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印度霧霾：人工降雨能解決空氣污染？ 原文網址

印度霧霾年復年，每年踏入冬季，空氣污染問題加劇，當局便關閉學校、限制交通和禁止建築，並用噴水車來沖走空氣中的污染物，仍不見成效。近來當局計劃首次利用雲播種（cloud seeding），即人工降雨，以改善霧霾問題。人工降雨技術常用於應對乾旱，具體做法和成效如何？ 最多人因污染死亡的國度 「紐約時報」形容走在德里的街頭，會聞到空氣中有種煙燻金屬味，公共衛生專家警告，劇烈運動會導致更深的呼吸和更多顆粒物被吸入肺部，使戶外活動變得危險甚至致命，特別是長者和兒童。儘管如此，當地人依然不理官方警告，堅持在戶外或公園做運動。對他們來說，待在室內或不運動，改變生活習慣、放棄社交活動，比呼吸「毒氣」更糟糕。 在德里洛迪公園（Lodhi Garden），「紐時」記者觀察到有些人一邊咳嗽一邊練瑜伽，在 50 名練瑜珈或慢跑的人士中，只有 1 人戴外科口罩，大部分人表示他們不關心空氣污染。在公園晨運的 Mahesh Arora 說：「多年來，我們已經對這種骯髒的空氣產生了免疫力。」但醫學期刊「刺針」報道，2019 年印度有 160 萬人因污染而過早死亡，是相關死亡人數最多的國家。醫生表示過去 10 年中，非吸煙者肺癌病例數量激增。 人工降雨、煙霧塔、噴水車⋯⋯ 出盡法寶治標不治本 11 月 15 日，在新德里街頭的噴水車。　圖片來源：Sanchit Khanna／Hindustan Times via Getty Images 當局有意利用人工降雨改善空氣質量。簡單來說，人工降雨透過向環境釋放碘化銀等化學物質來放大空氣中的水分，形成霧或降水，降雨可作為天然清潔劑，有助降低污染水平，雨滴能沉降灰塵並溶解污染物。不過此舉可能只是短期內的有效措施，不是長期解決方案，因為降雨結束後，空氣污染估計還是會捲土重來。 人工降雨技術最常用於應對乾旱，以中國為例，去年長江流域空前乾旱，對農作物造成破壞。當時當局啟動緊急行動，以雲播種應對降雨不足，從湖北及其他省份發射火箭將化學品送到天空。在美國西部地區，早於 1940 年代已採用人工降雨技術，專家指雲播種通常可使降水量增加 5% 至 15%。 印度坎普爾理工學院（IIT Kanpur）電腦科學與工程系教授 Manindra Agrawal 認為，人工降雨可以為德里居民提供長達 1 週的暫時紓緩。人工降雨有沒有效很大程度上取決於特定的大氣條件，專家指需要進行更多研究來了解其局限和影響。這不是印度政府第一次採用不同方法解決空氣污染問題，2021 年當局建造了兩座 80 呎高的「煙霧塔」以淨化空氣，每座成本超過 200 萬美元，但沒有產生任何成果。環保組織無害醫療保健組織（HCWH）的 Shweta Narayan 認為，印度需要解決污染的根本原因，不是將其視為技術問題。 印度霧霾是怎樣來的？ 誰是印度霧霾成因的罪魁禍首？雜誌 Wired 指出，上月底印度北部的農民，尤其是德里西北部旁遮普邦和哈里亞納邦的小麥種植者，使用廉價方法來清理稻田進行新播種，他們點火燒掉收割後留下的稻稈，過程中將煙霧散發到空氣中。當局曾嘗試說服農民改用機器去除農作物殘茬，但農民負擔不起。 當然，燃燒農作物產生的煙霧只佔德里污染的 3 分之 1，阻止燃燒農作物並不能讓霧霾消失，問題在於德里及周邊地區充斥大量污染活動，包括燃煤發電廠、磚窯、燃燒垃圾、家庭使用的木材和木炭做飯等。 另外，新德里科學與環境中心研究員 Avikal Somvanshi 解釋，印度冬季霧霾的部分原因在於逆溫（inversion）的大氣現象。在夏季，靠近地面的空氣較暖，而較高處的空氣較冷，因此地面上排放的任何物質都會隨著熱空氣自然上升並消散；當冬天來臨，事情就完全相反，德里作為內陸城市，沒有海風來移動污染物，結果污染物亦無處可去。

Data lab: India saw at least one major weather event each day in 2023. Cyclone Michaung adds to the tally

