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République de Corée, une semaine pour trouver un accord à plus de 170 pays

Après deux ans de débats, cette cinquième session du Comité de négociation intergouvernemental (CNI5), dans la ville côtière de Busan face au Japon, est censée déboucher le 1er décembre sur un texte "légalement contraignant" pour combattre la pollution. Des chiffres clé : les émissions de gaz à effet de serre des plastiques, issus de produits pétroliers fossiles - qui dépassent déjà ceux du transport aérien - devraient "plus que doubler" d'ici 2060, à 4,3 milliards de tonnes de CO2, selon l'OCDE. Produits majoritairement en Asie, les plastiques, légers, solides et pas chers, "substances miracle" au moment de leur émergence dans les années 1950, sont devenus des "substances éternelles", dénonce Sunita Narain, directrice générale du Centre pour les sciences de l'environnement de New Delhi. Dégradés en micro puis nano-plastiques et accumulés au fond des rivières ou dans les sols, "ils sont littéralement devenus (...) le symbole de notre impossibilité à gérer les matériaux que nous avons créés", a-t-elle dit mardi 19 novembre lors d'une présentation à la presse. "Moment de vérité" Les négociations durant ce marathon diplomatique de sept jours sont un "moment de vérité", a prévenu la directrice du programme des Nations unies pour l'environnement (PNUE), la danoise Inger Andersen, au début du mois. "Busan peut et doit marquer la fin des négociations" a-t-elle ajouté. Mais malgré le constat partagé par la communauté scientifique, la rédaction d'un traité international ambitieux - à l'unanimité selon les standards ONU - sera très difficile à tenir, selon plusieurs sources interrogées.

Delhi Pollution News : पलूशन में लगातार एयर प्यूरीफायर का इस्तेमाल से होगा नुकसान, जानें एक्सपर्ट क्यों दे रहे चेतावनी

दिल्ली में प्रदूषण का हाल यह है कि जहरीली हवा की वजह से कई लोग अपनी आंखें मसल रहे हैं, किसी के सिर में दर्द हो रहा है तो कही लोगों को सांस लेने में दिक्कत हो रही है। हालत ये हैं कि शहर में जहरीली हवा के फैलने में प्रशासन लाचार नजर आ रहा है। सवाल है कि मौसम में बदलाव के कारकों को कम कैसे किया जाए। ऐसे में तकनीक ही आखिरी उपाय लगता है। हमारे सहयोगी अखबार टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया एयर प्यूरीफायर जैसे इक्यूपमेंट के कामकाज को देखा और यह समझने की कोशिश करता है कि यह महंगा असिस्टेंट इक्यूपमेंट भी लोगों की जरूरतों को पूरी तरह से पूरा क्यों नहीं कर सकता है। हालांकि एक्सपर्ट इसे एक अस्थायी समाधान बताते हैं। साथ ही वे एयर प्यूरीफायर के लंबे समय तक इस्तेमाल के खिलाफ चेतावनी देते हैं, क्योंकि उन्हें बंद जगहों पर इस्तेमाल करने की आवश्यकता होती है। ऐसे में कार्बन डाइऑक्साइड का लेवल घर के अंदर के वातावरण को स्वास्थ्य के लिए खतरनाक बना सकता है। कमरा अच्छे से सील होना जरूरी सोसाइटी फॉर इंडोर एनवायरनमेंट की सह-संस्थापक प्रियंका कुलश्रेष्ठ के अनुसार, एयर प्यूरीफायर की क्षमता मायने रखती है क्योंकि कुछ डिवाइस छोटे क्षेत्रों को कवर करते हैं जबकि अन्य अधिक जगह को कवर करते हैं। एयर प्यूरीफायर चलने के दौरान बंद दरवाजों या खिड़कियों से हवा का लगातार लीकेज होता रहता है। उन्होंने कहा कि अगर कोई कमरा अच्छी तरह से सील है, तो एयर प्यूरीफायर प्री-फिल्टर, HEPA फिल्टर और एक्टिवेटेड कार्बन फिल्टर में फंसकर PM2.5 को मैनेज कर लेगा, लेकिन यह CO2 की समस्या का समाधान नहीं करता है। एयर प्यूरीफायर को लेकर चेतावनी कुलश्रेष्ठ ने कहा कि CO2 की सांद्रता बाहर 400 पार्ट प्रति मिलियन (पीपीएम) और अंदर 1,100 होती है। हालांकि, बंद कमरे में सोते समय, गैस 2000-2500 पीपीएम की सांद्रता तक पहुंच सकती है, जो हानिकारक साबित हो सकती है। उन्होंने कहा कि हम CO2 उत्सर्जित करते हैं। आठ घंटे की नींद में, हमारी सांस छोड़ने से CO2 की सांद्रता 2500 पीपीएम तक बढ़ सकती है, भले ही एयर प्यूरीफायर चालू हो या न हो। उन्होंने एयर प्यूरीफायर का उपयोग करने वाले सभी लोगों के खिलाफ भी चेतावनी दी। कुलश्रेष्ठ ने कहा कि बीमार लोगों के लिए इस डिवाइस को रेकमेंड किया जाता है, लेकिन अगर कोई बच्चा एयर प्यूरीफायर का आदी हो जाता है और फिर बाहर जाता है, चाहे स्कूल जाने के लिए या खेलने के लिए, तो अनफ़िल्टर्ड हवा के संपर्क में आना बहुत ज़्यादा मुश्किल होगा। उन्होंने कमरे में वेंटिलेशन सुनिश्चित करने का सुझाव दिया। साथ ही सुबह-सुबह या देर शाम खिड़कियां न खोलने या N95 मास्क पहनने का सुझाव दिया। कमरा खोलते ही बढ़ जाता है प्रदूषण सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की शांभवी शुक्ला के अनुसार, प्यूरीफायर कारगर नहीं हैं क्योंकि जैसे ही बंद कमरा खोला जाता है, प्रदूषण बढ़ जाता है। शुक्ला ने कहा कि जब आप कमरे को पूरी तरह से बंद कर देते हैं तो एयर फिल्टर काम करते हैं। लेकिन बंद कमरे में पूरा दिन नहीं रह सकते। दिल्ली में भले ही घुट रही सांस... देश के इन राज्यों में 'जीरो' पॉल्यूशन

