Centre for Science and Environment masthead Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Donate

Cse In News

Cse In News

Opinion: Protecting planet’s protective shield

Over two billion years ago, blue-green algae — early aquatic organisms — began using energy from the sun to convert molecules of water and carbon dioxide and recombine them into organic compounds and molecular oxygen. This resulted in an increase in oxygen and a decrease in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Some oxygen molecules absorb energy from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays and split to form single oxygen atoms. These atoms combine with molecular oxygen to form ozone molecules, which are very effective in absorbing ultraviolet rays. Ozone was discovered in 1785 by Dutch physicist MV Marum but it was only in 1840 that German chemist CF Schenbein could synthesise it. The ozone layer is not really a layer but has become known as such because most ozone particles are scattered between 19 km and 30 km up in the stratosphere in the form of a thick sheet called ozonosphere. Ozone also occurs in very small amounts in the lowest few kilometres of the stratosphere — the troposphere. The ozone layer can absorb 97-99 per cent of harmful ultraviolet radiations that the sun emits which can produce long-term devastating effects on human beings as well as plants and animals. Different Layers There are two layers of ozone in the atmosphere: bad ozone exists in the troposphere from ground level up to 10 km and is harmful to breathe. After the 10 km stratosphere, we have a good ozone layer extending upward up to 30 km and protecting life on Earth from the sun’s harmful UV rays. The bad ozone layer is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight. Ground-level ozone is a harmful pollutant. The good ozone layer is produced naturally in the stratosphere by UV rays reacting with oxygen. The Centre for Science and Environment has revealed a disturbing trend in ground-level ozone pollution rise across India’s major cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Jaipur and Kolkata However, this good ozone has gradually been destroyed by human-made chemicals referred to as ozone-depleting substances (ODS), including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), halons, methyl bromide, carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform. These substances are being used in coolants, foaming agents, fire extinguishers, solvents, pesticides and aerosol propellants. They are broken down by the sun’s UV rays and release chlorine and bromine molecules, which destroy the good ozone. Scientists estimate that one chlorine atom can destroy 1,00,000 ozone molecules. Ozone Hole It is an area in the stratosphere where ozone depletion is so severe that levels fall below 200 Dobson Unit (DU) — the traditional measure of stratospheric ozone. Normal ozone concentration is 300-350 DU. Scientists say ozone-destroying substances (ODS) — mostly chlorine and bromine from CFCs and halon — are responsible for ozone depletion, to the extent of 1 per cent per day. Satellite data from NASA confirmed that the hole covered the entire Antarctic. The formation of ozone holes is irregular over the entire earth. For instance, the stratospheric circulation is much irregular in the Arctic region and the Arctic ozone layer is not as cold as that of the Antarctic, hence deep ozone hole is unlikely over the North Pole. According to the head of the National Ozone Centre in New Delhi, there is no trend to show total ozone depletion in the stratosphere over India. However, the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, revealed a disturbing trend in ground-level ozone pollution rise across India’s major cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Jaipur and Kolkata. Effects of Ozone Depletion • Human and animal health: Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) to the skin causes sunburn, and skin cancer — also in animals — and to eyes, causing damage to cornea and cataracts. • Terrestrial ecosystems: In forests and grasslands, UVR exposure results in mutation thus altering the biodiversity in different ecosystems. • Aquatic ecosystems: The coastal zones are more sensitive to UVR than those living in offshore that are adapted to higher levels of radiation. UVR can cause damage to the early development stages of fish, shrimp, crabs, amphibians and other animals, the worst effect being decreased reproductive capacity and impaired larval development. • Effect on materials: Increased levels of UVR have adverse effects on synthetic polymers, naturally occurring bio-polymers and some other materials of commercial interest. Montreal Protocol In a bid to contain ozone depletion, a landmark multilateral environmental agreement was formulated that regulates the production and consumption of ODS. ODS when released into the atmosphere change the stratospheric ozone layer — the earth’s protective shield that protects humans and the environment from harmful levels of UVR from the sun. Adopted on 16 September 1987 and celebrated as International Day for Preservation of Ozone Layer, the Montreal Protocol is a rare treaty to achieve universal ratification. The parties to this reached an agreement on 15 October 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda, to phase down HFCs. The Montreal Protocol is saving about two million people each year by 2030 from skin cancer. The parties to the protocol have phased out 98 per cent of ODS globally compared with 1990 levels. Under the Kigali Amendment, the use of HFCs is expected to prevent emissions of up to 105 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to GHGs, helping avoid up to 0.5 degrees Celsius of global temperature by 2100. Solutions and Recovery The entire planet is vulnerable to the effects and consequences due to ozone depletion. Solutions include ODS like CFCs and halons should be avoided; eco-friendly pesticides should be used; nitrous oxide should be prohibited; natural and eco-friendly cleaning products should be used in the household apart from non-toxic products like vinegar and bicarbonate. As per the guidelines of the Montreal Protocol and subsequent amendments, the consumption of ODS fell by 90-95 per cent till 2005. The size of the Antarctic ozone hole reached 29.9 million square kilometres in 2000. By 2021, the area shrunk to 24.8 million square kilometres. A few years ago, a United Nations report estimated that the Antarctic ozone hole would close slowly and the stratospheric ozone concentrations would return to 1980 values by 2060 and that of Arctic, ozone levels are expected to return to 1980 values by the mid-2030s. Ensuring the protection of the ozone layer must be our long-term commitment and responsibility. The whole of humanity around the world and each generation must take up the baton to ensure the continued survival of our planet’s protective shield. Teaching the next generation about the Montreal Protocol empowers them with the knowledge that environmental challenges can be overcome if we listen to science and work together.

