As the UK officially shut down its last remaining coal power plant on Monday, policy experts said coal will continue to be a part of India's energy mix for the next few decades, given that it is still a developing country with significant energy needs. The UK on Monday closed its last coal power plant, becoming the first G7 nation to do so amid calls for a global coal-free energy system by 2040. The world's first coal power plant opened in London in 1882, and until 2012, coal accounted for 39 per cent of the UK's electricity generation. Global energy think tank Ember said the closure of the UK's last coal plant means that more than a third of OECD countries are now coal-free, with three-quarters expected to eliminate coal power by 2030, in line with global climate goals aimed at limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The International Energy Agency's (IEA) "Net Zero by 2050" report recommends that developed countries phase out unabated coal by 2030, while developing countries should aim to do so by 2040 to remain on track for global net-zero emissions by 2050. The term "unabated" in this context refers to electricity production that does not use technologies designed to capture and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These developments occur as developed countries push their counterparts in the developing world to accelerate the phase-down of unabated coal power. India, the world's second-largest consumer of coal for electricity generation after China, saw the share of coal-fired power generation rise to 75 per cent in 2023-24 from 71 per cent in 2019-20. According to the IEA, while coal consumption fell in Europe and the US in 2023, it rose by 8 per cent in India and 5 per cent in China. That said, India's coal usage for power generation began several decades later than that of developed nations. While the UK's first coal power plant opened in 1882, India established its first major thermal power plant, the Hussain Sagar Thermal Power Station in Hyderabad, in 1920. Policy experts say India is focusing on a long-term energy transition, where coal will continue to be part of the energy mix for the next few decades. Sunil Dahiya, an independent analyst, said that while coal will not disappear in the near future, India must reduce harmful emissions from the sector by deploying advanced air pollution control technologies and improving efficiency to curb carbon emissions. According to climate activist Harjeet Singh, India has made remarkable progress in renewable energy, but the intermittent nature of these sources and the lack of scalable battery storage mean that coal still underpins its power supply and industries like steel and cement. "Yet, the cost of coal goes far beyond emissions -- it destroys ecosystems, displaces communities, and deepens environmental injustice. India must urgently shift away from coal, and the international community must provide the financial and technological support needed for a just transition -- for both people and the planet," he said. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former deputy chairman of the erstwhile Planning Commission, said in a webinar organized by the think tank Centre for Social and Economic Progress last week that India can't cut down coal immediately and it is hypocritical in the West to focus solely on coal while ignoring oil and natural gas. "However, if we are going to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070, we must recognise that we need to phase out thermal power.We should indicate to the world that India's emissions will increase for a while, then peak, and eventually decline. Right now, there's a lot of misunderstanding in the West about India's willingness to reduce emissions, which is not true," he said. Sunita Narain, the director general of the Centre for Science and Environment, echoed this sentiment, saying that India is currently dependent on coal, as it remains the cheapest form of energy available. "We need to talk about a different future for coal. We must clean up coal -- not just for climate change but also for local air pollution. We will still need to invest, and that's where the world needs a conversation." India has repeatedly emphasised that it is still a developing country with significant energy needs and that coal remains a crucial part of its energy mix because it is a reliable and affordable source of electricity. It argues that developed countries have historically contributed more to greenhouse gas emissions, having relied on fossil fuels for their economic development. Therefore, developed nations should take the lead in reducing emissions while allowing developing countries more time to transition to cleaner energy sources. India's Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had said earlier that the country is committed to meeting the energy needs of its population and "will also have to rely on coal power until it achieves developed country status". He said the nation cannot solely depend on "importing oil and gas" to meet its energy demands.
Sunita Narain, the director general of the Centre for Science and Environment, echoed this sentiment, saying that India is currently dependent on coal, as it remains the cheapest form of energy available. "We need to talk about a different future for coal. We must clean up coal -- not just for climate change but also for local air pollution. We will still need to invest, and that's where the world needs a conversation."
As the UK shuts down its last coal power plant, experts say that coal will remain a key part of India’s energy plan for decades. India, still developing and with huge energy needs, cannot quickly transition away from coal like more developed nations. While the UK has successfully eliminated coal from its energy mix, India saw its reliance on coal for electricity rise to 75% in 2023-24, up from 71% in 2019-20. This increase comes as coal use in Europe and the US has dropped. The International Energy Agency suggests that developed countries should phase out coal by 2030, while developing nations like India should aim for a 2040 target. Experts acknowledge that India is making strides in renewable energy but emphasize that coal remains essential due to its reliability and cost-effectiveness. Harjeet Singh, a climate activist, highlights the need for support from the international community to help India transition away from coal, not just for climate reasons but also for social justice and environmental protection. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, a former government official, pointed out that India can’t eliminate coal overnight and that Western countries should consider their own fossil fuel use instead of focusing only on coal. He believes India needs time to balance its emissions, which will eventually peak and then decline. Sunita Narain, from the Centre for Science and Environment, echoed this sentiment, arguing for a cleaner future for coal rather than a complete phase-out. She emphasized the importance of investing in cleaner technologies to reduce local air pollution and carbon emissions. India’s Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav reinforced that coal is still vital for meeting the country’s energy demands until it reaches developed nation status. He stated that India cannot rely solely on imported oil and gas for its energy needs.
India is turning around its severely polluted, encroached upon or dried up waterbodies as a major source for water security. A one-year-long sample survey by India's Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) of 250 waterbodies has revealed that 140 of these recorded remarkable recovery and are now “best cases” in this effort. India has 2.4 million lakes, tanks and ponds, 97 percent of which are in rural areas, according to the first census of water resources completed last year. “These waterbodies, their catchments and their feeder channels act as critical groundwater recharge zones, control flooding, and are home to unique biodiversity,” said Depinder Kapur, Director of CSE’s Water Programme. The pioneering CSE survey in the wake of the first national water resources census “is a documentation, a celebration of the successful revival of these waterbodies – of what has worked, what has not, and what more can be done,” Kapur said. India has initiated 27 schemes at the state and federal levels across the country to revive its waterbodies. The survey looks at the successes and shortcomings of these schemes. Sunita Narain, CSE’s Director General, said, “We can turn around the water story of India, particularly in today’s time of climate change. We need to protect our forests and green spaces and this is how water recharge will increase.” “We need to revive our lakes and ponds, the sponges that will allow us to harvest the rain-flood and ensure that it does not turn into wasted water,” she said. The CSE is India’s foremost public interest organisation, which researches the urgency of development that is sustainable and equitable.