Delhi Pollution News : पलूशन में लगातार एयर प्यूरीफायर का इस्तेमाल से होगा नुकसान, जानें एक्सपर्ट क्यों दे रहे चेतावनी

दिल्ली में प्रदूषण का हाल यह है कि जहरीली हवा की वजह से कई लोग अपनी आंखें मसल रहे हैं, किसी के सिर में दर्द हो रहा है तो कही लोगों को सांस लेने में दिक्कत हो रही है। हालत ये हैं कि शहर में जहरीली हवा के फैलने में प्रशासन लाचार नजर आ रहा है। सवाल है कि मौसम में बदलाव के कारकों को कम कैसे किया जाए। ऐसे में तकनीक ही आखिरी उपाय लगता है। हमारे सहयोगी अखबार टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया एयर प्यूरीफायर जैसे इक्यूपमेंट के कामकाज को देखा और यह समझने की कोशिश करता है कि यह महंगा असिस्टेंट इक्यूपमेंट भी लोगों की जरूरतों को पूरी तरह से पूरा क्यों नहीं कर सकता है। हालांकि एक्सपर्ट इसे एक अस्थायी समाधान बताते हैं। साथ ही वे एयर प्यूरीफायर के लंबे समय तक इस्तेमाल के खिलाफ चेतावनी देते हैं, क्योंकि उन्हें बंद जगहों पर इस्तेमाल करने की आवश्यकता होती है। ऐसे में कार्बन डाइऑक्साइड का लेवल घर के अंदर के वातावरण को स्वास्थ्य के लिए खतरनाक बना सकता है। कमरा अच्छे से सील होना जरूरी सोसाइटी फॉर इंडोर एनवायरनमेंट की सह-संस्थापक प्रियंका कुलश्रेष्ठ के अनुसार, एयर प्यूरीफायर की क्षमता मायने रखती है क्योंकि कुछ डिवाइस छोटे क्षेत्रों को कवर करते हैं जबकि अन्य अधिक जगह को कवर करते हैं। एयर प्यूरीफायर चलने के दौरान बंद दरवाजों या खिड़कियों से हवा का लगातार लीकेज होता रहता है। उन्होंने कहा कि अगर कोई कमरा अच्छी तरह से सील है, तो एयर प्यूरीफायर प्री-फिल्टर, HEPA फिल्टर और एक्टिवेटेड कार्बन फिल्टर में फंसकर PM2.5 को मैनेज कर लेगा, लेकिन यह CO2 की समस्या का समाधान नहीं करता है। एयर प्यूरीफायर को लेकर चेतावनी कुलश्रेष्ठ ने कहा कि CO2 की सांद्रता बाहर 400 पार्ट प्रति मिलियन (पीपीएम) और अंदर 1,100 होती है। हालांकि, बंद कमरे में सोते समय, गैस 2000-2500 पीपीएम की सांद्रता तक पहुंच सकती है, जो हानिकारक साबित हो सकती है। उन्होंने कहा कि हम CO2 उत्सर्जित करते हैं। आठ घंटे की नींद में, हमारी सांस छोड़ने से CO2 की सांद्रता 2500 पीपीएम तक बढ़ सकती है, भले ही एयर प्यूरीफायर चालू हो या न हो। उन्होंने एयर प्यूरीफायर का उपयोग करने वाले सभी लोगों के खिलाफ भी चेतावनी दी। कुलश्रेष्ठ ने कहा कि बीमार लोगों के लिए इस डिवाइस को रेकमेंड किया जाता है, लेकिन अगर कोई बच्चा एयर प्यूरीफायर का आदी हो जाता है और फिर बाहर जाता है, चाहे स्कूल जाने के लिए या खेलने के लिए, तो अनफ़िल्टर्ड हवा के संपर्क में आना बहुत ज़्यादा मुश्किल होगा। उन्होंने कमरे में वेंटिलेशन सुनिश्चित करने का सुझाव दिया। साथ ही सुबह-सुबह या देर शाम खिड़कियां न खोलने या N95 मास्क पहनने का सुझाव दिया। कमरा खोलते ही बढ़ जाता है प्रदूषण सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की शांभवी शुक्ला के अनुसार, प्यूरीफायर कारगर नहीं हैं क्योंकि जैसे ही बंद कमरा खोला जाता है, प्रदूषण बढ़ जाता है। शुक्ला ने कहा कि जब आप कमरे को पूरी तरह से बंद कर देते हैं तो एयर फिल्टर काम करते हैं। लेकिन बंद कमरे में पूरा दिन नहीं रह सकते। इसके अलावा, दरवाजा खोलने या हल्का सा खोलने पर भी कमरे में मौजूद अशुद्ध हवा फिर से ऊपर आ जाती है। हालांकि, इस समय हवा की भयावह स्थिति को देखते हुए एक्सपर्ट्स ने समय-समय पर कमरे को हवादार करते हुए वेंटिलेटर का उपयोग करने का सुझाव दिया है। इससे उनका उपयोग कम हानिकारक होगा।

पंजाब में पराली जलाने की 12000 घटनाएं, लेकिन दीवाली पर सिर धुनने वाले चुप: समझिए क्या कहते हैं आंकड़े

