• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Met factors help improve AQI, but Gurgaon air still 'poor'

GURGAON: The city's air quality index (AQI) improved to 297 (poor) on Wednesday after staying in the 'very poor' category for two consecutive days. The wind speed was 8kmph on Wednesday, up from 6kmph the day before, which helped pollutants disperse and bring the AQI down from Tuesday's 386. Gurgaon pollution The highest AQI on Wednesday was recorded at the Sector 51 station (309), followed by Teri Gram (300) and Vikas Sadan (281). Data wasn't available at the Gwalpahari station. Track the pollution level in your city While the city's air quality has improved, it is likely to deteriorate in the coming days, according to the Centre's System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). With a dip in temperature as well as wind speed, the AQI is likely to hover between 'very poor' and 'severe' categories, it forecast on Wednesday. "Surface winds with speeds of up to 4kmph-6kmph are expected for the next six days. The AQI in Delhi-NCR will remain 'very poor' or 'severe'," it said. "The improvement in air quality is just temporary. In the coming days, when mercury dips further, local factors will contribute to pollution. With low wind speed, pollutants will linger in the atmosphere, making the air hazardous," said Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment. The PM2.5 level was highest in Sector 51 (230 g/m³) on Wednesday, followed by Teri Gram (220 g/m³) and in Vikas Sadan (201 g/m³). The level of PM10 was the highest at Sector 51 (219 g/m³), followed by Teri Gram (204g/m³). Vikas Sadan doesn't record PM10 data, while data of both pollutants wasn't available at the Gwalpahari station. According to CPCB, the annual average permissible limits for PM2.5 and PM10 are 60g/m³ and 100 g/m³, respectively. Satellites detected 62 farm fires in Haryana and 49 in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. The share of stubble burning in Delhi-NCR's PM2.5 was estimated at 23.32% on Wednesday. In this season, the highest farm fires in a single day were reported on November 5 at 3,230. However, the highest per day counts recorded in 2022 were 3,916 on November 11 in Punjab. From September 15 to November 15, Punjab has witnessed 30,661 stubble burning counts this year as opposed to 45,464 in 2022. During the same period, Haryana recorded 1,940 farm fires in 2023 and 3,149 in 2022. In contrast, UP has seen a rise in paddy residue burning events during the same period from 1,457 incidents in 2022 to 2,057 in 2023. As wind direction is likely to shift from north-westerly to easterly, the contribution of biomass burning in the region's PM2.5 is predicted to reduce to 11.72% on Thursday and further to 4.74% on Friday. Meanwhile, Delhi's AQI was at the upper end of 'very poor' category at 397 on Tuesday and it deteriorated further to 'severe' category on Wednesday due to adverse meteorological conditions, including calm winds, low temperature and low mixing layer height, caused accumulation of pollutants. Safdarjung, which is the city's base station, recorded the lowest night temperature of the season on Wednesday at 10.9 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal. The AQI in adjoining NCR districts remained mostly in 'very poor' category on Wednesday. The readings at the index were 390 at Faridabad, 378 at Ghaziabad, 338 in Greater Noida and 360 in Noida. A thick layer of 'haze' hung over the city in the early hours of morning with visibility of around 500 metres at 7 am at Safdarjung and Palam. However, the visibility improved to over 1,500 metres during the day. "Winds dropped to nil on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning at Safdarjung and Palam. However, light winds at the speed of around 6 kmph at Safdarjung and around 9 kmph at Palam blew during the day, but winds became calm again at these two stations after 5 pm," said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist and head, Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, India Meteorological Department. He added that calm winds are likely to prevail during the night and early hours of morning on Thursday, while light winds are expected during the daytime. Health experts said that patients with pre-existing respiratory conditions or medical conditions are at more risk now and may also require short hospitalisations. "A surge in PM 2.5 levels is notably detrimental to respiratory health. We are witnessing a rise in patients suffering from respiratory distress, obstructive pulmonary disease, and COPD. Nebulizers, steroids and flu shots are in high demand these days," said Dr Prathiba Dogra, senior consultant (pulmonology) at Marengo Asia Hospital.

• Climate Change and Green Economy

US and China agree to triple renewable energy capacity globally by 2030

US and China, two of the largest emitters, have agreed to triple renewable energy capacity globally by 2030 in line with the intention expressed in the G20’s New Delhi Declaration issued this September. They have also suggested that their emissions from the power sector will peak during this decade. China is the largest emitter followed by the US and India based on 2019 data compiled by World Resources Institute. Both countries “support the G20 Leaders Declaration to pursue efforts to triple renewable energy capacity globally by 2030 and intend to sufficiently accelerate renewable energy deployment in their respective economies through 2030 from 2020 levels so as to accelerate the substitution for coal, oil and gas generation,” they said in a joint statement titled “Sunnylands Statement on Enhancing Cooperation to Address the Climate Crisis” released on Tuesday. They also anticipate post-peaking emission reduction from the power sector during this decade. US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and China Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua met in Beijing from 16 to 19 July 2023 and at Sunnylands, California, from 4 to 7 November 2023 which led to these decisions. “The United States and China recognize that the climate crisis has increasingly affected countries around the world. Alarmed by the best available scientific findings including the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, the United States and China remain committed to the effective implementation of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, reflecting equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances, to achieve the Paris Agreement’s aim in accordance with its Article 2 to hold the global average temperature increase to well below 2 degrees C and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees C,” read the statement. The statement however, has been silent on phasing out/phasing down of fossil fuels and places too much focus on carbon removal/sequestration technologies which are still at a nascent stage and whose effectiveness has not been fully proven. The US and China intend to recommence bilateral dialogues on energy policies and strategies, carry out exchanges on mutually agreed topics, and facilitate track II activities to enhance pragmatic cooperation. “The two countries aim to advance at least 5 large-scale cooperative carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) projects each by 2030, including from industrial and energy sources,” the statement said. Another important development is that the US and China have noted the expectation of the developed countries that the $100 billion goal will be met in 2023. “Reaffirm the urging of developed country Parties to at least double their provision of adaptation finance; anticipate the adoption by COP 29 of the new collective quantified goal; and make finance flows consistent with the Paris Agreement goals,” the statement has said. The statement added that the US and China are determined to end plastic pollution and will work together to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. The US-China statement comes days ahead of the UN Climate Summit (COP28) with several scientific reports flagging that the world is not on track to meet the 1.5 degree C goal of the Paris Agreement. “I welcome and congratulate the US and China on this significant announcement, which responds to the global community’s repeated calls for action and raises the bar for an ambitious response to the first Global Stocktake.The world needs good news, and expectations remain high. We must restore trust in multilateralism. Today’s announcement demonstrates that, when we work towards a greater good, we can deliver historic, meaningful, high-ambition outcomes,” said COP President, Sultan Al Jaber. “The consensus reached between the US and China is a significant outcome ahead of COP28. Tripling renewables capacity and cutting power-sector emissions by 2030, coupled with commitments to urgently reduce methane emissions and tackle all greenhouse gases through economy-wide NDCs, whilst anticipating peaking in this critical decade, will have a meaningful impact for generations to come,” he added. The top three GHG emitters — China, the United States and India — contribute 42.6% total emissions, while the bottom 100 countries only account for only 2.9%. While India ranks high among emitters, when population is factored in to look at per capita GHG emissions, the highly populated country ranks significantly lower than the other top 10 emitters, WRI added. “The US and China uniting in support of the goal on tripling renewable energy capacity is a positive signal no doubt, but phasing up renewables without phasing out fossil fuels is unhelpful to global emissions reduction efforts. The absence of language on fossil fuels is problematic since the US continues to be a major oil and gas consumer and producer, and China is the largest coal consumer. Support for methane reductions is useful but insufficient when the countries remain the largest and second largest carbon dioxide emitters,” said Avantika Goswami, programme manager, climate at Centre for Science and Environment.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Trung Quốc và Ấn Độ trong 'cuộc đua' làm sạch không khí