जमीनी हकीकत: भविष्य की ओर बढ़ने से पहले पीछे मुड़कर देखें

वर्ष 2024 को ऐसे साल के रूप में याद किया जाएगा, जिसमें दुनिया कई मायनों में बदल गई। ऐसा कोई दिन नहीं गुजरा, जब दुनिया का कोई न कोई हिस्सा मौसम की अति का शिकार नहीं हुआ। इन विकट परिस्थितियों में गर्मी और ठंड के नए रिकॉर्ड बने और कुछ दिन के भीतर फिर टूट गए। पहले ही अपने अस्तित्व की लड़ाई लड़ रहे समुदायों के लिए बार-बार आने वाली ऐसी प्राकृतिक आपदाओं से उबर पाना लगभग असंभव हो जाता है। वैज्ञानिक इसे ‘एंथ्रोपोसीन युग’ कहते हैं। ‘एंथ्रोपोसीन युग’ भूविज्ञान के शब्दों में वह समय है, जब मानवीय गतिविधियों का जलवायु और पारिस्थितिकी-तंत्र पर गंभीर असर पड़ता है। हमने मानवीय प्रगति (अच्छे रहन-सहन एवं धन सृजन के लिए) के लिए जो उपाय किए हैं उनके प्रभाव सभी देशों और दुनिया की सीमा से परे दिखने लगे हैं। यह अभूतपूर्व परिवर्तनों का दौर भी है – मनुष्यों के एक दूसरे के प्रति आचरण में बदलाव का, सही और गलत के वैश्विक नजरिये में बदलाव का और आर्टिफिशल इंटेलिजेंस (एआई) तकनीक की ताकत में बदलाव का। अगले कुछ साल में दुनिया की दशा और दिशा एआई की ताकत से ही तय होगी। हमने सार्वजनिक विमर्श का तरीका भी बदल दिया है। अब हम जो महसूस करते हैं, उसे कहने में बिल्कुल भी नहीं हिचकते भले ही वे अप्रिय, घृणा फैलाने वाली या विनाशकारी ही क्यों न हों। हम इसे अभिव्यक्ति की स्वतंत्रता लोकतंत्र की रक्षा का माध्यम समझने लगे हैं। मगर ऐसा करते-करते हम पूरी तरह नए युग की तकनीक पर आश्रित हो गए हैं। आज की बड़ी तकनीकी कंपनियों का लगभग सभी चीजों पर नियंत्रण हो गया है। इन कंपनियों का बढ़ता प्रभाव देशों की सीमाएं लांघकर दुनिया में सभी लोगों को अपनी जद में ले चुका है। इन कंपनियों ने अतीत की बहुराष्ट्रीय कंपनियों को बौना बना दिया है। तनिक विचार करें कि जिस तरह हम समाचार सुनते, देखते या पढ़ते हैं, जिस तरह हम खरीदारी करते हैं और जहां भी रहते हैं वहां हमारे जीवन का हरेक पहलू किस तरह इन कारोबारों का हिस्सा बन चुका है। अब इन भारी भरकम तकनीकी कंपनियों के मालिक न केवल तकनीक एवं मीडिया को मनमाने ढंग से बदल रहे हैं बल्कि राजनीति की दिशा भी तय करने लगे हैं। वे अपना प्रभाव बढ़ाना चाहते हैं और सरकारों के कमजोर होते ही वे और मजबूत हो जाते हैं। ज्यादातर सरकारें इस भ्रम में हैं कि वे ही नीतियां तय कर रही हैं और उनकी नीतियां लोकहित में हैं। सच्चाई यह है कि सरकारों ने अपना यह उत्तरदायित्व बड़ी कंपनियों, निवेश बैंकों और निजी कारोबारों को दे रखा है। सार्वजनिक गतिविधियों की गुंजाइश कम होती जा रही है और निजी इकाइयों का दबदबा बढ़ता जा रहा है। ऐसा नहीं है कि लोकतंत्र खत्म हो चुका है मगर यह जरूर है कि कारोबारों और उपभोक्ता वर्गों (आप और हम) की सांठगांठ के कारण यह बुनियादी तौर पर बदल चुका है। अब दुनिया अधिक असुरक्षित एवं बेचैन हो रही है क्योंकि हरेक संकट आने वाले दूसरे संकट की जमीन तैयार कर रहा है। हम तेजी से असमानता की शिकार हो रही ऐसी दुनिया में रहते हैं, जहां अमीर-गरीब की खाई बढ़ती जा रही है। इसके कारण और खराब व्यवस्था, जलवायु परिवर्तन के खतरों तथा संसाधनों की कमी के कारण लोगों का पलायन तेजी से बढ़ रहा है क्योंकि वे परेशान हैं और नए अवसर तलाशने की जद्दोजहद में लगे हुए हैं। इन सबके कारण लोगों में क्रोध और असुरक्षा की भावना भड़क रही है, जिससे नए कारोबारियों एवं महाशक्तियों के नियंत्रण वाली तकनीक के इस युग में लोकतंत्र तेजी से घृणा एवं ध्रुवीकरण का शिकार हो रहा है। यह गुस्सा गरीबों तक सीमित नहीं है। अमीर भी ठगा महसूस कर रहे हैं या कम से कम आज के हालात को इसी रूप में देख रहे हैं। 1990 के दशक में जब दुनिया भर की अर्थव्यवस्थाओं को एक दूसरे से जोड़ने की पहल हो रही थी तब सबसे अधिक डर गरीबों को सता रहा था। उन्हें लग रहा था कि उनका रोजगार छिन जाएगा। अब स्थिति उलटी हो गई है। पहले से अधिक संपन्न दुनिया में अब काम करने वाला तबका ही नई अर्थव्यवस्थाओं के लाभ से वंचित रह गया है। वे उनके खिलाफ खड़े हो रहे हैं, जिन्हें वे ‘शिक्षित अभिजात्य वर्ग और विशेषज्ञ’ कहते हैं और उनके हिसाब से जिन्हें सेवा और वित्तीय अर्थव्यवस्था के उदय का फायदा मिला है। इस वर्ग संघर्ष का सबसे खतरनाक परिणाम विचारों का तिरस्कार है। लोग ज्ञान को दोषयुक्त, पूर्वग्रह से भरा और निजी हितों को बढ़ावा देने का जरिया समझ रहे हैं। हमने दुनिया में सूचना और कारोबारी तंत्र का ताना-बाना जिस तरह खड़ा किया है यह सोच उसी का नतीजा है। हालत यह हो गई है कि जलवायु परिवर्तन से निपटने के उपायों जैसा जो कुछ जनहित में है, उसे भी संदेह की दृष्टि से देखा जाने लगा है। डॉनल्ड ट्रंप के दोबारा आने के बाद तो लोक कल्याण के विषय का भी मजाक उड़ाया जा रहा है। यह ऐसी स्थिति है जहां अर्थव्यवस्था, जलवायु परिवर्तन और राजनीति एक दूसरे के आमने-सामने खड़े हैं। जब दुनिया एक दूसरे से जुड़ी अर्थव्यवस्थाओं का ढांचा तैयार करने चली तो माना गया कि इससे संपन्न एवं सुरक्षित वैश्विक व्यवस्था का मार्ग प्रशस्त होगा। उम्मीद यह थी कि नई व्यवस्था में कोई देश दूसरे देश पर आक्रमण नहीं करेगा क्योंकि एक-दूसरे के साथ सहयोग उनके ही हित में होगा। मगर उद्योग दूसरे देशों में स्थानांतरित करने का असल कारण उद्देश्य श्रम और पर्यावरण सुरक्षा पर आ रही लागत कम करना था। ये लागत चुकाने पर विनिर्माण करना काफी महंगा साबित होता। इसका मतलब था कि उत्पादन जहां गया कार्बन उत्सर्जन भी वहीं पहुंच गया। कार्बन डाईऑक्साइड उत्सर्जन से जुड़े आंकड़ों के आधार पर हम कह सकते हैं कि चीन दुनिया में विनिर्माण का प्रमुख केंद्र बन गया है और दूसरे देश भी इसके साथ जुड़ने लगे हैं। दुनिया ऐसे पड़ाव पर खड़ी है जहां प्रदूषण रहित ऊर्जा तंत्र बढ़ाने की जरूरत महसूस हो रही है मगर नई वास्तविकताएं भी सामने खड़ी हैं। ‘दूसरी’ दुनिया खासकर चीन में पर्यावरण को अधिक नुकसान पहुंचाए बिना उत्पादन करना अब भी सस्ता है। ट्रंप ने उद्योग-धंधे अमेरिका में वापस लाने के लिए व्यापार युद्ध शुरू करने की धमकी दे दी है। मगर इससे वित्त एवं पर्यावरण सुरक्षा से जुड़े खर्च बढ़ जाएंगे क्योंकि दुनिया आपस में इस कदर जुड़ी और परस्पर निर्भर है कि देश आसानी से अलग नहीं हो सकते। व्यापार युद्ध कार्बन उत्सर्जन घटाने की मुहिम को भी नुकसान पहुंचाएगा क्योंकि यह सोच गहरा रही है कि पर्यावरण के अनुकूल वस्तु विदेश में बनी है तो उसे नकार देना चाहिए। जलवायु परिवर्तन के खतरे के बीच दुनिया एक अलग यथार्थ में पहुंच चुकी है। इसे ध्यान में रखते हुए हमें एक अलग भविष्य के लिए योजना तैयार करनी चाहिए। हम अतीत को पकड़क नहीं बैठ सकते। अपने युग की गलतियों को ध्यान में रखते हुए हमें नए सवेरे का पुरोधा और नए निश्चय का प्रतीक बनना होगा। ऐसा नहीं किया तो आने वाले दशकों में दुनिया बिखर जाएगी और जलवायु परिवर्तन से जुड़ी समस्याओं की आग में झुलस जाएगी। हमें हालात बदलने ही होंगे। (लेखिका सेंटर फॉर साइंस ऐंड एन्वॉयरन्मेंट से जुड़ी हैं)