ठंड की शुरुआत होते ही दिल्ली की आवोहवा एक बार फिर बिगड़ गई है। हालात इतने बदतर हो गए हैं कि कई जगहों पर AQI 1,000 के पार पहुँच गया है। स्कूलों को बंद करना पड़ गया है और स्कूली बच्चों की क्लास ऑनलाइन संचालित करनी पड़ रही है। इन सबके बीच सबसे बड़ी बात ये है कि इस बार खराब एयर क्लाविटी के लिए किसी ने दीपावली को दोषी नहीं ठहराया। जो लोग दिल्ली में बढ़ने वाले प्रदूषण के लिए दिवाली को दोषी ठहराते थे, वे इस बार मौन धारण किए हुए हैं। पिछले कई सालों से ऐसे लोग दिल्ली की खराब एयर क्वालिटी के लिए दिवाली में पटाखों को जिम्मेदार ठहराते आए हैं। वामपंथी और अन्य हिंदू विरोधी दिल्ली के प्रदूषण के लिए भले ही दिवाली के पटाखों को जिम्मेदार ठहराएँ लेकिन हकीकत इससे अलग है। प्रदूषण की भूमिका में पटाखों की भूमिका से इनकार नहीं किया जा सकता लेकिन यही कारण इसके लिए जिम्मेदार है…ये पूरी तरह गलत है। ये वो समय होता है जब दिल्ली से सटे पंजाब, हरियाणा और उत्तर प्रदेश जैसे राज्यों में किसान धान की फसल की कटाई करते हैं। इसके बाद खेतों को साफ करने के लिए पराली को जला देते हैं। किसानों को लिए यह सबसे सरल और कम लागत वाला काम होता है लेकिन पराली जलाने के लिए पर्यावरण में भारी मात्रा में धुँआ फैलता है। यह धुँआ हवाओं के साथ दिल्ली की ओर आ जाता है, जिससे प्रदूषण का स्तर बढ़ जाता है। सर्दियों के दिनों में ठंडे के कारण हवा की गति कम हो जाती है। ठंड के कारण धुआँ, धूल जैसे प्रदूषक जमीन के पास एक जगह फंस जाते हैं। वे ऊपर नहीं जा पाते। इसके कारण हवा की गुणवत्ता खराब हो जाती है। लगभग 2 करोड़ से अधिक आबादी वाली दिल्ली क्षेत्र में शहरीकरण के कारण भी प्रदूषण बढ़ता है। लगातार होती निर्माण गतिविधियाँ और बस-कारों से निकलने वाले धुएँ, कचरा और ऊर्जा खपत आदि के कारण प्रदूषण बढ़ता जाता है। दरअसल, इस बार दिवाली ठंड बढ़ने से पहले ही थी। इस कारण दिवाली की रात पटाखे भी छूटे लेकिन उसका इतना असर नहीं दिखा, जितना की हर साल शोर मचाया जाता रहा है। इससे स्पष्ट है कि दिल्ली में प्रदूषण का असली कारण दिवाली पर छोड़े जाने वाले पटाखे नहीं है, बल्कि पड़ोसी राज्यों में जलाए जाने वाले पराली और महानगरों में बसों-कारों का अत्यधिक इस्तेमाल है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट के अध्ययन से पता चलता है कि 12 अक्टूबर से 3 नवंबर 2024 के दौरान वाहनों से निकलने वाले धुएँ का दिल्ली के वायु प्रदूषण में सबसे बड़ा योगदान था। दिल्ली के प्रदूषण के लिए एनसीआर और अन्य क्षेत्रों को छोड़ दे तों यहां के अपने सोर्स का केंद्र शासित प्रदेश के कुल प्रदूषण में हिस्सा 30.34% था। इसमें से वाहनों से निकलने वाले धुएँ की भागीदारी 51.5 प्रतिशत, खेतों में लगी आग का योगदान 8.19 प्रतिशत और धूल के कणों का 3.7 प्रतिशत हिस्सा था। वायु गुणवत्ता तकनीक कंपनी IQAir के अध्ययन से पता चलता है कि प्राकृतिक और मानव निर्मित प्रदूषकों के संयोजन के कारण दिल्ली की वायु गुणवत्ता में गिरावट आ रही है। निर्माण गतिविधियाँ, लैंडफिल का प्रदूषण में खास योगदान है। खाली एवं खुली जमीन और खेत से निकली धूल हवा की गुणवत्ता खराब करते हैं। कचरे को जलाने से हानिकारक धुआँ और कालिख निकलती है, जिससे जहरीले कण और गैसें प्रदूषण में और बढ़ जाती हैं। वाहनों से निकलने वाला कार्बन मोनोऑक्साइड, नाइट्रोजन ऑक्साइड और हाइड्रोकार्बन प्रदूषण को बढ़ाता है। भारतीय कृषि अनुसंधान परिषद (IARC) के आंकड़ों से पता चलता है कि पड़ोसी राज्यों में पराली जलाने की घटनाओं में बीते वर्षों के मुकाबले कुछ कमी जरूर आई है। इसके बाद भी दिल्ली में वायु गुणवत्ता में कुछ खास सुधार नहीं हुआ है। पंजाब में इस वर्ष अब तक पराली जलाए जाने की 12,000 से अधिक घटनाएँ सामने आ चुकी हैं। अगर इन आँकड़ों पर गौर करें तो पता चलता है कि दिवाली के पटाखों पर प्रदूषण की जिम्मेदारी फोड़ने वाले लोग किसी ना किसी एजेंडे की तरह ये काम करते हैं। ऐसा नहीं है कि उन लोगों को इन रिपोर्ट्स की जानकारी नहीं होगी। उन्हें भी होगी और ये पता भी होगा कि इन प्रदूषण में दिल्ली के वाहनों का सबसे बड़ा योगदान है, लेकिन लग्जरी लाइफ जीते हुए आम लोगों की बात करने वाले ऐसे लोग वाहनों में कटौती करने की बात नहीं करेंगे क्योंकि इससे वे सीधे तौर पर प्रभावित होंगे।

