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State of India’s Environment 2024 Report Released

The State of India’s Environment 2024 Report was released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The report was released by Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE, Nitin Desai, Economist and Former UN Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, T N Ninan, Former Editor and Chairperson, Business Standard, Richard Mahapatra, Managing Editor, Down To Earth and Souparno Banerjee, Senior Director, CSE. The report revealed that India witnessed extreme weather conditions on 318 of the 365 days in 2023, affecting every state and Union territory. The extreme weather conditions claimed 3,287 human lives, affected 2.21 million hectare (ha) of crop area, damaged 86,432 houses and caused 124,813 animal deaths, the report stated. Himachal Pradesh recorded the highest number of extreme weather events, with 149 days, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 141 days. Kerala and Uttar Pradesh were next with 119 days each. The types of extreme weather varied, with heavy rains, floods, and landslides occurring on 208 days, and lightning and storms on 202 days. Heatwaves scorched the land on 49 days, while cold waves chilled it for 29 days, and cloudbursts brought sudden devastation on nine occasions. The winter months of January and February experienced extreme weather on 28 of the 59 days, affecting 21 states and Union Territories. Punjab and Haryana were most affected, with extreme weather reported on 15 days each. These two months were also warmer than the average temperatures recorded between 1981-2010, with February’s daytime and mean temperatures being 1.86°C and 1.36°C warmer, respectively. Additionally, the period was drier than usual, exacerbating the impact of the extreme conditions, the report further stated.

India Makes Headway in Goal to Install Taps in Rural Households

Until a few months ago, Babli Devi used to walk half an hour from her house in Kunsal village in North India to draw water from a community water tap several times a day for her daily washing and cooking. “I used to go in the morning, afternoon and evening, making two or three trips. Other family members also helped,” said Devi, who spent about three hours a day in that grueling routine. It was the same story in other homes in the village. “Collecting water was as good as putting in a day’s work,” according to Biri Lal. Villagers across India have long been accustomed to that arduous trek -- until five years ago only one in six of India’s 200 million households in its vast rural areas had access to a tap in their homes. But an ambitious $50 billion nationwide program launched by the federal government in 2019 to provide a tap to all rural houses has eased the daily burden of gathering water for many like Devi. A tap was installed in every home in her village in Himachal Pradesh state under the program several months ago. “I get some time to rest now after I finish my household chores,” she says. Now nearly three in four rural homes in the country have been given access to a tap in their households, according to government figures. The task has been challenging in one of the world’s most water-stressed countries. India has 18% of the world’s population but only 4% of the world’s water resources. In a country dependent on four months of monsoon rains to recharge rivers and groundwater, acute shortages intensify in summer across urban and rural areas. That is why the progress of the drive has been uneven across the vast country. States like Himachal Pradesh where water resources are more abundant have fared better than others with almost all village homes getting taps. Even here, reaching every village was not easy. In the hilly state, monsoons brought ample rains, but the water flew downstream creating shortages in summer. The winter season presented new problems. “The challenge was very big because we have very remote areas, we have areas with temperature up to minus 20 degrees centigrade, up to minus 35 degrees centigrade in remote, tribal areas, so this was a tough job,” said Suresh Mahajan, Chief Engineer, Water Department, Dharamshala. Now pipelines have been laid across the state, sometimes over vertical cliffs, to feed a network of storage tanks. Reservoirs and small dams have been built to retain water in areas where there is no reliable source. Huge tanks will be installed to avert shortages in the lean summer season. Engineers are also studying anti-freezing techniques to ensure availability of water all year round. The drive aims to not just provide a tap, but also potable water to every house according to Mahajan. Health experts have long called for improving access to clean water in a country where water-borne diseases like diarrhea lead to thousands of deaths. “We will provide 70 liters of potable water per person per day in every household. We can give more than this, not less,” according to Rakesh Sharma, at the Water Resources Department who oversees a storage and treatment plant that will supply about ten villages. An extensive network of pipes has been laid in Himachal Pradesh state to reach piped water to villages. (Rakesh Kumar/VOA) An extensive network of pipes has been laid in Himachal Pradesh state to reach piped water to villages. (Rakesh Kumar/VOA) Experts say that while the project is easier to implement in northern states, it faces challenges in parched areas that sprawl across western, eastern and southern India. “It is feasible in areas where ground water level is not so depleted like the Gangetic plains, but several states like Maharashtra and Karnataka that have a lot of arid and semi-arid areas will face problems,” according to Depinder Kapur at New Delhi’s Center for Science and Management. “Creating sustainable water sources in such places will be critical for the program’s success. Otherwise, you might have pipes, but no steady supply.” He points out that with ground water levels having depleted, villagers are having to walk further away from their habitations to fetch drinking water. Even big cities like Bengaluru are reporting huge water shortages. But the project is a boon for villagers in whose homes taps have been installed. Undergraduate student, Akshay Kumar in Kunsal, who used to share the work of filling water with his mother, now gets two more hours to study. Rural households without water in their homes spent 55.8 million hours each day collecting water, according to a study by the World Health Organization. But experts say as piped water becomes available, authorities will also have to ensure its judicious use. Kumar, who knows the value of saving water after having struggled for years to fetch it from a distance, keeps a watchful eye in his village. “We don’t waste water and if I see someone’s tap is open, I shut it,” he said. Building a culture of water conservation will be key to ensuring that the boon of piped water for village communities remains sustainable and that taps don’t run dry.