Planners need to keep pace with changes: Kerala Chief Secretary

) In a scenario where changes are happening so fast civic planners need to be agile and keep pace with the changes and come out with sustainable solutions to address multiple challenges, said Ms Sarada Muraleedharan, Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala, here on Saturday. She was addressing the valedictory session of the 73rd National Town and Country Planners Conference, organised by the Institute of Town Planners, India (ITPI), with the support of the Local Self Government Department here. The idea of planning needs to move beyond concepts to come to grip with real issues and formulate responses that work on the ground, she said, referring to multiple issues being faced by Kerala society including the waste management. While there is no dearth of master plans that seek to address each critical issue their real test is how effective they are on the ground, she said. She also distributed the National Best Thesis awards instituted by ITPI for post-graduate, under graduate and female students on the occasion. ITPI president N K Patel, Rajesh PN, Chairman ITPI, Kerala Regional Chapter, Pradeep Kapoor, Coordinator (Techno Admin) ITPI, and Anoop Kumar Srivastava, Vice President ITPI also spoke. The meet, whose focal theme was “Intelligent, Digital Spatial Planning and Governance’, covered a range of live topics relating to urban and country development including technological advancements. Meanwhile, in a technical session on ‘Blue-Green Economy for Resilient Future,’ experts noted that extreme heat affects productivity imposes stress on urban infrastructure and they called for adopting a climate-sensitive urban design for the country and ramping up the heat management policy. Rajneesh Sareen, Programme Director, Sustainable Habitat Programme, CSE, New Delhi, said Indian cities should adopt heatresilient urban planning and design, integrating green-blue infrastructure and nature-based solutions. Ms Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, CSE, New Delhi; Dr Banhi, Chakraborty, Ex-Faculty, Dept. of Architecture and Planning, IIT Kharagpur; and Dr Reshma Vilasan, Assistant Professor, Nitte School of Architecture, Planning & Design, Bengaluru, also spoke. In another session on ‘Techno-Urbanism,’ VK Paul, Director, School of Planning and Architecture, said it’s the responsibility of the planners to use all the spatial data available to rejuvenate public spaces through designs that comply with human sensibilities. N Sridharan, Former Director, School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal, planners should address the issue of digital divide across socio economic classes, ages, sex and region while designing spatial governance. KV Abdul Malik, Chief Town planner (Vigilance), Kerala, said data analysis is important for planning. VK Phatak, Former Principal Chief, (Planning Division), MMRDA and Dean Faculty of Planning, CEPT, also attended. In a session on ‘Local Democracy and Spatial Planning in Kerala,’ S M Vijayanand, Former Chief Secretary and Chairperson, Sixth State Finance Commission, Govt. of Kerala, said it is important to strive for a spatial planning where every citizen has the ‘right to city’. Ms Shiji E Chandran, Chief Town Planner, LSGD (Planning), Govt. of Kerala; Jacob Easow, Former Additional Chief Town Planner, Kerala;

DeBriefed 10 January 2025: Los Angeles burns; Trump tilts at ‘windmills’; What cricket chirps reveal about rainforest change

