India Ranks 176th in the Global Nature Conservation Index (NCI) 2024

 India ranks 176th in the Global Nature Conservation Index (NCI) 2024, with a score of 45.5 out of 100. This places India among the five worst performers globally, alongside Kiribati, Turkey, Iraq, and Micronesia. The NCI was released on October 24, 2024, and assesses conservation efforts across 180 countries.

About the Nature Conservation Index

The NCI is a new tool that evaluates conservation efforts using four key markers:

1. Land Management
2. Threats to Biodiversity
3. Capacity and Governance
4. Future Trends

Developed by the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University and BioDB.com, the index aims to provide a clear analysis of each country’s conservation strategies. It helps governments and organizations identify issues and improve their conservation policies.

India’s Conservation Challenges

India’s low ranking is primarily due to poor land management and increasing threats to biodiversity. The country has converted 53% of its land for urban, industrial, and agricultural use. The NCI marks several problems:

• High Pesticide Use: This contributes to soil pollution.
• Sustainable Nitrogen Index: Currently at 0.77, indicating a need for improvement in soil health.

Marine Conservation Deficiencies

Marine conservation is another critical area of concern. Only 0.2% of India’s national waterways are protected. There are no protected areas within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), despite 7.5% of terrestrial land being safeguarded.

Threats to Biodiversity

India faces threats to its biodiversity:

• Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: Caused by agriculture, urbanization, and infrastructure development.
• Climate Change: This adds pressure on sensitive ecosystems, like alpine regions and coral reefs.

From 2001 to 2019 lost 23,300 sq. km of tree cover due to deforestation. Although 40% of marine species and 65% of terrestrial species are in Protected Areas, many continue to decline. The index reports that 67.5% of marine species and 46.9% of terrestrial species are experiencing population decreases.

Global Sustainable Development Goals

India’s NCI findings align with issues raised in the latest global progress report on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The country struggles with SDG 14 (Life below water) and SDG 15 (Life on land).

Future Trends and Opportunities

The index notes both challenges and opportunities for India’s biodiversity. With one of the highest population densities globally and a population that has doubled since the late 1970s, ecological wealth is under threat. India is also the fourth-largest illegal wildlife trader, with annual sales of around £15 billion. The index calls for stronger enforcement and international cooperation to combat this issue. Strong political will is crucial for effective conservation. This includes passing laws that promote sustainable development and securing funding for environmental initiatives. With commitment and action can address its conservation challenges and work towards a sustainable future.

Is India Making Progress in Environmental Performance Index?

 According to the 2024 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), India was ranked 176th out of 180 nations. Compared to 2022, when it was at the bottom of the index, this shows a small gain.   Different external factors are used by Yale and Columbia universities to make the EPI. Historically, India’s rank has gone up and down, but since 2014, it has gone down a lot.

Historical Context and Recent Trends

India’s rank changed from 122 to 127 between 2000 and 2012. In contrast, a steady drop was seen starting in 2014. The country was ranked 177th in 2018, 168th in 2020, 180th in 2022, and 176th in 2024. The drop is because other countries are doing better and India isn’t doing enough to fix its pollution problems.

Areas of Improvement and Continuing Challenges

Even though it is ranked low, things have gotten better. India got better grades on things like pollution from solid fuels used in homes, cleanliness, the quality of drinking water, acid rain precursors, and climate change. Even so, India is still having trouble with “air quality,” “ecosystem vitality,” “biodiversity and habitat,” and “species protection index.”

Comparative Global Performance

Myanmar, Laos, Pakistan, and Vietnam were the only countries that did worse than India on the 2024 EPI. Estonia was at the top of the score because it had made the most progress in protecting the environment, especially by cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, major countries like the USA, China, and Russia have either not cut their emissions at all or have seen them rise.

About Environmental Performance Index (EPI)

• Overview and Purpose: The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is a biennial ranking developed by Yale and Columbia Universities to assess countries’ environmental performance in achieving policy goals. Launched in 2006, it incorporates 32 performance indicators across 11 issue categories related to environmental health and ecosystem vitality.
• High-Performing Countries: Denmark, Luxembourg, and Switzerland usually do well on the EPI because they use energy efficiently and have strict rules about the climate. These countries set examples for other countries that want to improve their environmental standards.
• Importance for Policymakers: The EPI helps lawmakers figure out what their country is doing well in terms of the environment and what needs to be fixed. The EPI gives a full picture of how much environmental care people in each country are taking by using information from global expert reviews and satellite sources.

Farm challenges

 The relationship between climate and agriculture is closely interconnected with worldwide processes. Even a minor alteration in climate can have detrimental impacts on agricultural productivity and the production of agricultural goods.

he relationship between climate and agriculture is closely interconnected with worldwide processes. Even a minor alteration in climate can have detrimental impacts on agricultural productivity and the production of agricultural goods. While the contribution of agriculture to India’s economy has been decreasing over time, approximately 75 per cent of India’s population relies on rural incomes. Furthermore, India’s ability to ensure adequate food supply depends on the cultivation of cereal crops and the enhanced yield of fruits, vegetables, and milk to satisfy the needs of an expanding population with increasing incomes. Nevertheless, the Indian agricultural sector encounters difficulties due to severe weather phenomena such as floods, droughts, heatwaves, and others, which have severely impacted overall productivity.

