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प्राकृतिक उर्वरकों की गुणवत्ता का रहे ध्यान, कीमत हो कम

प्राकृतिक उर्वरकों के पर्याप्त उत्पादन को बढ़ावा देने के लिए सरकार को ठोस उपाय करने होंगे। ये उर्वरक न केवल उच्च गुणवत्ता वाले हों, बल्कि उनमें ज्यादा पैदावार के लिए रासायनिक उर्वरकों जितनी क्षमता भी हो। सरकार को फसल-विविधीकरण को बढ़ावा देना होगा। यदि सरकार उपज के लिए आकर्षक एमएसपी की गारंटी देती है तो मक्का, बाजरा, दूसरे मोटे अनाज समेत अन्य फसलों का रकबा भी बढ़ेगा। किसानों को कम कीमत पर उर्वरक उपलब्ध कराने और उनकी उत्पादकता बढ़ाने के लिए पीएम-प्रणाम (प्रधानमंत्री- प्रमोशन ऑफ अल्टरनेटिव न्यूट्रिएंट्स फॉर एग्रीकल्चर मैनेजमेंट) योजना शुरू करने का विचार उपयोगी है। इसका उद्देश्य रासायनिक उर्वरकों की जगह कृषि पारिस्थितिकी आधारित उर्वरकों को बढ़ावा देना है। पैदावार बढ़ाने के लिए रासायनिक उर्वरकों के ज्यादा इस्तेमाल से मिट्टी के प्राकृतिक पोषक तत्त्व नष्ट हुए हैं। हरित क्रांति वाले तीन राज्यों यथा पंजाब, हरियाणा और उत्तर प्रदेश के बड़े इलाकों की मिट्टी ऐसे कमजोर इंसान जैसी हो गई है, जो अपनी क्षमता बढ़ाने के लिए स्टेरॉयड का इस्तेमाल करता है। ऐसा इंसान जिन्दगी तो जी रहा है, पर भीतर से खोखला हो रहा है। इसी तरह मृदा की उत्पादन क्षमता घट रही है। अन्य राज्यों की मृदा की स्थिति भी ऐसी ही हो रही है। हालांकि, पीएम-प्रणाम के क्रियान्वयन की राह आसान नहीं है। पहली बात, बजट में इसके लिए अलग से धन का आवंटन नहीं किया गया है। धन की व्यवस्था केंद्र सरकार द्वारा किसानों को रासायनिक उर्वरक पर दी जाने वाली सब्सिडी की मात्रा को कम करके की जानी है। राज्य सरकारों से अपेक्षा की गई है कि वे सब्सिडी राशि कम करने के लिए किसानों को प्राकृतिक उर्वरक के इस्तेमाल की ओर प्रेरित करें। केन्द्र सरकार वैकल्पिक उर्वरकों को बढ़ावा देने और इसके लिए किसानों में जागरूकता उत्पन्न करने के लिए सब्सिडी बचत का 50 फीसदी राज्यों को अनुदान के रूप में आवंटित करेगी। क्या राज्य सरकारें वैकल्पिक उर्वरक के इस्तेमाल के लिए किसानों को प्रोत्साहित कर पाएंगी? अब तक का रेकॉर्ड खराब रहा है। प्रमुख पारिस्थितिक थिंक-टैंक, सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) ने एक अध्ययन में पाया था कि वैकल्पिक उर्वरक क्षेत्र उपेक्षित, असंगठित और अनियमित है। राज्य सरकारें अधिकांश बजट का इस्तेमाल नहीं कर रही हैं, जो केन्द्र सरकार उन्हें ऑर्गेनिक और जैव उर्वरकों को बढ़ावा देने के लिए आवंटित करती है। वैकल्पिक उर्वरक का उत्पादन भी कम है। यहां तक कि उसकी गुणवत्ता भी अप्रमाणित है। गुणवत्ता नियंत्रण के लिए बुनियादी ढांचा खराब है। ज्यादातर राज्यों के पास अपनी परीक्षण प्रयोगशालाएं तक नहीं हैं। आठ राज्यों के पास अपनी प्रयोगशालाएं तो हैं, पर वे अपनी क्षमता का समुचित इस्तेमाल नहीं कर रही हैं। सात क्षेत्रीय जैविक कृषि केंद्रों की प्रयोगशालाओं की क्षमता का 2019-20 में एक तिहाई से भी कम इस्तेमाल हुआ। किसानों को नकली 'प्राकृतिक उर्वरक' भी बेचा जा रहा है। ऐसे में प्राकृतिक उर्वरकों पर से उनका भरोसा कम हो रहा है। पहली बात, प्राकृतिक उर्वरक ऐसा हो जो मृदा का स्वास्थ्य बढ़ाए। दूसरा, उत्पादन लागत में कमी हो। तीसरा, उन्हें उतनी ही आय हो जितनी उन्हें रासायनिक उर्वरक के इस्तेमाल से होती है। प्राकृतिक उर्वरकों के पर्याप्त उत्पादन को बढ़ावा देने के लिए सरकार को ठोस उपाय करने होंगे। ये उर्वरक न केवल उच्च गुणवत्ता वाले हों, बल्कि उनमें ज्यादा पैदावार के लिए रासायनिक उर्वरकों जितनी क्षमता भी हो। सरकार को फसल-विविधीकरण को बढ़ावा देना होगा। यदि सरकार उपज के लिए आकर्षक एमएसपी की गारंटी देती है तो मक्का, बाजरा, दूसरे मोटे अनाज समेत अन्य फसलों का रकबा भी बढ़ेगा।