This week California burning ‘MOST DESTRUCTIVE’: At least 10 people have been killed and more than 9,000 buildings have been gutted in wildfires “scorching communities” across Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported in its latest update on Friday. There are multiple fires burning across LA county, including the 15,800-acre Palisades fire that CNN described as the “most destructive fire in LA history”. ​​ INFERNAL LA: LA’s firefighters are struggling with water supplies and are “unaccustomed to fighting multiple blazes at once”, BBC News reported. “There are not enough firefighters in all of LA County to address four separate fires of this magnitude,” LA county fire chief Anthony Marrone told the outlet. The Los Angeles Times said the fires have already caused at least $50bn in losses, which could also threaten hundreds of thousands of Californians who already struggle to “find and keep affordable homeowners insurance”. TINDERBOX CLIMATE: Many outlets examined the climate “drivers” of the wildfires. The Washington Post said the flames were fanned by a “life-threatening and destructive” windstorm. BBC News said that California’s decade-long drought and a four-inch decline in LA’s annual rainfall had left the region dry and so “particularly vulnerable” to the spread of fires. The Guardian cited research finding that climate change has caused a 172% increase in California’s burned area since the 1970s. Hello, goodbye CAN’T TOUCH THIS: US president Joe Biden announced a “permanent stop” to new oil and gas drilling across more than 625m acres of US coastal waters, thus protecting 20% of the seabed, the New York Times reported. While Biden called the move a “climate imperative”, the Guardian pointed out that the law does not explicitly allow presidents to “unilaterally reverse a drilling ban without going through Congress”. Alaska, meanwhile, sued the Biden administration over oil and gas drilling leases in the Arctic, Reuters said. TILTING AT WINDMILLS: In a “lengthy tirade against windpower”, US president-elect Donald Trump pledged that no wind farms will be constructed during his second term, threatening billions of dollars in planned projects, Bloomberg reported. Earlier in the week, Trump criticised the UK government’s energy policy, with a call to “open up” North Sea oil and gas production and “get rid of windmills”, Reuters reported. HYDROGEN BREAK: After “months of intense lobbying”, the Biden administration finalised rules that “offer billions of dollars in tax credits to companies that make hydrogen”, the New York Times reported. The rules include relaxed criteria for the “struggling sector” to claim tax credits, the Financial Times wrote. Around the world RECORD HEAT: Multiple climate datasets have confirmed that 2024 was Earth’s hottest year on record, with temperatures breaching 1.5C above pre-industrial levels for the first time, BBC News reported. Carbon Brief has all the details in its latest state of the climate” quarterly update. ADIEU, TRUDEAU: Justin Trudeau announced his resignation as Canada’s prime minister on Monday, ending a near-decade “of [the country’s] most climate-conscious federal government”, but with a “physically enduring legacy” of oil pipeline expansions, the Narwhal reported. MECCA FLOODS: Torrential, unseasonal rain lashed cities in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, with the holy city of Mecca facing the “worst floods”, Down to Earth reported. WATER WOES: Last year, water-related disasters claimed more than 8,700 lives, drove 40 million people from their homes and caused $550bn in economic damage, according to the 2024 Global Water Monitor report covered by the Guardian. TAPS TURNED: Climate-induced sea level rise will “overwhelm” many of the world’s biggest oil ports, including Houston, Rotterdam and Ras Tanura, according to new analysis by cryosphere scientists who described the threat as “ironic”, the Guardian said. BANKS BOUNCED: Bloomberg reported that there are “zero” big Wall Street banks left in the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, after the biggest US bank JP Morgan quit the UN-backed climate coalition weeks before Trump assumed office. 10 days The time it took for the world’s richest 1% to “burn through” their 2025 “share” of the global “carbon budget” for keeping warming under 1.5C, according to new Oxfam analysis. Latest climate research Arctic marine heatwaves could intensify “on orders of magnitude” during the rest of this century under climate change, posing “major challenges for Arctic ecosystems”, according to new Nature Climate Change research using high-resolution climate models. A new study in Science estimated that building materials used in new construction could potentially store 16bn tonnes of CO2 every year. New research in Nature Cities found that high-income city dwellers in China were more likely to “order in” food during heatwaves, revealing the “transfer of heat exposure from consumers to delivery riders.” (For more, see Carbon Brief’s in-depth daily summaries of the top climate news stories on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.) Captured The map above uses squares to illustrate 1,682 studies where communities are taking on-ground measures to adapt to climate change, from the islands of Tuvalu to the high mountains of Nepal. These studies were collated as part of the most comprehensive assessment to date of the scientific literature on climate adaptation. Carbon Brief has produced an interactive article based on the database that pulls out some of the key findings and explores global trends. The map above uses squares to illustrate 1,682 studies where communities are taking on-ground measures to adapt to climate change, from the islands of Tuvalu to the high mountains of Nepal. These studies were collated as part of the most comprehensive assessment to date of the scientific literature on climate adaptation. Carbon Brief has produced an interactive article based on the database that pulls out some of the key findings and explores global trends. Spotlight What listening to crickets reveals about rainforest change This week, Carbon Brief speaks to scientists studying what sounds from wildlife can reveal about change in an Indian rainforest. On Christmas night in Coorg (Kodagu) – prime coffee country in India’s Western Ghats biosphere – the rainforest was anything but silent. The night air – though drier than it should be this time of year – was charged with an electric score of cricks, chirps, trills, hisses, croaks, whoops and whistles. The Western Ghats is one of the “hottest hotspots” of biodiversity on Earth, hosting 325 globally threatened species. Coorg, on its eastern slopes, is a micro hotspot that receives more than 4000mm of rainfall on average and is the source of the Kaveri river, whose waters are bitterly disputed among the south Indian states seeing increasingly hotter summers and devastating floods. A short climb reveals physical scars of extreme weather: beyond thick canopies are hilltops bearing gashes from devastating landslides in 2018 that killed 20 people and displaced 18,000. To understand the less-visible impacts of climate and land-use change on non-human species in Coorg’s dense forests and plantations, sound has emerged as an important tool. Biodiversity symphony Bio-acoustics is the science of sounds produced by biological systems and what they react to. Prof Rohini Balakrishnan at the Indian Institute of Science described her work as a “bridge between symphony, cacophony and silence” and said that there are “signatures” of land degradation in sound that photographs cannot capture. She told Carbon Brief: “When we first came to the Western Ghats 20 years ago to try and actually figure out an entire acoustic community, most people thought we were completely crazy, because nobody had tried anything at that scale.” Those first years, she said, were “very, very hard” on her team, involving months of fieldwork in forests “full of poisonous snakes, gaur (Indian bison) and some density” of elephants. A hillside in Coorg (Kodagu) in southwest India. Credit: Aruna Chandrasekhar, Carbon Brief A hillside in Coorg (Kodagu) in southwest India. Credit: Aruna Chandrasekhar, Carbon Brief The “tech part”, however, has become significantly easier since, with machine learning and algorithmic approaches being trained to look at an entire soundscape and, possibly, to decide if a landscape is degrading. Balakrishnan said: “When we started, all we had were those little Sony Walkmans and bat detectors. There were no recorders that you could programme and leave outdoors. So it was painful: follow an insect, get a recording. You had to be there doing the recording.” For Dr Vijay Ramesh, a postdoctoral scientist at the K Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at Cornell University in New York state, an ongoing question is whether biodiversity can fully return to degraded landscapes that are being actively restored. Acoustics have played an essential role in helping answer that question, with soundscapes failing to detect insects in many restored sites. “I don’t think we would have got that particular understanding of insects without using audio recorders, because these are all high frequencies we cannot hear,” Ramesh told Carbon Brief. Cutting through noise With so many species calling at the same time, isolating individual sounds in a complex noise environment can be a challenge. To Balakrishnan, the rainforest can sound like a Christmas party where “everybody’s screaming and you’re interested in one conversation, one person”. Rohini and her team spent 15 years working on the “cocktail-party effect”, eventually finding that “what sounds to us like a cacophony actually can be close to silence for an insect”. Anthropogenic sound often shows up in recordings: sirens still go off at dawn to signal the start of a morning shift for tea plantation workers. Pouring rain can serve as a major “masker” of sound. While evidence of climate change’s impacts “still needs more long-term monitoring”, Rohini worries about humanity’s ability to “ignore planetary alarm bells”. She concluded: “[M]echanised noise, traffic or construction…we sort of learn to filter them out, or we live in these artificial worlds we create by putting on headphones. And I feel, in the end, it takes away your ability to listen to your surroundings and to be influenced by it. “Listening really is a survival skill for our species, but it also gives joy, and I think we are losing that ability to focus on sounds around us and think and ask: ‘What does that mean?’” Watch, read, listen BLACK MARKET: Context News interviewed Nigeria’s illegal oil refiners risking everything to meet their energy needs amid soaring fuel prices in the country. POLYCRISIS NOW: Tim Sahay spoke to the Centre for Science and Environment about what to expect from climate policy in 2025 as the global “polycrisis” unfolds. OFF THE CHARTS: A long read in the Atlantic examined how “extreme events are taking scientists by surprise” and “outpacing” the predictions of even the “best” climate models.

Climate Change and Indian Youth

Climate Change and Indian Youth Large developing countries like India are heavily impacted by climate change. Living in India, I have firsthand experience of this. As a youth living in Delhi, I have experienced air pollution affecting my health, leading to asthma and changes in climate conditions affecting my overall quality of life. In the summer of 2024, the Delhi government in India announced the closure of schools and started holidays earlier than normal in order to avoid the growing heatwaves. In the winter of 2024, schools had to be shut down and adopt a hybrid model of teaching in the wake of the deteriorating air quality. In a survey conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment, 94% of Indian youth opined that their life has been impacted by climate change. Among the 1,931 youth who participated in the survey, 88 percent noted changes in their physical surroundings. Many highlighted issues ranging from disruption in education to school closures, less productivity, and outdoor activities affecting physical and mental health. These findings are important given the fact that India has the world's largest youth population, and their perspectives are important in our climate story. At the same time, I am also witnessing the climate discourse taking place in the country.