(CAO) Trong một thời gian dài, người dân sống ở hai thủ đô đông dân của châu Á đã phải hứng chịu làn khói bụi độc hại bao phủ khắp thành phố của họ, nhưng giờ đây, thủ đô Bắc Kinh của Trung Quốc tình hình đã khả quan hơn rất nhiều. Vào một số ngày, khi khói bao phủ Delhi và Bắc Kinh - cả hai thành phố đông đúc với hơn 20 triệu dân bị nhấn chìm trong một màu xám cam và không khí có mùi khói. Người dân Bắc Kinh thậm chí còn đặt cho thảm họa một biệt danh phổ biến "airpocalypse". Thời điểm đó trong năm đã quay trở lại ở Delhi, nhưng Bắc Kinh đang có bầu không khí dễ chịu hơn nhiều. Vật chất dạng hạt, được gọi là PM2.5 các hạt nhỏ đến mức có thể xâm nhập sâu vào phổi và một hỗn hợp khí nặng trĩu đang bao phủ ở Delhi, một trong những thành phố ô nhiễm nhất thế giới. Tốc độ gió thấp khiến các chất ô nhiễm trong bầu khí quyển ở tầm thấp nên chất lượng không khí trở nên tồi tệ hơn. Nhà chức trách đóng cửa các trường học trong thời gian ngắn, ra lệnh cấm xe chạy bằng diesel lưu thông trên đường, tạm dừng công việc xây dựng, yêu cầu người dân làm việc tại nhà, cấm đốt pháo. Phần lớn điều này khó thực thi tại Ấn Độ. Hôm 13-11, buổi sáng sau Diwali, lễ hội ánh sáng của đạo Hindu, khi những người vui chơi đốt pháo bất chấp lệnh cấm, Delhi nằm trong số những thành phố ô nhiễm hàng đầu thế giới. Một ứng dụng của chính phủ cho thấy Chỉ số chất lượng không khí hay AQI ở một số nơi tăng lên trên 520 vào sáng 13-11 (so với ngưỡng dưới 50 được coi là tốt). Vào buổi sáng cùng ngày ở Bắc Kinh, bầu trời trong xanh hơn và mức AQI thấp hơn 1/5 so với Delhi. Kể từ năm 2013, Bắc Kinh - và Trung Quốc nói chung - đã tiến hành một cuộc chiến quyết tâm chống ô nhiễm không khí bằng một loạt các biện pháp mạnh mẽ. Một kế hoạch hành động đầy tham vọng đã cấm các các lò đốt than mới, tắt hệ thống sưởi bằng nhiên liệu than trong các tòa nhà dân cư, nâng cao tiêu chuẩn nhiên liệu và động cơ trên xe tải chạy bằng diesel và loại bỏ những chiếc xe cũ gây ô nhiễm, cùng nhiều biện pháp khác. Mọi người được khuyến khích chuyển sang ô tô điện và đi xe đạp cho những chuyến đi ngắn hơn. Theo Lauri Myllyvirta, nhà phân tích tại Trung tâm nghiên cứu năng lượng và không khí sạch có trụ sở tại Helsinki, Bắc Kinh đã nỗ lực cải thiện chất lượng không khí trong thành phố và đang mở rộng nỗ lực vượt ra ngoài giới hạn thành phố. Nhà nghiên cứu này cho rằng bằng cách thiết lập một "khu vực kiểm soát then chốt" bao gồm các cụm công nghiệp và các nguồn phát thải chính bên ngoài thành phố, chính quyền đã đạt được những kết quả có tác động mạnh mẽ hơn. Ngân sách của Bắc Kinh để chống ô nhiễm không khí đã tăng từ hơn 430 triệu USD năm 2013 lên hơn 2,6 tỷ USD vào năm 2017. Kết quả thật ấn tượng. Ô nhiễm không khí ở Bắc Kinh đã giảm khoảng 50% và khoảng 40% trên toàn quốc kể từ năm 2013, theo Chỉ số chất lượng cuộc sống không khí, hay AQLI, do Viện Ô nhiễm năng lượng của Đại học Chicago ấn hành. "Bắc Kinh từng xếp hạng rất cao về chỉ số ô nhiễm không khí. Nhưng nó đã có sự cải thiện đáng kể. Có sự thúc đẩy mạnh mẽ việc chuyển từ than đá sang khí đốt và các nguồn năng lượng tái tạo. Mua ô tô điện dễ hơn mua ô tô chạy xăng" - Chim Lee, nhà phân tích Trung Quốc tại đơn vị tình báo Kinh tế nói với BBC. Các chuyên gia thừa nhận rằng nỗ lực kéo dài hai thập kỷ của Delhi nhằm cải thiện chất lượng không khí cũng đã cho thấy một số kết quả. Thành phố đã loại bỏ các ngành công nghiệp gây ô nhiễm chính thức, đóng cửa các nhà máy điện chạy bằng than, triển khai chương trình giao thông công cộng chạy bằng khí đốt tự nhiên lớn nhất thế giới, cấm các phương tiện thương mại cũ ra đường, áp dụng các tiêu chuẩn khí thải nghiêm ngặt hơn và xây dựng một hệ thống tàu điện ngầm hiệu quả. Anumita Roychowdhury, một chuyên gia về ô nhiễm không khí và giám đốc điều hành của Trung tâm khoa học và môi trường có trụ sở tại Delhi cho biết: "Xu hướng chất lượng không khí dài hạn ở Delhi cho thấy mức độ không tăng lên hàng năm. Nó thực sự đang giảm xuống. Điều đó có nghĩa là Delhi đã ổn định vấn đề và điều chỉnh đường cong ô nhiễm. Nhưng điều đó cũng có nghĩa là Delhi cần phải cắt giảm mức PM2.5 thêm 60% nữa để có thể đáp ứng các tiêu chuẩn không khí trong lành". Tuy nhiên, cuộc chiến chống ô nhiễm không khí của Delhi gặp khó khăn. Nghiên cứu cho thấy hơn một nửa tình trạng ô nhiễm ở Delhi bắt nguồn từ khí thải từ phương tiện giao thông. Tiếp theo là khói từ các ngành công nghiệp đốt than, đốt chất thải và bụi từ các công trường xây dựng. Trong mùa đông, việc đốt rơm rạ ở vùng lân cận Punjab và Haryana - một hoạt động phổ biến trong mùa thu hoạch - có thể góp phần gây ra tới 1/4 ô nhiễm không khí ở Delhi vào một số ngày nhất định, tùy thuộc vào tốc độ và hướng gió. Chính phủ đảng Bharatiya Janata (BJP) của Thủ tướng Narendra Modi hiện đổ lỗi cho bang láng giềng Punjab, do một đảng chính trị đối lập điều hành, đã không giải quyết được vấn đề. Bằng cách cấm các phương tiện cũ, Delhi đã giảm số lượng ô tô trên đường - gần 8 triệu - hơn một phần ba so với con số được ghi nhận vào năm 2015. Tuy nhiên, khí thải từ phương tiện giao thông vẫn là nguyên nhân chính gây ô nhiễm. Hệ thống tàu điện ngầm Delhi Metro dài gần 400km (248 dặm) là mạng lưới tàu điện ngầm dài nhất và bận rộn nhất ở Ấn Độ nhưng khả năng kết nối chặng cuối với nhà ở và nơi làm việc vẫn còn thiếu sót. Trong khi khoảng 14% trong số 7.000 xe buýt công cộng của thành phố là xe điện, trớ trêu thay, lượng hành khách đi xe buýt đang giảm do những bất tiện trong việc sử dụng. Bất chấp kế hoạch tổng thể của Delhi nhằm mục đích 80% số chuyến đi bằng phương tiện cơ giới được thực hiện bằng phương tiện công cộng, việc thiếu sự tích hợp giữa hệ thống tàu điện ngầm và xe buýt đã cản trở việc hiện thực hóa mục tiêu này. Bà Roychowdhury nói: “Ngay cả khi bạn có giải pháp thì bạn cũng không thể thực hiện được vì bạn đã thiết kế nó không đúng”. Việc thiếu quy hoạch vùng cũng cản trở sự tiến bộ. Trong khi các cuộc thảo luận xoay quanh tình trạng ô nhiễm ở Delhi, thì các thành phố lân cận trên đồng bằng Ấn - Hằng rộng lớn - trải dài khắp miền bắc Ấn Độ, miền đông Pakistan và một phần của Nepal và Bangladesh - cũng bị bao phủ trong khói bụi. Các nghiên cứu cho thấy mức độ ô nhiễm không khí ở Bihar thường cao hơn ở Delhi, tuy nhiên vấn đề này vẫn còn hạn chế. Bà Roychowdhury cho biết thêm: “Cuộc trò chuyện không thể chỉ xoay quanh Delhi. Nó phải được mở rộng trên toàn bộ khu vực”. Các chuyên gia cho rằng đây chính là điểm mà Bắc Kinh đã làm đúng. Chính phủ đặt mục tiêu giảm ô nhiễm không khí xuống 1/4 vào năm 2017 và triển khai kế hoạch khu vực bao gồm các tỉnh lân cận. Từ năm 2013 đến năm 2017, mức độ hạt mịn ở Bắc Kinh và khu vực xung quanh đã giảm lần lượt khoảng 35% và 25%. Theo đánh giá của Liên Hợp Quốc thì “không có thành phố hoặc khu vực nào khác trên hành tinh đạt được thành tích như vậy”. Bắc Kinh rời bỏ than và dầu diesel nhanh hơn nhiều so với Delhi. Bà Roychowdhury nói: “Phần lớn việc đưa ra quyết định mà Bắc Kinh thực hiện là khó khăn ở một nền dân chủ như Ấn Độ”, đồng thời cho biết thêm rằng Delhi - và Ấn Độ - nên xem xét cách các thành phố của Mỹ và châu Âu kiểm soát ô nhiễm không khí. Bà Roychowdhury nói với BBC: "Delhi không có thời gian. Chúng tôi phải triển khai mọi thứ trong vài năm tới. Delhi - và Ấn Độ - cần chuẩn bị cho những hành động đột phá".

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

प्रदूषण जैसी गंभीर समस्या पर पार्टियां आरोप-प्रत्यारोप नहीं करें: रजत शर्मा

दिवाली के बाद दिल्ली की हवा एक बार फिर बेहद खराब कैटेगरी में पहुंच गई। केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड के मुताबिक़, आनंद विहार का एयर क्वालिटी इंडेक्स 296, पंजाबी बाग का 280, और ITO का 263 तक पहुंच गया। वहीं पूसा रोड का AQI 362 और आर.के. पुरम का AQI 290 रिकॉर्ड किया गया। दिल्ली पॉल्यूशन कंट्रोल कमेटी का कहना है कि पिछले साल की तुलना में इस बार दिवाली के बाद दिल्ली की हवा में प्रदूषण का स्तर 45 परसेंट बढ़ गया। प्रदूषण की वजह पटाखों को बताया जा रहा है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस ऐंड एनवायरमेंट CSE के वैज्ञानिकों ने बताया कि रात दो बजे दिल्ली के कुछ इलाक़ों का एयर क्वालिटी इंडेक्स 900 से एक हज़ार तक पहुंच गया था हालांकि सोमवार को दोपहर बाद इसमें कुछ कमी आई। DPCC की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक़, दिवाली के बाद दिल्ली की हवा में 2.5 पार्टिकुलेट मैटर्स यानी PM 2.5 33 परसेंट बढ़ गए थे, तो PM 10 का लेवल पिछले साल की दिवाली की तुलना में 45 परसेंट तक बढ़ा हुआ रिकॉर्ड किया गया। PM 2.5 को फेफड़ों के लिए बेहद नुक़सानदेह माना जाता है। दिल्ली के पर्यावरण मंत्री गोपाल राय ने आरोप लगाया कि दिल्ली में पटाखों पर प्रतिबंध लगे होने के कारण साज़िश करके हरियाणा और यूपी से पटाखे दिल्ली लाए गए ताकि दिल्ली की हवा को ख़राब किया जा सके। गोपाल राय ने इसमें भी बीजेपी नेताओं का हाथ बताया। बीजेपी नेता कपिल मिश्रा ने राय के आरोपों को बेतुका बताया। दिलचस्प बात ये है कि इस बार पंजाब सरकार ने दावा किया है कि पूरे पंजाब में दिवाली के बाद एयर क्वालिटी इंडेक्स 2022 की तुलना में लगभग 8 परसेंट सुधर गया। वहीं, 2021 के मुक़ाबले इस बार दिवाली के बाद पंजाब का एयर क्वालिटी इंडेक्स क़रीब 23 परसेंट बेहतर रहा। पंजाब सरकार पिछले आंकड़ों से तुलना करके अपनी पीठ थपथपा रही है, लेकिन सच्चाई ये है कि दिवाली से पहले की तुलना में पंजाब का एयर क्वालिटी इंडेक्स, दिवाली के बाद 30 परसेंट तक ख़राब हो गया। 11 नवंबर को पंजाब के कई शहरों का AQI 100 के आस-पास था लेकिन दिवाली के बाद पटियाला का AQI 169, लुधियाना का 166, अमृतसर का एयर क्वालिटी इंडेक्स 161 और संगरूर का 167 दर्ज किया गया। साफ है कि पंजाब की भगवंत मान सरकार पिछले दो साल के आंकड़ों से तुलना करके अपनी तारीफ़ कर रही है। मगर,सच्चाई ये है कि पंजाब में भी दिवाली के बाद हवा ख़राब हुई। फिलहाल,आम आदमी पार्टी ने ये नहीं बताया है कि पंजाब की एयर क्वालिटी ख़राब होने के पीछे ज़िम्मेदार कौन है। ये सोचकर भी अजीब लगता है कि दिल्ली का प्रदूषण सियासी टकराव का मसला बन गया है। दिल्ली में रहने वाले दो करोड़ लोग ज़हरीली हवा में सांस लेने को मजबूर हैं और दिल्ली की सरकार के मंत्री इसका हल निकालने की बजाय ये बताने में लगे हैं कि दिवाली की रात पटाखे बीजेपी वालों ने चलाए। दूसरी तरफ के लोग ये समझाने में लगे हैं कि पटाखों और आतिशबाजी पर पाबंदी लगाने का कोई फायदा नहीं हुआ, न दिल्ली में, न मुंबई में। ये भी कहा गया कि पटाखों पर पाबंदी का समर्थन करने वाले हिंदू विरोधी हैं। असलियत है कि किसी को नहीं पता कि दिल्ली में वायु प्रदूषण की असली वजह क्या है, पंजाब की पराली या दिल्ली की आतिशबाजी? न ही किसी को ये पता है कि वायु प्रदूषण का हल क्या है? आसमान से बरसात हुई तो दिल्ली की हवा साफ हो गई, हवा चली तो प्रदूषण कम हो गया, बरसात बंद हुई, हवा रुकी तो प्रदूषण फिर लौट आया। अच्छा तो ये होगा कि सभी पार्टियों के लोग मिलकर अपना दिमाग लगाएं, मिलकर बैठें और सोचें कि वायु प्रदूषण का समाधान क्या है, ताकि अगले साल फिर इसी तरह की बयानबाज़ी न करनी पड़े।

