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संगरूर ने पाया नंबर-वन रैंक, पर्यावरण चेतना की संस्कृति को बढ़ावा देकर पाई उपलब्धि

पंजाब के संगरूर को ग्रीन स्कूल प्रोग्राम (जीएसपी) के तहत देश में सर्वश्रेष्ठ जिले के रूप में सम्मानित किया गया है। मंगलवार को घोषित सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) के वार्षिक ग्रीन स्कूल अवाड्र्स में पर्यावरण चेतना की संस्कृति को बढ़ावा देने में अपने नेतृत्व के लिए पंजाब ने सर्वश्रेष्ठ राज्य और संगरूर ने सर्वश्रेष्ठ जिला का पुरस्कार जीता। ग्रीन स्कूल कार्यक्रम का उद्देश्य स्कूल परिसरों को पर्यावरण के अनुकूल बनाना और छात्रों को पर्यावरण के प्रति जागरूक बनाना है। पंजाब ने उच्चतम ऑडिट पंजीकरण और रिपोर्ट सबमिशन के साथ मानक स्थापित करके सर्वश्रेष्ठ राज्य का पुरस्कार जीता। राज्य के कुल 4,734 स्कूलों ने अपनी ऑडिट रिपोर्ट प्रस्तुत की थी, जिसमें 70 को हरित रेटिंग दी गई। 503 सबमिशन के साथ संगरूर को सर्वश्रेष्ठ जिले का पुरस्कार मिला। स्कूलों में संसाधन प्रबंधन और हरित प्रथाओं की प्रभावशीलता को मापने के लिए स्कूलों और छात्रों को एक ऑन-कैंपस पर्यावरण ऑडिट करने में मदद करने के लिए पुरस्कार प्रदान किए जाते हैं। जीएसपी स्कूलों को संसाधनों के उपयोग का आकलन करने और छह प्रमुख विषय क्षेत्रों वायु, ऊर्जा, भोजन, भूमि, पानी और अपशिष्ट में उनकी खपत और बर्बादी को मैप करने में मदद करता है। सत्य भारती स्कूल लाखोवाल, लुधियाना, पंजाब, चेंजमेकर पुरस्कारों के विजेताओं में से एक था, जो उन स्कूलों को दिया जाता है, जो वर्षों से अपनी हरिऐ प्रथाओं की निगरानी और सुधार करके अपनी रेटिंग को सुधारते हैं। मुख्यमंत्री भगवंत मान ने अपने एक्स अकाउंट के जरिए पंजाबियों, खासकर छात्रों और शिक्षकों को बधाई दी।

मुख्यमंत्री मान के नेतृत्व में संगरूर ने पूरे देश में ग्रीन स्कूल कार्यक्रम के तहत नंबर-1 रैंक प्राप्त किया

मुख्यमंत्री भगवंत सिंह मान के नेतृत्व में संगरूर को ग्रीन स्कूल प्रोग्राम (जीएसपी) के तहत देश में सर्वश्रेष्ठ जिले के रूप में सम्मानित किया गया है। मंगलवार को घोषित सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) के वार्षिक ग्रीन स्कूल अवार्ड्स में पर्यावरण चेतना की संस्कृति को बढ़ावा देने में अपने नेतृत्व के लिए पंजाब ने 'सर्वश्रेष्ठ राज्य' और संगरूर ने 'सर्वश्रेष्ठ जिला' का पुरस्कार जीता। ग्रीन स्कूल कार्यक्रम का उद्देश्य स्कूल परिसरों को पर्यावरण के अनुकूल बनाना और छात्रों को पर्यावरण के प्रति जागरूक बनाना है। पंजाब ने उच्चतम ऑडिट पंजीकरण और रिपोर्ट सबमिशन के साथ मानक स्थापित करके सर्वश्रेष्ठ राज्य का पुरस्कार जीता। राज्य के कुल 4,734 स्कूलों ने अपनी ऑडिट रिपोर्ट प्रस्तुत की थी, जिसमें 70 को 'हरित' रेटिंग दी गई। 503 सबमिशन के साथ संगरूर को सर्वश्रेष्ठ जिले का पुरस्कार मिला। स्कूलों में संसाधन प्रबंधन और हरित प्रथाओं की प्रभावशीलता को मापने के लिए स्कूलों और छात्रों को एक ऑन-कैंपस पर्यावरण ऑडिट करने में मदद करने के लिए पुरस्कार प्रदान किए जाते हैं। जीएसपी स्कूलों को संसाधनों के उपयोग का आकलन करने और छह प्रमुख विषय क्षेत्रों - वायु, ऊर्जा, भोजन, भूमि, पानी और अपशिष्ट में उनकी खपत और बर्बादी को मैप करने में मदद करता है। सत्य भारती स्कूल लाखोवाल, लुधियाना, पंजाब, चेंजमेकर पुरस्कारों के विजेताओं में से एक था, जो उन स्कूलों को दिया जाता है जो वर्षों से अपनी हरिऐ प्रथाओं की निगरानी और सुधार करके अपनी रेटिंग को सुधारते हैं। मुख्यमंत्री भगवंत मान ने अपने एक्स अकाउंट के जरिए पंजाबियों, खासकर छात्रों और शिक्षकों को बधाई दी और कहा कि 'जिस दिन से चला हूं मेरी मंजिल पर नजर है, आंखों ने कभी मील का पत्थर नहीं देखा..संगरूर देश में नंबर एक जिला, बधाई!" इस खबर पर प्रतिक्रिया देते हुए आम आदमी पार्टी (आप) ने कहा कि यह पंजाब के लिए गौरव का क्षण है। सीएम भगवंत मान के नेतृत्व वाली आप सरकार न केवल पंजाब के हर वर्ग को मुफ्त और विश्व स्तरीय शिक्षा प्रदान करने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध है, बल्कि अपने छात्रों को सिद्धांतों और पाठ्यपुस्तकों से परे भी शिक्षित करने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध है। पंजाब के सरकारी स्कूल व्यावहारिक और विचारोत्तेजक गतिविधियों के माध्यम से छात्रों को पर्यावरण के प्रति संवेदनशील बनाने का काम कर रही है।