Not stubble burning, cars are the main villain in Delhi's apocalyptic air pollution

On November 18, Delhi breathed its worst air ever recorded. With the Air Quality Index at 494, the fourth level of the Graded Response Action Plan snapped into place that morning, putting a stop on all construction activity and the entry of trucks into the city. As the Supreme Court ordered schools to be closed, Delhi government blamed the Centre for failing to control stubble burning, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. However, research shows stubble burning is not the main cause of Delhi’s toxic smog. A study found that, averaged out through the year, stubble burning contributed less than 3% to hazardous particulate matter in 2017. The largest source of air pollution in Delhi is its vehicular load. In 2019, the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a research organisation, analysed several studies that broke down the contribution of air pollution by source. It found that vehicles on the road contributed anywhere between one-third to two-thirds of Delhi’s toxic air in 2018. Confirming this, a study this year by the Centre for Science and Environment found that between mid-October and early November, when farmers burnt paddy stalks to prepare their fields for the next crop, only 8% of air pollution in the national capital region came from stubble burning. Nearly two-thirds of the pollution originated locally, with the transport sector contributing more than half of it. Delhi’s worsening air quality runs parallel to the rise in the number of vehicles on its roads. Between 1990 and 2018, the national capital region saw a five-fold jump in registered vehicles. Delhi surpasses all other Indian cities with 1.18 crore vehicles on the road, over 90% of which are two-wheelers and cars.

Grey skies & red eyes outside, air purifiers only stop-gap aid inside

People are scratching their eyes, clutching their aching heads and having difficulties with breathing. With civic authorities paralysed and unable to do anything to prevent a dome of toxic air covering the city, and the weather playing spoilsport in washing or carrying away the pollutants, technology seems like the last resort. TOI looks at the functioning of devices like air purifiers and tries to understand why even this costly assistive appliance may not fully meet people's needs. While hesitantly calling it a temporary solution, experts caution against the prolonged use of air purifiers, which require them to be used in enclosed spaces, pointing out how carbon dioxide levels could make indoor environments dangerous for health. According to Priyanka Kulshreshtha, co-founder, Society for Indoor Environment, while the capacity of an air purifier matters as some devices cater to smaller areas while others cover more, there is constant leakage of air through locked doors or windows. She said if a room is well sealed, the air purifier will manage the PM2.5 by trapping it in pre-filters, HEPA filters and activated carbon filters, but it does not address the CO2 problem. Kulshreshtha said CO2 concentration is around 400 parts per million (ppm) outdoors and 1,100 indoors. However, while sleeping in a closed room, the gas can reach concentrations of 2000-2500 ppm, which can prove harmful. "We are emitters of CO2. In a sleep lasting eight hours, our exhalation can raise CO2 concentration to up to 2500 ppm, irrespective of whether an air purifier is installed or not," she said. She also cautioned against everyone using air purifiers. "For sick people, the device is recommended," Kulshreshtha said, "but if a child gets accustomed to an air purifier and then goes outdoors, either to go to school or to play, the exposure to unfiltered air would be extreme." She suggested ensuring ventilation in a room, but not opening windows early morning or late evening, or wearing an N95 mask. According to Shambhavi Shukla of the Centre for Science and Environment, purifiers aren't efficient because as soon as a locked room is opened, the pollution shoots up. "Air filters function when you close a room completely. But one cannot be inside a closed room for a whole day. Besides, even a slight crack or short opening of the door would send the impure air in the room shooting up again," said Shukla. However, given the dire air situation at the moment, experts suggested the use of ventilators while ventilating the room from time to time. This would make their use less harmful. Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst, Envirocatalyst, said in any case only a fraction of Indian population could afford air purifiers and most Indian homes weren't designed for such devices. "A majority of people live in houses that aren't sealed or isolated from the outside, which means outdoor polluted air will keep entering, reducing the usefulness of air purifiers. And staying indoors can take a toll on mental health," he said. "Purifiers can't shield us from high pollution levels. They only give us temporary relief, that too for a very limited population who can afford the device or have houses that are sealed properly," said Dahiya.

City air turns ‘very poor’, smog still hangs heavy

Gurgaon: The city's average air quality improved a notch to settle at ‘very poor' on Wednesday, but two of the four monitoring stations still recorded pollution readings as ‘severe'. The 24-hour air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 374 on Wednesday, an improvement from two days of ‘severe' air on Monday and Tuesday. Experts said this improvement was because of winds that helped disperse pollutants suspended in the cold atmosphere. But parts of Gurgaon still recorded ‘severe' air quality. The Sector 51 monitoring station, which covers densely populated areas such as sectors 29, 46, 47, 50, 51, 52 and 57, logged average AQI at 435 on Wednesday. The station, where the AQI count was the highest in the city, is located close to highrises, hospitals, schools and markets within a 10km radius. The Gwalpahari station, at 428 AQI, was close behind. This station is close to the Gurgaon-Faridabad road, Golf Course road and several highrises. The remaining two stations at Vikas Sadan and Teri Gram recorded AQI in ‘very poor' categories. Experts pointed out that local emissions were to blame for these pollution hotspots. "We can't say this is relief because there are areas where AQI is severe. The situation may worsen if a strong western disturbance doesn't lift the pollutants," said Shubhansh Tiwari, research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Asked about local emissions, Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) officials admitted there were several pollution hotspots in the city. "We have already mapped the hotspots and shared the locations with MCG to immediately look into the matter and initiate appropriate action," an HSPCB official said. Residents said open waste burning and other activities restricted under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) were still being carried out blatantly. "There's a constant burning smell in the sector, especially in the morning hours, for the past two days. I was alarmed on Sunday when my elderly parent started having an asthma attack," said Avnish Kapur, a resident of Sector 57. Officials of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) said they have issued closure notices to six ready-mix cement factories and seven other units since Friday, when the fourth stage of GRAP restrictions were imposed to curb air pollution. Around Rs 5.5 crore environmental compensation has been imposed on sites found to be flouting the norms in the last six days, officials added. With fog finally dissipating across the region, there's hope that the air quality may improve sooner. Signs of improvement were seen on Wednesday night as Delhi's average AQI fell to 400 (in ‘very poor' range) by 10pm. In Nov so far, Delhi has witnessed seven severe days. Of these, the city has been reporting consecutive days of severe days since Nov 16, including two ‘severe plus' days on Nov 18 and 19. With an AQI of 494, Nov 18 was the second most polluted day on record. In contrast, Nov last year saw nine severe days, but the longest consecutive streak was of four days. Dec 2023 saw three consecutive severe days. In 2022, Nov and Dec recorded a total of three and two severe days.