Act fast to address farm sector’s vulnerabilities

An integrated climate risk atlas can provide valuable information on the vulnerability of different regions to specific climate hazards. This can help in effective planning, decision-making and resource allocation. Innovative risk financing instruments need to be implemented to bridge the financial gaps in disaster response, recovery and resilience-building efforts. Improving irrigation infrastructure is crucial for minimising the impact of such extreme events. Bishwa Bhaskar Choudhary and Prem Chand IN recent decades, the global climate change debate has shifted from scientific to policy circles, with nations now more focused on exploring response strategies to address this complex challenge endangering anthropocentric and economic activities. The surge in the frequency of extreme weather events is often overlooked as these events tend to be localised and frequently go unreported. However, the cumulative impact of these events is quite alarming and needs serious policy attention. Reportedly, from 1999 to 2018, climate change-induced extreme weather events caused 4,95,000 human deaths globally. More than 12,000 such events resulted in losses amounting to $3.54 trillion (measured in terms of purchasing power parity or PPP) during the same period. Studies have shown that India has witnessed an exponential rise in the occurrence of extreme events from 1970 to 2022, with a notable acceleration after 2000. This trend encompasses a rare phenomenon of consecutive droughts in 2014 and 2015. During this period, several instances of heavy rainfall leading to flash floods have been recorded, notably in Mumbai (2005), Uttarakhand (2013), Kashmir (2014) and Kerala (2018). According to the National Disaster Management Authority, about 12% of India’s total land area is prone to floods, while 68% is susceptible to drought. A significant 80% of the country’s coastline is exposed to cyclones and tsunamis. These statistics highlight the vulnerability of various regions to specific natural hazards. India is witnessing a shift towards the new normal — events such as heatwaves, cold waves, extreme rainfall, landslides and avalanches are becoming more frequent and pronounced. Powered By VDO.AI PlayUnmute Fullscreen India ranks among the top 10 countries most affected by climate change on the Global Climate Risk Index of 2021. As per studies, more than 75% of India’s districts are hotspots of extreme climate events. The State of India’s Environment