• Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

Policy for safe disposal of sanitary waste will be ready by next mth

Jaipur: A policy for safe and environment-friendly disposal of sanitary napkins will be ready by next month, said officials from the women and child department on Thursday after a state level workshop to discuss the draft. The workshop was conducted by the directorate of women empowerment along with Rajasthan Pollution Control Board (RPCB), Center for Science and Environment, New Delhi and UNFPA. Jitendra Upadhyay, secretary for women and child development said, “The main objective of the workshop is to discuss various methods and conditions on the safe disposal and suggestions of sanitary napkins used by women and adolescent girls. A state level policy will be made after discussing the draft. Finding an effective solution for eco-friendly disposal of sanitary napkins under the IM Shakti Udaan scheme is a challenge for which the department is working.” This was the fourth workshop organised by the department to discuss the policy and officials said that with all the suggestions received, the policy will now be finalised. Renu Jaipal, commissioner women empowerment department said, “The main objective of this workshop is to strengthen the distribution and awareness component of sanitary napkins under the menstrual health and hygiene management project and to finalize the draft state level policy for safe and eco-friendly disposal of sanitary napkins.”

• Industrial Pollution

A Report Estimates The Potential Of Crop Residue Availability, As A Bioenergy Resource In India

India’s potential to produce bioenergy from surplus crop residue is lower than previously estimated, claims a study. It suggests a potential of 1313 petajoules (PJ) (1 PJ= 277778 MWh) of bioenergy annually, lower than earlier estimates ranging from 1738 to 4150 PJ. However, the study provides valuable insights into the district and crop-specific bioenergy potential, which can help the country better plan and utilise the available resource. The study conducted across India and supported by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), noted prevalent burning of crop residue, which is the material left behind after harvest, of crops such as rice, wheat, sugarcane, maize, millets, groundnut, oilseed, cotton and banana. Crop residue burning is an easy, low-cost way to dispose of residue. However, crop residue burning leads to pollutant emissions and can instead be targeted as a bioenergy resource, indicates the study. Sixteen institutes, including the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) and others, collaborated on this study where researchers used the bottom-up approach (starting with a ground survey) of country-wide surveys to estimate the quantity of surplus crop residue being burned on the field. They used primary survey data from over 43 representative districts and secondary data related to cattle numbers, socio-economic variables, and satellite-derived information. Based on the finding, researchers created a model to extrapolate it to all 735 districts of India, reflecting both location-specific variability and seasonal availability. The paper claims that the research findings are important for effectively utilising surplus biomass towards producing bio-energy while also controlling stubble burning to prevent air pollution. The study estimates large bioenergy potentials from surplus residues in the districts of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, central/western regions of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. As per the study, rice (28%) and wheat (29%) are the largest contributors to surplus energy potential, followed by sugarcane (13%). The study indicates the months when bioenergy becomes available in each state. Most of the residue availability coincides with the rabi (March-May) and kharif (October–November) harvest periods. Some residues (such as sugarcane and banana) are available between December and February. Bioenergy availability is low in the country’s monsoon months (June–September). Information on location, season and crop-specific biomass availability, provided by the study, could help overcome bottlenecks in the use of crop residue as a bioenergy resource in India. Unlocking the potential Biomass, a renewable energy source, is carbon neutral and has the potential to provide significant employment in rural areas, notes the study. The use of crop residue as a bio-energy resource helps achieve emission reduction targets which in turn improves air quality. Bioenergy can be harnessed in various forms, such as co firing in coal power plants, independent thermal power plants (TPPs), combustion in cogeneration in sugar industries, biogas and bioethanol. Despite the multiple benefits of biomass utilisation and the multitude of policy interventions, incidents of stubble burning have not been reduced significantly. Although the government reported around a 30% decline in stubble-burning incidents during the kharif season, experts questioned the use of satellite data alone to give a clear picture of the change on the ground compared to last year. Speaking to Mongabay India, Taveen S. Kapoor from IIT-Bombay, one of the lead authors of the study, said that farmers burn crop residue due to lack of utilisation, high expenses in removing the residue and transportation. There is presently no monetary value attached to the residues, which makes residue collection and transportation for using crop residue as a bioenergy resource, expensive. A separate study conducted by the New Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) underlines the low usage of agro-residue (crop residue) and finds that not even 1% of the coal consumed yearly has been replaced with agro-residue in the eleven coal-based thermal power plants in the National Capital Region (NCR). The Ministry of Power (MoP) mandates thermal power plants to use 7% biomass pellets (densified form of farm stubble) along with coal. This is when surplus residue is sufficient to meet the present mandate. “Our study shows that the present surplus can provide approximately 8% of the energy needs in the power plants. This will compel the system to find innovative solutions for the collection and transportation problems to reduce costs,” says Kapoor. The research also suggests that the surplus use of biomass for co firing in TPPs is presently limited because of high transportation costs, highlighting the importance of setting up plants for other technologies, such as biogas and bioethanol, closer to crop residue sources. Kapoor believes that using the surplus crop residue in situ or near the generation of biogas/biofuel production plants is likely the best bet. Biogas/biofuel production plants can be set up to take residues from a cluster of villages. The produced fuels can be consumed within the villages, especially the biogas that can replace biomass-based cooking. Both ethanol and biogas can be blended with petrol and CNG, respectively. To ensure that TPPs use the mandatory blending of biomass pellets, the MoEFCC, on July 14, issued a notification to enforce penalties on power plants that do not adhere to the mandatory blending rule. Addressing the gap In the last decade, the union government has developed several policies to effectively utilise surplus biomass, especially to control stubble burning. In November 2014, the Ministry of Agriculture came up with the National Policy for Management for Crop Residue (NPMCR). In January 2019, the MoEFCC launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as a long-term, time-bound, national-level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem nationwide. The NCAP identified agriculture crop residue burning in the Indo-Gangetic Plains as one major reason for air pollution. On October 8, 2021, the MoP issued the revised biomass policy mandating all TPPs in the country to use 5-7% of biomass pellets to cofire with coal. Apart from the MoP, the Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) has also directed TPPs located within 300 km of Delhi to initiate cofiring biomass-based pellets to curb air pollution from burning paddy straw. However, these efforts have not been able to push the usage of biomass. Responding to the slow progress, Aggarwal further explains that the supply chain of agri-biomass is extremely tricky and difficult to scale up. All stakeholders (MOP, CAAQM, MoEFCC) are working together and came up with the SAMARTH (Sustainable Agrarian Mission on Use of Agri-Residue in Thermal Power Plants) portal in 2021. But there is a lack of coordination among authorities. TPPs and pellet manufacturers have their own stories to tell and blame each other. Several factors affect the utilisation of surplus crop residue – seasonal availability, quality issues, logistics, a gap in demand and supply of biomass pellets, and the price of biomass pellets almost double domestic coal. Recognising the multiple issues stakeholders face, MoP revised the Biomass Cofiring Policy in June 2023 to enable the purchase of biomass pellets by Power Plants at benchmark prices. The decision would encourage farmers, entrepreneurs, and thermal power utilities to strive to establish a sustainable biomass supply chain. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), in its notification dated June 28, also introduced biomass-based production of green hydrogen target of 40,000 MT/annum under the incentive scheme of the National Green Hydrogen Mission. Anubha Aggarwal, Programme Officer at the Industrial Pollution Unit at CSE, says it makes sense to use surplus biomass instead of coal, as the calorific value of biomass pellets is comparable to coal (when used in TPPs). It can also replace coal in other states, like the Delhi-NCR region, where a lot of industry has shifted to biomass fuel in different forms. Aggarwal sees biomass not being quantified for multiple uses, such as TPPs, bio-CNG, bioethanol, and hydrogen, as one major bottleneck. “We are rampantly increasing our capacity for manufacturing pellets, bio-CNG, and bioethanol, without a clear idea of demand and surplus biomass availability in a region,” she says. Regarding the latest research from IIT and other institutes, Kapoor further informs that better planning of crop residue management will also generate employment for the village residents and organic fertilisers as a by-product for local farms. Biogas plants can also use other materials such as cow dung, municipal solid waste, and food processing waste, which ensures a steady supply of raw material.

• Books

Agribusiness Books Worth Reading

My friend and professional colleague, Danielle Nierenberg of Food Tank, wrote in to share the following set of books with us. You surely will find them useful, what with the recent declaration of state of emergency on food security by Mr. President: Dear Siaka, Four times a year, we will be handpicking a selection of books (mostly newer editions, but several oldies) that have recently educated, inspired, and informed Food Tank. Below are Food Tank’s “must read” for those who are passionate about a more sustainable food system! From practical tips on sustainable agriculture on a warming planet to insight on how to make jam, these reads will provide plenty of food for thought. These books are listed in alphabetical order: 1. 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World by Howard G Buffett with Howard W. Buffett and Forward by Warren E. Buffett Howard G. Buffett, son of business tycoon, Warren Buffett, primarily identifies as a farmer. In 2006, given the opportunity to head his own philanthropic foundation, Howard G. Buffett embarked on a battle to fight food scarcity in the U.S., along with worldwide hunger. His book contains 40 stories from around the globe highlighting his endeavors to help those who lack food security. A 66 square foot terrace in Brooklyn may not seem like a lot, but Marie Viljoen has drawn enough inspiration from her tiny rooftop garden to create a popular blog and compose a heartfelt book about it. Complete with astounding garden photography and delicious recipes, this book is sure to inspire anyone interested in seasonal eating and growing their own food. 3. Blessing the Hands that Feed Us: What Eating Closer to Home Can Teach Us About Food, Community, and Our Place on Earth by Vicki Robin Vicki Robin chronicles her month-long endeavor to eat food solely from within ten miles of her Whidbey Island, Washington home. Reflecting upon her experiment of living as a locavore, the book features lessons on food and farming–interspersed with recipes and tips on how to lead a more sustainable life. 4. Cows Save the Planet: And Other Improbable Ways of Restoring Soil to Heal the Earth by Judith Schwartz with Forward by Gretel Ehrlich Cows Save the Planet takes a “soil’s-eye view” of the problems currently facing the environment. Using soil as her springboard, Schwartz argues that for all the dire issues facing the planet, there is still hope for a bright future. This book is sure to uplift even those most despondent over global warming and the diminishing health of the planet. 5. Eat Drink Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Food Politics by Marion Nestle Eat Drink Vote presents over 250 cartoons illustrating the complex connections between politics and food choice. Nestle collaborates with The Cartoonist Group to use humorous illustrations to simply explain the complicated intricacies of the food system. 6. First Food: A Taste of India’s Biodiversity by Sunita Narain and Vibha Varshney The Centre for Science and the Environment’s Sunita Narain and Vibha Varshney come together to present a delicious look at India’s indigenous food. Food First is a cookbook featuring 100 recipes that showcase the immense biodiversity found throughout India. 7. Food DIY: How to Make Your Own Everything: Sausages to Smoked Salmon, Sourdough to Sloe Gin, Bacon to Buns by Tim Hayward For anyone who has ever wondered about how to make his or her own bacon, Tim Hayward shows the way. Simple instructions paired with stunning photographs and illustrations make this an indispensable do-it-yourself guide for those with an interest in learning to make their own food. 8. Food Policy in the United States: An Introduction by Parke Wilde Food Policy in the United States is a textbook for anyone interested in increasing his or her knowledge within the complex field of U.S. food policy. Agricultural economist Parke Wilde discusses the essential topics from international agricultural trade to food labeling. 9. From the Ground Up: A Food Grower’s Education in Life, Love, and the Movement That’s Changing the Nation by Jeanne Nolan with Forward by Alice Waters Jeanne Nolan’s book presents her astounding memoir paired with a practical guide to organic farming. From the Ground Up demonstrates the benefits of sustainable agriculture for people, communities and the planet. Anyone interested in the food movement or just keen on growing their own food will delight in Nolan’s exhilarating adventure creating edible gardens across Chicago. 10. Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmers’ Markets, Local Food and Saving the Family Farm by Forest Pritchard with Forward by Joel Salatin Forest Pritchard’s memoir about saving his family farm highlights the real cost of industrial farming. The tale brings the reader along a hilariously moving path toward the future of family farming, illustrating the importance of sustainable agriculture along the way.