Maharashtra: Lightning strikes kill two killed in Jalna district

Two persons were killed in lightning strikes by unseasonal rains in two talukas of Maharashtra`s Jalna district, an official report said on Wednesday. The deceased also included a woman. Bhokardan and Jafrabad talukas of the North Maharashtra district were lashed by untimely showers and hailstorms on Monday. The untimely rains also adversely affected crops on nearly 11,700 hectares of land, newswire PTI reported. Two persons, including a woman -- residents of different villages in Bhokardan taluka -- were killed in lightning strikes during the rains, said the report issued by the Divisional Commissioner`s office in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Crops on 11,691 hectares of land were adversely affected in the rains and hailstorms, said the report, citing initial assessment. According to the report, 20,801 farmers from 66 villages in Bhokardan and Jafrabad suffered losses due to damage caused to crops like wheat, pea and maize. Meanwhile, India recorded extreme weather events on 318 of the 365 days in the year 2023, with all states and Union territories experiencing such events on at least one day, according to a new report released on Wednesday. These extreme weather events resulted in 3,287 human deaths, 1.24 lakh animal deaths, and damage to 2.21 million hectares of crop area, a report by independent think tank the Centre for Science and Environment`s "State of Environment 2024" said. Himachal Pradesh recorded the highest number of days with extreme weather at 149, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 141, and Kerala and Uttar Pradesh with 119 each. Eight states recorded more than 100 days of extreme weather, the report said. Heavy rains, floods and landslides were recorded on 208 days in 2023. Lightning and storms occurred on 202 days, heatwaves on 49 days, cold waves on 29 days and cloudbursts on nine days. India experienced extreme weather events for 123 consecutive days between June and September 2023, the report said. (With inputs from agencies)

