







































Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal 6(1): 1-3, January 2023 

EDITORIAL 

A Pressing Problem 

Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt 

As hundreds of residents are evacuated from the Himalayan pilgrimage 

town of Joshimath, the realities of the scale of impact of extreme disasters 

associated with a changing climate and other uncertainties loom large in 

India. Globally, scientists have proven beyond belief that these disastrous 

events are caused by human action, that is, they are anthropogenic in 

nature. They agree that the anthropogenic emission of greenhouse gases, 

especially since the Industrial Revolution, originates from the energy sector: 

the mining and burning of coal, generation of thermal power, vehicular 

emissions, and other emissions, such as those from industries. One way to 

deal with the growing incidence of climate-related extreme events is to 

reduce fossil-fuel consumption and gradually move to a decarbonised 

world. This is why nations across the world have committed to reducing 

carbon emissions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 at the Conference of 

Parties (CoP) 21, held in Paris in 2015, and CoP 26, held in Glasgow in 

2022. While the review of Ruth Gamble’s book directly addresses the 

Himalayan problem, all the other book reviews in this issue address the 

question of climate change.  

Humanity’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions to tackle climate 

change has culminated in focused action to realize an ‘energy transition’, 

which is perhaps better described as ‘transitions’, due to their multifaceted 

and highly contextual nature—some countries may transition earlier and 

others later, some countries may adopt gas as ‘a transition fuel’, some 

countries may even move straight to renewable energy sources as living 

standards improve and households stop using biomass. Broadly speaking, 

 
 Journal Editor, INSEE and Environment and Development Program at the Crawford 
School of Public Policy, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Crawford School of Public 
Policy, kuntala.lahiri-dutt@anu.edu.au  

Copyright © Lahiri-Dutt 2023. Released under Creative Commons Attribution © 

NonCommercial 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC 4.0) by the author.  

Published by Indian Society for Ecological Economics (INSEE), c/o Institute of  Economic 

Growth, University Enclave, North Campus, Delhi 110007.  

ISSN: 2581–6152 (print); 2581–6101 (web).  

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v6i1.1010  

mailto:kuntala.lahiri-dutt@anu.edu.au
https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v6i1.1010


 Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal [2] 

 

transitions are marked by a shift from an energy mix that is heavily reliant 

on fossil fuels to one that produces very limited or zero carbon emissions. 

For this reason, energy transitions are also commonly known as 

decarbonization. There is no questioning that transitions have occurred 

before, as humans moved in the eighteenth century to the intensive and 

extensive use of fossil fuels; the current transitions, however, mark a crucial 

moment in the history of human civilization, as they will fundamentally 

change many of the ways human society has functioned over the last two or 

three centuries. The transitions are occurring in parallel with a great leap in 

artificial intelligence technologies, which together are leading to what is 

being called the ‘Fourth Revolution’ in human civilizational history. 

Decarbonization will occur as consumption becomes electrified, replacing 

energy generated using fossil fuels with that generated using renewable 

sources, which will also make other sectors such as transport cleaner and 

improve energy efficiency through the digitalization of networks. Progress 

in transitioning to cleaner energy sources varies exponentially between 

countries and regions across the world, primarily due to three main reasons: 

first, the availability and affordability of alternative and renewable energy 

sources; second, the extent of technological disruption of coal operations 

and value chains; and third, national clean air policies. Although fossil fuels 

still contribute to about 80 per cent of global energy usage, energy 

transitions of different types are already underway. There is a growing 

recognition of climate change imperatives by state and non-state actors as 

well as individuals. The ‘push of market forces’, that is, cheaper alternatives 

being presented in different contexts, including North Sea gas in the UK, 

oil shale in the US, and solar and wind in Australia, is driving the transition 

in many parts. Lastly, as noted, state policies, such as the concerted efforts 

put forth by the European Union, are playing a key role in the demise of 

coal.  

The manifestations of energy transitions are also manifold. To understand 

their full scope, researchers will need to cross over their disciplinary 

boundaries, and policymakers and planners must work together with them 

to realize the full potential of these transitions. For example, to 

comprehend and trigger changes in energy use, we will need to understand 

what causes behavioural change and shifts in consumer preferences; how 

mobilities are influenced by both market forces and state policies, what new 

infrastructures will appear and how they will change our landscapes, and 



[3] Lahiri-Dutt 
 

finally, how new communication networks driven by artificial intelligence 

will control energy production, distribution, and regulation. 

To fully understand the implications of energy transitions, scientific 

knowledge must move beyond its isolated existence and break free from its 

ivory tower to move closer to the social sciences to embrace 

interdisciplinary research. To think about it: the Industrial Revolution not 

only ushered in new socio-technical worlds, but it also created new politics: 

trade unions came into existence in the coal mines, human society changed, 

power became centralized and decentralized in previously unforeseen ways, 

and control over coal came to signify great riches. Similarly, the ushering in 

of petroleum radically changed the way we moved goods and human 

beings. It is up to us, researchers, to ensure that the transition away from 

these fossil fuels opens up new democratic possibilities in the decarbonised 

world, in particular, for countries such as India, which are part of the 

Global South. 

Two pieces in this issue are placed in this context. Rakesh Kacker and 

Nidhi Srivastava discuss the elements and possible constraints of a smooth 

energy transition in India in their commentary.  Mrinal Saikia and Ratul 

Mahanta, in their original research paper, show how to measure 

vulnerability to climate change in char areas, that is, river islands. The 

special section in this issue presents different aspects of the rehabilitation of 

degraded ecosystems and carries four original submissions. An additional 

piece that deals with char areas is by Gorky Chakrabarty. It complements 

the other paper on chars with its different disciplinary approach. Even 

though about 70 per cent of the country’s electricity comes from coal and 

much of its imports constitute petroleum products, India is fully committed 

to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. Interdisciplinary research on ecology, 

the economy, and society will play a critical role in ushering in a new 

democratic future in which no more incidents such as that at Joshimath will 

occur.  