Cyclone Michaung is right in the spotlight as it barrels through Southern Indian states, prompting large-scale rescue operations in cities now inundated. This adds to the alarming tally of climate catastrophes this year in India. The country saw an intense onslaught of extreme weather events in the first nine months of this year, impacting a staggering 86 per cent of days, as detailed in a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The aftermath was severe, with 2,923 lives lost, nearly two million hectares of crops wiped out, 80,000 homes destroyed, and over 92,000 animals perished. Unveiling what's termed the 'new normal,' the CSE's report, named "India 2023: An Assessment of Extreme Weather Events," sheds light on a transformative shift in the country's climate landscape. In a global context, research points to a surge in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events worldwide, primarily linked to climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels. Despite the 2015 Paris Agreement's call to limit the average temperature rise to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C, current reports hint at a significant departure. This necessitates significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to counteract global warming. The CSE's report delves into regional disparities within India. Madhya Pradesh topped the charts in recording extreme weather events, while Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh witnessed the highest human casualties. Punjab witnessed the highest animal deaths, and Himachal Pradesh reported maximum damage to homes. Down south, Kerala faced the brunt with the highest count of extreme weather days and deaths, while Telangana encountered substantial agricultural losses. Vulnerability echoes across regions, with Uttar Pradesh facing the most extreme weather days in northwest India. In the east and northeast, Assam witnessed a substantial number of extreme weather events, underscoring the varied challenges each region grapples with.

Supreme Court Dismisses PIL Alleging Adulteration Of Honey With Sugar Syrup By Major Indian Brands

The Supreme Court on Monday (04.12.2023) dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought purity test of several brands of honey sold in the market due to various reports claiming that many major brands selling honey are indulging in adulteration. We are not inclined to entertain this petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution of India. The Writ Petition is, accordingly, dismissed' the Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Rajesh Bindal recorded in its order. The PIL was filed by an NGO named 'Anti Corruption Council Of India Trust'. In April 2021, the Apex Court had issued notice in the matter to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The petitioner had claimed that most of the honey sold in the Indian markets were adulterated with sugar syrup. The increased consumption of sugar, will cause health problems in the population, the petitioner had pointed out. The petition had cited a report from the Centre for Science and Environment, that claimed that Indian brands were using a modified sugar imported from China which was helping bypass adulteration tests in the country. The petitioner supported this claim by highlighting the increase in import of fructose syrup from China into India in recent years.

Michaung exposes our unpreparedness

Nearly 30 NDRF teams are said to have been deployed in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra and Telangana. Chennai saw 151 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on December 4, the third highest ever in a 24-hour period; and the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Tuesday was worse. The state machinery and other disaster relief agencies are also on the job rescuing people and taking steps to contain the impact. At least 12 persons are reported to have been killed in rain-related incidents in Chennai and surrounding districts. The Chennai airport was shut for many hours, though operations have since resumed, and many trains have been cancelled. Schools are shut. Normal life has been disrupted, and memories of the 2015 floods have come back to haunt the residents. Though the situation is expected to improve on Wednesday, it is still unpredictable. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have gone on high alert as the cyclone made landfall and are bracing for extreme rains and flooding. Extreme weather events, including urban flooding, are no longer rare events. The country’s biggest cities like Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai have seen devastating floods in the last few years. There are both local reasons and global factors contributing to these events. The infrastructure has not kept up with the pressures of population explosion. Lakes, tanks and floodplains of rivers have been encroached, leading to obstruction in the free flow of flood waters. Drainages are not maintained. In fact, civic administration has gone to the dogs in all cities. In cities like Chennai, the uneven tides also have to be reckoned with. More importantly, climate change exigencies demand the building of more resilient infrastructure and even changes in lifestyles. Rainfall that falls over an year is sometimes received in one or two days. The poor are the most affected because they are the most defenceless. Extreme weather events have ravaged the world and caused serious damage to life and property all over the world in the recent past. Libya, Greece and Turkey were hit by the Mediterranean storm Daniel in September and about 11,000 persons were killed in Libya alone. Cyclonic storms are more frequent on India’s western coast now. India experienced extreme weather events every day in the last nine months of this year, resulting in the death of about 3,000 persons, according to a report from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The situation will get worse, according to the report. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has said that 2023 is likely the warmest year in history