युवाओं की नींद उड़ा रहीं एनर्जी ड्रिंक, कैफीन और अमीनो एसिड से भरे पेय पदार्थ पहुंचा रहे नुकसान

लोकप्रिय पेय पदार्थों में शुमार एनर्जी ड्रिंक युवाओं की नींद उड़ा रही हैं। साथ ही अनिद्रा की समस्या भी पैदा कर रहा है। हाल में हुए अध्ययन में जो युवा महीने में केवल एक से तीन बार एनर्जी ड्रिंक का सेवन करते हैं, उनमें भी नींद से जुड़ी समस्याओं में इजाफा देखा गया। अध्ययन के नतीजे ओपन एक्सेस जर्नल बीएमजे ओपन में प्रकाशित हुए हैं। शोधकर्ताओं के अनुसार, इन एनर्जी ड्रिंक्स में आमतौर पर प्रति लीटर करीब 150 मिलीग्राम कैफीन होता है। साथ ही इसमें चीनी, विटामिन, खनिज और अमीनो एसिड भी अलग-अलग मात्रा में होते हैं। इन ड्रिंक्स को ऐसे दर्शाया जाता है कि यह मानसिक और शारीरिक शक्ति को बढ़ा सकते हैं। जबकि स्वास्थ्य विशेषज्ञों का तर्क है कि इन्हें एनर्जी ड्रिंक्स बताना भ्रामक है क्योंकि चीनी को छोड़कर अन्य तत्व ऊर्जा प्रदान नहीं करते। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट ने भी अपने अध्ययन में खुलासा किया है कि एनर्जी ड्रिंक्स में अतिरिक्त कैफीन होता है। भारत की शीर्ष खाद्य नियामक संस्था-भारतीय खाद्य सुरक्षा और मानक प्राधिकरण (एफएसएसएआई) इन एनर्जी ड्रिंक्स को गैर-अल्कोहल युक्त पेय पदार्थों के रूप में परिभाषित करती है। हालांकि, इनमें कैफीन, ग्वाराना, टॉरिन और जिनसेंग जैसे उत्तेजक पदार्थ होते हैं। जितना ज्यादा सेवन, उतनी अधिक समस्याएं अध्ययन में शोधकर्ताओं ने नॉर्वे के 18 से 35 वर्ष की आयु के 53,266 युवाओं के आंकड़ों की समीक्षा की। जो छात्र और छात्राएं प्रतिदिन एनर्जी ड्रिंक पीते थे वे उन लोगों की तुलना में करीब एक घंटे कम सोते थे जो कभी-कभार या बिल्कुल भी नहीं पीते थे। इसका प्रभाव इस बात में भी देखा गया कि वे रात में कितनी बार जगे और उन्हें सोने में कितना समय लगा। जैसे-जैसे उन्होंने एनर्जी ड्रिंक की मात्रा बढ़ाई उनके रात में सोने और जागने का समय बढ़ गया। इसका सीधा सा तात्पर्य यह है कि उनकी नींद में लगातार खलल पड़ा। इसी तरह जो लड़के प्रति दिन एनर्जी ड्रिंक पीते थे उनके हर रात छह घंटे से भी कम सोने की संभावना उनकी तुलना में दोगुनी से भी अधिक थी, जो कभी-कभार इनका सेवन करते थे।