Report 2023 claims that the country experienced 271 days with extreme weather events between January and October 2022. Last year, India recorded an average annual mean land surface air temperature 0.51°C higher than the long-term average (1981-2010) and the year was the fifth warmest on record. India has a predominantly agrarian economy. Since agricultural production is heavily conditioned by climatic factors, it is more vulnerable to climatic uncertainties than other economic activities. In 2022, the extreme weather events affected crop area of 1.96 million hectares (ha) and killed around 70,000 animals. Of the almost 2 million ha affected crop area, the south peninsula region accounted for the largest share (1.2 million ha). The eastern and northeastern regions accounted for about 80% of the animals killed due to extreme weather events in 2022. As per data of the India Meteorological Department, the number of dry spells — a continuous period of two weeks or more during the monsoon months (June to September) with daily precipitation less than 2.5 mm — have also increased in most parts of the country and more so in rainfed region in the past few decades. The prolonged dry spells cause reduced crop yield and crop failure and threaten the livelihoods of farmers, leading to food insecurity and potential rural-to-urban migration. Bundelkhand, Marathwada, Vidarbha, Ladakh and western Rajasthan are often quoted as examples of dry spell-induced migration. As the frequency and intensity of extreme events are expected to rise, it is crucial to emphasise the need for precise course correction and effective policy implementation. The primary objective should be to curtail and mitigate the compounded impact. Creating a detailed and integrated climate risk atlas can provide valuable information on the vulnerability of different regions to specific climate hazards. This can aid in effective planning, decision-making and resource allocation. Innovative risk financing instruments need to be explored and implemented to bridge the financial gaps in disaster response, recovery and resilience-building efforts. This can involve mechanisms such as insurance schemes, public-private partnerships and international cooperation. Improving irrigation infrastructure and governance is crucial for minimising the impact of such extreme events. A recent study by the National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research proved that though both crop insurance and irrigation effectively improve farm income and reduce farmers’ exposure to downside risks, irrigation works better when these two are compared. It is imperative to incorporate climate risk assessments into all levels of decision-making and across various sectors. This integration will ensure that climate risks are taken into account while formulating policies, implementing infrastructure