India Roundtable

QUESTION: Although India contributes only a small percentage of the world's greenhouse gases, it is among the countries that are likely to be hardest hit by global warming. The Sundarban Islands in the Ganges Delta, where tens of millions of people live, are threatened with extinction as a result of rising water levels. Yet some in India argue that global warming is the fault of developed nations, and it should be up to them to fix the problem. What can and should India - and Indian companies - be doing in this area? What can and should the developed world be doing on India's behalf?

Carol Bartz
Executive Chairman of the Board, Autodesk
In the not-so-distant future, when the impact of global warming really hits us, it has all the makings of an economic, political and human nightmare.

What does India need to do on its own behalf? Let's start with what India shouldn't do. At the top of my list is, "Don't look to the developed countries as models for sustainable prosperity." To put it bluntly, we've messed up - big time.

We created societal patterns of consumption that go way past irresponsible. The U.S. is the biggest offender. We waste carbon fuels and water at levels that no one can justify.

In the developed economies, conservation is the biggest, near-term target of opportunity. Turn off the lights, adjust the thermostat, get a smaller car next time. Use energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances. Insulate your attic.

But beyond this, the United States needs to become the global change agent. We need to find the social and political will to do what's right, what's sustainable. To do any less is to turn our backs on more than 200 years of working hard as a country to do the right thing.

At the end of World War II, the Marshall Plan helped repair the human, economic and political damage of the war. It was a big sacrifice - borne by the U.S. alone. By any measure the ROI of the Marshall Plan was huge. It laid the groundwork for the European Union and the stability and prosperity of Japan.

It's time for another Marshall Plan - aimed squarely at solving global warming around the world. The U.S. has the resources, imagination, talent and mindset to do this. It's nuts-and-bolts problem solving time. We can do this.

Let's pull ourselves up by our bootstraps at home - and bring along India and the rest of the developing countries at the same time. In 20 years, we'll look like pragmatic idealists and hardheaded visionaries.

Let's get started now.

Manvinder Singh (Vindi) Banga

Dominic Barton

Nandan M. Nilekani

Carol Bartz

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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.