‘Red alert’ as temperatures cross 1.5 degrees for 16 months straight

From January to September this year, global mean surface temperatures crossed 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, making it the second year in a row to cross this temperature threshold for a sustained period of time. The World Meteorological Organisation said 2024 was on track to replace 2023 as the hottest year ever, “turbo-charged by ever-increasing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.” The announcement of a “red alert” was made in the WMO’s flagship State of the Climate report, which was updated and released on the first day of the COP29, which is ongoing in Baku, Azerbaijan. At the COP, countries are negotiating global climate policies to prevent a long-term, decadal breach of temperatures above 1.5 degrees Celsius. Temperatures have already reached 1.1 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Greenhouse gas emissions responsible for causing this global heating need to drop by 42% in the next six years to keep warming within 1.5 degrees. But instead, emissions are expected to reach a record high of 41.6 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (GtCO2) – 2% more than 2023 levels. “The record-breaking rainfall and flooding, rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones, deadly heat, relentless drought and raging wildfires that we have seen in different parts of the world this year are unfortunately our new reality and a foretaste of our future,” said Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General, in a statement. The abnormal warming this year was boosted by a strong El Nino, and will result in both 2023 and 2024 being the two warmest on record. It also marks “the warmest ten years in the 175-year observational record,” the WMO report said, calling it an unprecedented amount of warming “in a single generation.” For India, this means escalating droughts, floods, heatwaves, and cyclones, among other extreme weather events. As surface temperatures soared to 1.54 degrees above preindustrial levels globally between January and September this year, India witnessed extreme weather events on 255 of the 274 in the same period. Sea ice and glacier loss The unusual warming over the last 16 months (from June 2023 to September 2024) has resulted in record lows of sea-ice in the poles, and glacier loss in mountain ranges. The extent of glacier loss, measured as global annual mass balance, was “nominally the largest loss of ice on record,” in 2023 since 1950, the WMO report says. The negative mass balance of 1.2 meters of water equivalent “corresponds to a volume of water discharged by the Amazon River in about one month, or approximately 5 times as much water as there is in the Dead Sea.” The Antarctic sea-ice extent reached its annual minimum of 2.0 million km on 20 February, the second lowest extent in the satellite record since 1979, the report says. The lowest was in 2023. Over the last two decades, ocean warming has also shown “a particularly strong increase,” at a rate that corresponds to an average absorption of approximately 3.1 million terawatt-hours (TWh) of heat each year from 2005-2023. This is “more than 18 times the world’s energy consumption in 2023.” “We urgently need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen our monitoring and understanding of our changing climate,” said Saulo of the WMO, adding, “Whether it is at a level below or above 1.5°C of warming, every additional increment of global warming increases climate extremes, impacts and risks.” Extreme weather in India According to the India Meteorological Department, surface temperatures across the country have increased by 0.7 degrees Celsius between 1901 and 2018. Warming trends in India mirrored global levels – the summers of 2023 and 2024 were among the warmest ever. The Centre for Science and Environment put together a record of extreme weather event days in India, as an attempt to “build an evidence base on the frequency and expanding geography of extreme weather events in India.”

Why India’s smog strategy has failed to solve its out-of-control air pollution

As air pollution soared to unprecedented levels in North India this week, Delhi and neighbouring cities lay shrouded in a dense, smoky haze, bringing with it near-zero visibility. Flights were grounded, and millions sought refuge indoors. With the Air Quality Index touching 500, a level that is considered hazardous even to people without health conditions, Delhi’s local government termed the smog a “national medical emergency.” On Monday, the crisis in the city – which contains India’s capital, New Delhi – drove the country’s Supreme Court to order emergency measures. The court’s decision noted the failure of a central government body, the Commission for Air Quality Management, to prevent deterioration of air quality, despite forecasts of rising pollution levels. The court directed authorities in the region to enforce the highest level of restrictions, including closing schools, halting construction, and limiting heavy vehicle movement and non-essential industrial operations. Doctors reported a sharp rise in hospital visits and admissions for breathing disorders in November. Toxic air also travelled across the border, affecting cities in Pakistan, including Lahore, and sparking calls for “climate diplomacy” and cross-border co-operation. But the air pollution crisis, while especially severe this year, has become an annual occurrence in Delhi, where the cool winter air traps emissions from a variety of sources, including farm fires ignited to clear stubble left over from the rice harvest. Solutions to this perennial onslaught of smog are caught in a political deadlock, with Delhi’s local government and India’s central government, led by opposing parties, the AAP and the BJP, holding each other responsible. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai, for example, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week to approve a proposal to lower the toxicity by seeding clouds, a process that uses dry ice or other materials to encourage rain. Meanwhile, environmental groups, medical professionals, civil organizations and air pollution experts across the country are questioning why, despite repeated promises from various governments and significant investments in anti-pollution measures, authorities have been unable to stem the problem. It wasn’t always this way. Winters in Delhi used to bring a pleasant fog, said Mohan George, a clean air and sustainability expert at the Centre for Science and Environment, a New Delhi-based non-profit. “Things started to change after 2007, when Punjab revised its agricultural policies, delaying the sowing and harvesting of crops,” he said. Story continues below advertisement