Punjab bags ‘best state’ award at CSE event

Bathinda: Punjab has won the ‘best state’ and ‘best district’ prizes for its leadership in fostering a culture of environmental consciousness at Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) annual Green Schools Awards announced on Tuesday. Green School Programme is aimed at making school campuses environment-friendly and students conscious about environment. Punjab bagged the award for the best state by setting the bar with the highest audit registrations and report submissions. A total of 4,734 schools from the state submitted their audit reports – 70 were rated ‘green’. Sangrur bagged the best district award with 503 submissions. A total of 199 schools from across the country were certified ‘green’. The awards are conferred to help schools and students conduct a rigorous on-campus environmental audit to measure efficacy of resource management and green practices in schools. Over 5,300 schools from 29 states and UTs vied for the honours; 20 of these received the top awards, and 199 were tagged as ‘green’. Of all the schools that participated in the audit, government schools held the crown with 93 per cent submissions, followed by private schools at 6 per cent and government-aided schools at 1 per cent. Apart from the schools, awards were also conferred on the most proactive teachers. GSP helps schools assess their use of resources and map their consumption and wastage across six key subject areas - air, energy, food, land, water and waste. Satya Bharti School Lakhowal, Ludhiana, Punjab, was one of the winners of the Changemaker Awards, given to schools which improve their sustainability rating to green by monitoring and improving their practices over the years. We also published the following articles recently Punjab bags the Best Green State Award in CSE Green Schools ProgrammePunjab wins best state and district prizes for environmental consciousness at CSE's Green Schools Awards. GSP aims to make school campuses environment-friendly and students environment-conscious. Punjab awarded Best State for highest audit registrations and report submissions; Sangrur wins Best District with 503 submissions. 199 schools across the country certified green at CSE's annual GSP.107268774 Meritorious School student ends lifeA 16-year-old student of Meritorious School, Ghabdan, in Sangrur allegedly committed suicide due to stress after obtaining less marks in Class XII pre-board exams. The police are conducting a post-mortem and recording statements from the student's parents, including father Suresh Kumar.107246620

ZP High School teacher gets national recognition

Tirupati: A biology teacher in Karakambadi ZP High School P Neelakantaiah received national level award for his work in the green school programme on Tuesday. At a programme held at India Habitat centre in New Delhi on Tuesday, Director of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Sunitha Agarwal presented the award to him along with seven other teachers in the State. On the occasion, Neelakantaiah said that AP has been showing exemplary performance in the green school programme for the last 12 years. The students are being educated in rainwater harvesting, waste compost, biodiversity, avoiding junk foods among other things.

'Toxic January': Delhi's most polluted first month since 2016

NEW DELHI: This Jan was the most polluted since 2016 with an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 354 till Jan 30. The highest average AQI in Jan was recorded in 2016 at 370. Delhi Pollution Central Pollution Control Board’s data shows that this Jan 2024 saw three ‘severe’ AQI days and an intense spell of polluted days with the air quality in the ‘very poor’ category for a majority of days. Only one ‘poor’ air day was reported this Jan. Track the pollution level in your city Experts said the local and regional source of emission remained high and adverse meteorological conditions caused a trapping of pollutants. The unfavourable meteorological conditions included dense fog, low temperatures, calm wind conditions and low mixing layer height that hampered the process of dispersion of pollutants. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director for research and advocacy at Centre for Science and Environment, said: “This is a combination of high level of regional pollution and adverse meteorology that is keeping the levels elevated. There is very little that we can do about meteorology. But we certainly need to scale up action in the city and across the larger region.” CPCB’s data shows that the average AQI in Jan was 311 in 2023, 279 in 2022, 324 in 2021, 286 in 2020, 328 in 2019 and 2018, and 304 in 2017. The highest number of severe pollution days in Jan were seven, recorded in Jan 2019 and 2016. However, this Jan was dirtier than 2019 as the AQI on the majority of days was above 300. This month, the highest AQI was 447 on Jan 14 while the lowest was 273 on Jan 10. Sunil Dahiya, analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said: “The heightened pollution levels in Delhi this Jan underscore two crucial realities. First, stubble burning isn't the primary cause of year-round hazardous air quality in Delhi-NCR, except for a brief period from Oct to mid-Nov. Second, insufficient effort or virtually none has been made to curtail emission load from various sectors in the broader airshed surrounding Delhi.” Dahiya added: “The surge in emissions from NCR towns like Sonipat, Jhajjar, Ghaziabad, along with the unregulated operation of major industries and coal-based power plants lacking efficient emission controls, add to the problem. While significant funds are allocated for ineffective measures like anti-smog guns, non-scientifically operated mechanical sweepers and smog towers, the imperative lies in targeted endeavours to reduce sectoral emission loads across the Delhi-NCR airshed for a comprehensive and systematic reduction in pollution levels."