projects and managing natural resources. Promoting green cover on farmland through agroforestry is a promising strategy. The vegetation fosters ecological resilience, alleviates temperature fluctuations and conserves water resources. Tree-based farming is a scientifically supported nature-based strategy to reduce the impact of extreme climate events on agriculture. Choudhary is a scientist at ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi; Chand is a senior scientist at ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, New Delhi. Views are personal

डब्ल्यूएचओ क्यों कह रहा है कोल्ड ड्रिंक और च्युइंग गम की मिठास बन सकती है कैंसर की वजह

डब्ल्यूएचओ ‘एस्पार्टेम’ को उन रसायनों की सूची में शामिल कर सकता है जिनसे इंसानों में कैंसर होने की संभावना है। एस्पार्टेम एक कृत्रिम कम कैलोरी वाला स्वीटनर है। भारत में इसका इस्तेमाल सोफ्ट ड्रिंक, बिस्कुट, पेस्ट्री, दही, जैम और जेली जैसे खाद्य उत्पादों में बड़े पैमाने पर किया जाता है। क्या ख़तरनाक पदार्थों की सूची में डालने से इन उत्पादों को नियंत्रित करने में मदद मिलेगी? गाँव कनेक्शन ने कुछ विशेषज्ञों से बात की। अगली बार जब आप 'डाइट' सॉफ्ट ड्रिंक्स की ओर अपना हाथ बढ़ाएं और सोंचे यह सेहत के लिहाज से अच्छा है तो एक बार फिर से सोचिएगा ! हो सकता है आप ‘एस्पार्टेम’ से बनी कोल्ड ड्रिंक पी रहे हों। हाल की समाचार रिपोर्टों के अनुसार, विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन (डब्ल्यूएचओ) जल्द ही इसे ‘कैंसर’ होने की संभावना वाले पदार्थों की सूची में डालने वाला है। एस्पार्टेम, एक रासायनिक रूप से प्राप्त कम कैलोरी वाला स्वीटनर है जो चीनी की तुलना में 180 गुना अधिक मीठा होता है। इसका इस्तेमाल काफी सारे खाद्य उत्पादों में किया जाता है। इनमें कार्बोनेटेड सॉफ्ट ड्रिंक, बिवरेज, कन्फेक्शनरी, बेकरी प्रोजेक्ट, ब्रेकफास्ट सीरियल, शुगर-फ्री पुडिंग, शुगर-फ्री जैम, पाउडर बिवरेज और रेडी टू कुक फूड शामिल हैं। दरअसल इस स्वीटनर को "शुगर फ्री" खाद्य उत्पादों या "डाइट" सोफ्ट ड्रिंक में धड़ल्ले से इस्तेमाल किया जाता है। करोड़ों डॉलर की एफएमसीजी कंपनियां लागत में कटौती करने के लिए अपने उत्पादों में एस्पार्टेम मिलाती हैं और साथ ही अपने पैकेज्ड उत्पादों का स्वाद भी बढ़ाती हैं। लेकिन यह सब आम जनता की सेहत को ताक पर रख कर किया जाता है। 29 जून को, ब्रिटिश समाचार एजेंसी ‘रॉयटर्स’ ने अपनी रिपोर्ट में बताया कि दो अज्ञात स्रोतों के अनुसार, इंटरनेशनल एजेंसी फॉर रिसर्च ऑन कैंसर (आईएआरसी) इन स्वीटनर को उन पदार्थों की सूची में रख सकती है जो 'संभवतः कैंसरकारी' हैं। आईएआरसी डब्ल्यूएचओ की कैंसर रिसर्च शाखा है। रॉयटर्स की रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है, "आईएआरसी के एक प्रवक्ता ने बताया कि आईएआरसी और जेईसीएफए (डब्ल्यूएचओ और फूड एंड एग्रीकल्चर ऑर्गेनाइजेशन एक्सपर्ट कमेटी ऑन फूड एडिटिव) दोनों समितियों के निष्कर्ष जुलाई तक गोपनीय थे, लेकिन उन्होंने कहा कि वे "कॉम्पलीमेंट्री" थे। आईएआरसी का निष्कर्ष कैंसरजन्यता को समझने के लिए पहला मौलिक कदम के बारे में बताते हैं।” कुल 322 पदार्थ हैं, जो डब्ल्यूएचओ की 'संभावित कार्सिनोजेनिक' श्रेणी में आते हैं। इसमें एलोवेरा अर्क, मादक पेय, कॉफी और कोयले की