COP28: Global Stocktake callsfor just phase-out of fossil fuels

A new draft of the Global Stocktake, released at the ongoing UN Climate Summit (COP28) on Tuesday, gave options on the way forward on key issues of negotiations including on mitigation, fossil fuels, equity and historical responsibility. Among the options, more alarmingly, is “no text”, which essentially means that the clause will be dropped from the final text if countries are unable to arrive at a consensus. This year’s conference will see the conclusion of the first Global Stocktake (GST), and hence is likely to be an assessment of how countries have fared so far in meeting their Paris Agreement goals. The draft text includes options tripling global renewable capacity by 2030 compared to the 2022 levels to 11,000 GW and doubling the global average annual rate of energy-efficiency improvement compared to the 2022 levels to 4.1% by 2030. For the second, no text is an option. There is also space for “zero and low emission” technologies, which are being substantially scaled up globally. Low-emission technologies include abatement and removal technologies, including carbon capture, utilisation and storage, and low-carbon hydrogen production. Some experts have pointed out that zero and low emission technologies are a proxy for natural gas use. The text has options for the orderly and just phase-out of fossil fuels, accelerating efforts towards phasing out unabated fossil fuels and rapidly reducing their use to achieve net-zero CO2 in energy systems by or around mid-century. But, for these as well the draft gives the option of no text. The text gives the option of a rapid phase-out of unabated coal power this decade and an immediate cessation of permitting new unabated coal power generation. It refers to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s suggestions on a pathway involving a reduction of unabated coal use by 75% from 2019 levels by 2030. Option two here also has no text. There are options for phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies over the medium term as well as rapidly increasing the deployment pace for zero-emission vehicles, etc. No text is also an option on equity and historical responsibility. One of the options here is to recognise that historical emissions and the use of the world’s carbon space are not equitably distributed as suggested by IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report. The text refers to developed countries emitting historically more emissions relative to their share of the global population. It recognises that equitable mitigation action is guided by historical responsibility. The text also acknowledges that developed countries should take the lead on mitigation actions. There is an option of recognising that the consideration of equity can enable greater ambition in climate action and increase the likelihood of meeting the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement. The text expresses concern that 2023 is set to be the warmest year on record. It adds that impacts from climate crisis are rapidly accelerating, while also emphasising the need for urgent action to keep within reach 1.5°C goal. The draft also recognises that limiting global warming to 1.5°C with no or limited overshoot requires peaking in global greenhouse gas emissions at the latest before 2025 and rapid, deep and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions of 43% by 2030 and 60% by 2035 relative to the 2019 level and to reach net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. While COP28 is still in early days leaving out scope for consensus to be reached on some of the key issues, the draft text shows divergent views could derail the negotiations. The most concerning section is on fossil fuels. There are essentially 3 key options — phaseout of unabated fossil fuels with a timeline of mid-century, or phaseout of unabated coal (no oil + gas) by 2030, or no text on fossil fuels,” the Centre for Science and Environment said. A Global Stocktake decision without clear guidance on how to phase out fossil fuels would be a massive distraction and a missed opportunity, said Lili Fuhr, Center for International Environmental Law’s Fossil Economy Program director. “Governments need to reject the language on low emission technologies as it would undermine the whole energy package. ‘Abatement’ and ‘low emissions’ technologies are poorly defined and generally refer to carbon capture on storage — alone or in combination with hydrogen or ammonia (‘blue’ hydrogen/ammonia). Governments here in Dubai need to agree on a just and equitable phase-out of fossil fuel production and use, at least a tripling of renewable energy and a doubling of energy efficiency,” she said.

Can anything stop the toxic smog of New Delhi?

A man blows cascades of bubbles near the India Gate in New Delhi, hoping to lure children, or at least their parents, to buy his bubble blowing kits. Visitors usually flock to see the giant arch, a war memorial, that towers over a sweeping pedestrian boulevard in the city center. But on a recent November day, visitors are thin. There's not much to see: The India Gate is a hazy outline in gray, smudgy smog. Bubble blower Gajender Kohli shakes his head. The bad air is bad for business, he says, and it makes him feel rotten. "It makes me sick. It makes the kids sick," he says. Visitor Prateek Dabhi says he can't wait to leave the city. He's on a leg-stretch stopover during a days-long bus trip to the Himalayas. "We're already losing years of our life," he says, because of pollution in his hometown in southeast India. "If we lived in this pollution, we'd lose even more." Air pollution is likely costing residents of New Delhi an average of about 12 years of life compared with their expected lifespan if the region met World Health Organization air quality standards, according to a September report by the Air Quality Life Index at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Situated in the worst-polluted area of South Asia, a sweeping plain straddling northern India and adjacent areas of neighboring Pakistan, New Delhi is considered the world's most polluted megacity. More than a half-billion residents make their homes in the region. New Delhi's air pollution problem becomes acutely visible in cooler months, when the air settles and allows smog to build up. During these months, it is often hazardous to breathe. In November, many schools were shuttered for nearly two weeks so children and teachers could stay home and avoid the outdoors. New Delhi officials have been trying for years to dent pollution levels, from incentivizing electric vehicle purchases to building a sprawling mass transit system. "And yet, it's not enough at all," says clean air advocate Anumita Roychowdhury, the executive director of research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment.

