in research. Indeed, I am looking forward to a long career in climate economics. It is especially inspirational for me that the Nobel Prize this year was awarded to Drs. Romer and Nordhaus whose work on sustainable development and climate finance is pertinent to my long-term objective. I look forward to learning from top academics at LSE, and I sincerely hope that my application will be considered favourable.