Therefore, it is crucial to enact policies that focus on enhancing overall agricultural productivity, expanding diversification, and encouraging sustainable agricultural practices. India’s agriculture sector encounters a multitude of challenges. The adverse consequences of climate change include the occurrence of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, heatwaves, and coastal inundation. These events have resulted in a decrease in crop yield, reduced productivity in livestock, and have caused millions of people to fall into a cycle of poverty and food insecurity. In India, a rise in temperature of 1.5° C and a decrease in precipitation of 2 mm result in a reduction in rice yield ranging from 3 to 15 per cent. Soil fertility is reduced due to the excessive use of fertilisers and chemicals, which leads to soil degradation and erosion. Consequently, the soil becomes more vulnerable to pests and diseases.

The overall productivity has stagnated as a result of insufficient nutrients in the soil. In addition, the implementation of inappropriate land use practices and the burning of crop residues during harvest season have contributed to soil erosion, resulting in significant and lasting impacts on agricultural productivity and sustainability. In India, the lack of adequate agricultural infrastructure, such as storage facilities, pack houses, and efficient supply chains, contributes to higher post-harvest losses. Moreover, the absence of fundamental infrastructure such as road and rail connectivity impedes the farmers’ access to markets and contributes to increased production expenses. The Indian agricultural sector continues to rely on primitive agri-technologies for the production of agricultural goods. The limited availability of modern technologies hampers the ability to widely adopt innovative agricultural practices.

In numerous rural regions, the absence of banking institutions and financial establishments poses challenges for farmers in securing loans and credit facilities. Furthermore, the combination of exorbitant interest rates and restricted availability of formal credit impede the productivity of farmers. This, in turn, prevents them from embracing contemporary farming methods, effectively managing market risks, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. In the Indian context, landholdings are fragmented, meaning that the average size of land owned by individuals is relatively small. This poses challenges in adopting modern farming techniques and achieving economies of scale. Insufficient mechanisation is evident in the agricultural sector, where traditional methods and tools such as sickles and wooden ploughs are still predominantly utilised. There is a need to transition from traditional approaches to contemporary methodologies in order to enhance production on a large scale.

Inadequate agricultural marketing infrastructure results in farmers being dependent on local traders and intermediaries to sell their produce, often at prices that do not reflect true value. As per the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, if adaptation measures are not adopted, rainfed rice yields in India are estimated to decrease by 20 per cent in 2050 and 47 per cent in 2080 scenarios. Similarly, irrigated rice yields are projected to decrease by 3.5 per cent in 2050 and 5 per cent in 2080 scenarios. Climate change diminishes crop yields and decreases the nutritional quality of produce. Moreover, the occurrence of severe events such as droughts and flash floods has a detrimental effect on the consumption of food and nutrients, thereby exacerbating the overall impact on the welfare of farmers.

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (2020) report says India still struggles to feed its undernourished population despite producing an estimated 314 million metric tonnes of food in 2021-22, which falls short of achieving food security and meeting the Global Goals for Adaptation. In order to satisfy the increasing need for food due to a growing population and higher income levels, India will have to almost double its food production by the year 2050. In order to surmount these ever-changing obstacles, the Government of India has devised strategies to enhance the adaptability of agriculture to climate change. The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) is a component of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).

Its objective is to develop and execute strategies to enhance the adaptability of agriculture to the impacts of climate change. It is imperative to prioritise the development of adaptation strategies that specifically target climate-resilient agricultural practices. These practices should focus on enhancing agricultural productivity to meet global and food security objectives, enhancing the resilience and adaptability of agricultural systems to climate change, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate risks. India must adopt a multidimensional approach to address challenges related to climate change by implementing a diverse set of adaptation strategies, in addition to adopting climateresilient practices. Technologies for Adaptation refer to the utilisation of technology to decrease susceptibility or improve the ability to withstand the effects of climate change. In the field of agriculture, technologies for adaptation refer to the process of identifying and evaluating agricultural practices and technologies that improve overall productivity, food security, and resilience in specific agro-ecological zones and farming systems.

Multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration are crucial for improving the effectiveness of policies and facilitating the widespread adoption of agricultural adaptation technologies. Cooperation and collaboration among various stakeholders at different levels are necessary for the smooth dissemination of these technologies. Capacity building is crucial for the government to improve its ability to adapt to and address the negative impacts of climate change in any policy. As per the OECD, it is crucial to enhance absorptive capacity, which refers to a system’s capability to effectively handle immediate climate-related consequences. This encompasses strategies like implementing early warning systems to assist farmers in adapting their practices and establishing crop insurance schemes to provide compensation for any incurred losses. Infrastructure capacity development is crucial for enhancing overall productivity, and it is imperative that the infrastructure is designed to be climate resilient.

The government should implement policies aimed at constructing and enhancing current storage facilities in order to mitigate post-harvest losses. Simultaneously, it is crucial to establish basic infrastructure such as road and rail connectivity to enhance farmers’ access to markets, thereby facilitating the connection between farmers and consumers. Soil management is crucial for agriculture to cope with climate change, improve soil durability, and support sustainable farming methods. The government should enforce diverse soil management techniques to achieve these goals. Cover crops are cultivated specifically to provide soil coverage during periods of inactivity, effectively mitigating soil erosion. Furthermore, implementing crop rotation in a methodical manner can enhance the equilibrium of soil nutrients and decrease the need for fertilisers and chemicals, thus augmenting the content of organic matter in the soil and improving its overall health. Water management is crucial in conjunction with agricultural policies and investments to ensure the development of climate-resilient agriculture production systems.