The Supreme Court’s flagellation of the Commission on Air Quality management on September 27 was fully deserved, but the real question remains; how is that, or anything else, including the Delhi’s government’s tired annual Winter Action Plan announced September 25, going to reduce air pollution peaks in the upcoming winter? The signs are already ominous. After three months of “moderate” and “satisfactory” AQI levels and nearly a month of the cleanest air quality that New Delhi and most of north India has seen this year, air pollution rose sharply these past few days, foretelling impending annual peaks – and concomitantly increasingly harming the health of nearly half a billion Indians residing in the Indo-Gangetic plain. The extended period of rains this year gave north Indians a slightly longer respite, but with the south-westerly monsoons receding now, it’s going to be back to the usual high PM2.5 levels that the landlocked Indo-Gangetic suffers through its toxic winters, year after year. Some air pollution scientists are even predicting that average pollution levels in the upcoming winter will be much worse than in previous years. But freak weather patterns of meteorology, temperatures, wind and humidity can change things unexpectedly, they add. New Delhi saw AQI rise to 174 last week from under 50 after the last rain the week before. This number is increasing daily and crossed 360 earlier this week on a relatively cooler day with no rain and hardly any wind. Friday’s AQI was “poor” at 273 and Saturday was “very poor” at 303, according to the government’s SAFAR app. India’s capital is seen as the ground zero of global air pollution because its levels of microscopic particulate matter is among the highest in the world. PM2.5 is so tiny that it is easily able to bypass the body’s natural defences and gets absorbed via the lungs into the bloodstream to reach and damage every organ. Exposure to this air pollution is equal to losing nearly twelve years of life expectancy, studies say. But experts have often pointed out that there are many areas in north India that are much more polluted than Delhi, but due to lack of precise measurement, slip under the radar. The National Capital Region is the most closely measured and monitored compared to other urban centres with high population density. Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS), among the most precise machines used to measure pollution, are expensive. India has roughly 374 monitors, roughly 11% of the 3,500 that are needed to cover the entire country, and most of these are mainly concentrated around a few metro cities. The National Capital Region has almost 10% of the total. Farm fires have begun – but are still not contributing to sharply rising NCR pollution Apart from the usual suspects (industrial, vehicular, garbage and biomass burning emissions), the specific concern at present is that the AQI has sharply worsened even before smoke from a single farm fire has contributed anything significant to this increase. This isn’t because farmers haven’t started burning crop stubble – satellite images show that they have. But at present, wind direction (being south-westerly) is still favourable to blowing all this smoke away from north India’s areas of high population density. This just goes to prove that local emissions are a large part of the background pollution load and current increases in ambient pollution levels are the effect of receding monsoon winds and falling temperatures. When nature isn’t washing or blowing away particulate matter, man-made pollution is in full display – and going by data, it is only going to get worse in coming days. Within the next couple of weeks, wind direction will change, bringing more anthropogenic pollution – in the form of smoke from burning fields in neighbouring states – directly to urban centres in the National Capital Region, and into the lungs of the 46 million people living there. From this point, things are likely to spiral downwards, like they do every year. Despite bans, like every year, this year’s Diwali firecrackers will add their own toxins around November 1, smothering the north Indian plains with hazardous levels of pollution (post-Diwali PM2.5 has been recorded to peak at 3,000 microns), which will stay with some troughs and peaks till nature comes to the rescue in January with winds, rains and rising temperatures. This is why although the Supreme Court has pulled up the CAQM sharply over its lack of any concrete effort to curb stubble burning in neighbouring states of Punjan and Haryana, no significant changes are likely. Crop stubble burning at its peak can contribute upto 30% of the pollution load of adjoining cities. But farmers are a political tinderbox for all political parties. For example, the Aam Aadmi Party, which spent years blaming the Congress Party for not restraining farmers from burning crop residue when it was in power in Punjab, is now strangely silent – because its own party’s government is equally unable to restrain crop residue burning. Neither political party has been able to solve this problem, one which ironically affects the health of the farmers burning crop stubble the most – after all, they are the first responders to inhale the smoke from their burning farms before it even wafts to urban centres. Similarly, despite bans and so-called “green” firecrackers, Diwali smoke will add to this toxic cocktail, unless miraculously, sincere police action this winter sees strong enforcement. But before these layers of contributors add to the rising AQI, it is very clear that the base level of pollution – the background pollution load upon on which the seasonal contributors like stubble burning, firecrackers, and biomass fires for heating in the coldest past of the winter stack up – is already high. These come from local emissions and data shows that all indicators are going up – sales and consumption of diesel, petrol, coal, imports of petcoke – all industrial and vehicular activity is increasing. These words are from a data scientist who has been tracking India’s pollution for nearly 25 years and predicts another highly polluted north Indian winter. We could analyse the futility of the latest winter action plan – each year, a few new dramatic steps are added to the existing reactive, ad hoc bandaid measures and announced just before stubble burning season – but that would be unproductive. This year’s 21-step plan includes deploying drones to monitor pollution hot spots, creating artificial rain and instituting “green” awards in addition to the tried (and failed) steps of road rationing, construction dust mitigation, smog guns or the emergency “Graded Response Action Plan” none of which address an actual reduction of emissions at source. Equally unconstructive would be highlighting the smog towers Delhi set up at public cost to manage pollution, which lie practically defunct, outdoor air purifiers that citizen groups had advocated against, noting that they were unsupported by science, which said such measures are ineffective and inefficient. As far as the National Clean Air Programme is concerned, the less said the better – its targets to lower pollution have never been legally binding, and now, a new report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has shown that five years into the programme, less than one percent of NCAP funds were spent on controlling toxic emissions from industry. Around 40% of funds out of Rs.10,566.47 crores remain unused, with the remaining spent largely on mitigation via actions amounting to dust management: paving roads, covering potholes, and deploying mechanical sweepers and water sprinklers – another useless waste of public money. National public health emergency – but still no focus on emission reduction As someone who has been tracking pollution closely for nearly 10 years through atmospheric scientists, air pollution analysts and public health researchers who analyse economic, geographical, meteorological and health data to understand the human cost of air pollution, it never ceases to amaze me how lightly the quality of human life – and death – is taken in India. Air pollution is a national public health emergency that kills more people annually in India than Covid did in its most virulent form. Even China, equally populous – and once, equally polluted – has managed to significantly bring down its severely high levels of air pollution. But the Indian government doesn’t treat pollution as a public health hazard – just compare its pollution awareness and communication strategy as compared to what it did with Covid when one couldn’t make a phone call without clear, concise information on the disease and how to protect from it. So, to come back to the original question: how is the Supreme Court’s pulling up of the CAQM or yet another weak Winter Action Plan with its 21-point reactive band-aid measures going to save north India from another toxic winter? Well, it’s not. There is nothing in there that focuses on systemic reforms to actually reduce emissions at source. The Supreme Court’s effort is laudable, but it is clear that without the cooperation of the executive, it is finding even its attempt to reduce exposure, challenging. The Court can issue directives, but it is up to the state, its politicians and bureaucrats (especially the police) to ensure zero-tolerance enforcement of existing laws, or even penalise polluters. So, until we reach a tipping point, just gird up for another toxic winter with higher pollution peaks, smarting eyes, stinging throat, respiratory distress and long term harm including strokes, heart attacks and cancers. For winter 2024, it will be back to focussing on mitigation and protection, reducing personal exposure by wearing masks and using purifiers, or best of all, fleeing the geographically and meteorologically cursed northern plains for the sunnier south or sheltering somewhere on India’s long (and preferably less population-dense) coastline where Nature can protect through wind, rain and sun. Jyoti Pande Lavakare is a journalist and the author of Breathing Here is Injurious to Your Health: The Human Cost of Air Pollution.
