Yoga will help India deal with the oil crisis

The Asian Pacific region has greatest demand for energy in the world. By 2015, it will require 150 quadrillion BTUs. That is, one-third of the energy produced by the planet will be consumed by ten countries in Asia. The list is headed by China, India and Japan. Its appetite for energy has increased in relation to its steep growth curve. An old English saying states, “No money, no music.” In this case, Asian countries have the money, and lots of it. But the oil business has the music. And the problem for the rest of the world is that many Asians are ready and willing to pay the price, and speculators know it.

Everything has its limit, though. In Asia the point of maximum tolerance is reached when Asians begin to see the lovely fields of coal from their vantage point: high atop current oil prices. Coal is accessible, nearby, cheap and easy to use to produce electric power. And the powerful Asian economies have little oil. Only 4% of the needed oil is available in the region, in contrast to 40% of required coal is located within or near the Pacific Rim. 

The coal is dark, its future is not. While some may have made a killing on oil and spent their winnings in a less than judicious manner, others capitalized responsibly on the petroleum boom. Most of the major Asian oil companies knew they needed a long-term game plan for the future. Therefore, they invested in expanding exploration and offshore drilling. They also worked out some alliances with coal companies. The result is that a second era of coal is now approaching. This is the case of India, where significant portions of the taxes generated by earnings from oil have been channeled into power plant development. This new generation of plants has minimal CO2 emissions.

Like China, India has been identified as an excessive consumer of oil. And of course it should be excessive in order to maintain its rapid growth. Two years ago, India ranked seventh among the largest consumers of oil. Today it is fifth in the following order: United States, China, Japan, Korea, and then India. But in two years the order will be: the US, followed by China, followed by India in third place. Its growth requires energy. Indian society aspires to better living standards, and all that translates into a demand for oil.

In the past ten years, India has grown at such a pace that, among other things, the State fattened itself on taxes such as the hated fuel taxes. But in India, this surplus is not a shameful obesity but, on the contrary, a positive force to improve tomorrow. The government has set up a fund to avoid the surprise impacts sharply rising fuel prices. It has also promoted various mechanisms for research and development on replacement technologies for oil. When it comes to mass production of energy, the solution in India is coal. Current research is oriented to multiple-cycle boiler systems that are supposed to emit zero pollution. With regard to energy for light vehicles, the search for the ideal biofuel has not altered the related sensitive issue of food prices. As for public transport, the solutions are electric trains and buses running on gas.

The efforts and skills of India have not gone unnoticed. In fact, the chairman of the US government’s Council on Environmental Quality, James Connaughton, announced a billion-dollar plan to develop power using non-polluting coal. The plan’s entire R&D will be done in close cooperation with India.  India’s scientific and engineering talent, its urgent need for energy, the wide availability of coal in the country and finally the motivation to win respect and position globally, have led it to partner with the US and take a lead in the burgeoning coal technology sector.

Today, wealth and power is not enough. Nations must also be consistent and show their culture does not alter the lives of others. And considering that the environmental issue is crucial when it comes to establishing ties, signing treaties or seeking alliances, India wants to show its capacity for environmental protection. Thus, they not only seek recognition from North America. Germany, Japan, and Canada are looking to partner with Indian science and technology groups. Countries with oil karma such as Oman, and big high-tech companies are seeking alliances with India, among other things because India combines several key conditions. One such condition is its dedication to maximum achievement through minimal use of energy: which just happens to be one of the Laws of Yoga.

The more oil price rises, the shorter your joyful reign will be. Coal looms on the horizon as the future’s great petroleum replacement; the near future, that is. There is little oil left, and it is rapidly being burned up. Mankind is currently consuming the black gold at a rate of 85 million barrels a day. To continue at this gluttonous rate, in ten years, our stores will be burning at a rate of 120 million barrels each day. But according to many geologists, any rate above 100 million is impossible. There are not enough reserves to open the valve and allow that volume of oil to flow out. In contrast there is plenty of coal. There are reserves for two hundred years, thus totally replacing the oil in its industrial and power generation uses.

The yogi seated with his calm, yet powerfully alert mind, is the allegory of what the future could be: appropriate use of energy, with maximum efficiency and minimal pollution. India, grandmother of all nations, creator of the philosophy of maximum achievement with minimum effort, will know how to its yoga on coal. Stand at the ready, spade in hand and ready to glean all the knowledge that will emanate from the subcontinent.