Utilising a blend of regulatory, economic, and collective strategies is necessary to effectively address groundwater sustainability. This is crucial because aquifers are the largest water reservoirs worldwide and play a vital role in supporting irrigated agriculture in important production areas. Water policies encompass water allocation systems that can effectively manage water demand and supply in response to variations in precipitation. Policy formulation involves the development of strategies and guidelines to address adaptation principles at various levels, including local, regional, national, and international. These policies aim to ensure that the factors that contribute to successful adaptation are replicated across different scales. Past experiences with agricultural adaptation technologies have revealed specific requirements for effective policies and recommendations to facilitate the successful implementation of these technologies in adapting agriculture to climate change.

Financial inclusion is essential for addressing the substantial lack of funding for climate adaptation. To bridge this gap, it is crucial to gather financial resources from private sector investments. Inclusive financial systems play a vital role in directing finance to the most vulnerable individuals and last mile workers, including farmers. Establishing Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) can enable farmers to enhance productivity, allocate resources towards farm mechanisation, and take advantage of economies of scale. Moreover, agricultural-focused non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and financial technology (Fintech) can assist farmers in fulfilling their extended credit requirements, thus promoting their income expansion. Although these strategies are in place, the benefits of adapting to climate change also contribute to mitigating its effects through various methods.

These benefits encompass enhanced energy efficiency, decreased urban energy and water usage resulting from greening and recycling initiatives, sustainable farming practices, and the preservation of ecosystems and their associated advantages. To effectively tackle the challenges in India’s agriculture sector, a comprehensive strategy is needed, encompassing technological advancements, optimal utilisation of resources, policy restructuring, and enhancing capabilities. India can bolster agricultural productivity and guarantee food security by implementing these adaptation strategies, thereby making a significant contribution to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

P GARGI RAO

Source: The Statesman, 13/06/24

What is Cyclone Remal?

 

A new low-pressure area has been found over the southwest and adjacent west central Bay of Bengal as of May 22, 2024, early in the morning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) swears this is true. From what the IMD can tell, this storm will move northeast and is likely to turn into a depression by May 24. After that, the storm is likely to get stronger as it stays on the same path. By the evening of May 25, it will be in the northeast and adjacent northwest Bay of Bengal.

Conditions Favouring Intensification

The United States Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) said that the weather conditions are good for the storm to get stronger. Warm sea surfaces (28 to 29 degrees Celsius) and low vertical wind shear are two important factors. These conditions give the system the thermal energy it needs and keep the atmosphere steady, which is good for its survival and growth.

Potential Formation of Cyclone Remal

Based on predictions on the US Global Forecasting System (GFS) that Cyclone Remal could form in the northwest Bay of Bengal by the morning of May 26. Additionally, The Weather Channel (TWC) has admitted that a cyclonic storm is likely to happen, even though it says the chances of it becoming a severe cyclonic storm are low.

Impact Predictions

IMD says that on May 25 and 26, some districts in West Bengal and Odisha will get light to moderate rain, and other districts will get heavy rain. In northeast India, places like Mizoram, Tripura, and south Manipur are expected to have similar weather. Also, from May 26–28, TWC predicts heavy rain—possibly more than 200 millimeters—in states like Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura.

Implications and Preparedness

Local governments and people who live in places that could be affected are being told to keep a close eye on things and get ready for bad weather. This shows how important it is to have accurate weather predictions and plan ahead for disasters, especially in places that are prone to cyclones.

Facts about the Bay of Bengal

• The Bay of Bengal is the biggest bay in the world, covering more than 2,172,000 square kilometres.
• This part of the Indian Ocean is in the northeast. India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka are all on its edges.
• The “Whistlers,” which are low-frequency radio waves caused by lightning, are a unique event that happens in the bay.
• It is home to the very rare Olive Ridley turtle and the Sundarbans, which is the world’s biggest mangrove forest.
• The Bengal Fan, the world’s biggest submarine fan, is in the Bay of Bengal.
• The area also gets cyclones often, with a special cyclone season from April to November.

Why do temperatures vary from place to place within the same city?

 

A weather station in Delhi recorded a high of 52.9 degree Celsius on May 29 — unheard of in the capital. But another station in the same city recorded 45.2 degrees, pretty normal for the end of May. Leafier neighbourhoods often seem cooler than pockets of treeless concrete. Why does this happen?

The weather station at Mungeshpur in Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 52.9 degree Celsius on Wednesday (May 29). On Tuesday, the same location had seen a high of 49.9 degree Celsius.

However, the maximum temperatures recorded at other places in Delhi were at least 6 or 7 degree Celsius lower than those seen in Mungeshpur. For instance, at Raj Ghat and Lodhi Road, maximum temperatures on Wednesday were 45.2 and 46.2 degree Celsius respectively.

There are several weather stations across Delhi, each of which records the temperature at a particular place.

Several observatories and automatic weather stations are located at different places within the city — and there is no single observatory or station that gives an average temperature of Delhi as a whole.

Temperatures are recorded at Palam, Lodhi Road, Ridge, Ayanagar, Jafarpur, Mungeshpur, Najafgarh, Narela, Pitampura, Pusa, Mayur Vihar, and Raj Ghat.The weather/ temperature app on your mobile phone shows the temperature at the nearest station, which may not necessarily be that of the official India Meteorological Department (IMD) station. (The same goes for the AQI/ air pollution data on your phone.)

So, if you drive across the city from, say, Pitampura to Raj Ghat, you will likely see different temperatures on your phone.

But why is the temperature different at different places within the same city?

Although temperatures experienced by a particular region are largely governed by weather, several anthropogenic factors also play a role, especially in a large urban centre such as Delhi.

These factors include the concentration of pavements, buildings, roads, and parking lots — in general, hard and dry surfaces provide less shade and moisture, thereby leading to higher temperatures.

