Practical solutions

The article hits the nail on the head — green innovations need policies from the government, else there is no progress on that front (“Green innovation needs solid government leadership”, Mar.29, Gulf Today).

The article touches upon various points one of them being that environmental costs aren’t factored into the price of a product. This is a relevant aspect because if an environment tax were to be imposed on manufacturing a product, the manufacturer would have certainly found ways to reduce the impact on the environment. For example, the packaging of water, cosmetics, food in single use plastics.

The other side of this is that the absence of this inclusion of environment cost in the price of a product puts green innovators at a disadvantage.

The other strong point of the article is: The success of the COVID vaccine innovation shows what’s possible when we set our mind to solving a problem. When we talk of climate change and the melting ice caps, we seem to have crossed a tipping point. But the aforementioned statement shows that if there are policies to address this situation, we can’t reverse the effects.

However, the core of all this is government policies. People and manufacturers will not inconvenience themselves for nothing. Why would a manufacturer go the long way to make a green process when a shorter method increases his profits never mind the environmental impact? Everyone seeks convenience and it is only with strict policies that any change can happen.

Abilasha D
By email