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

बच्चों तक पहुंची ज़हरीली हवा..हर 3 मिनट में 1 मासूम की मौत

Air Pollution: दिल्ली-एनसीआर, यूपी में जहरीली हवा (Poisonous Air) बच्चों पर मौत बनकर मंडरा रही है। जहां बैक्टीरिया से ज्यादा पॉल्यूशन (Pollution) बच्चों में संक्रमण की वजह बन रहा है। वहीं पॉल्यूशन 0 से 5 साल के बच्चों की मौत का पहला कारण बन जाएगा। डॉक्टर, एनवायरमेंट (Environment) साइंटिस्ट के अलावा आईसीएमआर (ICMR) की रिसर्च रिपोर्ट में यह सच सामने आया है। रिसर्च रिपोर्ट्स के अनुसार दिल्ली-एनसीआर में हर तीन मिनट में एक शिशु की मौत (Death Of Baby) पॉल्यूशन से हो रही है। पीएम-2.5 महामारी बनने की ओर बढ़ता जा रहा है। आपको बता दें कि इंडियन काउंसिल ऑफ मेडिकल रिसर्च (Indian Council of Medical Research) और ग्लोबल बर्डेन आफ डिसीज की रिपोर्ट बताती है कि यूपी में फेफड़ों के संक्रमण से प्रति लाख पांच वर्ष तक के 110 से ज्यादा शिशुओं की मौत हुई। फेफड़ों के निचले भाग में संक्रमण (Infection) से बड़ी संख्या में शिशुओं की जान गई। और एनवायरमेंट पर काम करने वाली नई दिल्ली की संस्था सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट ने पिछले दिनों गाजियाबाद, मेरठ, फरीदाबाद, नोएडा, गुरुग्राम जैसे शहरों में वायु प्रदूषण के प्रभावों का आंकड़ा बनाया। जिस पर पर्यावरण विशेषज्ञों ने प्रेजेंटेशन दिया। आईसीएमआर की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक बैक्टीरियल और वायरल संक्रमण (Bacterial and Viral Infections) से ज्यादा पीएम-1 और पीएम-2.5 से शिशुओं के निचले श्वसन तंत्र में संक्रमण हुआ। बच्चों में एक्यूट ब्रोंकाइटिस, ब्रोंकाइटिस और निमोनिया में तेजी से बढ़ोतरी हुई है। 0-5 वर्ष और 5-14 वर्ष की उम्र के बच्चों की मौत में फेफड़े के निचले हिस्से का संक्रमण बड़ी वजह मानी जा रही है। फेफड़ों के लोअर पार्ट में हो रहा इन्फेक्शन बाल रोग विशेषज्ञ डॉ. राजीव तेवतिया (Dr. Rajeev Tewatia) का कहना है कि पांट साल तक के बच्चों की मौत में डायरिया, निमोनिया, मलेरिया, खसरा, मेनेंजाइटिस, पैदाइशी बीमारी बड़ी वजह है। लेकिन जो नए रिसर्च हैं उसमें पता चला है कि बच्चों की डेथ में बड़ा कारण उनके फेफड़ों के लोअर पार्ट में इन्फेक्शन भी आया है। भारत में बच्चों पर ज्यादा खतरा मेरठ मेडिकल कॉलेज में बाल रोग विभाग की डॉ अनुपमा (Dr. Anupama) का कहना है कि पॉल्यूशन की वजह से प्रति एक हजार बच्चों में सबसे ज्यादा भारत में बच्चों की जान जा रही है। भारत में प्रति हजार बच्चों पर 48 बच्चों की मौत पॉल्यूशन से होती है। क्या बताते हैं पीएम 2.5 सामान्य आंखों से न दिखने वाले पीएम 2.5 के कण हवा (Aarticle Air) में घुला जहर है। इसमें कैडमियम, क्रोमियम, मॉलिब्डेनम, बेंजीन, निकिल, पारा, जिंक, आयरन एवं सेलेनियम जैसे हेवी मेटल हैं। जो सांस के जरिए शरीर में अंदर पहुंच कर बोन, ब्लड कैंसर बढ़ रहे हैं। ग्लोबल बर्डेन ऑफ डिसीज (Global Burden of Disease) की रिपोर्ट बताती है कि औद्योगिक चिमनियों, जनरेटरों, ईंट भठ्ठों, डीजल से संचालित पुराने वाहनों एवं प्लास्टिक कचरा जलाने से कार्बन मोनो ऑक्साइड, सल्फर डाई आक्साइड, ओजोन, नाइट्रोजन डाई आक्साइड, ओजोन, अमोनिया, कार्बन डाई आक्साइड जैसी खतरनाक गैसें फेफड़े में पहुंचकर जिंदगी के लिए खतरा बनती हैं।

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Delhi Air Pollution: Not Firecrackers Or Stubble Burning, Vehicular Emission Is The Largest Contributor

Every year, the air quality in Delhi and NCR turns toxic during winter, making the national capital nearly uninhabitable. A combination of factors, including meteorological conditions, low wind speed, stubble burning in neighbouring states, firecrackers during Diwali, pollution from local sources like construction and emissions from vehicles and factories have been blamed for making Delhi the most polluted capital city in the world. But how much these elements contribute to the overall pollution levels has been a subject of intense political debate for many years, and often, the fingers are pointed at the farmers burning stubble in states like Punjab and Haryana. How much emissions contribute to Delhi's air quality? However, a new study has found that the Delhi government and IIT-Kanpur found that vehicular emissions accounted for about 38 per cent of the capital's air pollution on Wednesday, November 15. Secondary inorganic aerosols -- particles such as sulfate and nitrate that are formed in the atmosphere due to the interaction of gases and particulate pollutants from sources like power plants, refineries, and vehicles -- are the second major contributor to Delhi's foul air, accounting for 30 to 35 per cent of the air pollution in the city over the last few days. A system developed by the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology to identify the contribution of different pollution sources showed stubble-burning accounted for 23 per cent of the air pollution in the capital on Wednesday and 11 per cent on Thursday. It is likely to come down to four per cent on Friday. What other studies said The findings of the Delhi government-IIT Kanpur study are in line with another report that came out earlier this month. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had said that Delhi's pollution level – PM2.5 concentration – saw its first huge spike of this winter season on November 2 with a sudden and staggering 68 per cent jump within 24 hours, crossing 313 microgramme per metre cubed which was equivalent to "severe plus" category as per the Air Quality Index (AQI) concentration range. It also said that stubble burning alone could not have led to this alarming spike in Delhi's air pollution levels if local factors, including vehicle emissions, had not already poisoned the national capital's air.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Delhi AQI: Why Indian capital lags behind Beijing in the battle to breathe

or a long time, people living in two densely populated Asian capitals have suffered the toxic smog that blanket their cities. On some days, when the smoke draped Delhi and Beijing - both teeming cities with more than 20 million people - in an orange-grey hue, and the air tasted smoky, people said it felt like living in a dystopian nightmare. Beijing residents even gave the calamity a popular nickname - "airpocalypse". That time of the year is back in Delhi, but Beijing is breathing much better. Particulate matter, known as PM2.5 - particles so small they can be ingested deep into the lungs - and a cocktail of gases hang heavy over land-locked Delhi, among the world's most polluted cities. Low wind speeds trap pollutants in the lower atmosphere, worsening air quality. Authorities briefly close schools, order diesel vehicles off the roads, halt construction work, ask people to work from home, ban firecrackers. Much of this is difficult to enforce in India's chaotic democracy. Residents cough, wheeze and outrage, and life goes on. On Monday, the morning after Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, when revellers burst firecrackers despite the ban, Delhi was among the world's top cities for pollution. A government app showed the Air Quality Index, or AQI in some places climbing to above 520 on Monday morning. (Anything below 50 is considered good.) On the same morning in Beijing, the skies were bluer, and the AQI levels were less than a fifth of Delhi's. Since 2013, Beijing - and China at large - has waged a determined war on air pollution using a range of command-and-control measures. An ambitious action plan banned new coal capacities, shut off coal-fuelled heating in residential buildings, raised fuel and engine standards on diesel trucks and scrapped old, polluting cars, among other measures. People were encouraged to switch to electric cars and ride their bicycles for shorter trips. Beijing worked hard to enhance air quality within the city, but the significant improvements over the last decade came when they extended their efforts beyond the city limits, according to Lauri Myllyvirta, an analyst at the Helsinki-based Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air. By establishing a "key control region" that covered industrial clusters and major emission sources outside the city, authorities achieved more impactful results, he told me. Beijing's budget to fight air pollution leapt from just over $430m (£350m) in 2013 to more $2.6bn in 2017. The results have been impressive. Air pollution in Beijing has declined by about 50%, and by about 40% countrywide since 2013, according to The Air Quality Life Index, or AQLI, produced by University of Chicago's Energy Pollution Institute. "Beijing used to rank very high [in the air pollution indexes]. But it has seen a dramatic improvement. There's a strong push from coal to gas and renewable power sources. It is easier to buy electric cars than petrol ones," Chim Lee, China analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, told me. Experts acknowledge that Delhi's two decade-long effort to improve air quality has also shown some results. The city has moved out formal polluting industries, shut coal-based power plants, introduced the world's largest natural gas-based public transport programme, forced old commercial vehicles off the roads, slapped stricter emission standards and built an efficient metro. Have these measures impacted the city's air quality? Yes, they have, says Anumita Roychowdhury, an air pollution expert and the executive director of Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. "Long term air quality trends in Delhi show that levels are not going up on year-on-year basis. It is actually coming down. It means Delhi has stabilised the problem and bent the pollution curve. But it also means Delhi needs to slash PM2.5 levels by another 60% to be able to meet clear air standards," she told me. Yet, Delhi's battle against air pollution stumbles due to inadequate planning, wrongly designed policies and partisan politics. Research shows that over half of Delhi's pollution stems from vehicular emissions. This is followed by smoke from coal-fired industries, burning of waste and dust from construction sites. During winter, the burning of crop stubble in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana - a common practice during the harvesting season - can contribute up to a quarter of Delhi's air pollution on certain days, depending on wind speed and direction. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government now blames the neighbouring state of Punjab, run by an opposition political party, for failing to tackle the problem. By banning old vehicles, Delhi has reduced the number of cars on its roads - nearly 8 million - by more than a third from the numbers recorded in 2015. Yet, vehicular emissions remain the primary contributor to pollution in a city whose urban design is friendlier towards cars and skewed against pedestrians and cyclists. The nearly 400km (248 miles)-long Delhi Metro is the longest and busiest metro network in India but last-mile connectivity to homes and workplaces remains spotty. While around 14% of the city's 7,000 public buses are electric, ironically, bus ridership is declining due to inconveniences in usage. Despite the Delhi master plan aiming for 80% of motorised trips to be taken by public transport, the lack of integration between the metro and bus systems has hindered the realisation of this target. "Even if you have a solution you are not able to make it work because you have not designed it rightly," says Ms Roychowdhury. The lack of regional planning also hinders progress. While discussions revolve around pollution in Delhi, the neighbouring cities on the vast Indo-Gangetic plain - stretching across northern India, eastern Pakistan and parts of Nepal and Bangladesh - are also shrouded in smoke. Studies show that air pollution levels in Bihar are frequently higher than those in Delhi, yet there is limited discussion on the matter. "The conversation cannot be just about Delhi. It has to be scaled up across the entire region," adds Ms Roychowdhury. This is where Beijing got it right, say experts. It set a target to reduce air pollution by a quarter by 2017 and rolled out a regional plan that included neighbouring provinces. Between 2013 and 2017, fine particle levels in Beijing and the surrounding region fell by around 35% and 25% respectively. "No other city or region on the planet has achieved such a feat," according to a United Nations review. Beijing moved away from coal and diesel much faster than Delhi. "Much of the decision making Beijing did is tough in a democracy [like India]," Ms Roychowdhury says, adding that Delhi - and India - should be looking at how US and European cities controlled air pollution. Also, despite progress, Beijing remains three times more polluted than Los Angeles - the most polluted US city - and falls short of being among the least polluted cities on Earth, according to AQLI. "Delhi doesn't have time. We have to roll out everything in the next few years. Delhi - and India - needs to be prepared for disruptive action," Ms Roychowdhury says.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Noise level lowest since 2018 in housing hubs on Diwali, highest in commercial areas