82 cities used less than 66% of NCAP funds in the last 5 years to combat pollution

If you’ve ever lived in north India during the winter and struggled to breathe, you’re likely familiar with the acronym NCAP – the National Clean Air Programme. Launched by the environment ministry, it sets clear air targets for 131 cities that are required to reduce particulate concentration in the air. The deadline to achieve 40 percent reduction is 2025-26. Eighty-two cities get funds for this directly under NCAP. The remaining – 42 cities and seven ‘urban agglomerations’ – get funds under the 15th Finance Commission. From 2019 to May this year, all 131 cities were allocated a total of Rs 10,566 crore through both sources. Newslaundry learned that the 82 cities funded by NCAP used Rs 1,092 crore out of the Rs 1,615.47 crore released in the last five years – about 66 percent. The cities of Delhi-NCR, where the AQI reached an astonishing 481 last month, used less than 40 percent. Only 55 cities out of 131 managed to reduce their PM10 concentration in the air by at least 20 percent. Delhi managed a reduction of just 14 percent. Underutilisation, misallocation In October, the NCAP implementation committee held a meeting online. According to the minutes of the meeting, 68 cities did not utilise 75 percent of the funds allocated to them. Noida, for example, used 11 percent of its total allocation of Rs 30.89 crore. Visakhapatnam used 14 percent and Anantpur 20 percent. Among metro cities, Bengaluru’s utilisation was lowest at 30 percent followed by Delhi (31 percent) and Pune (46 percent). Delhi also lay at the bottom of the table when it came to utilisation of funds by states and union territories. Only Gujarat utilised 100 percent of its funds, followed by Odisha at 93.55 percent and Chhattisgarh at 92.8 percent. Delhi shared space with Jammu & Kashmir (40 percent) and Meghalaya (44 percent). According to minutes of a meeting in September by the NCAP apex committee, 67 percent of funds is spent on dust mitigation measures like repairing roads, installing pavements, improving traffic junctions, sprinkling water, and mechanised sweeping of roads. As for other pollutants – 14 percent is spent on vehicular pollution, 11 percent on solid waste management and biomass burning, four percent on capacity building and monitoring, two percent on construction and demolition waste, and one percent each on industrial pollution, public outreach, and domestic fuel. But why the focus on dust mitigation over all else? The environment ministry said in August that this is because studies “indicate that dust from road, construction and demolition activities contribute maximum to the PM10 level in the cities”. Hence cities had “prioritised their actions based on the sources of pollution”. However, this should be taken in context of the fact that NCAP funding is based on performance, and performance is assessed on the basis of improvements in ambient PM10 levels. Earlier this year, a study by the Centre for Science and Environment pointed out that this deviates focus from PM2.5 pollution, which Indian Express described as “more lethal”. This point – on spending less on other vital components – was raised in the meeting of the NCAP implementation committee. According to the minutes, participants discussed 21 “irrelevant” activities that were funded despite having little or no direct connection with improving air quality. These included installing streetlights, beautification protocols, installing CCTV cameras at dumping sites, buying computers and software, and paying electricity bills at construction and destruction waste plants. Another curious point is that while NCAP seems to focus on PM10 levels to assess a city’s performance, it also ranks cities under a programme called Swachh Vayu Survekshan based on policy measures implemented to reduce air pollution. The study by the Centre for Science and Environment found that the two rankings don’t often correspond. For example, a city that scores under the Swachh Vayu Survekshan might perform very poorly for not improving PM10 levels. Anumita Roy Choudhury, the author of the study, told Newslaundry this needs to be addressed. “In the case of Delhi, its ranking is poor in terms of PM10 reduction. But its ranking under SVS is in the top nine. So there’s a huge gap between action taken and reduction of PM10. This gap needs to be addressed,” she said. Goals met? Not quite But here’s what the nation really wants to know. Even as a focus on PM10 is not quite effective, is the spending to bring down PM10 achieving its goal? Let’s take Delhi, which utilised 32 percent of Rs 42.69 crore released under NCAP over five years. This money was predominantly spent to procure 14 mechanical road sweepers, 28 water sprinklers, smog guns, and two pothole repair machines. The procurement of the sweepers and repair machines are still “in progress”. But the major source of PM10 pollution in Delhi is industrial, which is coal and fly ash, contributing to 37 percent of pollution in summer and 12 percent of pollution in winter. Biomass and waste burning contributes 25.43 percent, and road dust and construction soil 30 percent. Transport, in winter, contributes to 19 percent of PM10 pollution. (It should be noted that NCAP funds are intended to be spent for an entire year; not every city gives the breakup of pollution based on season.) Yet there seems to have been no spending by Delhi, across winter and summer under the fund, to mitigate industrial pollution. Next, take Navi Mumbai, also funded under the NCAP. Allocated Rs 9.42 crore over five years, it spent 92 percent of its funds on categories like mechanised road sweeping, water sprinkling, creating ‘green belts’, procuring e-buses, and public awareness – spending that predominantly targets dust and vehicles. Meanwhile, the environment ministry says Navi Mumbai’s PM10 pollution is due to road dust (28 percent), transport (16 percent), industry (16 percent), coal and fly ash (12 percent), waste burning (15 percent), and secondary aerosol (13 percent). And Navi Mumbai’s performance in reducing PM10 concentration is abysmal; in fact, the annual average PM10 concentration increased from 88 in 2017-18 to 98 in 2023-24. (Note that some cities, like Delhi, do not categorise coal/fly ash in a category separate from industrial pollution.) We also looked at Ludhiana, which utilised 90 percent of Rs 97.75 crore allocated under the NCAP. Most of this was spent on constructing end-to-end pavements on 114 km of roads, setting up green urban spaces, mechanised road sweeping, water sprinkling, collecting construction and destruction waste, and anti-smog guns. Here, more than 30 percent of PM10 concentration is caused by industrial pollution, across seasons. Ludhiana only managed to reduce its PM10 concentration by four percent. Baddi in Himachal Pradesh, which recorded “very poor” AQI in November, spent its NCAP funds on two things: constructing pucca roads and installing a Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System. It’s worth noting that 21-22 percent of its PM10 concentration is contributed by industry. Cities like Gwalior and Bhopal, where road dust accounts for a significant portion of PM10 emissions – 88 percent and 60 percent, respectively – failed to make substantial progress in reducing PM10 levels. PM10 concentration in Gwalior increased from 126 in 2017-18 to 136 in 2023-24; Bhopal’s increased from 112 to 113 in the same period. Gwalior spent Rs 82 crore of NCAP funds and Bhopal Rs 180 crore, but they’re at the bottom in terms of reducing PM10. Instead, both cities prioritised spending on road paving, building footpaths, municipal waste processing plants, construction and demolition processing plants, parks, urban forests, public awareness, and installing e-vehicle charging points.