धूल भी शामिल हैं। कमजोर नियम और खाद्य लेबलिंग का अभाव हालिया समाचार रिपोर्ट ने दुनिया भर में चिंता की लहर पैदा कर दी है। गाँव कनेक्शन ने भारत पर इसके प्रभाव को समझने के लिए क्षेत्र के विशेषज्ञों से संपर्क किया। उद्योग और नियामक व्यवस्था के विशेषज्ञ चंद्र भूषण ने कहा कि भारत में खाद्य नियम बहुत ढीले हैं और इसे लेकर बने कानून तो और भी बदतर है। एफएसएसएआई भारत सरकार के स्वास्थ्य और परिवार कल्याण मंत्रालय के तहत स्थापित एक वैधानिक निकाय है, और भारत में खाद्य सुरक्षा और रेगुलेशन से संबंधित एक समेकित क़ानून है। यह भारत में निम्नलिखित उत्पादों में एस्पार्टेम (निर्दिष्ट मात्रा में) मिलाने को मंज़ूरी देता है। • सॉफ्ट ड्रिंक • बिस्कुट, ब्रेड, केक और पेस्ट्री • पारंपरिक मिठाइयाँ • जैम, जेली और मुरब्बा •चॉकलेट • शूगर /शूगर फ्री कन्फेक्शनरी • च्युइंग गम/बबल गम • कस्टर्ड पाउडर मिक्स • फ्रूट/ वेजिटेबल नेक्टर • आइसक्रीम, फ्रोज़न मिठाई और हलवा • फ्लेवर्ड मिल्क • रेडी टू सर्व टी /कॉफी •दही भूषण दिल्ली स्थित गैर-लाभकारी संगठन, आईफॉरेस्ट (इंटरनेशनल फोरम फॉर एनवायरमेंट, सस्टेनेबिलिटी एंड टेक्नोलॉजी) के मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी हैं। हालिया समाचार रिपोर्ट और एस्पार्टेम को 'कैंसर होने की संभावना वाले पदार्थों की सूची में डाले जाने के बारे में बात करते हुए गांव कनेक्शन से कहा , “कैंसर होने की संभावना वाली सूची में एस्पार्टेम को रखना सिर्फ एक चेतावनी है। कैंसरजन्यता की चार कैटेगरी हैं। उसमें से एस्पार्टेम को तीसरी कैटेगरी में रखा गया है। दुनिया भर की सरकारें इस कैटेगरी के कारण किसी पदार्थ पर प्रतिबंध लगाने या उस पर अंकुश लगाने के आदेश जारी नहीं करती हैं। साफ है एफएसएसएआई इसके इस्तेमाल को लेकर किसी भी तरह का अंकुश लगाने के लिए कोई आदेश जारी नहीं करेगी।" भूषण ने कहा, सबसे बड़ा मुद्दा भारत में खाद्य उत्पादों की लेबलिंग और लोगों के बीच जागरूकता के खराब स्तर को लेकर है। उन्होंने कहा, “उत्पादों पर लेबलिंग इस तरह से की जानी चाहिए कि आम जनता समझ सके। लेबल पर रसायनों के नाम लिखना बेकार है क्योंकि अधिकतर लोगों को इन रसायनों के बारे में जानकारी नहीं होती है। लेबलिंग दिशानिर्देशों को बदला जाना चाहिए ताकि लोग दी गई सूचना के आधार पर निर्णय ले सकें।” लेकिन कंपनियाँ जानबूझकर अपने उत्पादों में एस्पार्टेम क्यों मिलाती हैं? एस्पार्टेम का आविष्कार 1965 में जेम्स एम. श्लैटर नाम के एक अमेरिकी केमिस्ट ने किया था। यूनाइटेड स्टेट फूड एंड ड्रग एडमिनिस्ट्रेशन (यूएसएफडीए) के अनुसार, खाद्य उत्पाद बनाने वाली कंपनियां उत्पादों को मीठा करने के लिए चीनी पर लागत में कटौती करने के लिए एस्पार्टेम का इस्तेमाल करती हैं। उन्होंने अपनी वेबसाइट में एक लेख ‘एस्पार्टेम एंड अदर स्वीटनर्स इन फूड’ में इसका जिक्र करते हुए लिखा है, “एस्पार्टेम, सुक्रालोज और स्टीविया जैसे पदार्थ मिठास या चीनी के विकल्प हैं और इनका इस्तेमाल उत्पादों को मीठा करने के लिए किया जाता है। कुछ मामलों में तो ये खाद्य पदार्थों के स्वाद को बढ़ाते हैं। ये आर्टिफिशियल शुगर आम चीनी की तुलना में अधिक मीठी होती हैं। चीनी जितनी मिठास पाने के लिए इसकी थोड़ी सी मात्रा काफी होती है।'' एस्पार्टेम का असर? कई शोध अध्ययन एस्पार्टेम से होने वाले स्वास्थ्य ज़ोखिमों को रेखांकित करते हैं। एक गैर-लाभकारी खोजी सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य अनुसंधान और पत्रकारिता समूह ‘यूएस राइट टू नो’ के अनुसार एस्पार्टेम के इस्तेमाल से कैंसर, ब्रेन ट्यूमर, हृदय रोग, स्ट्रोक, डिमेंशिया, अल्जाइमर, न्यूरो टॉक्सिसिटी, ब्रेन डैमेज और मूड डिसऑर्डर हो सकते हैं। 