GURGAON: The city recorded a dip in noise levels in residential areas on the night of Diwali (November 12) this year compared to the last five years, according to the data from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB). Decibel levels, however, spiked in commercial areas. HSPCB has set up three temporary noise monitors in the city - one each in a residential area (DLF 2), commercial area (Sohna Road) and silent area (Sector 10 Civil Hospital). Noise level lowest since 2018 in housing hubs on Diwali, highest in commercial areas TNN | Nov 15, 2023, 07.20 AM IST Noise level lowest since 2018 in housing hubs on Diwali, highest in commercial areas GURGAON: The city recorded a dip in noise levels in residential areas on the night of Diwali (November 12) this year compared to the last five years, according to the data from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB). Decibel levels, however, spiked in commercial areas. HSPCB has set up three temporary noise monitors in the city - one each in a residential area (DLF 2), commercial area (Sohna Road) and silent area (Sector 10 Civil Hospital). Gurgaon Noise level In DLF 2, the average noise level on the day before Diwali was 57 A-weighted decibels (dBA, a measure of how loud things sound to the human ear), a marginal dip from 58 dBA the same day in 2022, and the lowest since 2018. This Diwali, it saw a 3.2% dip in average noise levels compared to the day of the festival last year (64 dBA) at 61.9 dBA - again the lowest in the last five years (se graphic), HSPCB data revealed. Track the pollution level in your city On Sohna Road, however, the scenario was the opposite. The average pre-Diwali noise level was 73 dBA this time, a 4% rise from the same day last year (69 dBA), and the highest since 2018. On Diwali, it saw a 27% rise from 70.1 dBA in 2022 to 89.3 dBA this year, again the highest in five years. The noise monitor at Civil Hospital was a temporary one installed for the first time days before Diwali, which recorded a noise level of 53 dBA on the day before the festival, and 55.7 dBA on Sunday. Overall, noise pollution recorded over a six-hour period on Diwali ranged from 60.8 dBA and 63.3 dBA in DLF 2, from 81 dBA to 97 dBA on Sohna Road, and from 54 dBA to 57.4 dBA at Civil Hospital. The CPCB standard guideline for noise pollution recommends not more than 55db in residential areas, 65db in commercial areas and 75db in industrial areas, during the daytime. At night, the corresponding upper limits are 45db, 55db and 70db. Despite a two-hour window to burst 'green' crackers on Diwali, firecrackers kept going off every few seconds till late into the night on Sunday, leaving behind a trail of pollutants and smog. But as only three areas were monitored for noise pollution on Diwali, this data can't be indicative for the entire city, experts said. HSPCB officials, meanwhile, said the reduction in decibel levels in residential areas was because of the nature of crackers that were burst. "Though Diwali witnessed a spike in air pollution, the low intensity of crackers burst in residential areas resulted in a dip in noise levels. On the other hand, Sohna Road witnesses heavy traffic movement along with bursting of crackers, due to which the noise levels were higher," said Vijay Chaudhary, HSPCB regional officer, (south) Gurgaon. Experts said more locations should be chosen for installing monitors to get proper comparative data that is representative of the city's areas. "Ideally, more locations should be covered by the pollution board to study noise pollution fluctuation before and on Diwali in the city," said Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment. "Simply installing a noise meter at random areas won't serve the purpose. The authorities should get in touch with RWAs across the city, and through them, educate residents about the impact of noise pollution. Also, older parts of Gurgaon and new sectors are not being covered in this data. The monitoring stations are only at two locations, which doesn't present a fair picture of the city as a whole," Tiwari added. Residents across the city expressed different opinions regarding noise pollution on Diwali this year. While some said they witnessed a quiet Diwali, others had a harrowing experience. Areas like DLF 2, MG Road and Sushant Lok witnessed low bursting of crackers, while it was rampant and went on till the early hours of Monday in sectors 31, 50, 89, 90 and 92. "It was definitely not a smooth Diwali this time. Bursting of crackers started at 7pm and continued past midnight. There was no monitoring," said Seema Priyadarshini, a resident of Sector 31. In new sectors, residents said the cracker bursting on Diwali led to breathlessness and a sleepless night. "Diwali was bad for senior citizens like me who have lung-related ailments. The fireworks went on all night in the newly developing sectors along the Dwarka Expressway. Dogs howled in pain and we couldn't sleep either. A day after Diwali, I could not breathe normally," said Sudha Sharma, resident of Sector 89. "There are no civic bodies to monitor new sectors. Some residents just went on bursting crackers without sparing a thought about the condition of others already suffering due to the poor air quality," she added. Asked if HSPCB plans to set up more noise monitoring stations in the city, an official said they will install a continuous, real-time noise level measuring system with a digital display board and a centralised networking system at four locations in the city. The system will monitor noise-level continuously for 24 hours, round the year. "We have a plan for installing permanent noise monitoring stations in Gurgaon soon. HSPCB already has a network of real-time monitoring stations for ambient air quality in the city and we will install the noise monitoring stations in the same locations," the official said. According to the noise standards for ambient air and for automobiles, domestic appliances and construction equipment, which were notified in Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, the noise level shouldn't be more than 55 dB in residential, 65 dB in commercial areas and 75 dB in industrial areas. Near sensitive areas such as hospitals, noise levels shouldn't exceed the limit of 45 dB. At night, the limit is 45 dB in residential areas, 55dB in commercial areas and 70 dB in industrial areas.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Capital unable to shed its post-firecracker shroud

The national capital on Tuesday remained locked in the shackles of an oppressive smog two days after Diwali, with a combination of low temperatures, overcast skies and calm winds keeping the remnants from Sunday’s unfettered firecracker-burning trapped in the city’s air, pushing the air quality index (AQI) to the cusp of the deep red “severe” zone. Delhi on Tuesday clocked a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 397 at 4pm, a shade below the severe zone (which starts at a reading of 401) and significantly worse than 358 on Monday, which in turn was much worse than 218 on Diwali evening (Sunday). Despite this, the city remained shorn of pollution data through much of Tuesday, with data from the 24 Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) air monitoring stations unavailable till 4pm. As a result, the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Sameer app displayed an average AQI for Delhi that was far lower than accurate throughout the day. The monitors went dark for eight hours, with DPCC attributing it to a “server error”, without giving further details. To be sure, the monitors were back up by 3pm, and CPCB’s official AQI bulletin took into account data from all the active pollution stations in Delhi, the agency said. The city is reckoning with a crisis purely of its making, as residents burnt firecrackers relentlessly on Diwali evening in petulant disregard of the Supreme Court’s directives and pushed the city’s air pollution up to noxious levels, overriding even favourable weather conditions. This meant that the city ended up squandering one of the best run-ups it had to Diwali in recent memory, and residents were left with pollution levels that were among the worst in recent years. All this played out under the watchful eye of the Delhi Police, which did little to crack down on violators. Delhi’s PM2.5 concentration at 4pm on Sunday was 45.6µg/m³, below India’s safe standard of 60µg/m³. However, smoke from firecrackers propelled this value to 550.8µg/m³ at midnight, nearly 10 times above the safe limit. On Tuesday, Delhi’s PM2.5 peaked concentration peaked at 342µg/m³ at 12 am. With winds still blowing in from the northwest and bringing in smoke from burning paddy fields in Punjab and Haryana, Delhi’s pollution levels are unlikely to relent, especially with calm speeds and dipping temperatures, warned meteorological experts. Officials in Punjab recorded 1,776 farm fires on Tuesday, an uptick from 1,624 on Monday. The agrarian state, which burns more farm fires than any other state before the winter cropping season, has now recorded 28,117 blazes so far. Punjab recorded 49,922 fires between September 15 and November 30 last year. Experts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said there won’t be a significant change in the city’s weather over the next three days, with low temperatures and calm winds early in the morning. Between noon and 5pm over the next three days, Delhi should continue to see an average wind speed of 6-8km/hr, it said, speeds that won’t be enough to scatter and disperse pollutants. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said Delhi’s air on Tuesday was composed of a mix of pollutants from firecrackers, vehicles, biomass burning and other local and transboundary sources. “We are seeing only winds picking up during the day for a few hours and while some pollutants may disperse during that period, our background emissions are so high that more pollutants are constantly being added and the end result is no significant change in air quality,” she said, underlining that Delhi will get no respite from the noxious air till strong winds wash the air clean.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

OPINION | STOP BLAME GAME ON DELHI AIR POLLUTION

On Diwali night, the Supreme Court’s ban on firecrackers in Delhi went up in smoke, as the entire National Capital Region was enveloped in a lethal haze of smoke by next morning. Particulate matter 2.5 levels rose sharply, breached all limits. The most polluted spots were Anand Vihar with 1,985, followed by Patparganj with 1,856, Jahangirpuri 1,792, Nehru Nagar with 1,784 and Nehru Stadium with 1,423 micrograms per cubic meter particulate matter in air. Overall, Delhi’s AQI jumped up from 218 in ‘poor’ category’ top 403 in ‘severe’ category. Scientists attributed the rise in AQI to emissions from firecrackers, stubble burning in neighboring states and adverse meteorological conditions, resulting in accumulation of pollutants on Monday morning. The Central Pollution Control Board put the AQI in Anand Vihar at 296, in Punjabi Bagh at 290 and at ITO at 263, while it was 362 on Pusa Road and 290 in R K Puram. Delhi Pollution Control Committee said, air pollution level rose by 45 per cent this year compared to last year’s Diwali. Centre for Science and Environment scientists said, by 2 am, AQI entered the 900-1,000 range in some localities. There was mudslinging between AAP and BJP leaders in Delhi, with Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai alleging that firecrackers were burst in “a targeted manner in some places at the behest of local BJP leaders”. He alleged that despite ban, firecrackers were smuggled in from Haryana and UP to Delhi. BJP leader Kapil Mishra described Rai’s allegation as “shameful”. Mishra said, it is foolish to hold firecrackers responsible for air pollution. The interesting point to note is that Punjab government has claimed that air quality improved after Diwali this year. The state government claimed that there was 8 per cent improvement in AQI across the state compared to last year. The ground reality is that Punjab’s air quality deteriorated by 30 per cent compared to pre-Diwali figures. On November 11, AQI in several cities of Punjab was around 100, but after Diwali, AQI was 169 in Patiala, 166 in Ludhiana, 161 in Amritsar and 167 in Sangrur. Clearly, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s government can pat its own back by comparing Diwali figures with those of last two years. AAP leaders are yet to say who is responsible for air pollution in Punjab. It is surprising that the issue of air pollution has become a political issue among parties. Nearly two crore people living in National Capital Region are being forced to inhale lethal air, but the Delhi environment minister, instead of exploring solutions, is blaming BJP leaders for inciting people to burst crackers on Diwali night. At the other end of the spectrum, there are people trying to explain that the ban on firecrackers did not work, neither in Delhi, nor in Mumbai. It was also said that those supporting ban on Diwali firecrackers are anti-Hindu. The reality is, nobody knows the exact and the main reason behind air pollution in Delhi: Whether it is burning of paddy stubble in Punjab? or bursting of firecrackers in Delhi on Diwali night? Nor do people have a definite solution for tackling air pollution. The single night shower accompanied by winds in Delhi last weekend cleared the continuous haze within minutes, but when rainfall and blowing of winds stopped, air pollution was back. It would be better if all stakeholders and political leaders sit together, rack their brains and find a durable solution to air pollution, so that they can be saved from levelling charges and counter-charges next year.