100 km of Roads That Kick Up Dust to Be Paved in Gurgaon, Faridabad

Around 100km of roads in Gurgaon and Faridabad, along with 50km in Sonipat, will be identified and marked for end-to-end paving as part of a clean air initiative. This drive will start from April 1. Rao Narbir Singh, the minister for environment, forests, and wildlife, said the project would focus o.. Read more at: https://www.constructionworld.in/transport-infrastructure/highways-and-roads-infrastructure/100-km-of-roads-that-kick-up-dust-to-be-paved-in-gurgaon-faridabad/67407

No One May Survive’: India’s Inability to Clean Up Its Coal-Fired Power Plants is Poisoning People’s Health

Harinder Singh lies on a charpai in a small room with no windows, coughing and struggling for breath. The 64 year old gets up, wraps a shawl around himself and ventures out, ruing the day he was born in Uncha Amirpur, a village of 3,264 people located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, just 48 kilometers from the country’s national capital. Singh has been battling liver cancer for the last two years. He blames the nearby thermal power station for his condition. "I have only a few months left to live,” Singh told Asian Dispatch. “Taking every breath feels like a struggle here and I can’t escape it.” Singh’s single storey two-room house is merely 300 meters away from one of India’s largest coal and gas-fired thermal power plants. It is run by the government-owned National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC), India’s largest integrated power company that claims to light every fourth bulb in the South Asian nation. Thick black smoke, full of toxic pollutants, constantly billows out of its chimneys. “It’s not just the cancer that’s killing me but the toxic air that’s slowly stealing away whatever hope I had left," he said. Singh used to work as a truck driver and is the lone breadwinner for his family comprising his wife and two children. Seven years ago, he stopped working after his body started trembling and his eyes turned yellow due to Hepatitis C. Every 10 days, he visits a hospital, which is almost four kilometers away, to have fluids removed from his abdomen. “I don’t know who will take care of my wife and kids after my death," said Singh with tears in his eyes. "I have only a few months left to live. Taking every breath feels like a struggle here and I can’t escape it.” – Harinder Singh, a resident of Uncha Amirpur village, some 48 kms from Indian capital, New Delhi. Photo: Suhail Bhat The cost of power There are 285 thermal power plants like the one in Uncha Amirpur across India, the world’s second highest in number next to only China, which has 1,161 coal-fired power plants. Unlike China’s momentous energy transition journey, India presents a complex picture, where the possibility of a coal phase-out is pitted against its booming population’s power needs. Seventy-five percent of India’s power comes from its thermal utilities. These, in turn, account for 80 percent of industrial emissions of sulphur- and nitrous-oxides, which are responsible for lung diseases, acid rain and smog. These emissions are increasing. Official data shows that the country consumed approximately 1,155.3 million tonnes of coal in 2023, of which 826.64 million tonnes were accounted for by thermal power plants. This is an uptick from the 1072.81 million tonnes of coal consumed in 2023. In 2024, India consumed 1,267.58 million tonnes of coal. During combustion, the sulphur in coal combines with oxygen, forming sulfur dioxide, which contributes to an increase in particulate matter, or PM2.5, unless effective capture mechanisms are in place. Students return home from Thakur Khambir Singh Harpayari De Middle School, amidst the backdrop of the Dadri thermal power plant, in Uncha Amipur village. Students return home from Thakur Khambir Singh Harpayari De Middle School, amidst the backdrop of the Dadri thermal power plant, in Uncha Amipur village. Photo: Suhail Bhat The impact of these emissions is brazen: Indian cities continue to be some of the most polluted cities in the world. New Delhi, which was the most polluted capital city in the world in 2023, has 11 thermal power stations in its radius of 300 kilometers. They emit 281 kilotonnes of sulphur dioxide every year, which is 16 times more than the 17.8 kilotonnes produced by burning 8.9 million tonnes of paddy straw, which is often blamed as a primary contributor to air pollution. The concentration of PM2.5 in New Delhi is nearly 10 times higher than the WHO guidelines. Air pollution causes more than 2 million deaths a year in India. Cities like Singrauli (Madhya Pradesh), home to the Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Station (4,760 MW), Korba (Chhattisgarh), with multiple thermal plants, and Chandrapur (Maharashtra), housing the Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station (2,920 MW), have a similar stories too. India currently imposes regulations on the emissions levels and environmental impact of these plants. There is, however, no specific mandate requiring them to generate 40 percent of their power from renewable sources. India's goal is to achieve 50 percent of installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, which includes both renewable energy and nuclear power. Over the years, the country directed the thermal plants to install flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) units at thermal plants, which use absorbants to cut sulphur emissions, thereby controlling the ambient PM 2.5 levels and improving air quality. The first deadline to install them was 2017, which has been extended multiple times since. Experts say the FGD technology works. Shreya Verma, programme manager for the Industrial Pollution Team at the Centre for Science and Environment, told Asian Dispatch that timely FGD implementation for Category A, B and C is crucial to combat air pollution effectively. The A, B and C categorisation is based on the location of thermal power plants that allows for a phased compliance. Category A comprises plants in cities with populations over 1 million, which had to comply by December 31, 2024. Category B’s compliance deadline is end of year in 2025, and Category C plants must comply by the end of 2026. In a written reply at the Lok Sabha, Shripad Naik, the Minister of State for Power said that 39 thermal power plants have successfully installed FGD, while 238 plants have had contracts awarded or are under implementation. Some 139 plants are in various stages of the tendering process. “We urge all stakeholders to focus on execution and hold non-compliant plants accountable with strict penalties,” Verma said, adding: “The repeated extensions of SO2 compliance deadlines are a grave concern, especially given the severe health impacts on millions in Delhi-NCR.” A 2024 report by Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air found significant emissions reductions post-FGD implementation, of 65 percent, 69 percent, and 60 percent in the state, central, and private sectors respectively. Significant as this might be, Dr Yasmeen Abdullah, a gynecologist at Delhi’s Jamia Hamdard Hospital, told Asian Dispatch that it’s perhaps too little and too late for those exposed to years of toxic air from thermal plants. "The damage to their health is substantial and cannot be easily reversed," Abdullah said. Asian Dispatch contacted the Central Pollution Control Board and the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change for comments, but received no response. This reporter also reached out to NTPC and several of its officials. There is no response yet. The NTPC’s 2023-2024 annual report lists several measures to enhance environmental compliance, including in Dadri, where Uncha Amirpur village is located. However, these measures are not yet scaled to the level required for a company of NTPC’s size. Key technologies like FGD and biomass co-firing are limited to a fraction of its fleet, leaving significant gaps in achieving broader environmental targets. FDG compliance relaxations in IndiaShreya Verma, programme manager for the Industrial Pollution Team at the Centre for Science and Environment, says that repeated extensions for compliance at the thermal power plants is a grave concern. Photo: Suhail Bhat A Timeline of FGD Compliance 2015: The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change introduces emission norms for coal-fired thermal power plants. The first deadline is set for 2017. 2017: The Union Ministry of Power requests an extension of another 7 years. The Supreme Court grants five more years on top of that – up until 2022 – with the Delhi-National Capital Region plants to comply by 2019. 2021: A task force comprising representatives from the environment and power ministries is formed, whose job is to disaggregate 596 coal-fired thermal power plants based on location, resulting in Categories A, B and C with varying compliance deadlines. 2022: New deadlines set for sulphur dioxide compliance for non-retiring thermal power plants. Category A has a deadline of December 31, 2024; Category B of December 31, 2025 and Category C of December 31, 2026. 2024: A notification in December announces another extension for sulphur dioxide compliance for non-retiring thermal power plants. Category A now has a deadline of December 31, 2027; Category B of December 31, 2028; and Category C of December 31, 2029. “No one will survive” In Uncha Amirpur, rooftops of homes are covered in dust. The air is filled with smoke. The leaves on trees and crops are coated with a whitish layer of residue, giving an unnatural appearance to the greenery. Many villagers suffer from Hepatitis, cancer, asthma, and various skin and bone diseases. Their eyes are watery or yellowing due to the heavy air pollution. Most women in the area have bloated stomachs, often caused by Hepatitis C. Sarla, who goes by single name, is battling Hepatitis C, asthma, kidney diseases and severe bone disease. The 60-year-old woman’s left hand is severely fractured and she is unable to do any work. “I can’t stand for more than 10 minutes or even take a long walk due to my weak bones and asthma,” she says. “I’m so helpless. I pray to God for relief through death now." Whether it is summer or winter, residents say their struggle remains the same. It’s not just the air that’s contaminated with pollutants but the water, too, which is contaminated and severely harmful to health. Ninety percent of the people in the village rely on groundwater for drinking, which has a Total Dissolved Solids level – a measure of anything dissolved in water that is not an H2O molecule – above 1,000. A TDS level of over 600 is considered not fit for drinking, according to WHO guidelines.