• Director General Office

Gulbenkian distingue projetos ambientais focados nas comunidades

À quarta edição, o Prémio Gulbenkian para a Humanidade distinguiu três projetos distintos, que têm em comum o ativismo ambiental. Os vencedores foram conhecidos esta quarta-feira, em cerimónia presidida por Angela Merkel No Bornéu, a comunidade Dayak Iban acredita que a terra é mãe, a floresta pai e a água o sangue de homens e animais. Bandi "Apai Janggut", líder tradicional da comunidade indígena Dayak Iban Sungai Utik Long House, situada na floresta tropical de Kalimantan, explica assim aos jornalistas portugueses o porquê de ser conhecido como o "guardião" da floresta de Sungai Utik. Um trabalho que, nos últimos 40 anos, o tem levado a combater o desmatamento ilegal, a produção de óleo de palma e os interesses corporativos envolvidos nestas e noutras indústrias que primam pelas más práticas contra o ambiente e a qualidade de vida das populações. Bandi é um dos três vencedores da quarta edição do Prémio Gulbenkian para a Humanidade, anunciados esta 4ª feira na sede da Fundação pela antiga chanceler alemã, Angela Merkel, na qualidade de presidente do júri que atribuiu estas distinções. As outras premiadas são Cécile Bibiane Ndjebet, oriunda dos Camarões, que, ao longo dos últimos 30 anos, tem vindo a apostar na igualdade de género e no direito das comunidades à floresta e aos seus recursos naturais, e a brasileira Lélia Wanick Salgado, ambientalista, designer e cenógrafa brasileira, que, ao lado do marido, o fotógrafo mundialmente conhecido Sebastião Salgado, criou o Instituto Terra e centra a sua atividade de recuperação ambiental na região do Estado de Minas Gerais. Na cerimónia de anúncio e entrega dos prémios, em que participaram, entre outras individualidades, o Presidente da República, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, e o primeiro ministro, António Costa, Ângela Merkel, pela segunda vez presidente do júri deste Prémio, admitiu "estar positivamente impressionada com a diversidade de candidaturas submetidas", que atingiu o maior número de sempre: 143, de 55 países. Para a antiga chanceler alemã é também de saudar o facto da maior parte dessas candidaturas serem originárias do Sul global, "o que é um sinal encorajador, já que esta é a região do mundo mais afetada pelas alterações climáticas e também a que contribuiu menos para esta situação, "sofrendo alterações dramáticas nas condições de vida das populações, nomeadamente das mais carenciadas". Para Merkel "importa encorajar esta atitude de não conformismo. Estas pessoas são exemplo e inspiração para muitas outras em todo o mundo." Também Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, que considerou o Prémio Gulbenkian um prémio cheio de "visão de futuro", sublinhou a importância de premiar "projetos oriundos do hemisfério sul e de três continentes diferentes". Em nome da Gulbenkian, António Feijó, seu presidente, aproveitou a ocasião para reafirmar a intenção institucional de apostar cada vez mais em "projetos de envolvimento das populações com a preservação ambiental e dos oceanos", dizendo que, dado o ponto crítico a que chegámos, importa "assumir a obrigação moral de ser inteligente." Para Bandi "Apai Janggut" o Prémio Gulbenkian marca o reconhecimento internacional de quase meio século de luta, que, em 2020, conseguiu que o governo indonésio concedesse finalmente o direito de propriedade de 9 500 hectares de terra à comunidade Dayak Iban, que, nos últimos anos, foi também reconhecida como protetora do ambiente com o Equator Prize das Nações Unidas. Em declarações aos jornalistas, o premiado explicou a relevância da sua causa: "Estamos a preservar algo que já nos foi dado pelos nossos antepassados e que queremos legar tão bem quanto possível aos nossos descendentes. A Terra é fonte de vida mas o respeito por ela faz também parte da nossa cultura. Honrá-la é como honrar os nossos pais." Não se trata apenas de belas palavras. Bandi acredita que a chave para o futuro está na educação e na formação para a sustentabilidade: "O valor deste prémio será investido na capacitação de recursos humanos para esta missão de preservar a natureza. Temos o projeto de investir no Eco-turismo, mas de forma equilibrada e sustentável que se harmonize com o nosso ecossistema." Esta visão está próxima da da brasileira Lélia Wanick Salgado, para quem o interesse pela Arte e pela Fotografia em particular (como curadora, editora e cenógrafa) foi sempre acompanhado pelo ativismo ambiental. No final dos anos 1990, Lélia e Sebastião Salgado criaram o Instituto Terra, uma organização não governamental dedicada à reflorestação, conservação e educação ambiental no Vale do Rio Doce, em Minas Gerais. Entre outras "missões", esta instituição, localizada na floresta tropical da Mata Atlântica, já plantou quase três milhões de árvores e tornou-se uma referência mundial em termos de restauro dos ecossistemas e de recuperação e preservação ambientais. Em conversa com o DN, Lélia explica como tudo começou: "Foi numa fazenda que é do meu marido, na fronteira com o Espírito Santo, no vale Rio Doce. Este é um vale enorme, quase do tamanho de Portugal. Está muito degradado, a tal ponto que o rio Doce é o mais açoreado do Brasil. O terreno à volta, que é muito montanhoso, foi desmatado e, quando chove, as terras deslizam livremente para os riachos, enchendo-os de todo o tipo de detritos." Se a isto acrescentarmos o facto deste vale ser também um grande produtor de aço e minério de ferro, então compreenderemos o nível de poluição a que se chegou. A esta triste realidade, o Instituto Terra opõe o investimento na reflorestação. Em menos de 25 anos de atividade, conta Lélia, "já plantámos quase três milhões de plantas, de 300 espécies representativas da mata atlântica. Nós temos aquilo a que eu chamo uma floresta criança. Os animais estão a voltar, o que significa que a cadeia alimentar está a ser reposta, o que é um ótimo sinal." No âmbito deste trabalho, está também a ser desenvolvido um laboratório de plantas e um grande viveiro com capacidade para 500 mil espécies." Agora estamos a fazer o enriquecimento com espécies perenes.", conta Lélia. Complementar do investimento na reflorestação é o projeto de recuperação das nascentes de água: "Já recuperámos as da nossa fazenda, agora vamos recuperar as que estão em redor. No Instituto temos um programa em que os proprietários rurais se inscrevem e nós mandamos pessoas e material para os ajudar. Para o conseguirmos fazer temos que cercar a área da nascente para o gado não pisar e não comer as plantinhas novas." Aos inscritos neste programa, também são fornecidos meios para tratar as águas domésticas de modo a que elas não contaminem as nascentes. O prémio Gulbenkian, afirma a ativista, vai juntar-se ao fundo que o Instituto Terra tem vindo a criar, quer graças ao apoio do Ministério alemão para a Cooperação e Desenvolvimento, quer com leilões de obras de arte doadas por amigos do projeto, na Sotheby's de Nova Iorque. No outro lado do Atlântico, nos Camarões, está outra premiada desta edição de 2023, Cécile Bibiane Ndjebet, que assim vê reconhecidos os seus esforços pela igualdade de género e o direito das comunidades à floresta e aos seus recursos naturais. A sua atuação tem vindo a conduzir ao restauro de mais de 600 hectares de terra em estado de degradação. Em 2021, integrou o Conselho Consultivo da UN Decade on Ecossystem Restauration. Em 2022, foi considerada Champion of the Earth for Inspiration and Action pelo Programa das Nações Unidas para o Ambiente e recebeu o prémio Wangari Maathai Forest Champions do Collaborative Partnership of Forests. Em simultâneo, tem liderado os esforços para influenciar políticas de igualdade de género na gestão das florestas em 20 países africanos. É também membro ativo da UN Women Major Group e uma reconhecida advogada para o direito das mulheres à terra em várias redes globais. O seu trabalho inclui a mobilização das mulheres que, em zonas rurais, se dedicam ao restauro dos mangais, ao longo da costa dos Camarões. "O nosso principal desafio - conta-nos - é influenciar as políticas relacionadas com direitos das mulheres, ao mesmo tempo que procuramos mostrar aos deputados quão grande é ainda o gap entre as políticas oficiais, a legislação e a realidade dos comportamentos que ainda existem nas comunidades". Céline tem, pois, de diversificar a ação consoante os destinatários sejam nacionais ou locais, interpelando também famílias e chefes de aldeia. "Se estamos a falar de racionalizar o uso dos recursos naturais, então as mulheres são interlocutores chave neste processo. Basta pensarmos que, em 80% dos casos, são elas que tratam de fornecer alimentação às suas famílias. É na educação delas que temos de investir antes de mais." Céline está ciente, no entanto, dos obstáculos colocados por uma sociedade persistentemente patriarcal: "O futuro dos recursos naturais passa sobretudo pelas práticas das mulheres mas elas não têm acesso a qualquer financiamento para desenvolver ideias ou medidas. Nem sequer têm acesso à Educação em igualdade de circunstâncias com os homens." O Prémio Gulbenkian para a Humanidade, no valor de um milhão de euros, distingue pessoas ou organizações que contribuem com a sua liderança para enfrentar os grandes desafios atuais da humanidade: as alterações climáticas e a perda de biodiversidade. Presidido pela ex-chanceler alemã, Angela Merkel, o júri que escolheu os premiados deste ano foi composto pelo português Miguel Bastos Araújo, professor Investigador no Museu Nacional de Ciências Naturais,  em Madrid e Catedrático de Biogeografia na Universidade de Évora (vice-presidente), Miguel Arias Cañete, antigo Comissário Europeu para a Energia e a Ação Climática,, Sandra Diaz, especialista em Biodiversidade, Runa Khan, fundadora da ONG Friedship, Rik Leemans, líder do grupo de Análise de Sistemas Ambientais, Sunita Narain, escritora e ambientalista, Johan Rockström, diretor do Instituto de Investigação sobre o Impacto Climático de Potsdam e Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, fundador e diretor emérito do Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Your Design Store: Leading The Way In Data Safety And Environmental Consciousness

Data safety and Environmental Awareness are keywords that the young modern consumer looks for in any company they choose to associate with. In the space of e-commerce, with giants like Amazon, eBay and even Shopify being accused of data leaks, the e-commerce space has made online shoppers wary of what information they choose to disclose. In this environment of distrust and misuse of data, Your Design Store stands strong in data neutrality. The YDS website does not collect any cookies or save any browsing data. They also don’t insist or even request that you connect to any social media. In fact, the only data collected is that which is relevant to making deliveries happen- Name & Address, Phone Number, Email ID. Let’s take a look at carbon footprints in e-commerce. According to a report by the Central Pollution Control Board, India generates over 25,000 tons of plastic waste every day, and a significant portion of this comes from packaging materials used in e-commerce. Furthermore, a report by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi estimates that the packaging material used in e-commerce in India is responsible for generating around 9,406 metric tons of plastic waste per day, including plastic bags, bubble wrap, and other packaging materials. According to a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), delivery vehicles in India account for approximately 10-12% of total vehicular emissions in urban areas. In order to do its bit for the cause, YDS has taken certain measures to reduce the overall carbon footprint in their entire order cycle. Shedding the erstwhile plastic tamper-proof delivery bags, Your Design initially shifted to biodegradable plastic bags for delivery and has now settled on eco-printed heavy GSM-sealed brown paper bags. These are not only sturdy and environmentally conscious but also look great and provide all the protection required for the products it contains. In cases of fragile products, thermocol and bubble wrap are still a requirement, although the company aims to phase these out in exchange for paper-based packaging solutions in the near future. All of YDS’s local deliveries are handled by the logistics team, who used to operate through Porter, Dunzo and various other delivery partners. The entire local logistics team has now shifted to electric vehicles powered by Log9. With a fleet of electric 2-wheelers and one electronic 3-wheeler for larger deliveries, the local logistics team at YDS have almost completely eliminated the need for carbon-emitting vehicles.