The material used to build infrastructure also has an impact. For instance, places where most of pavements and buildings are made of concrete, witness warmer temperatures. That’s because concrete can hold nearly 2,000 times as much heat as an equivalent volume of air.

The geometry and spacing of buildings are a factor as well. If a location is densely populated by buildings, surfaces and structures there become “large thermal masses” as they fail to release heat readily. Very narrow streets and tall buildings obstruct natural wind flows that generally bring temperatures down.

The heavy use of air conditioners in shopping malls and residential areas result in localised higher temperatures — ACs release an enormous amount of heat outdoors.

These factors can collectively lead to the creation of ‘urban heat islands’ at a location. These ‘islands’ experience higher temperatures relative to outlying areas.

The likelihood of a place becoming an urban heat island is higher when it does not have trees, vegetation, and water bodies. Natural landscapes bring down temperatures because they provide shade, and the processes of transpiration from plants and evaporation from water bodies produce cooling.

This cooling effect is in evidence in the vicinity of large parks or urban forests in Delhi.

Written by Alind Chauhan

Source: Indian Express, 30/05/24

Global warming, sea level rise, ageing flood defence systems: Why European countries have been flooded

 

While rain this time of year isn’t unusual, it’s the intensity of the downpour that has set off alarm bells among experts. They suggest a combination of factors has led to the deluge in the countries. Here is a look.

Heavy rains have hit France, England, Netherlands and Germany for more than two weeks, causing rivers to burst their banks in many areas, flooding homes and prompting evacuations.

While rain this time of year in these regions isn’t unusual, it’s the intensity of the downpour that has set off alarm bells among experts. They suggest a combination of factors, including global warming, rising sea levels, and ageing flood defence systems have led to the deluge in the countries.

Here is a look at the situation.

What is happening?

In France, the northern region has been the worst affected as 189 municipalities of the Pas de Calais department witnessed flooding. Till January 4, at least 1,299 homes had been damaged and a total of 371 people had been evacuated by the local authorities.

Widespread deluge has impacted central England — in Nottinghamshire County, officials declared a “major incident” due to flooding along the Trent River last week. In London, a landslide and flood waters disrupted train travel and around 50 people had to be evacuated because of rising water in the eastern part of the city. The flooding has come just days after the country’s large areas were battered by Storm Henk.

Meanwhile, in Germany, officials declared emergencies in several regions as high-running rivers flooded villages and farmland. In the Netherlands, flood plains were inundated and residents in some towns around the Ijsselmeer inland sea near Amsterdam used sandbags to protect their homes, according to a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

Why is it happening?

There are three factors at play here: rising global temperature, sea level rise, and outdated flood defence systems. Let’s look at each of them.

First, global warming. Scientists have known that as the planet gets warmer, there will be more frequent extreme rainfall. With higher temperatures, there is more evaporation from land, oceans and water bodies, which means a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture — experts suggest for every 1 degree Celsius rise in average temperature, the atmosphere can hold about 7% more moisture. This makes storms more dangerous as it leads to an increase in precipitation intensity, duration and/or frequency, which ultimately can cause severe flooding.

El Nino — a weather pattern that refers to an abnormal warming of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean — also partly contributed to increasing the temperatures of oceans, causing more evaporation and ultimately, more rain.

The second factor is sea level rise due to which rivers frequently breach their banks to flood the adjacent areas. Take the example of northern France, where rising sea levels likely led to the recent deluge — between 1966 and 2018, sea levels at Pas de Calais rose by 4.4 cm, according to a report by Euro News.

Lastly, ageing flood defence systems have exacerbated the situation. The Euro News report noted that the outdated water management systems of France failed to tackle the large volumes of water that had entered the affected regions. Authorities had to get water pumps from the Netherlands to combat flooding.

Moreover, people, both in France and England, have built infrastructure like roads and buildings on floodplains, restricting the natural routes the water would have taken to get drained into the floodplain soils. As a result, the water ends up flooding certain areas.

What happens next?

The situation is bound to get worse. Studies have shown that as the planet gets warmer, storms would get more intense, causing heavier rainfall. The frequency of extreme weather events like floods is also expected to go up.

Steve Turner, a hydrologist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, in an interview on Friday told Science Media Centre: “Future projections suggest the UK overall may experience wetter winters as well as summers that are hotter and drier than at present but with periods of more intense rainfall. Continued human-induced climate warming in future is likely to result in further increases in peak river flows, which will cause more severe flooding and impacts on people, property and public services.”

Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve flood defences, early warning systems and resilience measures to tackle the fallout of heavy rain.

Written by Alind Chauhan

Source: The Indian Express, 9/01/24

Local to global

 Over the last four decades, I have taken part in countless academic seminars and literary festivals. The most recent took place last month, and was held in the southern hill town of Udhagamandalam, popularly known as Ooty. Billed as a “Conference for the Nilgiris in the Nilgiris”, it sought to envision a “bioculturally sustainable future” for this beautiful and vulnerable mountain district of Tamil Nadu. The speakers included the foremost social scientists and natural scientists who have worked in the region alongside citizen-activists, entrepreneurs, teachers, and tribal elders. In terms of diversity of participants and the quality of the presentations, this was one of the most enjoyable and educative seminars I have ever attended.