Roof ownership issues, unaffordable — why 1 crore rooftop solar target is a tough ask for Modi Govt

In India’s overall push for the adoption of renewable energy, one consistent laggard has emerged — rooftop solar. Now, the Modi government seeks to address the issue of why rooftop solar capacity is just one-fourth of its targeted level, with a new scheme announced on 22 January, Pradhan Mantri Suryoday Yojana (PMSY). The aim of the scheme is to install rooftop solar units on one crore houses, but success will depend largely on the government’s ability to surmount the myriad issues plaguing the sector at present. Residential rooftop solar is plagued by certain logistical issues, such as a lack of clarity over roof ownership, the influence of conventional power distribution companies which stand to lose out with the spread of renewable energy, a lack of awareness about rooftop solar, and affordability issues. On the flip side, experts see the PMSY announcement as a positive move that could emerge as an important step, if enacted effectively. At the moment, however, no timeline has been finalised and officials from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy say specific details are yet to be fleshed out. “Going by the data, there are about 7-8 lakh households with rooftop solar systems,” energy specialist Neeraj Kuldeep, Senior Programme Lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), told ThePrint. “One crore will mark a 14-fold increase, which is quite big. We might add about 20-25 GW (of solar energy capacity) if we reach the one crore goal.” In 2019, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy had announced the Rooftop Solar Programme, under which 40 GW of energy was supposed to be derived from rooftop solar by 2022, a goal that was then delayed to 2026. According to an answer presented in the Lok Sabha in December 2023, 10.4 GW of rooftop solar has so far been installed. While this is one-fourth of the target, it is still 46 percent higher than the installed capacity in 2019. Rooftop solar can be installed on residential buildings as well as office buildings. In India, residential rooftop solar forms a small share of overall rooftop solar installed capacity. While there are no recent official details pertaining to the installed capacity of residential rooftop solar, experts say the current residential rooftop solar capacity falls at around 2 GW. “The PM’s goal is achievable although it may appear ambitious when looking at past growth,” Manikkan Sangameswaran, Executive Director & CEO, Radiance Renewables, told ThePrint. A household that consumes 200 units of electricity (200 kilowatt hours), typically the case in rural areas, needs a rooftop of about 200 feet, which is by and large available, he explained. A report by CEEW published in November 2023 says residential space in India offers rooftop solar energy potential of 637 GW. However, the residential sector continues to be underutilised, due to questions of rooftop ownership and the problems faced by distribution utility. This is, however, the theoretical potential. The reality falls short of this by a significant margin, the report adds. For example, it found that over 70 percent of households consume less than 100-kilowatt hour of electricity, and that rooftop solar units don’t make economic sense at such low consumption levels. “Within the residential segment, the early adopters (of rooftop solar) so far are the high paying residential consumers and not rural and semi-urban households. While the opportunity exists in rural and semi-urban areas, there is significant inertia to move to rooftop solar due to limited awareness, high upfront costs, lack of financing, low paying capacity, etc,” states the report. Rooftop solar has seen a noticeable uptake in Gujarat, which currently has the highest installed capacity, of 3.174 GW. According to a report published last year by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), only 24 of 36 states and Union territories have been able to reach their rooftop solar targets. Gujarat has “realised 90 percent of its targets” owing to “dynamic and supportive policies”. “Various state governments have also taken initiatives to deploy rooftop solar, such as by enforcing additional subsidies,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, CSE. “But the end users need to understand how it’s going to help them. It helps to lower their electricity bill (as electricity is locally generated) and get compensation for the rooftop space.”

मोतीलाल नेहरू खेल स्कूल राई ने जीता ग्रीन स्कूल स्टर्लिंग अवार्ड

मोतीलाल नेहरू खेलकूद स्कूल राई ने पूरे देश में हुए सर्वे में ग्रीन स्कूल स्टर्लिंग अवार्ड अपने नाम किया। सर्वे में देश भर से करीबन 7000 स्कूलों ने हिस्सा लिया था। देश भर से केवल तीन फीसदी स्कूल इस मापदंड पर खरे उतर पाए। पर्यावरण के क्षेत्र में कार्य करने वाली संस्था सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) के ग्रीन स्कूल प्रोग्राम (जीएसपी) के तहत खेलकूद स्कूल को पर्यावरण व्यवस्था के आधार पर अलग-अलग वर्ग में सम्मानित किया गया। ग्रीन स्कूल अवार्ड सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की ओर से चलाया गया एक कार्यक्रम है। जिसका उद्देश्य व्यावहारिक और विचारोत्तेजक गतिविधियों के माध्यम से छात्रों को पर्यावरण के प्रति संवेदनशील बनाना है। स्कूल के निदेशक कर्नल अशोक मोर ने बताया कि ग्रीन स्कूल प्रोग्राम स्कूलों को संसाधनों के उपयोग का ऑडिट करने और उनके उपभोग और बर्बादी को मैप करने में मदद करता है। स्कूल में बेहतर रेन हार्वेस्टिंग सिस्टम, दूषित पानी को साफ़ करने के लिए एसटीपी, वृक्ष और पक्षियों की कई प्रजातियां हैं। स्कूल में इसी वर्ष बोटेनिकल गार्डन और ईको ब्रिक सिस्टम बनाया गया है जो हमें बाकी सबसे अलग दर्शाता है।