• Climate Change and Green Economy

India's green credit scheme needs strong regulation to work

India’s environment ministry has proposed a Green Credit Programme under which individuals, organisations and industries can earn and sell credits for certain environment-friendly activities, which can then be traded. With the aim to incentivise sustainability and environmental protection, India’s environment ministry has proposed a programme to enable individuals, organisations and industry generate “green credits” for voluntary activities deemed beneficial for the environment. But without proper oversight or strong regulatory mechanisms, the scheme could open the door to greenwashing or double counting, experts warn. The draft Green Credit Programme Implementation Rules, released on June 27 by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), propose awarding individuals and other entities with credits for undertaking eight “environmental interventions.” These credits can then be “made available for trading on a domestic market platform,” says the draft of the programme. India has dabbled with similar mechanisms to drive down energy consumption and is now wading into the trade of carbon credits while setting up its domestic carbon market. But unlike a carbon market – which prices a standard unit of per tonne carbon emitted – the Green Credit Programme (GCP) doesn’t yet have a standard unit of measurement for the benefits accrued across various activities, which range from tree plantations to sustainable infrastructure. The GCP is envisioned to function as a separate market mechanism but may overlap with the carbon market if the “green credit” also results in the reduction of carbon emissions, notes the programme draft. “Even tracking carbon credits, which focuses on just one gas, is a complex exercise that is challenging to regulate. Extending that same method to other ecosystems and pollution areas creates a strong risk of greenwashing,” Avantika Goswami, programme manager for climate change at the Centre for Science and Environment, told Mongabay India. “It also raises serious questions about how rigorous the monitoring will be and who should take responsibility for pollution reduction and biodiversity savings.” Trupti Mishra, a professor at the Interdisciplinary Programme in Climate Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, states, “I believe any programme, regardless mandatory or voluntary, needs robust process, involving technical support, good measurement tools and more importantly proper monitoring at the source level. Since green credit or for that matter carbon market are new programmes for Indian companies, these would work well with process support involving awareness to monitoring.” The programme aims to propagate the ‘Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) Movement’ spearheaded by the government, which aims to promote healthy and sustainable living. The LiFE concept was given a boost at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, where it featured in the cover decision text that influences global climate action. The draft programme comes at a time when India is hosting the G20 Presidency and will have to walk the talk on its international climate commitments, which include achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. India has also committed, in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), to creating a carbon sink capable of absorbing 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide through additional forest and tree cover. Who gets the green credits and how? A wide cross-section of society can participate in the GCP, notes the draft notification. This includes individuals, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), cooperatives, forestry and sustainable agriculture enterprises, urban and rural local bodies, private sectors, industries and organisations of different kinds. The eight activities that can generate credits include planting trees; harvesting and saving water; treating wastewater; promoting natural and regenerative agricultural practices; improving waste management, segregation and collection; reducing air pollution; conserving and restoring mangroves; obtaining an Eco Mark label for manufacturing and constructing buildings, which is a label that the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) gives to environment-friendly products. “Overall, this is a great initiative. But it will be challenging to implement and requires the establishment of a scientific committee with activity-specific experts, who can frame the requirements for receiving green credits,” said Easwaran J. Narassimhan, an associate professor at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), a Delhi based think tank. “The administrator must ensure that every credit generated under different categories are not ‘hot-air credits’ (unsubstantial or lacking real value) and are additional to what is already happening anyway,” Narassimhan added. The administrative body tasked with implementing the GCP is the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), a research and capacity-building organisation that doesn’t typically deal with implementation. As part of the GCP, it will be in charge of granting credits and maintaining a registry of green credits, among other responsibilities. Guiding the ICFRE will be a Steering Committee, which will formulate guidelines for implementation and verification, make recommendations for which sectors should be included in the programme, and review and monitor it. The central government may empanel auditors to audit the entire system from time to time, says the draft. Areas of uncertainty India’s experience with such market mechanisms has been with mixed results. The Perform Achieve and Trade Scheme (PAT) launched in 2012 encourages 13 carbon-intensive industries to reduce their energy consumption. Energy saved is certified and can be sold to entities that did not meet their targets. The second cycle of the PAT scheme, which ended in 2019, resulted in emissions reductions worth around 68 million tonnes. A 2021 study by the Centre for Science and Environment, however, found that for the thermal power sector, a major emitter, energy reductions were only 3 per cent compared to the sector’s total energy consumption. “This highlights the fact that the target given to TPPs is very less compared to the overall emission reduction from the sector,” the study said. “Having the option of acquiring energy saving certificates for compliance makes it far less expensive for thermal power plants to demonstrate compliance by installing energy saving measures,” the study found, adding that thermal power plants that didn’t comply weren’t always penalised. Similarly, another market-based instrument, the Renewable Energy Certificate (REC), allows electricity distribution companies (discoms) and other entities to buy these certificates from generators if they are unable to meet their renewable purchase obligations (RPOs). A 2021 report by Intellecap, an advisory service, found an over-supply of RECs due to poor enforcement of penalties among non-conforming discoms. It also found that demand was overwhelmingly driven by obligated entities with little voluntary participation. The GCP is ambitious because it covers various activities under several different sectors. But it could also lead to problems when being implemented, say experts. “The liquidity of these credits for trading in the market is another concern. Are credits generated for specific activities tradable within the activities? If not, there needs to be clarity on how credits generated in different activities are comparable,” said Narassimhan from CPR. The question of how the credits will be calculated is ambiguous in the draft notification, which says a value will be arrived at after considering “the equivalence of resource requirement (for a project), parity of scale, scope, size, and other relevant parameters.” Measuring the benefit of certain activities should be done carefully, experts say. For example, rewarding a waste-to-energy plant with a green credit might be counterproductive if it processes mixed waste, leading to higher emissions. While Mishra from IIT-Bombay acknowledges that double counting is not an issue with green credits and carbon credits programmes, she does express concerns about the potential for greenwashing, which is <the practice of making products, activities, or policies seem more environmentally friendly or less environmentally damaging than they actually are. She explains, “Green credits are supposed to complement the action of companies. Only buying credits and no internal action is a sign of greenwashing. It may be an easier way for the companies to park it under sustainability activities and action for SDG goals. There are possibilities that companies can greenwash by falsely communicating or overhyping their credits, buying unreliable credits and buying credits unrelated to companies’ sectoral activity.” The draft notification also makes no mention of what will happen if credits are found to be fraudulent. The GCP also proposes to link with the Accredited Compensatory Afforestation (ACA) scheme under the Forest Conservation Rules (2022), which allows private and public entities to grow plantations on non-forest land and sell them to project proponents looking to “compensate” for the forest diverted to their projects. While the ICFRE will administer the GCP, the ACA scheme is administered by state and district forest departments. They also fall under two different laws – the former under the Environment Protection Act and the latter under the Forest (Conservation) Act. “While both these reforms are being pursued under different laws, they have to be understood as a series of reforms that the government has to undertake to reconcile global commitments and national policy requirements. The monitoring, however, is likely to be complex as it will not just be done by different institutions, the compliance will be subject to the legal standards of two different laws. It will be a challenge to reconcile the data generated under both these processes, as there are risks of double counting and other related gaps,” said Kanchi Kohli, an independent legal and policy researcher.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Bright spot: 12 straight clean-air days

Delhi has enjoyed a spell of clean air for 12 consecutive days, perhaps the only bright spot amid the spell of rain that was followed by the flooding of the Yamuna. From July 5-17, the air quality was "satisfactory", which means the air quality index was between 50 and 100 on a scale of 500. This month was AQI-wise the cleanest in four years. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data shows that the AQI on July 5 was 96. Between July 5 and 17, the lowest AQI recorded was 64 on July 9. The highest was reported at 100 on July 15. However, the streak was broken on July 18 when the AQI crept into the "moderate" category with a reading of 113. "Rain in Delhi and its adjoining areas caused the pollutants to settle. As the city has been receiving rain regularly, it has helped in cleaning air quality," a Met official said. The IMD's data shows that Safdarjung, the city's base station, has logged 330.6mm of rainfall in July so far. This means Delhi has received 206% of excess rain. The CPCB data shows that in July 2022, Delhi saw a streak of "satisfactory" AQI days from July 10-19. The average AQI in July this year from 1 to 17 was 82. In the same period, the average AQI was 93 in 2022, 135 in 2021 and 92 in 2020. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director for research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said: "Prolonged and intense rain is responsible for this long spell of 'satisfactory' air quality days. We need to utilise the off-peak seasons to speed up action to prevent peaking of pollution during winter." The CPCB classifies an AQI between 0 and 50 as good, between 51 and 100 as satisfactory, between 101 and 200 as moderate, between 201 and 300 as poor, between 301 and 400 as very poor and above 400 as severe.

