‘A colonial mindset thought technology could control nature — that caused climate change’

Sunil Amrith is professor of history at Yale University. Speaking to Srijana Mitra Das at

Times Evoke

, he explains the ‘colonial mindset’ towards nature, why this persisted after colonialism, the inequalities reflected in climate change — and why respecting local environmental knowledge is vital for South Asia now:
You’ve stated that water management in India was shaped by a ‘colonial mindset’ — did this endure after colonialism? And what should an ideal mindset now be?
This reminds me of Ramaswamy Iyer, the well-known water policy expert who underwent a change of heart, from being a supporter of large dams in the 1980s to an eloquent critic a decade later.

Iyer

lamented the enduring effects of a colonial ‘Promethean’ view that had an iron confidence in the ability of

technology

to control nature — he saw this view as repeating itself after India’s independence.

There are key features of this view — the first was confidence that British expertise was superior to local knowledge. There was faith that technology could rein in nature. Industrial technologies that harnessed the once-unimaginable energy of fossil fuels encouraged this sense of mastery, and a corresponding faith in growth without limits. It is important to consider why this ‘Promethean’ view was so attractive — at the time of India’s independence, life expectancy at birth hovered around 35 years.

Famine was a recent memory. Large dams seemed to offer a way out of the fear of scarcity — a material freedom to guarantee political freedom. We can now see that this approach had deleterious effects, socially and ecologically, but it is important to understand the decisions taken in the 1940s and 1950s in terms of the available options at the time.

Possibly the most characteristic feature of the colonial view, adopted by national governments and international agencies after colonialism, was a one-sizefits-all approach — the ideal approach now should emphasise equity, protect biodiversity and recognise the importance of local ecologies.

It should also respect the voices of communities most directly affected by infrastructural schemes.

WHEN THE TIDE TURNS: Large dams built in India in the 1950s (above) were once seen as the salvation for developing nations. With climate change now impacting regions like Uttarakhand (below) with glacial melt and landslides, these need a new perspective. (Picture: Getty Images)


How do we balance climate change with the need to provide basic resources like electricity to millions of people?
Inequality is baked into the story of climate change — those who contributed most to the problem are the most insulated from its effects. Historian Elizabeth Chatterjee emphasises that we should not lose sight of the quest for development and freedom — epitomised by access to electricity — when we discuss energy use in South Asia.

The dilemma is clear when we also think about air pollution and climate change.



India’s struggle with air pollution is the result of the incomplete combustion of the cheapest, most polluting fuels — the only fuels accessible to millions of people who live without electricity.

To reduce these emissions demands a more equitable distribution of electricity — however, unless this is generated from renewable sources, this would in turn increase India’s greenhouse gas emissions.



Will climate change-driven migration now grow from South Asia?
There is no question that climate change will force many people to uproot their families in search of safety — but it will be less a question of migration from South Asia than of migration within South Asia.

We are living through a moment of hostility towards migration in the

United States

and Europe, and the spectre of millions of ‘climate refugees’ at their borders creates lurid fears. I think richer countries do have a responsibility to help in situations of climate change-driven migration.

A very small number have taken some initiative, notably New Zealand in relation to the small island states of the Pacific. But the dominant response has been to build walls and strengthen borders.

In reality, the vast majority of people displaced by climate change will move within their own countries, above all, to large cities which are already under strain in terms of their infrastructure.

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Is such environmental displacement new in human history?
The anthropogenic climate change we are experiencing now is unprecedented; in that sense, climate change-driven migration is new. But there are examples in history of how sudden climate-related disasters — droughts and floods — intensified mobility.

Imperial Chinese attempts to control the Yellow River, as early as the 11th century, caused mass displacements of people. During the colossal drought of the late 1870s, when millions perished, migration from some districts of Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka increased. But, for migration to be a viable option, there must exist networks that make it possible, including family networks or networks of labour recruitment and finance. We should also think of those who can’t migrate, due to disability or sheer poverty.

What happens to non-human species now facing climate change?
Where they can, other species migrate too — many are moving poleward, to higher elevations or deeper into warming seas, but many find their avenues of escape blocked by human settlements and infrastructure. An alarming recent study refers to our being in the midst of a ‘universal redistribution of life on earth’ — for me, the real question is, how could this possibly not be the biggest of all stories? Why do we pay this much less attention than we pay to celebrities on social media? Have we numbed ourselves, or been numbed by the manipulations of big tech, into such a state of distraction that we simply look away from how imperiled our planet has become?