India’s energy transition is under global scrutiny as the country continues to rely heavily on coal for its energy needs. Despite the progressing international shift towards cleaner energy, India, the world’s second-largest consumer of coal after China, remains dependent on this resource. Given the country’s developmental context and increasing energy demands, India faces a complex path toward reducing its coal reliance while balancing economic growth and environmental sustainability. India's coal usage for power generation began in the early 20th century, which was several decades later than that of developed nations. The country’s first major thermal power plant, the Hussain Sagar Thermal Power Station in Hyderabad was established in the year 1920. This marked the beginning of India’s reliance on coal for power generation, which has since expanded to become a critical component of its energy infrastructure. Today, coal-fired power plants account for approximately 75% of India’s electricity generation. social Coal MiningIndia's Coal Exit Needs Time: Experts Urge Patience In Green Transition India’s energy transition is under global scrutiny as the country continues to rely heavily on coal for its energy needs. Despite the progressing international shift towards cleaner energy, India, the world’s second-largest consumer of coal after China, remains dependent on this resource. Given the country’s developmental context and increasing energy demands, India faces a complex path toward reducing its coal reliance while balancing economic growth and environmental sustainability. India's coal usage for power generation began in the early 20th century, which was several decades later than that of developed nations. The country’s first major thermal power plant, the Hussain Sagar Thermal Power Station in Hyderabad was established in the year 1920. This marked the beginning of India’s reliance on coal for power generation, which has since expanded to become a critical component of its energy infrastructure. Today, coal-fired power plants account for approximately 75% of India’s electricity generation. India's heavy reliance on coal for energy is driven by its abundance, affordability, and ability to support the nation's rapid industrial growth. Recent years have seen a surge in coal consumption as electricity demand has increased to fuel economic growth and urbanization. Between 2019 and 2024, coal's share in India's electricity generation rose from 71% to 75%, highlighting its centrality in powering industries such as steel, cement production and other key sectors. However, this dependence on coal presents significant challenges, particularly as India faces growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and shift towards renewable energy sources. While countries in the West have been reducing their coal usage, India's reliance on the same has only intensified, which underscores the substantial gap between developed and developing countries in switching to cleaner energy. The Energy Transition: A Slow but Steady Shift India's journey towards cleaner energy is already underway, but it's a process that will take considerable time. Although the country has made notable progress in renewable energy, particularly in solar and wind power, these sources remain intermittent. Unlike coal, which provides a stable and consistent energy supply, renewables are variable. India currently lacks the necessary large-scale battery storage technology to effectively store renewable energy. As a result, coal continues to be the backbone of India’s power supply. Sunil Dahiya, an independent energy analyst, emphasizes that coal will continue to be a significant part of India's energy mix for the foreseeable future. However, to meet climate goals and reduce emissions, India must focus on improving the efficiency of its coal plants and implementing advanced pollution control technologies. This approach could help mitigate harmful emissions while allowing India the time it needs to transition towards a cleaner energy future. India's heavy reliance on coal is not just a matter of energy supply, it is also intricately linked to economic realities. Coal is the cheapest source of energy in India, and its domestic abundance reduces dependence on costly imports of oil and gas. This economic factor makes it difficult for the country to rapidly phase out coal, especially as the country seeks to balance economic growth with environmental commitments. The Socio-economic Challenges of Phasing Out Coal The transition from coal is not just about technology and energy, it is also about people. India’s coal sector is a significant source of employment, providing livelihoods to millions of workers, particularly in coal mining regions. A sudden shift away from coal could lead to job losses, destabilize local economies, and worsen socio-economic disparities. Harjeet Singh, a climate activist, highlights the broader consequences of India’s continued reliance on coal, including environmental degradation, displacement of communities, and deepening environmental injustices. Singh calls for a "just transition" that ensures coal-dependent communities are not left behind as the country moves towards cleaner energy. This concept of a just transition has gained traction in global climate discussions, where developing nations like India argue that the international community must provide financial and technological support to help them phase out coal without sacrificing economic development or social stability. India’s Renewable Energy Ambitions: Striking a Balance Despite its dependence on coal, India has set ambitious goals for renewable energy. The country aims to install 500 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030, a significant step toward meeting its Paris Agreement commitments. However, transitioning to a renewable energy-dominated grid is not without challenges. Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are increasingly affordable, but they are inherently variable. India’s solar power potential is immense, given its geographical location, but the intermittency of solar and wind energy, combined with the lack of scalable battery storage, limits their ability to fully replace coal in the short term. In response to these challenges, Sunita Narain, Director General of the Centre for Science and Environment, suggests that India must “clean up coal” in the short term by investing in technologies that reduce both local air pollution and carbon emissions. This approach would allow India to continue using coal while making progress toward environmental goals.