• Director General Office

Media reaction: Extreme weather hits world’s seven continents in July 2023

From Africa to Antarctica, all seven of Earth’s continents have experienced extraordinary extreme weather events this month. The start of July saw Earth experience its hottest week on record. Extreme weather events across the globe this month have already featured on more than 114 frontpages in at least 84 newspapers, published across 32 countries, Carbon Brief analysis shows. Many nations are grappling with extreme heat, with China setting a provisional new national temperature record of 52.2C, Antarctica sea ice at record low levels amid unusual winter heat and Africa experiencing its hottest night ever. Other regions are facing deadly floods. More than 100 people have been killed in deluges in India and at least a dozen people have died in floods in South Korea. Below, Carbon Brief’s global team of journalists analyse how national and international media have covered the deadly extremes affecting Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, Oceania and Antarctica. The ‘Cerberus’ heatwave in Europe A high-pressure system named Cerberus, after the three-headed dog of Greek mythology, has caused temperatures across Europe to surge to near record levels, according to the Conversation. Temperatures over the past week have surged across southern and eastern Europe, including France, Spain, Poland and Greece. The extreme conditions in Europe made the frontpages of French newspaper Le Monde, the UK’s Daily Mail and Gulf News, an English-language newspaper published from Dubai, among many other publications. A second “heat storm” dubbed Charon, after the ferryman that carries souls over the river Styx in Hades, is set to push temperatures even further across the coming week, according to the Daily Telegraph. Temperatures well above 45C are forecast in parts of Italy, Spain and Greece, the Independent reported, and could get as high as 48C in Italy’s Sardinia. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe was 48.8C in Sicily in 2021. Described as a “tongue of fire” by the Il Messaggero newspaper in Rome, the intense heat has also reached Italy. Major cities such as Rome, Bologna and Florence are among the 10 in Italy now under red alert due to the intense heat, according to BBC News. In Rome, temperatures are expected to beat the previous record high of 40.7C, set in 2007, with 42-43C forecast as “infernal days” hit main cities, reported Italian newspaper La Repubblica. While Italy is experiencing much of the worst of the heatwave, national papers have not led with the story, noted the Guardian. In many places, the bufera – or storm – that has been caused by deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini’s call for amnesty for tax evaders has taken centre stage. Health warnings have been issued throughout the country, Metronews reported. Both BBC News and the Guardian reported that many people have collapsed in Rome and Milan due to a lack of water and dehydration. From Thursday, temperatures are expected to cool, particularly across the northern regions of Italy, as thunderstorms arrive, according to 3bmeteo. In Greece, the Acropolis was shut from noon until 5pm on 14 July in the name of “protecting” visitors from the sun, according to the Guardian. Temperatures hit 45C in Syntagma Square in Athens – which due to its altitude and lack of shade is typically a few degrees warmer than the wider city – and are likely to have matched this on the rocky outcrop of the Acropolis, the Guardian said. Its article continued: “Up at the Acropolis, the realities of the climate emergency were on full display as it becomes ever more evident that the future will be fraught with difficulty as humans and urban environments attempt to adapt to temperatures accelerating with a speed few had envisaged.” It remained closed during the hottest hours over Saturday and Sunday, according to the Daily Telegraph, as several tourists were still sent to the hospital in the Greek capital. The closure of the Acropolis due to extreme heat made the frontpage of newspapers around the world including La Vanguardia, a Spanish daily newspaper, as well as the Wall Street Journal in the US, the Malta Independent and the Rheinische Post in Germany. Elsewhere, at least 46 forest fires broke out around Greece over Sunday, according to the Times, although all are now under control. Two “raged uncontrolled” through coastal towns near Athens on Monday, prompting evacuations as at least five homes were destroyed, reported Reuters. On the Spanish island of La Parma, more than 4,000 residents were evacuated as a wildfire spread, according to the Independent. The fire began in the early hours of Saturday morning in El Pinar de Puntagorda and had affected around 4,500 hectares (11,120 acres) of land and destroyed at least 12 homes by the early afternoon, according to Reuters. Elsewhere, on Tenerife, another of Spain’s eight Canary Islands, a forest fire broke out, leading to 50 people being evacuated, according to the Daily Telegraph. Temperatures are set to reach above 40C in the Canary Islands as well as the southern Andalusian region of Spain over the coming week, the article noted. The evacuation of people away from forest fires in Tenerife made the frontpage of the Portuguese daily newspaper Jornal de Notícias. In Croatia, a bushfire near the Adriatic town of Sibenik raged on Thursday, according to CNBC. In total, 56 firefighters with 20 vehicles and three aircraft were brought in to fight the blaze. Much of the Balkans were hit by the heatwave last week, according to Reuters, with meteorologists and doctors in Montenegro, Bosnia and Serbia calling for people to stay indoors where possible and drink plenty of liquids if they venture out. In Northern Europe, Cerberus made frontpages, with Die Presse in Austria warning of the risks of record heat, De Telegraaf in the Netherlands highlighting “heat alarm” and Dagbladet in Norway stating that researchers have warned there could soon be 40C temperatures in the country. On Sunday, Agora in Poland ran with the headline: “It will be like hell: Saudi Arabia recorded 48C, Spain 44C, and Poland will soon be flooded by 35C heat.” In Turkey, the Milliyet daily newspaper called on people to not be “heartbroken in this weather” as the Hatay province fought flames. The Oksijen newspaper, meanwhile, warned: “It’s hot…it’s going to be even hotter.” Korkusuz stated: “Turkey is burning.” And a separate Milliyet piece asked: “Record hot! But what will they [earthquake victims] do?” Deadly floods in India and Pakistan After a delayed start to this year’s monsoon that brought another deadly, early summer to an end, South Asia was once again hit by record-breaking monsoon rains that wrought devastation in north India and Pakistan. News coverage of flash floods and landslides peaked in the week starting 10 July, after videos of Himalayan rivers flooding towns and sweeping bridges away went viral on social media. On 10 July, estimates of fatalities from the floods on that day differed: the Times of India reported 22 deaths, while the New York Times said 49. The Guardian reported that Delhi received 153mm of rain, “the highest precipitation in a single day in July in 40 years”, while the mountain-state of Himachal Pradesh “received a month’s rainfall in a day”. The cold desert region of Ladakh – previously in the state of Jammu and Kashmir – received more than 10,000% of its normal rain on 8-9 July, according to Down to Earth. The flash floods and landslides made the frontpages of the Times of India, Hindu, Hindustan Times, Asian Age and Pakistan’s National Herald Tribune, among other outlets. Overseas outlets, including the Straits Times in Singapore, Daily Trust in Nigeria and Arab News in Saudi Arabia, also covered the floods, but reporting in developed countries was limited. In an explainer in the Hindustan Times, India’s meteorological authorities and climate experts both pointed to major changes in the amount of rainfall, from a deficient June to a 2% nationwide excess in July, driven by a “surge over the west coast and parts of northern India in the past week”. While the India Meteorological Department (IMD) chief quoted in the piece attributed the heavy rainfall to “an interaction between a western disturbance and the monsoon”, his quote did not mention climate change. In contrast, India’s former earth sciences secretary M Rajeevan is quoted saying “one of the important impacts of climate change on monsoon: it rains fewer hours, but when it rains, it rains very heavily”. “This is a clear climate change signal,” climate scientist and IPCC author Dr Roxy Matthew Koll told the Daily Telegraph, while highlighting how the hills are “particularly susceptible to heavy rains and landslides” and that flash floods and cloudbursts are “hard to predict”. The story quoted Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) lead author on water, Dr Aditi Mukherji, who said the floods were also “partly a result of development models that did not factor in the caution while building in ecologically fragile zones”. Mahesh Palawat at the private weather agency Skymet told the Independent: “There has been a constant rise in both land and sea temperatures, which has increased the capacity of the air to hold moisture for a longer time. [T]he role of climate change in the increasing extreme weather events in India has been strengthening with each passing year.” On 11 July, Bloomberg reported that several hydropower plants in Himachal Pradesh “have suspended operations due to flooding and high silt levels”. Five days later, it reported that some plants were restarting operations even as “yet more rain looms”, adding that “while India sees hydropower as vital to its energy transition, environmental and social challenges have slowed capacity additions and boosted costs”. Across the border in Pakistan, Nikkei Asia reported that up to a million people were affected by “cloudbursts and flash floods in multiple cities”. According to the story, many “fear[ed] a repeat” of last year’s floods attributed to global warming, with water authorities arguing that Pakistan needed “more dams…to use floodwater for our benefit”. Others argued that “bitter rivals” India and Pakistan “have a good starting point to collaborate on early warning systems for floods”. By this time, in India, the spotlight for accountability for the floods had shifted to infrastructure and development choices in affected regions, and a failure to adapt. “More needs to be done for climate adaptation to prevent economic losses and food insecurity,” Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) Sunita Narain told Deutsche Welle, pointing out that India needed to “relearn land- and water-management strategies…fast” in a “climate-variable world”. Stories in the Hindustan Times looked at the “mindless concretisation” of the Himalayan region, attributing impacts to forest cover loss, infrastructure development, river-bed mining and tourism. In another piece in the Hindustan Times, ecologist Manshi Asher said: “[B]laming excess rainfall or demonising rivers cannot hide development excesses and faulty planning that eroded local capacity to climate vagaries.” An editorial in the Hindu called on states to end “blame games” and cooperate in the face of the “increased probability of spells of extreme rain, given warming trends”, urging them to develop a “joint strategy on floods” similar to those in place for air pollution.

• Director General Office

GALERIE FOTO Lumea e la un pas să treacă de punctul critic climatic. Asia e cea mai afectată. Semnalul a venit din Pakistan, dar a fost ignorat Citește mai mult la: https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/externe/lumea-e-la-un-pas-sa-treaca-de-punctul-critic-climati

Asia se confruntă cu valuri de căldură și ploi record, iar guvernele avertizează oamenii că trebuie să se pregătească pentru și mai multe fenomene meteo extreme. În această lună, inundațiile de proporții în Japonia, China, Coreea de Sud și India au dat peste cap viața a milioane de oameni, au provocat alunecări de teren și au lăsat locuințe fără curent electric. Pe de altă parte, temperaturile record au făcut ca problemele de sănătate a multor persoane, în special vârstnice, să se accentueze, scrie CNN. Semnalul privind vulnerabilitatea continentului la aceste fenomene meteo extreme a fost dat anul trecut în Pakistan, care s-a confruntat cu inundații catastrofale, iar acum trece prin cea mai gravă criză economică din ultimele decenii. „Un lucru este foarte clar: ceea ce s-a întâmplat în Pakistan nu va rămâne în Pakistan”, a avertizat premierul Shehbaz Sharif. Sâmbătă, cel puțin 13 persoane din orașul sud-coreean Cheongju au murit după ce un pasaj a fost inundat, iar mai multe mașini, inclusiv un autobuz de transport public, au rămas blocate. Cel puțin 41 de persoane au murit în Coreea de Sud în ultimele zile și alte mii au fost forțate să-și părăsească locuințele și să caute un adăpost temporar, în timp ce ploile torențiale au devastat zonele centrale și de sud ale țării. „Acest tip de fenomen meteorologic extrem va deveni obișnuit – trebuie să acceptăm că schimbările climatice se întâmplă și trebuie să le facem față”, a spus președintele sud-coreean Yoon Suk Yeol, care a susținut că este nevoie ca țara să aibă o altă abordare față de vremea extremă. „Plouă ca niciodată” Au fost inundații devastatoare și în Japonia, unde au fost cel puțin șase morți, iar numeroase persoane au fost date dispărute. „Plouă ca niciodată”, a declarat un purtător de cuvânt al Agenției Meteorologice din Japonia într-o declarație prin care a cerut oamenilor din zonele afectate vigilență maximă. Este un tipar observat în întreaga regiune - din Filipine până în Cambodgia - unde inundațiile de amploare au dus la blocaje ale transportului în marile orașe, inclusiv în capitalele Manila și Phnom Penh. Zeci de oameni au murit și în India, unde au fost ploi record. 10 iulie a fost pentru Delhi cea mai ploioasă zi de iulie din ultimii 40 de ani, potrivit autorităților. Ploile puternice au închis școlile și au lăsat oameni fără adăpost. Citește mai mult la: https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/externe/lumea-e-la-un-pas-sa-treaca-de-punctul-critic-climatic-asia-e-cea-mai-afectata-semnalul-a-venit-din-pakistan-dar-a-fost-ignorat-2429879 Informaţiile publicate pe site-ul Digi24.ro pot fi preluate, în conformitate cu legislația aplicabilă, doar în limita a 120 de caractere. „Plouă ca niciodată” Au fost inundații devastatoare și în Japonia, unde au fost cel puțin șase morți, iar numeroase persoane au fost date dispărute. „Plouă ca niciodată”, a declarat un purtător de cuvânt al Agenției Meteorologice din Japonia într-o declarație prin care a cerut oamenilor din zonele afectate vigilență maximă. Este un tipar observat în întreaga regiune - din Filipine până în Cambodgia - unde inundațiile de amploare au dus la blocaje ale transportului în marile orașe, inclusiv în capitalele Manila și Phnom Penh. Zeci de oameni au murit și în India, unde au fost ploi record. 10 iulie a fost pentru Delhi cea mai ploioasă zi de iulie din ultimii 40 de ani, potrivit autorităților. Ploile puternice au închis școlile și au lăsat oameni fără adăpost. Citește mai mult la: https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/externe/lumea-e-la-un-pas-sa-treaca-de-punctul-critic-climatic-asia-e-cea-mai-afectata-semnalul-a-venit-din-pakistan-dar-a-fost-ignorat-2429879 Informaţiile publicate pe site-ul Digi24.ro pot fi preluate, în conformitate cu legislația aplicabilă, doar în limita a 120 de caractere. De la o extremă la alta În timp ce unele regiuni se confruntă cu ploi catastrofale, altele se confruntă cu arșiță. Luni, o stație meteo din nord-estul Chinei a înregistrat o temperatură record de 52,2 grade Celsius, în timp ce în Japonia au fost temperaturi de 39,7 grade Celsius. Peste cinci stații meteo din China au depășit luni maxime de 50 de grade Celsius. În Beijing, la începutul lunii iulie au fost peste 40 de grade Celsius, ceea ce a dus la avertizări cod roșu pentru două săptămâni. China, unul dintre cei mai mari poluatori ai lumii, s-a confruntat cu evenimente meteo extreme. Valurile de căldură au lovit și unele zone din Japonia. Temperaturile de luni dimineața au urcat la maxime de 39,7 grade Celsius în orașul Kiryu, situat în prefectura Gunma de pe insula Honshu - cea mai mare și mai populată din Japonia - și 39,6 grade Celsius în orașul Hatoyama. situat în Prefectura Saitama. Cazurile de insolație au devenit din ce în ce mai frecvente în rândul vârstnicilor din Japonia, care reprezintă 28% din populație. Temperaturile din capitala Tokyo au crescut la niveluri periculoase în ultimii ani, iar autoritățile au cerut raționalizarea energiei electrice deoarece țara se luptă cu o penurie crescută de energie. O regiune vulnerabilă Oamenii de știință au avertizat că frecvența și intensitatea evenimentelor meteo extreme vor continua să crească pe măsură ce criza climatică provocată de acțiunile umane se accelerează. Organizația Mondială de Meteorologie a declarat că lumea este pe cale să depășească un prag climatic critic în următorii cinci ani, deoarece temperaturile globale continuă să urce peste nivelurile preindustriale. Asia, cu o populație totală estimată la 4,4 miliarde de oameni, este extrem de vulnerabilă la impactul schimbărilor climatice. Vremea extremă a dus la o criză a apei, a distrus culturi și a încetinit dezvoltarea economică. Această vulnerabilitate a fost adusă în atenție anul trecut, când inundațiile catastrofale care au lovit Pakistanul au dus la peste 1.700 de morți și milioane de oameni fără adăpost. Țara din Asia de Sud se confruntă acum cu cea mai gravă criză economică din ultimele decenii, agravată de creșterea inflației din cauza inundațiilor care au distrus recoltele de anul trecut. „Ceea ce s-a întâmplat în Pakistan nu va rămâne în Pakistan” „Un lucru este foarte clar: ceea ce s-a întâmplat în Pakistan nu va rămâne în Pakistan”, le-a spus premierul Shehbaz Sharif liderilor mondiali la Adunarea Generală a Națiunilor Unite în septembrie anul trecut, avertizând că schimbările climatice vor afecta toate țările. El a cerut atunci liderilor lumii un plan de acțiune după o agendă comună. India vecină, cea mai populată națiune din lume, este printre țările care se estimează că vor fi cel mai grav afectate de criza climatică, potrivit Grupului Interguvernamental pentru Schimbări Climatice (IPCC). După ce au suferit de canicula din nord și est, mii de oameni au fost forțați să fugă din calea inundațiilor de amploare. Ploile abundente au devastat satele și au transformat drumurile în râuri. În fiecare an, India este lovită de inundații severe și alunecări de teren în timpul sezonului musonic. Assam, cu o populație de peste 31 de milioane de oameni, este printre cele mai afectate. Peste 495.000 de oameni au fost afectați de inundații și aproximativ 14.000 au fost evacuați în tabere de sinistrați. Imagini difuzate la televiziune i-au arătat pe oameni în apă până la gât încercând să salveze animalele. Alerte cod roșu au fost emise pentru mai multe state din nord, inclusiv Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab și Haryana. De asemenea, au fost emise avertismente de alunecare de teren pentru Uttarakhand și Himachal Pradesh. Cei mai afectați de aceste fenomene meteo sunt cei săraci. Inundațiile au reprezentat un pericol major pentru 35% din populație - aproximativ 472 de milioane de oameni - care trăiesc în mahalale, potrivit Băncii Mondiale. „Ironia este că săracii lumii sunt de fapt victimele schimbărilor climatice”, chiar dacă nu ei sunt cei care „au creat problema”, a declarat Sunita Narain, director general al Centrului pentru Știință și Mediu din India. „Inundațiile, secetele și alte evenimente climatice devastatoare toate ne arată foarte clar cum va fi viitorul”, a adăugat ea. Informaţiile publicate pe site-ul Digi24.ro pot fi preluate, în conformitate cu legislația aplicabilă, doar în limita a 120 de caractere.