I have a personal connection to the Nilgiris. My father was born in Ooty and, as adults, my parents met and fell in love in that same town. However, I was myself born and raised at the other end of the subcontinent, in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalaya. It was in the interior hills of Garhwal that I did my first piece of sustained research. I actually first visited the Nilgiris only when I was forty. However, in the past quarter of a century, I have spent a great deal of time there, on shorter holidays with the family spread out over the years and in longer and more concentrated stretches during the coronavirus pandemic. The Nilgiris are one part of a great mountain chain known as the Western Ghats; Garhwal one part of an even greater mountain chain known as the Himalaya. Listening to the talks and conversations at this “NilgiriScapes” seminar, I thought I could discern some historical parallels between the hills I knew so well in my youth and the hills I am coming to know better in my old age. These parallels extend across the precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial periods.

I do of course recognise the profound biocultural differences between the two regions. The inhabitants of the Nilgiris and Garhwal were — and are — dissimilar in terms of language, faith, culture, and cuisine. The landscapes of the two regions are very different in terms of their flora, fauna, soil types, and geological formations. Even so, in their modern ecological histories, there remain many similarities, as I shall now explain.

It was in the early 19th century that British colonialists first began to make their presence felt in both Garhwal and the Nilgiris. In each region when the foreigners came, they found four major forms of livelihood being practised by the hill communities — hunting and gathering, pastoralism, agriculture, and craft production. Both regions were largely self-sufficient economically, though not wholly so: the people of the Nilgiris trading with the plains of Kongu Nadu below, the people of Garhwal trading both with the Indo-Gangetic plains and across the high Himalaya with Tibet.

In both the Nilgiris and Garhwal, the local communities had a deep and organic connection with the natural world. They had learned to live and reproduce themselves within the boundaries set by nature. Indigenous knowledge about plants, soils, and climatic conditions was highly developed and embodied in their livelihood practices. At the same time, the worship of specific plants, rocks, and water bodies, and the setting aside of areas of untouched forests as sacred groves, reflected the profound humility towards nature displayed by these premodern communities.

The advent of the British raj marked a radical disruption in both these regions. At the level of ecology, there was a profound transformation in the landscape — which took the form of tea estates in the Nilgiris and of commercial forestry in the Himalaya. The planting and harvesting of tea in the one place and the planting and harvesting of pine in the other led to a major loss in biodiversity and environmental stability. At the level of society, both regions witnessed an influx of outsiders — labourers, officials, teachers, soldiers, pleasure-seekers, and others — as well as a steadily increasing stream of out-migration, as hill folk sought employment in the factories, homes, and offices in the plains. With the raj also came the creation of urban centres and ‘hill stations‘ such as Ooty and Mussoorie.

After Independence in 1947, the social and ecological reshaping of these regions further accelerated. The rivers of the hills were dammed for power, inundating forests and grasslands. With the expansion of the network of motorable roads, the flow of people and commodities in and out of the hills greatly intensified. The ‘development’ programmes of the postcolonial State brought in tens of thousands of government employees with their families. The expansion of the Indian middle class led to an exponential surge in tourism from the plains to the hills. These tourists brought with them opportunities for local employment and income generation, but also drunkenness, brawls, traffic jams and, not least, tonnes of non-biodegradable waste, which they carelessly threw along roadsides and into rivers and forests too.

By the 1970s, the ecological and social crises caused by deforestation in Garhwal was acute enough to have given birth to the Chipko movement. By the 1980s, the Nilgiris had its first citizens’ groups mobilising people for action. These initiatives were timely, for the ecological integrity of both Garhwal and the Nilgiris was threatened from a variety of directions — deforestation, soil erosion, toxic wastes, the invasion of exotic weeds and of too many tourists. In the years that followed, an unequal battle has been waged between those working for a sustainable future for their hills and those seeking to undermine it.

The challenge of climate change has of course made these questions even more urgent. It strikes me here that in three respects the southern hills of my old age are more fortunate than the northern hills of my youth. The first reason is ecological; because the rivers of the Garhwal Himalaya are snow-fed and descend from greater heights, they are far more likely to attract costly and destructive hydro-electric projects. There are indeed a few hydel projects in the Nilgiris, but these have not caused remotely the sort of damage that the large and apparently ever-growing network of dams in the Himalaya has done.

The second source of good luck for the Nilgiris is geostrategic. Thus, while these southern hills can be approached from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, these are all states of the Indian Union. On the other hand, Garhwal borders Tibet, and the fragile relations between India and China have necessitated the building of wide roads and the conveying of large numbers of troops, with negative spill-over effects for nature and for society.

The third piece of good fortune is religious in origin. While the Nilgiris are home to many small and locally venerated temples, shrines, mosques, and churches, none of these attracts visitors from outside the district. On the other hand, Garhwal is home to four of the holiest and most visited temples in India, the so-called Char Dham, namely, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Jamnotri. So long as pilgrimage to these places was conducted on foot and by horse-back this was no problem; but now that religious tourism has expanded by leaps and bounds, and apparently requires the building of four-lane highways to accommodate it, the ecological and social threats it poses are immense.

I have deep personal attachments to Garhwal and to the Nilgiris. I would therefore wish for a ‘bioculturally sustainable future’ for both these hill regions. Yet, on the available evidence, it seems that the prospects for such a future for Garhwal are close to non-existent. To safeguard and renew the socio-ecological integrity of the Nilgiris will no doubt be an arduous and uphill battle, but at least it can be imbued with a measure of hope and possibility. A fruitful collaboration among citizens, scientists, socially-conscious entrepreneurs and public-spirited government officials can yet put in place strategies for restoring the sholas and the forests, for de-chemicalising plantation agriculture, for making tourism more socially inclusive and less resource-intensive, for cleaning and reviving water bodies.