Sowing seeds of change

There is something fundamentally broken in the world’s agricultural system when you see images of rich European farmers and their poorer counterparts in India straddling tractors to block highways to make their anger heard. The fact is that these farmers are enjoined across continents with a serious problem of increased cost of agricultural production in an age of climate risks and losses. In Europe, the flashpoint ironically was the introduction of the climate regulation, under which farms would be required to halve pesticide use; cut fertiliser use by 20 per cent; double organic production; and leave more land for non-agricultural use for biodiversity conservation. In addition, the Netherlands had proposed to reduce its livestock numbers to cut nitrogen pollution and Germany to slash its subsidy on diesel, a fossil fuel. All this is clearly needed in a world faced with the existential threat of climate change. Agriculture in the European Union (EU), as in other parts of the world, contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions — one-tenth of its annual emissions. If this cost of abatement is high for rich farmers, what will it do to farmers in our world who are at the margins of survival? The fact is that the European farming system, which epitomises modern agriculture as we know it today, has survived because of massive subsidy. Since 1962, the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has provided financial support for agriculture — after much criticism, the support was brought down but only marginally. Today it constitutes some 40 per cent of the EU budget and involves direct payments to farmers. Each farmer, according to the European Commission data, received €6,700 annually (roughly Rs 50,000 / month) in 2021 as direct income support. Over and above this, there is more investment made to facilitate agriculture. Over the years, the “nature” of farming has evolved; farms have become larger and more consolidated. Small agriculturists now struggle to survive because of increased input costs, higher standards and bureaucracy. Larger farms are also faced with high debt as costs increase. The practice of organic farming — today 10 per cent of EU land is under this system — has been designed to increase the cost of cultivation. Farming has responded by becoming more intensive — more productivity per crop or livestock — and this means more use of chemicals and inputs, which combined with environmental conditions, results in even higher costs. This spiral of costs is then faced with two realities — one, the need to keep consumer prices of food under control and two, growing crop damages because of climate exigencies. This is the system of intensive agriculture that is feted in the world — it is touted that environmental standards can be built into the system and yet farmers can increase production and make the business work. Clearly, this is not the case. The cost of food is not affordable even in countries of the western world. The environment is not protected. In India, farmers protesting on the doorstep of Delhi want higher minimum support price (MSP) for their produce. They face the same challenges as their counterparts in rich Europe, but without the massive subsidy to support food cultivation. Then they face a pincer attack — government has to procure food for distribution and so it needs to keep the price under control; consumers (all of us) do not want to be hit by food inflation. So, even as farmers struggle to make ends meet in terms of costs and increased risk because of weather and pest attacks, and every time the food price goes up and they could benefit, the option is to cool down prices through cheaper imports. They lose. They cannot then invest in the improvement of soil, water or biodiversity. In this system, the only way ahead is to discount the cost of environmental safeguards. They are now being told that they need to increase productivity to stay profitable. But this comes at a higher cost because of expensive inputs — this food economics makes no sense as the higher costs will not be paid for in a country that needs affordable food. It is clear that the Indian government cannot subsidise individual farmers at the scale of Europe. It is also clear that even this whopping financial support would not be enough in this system of intensive agriculture. So, we need to discuss how to reduce costs of cultivation and yet put money on the table for farmers. This is where regenerative or natural farming will play a role, but at scale and with great policy and deliberate practice and science to back it. We also need food procurement policies to work at the local level, so that farmers get assured markets for good food. The Odisha government’s millet procurement for mid-day meals is one such practice. The fact is, the world has enough food to feed people; the problem is that much of this food is going into feeding livestock or just to waste. This is what needs to be addressed. DTE The writer is the Director-General of CSE and editor of DownToEarth. Views expressed are personal

Reshaping democracy in new climate

In many ways 2024 will determine the shape and future of democracy as we know it today. This year, about half the world’s adult population will cast vote to elect their governments. The question is whether the current idea of democracy will survive the coming year or be reshaped. We are already seeing the growth of right-wing governments globally, propelled by electorates swayed by fear and polarised polities. Will democracy be reduced to the mere act of casting votes and the subsequent triumph of the majority? The idea and practice of democracy has been about free speech, dissent and strong institutions of balancing power. Will we lose it to the many wars that we see in our world today? As much as the wars have taken a toll on people, they have also disfigured the grand idea of democracy as a moral force, which would provide space for dissent and justice. The war in Gaza has brought out sharply the double standards of the liberal world; it has made these countries lose their moral authority to hold up a higher standard of human rights. The war has also sharpened the divide between people, their culture and religion. Then, we are seeing the fear of the “other” due to a surge in migrants. There is no simple reason why people choose to leave their home, family and community. But what is clear is that the number of migrants is on the increase. According to the US-based think tank Migration Policy Institute, the number of non-authorised migrants at the country’s borders has doubled over the past year. It has become the hot potato issue for elections, with Republican governors sending hordes of migrants to states governed by Democratic Party. It is the same in Europe, where a spike in migrant population has given fodder to fear mongering. This means that voters in our democracies are electing masculine governments that promise to keep out the “other”. The “World Migration Report 2022”, compiled by the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration, finds that the triggers for internal displacement are changing—it is not just conflict that is driving people out of their homes, but also the combination of slow onset of climate-related disasters such as droughts. We know from our experience in India that migration from villages to cities and beyond is multi-pronged; driven by the loss of ability to cope with economic marginalisation and exacerbated by factors, including weather disasters, losses in livelihoods and, of course, the allure of cities. We also know that this migration can be reversed by investments in natural capital and wellbeing. Migration has been stemmed in places where village communities have built local economies by rejuvenating water systems to bolster productivity, adopting low-input agriculture and engaging in similar activities. This is the reason India’s national rural employment guarantee programme, which gives minimum wages for 100 days to adults for work on ecological improvement, despite all its flaws, remains the biggest “coping” mechanism for the country. This is where a huge opportunity exists to build resilience and economic opportunities for the future. But today’s headwinds are against this reversal. Wars are driving people out, poverty is increasing in an inequitable and divided world and climate change impacts are getting worse. We are not acting at the scale and speed needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are tipping us over. In fact, the actions that governments will take towards combatting climate change could become yet another ignition point for the reshaping of democracies. The already industrialised world, with its huge unpaid natural debt for years of economic growth built on spewing emissions into the common atmosphere, is finding it tough to reduce emissions. Till now, it has moved from coal to relatively less carbon-emitting natural gas to meet its electricity needs. It has also exported its manufacturing to countries like China and even India. But there has been no real change in their consumption pattern, which would require a re-engineering of the economies to become less carbon intensive. But now these options are limited, as countries are facing opposition against measures to tighten emissions in sectors like agriculture or industry. This will fuel the reshaping of democracies, where people will “vote” with their fists and might. We saw this in The Netherlands most recently where farmers voted against measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions in their fields. In Germany, the Green Party has faced anger against its policy to introduce energy-efficient heat pumps in homes. Ironically this is coming at a time, when countries need to do much more to drastically reduce emissions so that all the other related crises do not explode. This is why the future of democracy is so critical in today’s climate-risked world. The fact is that action against climate change is not possible without equity. This necessitates the commitment to democratic principles of pluralism, inclusion and a voice for the voiceless. (Writer is Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and the Editor of Down To Earth magazine. She is an environmentalist who pushes for changes in policies, practices and mindsets)