• Director General Office

Nóng thiêu đốt và mưa kỷ lục, châu Á 'quay cuồng' vì khủng hoảng khí hậu

Trong tháng 7 này, những trận mưa xối xả đã gây ngập lụt nhiều khu vực của Nhật Bản, Trung Quốc, Hàn Quốc và Ấn Độ, làm đảo lộn cuộc sống của hàng triệu người cũng như gây ra lũ quét, sạt lở đất và cắt điện. Nhiệt độ cao kỷ lục cũng dẫn đến tình trạng gia tăng các bệnh liên quan, đặc biệt là ở các cộng đồng dễ bị tổn thương như người già. Hôm 15/7, ít nhất 13 người ở thành phố Cheongju, miền Trung Hàn Quốc, đã thiệt mạng do bị mắc kẹt trong một đường hầm ngập nước lũ. Trong một tuần mưa lớn kéo dài, tổng số nạn nhân thiệt mạng ở Hàn Quốc đã lên đến hàng chục người và hàng ngàn người khác phải sơ tán đến nơi an toàn. Để đối phó với những thiệt hại đáng tiếc, Tổng thống Hàn Quốc Yoon Suk Yeol đã kêu gọi xem xét lại cách tiếp cận của đất nước này đối với thời tiết khắc nghiệt. “Thời tiết khắc nghiệt sẽ trở nên phổ biến. Chúng ta phải chấp nhận thực tế rằng biến đổi khí hậu đang diễn ra và hãy đối phó với nó”, Tổng thống Yoon phát biểu ngày 17/7. Ở nước láng giềng Nhật Bản, lượng mưa kỷ lục ở phía tây nam nước này đã dẫn đến ngập lụt kinh hoàng khiến ít nhất 6 người thiệt mạng và nhiều người khác vẫn mất tích. Người phát ngôn của Cơ quan Khí tượng Nhật Bản đã kêu gọi người dân ở các khu vực bị ảnh hưởng cảnh giác cao độ với tuyên bố rằng: “Trời mưa nhiều chưa từng thấy”. Đó là một mô hình thời tiết được quan sát thấy khắp khu vực của châu Á, từ các vùng của Philippines và Campuchia ở phía nam, nơi lũ lụt lan rộng làm gián đoạn giao thông ở các thành phố lớn đến các vùng của Ấn Độ xa hơn về phía bắc, nơi lượng mưa lớn kỷ lục làm tê liệt hoạt động tại một số bang và cướp đi sinh mạng của hàng chục người. Thủ đô Delhi hôm 10/7 đánh dấu ngày tháng 7 ẩm ướt nhất trong hơn 40 năm qua. Theo các nhà chức trách, những trận mưa lớn buộc các trường học phải đóng cửa và khiến nhiều người không có nơi trú ẩn an toàn. Thời tiết cực đoan chồng cực đoan Trong khi một số khu vực đang vật lộn với những trận mưa lớn chết người, những quốc gia châu Á khác đang phải đối mặt với cái nóng như thiêu như đốt. Hôm 17/7, một trạm thời tiết ở đông bắc Trung Quốc ghi nhận nhiệt độ cao kỷ lục 52,2 độ C, trong khi Nhật Bản ghi nhận nhiệt độ tăng lên đến 39,7 độ C. Ít nhất 5 trạm đo khí tượng ở Trung Quốc đã vượt quá mức 50 độ C vào cùng ngày - một trong những mức nóng nhất trong lịch sử. Điều này xảy ra sau khi thủ đô Bắc Kinh trải qua một mùa hè nóng kỷ lục, với nhiệt độ vào đầu tháng 7 tăng vọt lên 40 độ. Giới chức địa phương phải đưa ra cảnh báo đỏ về nhiệt độ trong hai tuần liên tiếp khi khủng hoảng khí hậu toàn cầu gia tăng. Đợt nắng này nóng ập đến trong bối cảnh Đặc phái viên khí hậu Mỹ John Kerry đến Trung Quốc vào ngày 16/7 để đàm phán nhằm nối lại hợp tác giữa Bắc Kinh và Washington trong các cuộc thảo luận về khí hậu. Trung Quốc, một trong những quốc gia gây ô nhiễm lớn nhất thế giới, đã phải hứng chịu nhiều hiện tượng thời tiết cực đoan – với những trận mưa như trút và lũ quét tàn phá. Sóng nhiệt cũng đã tấn công các vùng của Nhật Bản. Nhiệt độ vào sáng 17/7đã tăng lên mức cao 39,7 độ C tại thành phố Kiryu, nằm ở tỉnh Gunma trên đảo Honshu - lớn nhất và đông dân nhất Nhật Bản - và 39,6 độ C tại thị trấn Hatoyama nằm ở tỉnh Saitama. Hiện tượng say nắng ngày càng phổ biến ở nhóm người cao tuổi Nhật Bản, vốn chiếm đến 28% dân số. Nhiệt độ ở thủ đô Tokyo đã tăng vọt đến mức nguy hiểm trong những năm gần đây, khiến các quan chức chính phủ phải kêu gọi phân phối điện do tình trạng thiếu điện ngày càng tăng. Khu vực dễ bị ảnh hưởng Các nhà khoa học đã cảnh báo tần suất và cường độ của các hiện tượng thời tiết cực đoan sẽ tiếp tục gia tăng khi cuộc khủng hoảng khí hậu do con người gây ra ngày càng rõ rệt. Trong bản báo cáo khí hậu hàng năm, Tổ chức Khí tượng Thế giới cho biết thế giới đang trên đà vi phạm ngưỡng khí hậu quan trọng trong 5 năm tới khi nhiệt độ toàn cầu tiếp tục tăng cao hơn mức thời kỳ tiền công nghiệp. Châu Á, với tổng dân số ước tính khoảng 4,4 tỷ người, rất dễ bị tổn thương trước tác động của biến đổi khí hậu. Những đợt thời tiết khắc nghiệt gần đây dẫn đến tình trạng thiếu nước, mất mùa và làm chậm nền kinh tế. Tính dễ bị tổn thương đó đã trở thành tâm điểm chú ý vào năm ngoái khi các đợt lũ lụt thảm khốc tấn công Pakistan giết chết hơn 1.700 người và khiến hàng triệu người mất nhà cửa. Quốc gia Nam Á này đang phải đối phó với cuộc khủng hoảng kinh tế tồi tệ nhất trong nhiều thập kỷ do lạm phát tăng vọt sau khi vụ mùa năm ngoái bị thất thu vì thiên tai. “Có một điều rất rõ ràng: những gì đã xảy ra ở Pakistan sẽ không chỉ tác động đến Pakistan”, Thủ tướng Shehbaz Sharif nói với các nhà lãnh đạo thế giới tại Đại hội đồng Liên hợp quốc vào tháng 9 năm ngoái. Ông cảnh báo rằng biến đổi khí hậu sẽ không loại trừ bất cứ quốc gia nào. Nhà lãnh đạo Pakistan nhấn mạnh: “Toàn bộ định nghĩa về an ninh quốc gia ngày nay đã thay đổi. Và trừ khi các nhà lãnh đạo của thế giới cùng nhau hành động và hành động ngay bây giờ theo một chương trình nghị sự chung đã được thống nhất, nếu không sẽ không còn trái đất để mà chiến tranh với nhau. Thiên nhiên sẽ phản chiến. Và trong cuộc chiến đó, nhân loại không thể là đối thủ”. Theo Ủy ban liên chính phủ về biến đổi khí hậu (IPCC), Ấn Độ - quốc gia đông dân nhất thế giới - nằm trong số những quốc gia được cho là sẽ bị ảnh hưởng nặng nề nhất bởi cuộc khủng hoảng khí hậu, với nguy cơ ảnh hưởng đến 1,4 tỷ người trên toàn quốc. Sau khi hứng chịu những đợt nắng nóng gay gắt gần đây ở phía bắc và phía đông, hàng nghìn người sau đó đã buộc phải chạy trốn lũ lụt nghiêm trọng ở các bang như Himachal Pradesh vào tuần trước, sau khi mưa lớn tàn phá các ngôi làng và biến đường phố thành sông. Hằng năm, Ấn Độ phải hứng chịu lũ lụt và sạt lở đất nghiêm trọng trong mùa mưa kéo dài từ tháng 6 đến tháng 9. Bang Assam với dân số hơn 31 triệu người nằm trong số những nơi bị ảnh hưởng nặng nề nhất. Hơn 495.000 người ở khắp 22 quận đã bị ảnh hưởng bởi tình trạng ngập ứng và khoảng 14.000 người phải sơ tán đến các trại cứu trợ. Các quan chức quản lý thiên tai và chính quyền bang Assam vào cuối tháng 6 đã báo cáo ít nhất 10 người thiệt mạng kể từ khi mùa mưa bắt đầu. Truyền hình địa phương cho thấy dân làng lội nước ngập tới cổ, trong khi gia súc, nhà cửa, cửa hàng và ô tô chìm trong lũ. Báo động đỏ đã được ban hành cho một số bang phía bắc bao gồm Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab và Haryana. Cảnh báo sạt lở đất cũng được ban hành cho Uttarakhand và Himachal Pradesh. Mưa lớn cũng buộc các trường học phải đóng cửa ở một số khu vực bao gồm Uttar Pradesh và thủ đô New Delhi. Tác động của thời tiết cực đoan như vậy là khó thể phủ nhận và người nghèo ở Ấn Độ là một trong những đối tượng dễ bị tổn thương nhất. Theo Ngân hàng Thế giới, lũ lụt đã gây ra mối nguy hiểm đặc biệt đối với 35% dân số - khoảng 472 triệu người - sống tại các khu ổ chuột ở đô thị. Bà Sunita Narain, Tổng giám đốc Trung tâm Khoa học và Môi trường Ấn Độ nhận xét rằng: “Trớ trêu thay, những người nghèo trên thế giới lại thực sự là nạn nhân của biến đổi khí hậu. Lũ lụt, hạn hán và các sự kiện thời tiết tàn khốc khác đang cho chúng ta thấy rõ tương lai sẽ ra sao”.