ब्रिटेन में अंतिम कोयला ऊर्जा संयंत्र आधिकारिक रूप से बंद होने के बाद नीतिगत मामलों के विशेषज्ञों ने कहा है कि भारत में अगले कुछ दशक तक कोयला, ऊर्जा स्रोतों का हिस्सा बना रहेगा क्योंकि यह अब भी महत्वपूर्ण ऊर्जा आवश्यकताओं वाला विकासशील देश है। दुनियाभर में 2040 तक कोयला मुक्त ऊर्जा व्यवस्था कायम करने की मांग के बीच ब्रिटेन ने सोमवार को अपना अंतिम कोयला संयंत्र बंद कर दिया और वह ऐसा करने वाला जी7 का पहला देश बन गया है। साल 1882 में लंदन में दुनिया का पहला कोयला ऊर्जा संयंत्र स्थापित किया गया था और 2012 तक ब्रिटेन में 39 प्रतिशत ऊर्जा का उत्पादन कोयले से होता था। वैश्विक ऊर्जा थिंक टैंक एंबर ने कहा कि ब्रिटेन में अंतिम कोयला संयंत्र बंद होने का अर्थ यह है कि एक तिहाई आर्थिक सहयोग और विकास संगठन (ओईसीडी) के देश कोयले के इस्तेमाल से मुक्त हो चुके हैं और तीन-चौथाई देशों में, ग्लोबल वार्मिंग को 1.5 डिग्री सेल्सियस तक सीमित रखने के वैश्विक लक्ष्य के अनुरूप 2030 तक कोयला ऊर्जा का इस्तेमाल बंद हो जाएगा। दुनिया में बिजली उत्पादन के लिए चीन के बाद कोयले के सबसे बड़े उपभोक्ता भारत में कोयला आधारित बिजली उत्पादन का हिस्सा 2019-20 में 71 प्रतिशत था जो 2023-24 में बढ़कर 75 प्रतिशत हो गया है। अंतरराष्ट्रीय ऊर्जा एजेंसी (आईईए) के अनुसार, 2023 में यूरोप और अमेरिका में कोयले की खपत में गिरावट आयी जबकि भारत में यह 8 प्रतिशत और चीन में 5 प्रतिशत बढ़ी। भारत में बिजली उत्पादन के लिए कोयले का इस्तेमाल विकसित देशों की तुलना में कई दशक बाद शुरू हुआ। ब्रिटेन में पहला कोयला बिजली संयंत्र 1882 में खुला था, जबकि भारत ने अपना पहला बड़ा थर्मल ऊर्जा संयंत्र, हैदराबाद में हुसैन सागर थर्मल पावर स्टेशन, 1920 में स्थापित किया था। नीतिगत मामलों के विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि भारत दीर्घकालिक ऊर्जा परिवर्तन पर ध्यान केंद्रित कर रहा है और भारत में कोयला अगले कुछ दशकों तक ऊर्जा स्रोतों का हिस्सा बना रहेगा। स्वतंत्र विश्लेषक सुनील दहिया ने कहा कि हालांकि कोयले का इस्तेमाल निकट भविष्य में बंद नहीं होगा, लेकिन भारत को कार्बन उत्सर्जन को रोकने के लिए उन्नत वायु प्रदूषण नियंत्रण प्रौद्योगिकियों को अपनाकर और अपनी क्षमता में सुधार करके इस क्षेत्र से होने वाले हानिकारक उत्सर्जन को कम करना होगा। जलवायु कार्यकर्ता हरजीत सिंह के अनुसार, भारत ने नवीकरणीय ऊर्जा के क्षेत्र में उल्लेखनीय प्रगति की है, लेकिन इन स्रोतों की अनिश्चित प्रकृति और ‘स्केलेबल बैटरी’ भंडारण की कमी का मतलब है कि कोयला अब भी इसकी बिजली आपूर्ति और इस्पात व सीमेंट जैसे उद्योगों का आधार है। उन्होंने कहा, ‘कोयला पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र को नष्ट करता है, लोगों को विस्थापित करता है, और पर्यावरणीय अन्याय को बढ़ाता है। भारत को तत्काल कोयले के इस्तेमाल से बचना चाहिए, और अंतरराष्ट्रीय समुदाय को लोगों व पृथ्वी दोनों के हित में न्यायोचित परिवर्तन के लिए आवश्यक वित्तीय और तकनीकी सहायता प्रदान करनी चाहिए।’ पूर्ववर्ती योजना आयोग के पूर्व उपाध्यक्ष मोंटेक सिंह अहलूवालिया ने पिछले सप्ताह थिंक टैंक ‘सेंटर फॉर सोशल एंड इकोनॉमिक प्रोग्रेस’ द्वारा आयोजित एक वेबिनार में कहा था कि भारत कोयले के उपयोग में तत्काल कटौती नहीं कर सकता और पश्चिमी देशों में केवल कोयले पर ध्यान केंद्रित करना तथा तेल व प्राकृतिक गैस की उपेक्षा करना पाखंड है। उन्होंने कहा, “हालांकि, अगर हम 2070 तक नेट जीरो उत्सर्जन का लक्ष्य हासिल करना चाहते हैं, तो हमें थर्मल पावर को चरणबद्ध तरीके से खत्म करने की जरूरत होगी। हमें दुनिया को यह संकेत देना चाहिए कि भारत का उत्सर्जन कुछ समय के लिए बढ़ेगा, फिर चरम पर पहुंचेगा और अंततः कम हो जाएगा। फिलहाल भारत के उत्सर्जन को कम करने की इच्छा के बारे में पश्चिमी देशों में बहुत सी गलतफहमियां हैं, जो सच नहीं है।” ‘सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट’ की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण ने कहा कि भारत फिलहाल कोयले पर निर्भर है, क्योंकि यह ऊर्जा का सबसे सस्ता स्रोत है। उन्होंने कहा, ‘हमें भविष्य में कोयले के किसी और तरह इस्तेमाल के बारे में बात करनी चाहिए। हमें न केवल जलवायु परिवर्तन के लिए बल्कि स्थानीय वायु प्रदूषण को रोकने के लिए भी कोयले को स्वच्छ बनाना होगा। हमें अब भी निवेश करना होगा और यही मुद्दा है जहां दुनिया को बातचीत करने की जरूरत है।’
By August, flash floods from intense rainfall and water release from Indian dams affected 11 districts, including Feni, Cumilla, Noakhali, Khagrachari, and Rangamati. In September, torrential rains caused further flooding and landslides in southeastern regions, particularly in Cox's Bazar. Overall, the devastating floods this year have resulted in over 30 deaths and affected nearly 6 million people. However, Bangladesh is not the only country affected by floods in recent times. A powerful monsoon system has triggered catastrophic floods, landslides, and storms across South Asia and surrounding regions. While rural areas need investment in watershed development, flood-resilient infrastructure, and improved disaster preparedness, urban areas require decentralised water systems with wastewater reuse and institutional reforms for better resource management. In India, torrential rains led to flash floods in Gujarat and Rajasthan, displacing thousands and causing significant damage, while Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand experienced landslides that buried entire villages. China faced historic flooding and Typhoon Doksuri, submerging cities and prompting massive evacuations. Myanmar was also hit by Typhoon Yagi, causing severe flooding and landslides, resulting in over 226 deaths and displacing more than 320,000 people. Vietnam too suffered from Typhoon Yagi, with 344 people reported dead or missing and significant infrastructural damage. The Philippines, Laos, and Thailand experienced significant flooding and infrastructural damage due to the same typhoon. South Korea and Japan faced severe monsoon conditions, leading to floods and landslides, with hundreds of thousands of people forced to evacuate. Meanwhile, massive rainfall inundated parts of Central and Eastern Europe last week, when as much as two-thirds of some cities' annual rainfall occurred in just a few days. Experts assert that these events are directly linked to increasing global warming driven by human activities. Dr Rashed Chowdhury, applications scientist of water, climate and society and also an Adjunct Faculty at Arizona State University, explained that "intense rainfall happens when warmer air holds more moisture, leading to downpours, while the sun can quickly dry the ground, resulting in sweltering heat." Dr Ashraf Dewan, Associate Professor at the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Curtin University, added that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events are partly due to the weakening of large-scale global phenomena such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), while sea temperatures are rising faster than anticipated before. "Hence, there is a likelihood of these events to be recurrent," he pointed out, noting that global temperatures broke all previous records in 2023, reaching 1.45 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 average. Dr Ashraf also mentioned that carbon emissions reached an all-time high of 423.35 ppm in September 2024, which is 50% higher than levels during the industrial revolution. What's particularly alarming is that the emerging pattern presents greater concerns than many people recognise. Evidence from this year shows that we can expect heightened intensity and unpredictability, with monsoons becoming erratic and storms gaining strength. A pattern of uncertainty Depinder Kapur, Director of the Water Program at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in New Delhi, noted a clear trend: increasing uncertainty and variability in weather and climate, leading to fluctuations in heat and rainfall patterns. To begin with, Asia was the region most affected by climate change, weather and water-related hazards globally last year, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). To add to that, "increasing temperature at both the day and night time is another clear pattern," Kapur said. The UN weather agency found that Asia has been warming faster than the global average, with temperature rises in 2023 averaging nearly 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1961-90 average. "Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms," WMO chief Celeste Saulo said in a statement. Extreme heat in South Asia during the pre-monsoon season is becoming more frequent, with studies on the 2022 India-Pakistan heatwave and the 2023 humid heatwave in India, Bangladesh, Lao