• Climate Change and Green Economy

On the edge

During the billions of years of our planet’s existence, its climate has varied a lot. At times the entire planet may have been wholly or mostly enveloped by snow and ice (‘Snowball Earth’), whilst at other times Polar Regions were inhabited by tropical animals. During the billions of years of our planet’s existence, its climate has varied a lot. At times the entire planet may have been wholly or mostly enveloped by snow and ice (‘Snowball Earth’), whilst at other times Polar Regions were inhabited by tropical animals. Even in the roughly hundred-thousand years of Homo sapiens’ tenancy, ice ages have come and gone. The most recent 8,000 years or so, since the beginning of agriculture and appearance of urban areas, however, have been unusually steady. Over this time, ice-core records show clearly that levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere were around 280 parts per million (ppm), give or take 10 ppm. Predominantly CO2 and other Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere then acted (and are still acting) like a blanket or a cap for trapping some of the heat that Earth might have otherwise radiated into space. But how exactly do molecules of GHGs trap heat? The answer requires diving into physics and chemistry. The atmosphere surrounding our planet is so thin that it is highly vulnerable to the drastic changes in the chemical composition brought about when we recklessly and constantly pollute it with prodigious volumes of GHGs as chemical wastes. The growing blanket is overwhelming the atmosphere’s ability to mediate balance between the Earth and the sun, trapping more extra heat energy each day in the lower atmosphere than would be released by 400,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs. As mentioned, the Earth warms as a result of solar radiation that reaches the surface and is not immediately reflected back to space. By how much does the Earth warm? By just enough that it reaches a temperature at which the Earth radiates to the space at the same rate that that sun transmits energy to Earth. The key to understanding the energy balance is a concept known as ‘Black-body radiation’, a term used to describe the relationship between an object’s temperature, and the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation it emits. Any warm body, including the Earth itself, radiates electromagnetic energy as infrared (long-wave) radiation. The warmer the body, the greater the radiation. When the sun radiates ultraviolet (shortwave) radiation to Earth, the Earth warms to just the temperature at which the Earth radiates energy to the sun, equal to the sun’s radiation reaching the Earth. The energy balance is thereby reached. However, while sunlight reaches the earth, the surface absorbs some of the light’s energy and radiates it as infrared waves, which we may feel as heat. Holding our hands over a dark rock on a warm sunny day we can feel the phenomenon. The infrared waves travel into the atmosphere and will escape back into space if unhindered. Oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere do not interfere with infrared waves, because their molecules absorb energy that has tightly packed wavelengths of around 200 nanometers or less. Infrared energy travels at wider and lazier wavelengths of 700 to 1,000,000 nanometers. So they let the waves (and heat) pass freely through the atmosphere. But with CO2 and other GHGs, it’s different. For example, CO2 absorbs energy at a variety of wavelengths ranging between 2,000 and 15,000 nanometers ~ a range that overlaps with that of infrared energy. As CO2 soaks up this infrared energy, it vibrates and remits the infrared energy back in all directions. About half of that energy goes out into space, while about half returns to Earth as heat, contributing to the greenhouse effect. The basic greenhouse effect is a lifesaver for us. If the Earth, like the moon, had no GHGs, then it would be a much cooler place and would not support life. Without greenhouse effect, the average Earth temperature would be around minus 14 degree centigrade, well below the freezing point of water. Besides CO2, there are several major GHGs: methane (CH4), nitrous oxides (N2O), some industrial chemicals called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF4) and water vapour (H2O). There are a number of salient points about GHGs. The most important is the ‘residence time (or lifetime)’ which is defined as the average time a GHG takes for its molecule to be removed from the atmosphere. These gases can remain in the atmosphere for different amounts of time, from months to millennia, and affect the climate on different time scales. The other most important factor of a GHG is its ‘radiative forcing’ which, as defined by the IPCC, is a measure of the influence a given climatic factor has on the amount of downward-directed radiant impinging upon Earth’s surface. Primarily human activities and also those by natural forces cause climatic factors. ‘Positive forcing’ exerted by climatic factors contribute to the warming of Earth’s surface, whereas ‘negative forcing’ cools Earth’s surface. The lifetime of CO2, the most significant man-made GHG, in the atmosphere is very difficult to determine; because there are several processes that remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Between 65 to 80 per cent of CO2 released into the air dissolves into the ocean over a period of 20–200 years. The rest is removed by slower processes that take up to several hundred thousand years. This means that once in the atmosphere, CO2 can continue to affect climate for thousands of years. Methane traps roughly 23 times more heat than CO2, but its residence time is much shorter, around ten years. Nitrous oxide is destroyed in the stratosphere and removed from the atmosphere more slowly than methane, persisting for around 114 years. GHGs containing chlorine and /or fluorine (CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs, PFCs) include huge numbers of different chemical species, each of which can last in the atmosphere for specific lengths of time ~ from less than a year to many thousand years. The warming effect of all the anthropogenic CHGs is determined by adding up the separate radiative forcing of each of the six GHGs (CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs and SF6). For each GHG, the radiative forcing is measured in unit of CO2 equivalent (CO2E). For example, since CH4 has a radiative forcing equal to 23 times that of CO2, each CH4 molecule in the atmosphere is counted as equivalent in warming potential to 23 molecules of CO2. In 1972, the big concern worldwide was that humanity would run out of key minerals or ores and the resulting scarcity would make it difficult to maintain the level of economic activity, much less to continue to achieve economic growth. What was not then clearly appreciated was that the real limits were not the minerals, but the functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems, the biodiversity and the ability of the atmosphere to absorb anthropogenic GHGs. Interestingly, even though the core idea of planetary boundaries (PB) was first being understood around five decades ago, the kinds of boundaries that would turn out to be most important were not then very clear to the scientific community. Subsequently, we began to appreciate that the real PB are mainly ecological rather than limits of mineral ores. Indeed, there is no doubt that the greatest of these threats is humaninduced climate change, coming from the build-up of GHGs including CO2, CH4, N2O and some other industrial chemicals. The most important aspects of climate change are: (1) It is a global crisis. It affects every part of the planet. Ban Ki-moon, former SecretaryGeneral of UN, aptly said: ‘Climate change carries no passport and knows no national borders. Countries must work towards the common interest, beyond narrow national interests.’ (2) The problem crosses not only countries but generations. People who are going to be most profoundly affected by humaninduced climate change have not yet been born. (3) The challenge is complicated because the problems of GHG emission go the core of modern economy. The success of modern economic growth arose from the tap into fossil fuels energy. The number one human contributor to climate change is the burning of fossil fuels that emit CO2 into the atmosphere and thereby change the planet. We must transplant fossil fuels energy with an alternative based on low-carbon energy. (4) Climate change is a slow-moving crisis. While rapid in epochal terms, it is very slow from the point of view of daily events and the political calendar. If the climate crisis were to culminate in a single event in a year’s time, there could be little doubt that humanity would get itself organized to prevent or adapt to the crisis. The changes year-to-year may be too gradual to provoke large-scale political actions, yet the cumulative effects could prove devastating. What does the future hold? The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi–based NGO, analyzed climate changerelated datasets, and mapped future scenarios going forward in its fortnightly magazine, Down To Earth. The most important findings are: * For over 6000 years, human have restricted their habitat settlements to an annual average temperature of between minus eleven to fifteen degree Celsius (-110 to 15OC). As of 2020, only 0.8 per cent of the world’s land surface experiences annual temperature of more than 29OC or over. But in a warming world, if emission of GHGs continues, this range could rise to 19 per cent of the Earth’s surface, affecting three of the projected nine billion people by 2070. India would be one of those worst-hit countries in Asia. * In a warming world, ‘climate suitability’ would stretch to even the sparsely populated Artic regions of the world. This expansion of climate niche threshold could trigger a wave of migration. * According to a World Bank report, by 2050, at least 216 million people will be migrating within their own countries. Migration being a dynamic event, influenced by socio-economic and political factors, the reason might vary from region to region. According to the report, 40 per cent of total migration will happen in sub-Saharan African countries where water scarcity will be the main driving force. Indeed, a global crisis has unfolded quickly, and, as in a classic Greek tragedy, we have been told what the future may hold. But so far we seem unable to step away from the path to disaster that has been mapped out for us. The last act is about to begin. (The writer is a retired IAS office)

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

India hosts the world’s first-ever air pollution market. Here are the lessons learned so far