This column is being published on the weekend of the grand G20 summit held in Delhi, when leaders of the most populous, prosperous and powerful nations will meet to discuss the state of the world, accompanied by their boosters and cheerleaders in the media. No doubt some high-minded and piously-worded declarations will be issued at the end of the meeting. But whether this G20 meeting will materially improve the prospects of life on earth is entirely unlikely. For while thinking globally is all very well, acting locally — in the spirit of the NilgiriScapes conference held in Ooty last month — may be even more important for the future of humanity and of nature as well.

Ramachandra Guha

Source: The Telegraph, 9/09/23

International Day of Zero Wastes

 Every year on March 30, people around the world celebrate the International Day of Zero Waste, a day designated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote reducing waste and sustainable consumption and production patterns. This day promotes the creation of a more sustainable and waste-free world.

History of the International Day of Zero Waste

The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on December 14, 2022, designating March 30 as the International Day of Zero Waste. The proposal was co-sponsored by Turkey and 105 other countries and is part of a series of resolutions dealing with waste. It aims to achieve all the objectives and targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by promoting zero-waste initiatives.

Theme of the International Day of Zero Waste 2023

The theme of the International Day of Zero Waste in 2023 is “Achieving sustainable and environmentally sound practices of minimizing and managing waste.” This theme emphasizes the importance of promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns to reduce the negative impact of waste on the environment.

Impact of Waste on the Environment

According to the UN data, around 2.24 billion tons of municipal solid waste are produced each year. Only 55% of them is being disposed of in managed facilities. Also, an estimated 931 million tons of food are either lost or wasted every year, and approximately 14 million tons of plastic waste enters aquatic ecosystems each year. These numbers highlight the adverse consequences of waste on the environment, including landfills, pollution, and resource depletion.

Promoting Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns

The International Day of Zero Waste seeks to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns by encouraging individuals, communities, and organizations to adopt practices that minimize waste, reuse and recycle materials, and reduce the amount of waste generated. Initiatives like clean-up campaigns, recycling drives, educational programs, and advocacy campaigns are being conducted on this occasion to enable community mobilization towards a more sustainable and waste-free world.

Sustainable Development Goals Promoted by the International Day of Zero Waste

The International Day of Zero Waste promotes SDGs 11 and 12, which aim to make cities and communities more sustainable and promote responsible consumption and production. These goals align with the broader agenda of the United Nations to promote sustainable development and address the challenges posed by climate change, environmental degradation, and poverty.

Observance of the International Day of Zero Waste

International Day of Zero Waste is jointly overseen by the UN-Habitat and the UNEP. Member countries, UN organizations, civil societies, private entities, academia, youth and other stakeholders are encouraged to participate in activities that create awareness of of national, subnational, regional, and local zero-waste initiatives and their role in enabling a sustainable development.

Source: https://www.gktoday.in/topic/international-day-of-zero-wastes/

India’s green power

 In the next decade or so, India hopes to gradually replace hydrogen produced from fossil fuels with purer green hydrogen in two major sectors: petroleum refining and fertiliser production

The Union cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission with the aim of making India a global hub in the production of green hydrogen. Many industry experts argue that the timing of the cabinet approval indicates two things. First, the government is aware of this grand mission’s financial implications and has a kitty of Rs 19,744 crore to fund the initiative. Second, India, being one of the five countries putting its money on the table for green hydrogen, knows that there is no fixed template for incentives in this domain and that establishing a clean energy source hub is a tough task. 

India is aiming for a big push. The target is to produce at least five million metric tonnes of green hydrogen per annum by 2030, with the potential to reach 10 MMT per annum that could cater to the export market. In the next decade or so, India hopes to gradually replace hydrogen produced from fossil fuels with purer green hydrogen in two major sectors: petroleum refining and fertiliser production. The mission would also help India cut down approximately 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This is in sync with India’s commitment towards the legally binding Paris Agreement of 2015. Employment generation and development of cutting-edge technologies can be accrued benefits once electrolysers, essential for the green hydrogen transition programme, are manufactured in the country.

Two conditions must be met for the green hydrogen mission to take off. There must be optimum demand for green hydrogen by making user industries transition to the cleaner fuel with obligations. Feasible subsidies must be granted to end users to attain parity with grey hydrogen obtained from natural gas and potentially nullify India’s import of liquefied natural gas. This would, in turn, create a consistent demand for green hydrogen and catalyse production of the fuel to incentivise the green ecosystem. The solar power industry, too, would benefit from green hydrogen since solar power requires renewable energy.

However, the success of the mission would depend on the execution of projects by the companies that are its stakeholders. Private sector giants, public sector navratnas as well as renewable energy majors have made ambitious announcements pertaining to the sector. For India’s green hydrogen mission to fructify, it would need plenty of business development activity and compliance with international regulatory norms. The real challenge would be to harmonise standards and certification systems for green hydrogen globally. While this will be a challenge for countries all over the world, India could play a pivotal role in facilitating it given its G20 presidency with a prerogative to champion the Global South.

The cabinet approval for the National Green Hydrogen Mission sends a positive signal to the private and global investing fraternity. Above all, it will give a much-needed impetus to the states to commence their own actions aligned with the principle of decarbonisation. If synchronised and executed properly, it would help India meet its long-term energy needs.

Chiranjib Haldar

Source: The Telegraph, 6/03/23

The threat from microplastics

 According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, there has been a significant increase in these particles in the surface waters of the sea in the last four decades. Some recent studies have also confirmed that plastic particles are finding their way into the human bloodstream and airways.