Only a third of clean air fund spent in Delhi, pollution body points to absence of key municipal panel

Delhi recorded its worst air quality in five years on Monday — an AQI of 494 — on par with the city’s worst polluted day in 2019. The same year, the Environment Ministry launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) which aimed to cut particulate matter pollution (PM 10) by 40% from the base year 2017 or to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The initial deadline to meet the target was 2024, which was then revised to 2025-26. With air quality consistently in the ‘severe’ or ‘severe plus’ range over the past five days, the performance of Delhi-NCR cities under NCAP is crucial. An analysis of NCAP fund expenditure, however, shows that Delhi is in the bottom five among 19 cities — 68% of its Rs 42.69 crore funds lie unutilised. According to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, this is due to delays in forming a standing committee in the MCD — the financial backbone of the civic body which approves all proposals over Rs 5 crore. A recent submission by the Centre to the National Green Tribunal showed that Delhi has barely reached the halfway mark while NCR cities of Faridabad and Noida too lag in meeting the targets. Unlike these cities, which have utilised less than 40% of funds, Ghaziabad has utilised 80%. However, it still has to reduce PM 10 levels by 57%. Noida recorded the least NCAP fund utilisation at 11%. “Out of the Rs 42.69 crore allocated to Delhi under NCAP, Rs 13.54 crore has been utilised by the MCD and NDMC, reflecting an overall utilisation rate of 31.72%. This lower percentage is primarily due to delays in forming a standing committee in the MCD. Once established, this committee is expected to accelerate fund utilisation for various planned activities such as end-to-end pavement of roads, greening of traffic corridors, projects, and dust-control measures etc. under NCAP,” Delhi Polllution Control Committee officials said. The 19 cities identified by NCAP are non-attainment cities, selected after failing to meet national air quality standards consecutively for five years between 2011 and 2015. Out of these, eight cities — including Noida and Faridabad — are yet to complete source apportionment studies to assess the contribution of various pollution sources. However, utilising the fund at higher levels does not mean major emission sources — industrial and vehicular pollution — remain controlled. Among the concerns pointed out by a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report this year was that PM 10-based performance-linked funding has locked in more resources for dust control while major combustion resources like industries and vehicular pollution get comparatively less funds.

The problem of finding source of pollution in Delhi persists

On November 18, as Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) soared to a staggering 494 – the city’s second-most polluted day on record – questions loomed over the reasons behind the sudden spike. Yet, pinpointing the exact sources of pollution proved elusive, as key studies and real-time data systems remain outdated or defunct, leaving a critical void in the battle against Delhi’s toxic air. Over the past four years, at least three key studies aimed at real-time pollution source identification have either been halted or rendered obsolete. The Delhi government’s real-time source apportionment analysis, which sought to provide a granular understanding of pollution sources, has been inactive since November last year. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has struggled to find a suitable institute to operate the equipment needed for the study. This means that Delhi is left with only one model – the Decision Support System (DSS) under the Union ministry of earth sciences, which can only “estimate” the contribution of pollution sources and relies on a three-year old emissions inventory. Experts argue that understanding the precise contributors to Delhi’s pollution is essential for formulating targeted interventions and fostering accountability in tackling this persistent crisis. On November 18, DSS – managed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune – attributed 46.21% of Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution to “other sources,” which includes cross-border pollutants and contributions from outside the National Capital Region (NCR). It estimated 16.97% of the pollution came from Delhi’s transport sector and 5.32% from Sonepat. Stubble burning, a perennial contributor during winter, was recorded at 19.82% for that day. But the problem is that all these figures were only released two days later. DSS’s limitations are further compounded by its reliance on old data and the absence of an archive, which prevents historical analysis. The platform itself acknowledges that updated emissions inventories are essential for more accurate estimations, but this remains unaddressed. “For more accurate estimation of source-contribution, the latest emission fields are required,” the website states. Other limitations include data only being available on the website for a period of four days, without having any access to an archive. This means one cannot study the source break-up on previous days. Previous attempts Attempts to establish reliable real-time pollution monitoring have faltered repeatedly. Previous such studies, including those by IIT-Kanpur, have also come under scrutiny for either outdated findings or methodological disagreements with the Delhi government. Aspersions were cast by Delhi government on the data shared by IIT-Kanpur during its tenure running the source apportionment study. On most days, the study found secondary inorganic aerosols – formed in the air due to incomplete combustion, were the primary source of pollution. Due to this friction, Delhi government last year decided not to renew the term of IIT-Kanpur. In August this year, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai asked DPCC to take over the equipment and restart the study – but nothing has come of it so far. “We were dissatisfied with how IIT-Kanpur was calculating the sources and their contribution. Thus, the expert institute we choose will first have to revise the methodology. So far, it appears unlikely this will happen this year,” said a DPCC official, adding they were yet to finalise the “expert” institution they were seeking. An initiative with Washington University in 2020 was similarly scrapped after a year for unsatisfactory results. The study’s data was never made public, with the government scrapping the deal in a year due to “unsatisfactory” results. Experts emphasise the urgent need to revive real-time source apportionment studies. IIT-Delhi’s Mukesh Khare, an air pollution expert, suggests even a single centrally located supersite in Delhi could provide valuable insights. “Even having one supersite in Delhi enough, as real-time instrumentation is costly, but if placed in a central location, it should be able to cover different geographical aspects of the city and its pollutants well,” he said. However, the last comprehensive source apportionment was conducted in 2018 by The Energy Resources Institute (TERI), with the previous one dating back to 2015-16 by IIT-Kanpur—both now considered outdated. “Source apportionment data needs to be new and accurate in order to take informed decisions. Until we have a realistic and dynamic inventory of all our sources, we cannot plan interventions accordingly,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

ललित सुरजन की कलम से- सम-विषम : सफल प्रयोग, आगे क्या?