Delhi’s PM2.5 levels in 2024 were over 2x the national limit despite stubble burning dip—CSE report

The annual PM2.5 concentration in the national capital touched 104.7 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) in 2024, more than double the accepted national standard of 40 µg/m³, according to a report released Monday by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). This is the second year in a row, since 2022, that Delhi’s annual air quality has gone down. During winters in 2024, Delhi’s peak PM2.5 level was 732 µg/m³, much higher than 2023’s peak of 580 µg/m³. All of this occurred at a time when the total number of farm fires in Punjab and Haryana, usually blamed for Delhi’s pollution, had reduced by 37 percent compared to 2023. “This cannot be seen as an annual aberration due to meteorological factors. It indicates the impact of growing pollution in the region,” Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE, told ThePrint “Delhi seems to be losing its air pollution gains from the past.” These calculations are based on the CSE’s yearly assessment of air pollution based on PM2.5 levels, using data from 37 air quality monitoring stations spread across the city. The winter data was collected between 1 October and 31 December, showing the staggering 26 percent increase in peak PM2.5 levels compared to last year. Winter pollution trends Another concerning trend noticed this year by the CSE was the number and lengths of smog episodes this winter. More than three consecutive days of severe air quality is globally considered a smog episode, and this year Delhi had an 8-day-long episode from 13 to 20 November, and another for four days in December. Moreover, while the Commission for Air Quality Management lauded Delhi for 209 days of air quality index (AQI) below 200 in 2024, in reality, there were only 121 days this year that saw air quality meeting the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) of below 40 µg/m³. And while the number of good air days increased from 25 in 2023 to 29 in 2024, there were no days that saw ‘good’ air quality during the winters of 2024. In its analysis of the farm fires this year, the CSE report used NASA’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) to find that there was a steep decline in farm fires in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, especially in the winters. While there were about 37,276 fires recorded in 2023 during the winter months of October to December, there were only 10,712 fires in 2024 which meant a 71 percent decline. The CSE’s analysis thus showed that reduction in farm fires does not necessarily mean a reduction in air pollution overall, and the report asks for more ‘systemic changes’ and reductions in year-long emissions. “Local and regional sources of pollution including vehicles, industries, open burning of waste, use of solid fuels, construction and dust sources have undermined Delhi’s longer term progress over the past decade,” said Roychowdhury, pointing that between 2018 and 2022, the AQI levels saw a downward trend.

Delhi’s air pollution remains high despite 71% reduction in farm fires: Report

For the second consecutive year, Delhi’s annual PM 2.5 levels rose in 2024 despite a drop in stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and the national capital, according to a new report. In its winter air quality analysis in Delhi released Monday, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) stated that the Capital’s annual PM 2.5 levels rose to 104.7 micrograms per cubic metre — a 3.4% increase compared to 2023. The concentration was also more than double the permitted national annual standard of 40 µg/m3. This is despite a 71.2% drop in stubble fire incidents during October-December 2024, the study noted. Another key finding of the study is the surge in pollution peak levels in 2024. Even as the PM 2.5 average for October to December months at 178.3 µg/m3 remained largely consistent with the average normally observed, the peak pollution levels soared from 580 µg/m3 to 732 µg/m3 — a 26% jump. The study, authored by Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, CSE, and Sharanjeet Kaur, was conducted using real-time data from functional air quality monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR. “The worst station-level peak this season was 9% lower than the highest ever recorded — at 806 µg/m3 during the 2018 winter,” noted the study. It further stated that two major smog episodes were observed. However, Roychowdhury said as per a statement: “This cannot be seen as an annual aberration due to meteorological factors. The consistent rise indicates the impact of growing pollution in the region. Delhi seems to be losing its air quality gains from past actions. Local and regional sources of pollution including vehicles, industries, open burning of waste, use of solid fuels, construction, and dust sources have offset the gains — undermining the longer term progress over the past decade.” The assessment mentioned that a stabilisation of annual PM 2.5 levels could have been possible since 2018, and even a declining trend could have been recorded with apt implementation of Supreme Court directives on energy transition in transport and industry sectors. According to a statement by the CSE, Roychowdhury said the action has to “move much beyond reactive emergency measures during winter. The fact that annual trends have risen for two consecutive years, despite the decline in farm fire incidents during winter, shows much deeper systemic changes are required to cut round-the-year emissions from a variety of sources in Delhi and the surrounding region.” The study also observed that the average PM 2.5 levels in October-December 2024 were 4.6% higher than the three-year winter average (2021-2023). ‘Good’ and ‘bad’ air days The study noted that approximately 121 days met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards last year. This was similar to 2019 when the second-worst annual average was recorded at 109.1 µg/m3.

Delhi clocked three-year PM2.5 level high in 2024, reveals study

Delhi in 2024 recorded a three-year high in terms of annual PM2.5 (particulate matter having a diameter of 2.5 microns or less) concentration, clocking a reading of 104.7 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) last year compared to 106.4µg/m3 in 2021, according to an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released on Monday. Delhi’s peak winter pollution also followed this trend, clocking 732µg/m3 on November 18,the highest since the city clocked a peak winter PM2.5 concentration of 776µg/m3 on November 13, 2021.While the PM2.5 levels were similar to 2019 levels—one of the worst-polluted winters when the AQI dipped to a low of 494 (severe plus) and 24 “severe” air days were recorded—Delhi fared better this winter on average, clocking PM2.5 average of 178.3µg/m3, compared to 182.1µg/m3 clocked last year. “A troubling trend has also emerged in the peak pollution levels. The citywide winter peak for 2024 soared to 732 µg/m³, marking a 26% jump compared to last year’s peak of 580 µg/m³,” the analysis said. To be sure, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has set a safe limit of 40µg/m3 for PM2.5, which is considered hazardous and worsens respiratory ailments, especially during winter. The study looked at PM2.5 concentration from Delhi’s 37 ambient air quality monitoring stations available from 2018 to 2024. For winter months, the period from October 1 to December 31 was used. The study said that the annual PM2.5 level was 3% higher than the three-year average of the 2021 to 2023 period, indicating a loss in air quality gains over the recent past. The study noted that 2024 winter average was 0.2% lower than the 2019 winter average, but 4.6% higher than the three-year winter average (2021-2023), based on data from 37 monitoring stations across the city. CSE said the annual average PM 2.5 concentration for 2021-23 was 102µg/m3 Sharanjeet Kaur, programme officer with CSE’s Urban Lab and part of the study, said real-time data between October 1 and December 31 showed alarming pollution levels when compared to 2022. “This was a 26% surge in peak pollution levels. The city also experienced 17 days of ‘severe’ or worse air quality, alongside two extended smog episodes with average smog intensity of 371µg/m³ and 324µg/m³, respectively. This kept the average levels elevated,” she said. Significant station-wise variations According to CSE’s analysis, in 2024 winter, only eight of 37 air quality stations showed an improvement in their seasonal averages when compared to the 2021-23 period. The most notable improvements were observed at DTU and NSIT Dwarka stations, which recorded an improvement of 26% and 22%, respectively, compared to the mean of the previous three winters. On the other hand, the North Campus, Okhla Phase 2 and Jahangirpuri stations showed no change in their seasonal averages.