• Director General Office

Temperaturas altísimas y precipitaciones récord: Asia se tambalea a medida que la crisis climática se afianza

El continente más grande y poblado del mundo está enfrentando los efectos mortales del clima extremo del verano, ya que los países soportan olas de calor abrasadoras y lluvias monzónicas récord, y los gobiernos advierten a los residentes que se preparen para más por venir. Este mes, lluvias torrenciales inundaron partes de Japón, China, Corea del Sur e India, alterando la vida de millones y provocando inundaciones repentinas, deslizamientos de tierra y cortes de energía. Las temperaturas récord también provocaron un aumento de las enfermedades relacionadas con el calor, particularmente entre las comunidades vulnerables, como los ancianos. Este sábado, al menos 13 personas en la ciudad de Cheongju, en el centro de Corea del Sur, murieron después de que las aguas de un río desbordado inundaran un paso subterráneo, atrapando vehículos, incluido un autobús público. Al menos 41 personas han muerto en Corea del Sur en los últimos días y miles más se han visto obligadas a evacuar sus hogares y buscar refugio temporal, ya que fuertes aguaceros azotaron las partes central y sur del país. En respuesta a la pérdida de vidas, el presidente de Corea del Sur, Yoon Suk Yeol, pidió una revisión del enfoque del país frente al clima extremo. “Este tipo de fenómeno meteorológico extremo se convertirá en un lugar común; debemos aceptar que el cambio climático está ocurriendo y enfrentarlo”, dijo Yoon este lunes. El clima extremo afecta a regiones en todo el mundo 1:15 En el vecino Japón, lluvias sin precedentes en el suroeste del país provocaron inundaciones devastadoras que dejaron al menos seis muertos y muchos otros siguen desaparecidos. “Está lloviendo como nunca antes”, dijo un portavoz de la Agencia Meteorológica de Japón en un comunicado en el que pidió la máxima vigilancia por parte de los residentes en las áreas afectadas. Es un patrón que se observa en toda la región, desde partes de Filipinas y Camboya en el sur, donde las inundaciones generalizadas han provocado interrupciones en el transporte en las principales ciudades, incluidas las capitales Manila y Phnom Penh, hasta partes de la India más al norte, donde las lluvias récord paralizaron varios estados y cobraron la vida de decenas, según funcionarios. En la capital de la India, Delhi, este 10 de julio fue el día de julio más lluvioso en más de 40 años, según las autoridades. Los fuertes aguaceros forzaron el cierre de escuelas y dejaron a muchos vulnerables sin refugio. De un extremo a otro Mientras que algunas regiones están lidiando con aguaceros mortales, otras enfrentan un calor abrasador. Este lunes, una estación meteorológica en el noreste de China registró una temperatura máxima récord de 52,2 grados centígrados, mientras que en Japón las temperaturas subieron a 39,7 grados centígrados. En total, más de cinco estaciones meteorológicas en China excedieron los máximos de 50 grados centígrados este lunes, entre los más calurosos de la historia. Esto sigue a un verano caluroso récord en la capital, Beijing, en el que las temperaturas a principios de julio superaron los 40 grados centígrados, lo que llevó a los funcionarios a emitir alertas rojas de calor durante dos semanas a medida que se intensifica la crisis climática mundial. La ola de calor golpea en medio de la llegada del enviado climático de EE.UU., John Kerry, a China para las conversaciones entre Beijing y Washington para reanudar la cooperación en las discusiones sobre el clima. China, uno de los mayores contaminadores del mundo, ha estado experimentando su parte de fenómenos meteorológicos extremos, con aguaceros torrenciales e inundaciones que azotan otras partes del país, especialmente en el sur. Las olas de calor también han golpeado partes de Japón. Las temperaturas a partir del lunes por la mañana subieron a máximos de 39,7 grados centígrados en la ciudad de Kiryu, ubicada en la prefectura de Gunma en la isla de Honshu, la más grande y poblada de Japón, que también alberga Kioto y Tokio, y 39,6 grados centígrados en la ciudad de Hatoyama, ubicada en la prefectura de Saitama. Los casos de insolación se han vuelto cada vez más comunes entre los ancianos de Japón, que representan el 28% de la población. Las temperaturas en la capital, Tokio, se han disparado a niveles peligrosos en los últimos años, lo que ha llevado a los funcionarios del gobierno a exigir el racionamiento de la electricidad mientras el país lucha contra la creciente escasez de energía. Una región vulnerable Científicos han advertido que la frecuencia y la intensidad de los fenómenos meteorológicos extremos seguirán aumentando a medida que se acelere la crisis climática provocada por el hombre. En su actualización climática anual, la Organización Meteorológica Mundial dijo que el mundo está en camino de romper un umbral climático crítico en los próximos cinco años a medida que las temperaturas globales continúan subiendo por encima de los niveles preindustriales. Asia, con una población total estimada de 4.400 millones de personas, es extremadamente vulnerable a los impactos del cambio climático, con episodios recientes de clima extremo que resultaron en escasez de agua, malas cosechas y una desaceleración de la economía. Esa vulnerabilidad se puso de manifiesto el año pasado cuando las catastróficas inundaciones azotaron a Pakistán, matando a más de 1.700 personas y dejando a millones sin hogar. El país del sur de Asia ahora está lidiando con su peor crisis económica en décadas, empeorada por la inflación que se disparó debido a las inundaciones que arruinaron las cosechas del año pasado. “Una cosa está muy clara: lo que sucedió en Pakistán no se quedará en Pakistán”, dijo el primer ministro Shehbaz Sharif a los líderes mundiales en la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas en septiembre del año pasado, advirtiendo que el cambio climático no perdonará a los países. “Toda la definición de seguridad nacional ha cambiado hoy. Y a menos que los líderes del mundo se unan para actuar y actúen ahora en una agenda común acordada, no habrá tierra por la cual pelear guerras. La naturaleza se defenderá. Y para eso, la humanidad no es rival en absoluto”. La vecina India, la nación más poblada del mundo, se encuentra entre los países que se espera sean más afectados por la crisis climática, según el Panel Intergubernamental sobre el Cambio Climático (IPCC), que podría afectar a 1.400 millones de personas en todo el país. Después de sufrir recientes olas de calor abrasador en el norte y el este, miles se vieron obligados a huir de las graves inundaciones en estados como Himachal Pradesh la semana pasada después de que las fuertes lluvias azotaran los pueblos y convirtieran las carreteras en ríos. Todos los años, la India se ve afectada por graves inundaciones y deslizamientos de tierra durante la temporada del monzón, que empapa el país de junio a septiembre. Assam, un estado con una población de más de 31 millones de habitantes, se encuentra entre los más afectados. Más de 495.000 personas repartidas en 22 distritos se vieron afectadas por las inundaciones y unas 14.000 fueron evacuadas a campamentos de socorro cuando la lluvia azotó la región. Los funcionarios de gestión de desastres y las autoridades estatales informaron a fines de junio de al menos 10 muertes desde que comenzaron las lluvias. Un video difundido por la televisión local mostraba a los aldeanos vadeando el agua fangosa hasta el cuello con su ganado y casas, tiendas y automóviles sumergidos en las inundaciones. Conoce claves científicas que explican las olas de calor 2:29 Se emitieron alertas rojas, que indican el nivel de amenaza más alto, para varios estados del norte, incluidos Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab y Haryana. También se emitieron advertencias de deslizamientos de tierra para Uttarakhand y Himachal Pradesh. Los fuertes aguaceros también forzaron el cierre de escuelas en varias áreas, incluidas Uttar Pradesh y la capital, Nueva Delhi. Es difícil pasar por alto el impacto de estos fenómenos meteorológicos extremos y los pobres de la India se encuentran entre los más vulnerables. Las inundaciones han representado un peligro particular para el 35% de la población, aproximadamente 472 millones de personas, que viven en barrios marginales urbanos, según el Banco Mundial. “La ironía es que los pobres del mundo son en realidad víctimas del cambio climático”, incluso si no son ellos quienes “crearon el problema”, Sunita Narain, directora general del Centro para la Ciencia y el Medio Ambiente y veterano ambientalista indio, le dijo a CNN el año pasado.

• Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

Global Demand for Medical Waste Management to surpass USD 25.4 billion by 2031 - Biomedical Waste Solutions. LLC, Clean Harbors, Inc., Daniels Sharpsmart, Inc., Gamma Waste Systems

Medical Waste Management is the process of handling, transporting, and disposing of medical waste in a safe and responsible manner. Medical waste includes anything that may be contaminated with blood or other body fluids, including sharps (needles, lancets, etc.), lab samples, and used personal protective equipment (PPE). Medical waste management is an important part of any healthcare facility’s operations. Healthcare facilities must have policies and procedures in place to ensure that medical waste is properly handled and disposed of. The global Medical Waste Management Market was valued at USD 12.7 billion in 2021 and it is anticipated to grow up to USD 25.4 billion by 2031, at a CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period. Market Trends and Drivers Increasing volume of medical waste globally is expected to accelerate the market statistics Medical waste is usually generated at healthcare facilities including hospitals, dental practices, blood banks, clinics, medical research facilities as well as laboratories. For instance, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 85% of waste generated in the healthcare sector is general and non-hazardous waste. The remaining 15% is hazardous waste which may be infectious, radioactive, or chemical that might be harmful to the environment. Similarly, according to the Center for Science and Environment (CSE), biomedical waste in India grew from 559 tonnes per day in 2017 to 619 tonnes per day in 2019. Moreover, the number of hazardous waste generating units in the country increased by 3.5%, leading to a decline of almost 7% in hazardous waste generation. Hence, these attributes will boost the demand for medical waste management proving favorable for the overall market progression.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Neglected Rural Air Pollution in India Poses Health Risks on Par with Urban Areas