प्रदूषण के दैत्य से दिल्लीवासियों को बचाने के लिए अरविंद केजरीवाल को दीर्घकालीन व स्थायी उपायों पर विचार करने की आवश्यकता है। सच तो यह है कि यह समस्या न तो सिर्फ श्री केजरीवाल की है और न सिर्फ दिल्लीवासियों की। भारत सरकार के अलावा विभिन्न राज्यों की सरकारों व सभी पार्टियों को इस बारे में मिल-बैठ कर सोचने की आवश्यकता है। सत्तारूढ़ भाजपा व प्रमुख विपक्ष कांग्रेस पर तो इसका मुख्य दायित्व तो है ही; समस्या के वैज्ञानिक व तकनीकी पक्ष को समझने वाले विशेषज्ञों को भी विचार और निर्णय की प्रक्रिया में शामिल करने से ही आगे का रास्ता निकलेगा। एक उदाहरण दिया जा सकता है। दिल्ली में ही प्रदूषण कम करने के लिए बसों में डीजल की जगह सीएनजी उपयोग करने हेतु सीएसई ने सुप्रीम कोर्ट तक जाकर लड़ाई लड़ी और जीत हासिल की। इसका लाभ लंबे समय तक दिल्ली को मिला। दिल्ली साइंस फोरम जैसी संस्थाएं भी इस दिशा में निरंतर काम कर रही हैं। प्रोफेसर दिनेश मोहन व सुनीता नारायण जैसे विशेषज्ञों की सेवाएं लेना हर तरह से लाभकारी है। अभी जैसे एक बात उठी कि कार से जितना वायु प्रदूषण होता है उससे कई गुना अधिक सड़कों पर उडऩे वाली धूल से होता है। बात दुरुस्त है। लेकिन इस बात पर किसी ने गौर नहीं किया कि वाहनों की तेज रफ्तार के कारण सड़क पर जो घर्षण होता है उससे सीमेंट और डामर के जो कण उड़ते हैं वे ही बड़ी सीमा तक धूल में बदल जाते हैं। आशय यह कि यदि सड़कों पर गाडिय़ां कम हैं तो धूल भी उतनी ही कम उड़ेगी। इसे विस्तारपूर्वक समझना हो तो किसी विशेषज्ञ के पास ही जाना होगा। इसी तरह डीजल की बात है। डीजल वाहनों से धुआं भी अधिक उड़ता है और उससे कैंसर का खतरा भी बढ़ता है। यूरोप में डीजल कारों के लिए जो पैमाने लागू हैं वे भारत में नहीं हैं। यूरोपीय मानक हासिल करने के लिए क्या करना पड़ेगा, नीति निर्धारकों को यह बात भी समझना होगी।

Delhi pollution crisis: Why AQI forecasts were way off mark

NEW DELHI: The city's AQI was forecast to remain 'very poor' on Sunday, but it stayed 'severe' during the day and deteriorated to 'severe plus' by evening. Before this, a similar pattern was seen on Nov 13. With a severe smog episode underway and Delhi staring at a pollution crisis, the lack of a reliable and strong forecasting system is glaring. Delhi pollution Even the Decision Support System (DSS), which forecasts Delhi's AQI and calculates the contribution of stubble burning in the city's PM2.5, changed the data of the past few days. For instance, it estimated that the share of farm fires was 37.5% on Friday, the highest this season, but it was later changed to 21.5%. Officials said the model did not factor in the high number of weddings in Delhi-NCR, leading to the bursting of firecrackers. The data since Nov 12 for stubble contribution was, therefore, revised considering the raw data on marriage ceremonies and emissions from firecrackers, they added. Both DSS and Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi (EWS), which forecasts air quality, have been developed by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (ITM) and use the same model. An analysis of EWS forecasts reveals that from Nov 13 to Nov 19, the forecasts were wrong on five days out of seven. Stage III of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was also not imposed on Nov 13 when air quality turned 'severe', as AQI was predicted to improve to 'very poor'. The decision to impose stage III was taken only on Nov 14. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, "A severe episode has started, but we lack the much-needed reliable forecasts. It impacts our preparedness for emergency action. GRAP's stage IV was imposed after AQI turned 'severe plus'. We need a stronger forecasting system for efficient decision-making." Another official also attributed the inaccurate forecasts to the wedding season which started on Nov 12, and said the figures for contribution of stubble burning in Delhi's PM2.5 have since been revised. "The model was unable to capture the additional emissions from firecrackers due to the ongoing wedding season. According to news reports, about 50,000 weddings took place on Nov 12 in Delhi. However, there was no drastic increase in other sources. Even the meteorological conditions did not show any significant changes. We estimated that air quality was impacted as marriage ceremonies led to the bursting of firecrackers," said a senior scientist in the know of the matter. The scientist added that they estimated that on an average, about 50 crackers were burst in one wedding. "We also removed false fires recorded due to fog. We re-ran the model from Nov 12 onwards, considering firecrackers, and revised the contribution of stubble burning," the scientist said, adding that they plan to consider wedding seasons and firecrackers in future calculations. Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst, Envirocatalysts, said, "The air quality forecast for Delhi is based on the 2021 emission inventory, which is outdated. Episodic events such as stubble burning are changing in nature and intensities, leading to wrong forecasts. There is a need to refine the methodology and base data, if forecasts are to be more accurate and meaningful." Dahiya added that events such as firecracker bursting during weddings can't be predicted well to be incorporated into air pollution forecasts, which will always lead to minor deviations in actual versus predicted levels, but all other sources can be predicted fairly accurately using the latest data and methodologies. "Please be aware that the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi's PM2.5 concentration for the day is determined using active fire count data from the VIIRS satellite-based instrument received until the previous evening. The estimates of the contribution from stubble burning for Nov 13, 14, and 15 are revised by taking into account the emissions from the bursting of firecrackers in Delhi (as part of wedding celebrations), which were not taken into consideration earlier," stated a disclaimer on the DSS website.