Not in good taste: PM2.5 levels take the smoke out of tandoors

Irshad Qureshi, 34, wears a scowl as he flits between the cash counter at the front of Qureshi Kebab, a famous eatery in old Delhi, and the tandoor and sigdi (stove) at the back. The orders have started piling up — five plates of chicken seekh kebab, three plates of mutton seekh kebab, 10 roomali roti, extra chutney, extra onion. The Qureshi family has served customers from the small outlet for six decades, and little has changed in that time. The location, the neighbourhood, the menu, the recipes – most of the ingredients that power the tandoori store have been largely unchanged since its shutters were first lifted. Except one – the tandoor itself. The wood-charcoal fired tandoor has stepped aside for one fuelled by LPG, a behind-the-curtains change that has fundamentally altered the national capital’s decades-long love affair with the kebab The once-ubiquitous wood-charcoal fired tandoor has faded from kitchens in Delhi’s restaurants since 2018, when authorities began clamping down on their use as a pollution-control measure. These curbs have altered a touchstone of Delhi’s cuisine indelibly, and perhaps irreversibly, forcing restaurants to reinvent their kitchens and residents to reacquaint their palates. Many, like Irshad, believe pollution has killed the kebab. He is forced to shift to the LPG gas-operated tandoor every winter. “But the real taste comes only with the traditional fire. Our elders had it right. The kebabs don’t cook uniformly on gas, but we are trying to master it to overcome the change,” he added. Necessary as it may be, it isn’t a change that he, or Delhi, is pleased with. The meat of the matterEvery winter, as pollution levels skyrocket into poisonous territory, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) goes about destroying tandoors in eateries across the city. Over the past month alone, the civic body demolished 1,322 tandoors in a bunch of restaurants. “Each year, we destroy 1,000-1,500 tandoors or turn them into LPG or CNG units,” an MCD official told HT. In June 2018, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) laid out the first restrictions on the use of wood charcoal in tandoors, allowing their use only with “channelisation or control systems”. The agency argued that charcoal-fuelled tandoors and grills were a key source of PM2.5, ultrafine particulate matter that often rises 30 times beyond international safe limits in the Delhi air every winter. A major share of these PM2.5 emissions is down to smoke from farm fires in upwind Punjab as well as vehicular pollution. Restaurant owners and associations retort that the modification has demolished the authenticity of Delhi’s tandoori food, particularly in winter, when it is the most popular. Bobby Kochhar, who runs Colonels Kebabz in Defence Colony, said he switched to the LPG fired tandoors just over a month ago. “We had been using firewood coal for the last 30 years, and it added that smokiness to the non-vegetarian dishes. We haven’t been able to achieve that with LPG entirely. Delhi is the capital of the country. We should be more careful about these issues,” Kochhar said. Anubhav Sapra, the founder of Delhi Food Walks, agreed that the absence of that smokiness has left behind a sour taste. “We go on food walks in old Delhi frequently and all famous vendors — Qureshi Kebab, Aslam’s, and Karim’s — have moved to gas grills. Iconic kebabchis complain that they’re unable to prepare them as they could earlier since the heat application is not even. The radiating heat from the wood charcoal fire gives it a charred flavour, which is now missing.” The origin storyThe tandoor is usually shaped like a large urn, sheathed in a metal body, with a hardened clay lining inside. In some cases, it’s sunk up to its neck in the earth. Filmmaker Sohail Hashmi, who chronicles Delhi’s history, said that there are debates about the origin of the tandoor. “The tandoor has evolved over its travels from central Asia, Afghanistan, North-West Frontier Province, and Punjab. The word is derived from the Persian word tanur (derived from Akkadian word tinuru, which means mud oven) and as it moved from one place to another, its name changed,” he said Traditionally, a charcoal fire is lit inside a tandoor and allowed to smoulder for hours, shrouding the oven in dark smoke that in turn coats any meat placed inside it. The first tandoors were said to have been used to bake flatbreads, a technique that has survived while cooking roti, Afghan naan, and Turkmen chorek. Confusion in the guidelinesThe precise guidelines that regulate the use of traditional tandoors have been tangled in bureaucratic confusion. For instance, the DPCC gazette notification of June 29, 2018, said that “wood charcoal for tandoors and grills of hotels/ restaurants/ banquet halls/eating houses having emission channelisation/control system” can be used. This, said experts, means that eateries can still use their old tandoors as usual, provided they have chimneys in place. However, a CAQM order, dated October 6, 2023, which enforced Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) to combat pollution, enforced a ban on “coal and firewood in tandoors in restaurants and hotels”. It did not mention wood charcoal. This has led to confusion among restaurant owners. An MCD official from the public health department, who asked not to be named, said the use of wood charcoal with an emission control system is permitted in Delhi. The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has held several meetings with the DPCC in the last five years regarding the tandoor demolition drives. “DPCC has permitted wood charcoal with chimneys and emission control systems, but the enforcement teams do not discriminate between different types of fuels. If they see a tandoor with no LPG or CNG, they think it’s illegal and should be destroyed,” said Sandeep Anand Goyle, a member of the NRAI managing committee who also runs Essex Farms in south Delhi. DPCC officials declined to comment on the matter. “We have heard from so many restaurant owners that just to avoid being harassed by the MCD annually, they have switched to LPG,” said Goyle. The science behind the curbsThe tandoor demolition drives began six years ago when the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur released their 2016 “Comprehensive Study on Air Pollution and Green House Gases (GHGs) in Delhi”. The study found that approximately 9,000 hotels/restaurants out of 36,099 units in the city were using charcoal-fired tandoor – which is polluting. The survey found that, on an average each of these 9,000 eateries were using 30kg charcoal a day and that hotels and restaurants were emitting 3,493kg of PM10 and 1,758kg PM2.5 every day. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy) at Centre for Science and Environment, called the change “encouraging”. “These tandoors not only contribute to the worsening ambient air quality, but also have a direct impact on people in close proximity,” she said. Even as restaurant owners and food critics mourn the demise of the traditional tandoor, a second MCD official from the public health department, who also asked not to be named, said the change in taste due to the modified oven was “only a matter of perception”. “We have not found any change in taste. Most restaurants in the organised sector have switched to LPG tandoor in the last five years. The demolition drive now mostly covers roadside vendors, dhabas, and smaller outlets,” said the official. To be sure, he did not profess to be a culinary expert

Can anything stop the toxic smog of New Delhi?