PDR, and Thailand showing that human-induced climate change made these events around 30 times more likely and hotter. While the 2022 heatwave caused widespread harvest loss due to drier conditions, the 2023 humid heat had greater impacts on people. This year, from Israel and Palestine to the Philippines, large parts of Asia saw temperatures exceeding 40°C for days, resulting in hundreds of deaths in countries such as Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Palestine. Still, when it comes to rainfall, there is a significant unpredictability. Monsoon rainfall in 2023 was widely below average, according to the WMO State of the Climate in Asia report. In contrast, what unfolded in 2024 was largely unpredictable. In April, South Asian Climate Outlook Forum, which is backed by WMO and Regional Climate Centre Pune predicted that above normal rainfall is most likely during the 2024 southwest monsoon season (June – September) over most parts of South Asia. "Above-normal rainfall is most likely during the 2024 southwest monsoon season (June-September) over most parts of South Asia, except some areas over northern, eastern, and northeastern parts of the region, where below-normal rainfall is most likely," the Forum said. But what in the end turned out was that many regions that were expected to experience below-normal rainfall instead faced severe monsoon rains in recent months, serving as a "classic example" of climate change intensifying extreme weather events. Kapur predicts this is what we can expect more often from now on. "This is a clear manifestation of climate change that there is increasing uncertainty of rainfall and flooding in the coming years as well. We will not know which areas will get more flooding next year and which will have deficit rainfall," he said. Asia at the forefront of vulnerability The pattern of uncertainty places South Asian regions in a more vulnerable position compared to many others, primarily due to their high population density and intense pressure on natural resources. Kapur also highlights the region's reliance on agriculture for food security, which is further threatened by inconsistent rainfall and flooding. Urban residents are also facing increased risks and vulnerabilities, as disruptions in movement and urban flooding create significant chaos and disturb productivity on an unprecedented scale. Additionally, "many countries in Asia lack the financial and technical resources needed for adaptation, and political instability can hinder efforts to tackle these challenges," believes Dr Rashed. Dr Ashraf also put in that as human activities such as deforestation is high in Asia, environmental issues caused by man-made climate warming could put more people at risk of climate extremes in the coming days. Nevertheless, he noted that African countries are also experiencing extreme events and their vulnerability is compounding as a result. Climate adaptation strategies The urgency for robust climate adaptation is evident as recent disasters highlight the need for resilient infrastructure, stronger early warning systems, and community-level preparedness. Without scaled-up mitigation efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, extreme weather will worsen, displacing millions through rising sea levels, collapsing agriculture, and triggering food shortages and economic instability. Dr Ashraf, however, emphasised that it is crucial to first identify the local constraints that lead to poor or maladaptation to climate extremes. "We should look at local contexts because even though climate change is a global phenomenon, climate solutions are actually local. So, we must devise policies and solutions based on the local environment," he said. He believes nature-based solutions (NbS) are often seen as a panacea for climate issues, but there is a gap in understanding how to adapt them to local contexts. According to Dr Ashraf, policies must be grounded in science and quality data, yet many Asian developing countries lack such data. To build climate resilience, strong action is needed alongside climate-literate populations and leadership. Dr Rashed recommends strengthening community protection by building resilient infrastructure like flood barriers and cyclone shelters, while also supporting farmers through climate-smart agricultural practices, including the use of diverse and drought-resistant crops. He further advocates for the restoration of natural buffers such as mangroves and wetlands to mitigate storm impact and sustain local livelihoods. Kapur, on the other hand, said that climate adaptation must be tailored for both rural and urban areas, focusing on heat and water challenges. He suggested that while rural areas need investment in watershed development, flood-resilient infrastructure, and improved disaster preparedness, urban areas require decentralised water systems with wastewater reuse and institutional reforms for better resource management. "A 'global south water-sensitive cities' framework should prioritise equity, ensuring functional, inclusive, and resilient water systems that address stormwater management," Kapur concluded.
A report from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based NGO, has highlighted that the adoption of compressed biogas (CBG) projects in Karnataka has been slow. Without a dedicated bioenergy policy, Karnataka is lagging in generating this renewable energy. The state currently has less than 30% of the sanctioned biogas plants functional. The report states that the country’s renewable energy policy framework at the state level is fragmented. Some states have a comprehensive renewable energy policy, others have distinct policies for solar, hydro, and bioenergy, and a few have no policies at all. Karnataka has state-level Renewable Energy Policy 2022 and Solar Policy 2014. Under the policy, incentives are available for co-generation and waste-to-energy plants that aim to convert biogas into electricity. “Karnataka, along with other states such as Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra have integrated some aspects of biogas into their renewable energy policies, but they focus on producing electricity from biogas rather than biomethane,” noted the report. It also underlines that CBG projects could run on municipal solid waste given strict regulations and enforcement of the Solid Waste Management 2016 mandated by the states. However, there is a need to upgrade the waste collection infrastructure. Regular analysis needed Moreover, the urban local body should conduct regular analysis and surveys to get data for efficient estimation of waste availability fit to be used for CBG generation. “The collection of municipal solid waste could also be done using the public-private partnership model. Even after segregation, there are some food components, like onion peels, lemons, etc., that need to be separated before feeding the organics in the digestor. This is important as these will disturb the biology of the reactor. To ensure this, advanced machinery needs to be in place to segregate these components using modern technology. This needs investment in research and development, as well as incentive support from the state governments,” said the report. According to CSE researchers, a key obstacle to CBG development is the ineffective execution of policies. While several states have significant CBG potential, they still lack clear policies and incentives. Only four states - Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, and Gujarat - currently have bioenergy policies that support CBG. India scenario Out of the 677 CBG projects registered across the country, 408 have yet to begin construction, 172 are currently under construction, and 97 are operational. Approximately 60% of the registered projects have not commenced, likely due to factors such as lack of funding, slow regulatory approvals, difficulties in sourcing feedstock, or technological challenges. The states with the highest number of projects in the pipeline are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana. Gujarat leads with the highest number of operational plants (17), followed by Uttar Pradesh (15) and Haryana (10).