National Catastrophic Region

Roll down the window of your bullet-proof car, Mr Prime Minister. The security threat is not the gun; it is the air of Delhi.” This was the headline of the public advertisement the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) issued some 24 years ago. It was the CSE, again, which termed Delhi’s pollution as nothing but “slow murder”. Unfortunately, the situation has deteriorated since then, as is evident from the fact that the nation’s capital city has once again turned into a gas chamber with the Air Quality Index in a race to the bottom. Meanwhile, the familiar script is playing out: authorities claiming stubble burning has come down due to their “exemplary” work and politicians slinging mud at each other, hoping people have short memories. The apathy of all stakeholders to a disaster that is already upon us is sickening. Have we all forgotten that our right to clean air has to be non-negotiable? The Central Pollution Control Board started maintaining air quality data in 2015. On Monday, the AQI deteriorated to 494 — on a par with the city’s most polluted day recorded on November 3, 2019. Five years and dozens of Supreme Court orders later — and despite stringent measures on days when the AQI is in the severe and severe+ zone — Delhi appears to be back to square one. People are being rushed to hospitals with asthmatic attacks even as a sizeable section of the population — those who can afford to — are staying indoors to avoid “slow murder”. And all this, after the Delhi government told the National Green Tribunal about three weeks ago that it was implementing its 21-point winter action plan involving about 30 government departments to “mitigate” air pollution. The bluff has been called by the apex court.

The looming crisis of Antimicrobial Resistance

The World Health Organisation marks November 18 to 24, every year, as World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. As we write this, ministers from across the world are discussing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, their commitment to act against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – a commitment agreed upon in the second ‘Political Declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance’ by 193 member-states of the United Nations in September 2024. AMR – antibiotic resistance in particular – is a serious threat to humanity; at the UN meeting, countries have agreed on collective action until 2030. Between 2016 (when the first political declaration on AMR was adopted) and today, about 180 nations have introduced national AMR action plans. India too has developed a comprehensive plan, but like many other resource-constrained countries of the Global South, its implementation has been far from successful. There is global urgency to act because antibiotics are becoming ineffective in treating even common bacterial infections. Those meant to save lives in hospitals and intensive care units are also failing. In 2021, 4.7 million deaths were linked to antibiotic resistance and about 1.15 million were directly caused by it. In India, nearly 0.3 million deaths were attributed to bacterial AMR or antibiotic resistance in 2019 and over a million deaths were associated with it. Antibiotic resistance is considered deadlier than HIV and malaria together and, perhaps, Covid which has caused nearly seven million deaths since early 2020. Known as a ‘silent’ pandemic, it is estimated to kill 39 million between 2025 and 2050. As bacterial infestation is common in animals and plants grown for food, unchecked antibiotic resistance is also expected to adversely impact food and livestock productivity and livelihoods of farmers, more so in low-and middle-income countries. metabolic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases to high revenues and profits. Even if new drugs are developed, antibiotic manufacturers avoid selling them in low overused or misused, bacteria can become resistant to their action. More overuse or misuse in human health, animal health, and crop and food-animal production, therefore, means more resistance in bacteria which can become multi-drug resistant or Superbugs and spread further through food, waste, and environment routes. India produces large quantities of food from crops and animals, making it extremely important to keep checks on antibiotic overuse and misuse and prevent these foodanimal and crop sectors from becoming a major source of antibiotic resistance spread through food and waste routes. About 62% of the 850 million poultry population is in the commercial segment which, typically, depends on antibiotics and chemicals to compensate for infection-friendly conditions. India is the biggest milk producer, accounting for over 20% of the global production, and has about 125 million milch animals in cows and buffaloes. It generates nearly 8% of the global fish production and is the 4th largest exporter of seafood. The waste routes, especially those involving hospital waste, call for renewed focus as they are often a source of hard-to-treat multidrug-resistant bacteria. India is among the few countries that have not officially prohibited antibiotic use as growth promoters in poultry. Chicken feed, its antibiotic content, or labelling is not amply regulated. There is an urgent need to compile baseline data on the amount of antibiotics used in different food-animal sectors and on purpose-based classifications. Such data will offer a start to potential intervention and identification of national antibiotic reduction targets. Need for multipronged approach Mass use of antibiotics to prevent or control disease is still not actively discouraged. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying came up with longoverdue standard veterinary treatment guidelines in October 2024. Now, the challenge is to ensure that these guidelines are adhered to. Critically important antibiotics used to save lives in hospitals must be conserved and phased out in food-animal sectors, especially for non-therapeutic purposes. A key issue pertains to a lack of monitoring of antibiotics in food, though the standards for antibiotic residues in food from animals and honey were set many years ago. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has not been able to instil confidence in consumers that their chicken, fish, or scaling up local and decentralised food systems – backyard poultry, for instance – and reducing dependence on industry-intensive systems. It is time for an adequately funded AMR national action plan 2.0, with ministries and departments marked for accountability. There is a silver lining in Kerala – the state runs the Antibiotic Literate Kerala campaign, the Antibiotic-Smart Hospital initiative to certify healthcare centres that have adopted a set of criteria, operation AMRITH – Anti-Microbial Resistance Intervention for Total Health – aimed at curbing over-the-counter sales of antibiotics, and ROAR (Rage On Antimicrobial Resistance), a programme that involves the sale of antibiotics in blue envelopes with statutory warnings and awareness messages. India must come together to prevent and contain this big threat to humanity. There are huge expectations from us but a strong, coordinated, and timely action will be of immense global significance. (Amit and Rajeshwari are Director and Programme Manager, respectively, at the Sustainable Food Systems Programme, Centre for Science and Environment)