दिल्ली-NCR में ठंड और प्रदूषण का डबल अटैक, आज तो कोहरे से विजिबिलिटी हुई जीरो, जानें मौसम से जुड़े ये अपडेट

राष्ट्रीय राजधानी दिल्ली और सीमावर्ती राज्यों के शहर जबरदस्त शीतलहर की चपेट में हैं। दिल्ली, नोएडा, गाजियाबाद, गुरुग्राम और फरीदाबाद में आज सुबह घना कोहरा छाया रहा। सुबह साढ़े चार बजे से छह बजे के बीच विजिबिलिटी न के बराबर रही। राजधानी दिल्ली के धौला... Read more at: https://panchjanya.com/2024/01/31/316733/bharat/delhi/delhi-ncr-under-grip-of-dense-fog-and-air-bad/

Punjab bags the Best Green State Award in CSE’ Green Schools Programme

BATHINDA: Punjab has won the ‘best state’ and ‘best district’ prizes for its leadership in fostering a culture of environmental consciousness at Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) annual Green Schools Awards, announced on Tuesday. Green School Programme (GSP) is aimed at making the school campuses environment-friendly and students as environment-conscious. Punjab bagged the award for the Best State by setting the bar with the highest audit registrations and report submissions. 4734 schools from the state submitted their audit reports – 70 were rated ‘green’. Sangrur bagged the Best District Award with 503 submissions. The one hundred ninety-nine schools from across the country have been certified ‘green’ at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) annual GSP. The awards are conferred by CSE to help schools and their students conduct a rigorous in-campus environmental audit to measure the efficacy of resource management and green practices in the school. Schools take ownership of their green journey through self-conducted audits. Over 5,300 schools from 29 states and Union territories vied for the honours; 20 of these received the top awards, and 199 were tagged as ‘green’. Of all the schools that participated in the audit, government schools held the crown with 93 per cent submissions, followed by private schools at 6 per cent and government-aided schools at 1 per cent. Apart from the schools, awards were also conferred on the most proactive teachers. GSP helps schools assess their use of resources and map their consumption and wastage across six key subject areas - air, energy, food, land, water and waste. Satya Bharti School Lakhowal, Ludhiana, Punjab was one of the winners of the Changemaker Awards, given to schools which improve their sustainability rating to green by monitoring and improving their practices over the year. The four schools from Punjab and Haryana figured out of total 12 schools which got Sterling School Awards, which are given to schools that have been rated ‘green’ for five or more consecutive years. CSE director general Sunita Narain said “The objective of Green School Programme is to educate the young through their actions – they walk the talk to understand sustainability. We believe that we learn best when we implement our ideas; when we measure what we have done and we set goals for what needs to be done next”. Tushita Rawat, programme manager, environment education, CSE said “The programme uses an analytics platform to track the environmental performance of schools. Over 600 data points are collected, which provide quantifiable environmental impacts within and around the school campus.” Souparno Banerjee, senior director, environment education, CSE said: “The unique aspect of this programme is the opportunity that it affords schools to measure their progress year on year and improve their ranking.” A Green School is a resource-efficient school that meets the criteria of window to floor ratio (WFR) of more than 5 per cent to allow adequate daylight and ventilation. Majority of the population uses sustainable modes of transport (public transport, e-rickshaws) or non-polluting modes of transport (cycling, walking). Maximum use energy-efficient lighting to conserve energy and use alternative sources of energy as GSP audit encourages schools to minimize use of conventional lights without compromising sufficient lighting for students. Maintain a high green cover inside and around school campus along with greater biodiversity by planting native species of plants. Serve only cooked meals (avoid packaged foods that are high in fats, sugar and salt) to ensure healthy food consumption. Harvest rainwater through rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems and reuse treated wastewater. Pre- and post-monsoon cleaning of RWH systems is important. Segregate waste at source efficiently and dispose of responsibly. Recycling at least 90 per cent of the waste is recommended. Compost the wet waste and not burn waste.