Africa is facing increasing conflicts and disputes over water resources since 2019 as a result of poor or no management procedures by the governments. A report on the state of Africa’s environment released by Indian Scientists indicates that incidents of violence arising from water conflicts rose to 34 per cent between 2022 and 2023. The numbers went up from 53 in 2022 to 71 cases in 2023. The ‘State of Africa’s Environment’ report prepared by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and DownTo Earth found out that African countries are not prioritising water problems and lack guidelines to restrict malpractices and misuse of water. The report released in Nairobi on September 16 through the collaboration of CSE, Down To Earth and Media for Science, Environment, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) covered topics on water security, urban water poverty, water-related migration and conflicts, disease burden, climate change-induced water poverty, and the potential of harvesting rainwater to eliminate water poverty. Population growth All the 54 countries in Africa are ‘water-insecure’, with key drivers of the water insecurity being population growth, climate change and pollution. Globally, three of the five most critically water insecure countries are in Africa. They are Eritrea, Sudan, and Ethiopia. Eritrea is the second most critically water insecure nation in the world followed by Sudan and Ethiopia. CSE Director General and Indian environmental writer and activist Sunita Narain, who released the report, noted a paradox of water scarcity amidst plenty; blaming African leaders for lacking the resilience to build water security systems. “We are water-stressed not because it doesn’t rain or we don’t have water in our rivers but because of the way we are managing it,” said Ms Narain. She said the water crisis in Africa is about inability to build affordable systems of water management at the time the continent is faced with challenges of climate change, population pressure, infrastructural gaps and governance crisis. Ms Narain said: “The scarcity of water that is being faced by Africa and other regions of the world is as much about the lack of the resource as its mismanagement. Climate change is adding to the water crisis and heat stress in our world. But climate change is not the reason for the water crisis – it is just an exacerbating factor.” She noted that unless proper water storage systems are put in place, Africa faces one of the biggest challenges in the coming decades - the balance of increasing demands against the diminishing availability of water. Africa accounts for 22 per cent (about 1.4 billion) of the world’s critically water insecure population. Thirteen African countries have been assessed to be in the critically insecure category. They are Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, South Sudan, Niger, Sierra Leone, Chad and Comoros. The CSE findings point out that as per the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global warming has been more rapid in Africa than in the rest of the world. The report indicates that up to 700 million Africans are set to be displaced by water stress caused by global warming by 2030. It reads in part: “Food production will be affected severely because heat and water stress could lead to 6-14 per cent food production decline by 2050.” The Middle East and Northern African regions face the greatest expected economic losses from climate-related water scarcity – estimated at between six and 14 per cent by 2050. Kenya, for instance, faces an unprecedented water crisis in its expanding urban areas - one third of its population lacks access to clean drinking water, according to the CSE report. Lakes are the new battlegrounds in Africa. They are impacted by climate change, face massive degradation, and increased pressure from rising population growth. With 17 major river basins, over 160 lakes and vast wetlands, Africa is endowed with abundant water resources, but despite this, the continent remains water-stressed. Mr Mathew Herrnegger, a senior scientist at the Institute of Hydrology and Water Management (HyWa), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, recently studied the Kenyan lakes in the East African Rift Valley on why water levels were rising. Flooding His study revealed that Kenyan lakes in the Rift have witnessed significant water level increases. Homes, schools and hospitals have been affected by floods. Mr Herrnegger highlighted a Kenyan government report which estimates that about 80,000 households and 400,000 people have been affected by floods since 2010. The study pointed out how the lake ecosystem is undergoing changes and impacting local livelihoods. It said: “The results of our study illustrate that minor changes in the water balance are enough to explain the lake level rises. An increase of only 0.4-2 per cent of mean annual effective rainfall leads to the observed phenomena.” Kenyan lakes have shown low fluctuations and smaller water areas between 1984 and 2010, which have increased dramatically since 2010, the study concluded. For instance, Lake Baringo had a water area of 118 square kilometres in 1995, the lowest value from 1984-2020. The water area expanded by over 52 per cent in the years 2020 and 2014 to reach 195 km. The water area of Lake Solai, a smaller and less-known lake south of Lake Bogoria, increased from 3km in 1984 to nearly 12 km in 2014 and 2020, a four-fold increase. In Eastern Africa, witnessed intermittent spells of drought as well as wetter periods in the past have contributed to fluctuations in unusual lake water levels. Mr Herrnegger said: “Compared to the past, much higher population densities around the lakes put more people, their homes and their crops in danger. The massive flooding that followed in lake-adjacent areas displaced over 200,000 people in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. These are three of the five countries that the Lake Victoria Basin covers, also including Burundi and Rwanda.” In 2021, the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) warned that lakes were in fact staring at a wetter future, which threatens livelihoods and also can trigger migration. For instance, Lake Turkana, the world’s largest desert lake, has been predicted to be 'dead' in near future as its river inflows have been drastically curtailed due to a large number of dams being built upstream. Since 1988, Ethiopia has built a series of hydroelectric dams on its main tributary, the Omo River, leading to predictions of Lake Turkana’s demise. The new Unep study has predicted that in the next two decades, climate change would result in more intense rain over Lake Turkana thus raising its levels and also causing severe flooding. This could impact the 15 million people who live on the lake shores. Unep warned governments in Kenya and Ethiopia (both share a border with the lake) that rare floods like the ones that hit the region in 2019 and 2020 would be regular occurrences. Africa is known for its lakes, a major source of fresh water. According to the WORLDLAKE database, there are 677 lakes in the continent, out of which 88 are listed as principal lakes. Three of the 10 largest freshwater lakes on Earth, in terms of area and volume, are located in Africa — Victoria, Tanganyika and Malawi. Many lakes are transboundary. According to Unep, 15 principal lakes cross the political boundaries of two or more countries. According to Narain and Richard Mahapatra, managing editor of Down To Earth, all African nations are water-insecure, hosting 22 per cent of the world’s critically water insecure population. Sub-Saharan Africa is the world's most water-stressed region, with 36 per cent people reported to be water insecure. For example, the World Bank estimates that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has over 50 per cent of Africa’s surface water reserves and approximately one in four of the continent’s water resources. The Congo River Basin – Africa’s largest river by volume having a consistent flow throughout the year – covers 98 per cent of the country. But the report noted that despite this overwhelming natural endowment of water, nearly three in four of Congo’s 70 million citizens don’t have access to safe drinking water. The report on the State of Africa’s Environment pointed out how rich Africa is endowed with rainwater. “As water levels continue to dip, we should plan for rainwater harvesting. This will save us from taxes on water supplied to consumers, sometimes