The use of plastic in every house had started from the 1950s itself, in everyday things like toothpaste, cosmetics and laundry detergent, all of which contain small particles of plastic. Along with sewage, they reach the river drains and this river- processed water reaches our home taps along with microplastics.

Besides polluting the environment, these microplastics could also lead to the danger of extinction of some species. Evidence has been found that even small particles or pieces of plastic can be very harmful to human health; bigger particles are even more harmful. This can cause serious complications in people with lung disease.

The plastics going into the sea decompose to become microplastics. These are particles whose diameter is less than 5 mm. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, there has been a significant increase in these particles in the surface waters of the sea in the last four decades. Some recent studies have also confirmed that plastic particles are finding their way into the human bloodstream and airways.

Millions of tons of plastic are produced every year and they spread in the environment in tiny particles. At present, many studies are on to show how dangerous small particles of plastic can prove for human health. It is believed that these fine particles can remain in the lungs for a long time. They can cause inflammation in the lungs and damage the immune system. They are also carcinogenic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems.

Experts have said in a study that the things used daily fill the blood and lungs with microplastics. The researchers identified 12 types of plastic, including polypropylene, polyethylene, terephthalate, and resin. These plastics are commonly found in packaging, bottles, clothing, rope and twine. The most dangerous sources of microplastics include city dust, textiles and even tyres.

Many foods and beverages are also filling the body with microplastics. These include bottled water, salt, seafood, teabags, ready meals and canned food. It is believed that plastic particles can damage lung tissue in the long run, leading to cancer, asthma, heart attack and other health problems.

A new study has raised serious questions about its effects on human health. According to ‘Plos One Journal’, microplastics can travel through blood vessels to vascular tissue. However, scientists have not been able to determine the severity of the health effects. The University of Hull and Hull York Medical School team analysed the study by examining vein tissue from a patient undergoing heart bypass surgery. During this, 15 microplastic particles per gram and five different types of polymers were found in the vein tissue. The researchers found that all these particles were ‘alkyd resin’ (a substance found in synthetic paints) as well as ‘polyvinyl acetate’ (an adhesive in nylon) and ‘EVOS’ (a substance found in packaging materials).

The test found that the level of microplastics was higher than in lung tissue. In fact, the discovery of microplastics in the blood has been explained, but it is now known that these particles can seep into the veins, and it was not clear that they could cross the veins into vascular tissue. A recent study published in ‘Science of the Total Environment’ found microplastics present in all parts of the lungs, including the lower lungs. Coughing, shortness of breath and reduced lung capacity have been observed in textile workers due to microplastic particles released from polyester and nylon fibers, a study has revealed.

Research published in 2019 by the environmental charity ‘WWAF International’ said that there is so much plastic pollution in our environment that humans are ingesting about five grams of plastic every week, which is equivalent to eating a credit card every week. The research highlighted different areas of study being pursued by scientists. They are detecting microplastics in some human organs, including the lungs, spleen, kidneys and even the uterus. , and microfibres in synthetic clothing are being inhaled.

Another study in March confirmed the first traces of PET in blood, with some scientists calling the findings “premature” given the investigators’ small sample size. But there are concerns that if plastic is in the bloodstream, it can reach all organs. A Dutch study published in the ‘Environment International Journal’ in March last year found microplastics in 80 per cent of blood samples from 22 people. After the study, scientists warned that this material could soon enter human organs. Its presence in humans can slow down the metabolic process of cells. These fine plastic particles can increase antibiotic resistance in bacteria by up to 30 times.

Everyday plastic is releasing billions of microscopic particles into the water. In 2021, researchers found microplastics in the umbilical cord of an unborn child. Great concern was then expressed over its potential consequences for fetal development. In such a situation, where scientists have identified the presence of microplastics in the body, it can be assumed that humans have been eating, drinking or breathing small particles of plastic for years. Although health studies on humans are not yet developed, toxicity in some animals reinforces concerns.

Rishabh Mishra

Source: The Statesman, 22/02/23

Double trouble

 From dams to expressways to coal-fired power plants, India’s biodiversity is being battered by the development juggernaut

There’s a new trend in the world of conservation. On the one hand, countries in the Global South are advancing their development agenda with a massive thrust towards building infrastructure. On the other, they are tightening their grip on biodiversity in line with the goals set by the Conference of Parties last year. Both approaches bulldoze local communities that have always conserved forests.

In India, the paradox of development and conservation is quietly unfolding around forests. Call it a double whammy: communities get evicted both by development and conservation. Neither approach sees locals as integral to the landscape. For instance, the country went into a collective ecstasy when cheetahs were reintroduced in the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Few cared about the eviction of tribals. This is not all; around the same area, several infrastructure projects have been unleashed to showcase development.

Kuno is but one example. The disregard for taking communities along is stark. Otherwise, how is it that there isn’t one example of locals being roped in for conservation? Take a look at every major protected area, you’ll find both notions going hand in hand, much to the detriment of communities, with the brunt being borne largely by scheduled tribes who live amidst some of the pristine forests.

From dams to expressways to coal-fired power plants, India’s biodiversity is being battered by the development juggernaut. The same goes for mindless conservation projects that do not factor in the locals inhabiting the ecosystem. The latest strategy adopted by the different states and the Centre is to carve out smaller conservation and community reserves instead of creating big national parks or sanctuaries. The former evokes less opposition and also allows authorities to push for infrastructure projects if needed in those very landscapes they aspire to conserve.