Study links climate change with wheat blast; warns crop yield could drop by 75% in South America, Africa by 2050

A new study has warned of links between warming climate and the devastating fungal plant disease wheat blast. The disease currently poses a threat to 6.4 million hectares and by 2050, climate change is likely make the situation worse and threaten 13.5 million hectares of cropland, the study warned. Wheat blast alone has the potential to cut wheat production worldwide by 13 per cent. However, the study cautioned that other effects of climate change could cause yields to fall even further. The analysis focused exclusively on nations with wheat growing areas and covered 86 countries across six continents — Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Asia. South America and Africa will be the most vulnerable regions to wheat blast in the future climate, with up to 75 per cent of their wheat acreage at risk by 2050, warned the team of researchers from institutes International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (also known as CIMMYT), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, University of Florida, International Food Policy Research Institute and Technical University Munich.

Decline in large fires at Delhi’s garbage mountains, shows data

Delhi's landfill fires dropped from 159 in 2017 to one in 2023, attributed to preventive measures and improved waste treatment processes. The number of fires at Delhi’s three landfills have dropped consistently over the past six years, falling from 159 in 2017 to one last year, according to data the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) submitted to the state environment department last month, with agencies attributing the fall to a raft of preventive measures and improved waste treatment processes. According to data shared by the civic body on January 18, and seen by HT, 159 fires tore through Delhi’s three garbage mountains – in Ghazipur, Bhalswa, and Okhla – in 2017. This number has dipped consistently since then. It fell to 120 in 2018, 48 in 2019, eight each in 2020 and 2021, five in 2022, and then just one in 2023. There have been no fires so far this year, said officials. The last time a fire broke out at a landfill in Delhi was on June 12 last year, when a blaze ripped through parts of the Ghazipur waste mountain. The fire was controlled by late that evening but smoke continued to emanate from the dump site till next day. This is the first time in decades when there hasn’t been a single fire in a landfill in Delhi after the monsoon and in the winters. In 2022, we had four major fires and one minor fire in June,” said an MCD official who oversees the management of landfills in Delhi. Officials from the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) confirmed the data and attributed the dip to “better preventive measures taken by all agencies.” Siddharth Singh, programme manager of the environment governance and solid waste management at the Centre for Science and Environment, said that there was no reason to be sceptical about the number of fires going down as biomining is taking place on all three sites. “But we should wait for another summer so that the measures can be put to test for a longer period and another cycle is repeated,” he said.

Nikhil Kamath discusses climate change, challenges India can face for clean energy in his podcast WTF is?