India is facing an air pollution crisis. In a bid to reverse this problem, India launched the world’s first-ever market for particulate emissions. It is now looking to expand this scheme across the country to reign in the heavy air polluters. India faces the world’s worst air pollution crisis, with billions of people constantly exposed to unhealthy levels of ambient PM 2.5 (the most harmful pollutant in the air). In 2022, several Indian cities ranked as the most polluted cities in the world. Today, in 2023, the air quality in India’s capital has plummeted to a ‘severe plus’ category, making Delhi the most polluted city in the country. This appalling decline in air quality and awareness of its ill effects on the health and development sectors in India is driving effective innovation in public governance with the support of the private sector. Pollution control markets have been widely credited with reducing pollution in many regions across the world. For instance, in the United States, between 1980 and 2003, the introduction of the US Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) dramatically reduced the pollution caused by sulfur dioxide in the air by 40%. Trading markets have been adopted ever since for reducing pollutants in Canada and Europe, but never before to tackle particulate pollution in the air. India’s launches the world’s first-ever market for particulate emissions In 2019, the Government of Gujarat launched the world’s first-ever market for trading in particulate matter emissions in the city of Surat. The project called the Emission Trading Scheme, aims to reduce air pollution by allowing industries to ‘buy and sell’ permits for emitting particulate matter. This pilot project was first conceptualized by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change in 2012. To execute the ETS, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board partnered with renowned researchers from leading academic institutions worldwide, including the University of Chicago, Yale University and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. Simply put, businesses that emit more particulate matter than allowed, must buy permits from businesses that emit less. This approach ensures that businesses and industries that are heavy polluters bear a higher cost – a principle that champions financial commitment as a means to incentivize cleaner practices. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board plays a central role in this by setting a cap on the total volume of particulate matter (PM) emissions permitted for participating industries. This cap is based on the historical emissions data collected by the Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems. Discover What’s the World Economic Forum doing to tackle air pollution? During COP26 the World Economic Forum and the Clean Air Fund launched the Alliance for Clean Air, the first global private sector initiative to tackle air pollution. The Alliance for Clean Air brings together business leaders committed to measuring and reducing value chain air pollutant emissions, investing in innovation, and working with policy makers and peers to champion the social, economic and climate benefits of tackling air pollution. Announced at COP27, the Alliance for Clean Air announced the release of a guide to help businesses deliver on their commitments to reduce air pollution across value chains and get ahead of sustainability reporting standards. Image: Jane Burston/ World Economic Forum A Practical Guide For Business Air Pollutant Emission Assessment – developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute, Climate and Clean Air Coalition, and Inter IKEA Group – enables alliance members to quantify the air pollutant emissions along their value chains from key sectors, including electricity generation, transport, industrial processes, agriculture and waste. This has enabled them to consider the impact of their existing climate mitigation strategies on air pollution and ways to increase their ambition through specific air pollution mitigation measures. It is an important contribution that businesses can take to enhance their sustainability strategies. Also announced at COP27, companies interested in learning more about the business case for tackling air pollution as part of their climate strategies can access a new business action toolkit launched in partnership with Accenture and the Clean Air Fund. If your company is committed to improving air quality contact us to express interest in working with us. Why was the ETS pilot project launched in Gujarat? Gujarat is one of the most industrialized states in India, with a large concentration of energy-intensive industrial sectors, such as iron and steel, petrochemicals, aluminium, cement, fertilizers and power plants. This means that Gujarat faces a severe air pollution problem, especially from particulate matter, which is a mixture of fine solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in the air that cause various health problems. According to a recent study by the Centre for Science and Environment, Gujarat faced the highest winter air pollution levels in the last four years, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 73 micrograms per cubic metre, more than seven times the safe limit prescribed by the World Health Organization. ETS pilot phase in Surat The ETS pilot in the Gujarat town of Surat has shown promising results in reducing PM emissions and improving air quality. An initial analysis of the effectiveness of the scheme has projected that participating industries reduced their PM emissions by 24% (with an 8% margin of error), compared to industries that continued to be under the business-as-usual regulation. Unlike the earlier traditional command-and-control regulations approach that primarily focused on enforcing strict limits on emissions without placing any restrictions on the overall volume of pollution released, the new Emission Trading Scheme introduced a cap on the total pollution release, addressing a significant flaw in the previous method. ETS itself is a market-linked ‘cap and trade’ mechanism that operates under the polluters pay principle. Under the polluters pay principle, a compensation of Rs 200 per kilogramme is charged for any excess emissions over and above the permits held by a unit, at the end of the trading period. Participating units are also required to submit an ‘Environmental Damage Compensation’ amount, which varies from Rs 2 lakh for small units, Rs 3 lakh for medium-sized units and Rs 10 lakh for large-scale industries. Evaluating the ETS success story in Surat This project, however, did not materialize overnight; it underwent a meticulous trial phase. Mock trading was conducted for two months after the launch, allowing stakeholders to familiarize themselves with the intricacies of the system. The evaluation of ETS leverages continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) devices across the state, which send live readings of particulate emissions. ETS takes advantage of this technology to track industry emissions in a transparent way. From a sample of about 320 solid fuel burning factories already implementing CEMS in Surat, half were chosen at random to participate in the first phase of a new emissions trading scheme (the intervention group, while the others remained under the status-quo command and control regulation. One drawback of the ETS is that it may impact businesses unevenly, depending on their emission levels and the cost of reducing those emissions. Consumers might face slightly higher prices for goods or services due to increased production costs or scarcity of rents for permits. After several months of mock-trading, plants started trading permits and the project was implemented in 155 industries in Surat on September 16, 2019. Following the end of the 2019-2020 financial year, researchers will measure impacts on particulate matter emissions among industrial plants, output, revenues and compliance costs. An initial analysis of the effectiveness of the scheme has projected that participating industries reduced their PM emissions by 24% (with an 8% margin of error), compared to industries that continued to be under the business-as-usual regulation. Expanding ETS to Ahmedabad and across Gujarat Following the encouraging results of the pilot of the Emission Trading Scheme in Surat, the Gujarat government is going to replicate the same scheme in Ahmedabad in two phases covering industrial clusters, Naroda, Vatva and Danilimda. Expanding to Ahmedabad, the Gujarat government has installed the Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) in these industry clusters to ensure that the prescribed norms are followed, failing which the entire industrial cluster will be penalized. The CEMS tracks emissions from the industries participating in the ETS scheme. The live trading among 118 Ahmedabad industries in the scheme commenced on 5th September 2023, marking a momentous feat in curbing industrial emissions and effluents in the air. India’s net-zero alignment with COP 28 With India’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030 and the forthcoming COP28 summit, the focus on financing climate has become critical. One of the topics that will be discussed at this summit is linking different emission trading systems and creating a global carbon market. While India is surely and steadily road-mapping its progress story with a $9 trillion economic opportunity by 2030, balancing its rising working-age population and growing trends for businesses to expand will be the biggest challenge. By introducing financial incentives and market-based solutions, polluting industries are expected to incorporate the cost of pollution into business costs and centralized decision-making. Without market corrections and a demand for robust air-quality-related research, heavy polluters will continue to pollute the air. The views expressed in this blog are personal to the authors and do not reflect FICCI’s stance in any way.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

“पर्यावरण को जनमानस का अभियान बनाने की ज़रूरत”