A man blows cascades of bubbles near the India Gate in New Delhi, hoping to lure children, or at least their parents, to buy his bubble blowing kits. Visitors usually flock to see the giant arch, a war memorial, that towers over a sweeping pedestrian boulevard in the city center. But on a recent November day, visitors are thin. There's not much to see: The India Gate is a hazy outline in gray, smudgy smog. Bubble blower Gajender Kohli shakes his head. The bad air is bad for business, he says, and it makes him feel rotten. "It makes me sick. It makes the kids sick," he says. Visitor Prateek Dabhi says he can't wait to leave the city. He's on a leg-stretch stopover during a days-long bus trip to the Himalayas. "We're already losing years of our life," he says, because of pollution in his hometown in southeast India. "If we lived in this pollution, we'd lose even more." Air pollution is likely costing residents of New Delhi an average of about 12 years of life compared with their expected lifespan if the region met World Health Organization air quality standards, according to a September report by the Air Quality Life Index at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Situated in the worst-polluted area of South Asia, a sweeping plain straddling northern India and adjacent areas of neighboring Pakistan, New Delhi is considered the world's most polluted megacity. More than a half-billion residents make their homes in the region. New Delhi's air pollution problem becomes acutely visible in cooler months, when the air settles and allows smog to build up. During these months, it is often hazardous to breathe. In November, many schools were shuttered for nearly two weeks so children and teachers could stay home and avoid the outdoors. New Delhi officials have been trying for years to dent pollution levels, from incentivizing electric vehicle purchases to building a sprawling mass transit system. "And yet, it's not enough at all," says clean air advocate Anumita Roychowdhury, the executive directorof research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment. Roychowdhury lists some of the efforts the New Delhi government has undertaken over some 20 years, from shuttering four coal power plants surrounding the city to ordering large industrial units to switch to less-polluting natural gas. The public bus fleet, which was switched over to natural gas, is now being swapped out for EVs. To monitor air pollution levels, – and what kind of emissions are contributing to them, — the city has installed more than 40 real-time monitoring stations. Residents get cash back if they buy two- or three-wheeled EVs – scooters and rickshaws, which are the main ways people get around in New Delhi. "As of today, roughly about 12% of the new vehicles sold in Delhi are electric vehicles," Roychowdhury says. "These are not small measures. No other city in India has implemented all of them together like Delhi has." Roychowdhury says all those measures have bent the upward curve – but the city's efforts are "overwhelmed, swamped and undercut simply by the sheer volume and numbers" of growth and new pollution. Within three years, New Delhi's population is expected to reach 39 million people – roughly the population of California, but a fraction of the size. New Delhi's sprawl extends so far that many residents don't actually live within city limits – they technically live in four neighboring states. "The problem is not Delhi's. The problem is a regional problem," says Jasmine Shah of the Aam Aadami Party, which governs New Delhi. But, he adds, "there is no coordinated action plan." Shah blames the rival, ruling federal governing party, the BJP, led by prime minister Narendra Modi. The same party also governs the states around New Delhi. "They seem to be politicking about this matter all the time." BJP state and federal officials declined to comment for this story. Roychowdhury says surrounding state and federal governments are taking action, "but it's not adding up." The federal government has made a series of moves, from strengthening fuel emissions standards and expanding renewable energy to providing incentives for electric vehicle sales. It provides extra cash to cities that reduce their air pollution, with mixed success. In 2021, the government created a commission to help manage air quality in New Delhi and the surrounding regions. It can "direct states to take very specific actions that reduce adaptation," says Bhargav Krishna, an expert on air pollution and health. "But it's chosen not to utilize the full range of its powers." Krishna says the tepid support for cleaning up India's deadly air can be explained by the bind the country is in:. India is "a developing country that rapidly needs to pull millions and millions of people out of poverty," he says. "You need to rapidly industrialize ... You need to provide electricity to all of these households." In northern India, that is still done chiefly through coal. "Air pollution is a really inconvenient problem to have,." Krishna says, and for now, "it's seen as an elite issue." New Delhi's experience underscores this perception. It is where elites — activists and the judiciary — have kept pressure on the local government to tackle the problem. Being the capital, it has also received more attention than other cities and regions. Activists say it's harder to mobilize people to pressure the government to do more because the most severe harm from air pollution isn't immediately noticeable. Some of the worst impacts come from the tiny particles in smog, known as PM2.5, about 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. When you breathe them in, "they can go into your bloodstream and all over your body and act as a toxin," says Christa Hasenkopf of the Energy Policy Institute. "It causes strokes and heart attacks. It can cause even things like cognitive decline and certainly issues with fertility," Hasenkopf says. "It's hard to viscerally understand and connect that someone's illness is caused by, or exacerbated by, pollution. I think that's made it very, very difficult to develop policy and enforce policies to get rid of it." So New Delhi's residents keep paying the price. Take the children of Bhavreen Kandhari, a clean air activist: "My children hadn't seen a blue sky," she says, until the pandemic halted industry and kept cars off the road in New Delhi. At New Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital, Razia Begum waits for a doctor to see her three children, aged 10 years to 10 months. They've all got chesty coughs, she sighs. "It could be the cold, or the pollution," Begum says. "If the air was cleaner, my children wouldn't get so sick." For now, she says, the pollution keeps her running to the hospitals. On a nearby busy road, 35-year-old Baljeet Singh says he's recently learned that pollution is a danger (many people assume it's a normal winter fog). He's about to get on a motorbike. He wraps a handkerchief around his face to protect him from pollution, which experts say can help but is not sufficient. He laughs and asks: "Do you have a better idea?"

सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने प्रमुख भारतीय ब्रांडों द्वारा शहद में चीनी सिरप की मिलावट का आरोप लगाने वाली जनहित याचिका खारिज की

सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने सोमवार (04.12.2023) को वह जनहित याचिका (पीआईएल) खारिज कर दी, जिसमें विभिन्न रिपोर्टों के कारण बाजार में बेचे जाने वाले शहद के कई ब्रांडों की शुद्धता परीक्षण की मांग की गई थी। इस याचिका में दावा किया गया कि शहद बेचने वाले कई प्रमुख ब्रांड मिलावट में लिप्त हैं। जस्टिस विक्रम नाथ और जस्टिस राजेश बिंदल की खंडपीठ ने अपने आदेश में दर्ज किया, 'हम भारत के संविधान के अनुच्छेद 32 के तहत दायर इस याचिका पर विचार करने के इच्छुक नहीं हैं। तदनुसार, रिट याचिका खारिज कर दी गई।' यह जनहित याचिका 'एंटी करप्शन काउंसिल ऑफ इंडिया ट्रस्ट' नाम के एनजीओ ने दायर की थी। अप्रैल 2021 में सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने इस मामले में गृह मंत्रालय को नोटिस जारी किया था। याचिकाकर्ता ने दावा किया कि भारतीय बाजारों में बिकने वाले अधिकांश शहद में चीनी सिरप की मिलावट होती है। याचिकाकर्ता ने बताया कि चीनी की बढ़ती खपत से आबादी में स्वास्थ्य समस्याएं पैदा होंगी। याचिका में सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की एक रिपोर्ट का हवाला दिया गया, जिसमें दावा किया गया कि भारतीय ब्रांड चीन से आयातित संशोधित चीनी का उपयोग कर रहे हैं, जो देश में मिलावट परीक्षणों को बायपास करने में मदद कर रहा है। याचिकाकर्ता ने हाल के वर्षों में चीन से भारत में फ्रुक्टोज सिरप के आयात में वृद्धि को उजागर करके इस दावे का समर्थन किया।

GLG members urge focus on prevention and global cooperation to address AMR

The members of Global Leaders Group for antimicrobial resistance (GLG) underscored the critical interconnection of the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to the triple planetary challenges of climate change, biodiversity and nature loss, pollution and waste. The discussion on December 3, 2023 took place as a part of the Science-Policy Day, held as one of the ongoing activities by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) during the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The COP28 summit is taking place from November 30 to December 12, 2023, at Expo City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Panelists and GLG members, Sunita Narain, director-general of Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment in India and Beatrice Atim Odwong Anywar, Minister of State for Environment in Uganda, participated in this event. AMR contributes to nearly 5 million deaths annually , primarily in low- and middle-income countries. The threats posed by AMR extend across human, animal, plant, and environmental health, also affecting food safety, security, development and pandemic prevention preparedness and response, as drug-resistant bacteria can circulate through food and the environment. Narain emphasised the importance of cost-effective solutions to tackle the issue of pharmaceutical waste. She highlighted the larger issue of our production systems and pointed out that the focus should shift from ‘mitigation’ to ‘prevention’ and that the incorporation of prevention into national action plans is required, particularly in agriculture, livestock and other food-producing systems. “The idea of prevention needs to be hardwired into our system with good guidance,” she said. Narain highlighted the need for improved diagnostics and alternative therapies as viable options before we move to last-resort antibiotics. Narain also stated the linkages between AMR, biodiversity and climate need to be well understood. In this respect, agriculture is the core of climate change, livelihood, economy and AMR. Anywar emphasised the importance of collaborative efforts through the One Health framework, in which we must care for the health of humans, animals and the environment all at the same time. She highlighted Uganda’s policies in place for environment and a unique provision requiring government ministries to obtain a certificate of no objection from the Ministry of Environment for their actions related to climate and environment. The minister also expressed readiness to network with other nations to address the AMR crisis. The discussion aligned with UNEP’s publication Bracing for Superbugs and focused on preparing for the UN General Assembly High-level Meeting on AMR in 2024. We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.

CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS DEEPLY CONCERNED OVER INADEQUATE COP PROGRESS AS WEEK ONE CONCLUDES

At a press briefing by Climate Action Network (CAN), civil society leaders expressed their deep concern at the pace of climate negotiations and called for the COP28 presidency to step up leadership. Liane Schalatek, Associate Director, Heinrich Böll Foundation Washington, DC, said: “Without a significant increase in climate finance commitments here in Dubai there will be no trust, no ambition, no implementation going forward and certainly no climate justice delivered. “What we need to see here is a ratcheting up of finance provision by developed countries but what we are seeing and hearing across the finance negotiation rooms is that developed countries are continuing to downplay, if not deny, their historical responsibilities and obligations. “What we have seen here is a lack of ambition in finance pledges. Where we need trillions and billions what we have got so far is millions which is inadequate, unjust and it is an insult to the communities in the global south who need support now and not eventually. Delaying delivery will cost lives and livelihoods.” Pratishtha Singh, Senior International Policy Analyst, Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat Canada said the lack of progress in agreeing a global goal on adaptation is ‘deeply concerning’. She said: “Adaptation is a cornerstone in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement but has been almost invisible in announcements and financial pledges but its delivery, through action and support, is important to build trust for collaboration. “There has been a continued lack of sufficient political attention which is unacceptable. Developed nations, particularly, need to do their part and lead talks whilst respecting the principles of equity, historical responsibility and climate justice. “Adaptation and mitigation must be pursued with equal force and commitment. Overall we need urgent attention and political leadership from the COP presidency to work with the developed and developing countries to make it happen.” Avantika Goswami, Programme Manager, Climate Change, Centre for Science and Environment, said: “Within Global Stocktake discussions many disagreements remain particularly over mitigation ambition, finance and fossil fuel phase out which is a contentious topic with many disagreements. “There is language in the text on a global fossil fuel phase out but it is not accompanied by a clear timeline for this target or differentiation of schedules between developed and developing countries. “We would also like to see language on tripling of renewable energy and doubling of energy efficiency alongside a just phase out of all fossil fuels for an ambitious GST outcome.”

शहद में चीनी की मिलावट के आरोपों की जांच की मांग वाली याचिका खारिज

सुप्रीम कोर्ट नेउस जनहित याचिका को सिरेसेखारिज कर दिया है, जिसमेंकई नामी कंपनियों पर मिलावटी शहद बेचनेका आरोप लगातेहुए, उसकी शुद्धता की जांच करने की मांग की थी। वर्ष 2021 मेंदाखिल याचिका मेंकई रिपोर्टों का हवाला देतेहुए कहा गया था कि बाजार मेंकई नामी कंपनियों की शहद मेंमिलावट है। जस्टिस विक्रम नाथ और राजेश बिंदल की पीठ नेकहा कि हम संविधान के अनुच्छेद 32 के तहत दाखिल याचिका पर विचार करनेके इच्छुक नहीं है, ऐसेमेंइसेखारिज किया जाता है। इस मामलेमेंअप्रैल 2021 मेंपीठ नेकेंद्रीय गृहगृ मंत्रालय को नोटिस जारी किया था। गैर सरकारी संगठन द्वारा दाखिल याचिका मेंकहा गया था कि बाजार में बिक रही अधिकांश कंपनियों के शहद मेंचाशनी मिली हुई है। याचिका मेंकहा गया था कि शहद मेंचीनी की मिलावट होनेसेलोगों के स्वास्थ्य पर बुरा प्रभाव पड़ सकता है। शीर्षअदालत मेंदाखिल याचिका मेंकहा गया था कि सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंडएं एनवायरनमेंट की रिपोर्ट का हवाला देतेहुए कहा गया था कि भारतीय कंपनी शहद मेंचीन से आयातित संशोधित चीनी का उपयोग कर रहेथेजो देश मेंमिलावट परीक्षणों को बायपास करनेमेंमदद कर रहा था। याचिका मेंकहा गया था कि हाल के वर्षों मेंचीन से भारत मेंफ्रुक्टोज सिरप के आयात मेंबढ़ोतरी हुई, जो शहद मेंचीनी मिलावट के दावेका समर्थन करता है। यह हिन्दुस्तान अखबार की ऑटेमेटेड न्यूज फीड है, इसेलाइव हिन्दुस्तान की टीम नेसंपादित नहीं किया है