Renowned to be as ‘Wonder Boy of New India’, Nikhil Kamath has been bringing the most crucial subjects into a discussion with his podcast 'WTF is? From being a school dropout to being called India’s Warren Buffett in the making, Nikhil Kamath’s self-made journey is nothing short of inspiring. Leading his way as the brightest investor in India, Nikhil in collaboration with leading climate pioneers such as Sunita Narain, director-general for Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment, actor Bhumi Pednekar, Climate researcher Navroz Dubash, and sustainability collaborator Mirik Gogri on his new podcast titled 'WTF is Climate Change? While the podcasts covered many topics related to clean energy, the speakers also shed light on the energy transition and the necessity of achieving clean power for 1.3 Billion people. "The issue of achieving clean power is particularly relevant given that India is running out of finite resources and needs to urgently transition to cleaner sources of energy. However, this becomes particularly challenging as the majority of the country is dependent on cheaper and easily accessible coal. The speakers on the podcast covered the topic of how exactly we can transition, the barriers we would have to surmount, and the immediate steps that can be taken.

Nikhil Kamath discusses climate change, challenges India can face for clean energy in his podcast WTF is?

In the latest episode of the podcast, WTF is? Nikhil Kamatth discussed the climate change and the challenges India can face for clean energy. Renowned to be as ‘Wonder Boy of New India’, Nikhil Kamath has been bringing the most crucial subjects into a discussion with his podcast ‘WTF is? From being a school dropout to being called India’s Warren Buffett in the making, Nikhil Kamath’s self-made journey is nothing short of inspiring. Leading his way as the brightest investor in India, Nikhil in collaboration with leading climate pioneers such as Sunita Narain, director-general for Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment, actor Bhumi Pednekar, Climate researcher Navroz Dubash, and sustainability collaborator Mirik Gogri on his new podcast titled ‘WTF is Climate Change? While the podcasts covered many topics related to clean energy, the speakers also shed light on the energy transition and the necessity of achieving clean power for 1.3 Billion people. “The issue of achieving clean power is particularly relevant given that India is running out of finite resources and needs to urgently transition to cleaner sources of energy. However, this becomes particularly challenging as the majority of the country is dependent on cheaper and easily accessible coal. The speakers on the podcast covered the topic of how exactly we can transition, the barriers we would have to surmount, and the immediate steps that can be taken. Navroz Dubash Professor at center for policy research, Author of IPCC, said, “India is exploring innovative initiatives, such as transitioning agricultural pump sets to solar power, capitalizing on the fact that these systems do not require continuous power supply. To facilitate this transition, the Indian government must mandate distribution companies to provide backup power and manage their own power procurement, necessitating a shift in power planning from centralized to decentralized systems.” “Furthermore, subsidies should be directed towards promoting the productivity of electricity rather than consumption, focusing on sectors like the coal chain, food processing, and small industries. By incentivizing efficient and sustainable practices, India can position itself as a leader in the global green economy while addressing pressing environmental concerns.” He added. Sunita Narain, Padma Shri Awardee, Director of CSE, said, “India faces a significant opportunity in transitioning towards a greener economy, yet the high cost of capital poses a challenge. Rather than focusing solely on the quantity of funding available, there’s a pressing need for capital of higher quality. Currently, the private sector’s investment in climate change initiatives falls short, but incentivizing them through carbon credits and offsets could spur greater participation.” She further added, “Initiatives such as solar agricultural pumps aren’t reliant on subsidies but represent a pragmatic step towards energy transition. Addressing the climate change crisis requires a concerted effort towards transitioning to cleaner energy sources, presenting both a challenge and an opportunity for India.” Mirik Gogri Sustainability Investor, said, “One significant challenge that needs urgent attention this decade is grid storage. Effective grid storage solutions have the potential to reduce costs significantly. While lithium batteries are not suitable for grid storage due to various challenges and their prioritization for electric vehicles, grid storage presents a significant opportunity for India. By 2030, India will require 200GW/hr of energy storage capacity, yet the grid has not been stabilized. This decade is critical for the development of energy storage solutions, similar to the advancements witnessed in solar and wind power in previous years.” Nikhil became a part of the Forbes Billionaires List 2020 & 2023 and the Self-Made Rich List 2022. Nikhil continues to be the path-breaking investor he is with his dedication to investment in philanthropy at a large scale. He recently became not only just the 4th but also the youngest Indian to pledge a majority of his wealth through the Bill Gates and Melinda Gates charity foundation.