दिल्ली में ख़तरनाक श्रेणी तक पहुंचे प्रदूषण की वजह से दिल्ली सरकार 20 और 21 नवंबर को आर्टिफिशियल बारिश और ऑड-ईवन लाने की तैयारी कर रही थी लेकिन 9 नवंबर की रात को हुई बारिश के बाद जैसे ही AQI (Air Quality Index) का लेवल ज़रा कम हुआ, दिल्ली सरकार ने ऑड-ईवन लाने का ख़्याल पोस्टपोन कर दिया। दिल्ली की हवा में कुछ सुधार हुआ ही था लेकिन दिवाली के अगले दिन दिल्ली एक बार फिर गैस चैंबर में तब्दील हो गई। कई जगह AQI 900 के पार चला गया। AQI के बढ़ने के साथ ही राजनीति भी शुरू हो गई। पर्यावरण जैसे मुद्दे पर कोई बेहतर रणनीति बनाने की बजाए राजनीति हो रही है जिससे साफ है कि नेताओं के लिए ये मुद्दा कितना अहम है! कुछ दिन पहले हमने 'सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एन्वायरमेंट' के प्रिंसिपल मैनेजर (क्लीन एयर टीम) विवेक चट्टोपाध्याय से दिल्ली के वायु प्रदूषण पर बातचीत की थी जिसमें उन्होंने कहा था कि "इस वक़्त बैठक और दूसरी चीज़ें हो रही हैं। लेकिन जैसे ही विंड स्पीड बढ़ जाएगी या बारिश हो जाएगी तो सब शांत हो जाएंगे।" बारिश के बाद दिल्ली सरकार ने जैसे ही ऑड-ईवन का ख़्याल पोस्टपोन किया तो कहीं न कहीं विवेक चट्टोपाध्याय की बात सही लगती नज़र आई। क्या वाकई पर्यावरण और वातावरण की चिंता तभी सताती है जब हालात बेकाबू होने लगते हैं और मेडिकल इमरजेंसी जैसे हालात पैदा हो जाते हैं? सरकारें पर्यावरण को लेकर कितनी चिंतित है इसका तो पता नहीं लेकिन कई ऐसे लोग हैं जिन्हें साल के 365 दिन पर्यावरण और वातावरण की चिंता सताती है, वे अपने स्तर पर छोटे-छोटे क़दम उठाते रहते हैं। ऐसे ही एक युवा हैं निशांत, 28 साल के निशांत बिहार के नवादा से हैं। ग्रामीण परिवेश से निकले निशांत की 'धरती फाउंडेशन' नाम से एक संस्था है जिसके माध्यम वे पैन इंडिया एन्वायरमेंट कंज़रवेशन और नदी बचाओ अभियान, वृक्षारोपण का काम कर रहे हैं। उनकी टीम का मिशन है कि वे 2050 तक पूरे देश में 500 करोड़ वृक्ष लगाएंगे। हमें पता चला कि निशांत दिल्ली के जवाहरलाल नेहरू विश्वविद्यालय में पर्यावरण से जुड़े कई प्रयास कर रहे हैं। हालांकि वे ख़ुद इस यूनिवर्सिटी के छात्र नहीं रहे हैं लेकिन बावजूद वे यहां के कैंपस में पर्यावरण से जुड़े कार्यक्रम का आयोजन करते रहते हैं। उनकी फाउंडेशन एलुमनाई एसोसिएशन जेएनयू के समर्थन से अब तक कैंपस में 500 पेड़ लगा चुकी है। साथ ही उनकी फाउंडेशन यहां छात्रों के बीच साइकिल चलाने को लेकर जागरूकता अभियान चला रही है और इसी कड़ी में उन्होंने एक छोटी-सी पहल भी की है जिसके तहत छात्र उनसे साइकिल ले सकते हैं और बदले में छात्रों को उनकी फाउंडेशन को हर महीने एक पौधा डोनेट करना होगा। चूंकि निशांत लंबे समय से पर्यावरण पर काम कर रहे हैं और वे दिल्ली के पर्यावरण पर भी काम कर रहे हैं तो हमने उनसे दिल्ली में बढ़े प्रदूषण और उसे कैसे कम किया जा सकता है इसपर बातचीत की। सवाल: दिल्ली का वायु प्रदूषण ख़तरनाक लेवल पर पहुंच गया इस पर आपको क्या कहना है? जवाब: हम लोग जब प्रदूषण की बात करते हैं तो एयर पॉल्यूशन क्वालिटी की बात करते हैं। अगर हम दिल्ली के एयर क्वालिटी इंडेक्स की बात करें तो वे इस तरह से क्यों बढ़ रहा है? तो सबसे पहली चीज़ जो ख़ासकर एयर पॉल्यूशन से जुड़ी है वो है ट्रांसपोर्टेशन, जो बड़ी भूमिका निभाती है। लगभग 20 से 30 फीसदी एयर पॉल्यूशन ट्रांसपोर्टेशन के कारण है, जिस तरह से हम इंडिविजुअल बेसेस पर व्हीकल्स को इस्तेमाल करते हैं तो सबसे महत्वपूर्ण है हम पब्लिक ट्रांसपोर्ट को जितना ज़्यादा हो सके इस्तेमाल करें। और पब्लिक ट्रांसपोर्ट को हम बेनेफिशियल बनाएं। जहां तक बात है कि हर दिन प्रदूषण बढ़ रहा है तो तीन साल पहले कम था उससे तीन साल पहले जाएंगे तो कुछ और कम मिलेगा, बीच के दौर में बहुत ज़्यादा था। जब मेट्रो जैसी इनोवेशन आती हैं तो हम एक अच्छी दिशा में जाते हैं मगर जिस तरह से आगे आने वाली जो पीढ़ी है वो Sustainable (टिकाऊ) तरीके के बारे में कम सोचती है, बहुत कम लोग हैं जो ऑर्गेनिक तरीके से सोचते हैं, निजी वाहनों का इस्तेमाल बड़ी परेशानी है। दूसरी परेशानी है कंस्ट्रक्शन की, जिस तरह से दिल्ली में कंस्ट्रक्शन हो रहा है और कंस्ट्रक्शन में आपको पता है हर तरह का रिसोर्स है जिस तरह से हम डीजल का इस्तेमाल करते हैं, टेक्नोलॉजी का इस्तेमाल करते हैं, उसका असर पड़ता है। तीसरी और सबसे बड़ी जो प्रॉब्लम और सवाल है कि हम इसके लिए कदम क्या उठाते हैं! बात दिल्ली की हो या देश के किसी हिस्से की, जब पॉल्यूशन आता है तो सॉल्यूशन की बात करते हैं, तो पॉल्यूशन के सॉल्यूशन की बात सिर्फ तब नहीं करनी है जब सिचुएशन खड़ी होती है क्योंकि इसके लिए हमें ऑर्गेनिक और कंस्ट्रक्टिव एप्रोच के साथ सोचना होगा। एयर पॉल्यूशन को कम करने के लिए दिल्ली में हमें यमुना नदी को लेकर काम करना चाहिए और प्लांटेशन ड्राइव चलानी चाहिए, साथ ही हमारी जो बायोडायवर्सिटी है उसको कैसे बेहतरीन बनाएं इसपर काम करना होगा। सवाल: प्रॉब्लम हुई तो उसपर बात कर रहे हैं लेकिन ऐसा हमेशा नहीं होता, लेकिन आप नेचर को लेकर हमेशा सोचते हैं उसको लेकर आपने और आपकी फाउंडेशन ने कुछ कदम भी उठाए हैं, उसके बारे में बताइए। जवाब: हम 500 करोड़ प्लांटेशन को लेकर काम कर रहे हैं। वृक्ष लगाने का मेरा उद्देश्य ये है कि वृक्ष अपने आप में पॉल्यूशन का Filtration करता है। अगर आप वृक्ष लगाते हैं तो जल को भी संरक्षित करते हैं, वर्षा को भी संरक्षित करते हैं और एयर पॉल्यूशन के लिए सबसे बड़ी संजीवनी है प्लांटेशन। तो इसके कारण हम प्लांटेशन को लेकर ज़्यादा फोकस कर रहे हैं क्योंकि इस नेचर में जो बायोडायवर्सिटी की अपनी क्लाइमेट है उस इकोसिस्टम को बनाए रखने के लिए प्लांटेशन, फोरेस्टेशन और रिवर कंजर्वेशन ये चीज़ें सबसे ज़्यादा अहम है। हमारा 'भारत नदी अभियान' भी है और भारत की नदियों को संरक्षित करना हमारा सबसे मुख्य उद्देश्य है और इसको लेकर हमने दो साल पहले यमुना पर भी काम शुरू किया है। मैं बहुत बड़े लेवल पर नहीं हूं लेकिन हम अपना काम कर रहे हैं, दिल्ली यमुना के लिए हमारी पूरी गाइडलाइन तैयार हो रही है। हम सरकार की जो व्यवस्था है उसके साथ हैं लेकिन हमारा मानना है कि ये जनमानस का अभियान होना चाहिए। हर एक आम आदमी की ये सोच होनी चाहिए कि कैसे हम नदियों को बचाएं, कैसे हम जीवन को बचाएं और कैसे हम अपने आधार को बचाएं। सवाल: आप जेएनयू में पर्यावरण को लेकर काम कर रहे हैं उसके बारे में कुछ बताएं, साथ ही आपने जेएनयू को ही क्यों चुना? जवाब: जेएनयू में आने का मकसद ये है कि हम यहां लगातार प्रोफेसर और विभिन्न विभाग के छात्रों के साथ जुड़े थे, एलुमनाई एसोसिएशन जेएनयू ने हमें सपोर्ट किया। हम यहां कोविड के पहले से साल 2016-17 से प्लांटेशन का काम कर रहे हैं। जेएनयू देश की बेहतरीन यूनिवर्सिटी में से एक है। यहां के छात्र रहे लोग देश की तरक्की में योगदान दे रहे हैं। यहां के छात्रों का हमेशा से माइंडसेट है कि यहां कॉमन पीपल की बातें होती है, यहां के शिक्षित युवाओं के साथ मिलकर काम करना आसान होता है। वे आगे कहते हैं कि "हमने जेएनयू में 500 पेड़ लगा दिए हैं 2018 से लेकर अब तक, लेकिन हमारी कोशिश है कि 2025 तक जेएनयू में 11 हज़ार पेड़ लगांएगे जिसमें से 5 हज़ार पेड़ आम और फलों के होंगे ताकी छात्र जो कैंपस के अंदर रहते हैं उन्हें फल मिल सकें। यहां स्पेस की कोई कमी नहीं है।" "हमारी संस्था (धरती फाउंडेशन) किसी भी कैंपस में ये सोचकर आती है कि जितने भी विद्यार्थी हैं वो अपने एकेडमिक ईयर में एक प्लांट ज़रूर लगाए और उसकी ज़िम्मेदारी लें, उसकी देख-रेख, उसका संरक्षण हमारी फाउंडेशन करेगी और जेएनयू में हम इस कार्य को आगे बढ़ाने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं।" "इसके साथ ही हमारी फाउंडेशन ने एक बाइक डेवलप की है जो कि पैडल साइकिल है जो हम छात्रों को उपलब्ध करवा रहे हैं, जो छात्र साइकिल ले रहे हैं उनको हर महीने एक प्लांट डोनेट करना है। एक सैंपलिंग का डोनेशन 99 रुपये का है और वे साइकिल अडॉप्ट करते हैं और उन्हें हर महीने एक प्लांट डोनेट करना होता है। इस तरह से जेएनयू के छात्र हमारी साइकिल ले रहे हैं और पर्यावरण की गतिविधि को आगे बढ़ा रहे हैं। जिसका रिस्पांस बहुत अच्छा मिल रहा है, अलग-अलग विभाग के छात्र साइकिल ले रहे हैं, गर्ल्स भी हिस्सा ले रही हैं।" निशांत उदाहरण देते हैं कि "एक लड़की ने एक दिन में करीब 71 किलोमीटर साइकिल चलाई तो एक साइकिल इस्तेमाल करने पर एक दिन में अगर एक लीटर पेट्रोल बच जाता है तो ये बड़ा योगदान है वायु प्रदूषण को कंट्रोल करने में, और हमें लगता है कि कैंपस में साइकिल सबसे बड़ा माध्यम होना चाहिए।" सवाल: ये बात अच्छी है कि हम या तो पब्लिक ट्रांसपोर्ट इस्तेमाल करें या फिर साइकिल चलाएं, लेकिन जब हम इसे ग्राउंड पर देखते हैं तो साइकिल के लिए फुटपाथ नहीं है, तो उस बेसिक चीज़ को डेवलप करने के लिए क्या करना होगा? अभी पॉल्यूशन हो रहा है तो हम बात कर रहे हैं लेकिन जब ऐसे हालात नहीं होते तो पूरे साल क्या करते रहना चाहिए? जवाब: ये बात सच है कि साइकिल के Pathway को डेवलप करने की ज़रूरत है। इसीलिए अभी हम कैंपस बेस्ड काम कर रहे हैं, यूनिवर्सिटी बेस्ड काम कर रहे हैं, लेकिन ये बात सच है कि साइकिल के लिए अलग से Pathway होना चाहिए, और एक बात और है कि दिल्ली में जिन जगहों पर साइकिल के Pathway हैं उन जगहों पर लोग बाइक चढ़ा देते हैं तो ये आम आदमी को भी सोचना होगा कि हमें किस जगह पर कौन सी गाड़ी चलानी है और सरकार को इसके लिए एक बड़े स्तर पर मुहिम की तरह काम करना होगा कि साइकिल Pathway बहुत महत्वपूर्ण है और इस पर काम करना चाहिए। सवाल: अगर प्रदूषण को लेकर स्कूल-कॉलेज बंद हो रहे हैं तो ये मुद्दा कितना गंभीर है? पर्यावरण को लेकर जैसी आवाज़ बुलंद होनी चाहिए, नहीं दिख रही, क्यों? जवाब: आज आप जितने भी आंदोलन देख रहे हैं वो पॉलिटिकल माइंड सेट के साथ होते हैं और कॉलेज के छात्र भी इस चपेट में आ गए हैं आज छात्र भी किसी न किसी पार्टी से जुड़े दिखते हैं तो इसलिए वो इस पर खड़े होते नहीं दिख पाते, दिल्ली गैस चैंबर बनी हुई है जिसके लिए जन आंदोलन होने चाहिए थे पर ये चीज़ हमें देखने को नहीं मिली। अगर क्लाइमेट की बात होती है तो सबको साथ आने की ज़रूरत है। सवाल: प्रदूषण पर कोर्ट को बोलना पड़ रहा है, पराली को प्रदूषण का अहम कारण बताया जा रहा है इसे आप कैसे देखते हैं? जवाब: बायोडायवर्सिटी में लोगों को बसा दिया जा रहा है, हम उसे बचा नहीं पा रहे हैं जिसकी वजह से आज ऐसी खतरनाक स्थिति पैदा हो गई है। दूसरी चीज़ पराली - दिल्ली की सबसे बड़ी दिक्कत ये है कि स्टेट पॉलिसी और सेंटर पॉलिसी दोनों के बीच तालमेल न होने की वजह से बहुत दिक्कत आती है, और लोग एक दूसरे को पॉलिटिकल अटैक करते हैं जबकि आम लोग भुगतते हैं क्योंकि जब आम आदमी की बात होती है तो सेंटर और स्टेट को साथ मिलकर किसी तरह का हल निकालने की बात करनी चाहिए, क्योंकि राजनीतिक मतभेद की वजह से भी बहुत सी समस्याएं आ रही हैं। इसके लिए सरकार को अलग तरह से हल निकालना चाहिए इसके लिए अलग मैकेनिज़म डेवलप करके पराली जलाने पर रोक लगानी चाहिए क्योंकि ये बहुत बड़ा फैक्टर है ख़ासकर दिल्ली के प्रदूषण के लिए। सवाल:आप आने वाली पीढ़ी के लिए कैसा पर्यावरण देखते हैं? जवाब: मेरा मानना है कि अगर कोई समस्या है तो उसको हल करना चाहिए, अगर किसी चीज़ में दिक्कत है तो उस पर काम करने की ज़रूरत है, उसमें बदलाव लाने की ज़रूरत है। वे आगे कहते हैं कि "आज प्रदूषण एक ऐसा मुद्दा है बच्चों का स्कूल बंद कर दिया जा रहा है अब सोचिए अगर 5-10 दिन स्कूल नहीं जाएंगे तो वो पूरा एक महीना बर्बाद कर देता है। दिल्ली में ये स्थिति है कि जो बच्चे दिल्ली में पैदा हुए हैं उनके बड़े होने तक कई के लंग्स की हालत ख़राब हो जाती है, तो सिंपल लॉजिक है डॉक्टर, हॉस्पिटल, इलाज बाद की चीज़ें हैं जो जीवन की चीजें हैं उस पर सरकार को बात करनी चाहिए और उसमें बड़ा बदलाव होना चाहिए। निशांत अपने जीवन में पर्यावरण के लिए बहुत कुछ करना चाहते हैं। उन्होंने अपनी बॉडी पर पर्यावरण से जुड़े कई टैटू भी बनवाए हुए हैं। वे सोचते हैं जब तक आम इंसान पर्यावरण से नहीं जुड़ेगा, उसकी चिंता नहीं करेगा तब तक पर्यावरण सही मायनों में नहीं सुधर सकता। हम सब जानते हैं जिस वक़्त पूरे देश में लॉकडाउन लगा था, हमारा आसमान कुछ ज़्यादा नीला हो गया था, नदियां बेहद साफ हो गई थीं। तो क्या पर्यावरण को बचाने का क्या यही एकमात्र उपाय रह गया है? सरकार को इस पर गंभीरता से सोचने की ज़रूरत है।