बढ़ते तापमान को रोकने उपाय करना जरूरी : रजनीश सरीन

वातावरण में तापमान बढ़ने से सजीव सृष्टि पर असर पड़ता है और शारीरिक तनाव के साथ अस्वस्थता महसूस होती है. इसके लिए मानव के साथ-साथ अन्य जीवों की भी रक्षा करना आवश्यक है. हालांकि पिंपरी-चिंचवड़ शहर में तापमान अन्य प्रमुख शहरों की तुलना में कम है, लेकिन शहर में तापमान को बढ़ने रोकने के लिए उपाय किए जाने चाहिए. दिल्ली स्थित सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एन्वायरोन्मेंट (सीएसई) के कार्यक्रम निदेशक रजनीश सरीन ने यह राय व्यक्त की. पिंपरी-चिंचवड़ मनपा व सीएसई के संयुक्त तत्वावधान में चिंचवड़ के ऑटो क्लस्टर ऑडिटोरियम में ‌‘शहरी तापमान और स्वच्छ हवा के संबंध में उपाय' विषय पर आयोजित कार्यशाला में वे बोल रहे थे.   इस अवसर पर अतिरिक्त आयुक्त प्रदीप जांभले पाटिल, विजयकुमार खोराटे, शहर अभियंता मकरंद निकम, सह शहर अभियंता प्रमोद ओंभासे, मनोज सेठिया, उपायुक्त मनोज लोणकर, जोनल अधिकारी अमित पंडित, अन्ना बोदड़े, राजेश आगले, सीताराम बहुरे, उमेश ढाकणे, जनसंपर्क अधिकारी प्रफुल्ल पुराणिक आदि मौजूद थे. मनपा आयुक्त शेखर सिंह ने वीडियो संदेश के माध्यम से उपस्थितों का मार्गदर्शन किया. उन्होंने कहा, पिंपरी-चिंचवड़ शहर में अच्छे रहन-सहन के लिए हवा की गुणवत्ता अच्छी रखना जरूरी है और इसके लिए मनपा प्रयास कर रही है. राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम 2019 में पर्यावरण, वन और जलवायु परिवर्तन मंत्रालय द्वारा शुरू किया गया था. इस कार्यक्रम में देश के विभिन्न शहर शामिल हैं और पिंपरीचिंचव ड भी शामिल है. इस कार्यक्रम के तहत्‌‍ 2024 तक शहर में वायु प्रदूषण को 20 से 30 प्रतिशत तक कम करने का प्रस्ताव है. इसके लिए मनपा ने विभिन्न उपाय लागू किये हैं और वायु प्रदूषण नियंत्रण टीमें नियुक्त की गयी हैं. उन्होंने यह भी कहा कि वायु प्रदूषण को रोकने के लिए इन टीमों द्वारा जारी निर्दे शों का पालन नहीं करने वालों के खिलाफ दंडात्मक कार्रवाई की जा रही है.

Air improves slightly as wind speed picks up, but stays ‘poor’

Gurgaon: The city’s air quality index (AQI) on Monday remained in the poor category. The index was recorded at 224, slightly improved from Sunday’s 242 as the wind speed went up to 10kmph. According to CPCB’s 24-hour average, the monitoring station in Sector 51 recorded the city’s worst AQI, at 311 whereas other stations including Gwalpahari, Teri Gram and Vikas Sadan recorded AQIs of 193, 197 and 156, respectively. As for the PM2.5 and PM10 levels, they were above the permissible limit, indicating pollutants from local sources such as vehicular emissions and dust. The PM2.5 level was highest in Sector 51 (305µg/m³), followed by Gwalpahari (195µg/m³), Teri Gram (156µg/m³), and Vikas Sadan (113µg/m³ ), as per the CPCB data. PM10 reading at the first three stations was 301µg/m³, 167µg/m³, and 189µg/m³, respectively. Vikas Sadan does not record PM10 data. According to the CPCB, the annual average permissible limits for PM2.5 and PM10 are 60µg/m³ and 100µg/m³. The central government’s System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) said the AQI could slip back to a very poor category. “The predominant surface wind is likely to be calmer during morning and evening hours, from Northwest directions in Delhi-NCR with a speed of up to 4 mph,” it stated. “Throughout the year, the region has been witnessing poor to very poor air and it will aggravate in the coming days because we are yet to enter the peak winter phase. As the temperature will go down, the dispersion of pollutants will be slower that is likely to lead to more accumulation close to the earth’s surface,” said Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment. The AQI in Delhi was in the very poor category — at 310, whereas Faridabad (273), Ghaziabad (216) and Noida (243) were all in the poor category. According to guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board, when the AQI is moderate, patients with asthma, lung and heart ailments are likely to face breathing discomfort. In poor AQI, breathing discomfort can be felt by most people on prolonged exposure. Health experts said that patients with existing respiratory or medical conditions are at more risk now as the region is entering the winter cycle. “Patients are experiencing a heavier voice and exacerbated breathing problems. It is concerning to observe these respiratory challenges not only in individuals with pre-existing conditions like asthma or other lung diseases but also in those who have never encountered such issues before. Moreover, the uptick in flu cases within our OPD further emphasizes the pronounced impact of winter pollution on overall respiratory health. These concerns require awareness and collaborative efforts to mitigate the effects of seasonal air quality challenges on our community’s health,” said Dr Nikhil Modi, senior consultant, pulmonology/ respiratory medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi. The city’s maximum temperature on Monday was recorded at 23.8 degrees Celsius while the minimum temperature was 13.2 degrees Celsius. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted dense fog at isolated places on Tuesday. Yellow alert has been issued in the city for Tuesday.