Air pollution remains a significant environmental challenge in India, affecting both urban and rural areas. Recent data from 2022 revealed that the average annual levels of ultrafine particulate matter (PM) 2.5, a highly toxic air pollutant, were equally poor in rural India as in urban areas. This revelation has raised concerns about the Union government’s focus on investing in selected urban regions to combat toxic air pollution while neglecting the equally severe pollution in rural areas. Similar Pollution Concentration in Urban and Rural Areas The analysis conducted by Climate Trends reveals an alarming similarity in PM 2.5 pollution concentration between urban and rural areas in India. Despite the prevailing belief that air pollution is primarily an urban problem, the data challenges this notion. The average annual PM 2.5 level of 46.4 microgrammes per cubic meter in rural India is only slightly lower than the urban level of 46.8 microgrammes per cubic meter. It is important to note that both these levels significantly exceed the national limit of 40 microgrammes per cubic meter. These findings raise questions about the effectiveness of the National Clean Air Plan (NCAP), which was launched in 2019 with the objective of reducing PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations by 20-30% by 2024. The fact that PM 2.5 pollution levels have remained consistently high in both urban and rural areas since 2017 suggests that the current strategies and measures under the NCAP may not be sufficient to combat air pollution effectively. One of the key concerns is the neglect of rural areas in addressing air pollution. While the NCAP has allocated substantial funds, amounting to approximately Rs 9,000 crores, to 131 non-attainment cities that consistently exceed national air pollution limits, rural regions have been largely overlooked. This disparity in resource allocation hampers efforts to comprehensively control air pollution and safeguard public health in rural areas. One of the significant challenges in rural areas is the lack of on-ground pollution measuring mechanisms and monitoring infrastructure. Unlike urban areas, where pollution monitoring stations are relatively more prevalent, rural regions often lack the necessary infrastructure to measure and monitor air quality accurately. This absence of monitoring mechanisms makes it difficult to gather real-time data on pollution levels, identify pollution sources, and devise targeted interventions. The absence of pollution monitoring infrastructure in rural areas not only hampers efforts to track pollution levels but also limits the awareness and understanding of the severity of air pollution among rural communities. Without access to timely and accurate information on air quality, residents may not fully comprehend the health risks associated with air pollution or take necessary precautions to protect themselves. Furthermore, the limited focus on rural areas undermines the government’s comprehensive efforts to control air pollution. Rural regions are home to a significant portion of the population, including vulnerable groups such as farmers, labourers, and marginalized communities. Neglecting these areas perpetuates environmental injustice and exacerbates health inequalities, as these populations are disproportionately affected by the adverse health effects of air pollution. Health Risks Associated with PM 2.5 PM 2.5, with its fine particles measuring 2.5 micrometres or smaller, poses a grave threat to public health. These tiny particles have the ability to penetrate deep into the respiratory system, reaching the lungs and even entering the bloodstream. Prolonged exposure to high levels of PM 2.5 has been associated with a range of adverse health effects. One of the primary health risks associated with PM 2.5 is respiratory problems. The fine particles can irritate and inflame the airways, leading to symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are particularly vulnerable to the exacerbation of their symptoms due to PM 2.5 exposure. Moreover, exposure to PM 2.5 has been strongly linked to cardiovascular diseases. The fine particles can enter the bloodstream and trigger systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and the formation of arterial plaque. These mechanisms increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular problems. Individuals with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or diabetes are at a heightened risk of experiencing adverse cardiovascular effects due to PM 2.5 exposure. The detrimental effects of PM 2.5 extend beyond the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Studies have shown a clear association between PM 2.5 exposure and an increased risk of lung cancer. The fine particles can carry carcinogens and other toxic compounds into the lungs, promoting the development of cancerous cells over time. Furthermore, long-term exposure to high levels of PM 2.5 has been linked to premature death. The combined health impacts of respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer contribute to a reduced lifespan for individuals exposed to significant levels of PM 2.5 pollution. The health risks associated with PM 2.5 are not confined to urban areas but also extend to rural regions. In states such as Delhi, Bihar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and West Bengal, where rural PM 2.5 pollution levels are notably high, the rural population faces severe health risks. Alarming statistics from a previous analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) highlight the magnitude of the problem. On average, rural residents in India lose over five years and two months of their lifespan due to exposure to air pollution, while urban dwellers lose about four years and five months. The health impact is particularly severe in certain regions. For instance, rural residents in Uttar Pradesh experience a staggering loss of over eight years of lifespan, while those in Bihar and Haryana lose over seven years on average. These figures underscore the urgency of addressing air pollution in rural areas and implementing effective mitigation measures. Experts Call for Action Experts and researchers have underscored the urgent need for a broader network of air pollution monitoring systems in rural and non-urban regions. Professor Abhijit Chatterjee of Bose Institute emphasizes that addressing air pollution in rural areas is crucial to resolving the country’s air pollution crisis. The current emphasis on selected cities under the NCAP has raised questions about the policy’s effectiveness and the neglect of rural areas. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), agrees that rural areas have been excluded from air pollution control measures for too long. She suggests that the government should adopt an airshade arrangement model that extends pollution control policies and actions to rural India. CSE’s research indicates that nearly half of the population resides outside the air quality monitoring network, and the majority lacks access to daily alerts on the local air quality index. This lack of coverage highlights the urgent need to expand monitoring infrastructure and address air pollution in rural regions. Conclusion The parity in PM 2.5 pollution levels between urban and rural areas in India highlights the need for comprehensive action to combat air pollution across the country. The Union government’s focus on urban areas while neglecting rural regions raises concerns about the effectiveness of current policies. It is imperative to expand air pollution monitoring infrastructure, develop policies tailored to rural areas, and allocate adequate funds to combat rural air pollution. Only by addressing air pollution in both urban and rural areas can India effectively safeguard public health and mitigate the adverse effects of toxic air pollutants like PM 2.5.

• Director General Office

Soaring temperatures to record rainfall: Asia reels as climate crisis takes hold

Hong Kong CNN — The world’s largest and most populous continent is reckoning with the deadly effects of extreme summer weather, as countries endure blistering heatwaves and record monsoon rainfall, with governments warning residents to prepare for more to come. This month torrential rains inundated parts of Japan, China, South Korea and India, upending the lives of millions and causing flash floods, landslides and power cuts. Record temperatures also led to a rise in heat-related illnesses, particularly among vulnerable communities such as the elderly. On Saturday, at least 13 people in the central South Korean city of Cheongju died after waters from a burst riverbank flooded an underpass, trapping vehicles, including a public bus. At least 41 people have died in South Korea in recent days and thousands more have been forced to evacuate their homes and seek temporary shelter, as heavy downpours hit central and southern parts of the country. In response to the loss of life, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for an overhaul of the country’s approach to extreme weather. “This kind of extreme weather event will become commonplace — we must accept climate change is happening, and deal with it,” Yoon said Monday. In neighboring Japan, record rainfall in the southwest of the country resulted in devastating flooding that left at least six people dead, and many others still missing. “It’s raining like never before,” a spokesman for Japan’s Meteorological Agency said in a statement that called for maximum vigilance from residents in affected areas. It is a pattern seen throughout the region — from parts of the Philippines and Cambodia in the south where widespread flooding has led to transport disruptions in major cities including the capitals Manila and Phnom Penh — to parts of India further north where record rainfall brought several states to a near standstill and claimed the lives of dozens, according to officials. The capital Delhi on July 10 marked its wettest July day in more than 40 years, according to authorities. The heavy downpours forced school closures and left many vulnerable without shelter. One extreme to another While some regions are grappling with deadly downpours, others are facing searing heat. On Monday, a weather station in northeastern China recorded a record high temperature of 52.2 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit), while Japan saw temperatures rise to 39.7 degrees Celsius (103 Fahrenheit). In total, more than five weather stations in China exceeded highs of 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) Monday — among the hottest in history. This follows a record hot summer in the capital Beijing which saw temperatures in early July soar past 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) — prompting officials to issue heat red alerts for two weeks as the global climate crisis intensifies. The heatwave hits amid the arrival of US Climate Envoy John Kerry in China on Sunday for talks between Beijing and Washington to resume cooperation on climate discussions. China, one of the world’s biggest polluters, has been seeing its share of extreme weather events — with torrential downpours and flooding battering other parts of the country particularly in the south. Heatwaves have also struck parts of Japan. Temperatures as of Monday morning rose to highs of 39.7 degrees Celsius (103 Fahrenheit) in the city of Kiryu, located in Gunma Prefecture on Honshu island — Japan’s largest and most populous which also houses Kyoto and Tokyo, and 39.6 degrees Celsius in Hatoyama a town located in Saitama Prefecture. Cases of heat stroke have become increasingly common among Japan’s elderly, who account for 28% of the population. Temperatures in the capital Tokyo have soared to dangerous levels in recent years, leaving government officials to call for electricity rationing as the country struggles with growing power shortages. A vulnerable region Scientists have warned the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events will continue to increase as the human-caused climate crisis accelerates. In its annual climate update, the World Meteorological Organization said the world is on track to breach a critical climate threshold in the next five years as global temperatures continue to climb above pre-industrial levels. Asia, with an estimated total population of 4.4 billion people, is acutely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with recent bouts of extreme weather resulting in water shortages, crop failures and a slow down in the economy. That vulnerability was thrown into sharp focus last year when catastrophic flooding hit Pakistan killing more than 1,700 people and leaving millions homeless. The South Asian country is now dealing with its worst economic crisis in decades, worsened by inflation spiking because of the floods ruining last year’s harvests. “One thing is very clear: what happened in Pakistan will not stay in Pakistan,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in September last year, warning that climate change would not spare countries. “The entire definition of national security has changed today. And unless the leaders of the world come together to act and act now on an agreed common agenda, there will be no earth to fight wars over. Nature will be fighting back. And for that, humanity is no match at all.” Neighboring India, the world’s most populous nation, is among the countries expected to be worst affected by the climate crisis, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), potentially affecting 1.4 billion people nationwide. After suffering recent blistering heat waves in the north and east, thousands were then forced to flee severe flooding in states like Himachal Pradesh last week after heavy rains battered villages and turned roads into rivers. Every year, India is hit by severe flooding and landslides during the monsoon season, which drenches the country from June to September. Assam, a state with a population of more than 31 million people, is among the worst hit. More than 495,000 people spread across 22 districts were impacted by floodwaters and about 14,000 evacuated to relief camps when rain swept across the region. Disaster management officials and state authorities in late June reported at least 10 deaths since the rains began. Video broadcast on local television showed villagers wading neck-deep through the muddy water with their cattle, and homes, shops and cars submerged in the floods. Red alerts, indicating the highest threat level, were issued for several northern states including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Haryana. Landslide warnings were also issued for Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The heavy downpours also forced school closures in a number of areas including Uttar Pradesh and the capital New Delhi. The impact of such weather extremes is hard to miss and India’s poor are among the most vulnerable. Floods have posed a particular danger to the 35% of the population — roughly 472 million people — who live in urban slums, according to the World Bank. “The irony of it is that the poor of the world are actually victims of climate change,” even if they aren’t the ones who “created the problem,” Sunita Narain, director general of the Centre for Science and Environment and veteran Indian environmentalist told CNN last year. “Floods, droughts and other devastating climate events are “all showing us very clearly what will the future be,” she added.