41 Per Cent In India Still Rely On Biomass For Cooking, Emitting 340 Mn Tonnes Of CO2 Annually: Report

Forty-one percent of the Indian population still uses wood, cow dung or other biomass as cooking fuel and cumulatively emits around 340 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the environment every year, which is about 13 per cent of India’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report. The report “India’s Transition to E-cooking” by the independent think tank Centre for Science and Environment also said that the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana led to a rapid expansion in access to liquified petroleum gas (LPG) in India, but it has “not guaranteed a sustained transition to clean cooking in households” that benefited from the scheme. Around a third of the world’s population – 2.4 billion people globally (including 500 million people in India) – still lack access to clean cooking solutions. This causes untold damage to the economy, public health and the environment. Approximately three million people globally (including 0.6 million people in India) die prematurely every year because of indoor air pollution. These deaths are mostly caused by wood-based cooking, the report said, citing research conducted in the past. Although the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOPNG) claims that the country’s household LPG “coverage” stands at 99.8 per cent, the National Family Health Survey conducted in 2019–21 (NFHS-5) shows that 41 per cent of the population still cooks on biomass, it said. The report said, CSE’s own calculations have found that this 41 per cent cumulatively emits — when it cooks on wood, cow dung or other biomass — around 340 million tonnes of CO2 (carbon dioxide) into the environment every year, which is about 13 per cent of India’s national GHG emissions. A review of India’s last Biennial Update Report (BUR3) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change shows this particular sectoral emission is not counted as part of national emissions. Through PMUY launched in May 2016, more than 100 million households in India received LPG cylinders by the end of March 2023. However, over 50 per cent of the households that received new LPG cylinders under PMUY did not choose to refill it even once, the CSE said. The report further said, This was due to high costs of refill, cultural or behavioural beliefs, and a lack of significant LPG cylinder distribution networks where the beneficiaries lived. As of March 2023, the average cost for a refill of an LPG cylinder (14.2 kg) was approximately Rs 1,100 across India. The average Indian household requires eight such cylinders solely for cooking in a year. That translates to approximately Rs 8,800 spent on cooking fuel alone per year. As per the NITI Aayog’s Tenth Five-Year Plan, the average annual income of a Below Poverty Line (BPL) family is capped at Rs 27,000, which means an average BPL family (who are the primary beneficiaries of the PMUY scheme) have to spend one-third of their annual income on cooking fuel alone, the CSE said.

January 2024 colder, more polluted, shows Delhi data

Delhi’s nights this January were its coldest since 2013, the days were its coldest since 2015, even as the air was its most polluted since 2016, showed data from monitoring agencies, underscoring what has been a month of weather extremes for the national capital. Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows that the city’s average maximum temperature this month was 17.9°C — 2.2°C below the long-period average for 1970-2020 (20.1°C). This is Delhi’s lowest average maximum for January since at least 2015, when it was also 17.9°C. The numbers also corroborated what the Capital’s residents have lived through for a month – that January nights have been chillier than usual. According to IMD data, the city’s average minimum temperature this month was 6.4°C, almost a degree lower than the LPA of 7.5°C, and the lowest since 2013 (6.1°C). The lower-than-usual temperatures, coupled with glacially slow winds, deepened and prolonged Delhi’s pollution crisis, force-feeding residents air laced with pollutants well above any accepted standard. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data shows that till January 30, Delhi recorded three “severe” air days, 28 “very poor” days, and just one “poor” day. As a result, the city’s 24-hour air quality index (AQI) averaged at 354 this month, the highest since the 370 in 2016 – the first full year that CPCB started tracking pollution levels. In comparison, the average AQI was 311 last January and 279 in 2022. It was 324 in 2021; 286 in 2020; 328 in 2019; 328 in 2018; 304 in 2017 and 370 in 2016. Delhi had just eight air quality monitoring stations in 2016, while it has 40 now. The smoke also mingled with the fog to give Delhi a nearly month-long stretch of smog, which hobbled rail and flight services throughout the month and kept passengers stuck at stations and airports, as authorities scrambled to get schedules back on track. Highway commuters were not spared either, as the smog resulted in a string of pile-ups across the country, especially in northern and eastern India, that have killed dozens of people and injured several others. January has also been unusually parched, showed IMD data, with only “trace” rainfall recorded in the first 30 days of the month – the lowest till at least 2016. Delhi clocked 20.4mm of rainfall last January; 88.2mm in 2022; 56.6mm in 2021 and 48.1mm in 2020. Delhi had seen only “trace” rainfall in January 2016. Experts said weak western disturbances across northwest India have left the region with scanty rain and snow, conversely leading to extremely long spells of dense fog. “Each time there is a western disturbance, we see strong winds and rain. However, these have been missing this January. All that has happened is more moisture has been introduced into the atmosphere, which has led to fog across the plains. In such a scenario, the skies are obscured, the sun is hidden and days are particularly cold,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at Skymet meteorology. The shortage of showers have also helped dust and other particulate pollutants travel freely through the air, added experts. IMD data showed that Delhi recorded five “cold days” and five “cold wave days” in January. The weather agency classifies a “cold day” as one when the maximum temperature is 4.5°C or more below normal, and when the minimum is below 10°C. A “cold wave”, meanwhile, is one when the minimum temperature is 4.5°C or more below normal, or when it is below 4°C in the plains. Delhi’s minimum temperature remained below 4°C for five straight days between January 12 and 16, dropping to a low of 3.3°C on January 15. Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD, said five western disturbances hit northwest India this month, but none had any noteworthy impact on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). “The first half of the month was influenced by upper-level fog, which made days cold. Between January 12 and 16, when we had cold waves, we saw clear skies during the day, but fog would return at night. The second half has seen both upper-level fog and dense surface-level fog persist, which has resulted in isolated cold day conditions in between,” he said. However, Delhi’s dry streak may be snapped on Wednesday, said IMD, predicting a strong western disturbance that may bring the Capital gusty winds and light rain. “We expect strong winds of 30-40 km/hr,” he said. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) slow winds have been a constant this winter, similar to November and December.