The protected area database (http://www.wiienvis. nic.in/Database/Protected_ Area_854.aspx), throws up a startling development: India hasn’t really seen an increase in sanctuaries and national parks in the last few years. But there’s a burst of small community and conservation reserves — terms denoting protected areas acting as buffer zones or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks or sanctuaries. These categories were first introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002 “because of reduced protection in and around existing or proposed protected areas due to private ownership of land, and land use”. Why this sudden tweak in strategy?

One plausible reason could be that India is wedded to the ambitious spatial targets set by CoP to place nearly 30 per cent of the world’s land and water under formal protection by 2030. This will be seen as a gauge to measure success, never mind the disregard for human rights. Where can you seek to expand the forests or biodiversity? Obviously where protected forests still exist.

An overwhelmingly large population lives within and near protected areas in the Global South, including India. They invest in and contribute to the economy of the commons equally. Most of these are indigenous people using forest resources for livelihood and sustenance. The double whammy of infrastructure projects and expansion of protected areas to meet spatial conservation targets don’t augur well for them. In the long run, it hurts conservation goals too because they pitch the two against each other. That’s one reason why locals went on a rampage near the Pench National Park in Madhya Pradesh after a tiger attacked and killed a human.

It is high time India reviewed its myopic approach and roped local communities into conservation of protected areas to avert a million potential conflicts

Jaideep Hardikar

Source: The Telegraph, 16/12/22

Why fusion could be a clean-energy breakthrough

 

Using powerful lasers to focus enormous energy on a miniature capsule half the size of a BB, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California started a reaction that produced about 1.5 times more energy than was contained in the light used to produce it.

The major advance in fusion research announced in Washington on Tuesday was decades in coming, with scientists for the first time able to engineer a reaction that produced more power than was used to ignite it.

Using powerful lasers to focus enormous energy on a miniature capsule half the size of a BB, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California started a reaction that produced about 1.5 times more energy than was contained in the light used to produce it. There are decades more to wait before fusion could one day — maybe — be used to produce electricity in the real world. But the promise of fusion is enticing. If harnessed, it could produce nearly limitless, carbon-free energy to supply humanity’s electricity needs without raising global temperatures and worsening climate change.

At the press conference in Washington, the scientists celebrated. “So, this is pretty cool,” said Marvin “Marv” Adams, the National Nuclear Security Administration deputy administrator for defense programs.

“Fusion fuel in the capsule got squeezed, fusion reactions started. This had all happened before – 100 times before – but last week for the first time they designed this experiment so that the fusion fuel stayed hot enough, dense enough and round enough for long enough that it ignited,” said Adams. “And it produced more energy than the lasers had deposited.”Here’s a look at exactly what nuclear fusion is, and some of the difficulties in turning it into the cheap and carbon-free energy source that scientists hope it can be.

What is nuclear fusion?

Look up, and it’s happening right above you — nuclear fusion reactions power the sun and other stars.The reaction happens when two light nuclei merge to form a single heavier nucleus. Because the total mass of that single nucleus is less than the mass of the two original nuclei, the leftover mass is energy that is released in the process, according to the Department of Energy.In the case of the sun, its intense heat — millions of degrees Celsius — and the pressure exerted by its gravity allow atoms that would otherwise repel each other to fuse.

 Scientists have long understood how nuclear fusion has worked and have been trying to duplicate the process on Earth as far back as the 1930s. Current efforts focus on fusing a pair of hydrogen isotopes — deuterium and tritium — according to the Department of Energy, which says that particular combination releases “much more energy than most fusion reactions” and requires less heat to do so.

How valuable could this be?

Daniel Kammen, a professor of energy and society at the University of California at Berkeley, said nuclear fusion offers the possibility of “basically unlimited” fuel if the technology can be made commercially viable. The elements needed are available in seawater.It’s also a process that doesn’t produce the radioactive waste of nuclear fission, Kammen said. Crossing the line of net energy gain marks a major achievement, said Carolyn Kuranz, a University of Michigan professor and experimental plasma physicist.“Of course, now people are thinking, well, how do we go to 10 times more or 100 times more? There’s always some next step,” Kuranz said. “But I think that’s a clear line of, yes, we have achieved ignition in the laboratory.”

How are scientists trying to do this?

One way scientists have tried to recreate nuclear fusion involves what’s called a tokamak — a doughnut-shaped vacuum chamber that uses powerful magnets to turn fuel into a superheated plasma (between 150 million and 300 million degrees Celsius) where fusion may occur.The Livermore lab uses a different technique, with researchers firing a 192-beam laser at a small capsule filled with deuterium-tritium fuel. The lab reported that an August 2021 test produced 1.35 megajoules of fusion energy — about 70% of the energy fired at the target. The lab said several subsequent experiments showed declining results, but researchers believed they had identified ways to improve the quality of the fuel capsule and the lasers’ symmetry.

Why is fusion so hard?

It takes more than extreme heat and pressure. It also takes precision. The energy from the lasers must be applied precisely to counteract the outward force of the fusion fuel, according to Stephanie Diem, an engineering physics professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. And that’s just to prove net energy gain is possible. It’s even harder to produce electricity in a power plant. For example, the lab’s lasers can only fire a few times a day. To viably produce energy, they would need to fire rapidly and capsules would need to be inserted multiple times a minute, or even faster, Kuranz said.Another challenge is to increase efficiency, said Jeremy Chittenden, a professor at Imperial College in London specializing in plasma physics. The lasers used at Livermore require a lot of electrical energy, and researchers need to figure out a way to reproduce their results in a much more cost-effective way, he said.

Source: Indian Express, 15/12/22