• Director General Office

Soaring temperatures to record rainfall: Asia reels as climate crisis takes hold

Hong Kong (CNN) — The world’s largest and most populous continent is reckoning with the deadly effects of extreme summer weather, as countries endure blistering heatwaves and record monsoon rainfall, with governments warning residents to prepare for more to come. This month torrential rains inundated parts of Japan, China, South Korea and India, upending the lives of millions and causing flash floods, landslides and power cuts. Record temperatures also led to a rise in heat-related illnesses, particularly among vulnerable communities such as the elderly. On Saturday, at least 13 people in the central South Korean city of Cheongju died after waters from a burst riverbank flooded an underpass, trapping vehicles, including a public bus. At least 41 people have died in South Korea in recent days and thousands more have been forced to evacuate their homes and seek temporary shelter, as heavy downpours hit central and southern parts of the country. In response to the loss of life, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for an overhaul of the country’s approach to extreme weather. “This kind of extreme weather event will become commonplace — we must accept climate change is happening, and deal with it,” Yoon said Monday. In neighboring Japan, record rainfall in the southwest of the country resulted in devastating flooding that left at least six people dead, and many others still missing. “It’s raining like never before,” a spokesman for Japan’s Meteorological Agency said in a statement that called for maximum vigilance from residents in affected areas. It is a pattern seen throughout the region — from parts of the Philippines and Cambodia in the south where widespread flooding has led to transport disruptions in major cities including the capitals Manila and Phnom Penh — to parts of India further north where record rainfall brought several states to a near standstill and claimed the lives of dozens, according to officials. The capital Delhi on July 10 marked its wettest July day in more than 40 years, according to authorities. The heavy downpours forced school closures and left many vulnerable without shelter. One extreme to another While some regions are grappling with deadly downpours, others are facing searing heat. On Monday, a weather station in northeastern China recorded a record high temperature of 52.2 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit), while Japan saw temperatures rise to 39.7 degrees Celsius (103 Fahrenheit). In total, more than five weather stations in China exceeded highs of 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) Monday — among the hottest in history. This follows a record hot summer in the capital Beijing which saw temperatures in early July soar past 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) — prompting officials to issue heat red alerts for two weeks as the global climate crisis intensifies. The heatwave hits amid the arrival of US Climate Envoy John Kerry in China on Sunday for talks between Beijing and Washington to resume cooperation on climate discussions. China, one of the world’s biggest polluters, has been seeing its share of extreme weather events — with torrential downpours and flooding battering other parts of the country particularly in the south. Heatwaves have also struck parts of Japan. Temperatures as of Monday morning rose to highs of 39.7 degrees Celsius (103 Fahrenheit) in the city of Kiryu, located in Gunma Prefecture on Honshu island — Japan’s largest and most populous which also houses Kyoto and Tokyo, and 39.6 degrees Celsius in Hatoyama a town located in Saitama Prefecture. Cases of heat stroke have become increasingly common among Japan’s elderly, who account for 28% of the population. Temperatures in the capital Tokyo have soared to dangerous levels in recent years, leaving government officials to call for electricity rationing as the country struggles with growing power shortages. A vulnerable region Scientists have warned the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events will continue to increase as the human-caused climate crisis accelerates. In its annual climate update, the World Meteorological Organization said the world is on track to breach a critical climate threshold in the next five years as global temperatures continue to climb above pre-industrial levels. Asia, with an estimated total population of 4.4 billion people, is acutely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with recent bouts of extreme weather resulting in water shortages, crop failures and a slow down in the economy. That vulnerability was thrown into sharp focus last year when catastrophic flooding hit Pakistan killing more than 1,700 people and leaving millions homeless. The South Asian country is now dealing with its worst economic crisis in decades, worsened by inflation spiking because of the floods ruining last year’s harvests. “One thing is very clear: what happened in Pakistan will not stay in Pakistan,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in September last year, warning that climate change would not spare countries. “The entire definition of national security has changed today. And unless the leaders of the world come together to act and act now on an agreed common agenda, there will be no earth to fight wars over. Nature will be fighting back. And for that, humanity is no match at all.” Neighboring India, the world’s most populous nation, is among the countries expected to be worst affected by the climate crisis, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), potentially affecting 1.4 billion people nationwide. After suffering recent blistering heat waves in the north and east, thousands were then forced to flee severe flooding in states like Himachal Pradesh last week after heavy rains battered villages and turned roads into rivers. Every year, India is hit by severe flooding and landslides during the monsoon season, which drenches the country from June to September. Assam, a state with a population of more than 31 million people, is among the worst hit. More than 495,000 people spread across 22 districts were impacted by floodwaters and about 14,000 evacuated to relief camps when rain swept across the region. Disaster management officials and state authorities in late June reported at least 10 deaths since the rains began. Video broadcast on local television showed villagers wading neck-deep through the muddy water with their cattle, and homes, shops and cars submerged in the floods. Red alerts, indicating the highest threat level, were issued for several northern states including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Haryana. Landslide warnings were also issued for Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The heavy downpours also forced school closures in a number of areas including Uttar Pradesh and the capital New Delhi. The impact of such weather extremes is hard to miss and India’s poor are among the most vulnerable. Floods have posed a particular danger to the 35% of the population — roughly 472 million people — who live in urban slums, according to the World Bank. “The irony of it is that the poor of the world are actually victims of climate change,” even if they aren’t the ones who “created the problem,” Sunita Narain, director general of the Centre for Science and Environment and veteran Indian environmentalist told CNN last year. “Floods, droughts and other devastating climate events are “all showing us very clearly what will the future be,” she added.

• Director General Office

Klimatski ekstremi poharali dijelove Azije: Monsuni, poplave, toplotni udari

Ovog mjeseca obilne kiše poplavile su dijelove Japana, Kine, Južne Koreje i Indije, preokrenuvši živote miliona ljudi i uzrokujući bujične poplave, klizišta i nestanke struje. Rekordne temperature također su dovele do porasta bolesti povezanih s vrućinom, posebno među ranjivim zajednicama poput starijih osoba. U subotu je najmanje 13 ljudi umrlo u gradu Cheongjuu u centralnoj Južnoj Koreji nakon što je voda iz nabujale obale poplavila podvožnjak, zarobivši vozila, uključujući javni autobus. Najmanje 41 osoba umrla je u Južnoj Koreji posljednjih dana, a hiljade drugih su bile prisiljene evakuirati svoje domove i potražiti privremeno sklonište, dok su jaki pljuskovi pogodili središnje i južne dijelove zemlje. Zastrašujući prizori oko Atene: Vatra guta sve pred sobom, 1.200 evakuirano Kao odgovor na gubitak života, južnokorejski predsjednik Yoon Suk Yeol pozvao je na preispitivanje pristupa zemlje ekstremnim vremenskim prilikama. “Ova vrsta ekstremnih vremenskih događaja postat će uobičajena – moramo prihvatiti da se klimatske promjene događaju i nositi se s njima”, rekao je Yoon u ponedjeljak. U susjednom Japanu, rekordna količina padavina na jugozapadu zemlje rezultirala je razornim poplavama u kojima je najmanje šest ljudi poginulo, a mnogi se još vode kao nestali. “Pada kiša kao nikada prije”, rekao je glasnogovornik japanske meteorološke agencije u izjavi koja je pozvala stanovnike pogođenih područja na maksimalan oprez. To je obrazac koji se može vidjeti u cijeloj regiji – od dijelova Filipina i Kambodže na jugu gdje su raširene poplave dovele do prekida prometa u velikim gradovima uključujući glavne gradove Manilu i Phnom Penh – do dijelova Indije sjevernije gdje je rekordna količina oborina donijela nekoliko država gotovo se zaustavio i odnio živote desetaka, prema dužnosnicima. Glavni grad Delhi 10. jula obilježio je najkišovitiji julski dan u više od 40 godina, prema podacima vlasti. Jaki pljuskovi prisilili su na zatvaranje škola i ostavili mnoge ranjive bez krova nad glavom. Jedna krajnost u drugu Dok se neke regije bore sa smrtonosnim pljuskovima, druge se suočavaju s velikom vrućinom. U ponedjeljak je meteorološka stanica u sjeveroistočnoj Kini zabilježila rekordno visoku temperaturu od 52,2 stepena, dok je u Japanu temperatura porasla na 39,7 stepeni. Ukupno je više od pet meteoroloških stanica u Kini u ponedjeljak premašilo najviše temperature od 50 celzijusa — među najtoplijim u historiji. Ovo je uslijedilo nakon rekordno vrućeg ljeta u glavnom gradu Pekingu u kojem su temperature početkom jula skočile preko 40 stepeni — što je natjeralo vlasti da izdaju upozorenja za vrućinu na dvije sedmice dok se globalna klimatska kriza pojačava. (VIDEO) Stravične scene iz španskog ljetovališta, crveni plamen bjesni otokom Toplinski valovi pogodili su i dijelove Japana. Temperature su od ponedjeljka ujutro porasle do visokih 39,7 stepeni u gradu Kiryu, koji se nalazi u prefekturi Gunma na otoku Honshu — najvećem i najmnogoljudnijem japanskom otoku na kojem se nalaze i Kyoto i Tokyo, te 39,6 stepeni u gradu Hatoyami nalazi se u prefekturi Saitama. Slučajevi toplinskog udara postali su sve češći među starijim osobama Japana, koji čine 28% stanovništva. Temperature u glavnom gradu Tokiju posljednjih su godina porasle do opasnih razina, zbog čega su vladini zvaničnici morali tražiti racionalizaciju električne energije dok se zemlja bori s rastućom nestašicom struje. Ranjiva regija Naučnici su upozorili da će se učestalost i intenzitet ekstremnih vremenskih događaja nastaviti povećavati kako se klimatska kriza koju su uzrokovali ljudi ubrzava. U svom godišnjem izvještaju o klimi, Svjetska meteorološka organizacija rekla je da je svijet na putu da probije kritični klimatski prag u sljedećih pet godina dok se globalne temperature nastavljaju penjati iznad predindustrijskih razina. Azija, s procijenjenom ukupnom populacijom od 4,4 milijarde ljudi, akutno je osjetljiva na utjecaje klimatskih promjena, a nedavni ekstremni vremenski uvjeti rezultirali su nestašicom vode, propadanjem usjeva i usporavanjem gospodarstva. Dijelovi svijeta suočeni s ekstremnim vrućinama, očekuju se temperaturni rekordi Ta je ranjivost stavljena u fokus prošle godine kada su katastrofalne poplave pogodile Pakistan usmrtivši više od 1700 ljudi i ostavivši milione bez domova. Južnoazijska zemlja sada se nosi s najgorom ekonomskom krizom u desetljećima, pogoršanom naglom inflacijom zbog poplava koje su uništile prošlogodišnje žetve. “Jedno je vrlo jasno: ono što se dogodilo u Pakistanu neće ostati u Pakistanu”, rekao je premijer Shehbaz Sharif svjetskim čelnicima na Općoj skupštini Ujedinjenih naroda u rujnu prošle godine, upozoravajući da klimatske promjene neće poštedjeti zemlje. “Cijela definicija nacionalne sigurnosti danas se promijenila. I ako se svjetski lideri ne udruže kako bi djelovali i djelovali sada prema dogovorenom zajedničkom planu, neće biti Zemlje za ratove. Priroda će uzvratiti. A za to čovječanstvo uopće nije doraslo”. Susjedna Indija, najmnogoljudnija nacija na svijetu, jedna je od zemalja za koje se očekuje da će biti najgore pogođene klimatskom krizom, prema Međuvladinom panelu o klimatskim promjenama (IPCC), koja bi mogla utjecati na 1,4 milijarde ljudi diljem zemlje. Nakon nedavnih velikih toplinskih valova na sjeveru i istoku, tisuće su bile prisiljene pobjeći od ozbiljnih poplava u državama poput Himachal Pradesha prošlog tjedna nakon što su obilne kiše pogodile sela i ceste pretvorile u rijeke. Cijeli svijet se prži: U Kini zabilježena rekordna temperatura od 52,2 stepena Svake godine Indiju pogađaju ozbiljne poplave i klizišta tijekom sezone monsuna, koji natapaju zemlju od juna do septembra. Assam, država s populacijom većom od 31 miliona ljudi, među najteže je pogođenima. Više od 495 hiljada ljudi u 22 okruga bilo je pogođeno poplavama, a oko 14 hiljada evakuirano je u kampove za pomoć kada je kiša zahvatila regiju. Službenici za upravljanje katastrofama i državne vlasti krajem juna izvijestili su o najmanje 10 smrtnih slučajeva od početka kiše. Video emitiran na lokalnoj televiziji pokazao je kako seljaci gaze do grla kroz mutnu vodu sa svojom stokom, a kuće, trgovine i automobili potopljeni u poplavama. Crvena upozorenja, koja označavaju najvišu razinu prijetnje, izdana su za nekoliko sjevernih država uključujući Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab i Haryanu. Upozorenja o klizištu također su izdana za Uttarakhand i Himachal Pradesh. Jaki pljuskovi također su prisilili škole na zatvaranje u brojnim područjima uključujući Uttar Pradesh i glavni grad New Delhi. Utjecaj takvih vremenskih ekstrema teško je previdjeti, a indijski siromašni su među najranjivijima. Poplave su predstavljale posebnu opasnost za 35% stanovništva – otprilike 472 miliona ljudi – koji žive u gradskim slamovima, prema podacima Svjetske banke. “Ironija je u tome što su siromašni u svijetu zapravo žrtve klimatskih promjena,” čak i ako nisu oni koji su “stvorili problem”, Sunita Narain, glavna direktorica Centra za znanost i okoliš i veteran iz Indije rekao je ekolog prošle godine za CNN. “Poplave, suše i drugi razorni klimatski događaji “svi nam vrlo jasno pokazuju kakva će biti budućnost”, dodala je.