Delhi’s Pollution Worsened For Second Year, 2024 Saw Only 121 Clean Air Days

Delhi’s air pollution worsened for the second consecutive year in 2024. The annual PM2.5 concentrations surged to 104.7 µg/m³ in 2024 — a 3.4 per cent rise from 2023 — following a significant fall and stabilisation between 2018 and 2022, said the New Delhi-based Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) in its latest assessment. This is more than double the national ambient air quality standard of 40 µg/m³, a worrying trend that could exacerbate the ongoing health emergency in one of the world’s most polluted cities. Alarmingly, the residents of Delhi only experienced 121 days in 2024 when the air quality met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. This was even less than 152 days in 2023. “This consistent increase cannot be seen as an annual aberration due to meteorological factors," remarked Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, CSE. “Local and regional sources of pollution, including vehicles, industries, open burning of waste, use of solid fuels, construction and dust sources, have offset the gains. Delhi cannot hide behind the smokescreen of farm fires anymore." Despite a remarkable drop in stubble fire incidents during October-December, the winter pollution remained elevated. According to the satellite data, the total annual fire counts in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana fell by 37.5 per cent from 63,721 in 2023 to 39,865 in 2024. The winter fire count showed an even more remarkable reduction of 71.2 per cent — from 37,376 in 2023 to 10,712. 26% SURGE IN PEAK POLLUTION LEVELS “There is a troubling 26 per cent surge in peak pollution levels compared to the previous year during the early phase of winter (October-December). The city has experienced 17 days of severe air quality, alongside two extended smog episodes, which kept the average levels elevated," said Sharanjeet Kaur, Programme Officer, CSE’s Urban Lab.

Why Worsening Air May Not Be Aberration

A new analysis of pollution in winter carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment says that Delhi is at risk of losing its long-term air quality gains. It pointed out that the annual pollution trend has risen for two consecutive years despite the decline in harvest stubble burning in the neighbouring states. The annual PM2.5 concentration increased to 104.7 micrograms per cubic metre in 2024 — a 3.4% rise from 2023. The PM2.5 levels has increased after consistently declining and stabilising between 2018 and 2022, says CSE. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE, said, "This cannot be seen as an aberration due to meteorological factors. The consistent rise indicates the impact of the growing pollution in the region. Delhi seems to be losing its air quality gains from past action." She added that the capital could hide behind the smokescreen of farm fires anymore. Despite a 71.2% drop in stubble fires in Oct-Dec last year, the winter pollution has upset the annual trend. According to the analysis, the city-wide winter PM2.5 average for Oct-Dec 2024 was 178.3 micrograms per cubic metre, a level consistent with the average since large-scale monitoring began in 2018-19. This is 4.6% higher than the three-year 2021-23 winter average. Sharanjeet Kaur, programme officer at CSE's Urban Lab, said real-time data from Delhi's monitoring stations for the Oct 1-Dec 31 period revealed a troubling 26% surge in peak pollution levels compared with those in the previous year during the early phase of winter. Last year, 121 days met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, a trend similar to 2019, when the second-worst annual average was recorded at 109.1 micrograms per cubic metre. However, there has been a noticeable decline in the number of good air quality days, dropping from 152 days in 2023 to 121 in 2024. Even this winter, only eight out of 37 air quality monitoring stations logged improved seasonal averages compared with the last three years. The most notable improvements were observed at DTU and NSIT Dwarka, which recorded 26% and 22% lower seasonal averages, respectively, compared to the mean of the previous three winters. However, increased seasonal PM2.5 levels were recorded at CRRI Mathura Road (22% rise), Aya Nagar (17%), Ashok Vihar and Vivek Vihar (both 15%) and Pusa IMD (14%). CSE researchers said that Delhi could have stabilised the annual PM2.5 levels since 2018 (if the existing air quality monitors are considered) and could have even recorded a declining trend since 2013 (if the oldest five stations are considered) had the city implemented the directives of the Supreme Court on energy transition in transport and industry sectors. Roychowdhury said: "The fact that annual trends have risen for two consecutive years despite the decline in farm fires shows much deeper systemic changes are required to cut the round-the-year emissions from a variety of sources in Delhi and the surrounding region."

Delhi's PM 2.5 levels up in 2024 even after low stubble burning: CSE report

Delhi's annual PM2.5 levels rose in 2024 for the second consecutive year, despite a 37 per cent drop in stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and the national capital, according to a new report. The report by think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said Delhi's annual PM2.5 concentration increased to 104.7 microgrammes per cubic metre in 2024 -- a 3.4 per cent rise from the 2023 levels. This is also more than twice the national ambient air quality standard of 40 microgrammes per cubic metre. While the 2024 average is still 9.6 per cent lower than the 2018 peak of 115.8 microgrammes per cubic metre, it is 3 per cent higher than the three-year average of 2021-2023, indicating a gradual reversal of earlier gains made between 2018 and 2022, it said. The report highlighted that the total annual fire counts (on account of stubble burning) dropped by 37.5 per cent in 2024 in Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana. Punjab recorded a 75 per cent decline, and Haryana, a 37 per cent decline. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE, said the rise in PM2.5 levels cannot be seen as an annual aberration due to meteorological factors and consistent rise indicates the impact of growing pollution in the region. "Delhi seems to be losing its air quality gains from past action. Local and regional sources of pollution including vehicles, industries, open burning of waste, use of solid fuels, construction and dust sources have offset the gains -- undermining the longer-term progress over the past decade. "Delhi cannot hide behind the smoke screen of farm fires anymore. Despite a 71.2 per cent drop in stubble fire incidents during the October-December 2024, the winter pollution has remained elevated, upsetting the annual trend," she said. According to Sharanjeet Kaur, programme officer with CSE's Urban Lab, real-time data from Delhi's monitoring stations for the winter period (October 1-December 31) reveals a troubling 26 per cent surge in peak pollution levels compared to the previous year during the early phase of winter. The city experienced 17 days of severe or worse air quality, alongside two extended smog episodes with average smog intensity of 371 microgrammes per cubic metre and 324 microgrammes per cubic metre, respectively. This has kept the average levels elevated, Kaur said. Delhi recorded two major smog episodes this winter: from November 13-20 (about eight days) and from December 16-20 (about four days). The average daily intensity of this smog stood at 371 microgrammes per cubic metre and 324 microgrammes per cubic metre, respectively. At least three continuous days of severe AQI is considered a smog episode.