Unlocking a green future

Globally, the cement industry is known to be part of the “hard to abate” sectors. It is critical for economic growth, but has a high carbon intensity — accounting for 7 per cent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted globally. Emissions are intrinsic to the manufacturing of cement. The raw material for cement is limestone; and to manufacture the product, carbon must be removed from limestone. This adds to cement’s emission intensity. The process, known as calcination, requires very high temperatures in the kiln — up to 1,450 degrees Celsius — which requires fuel to burn. More than 50 per cent of the industry’s greenhouse gas footprint comes from process emissions — the reduction of limestone and the release of CO2 — and the remaining mainly from combustion in the furnace. So, “greening” this industry is tough going, but not impossible. My colleagues at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) have deep dived into the Indian cement industry to set a road map for the future. Our analysis shows much can be done to decarbonise India’s cement sector and if done well, the efforts could work to set right the other sectors. This is not to say that you can manufacture cement with no emissions, but you can make it as green as possible. According to the Union environment ministry, India’s cement industry contributed 5.63 per cent of the total emissions in 2016 and 5.72 per cent in 2019. This is even as the industry is growing, as it will, with the much needed and massive investments to build the infrastructure needed for economic growth. India’s cement industry has had a head start over its global counterparts on reducing carbon intensity by doing two critical things. One, it has substituted to some extent the use of limestone with fly ash — a waste product from the burning of coal in thermal power plants — and two, it has improved its energy efficiency because it could reduce the cost of fuel. These measures, done for long to improve the cost-competitiveness of the industry, signal to what more can be done in the future. This is why consumers of cement count. The carbon intensity of the product is partly in the type of materials used for its manufacture. We need to understand the types of cement and why this matters to saving the climate. There are broadly three types of cement — Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), which uses limestone to make cement; Pozzolana Portland Cement (PPC), which uses fly ash to partially replace limestone; and Portland Slag Cement (PSC) in which slag, a waste product from steel plants partially, replaces limestone. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has notified standards for another category called composite cement (CC), in which fly ash and slag can substitute limestone use by as much as 60 per cent. Why does this matter? Quite simply because the more limestone is reduced in the manufacture of cement, the less it will pollute. So, while OPC with 95 per cent limestone emits 0.84 tonnes of CO2 for each tonne of cement produced, it goes down to less than half in the case of PSC, which substitutes limestone by using waste slag by over 55 per cent. Currently, PPC, which has lower emissions, dominates with 65 per cent market share, but the country is still producing OPC—roughly 30 per cent of the total cement. CSE’s decarbonisation roadmap for the cement sector recommends that the production of OPC should be controlled; brought down to less than 10 per cent. And there should be targets for increased share of blended cement by 2030. It also says fly ash use in PPC should be increased from the current up to 35 per cent to 45 per cent, which in turn will reduce emission intensity even as the consumption increases. The second decarbonisation pathway — to replace fuel for combustion — has opportunities for waste management. Currently, the cement industry is mainly dependent on coal, lignite or pet coke as fuel — replacing this would bring down the emission intensity of the product. Many cement companies are today taking municipal solid waste for incineration in the kiln. But this is not happening at the scale that is possible. This is also because the quality of waste — mixed plastic and low-grade materials that cities send — are not cement-grade refuse-derived fuel (RDF). This is where the opportunity is: to take the garbage and process it so that it makes a fuel that can be used as a substitute for coal. CSE recommends that the country should define green and low-carbon cement — that has replaced the use of limestone by over 50 per cent and displaced the use of coal by 50 per cent by using RDF or renewable energy. By doing this, India’s cement industry could halve its CO2 emissions even as it doubles its production by 2030. This green cement should get the advantage of a lowered GST. It's a win-win strategy. But it needs everyone to contribute to this “building” of green India. DTE The writer is the Director-General of CSE and editor of DownToEarth. Views expressed are personal