which are impure and have to be treated or boiled before use. Harvesting rainwater can not only help bolster water supplies, it can also involve the community in managing water and making water everybody’s business,” said its authors. The CSE report recommends water harvesting and integrated land-water management. Rainwater harvesting, the report observes, can not only provide a source of water to increase water supplies but also involve the public in water management, making water management everybody’s business. It reads: “It will also reduce the current demand on government institutions to meet water needs, reduce the need for government subsidies, and help everyone to internalise the full costs of their water requirements, thus encouraging the public to be more conserving in its water demand.” According to Ms Narain, to meet future water demands, there is a need to augment supply and this calls for focusing on rainwater harvesting to mitigate flood risk and recharge groundwater. This will build resilience of rural communities to deal with variable rain and for cities to deal with water stress. Further, the report by CSE notes that at least 24 large cities in 15 countries across Africa are likely to be water-scarce by 2050 - Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan and Tunisia. In Kenya, Nairobi’s water demand beats supply with a deficit of about 265,000 cubic metres per day. Leakages due to old infrastructure and pipe interference, illegal connections, vandalism and catchment degradation among others are some of the challenges affecting water access in Nairobi City, notes the report. These challenges often leave city dwellers, especially in informal settlements, at the mercy of cartels who sell clean water at exorbitant prices of between Sh20 to 50 (about half a dollar) for a 20 litre jerry can. In Nigeria, there will be a 277 per cent increase in water-scarce urban residents while in Egypt there will be about 3,155 per cent increase. According to Susan Masila, a Water and Sanitation consultant at Amazi Water in Burundi, rainwater harvesting has the potential to solve some of the pressure in urban water systems. Rooftops of homes, schools and office buildings can be fitted with rainwater harvesting systems to provide supplementary water especially for non-portable uses such as irrigation and sanitation, thus reducing the burden on municipal water supplies. Calculations by CSE indicate that Sub-Saharan Africa has the potential to harvest 13,365,000 million cubic metres through rainwater harvesting. This is nearly 44,550 times the average volume of water that flows through the Nile River per day. However, Ms Masila noted water quality and contamination by pollution or debris alongside high costs of additional filtrating and treating of the water as well as lack of space for large scale storage tanks are some of the challenges that come with rainwater harvesting in urban areas. She highlighted: “Cities also lack policies and incentives to promote widespread adoption of rainwater harvesting at the household or institutional levels. Therefore, raising awareness and integrating rainwater harvesting into urban planning is essential.” Already, several countries have started implementing or are gearing up for rainwater harvesting in urban areas. The report identifies Tanzania to have adopted a rainwater harvesting policy to promote sustainable and efficient use of rainwater. Ethiopia has launched a national rainwater harvesting initiative called “My dam at My door”. The Ethiopian government has observed that as a result of the initiative, an additional four million Ethiopians plus are getting access to clean drinking water. “Rainwater harvesting, although traditionally rural, can play a critical role in urban water management provided that the necessary systems are in place to overcome the challenges posed by the urban environments,” she said.
The Wayanad landslides, Rajkot floods and Delhi first reeling under 50°-plus temperatures and then slammed by incessant rain—the past few months have exposed India’s vulnerability to climate extremes. According to a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report, the country recorded such events on 318 of the 365 days in 2023, claiming 3,287 lives. There seems to have been no let-up this year as well. Rising temperatures are intensifying heat waves while erratic monsoon patterns are causing both prolonged droughts and severe flooding. India’s 7,500-km coastline is increasingly threatened by cyclones and sea-level rise. A recent report, ‘State of Extreme Events 2024’, by IPE Global and Esri India documents these trends and identifies the hotspots across the country.
It’s that time of the year again when Delhi starts preparation to avoid—without success—being labelled as the city with one of the most polluted air in the world. Mid-October onwards, as Diwali preparations begin, Delhiities with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) start counting down to the dreaded days when they have to constantly battle the city’s air, just to survive. The Delhi government, under new chief minister Atishi, does not want to be caught unawares when that ominous AQI (air quality index) graph starts heading north and never really comes down for a good four months. This time, environment minister Gopal Rai has launched the Winter Action Plan of the government, which integrates both local and national strategies, especially the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). The 21-point pollution-abatement plan includes technical measures, rigorous control steps and participation of the civil society. Some key aspects of the action plan are the use of drones to spot pollution; creation of pollution hotspots, followed by use of mobile anti-smog guns; and 360 teams to deal with vehicle emissions. Emergency measures, such as the odd-even traffic proposal and artificial rain, are radical alternatives mentioned in the plan, given the harsh winter pollution prospects. “Due to some historic steps taken by the Delhi government, air pollution levels have decreased by 34.6 per cent,” claimed Rai, in an attempt to instill public confidence that the government is seriously concerned about the problem. This winter is critical in a way because the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faces the Delhi assembly election, due in February next year. The action plan supports the objectives of the NCAP, which aims to reduce polluting particulate matter by 40 per cent by 2026, with approximately 131 cities, including Delhi, being slated as non-attainment areas due to high air pollution within their jurisdictions. The NCAP aims at decreasing particulate emissions (PM10 and PM2.5) through funding based on performance, i.e. cities need to prove they have made progress to access the pollution-control funds. Rai has made it clear that the government would take restrictive measures to control pollution, including 588 teams that will curb open burning of waste—one of the causes of PM2.5 pollution in the national capital. A Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report has red-flagged combustion sources such as vehicle and industrial emissions of PM2.5. This particulate matter is more dangerous as it reaches the innermost parts of the lungs. The report says although PM10 levels may be elevated due to dust and meteorological conditions, PM2.5 is the most important indicator of harmful pollutants that can aggravate health problems, especially in winter.
Africa is facing increasing conflicts and disputes over water resources since 2019 as a result of poor or no management procedures by the governments. A report on the state of Africa’s environment released by Indian Scientists indicates that incidents of violence arising from water conflicts rose to 34 per cent between 2022 and 2023. The numbers went up from 53 in 2022 to 71 cases in 2023. The ‘State of Africa’s Environment’ report prepared by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and DownTo Earth found out that African countries are not prioritising water problems and lack guidelines to restrict malpractices and misuse of water. The report released in Nairobi on September 16 through the collaboration of CSE, Down To Earth and Media for Science, Environment, Health and Agriculture (MESHA) covered topics on water security, urban water poverty, water-related migration and conflicts, disease burden, climate change-induced water poverty, and the potential of harvesting rainwater to eliminate water poverty.