• Urban Lab

Delhi Plans To Unleash Cloud Seeding in Its Battle Against Deadly Smog

The experiment, which could take place as early as next week, would introduce chemicals like silver iodide into a cloudy sky to create rain and, it's hoped, wash away the fine particulate matter hovering over one of the world's largest cities. The need is desperate. Delhi has already tried traffic restriction measures, multimillion-dollar air filtration towers, and the use of fleets of water-spraying trucks to dissolve the particulate matter in the air -- but to no avail. The use of cloud seeding, if it goes ahead, would be controversial. "It's not at all a good use of resources because it's not a solution, it's like a temporary relief," says Avikal Somvanshi, a researcher at the Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi. Environmentalists and scientists worry that most of the government's response is focused on mitigating the pollution rather than trying to cut off its source. "There is just no political intent to solve this, that is one of the biggest problems," says Bhavreen Kandhari, an activist and cofounder of Warrior Moms, a network of mothers demanding clean air. [...] Now, Delhi officials are seeking permission from federal agencies in India to try cloud seeding. The technique involves flying an aircraft to spray clouds with salts like silver or potassium iodide or solid carbon dioxide, also known as dry ice, to induce precipitation. The chemical molecules attach to moisture already in the clouds to form bigger droplets that then fall as rain. China has used artificial rain to tackle air pollution in the past -- but for cloud seeding to work properly, you need significant cloud cover with reasonable moisture content, which Delhi generally lacks during the winter. If weather conditions are favorable, scientists leading the project at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur plan to carry out cloud seeding around November 20.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

From Electric Mobility to Green Solutions for Tackling Nairobi’s Air Pollution

In the heart of Upperhill, Nairobi, Ronald Onyinkwa Matoke has become a familiar figure, skillfully maneuvering through the bustling commercial hub as a motorcycle taxi rider (boda-boda). He is one of more than 176,00 registered boda boda riders in Nairobi’s capital, a fraction of the estimated 1.4 million registered motorcycles in the country. But Matoke has developed a persistent headache and at the end of each day he is unusually tired. Matoke states, “In my opinion, I would affirm that boda-bodas contribute to air pollution. However, it’s not just confined to motorcycles; you can also observe cars emitting harmful exhaust, as well as industries.” Motorbike emissions are primarily responsible for the deteriorating air quality in the city, and according to experts, these emissions, including carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, are not only degrading air quality but also posing an immediate threat to those who breathe the polluted air. “Much like cigarette smoking, inhaling this polluted air over extended periods can result in chronic health conditions,” said Dr. Waweru Munyu, a pulmonologist based in Nairobi. “Short-term effects include immediate symptoms like sneezing, coughing, chest tightness, and wheezing when exposed to this polluted air.” Dr. Munyu said that the prolonged exposure to vehicular emissions increases the chances of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular issues, strokes, and even cancer. “People living near high-traffic areas, professionals like boda-boda riders, drivers and mechanics, face elevated risks of lung infections and asthma due to constant exposure to vehicular emissions.” Munyu said. “Nairobi experiences approximately 28,000 deaths due to air pollution annually, including 1,000 premature deaths within the city alone,” stated Dr. George Mwaniki, Head of Air Quality at the World Resources Institute (WRI) Africa. Dr. Mwaniki highlighted the broader issue of air pollution in Africa, where approximately 1.5 million people (about the population of Mombasa city) lose their lives annually, an alarming statistic equivalent. The World resources institute (WRI) under the Clean Air Catalyst, an Air Quality program flagship, confirms that Vehicular emissions are the largest contributors to air pollution in Nairobi, indicating that ‘Air pollution in Nairobi has worsened 180 times since independence in 1963, far surpassing neighboring cities such as Kampala’ Nairobi’s Air Quality Monitoring Analysis Dr. John Birir, from the University of Nairobi’s Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, notes significant variations in pollution levels between day and night in Nairobi. “Pollution tends to spike during rush hours, particularly in roundabouts due to frequent vehicle starts and stops, leading to incomplete combustion,” Dr. Birir said. Birir is worried about tiny particles, especially PM2.5, which are over 30 times thinner than a human hair and pose significant health risks when inhaled. Unfortunately, Nairobi’s PM2.5 levels are much higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended annual limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter, raising serious health concerns. Dr. Munyu warns, “When we breathe in these tiny particles, they penetrate deep into our lungs and even enter the bloodstream, which is harmful.” The Global South State Concerns: Meanwhile, the World bank states that ‘people in low- and middle-income countries are most affected by mortality and morbidity from air pollution. The death rate associated with air pollution is significantly higher in low-and lower-middle income countries than in high-income countries.’ The analysis estimates that the global cost of health damages associated with exposure to air pollution is $8.1 trillion, equivalent to 6.1 percent of global GDP. according to the world bank publication, 2022. Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director of the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) in India, shares her observations, saying, “When I came to Nairobi, what strikes me as special is the common challenge that we face in the Global South. I come from India, and I know what the air pollution challenges are.” During the launch of the State of Africa’s Environment Report 2023, Roychowdhury said that, despite lower vehicle ownership compared to other regions, Africa is witnessing a rapid increase in vehicle numbers. She points out that “about 80 to 90% of vehicles in this region are old, contributing to increased emissions.” She highlighted research findings that across Africa, 14% of all deaths in children under the age of 5 are linked to air pollution. The report underscores the long-term consequences for newborns and infants, stating, “The impact on newborns and infants also has long-term consequences for overall health, including issues with lung development and increased susceptibility to communicable diseases such as lower respiratory infections in young children.” Jane Akumu, the Africa focal at the UN Environment, emphasizes the challenge of Africa’s dependence on imported used vehicles. “These vehicles often lack compliance with modern emission standards and safety requirements, as they are not subject to a stringent age limit.” Akumu said, noting that they are more prone to high levels of pollution due to outdated engine technology and insufficient emissions control. Akumu said that planning and sustainable mobility pose critical challenges for African cities. “Importing such vehicles not only exacerbates air pollution but also carries economic implications, including increased maintenance costs and a higher likelihood of breakdowns, significantly impacting the overall cost of vehicle ownership,” she said. The gendered aspect of Air pollution: Dr. Waweru Munyu, emphasized the occupational risks, stating, “Certain careers, such as jobs in the transport industry, dusty factories, or garages, where men are more commonly employed, can lead to long-term lung conditions due to exposure to airborne substances without proper protection.” Dr. Munyu highlighted the vulnerability of men to the health effects of air pollution and underscored, “Air pollution exerts a disproportionate toll on women, especially those in their childbearing years.” A study published by National library of Science indicated ‘Air pollution is a dangerous factor for pregnant women and newborns, many of whom are highly exposed to traffic-related atmospheric pollutants in urban areas.’ The study warned of potential consequences such as low birth weight, respiratory diseases, and premature death. “We have to understand the special vulnerability of some sections of the population, and particularly the women, children, and elderly,” said Anumita Roychowdhury. Roychowdhury pointed out the double burden faced by women and children, explaining, “They are not only inhaling pollution outside but also indoors, as many are still cooking and using stoves where they burn solid fuel, and the smoke fills up their homes.” E-mobility as part of the solution In the ongoing efforts to combat the escalating air pollution crisis in Nairobi, the adoption of electric mobility is gaining momentum. Electric mobility (E-mobility), encompassing electric vehicles (EVs) and e-bikes, stands out as a promising solution to mitigate vehicular emissions and enhance air quality. Numerous initiatives in Nairobi and across the continent actively work towards the transition to electric vehicles and sustainable transportation options. Celeste Tchetgen Vogel, CEO and Co-Founder of eWAKA, an E-mobility company in Nairobi, envisions electric mobility as a transformative force, stating, “Electric mobility can be for Africa what the smartphone was for Africa. It has the potential to transform the way we live, do business, and move within our cities.” Vogel emphasizes the urgent need to address air pollution in cities, asserting, “It’s a health issue, and people are losing their lives because of it.” Alongside the imperative of reducing air pollution, she underscores the broader impact on economic opportunities and job creation. Highlighting Kenya’s curiosity about electric mobility, Vogel notes that it has positioned the country as a leader in the industry. She emphasizes, “Curiosity is an important factor in promoting sustainable transportation.” However, Vogel highlights a crucial challenge related to batteries, stating, “There’s an obsession with range, how far can the E-bike go before it shuts down.” She urges a shift in focus towards public charging points and a well-planned approach to infrastructure. Kennedy Mutava, the lead mechanical engineer at Kiri EV Limited, a Nairobi-based E-mobility industry, discusses two primary charging approaches: battery swapping and ownership of the battery. Mutava emphasizes the importance of understanding these choices within the electric mobility sector, allowing consumers and businesses to make informed decisions based on their specific needs and preferences. “Electric mobility is not only an eco-friendly solution but also a cost-effective mode of transport, contributing to societal benefits by making lives more affordable and healthier.” he said, adding that Charging an electric motorbike at home is more affordable than operating a petrol bike for the same distance. Jane Akumu, stresses the practicality of electric vehicles. “Electric vehicles can be charged at night when there’s excess electricity and less demand, making them suitable for areas with intermittent power supply.” Akumu said. At the Africa Climate Summit 2023, the government made a firm commitment to expedite the adoption of e-mobility as a strategic measure to combat greenhouse gas emissions. President William Samoe Arap Ruto said that “The adoption of electric mobility is a high-priority intervention to address the challenges of pollution, adverse health effects, and fuel costs.” E-mobility continues to hold a central position in Kenya’s National Climate Change Action Plan, aligning seamlessly with the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 32% by the year 2030. According to a report from The Energy and Regulatory Authority (EPRA), the transport sector currently contributes approximately 13% of total emissions, underscoring the imperative to transition to sustainable, healthier, and environmentally friendly modes of transport, notably electric vehicles, To address the escalating challenges of air pollution and environmental concerns in city centers, experts emphasize the need for a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach. Karura as a nature-based solution: Karura as a nature-based solution: On an isolated trail stretch within Karura Forest, surrounded by towering trees and the melodious sounds of birdsong, Peter Njui, Operational Manager of The Friends of Karura, a Community Forest Association, directed a ranger perched on an electric motorcycle.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Delhi pollution LIVE updates: AQI remains in ‘poor’ category post Diwali celebrations

Delhi pollution LIVE updates: A thick layer of smog engulfed Delhi and its adjoining National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday morning, a day after people celebrated Diwali by bursting crackers across the city - contributing to the already deteriorating air quality. Several pictures and videos making rounds on social media from various parts of Delhi showed a thick haze covering the roads, significantly reducing visibility and making it difficult to see beyond a few hundred meters. The Air Quality Index (AQI) at several places in Delhi-NCR was in the ‘severe’ or ‘severe plus’ category for the past several days, however following an intermittent rainfall on Friday, the average AQI slipped into the ‘poor category’. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) forecast on Sunday, the relief was likely to be temporary, making for rather sooty days when the air quality will deteriorate post-Diwali. Delhi pollution LIVE updates: Expert on pollution levels Vivek Chattopadhyaya, Principal Programme Manager, Air Pollution Control Cell, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Sunday said that the air pollution levels have gone up after the bursting of crackers. “The air has become still and its speed is slowing down causing an accumulation of pollution. Right now, we need strictness with our control measures so that the action plan can be implemented across the city,” he told ANI.