CSE’s Green Schools Programme honours 199 ‘greenest’ schools in India

One hundred ninety-nine schools from across India were certified “green” at Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) annual Green Schools Awards today, with 20 of them topping their respective categories for their outstanding efforts in making their campuses environment-friendly and their students, environment conscious. These awards are conferred every year by CSE’s Green Schools Programme, a 19-year-old initiative that helps schools and their students conduct a rigorous in-campus environmental audit to measure the efficacy of resource management and green practices in the school. Schools take ownership of their green journey through self-conducted audits with CSE’s guidance, read a press release of CSE on Tuesday. Speaking on the occasion, CSE Director General Sunita Narain said, “CSE’s Green School Programme is a laboratory of practice. The objective is to educate the young through their actions – they walk the talk to understand sustainability. “We believe that we learn best when we implement our ideas; when we measure what we have done and we set goals for what needs to be done next. This is what the Green Schools Programme is about.” Among those who handed out the awards – besides Narain – were Sanjay Kumar, secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Union Ministry of Education; Julia Marton-Lefevre, former director general, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); and Joyce Poan, programme specialist and chief of education, UNESCO-India. Over 5,300 schools from 29 states and Union territories vied for the honours; 20 of these received the top awards, and 199 were tagged as “green.” Of all the schools that participated in the audit, government schools held the crown with 93% submissions, followed by private schools at 6% and government-aided schools at 1%. Apart from the schools, awards were also conferred on the most proactive teachers. Punjab won the "best state" and "best district" prizes for its leadership in fostering a culture of environmental consciousness. GSP helps schools assess their use of resources and map their consumption and wastage across six key subject areas – air, energy, food, land, water and waste. Tushita Rawat, programme manager, CSE environment education, said, “The Programme uses an analytics platform to track the environmental performance of schools. Over 600 data points are collected, which provide quantifiable environmental impacts within and around the school campus.” Souparno Banerjee, senior director, CSE environment education, said, “The unique aspect of this programme is the opportunity that it affords schools to measure their progress year on year and improve their ranking.”

चावल और गेहूं के बारे में चौंकाने वाली आई ये खबर, जानिए ICAR ने क्या दी है चेतावनी

23 जनवरी, 2024 को, DTE और दिल्ली स्थित थिंक टैंक सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) ने पत्रिका के नए अध्ययन के कवरेज पर चर्चा करने के लिए एक वेबिनार का आयोजित कर तेजी से उच्च उपज देने वाली चावल और गेहूं की किस्मों को पर चर्चा की और जो बात सामने आई वह बेहद चौकाने वाली है. आईसीएआर के नेतृत्व वाले अध्ययन ने इन आधुनिक अनाजों के खाद्य मूल्य की जांच की है और रिपोर्ट दी है कि उच्च उपज वाली किस्मों को विकसित करने पर केंद्रित प्रजनन कार्यक्रमों ने चावल और गेहूं के पोषक तत्वों को इस हद तक बदल दिया है कि उनका आहार और पोषण मूल्य कम ही नहीं, विषाक्तता से भरा भी है. डीटीई की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार , पिछले 50 वर्षों में, चावल में जिंक और आयरन जैसे आवश्यक पोषक तत्वों की सांद्रता में क्रमशः 33 प्रतिशत और 27 प्रतिशत और गेहूं में 30 प्रतिशत और 19 प्रतिशत की कमी आई है. वेबिनार में कहा कि 1980 के दशक के बाद, प्रजनकों ने अपना ध्यान ऐसी किस्मों को विकसित करने पर केंद्रित कर दिया जो कीटों और बीमारियों के प्रति प्रतिरोधी हों और लवणता, नमी और सूखे जैसे तनावों को सहन कर सकें.

भौंट स्कूल बना शिमला का पहला ग्रीन स्कूल

राजकीय वरिष्ठ माध्यमिक स्कूल भौंट शिमला का पहला ग्रीन स्कूल बना है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट दिल्ली ने नेशनल ग्रीन स्कूल प्रोग्राम के तहत भौंट स्कूल को ग्रीन स्कूल के रूप में सम्मानित किया है। शिमला के निजी और सरकारी स्कूलों को पछाड़ते हुए भौंट स्कूल ने सीएसई दिल्ली में वाहवाही बटोरी। इस मौके पर प्रधानाचार्य शीतल चौहान, इको क्लब इंचार्ज ललिता शर्मा, प्राथमिक शिक्षा उप निदेशालय से डीएसएस पंकज शर्मा, पर्यावरणविद डॉ. सुनीता नारायण मौजूद रहे।