The world has finally decided to move with fresh impetus in its fight against the “silent pandemic” – antimicrobial resistance (AMR). At a High-Level Meeting of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly 2024, the world body has presented a political declaration that heralds a major shift in the global response to the crisis of AMR – by moving the focus on to ‘prevention’ in agri-food systems. “We are pleased to note the text related to agriculture and animal health. It very well recognises the need and importance of preventive measures, which is the best bet for low- and middle-income countries which otherwise cannot afford the cost of containing AMR,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and member, Global Leaders Group (GLG) on AMR. GLG is a group of select world leaders working to accelerate political momentum, leadership and action on AMR. “Compared to the political declaration of 2016, this declaration marks a big positive shift in the way the world wants to address AMR from agri-food systems. It is a huge step forward. It shows that there is political leadership and global leadership for an issue that will need global cooperation for action,” Narain added. AMR is increasingly being recognised as one of the biggest threats to global public health, and is expected to disproportionately impact low- and middle-income countries. Existing antibiotics are becoming ineffective, the pipeline of new antibiotics is near-dry, and access to both old and new antibiotics is a big concern. What the text of the declaration says: The text under the agriculture and animal health section of the declaration clearly acknowledges the need to prioritise and fund the implementation of measures to prevent and control infections and ensure prudent antibiotic use such as through promoting good animal husbandry practices, agriculture practices and animal health. It outlines key drivers that lead to inappropriate use of antimicrobials in animals and plants, and encourages prudent and responsible use of antimicrobials, when used prophylactically by adopting an ambitious, incremental and country-specific approach. “In a first, the need for ambitiously moving towards prudent and responsible use of antimicrobials when used for the purpose of disease prevention is acknowledged at this level,” said Amit Khurana, director, sustainable food systems programme of CSE. “Despite being a big concern, such non-therapeutic use and chemical-based prevention had failed to receive adequate attention at the global level so far. We are pleased to note the change in narrative,” he added. The text also recognises the impact of antibiotic growth promoters on antimicrobial resistance and the need to phase out the use of medically important antibiotics for growth promotion. “The world appears to agree more on the need to conserve critically important antibiotics for human health atleast by not allowing their use as growth promoters in animals,” said Rajeshwari Sinha, programme manager, sustainable food systems, CSE. The declaration also commits to strive to ‘meaningfully reduce’, by 2030, the quantity of antimicrobials used globally in the agri-food system from the current level by taking into account national contexts and by investing in animal and plant health, reducing the need for and inappropriate use of antibiotics, investing in and promoting alternatives, stewardship and animal health systems. Said Sinha: “This was only the second time that the global response to the crisis of AMR was discussed in the UNGA. The theme of the meeting was ‘Investing in the present and securing our future together: accelerating multi-sectoral global, regional and national actions to address antimicrobial resistance’. Earlier, in April 2024, the Global Leaders Group on AMR had proposed two targets — by 2030, reduce the quantity of antimicrobials used in the agri-food system globally by at least 30-50 per cent from the current level; by 2030, eliminate the use of medically important antimicrobials for human medicine in animals for non-veterinary medical purposes, or in crop production and agri-food systems for non-phytosanitary purposes. In her address to the world community gathered at the UNGA, Narain said: “AMR will require us to rethink the ways in which we do agriculture, the way environment is managed so that we can minimise impact. This is where our agendas of conservation, development, environment and most importantly, prevention, have to come from.” “Nobody is safe until everybody is safe,” she added. “This is what underpins the political declaration that we have been part of, and which we now need to act on. This silent pandemic is a war we must win.”
Global leaders have agreed to reduce the number of people dying from superbugs by 2030. The United Nations declaration aims for a 10% fall in deaths caused by antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the phenomenon where bacteria evolve to resist the drugs most commonly used to treat them. As things stand, antimicrobial resistance is predicted to kill 39 million people in the next 25 years. At the UN General Assembly in New York, officials from 193 countries pledged to make progress in tackling the superbugs crisis. It is the second political declaration on the issue of AMR, with the previous one agreed in 2016. Signatories have agreed to: Have basic water, sanitation, hygiene and waste management services in all healthcare facilities by 2030; Commit $100 million to help at least 60% of countries fund their national action plans on addressing AMR; Prevent and address the discharge of antimicrobials into the environment. Antimicrobials, which include antibiotics, are life-saving drugs that are increasingly losing their effectiveness. This leads to deadly superbugs that cause infections which are difficult or impossible to treat. Cargill cows contaminated with vital antibiotics Read the story The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in agriculture and human medicine has been the greatest contributor to the emergence of superbugs. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has been covering the topic for more than a decade, and was in New York to witness the declaration. One by one, each delegate stood and committed to the pledge. Each had three minutes to speak. David Lammy, the foreign secretary, represented the UK. He said: “To those who say that the world is too divided to agree on anything meaningful, we have shown how wrong they are but this is only the beginning … Let us together ensure that future generations, no matter where they are born, look back at this moment as a time when we collectively resolved to secure this incredible life-saving gift for all humanity.” The political declaration has gone through multiple drafts since May this year as states negotiated various wordings. Experts: it’s a step forward While some were disappointed, experts have said the declaration is a start. However, others noted that the document lacks measurable targets that could have encouraged countries to reduce the use of critically important antibiotics in food and farming, and prevent the spread of AMR into the environment. AMR can spread in the environment through spraying crops, drugs getting into the water at pharmaceutical factories and hospitals and even unused antibiotics being thrown away in the home. The food and farming industry is responsible for more than 70% of all the antibiotics used in the world. “The political declaration [...] is not as far as I would like it to go but it’s a step ahead. [...] For the first time it recognises that in the AMR challenge we have to focus on prevention [of infections],” said Sunita Narain, an environmentalist who helped draft the declaration. She added: “Till now AMR has always been an issue about more money for drug companies, it’s been about surveillance. But never really understanding that [...] across the world, the issue of prevention is going to be even more important to protect us from this silent pandemic. This also links to the issue of clean water and sanitation because if you prevent the disease from happening [...] you bring down the burden of AMR.” “AMR actually turned my life upside down,” John Kariuki Muhia, a Kenyan vet, said. He had survived a drug-resistant infection after surgery for a fractured hip. The infection kept him in hospital for five months. He told the UN: “I urge all stakeholders now to implement their agreements reached today in this historic meeting.” What happens next? Once the formal processes are complete, everyone involved – from governments to pharmaceutical companies to farmers – will work out how the agreement will be implemented, including targets and money that must be raised. There will be another high-level meeting on AMR in five years’ time.