4 मार्च, 2022 को एक पीर रिव्यूड मेडिकल जर्नल पीएलओएस मेडिसिन में प्रकाशित शोध पत्र के अनुसार, गन्ने की चीनी की तुलना में बहुत कम कैलोरी होने के बावज़ूद कृत्रिम मिठास (विशेष रूप से एस्पार्टेम और एसेसल्फेम-के), कैंसर के बढ़ते ज़ोखिम से जुड़े हैं। इनका इस्तेमाल दुनियाभर के कई खाद्य पदार्थों और ड्रिंक्स में किया जाता है। " शोध में उल्लेख किया गया था, "ये निष्कर्ष यूरोपीय खाद्य सुरक्षा प्राधिकरण और वैश्विक स्तर पर अन्य स्वास्थ्य एजेंसियों द्वारा फूड एडिटिव स्वीटनर पर चल अध्ययन में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाएंगे। इससे इन शोधों को नई अंतर्दृष्टि मिलेगी।" यूएसएफडीए ने रोज़ाना शरीर के वजन के हिसाब से प्रति किलोग्राम (मिलीग्राम/किग्रा) 50 मिलीग्राम एस्पार्टेम की एक्सेप्टेबल डेली इनटेक(एडीआई) की स्वीकृति दी हुई है। वहीं यूरोपियन फूड सेफ्टी अथॉरिटी (ईएफएसए) ने रोज़ 40 मिलीग्राम/किलोग्राम का थोड़ा कम एडीआई स्थापित किया है। कनाडा के फूड डायरेक्टरेट ऑफ हेल्थ के वैज्ञानिकों ने 40 मिलीग्राम/किग्रा शरीर के वजन/दिन का एडीआई स्थापित किया है। एक्सेप्टेबल डेली इनटेक या एडीआई किसी पदार्थ के एक व्यक्ति के जीवन में ऱोजाना खाए जाने की तय मात्रा है, जो महत्वपूर्ण शोध के आधार पर मानव उपभोग के लिए सुरक्षित मानी जाती है। एफएसएसएआई और कृत्रिम मिठास भारत में, एफएसएसएआई ने छह कृत्रिम मिठास को मंज़ूरी दी हुई है। इनमें एस्पार्टेम, सैकरीन सोडियम, एसेसल्फेम पोटेशियम, सुक्रालोज़, नियोटेम और आइसोमाल्टोज शामिल हैं। एफएसएसएआई के खाद्य सुरक्षा और मानक (लेबलिंग और डिस्पले) विनियम, 2020 के अनुसार, एस्पार्टेम वाले हर पैकेज पर एक बॉक्स में चेतावनी या घोषणा होनी चाहिए, जिसमें लिखा होना चाहिए: "बच्चों के लिए नहीं"; “फेनिलकेटोन्यूरिक्स के लिए रिकमंडेड नहीं; दौरे पड़ने वाले लोगों के लिए नहीं, गर्भवती और स्तनपान कराने वाली माताएँ इसका इस्तेमाल न करें।" डब्ल्यूएचओ द्वारा आगामी घोषणा के बारे में ख़बरों को लेकर बात करते हुए, दिल्ली स्थित थिंक टैंक सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट में सस्टेनेबल फूड सिस्टम कार्यक्रम के निदेशक अमित खन्ना ने कहा कि इसके बारे में टिप्पणी करना जल्दबाज़ी होगी। खन्ना ने गाँव कनेक्शन को बताया, “ऐसी रिपोर्टें इतनी मज़बूत नहीं होती कि उन पर टिप्पणी की जा सके। ऐसी रिपोर्टों के पीछे कई कारण हो सकते हैं। ऐसी रिपोर्ट पर प्रतिक्रिया देना अटकलबाजी होगी, लेकिन अगर डब्ल्यूएचओ वास्तव में औपचारिक घोषणा करता है, तो भारतीय खाद्य नियामकों को भविष्य में उचित कार्रवाई करनी होगी।” भारतीय सेना से सेवानिवृत्त सतीश गादी ने बताया कि सरकारी हस्तक्षेप अकेले खाद्य सुरक्षा में सकारात्मक बदलाव नहीं ला सकता है। गादी गुड़गाँव स्थित चिकित्सक हैं और भारतीय रेलवे के मुख्य चिकित्सा निदेशक के रूप में कार्य कर चुके हैं। उन्होंने कहा, “यह सब बड़े पैमाने पर लोगों की सामाजिक-आर्थिक स्थितियों पर निर्भर करता है। ऐसे देश के लिए जहाँ भूख और अभाव खुद में एक बड़ी चिंता का विषय है, लोगों से कार्सिनोजेन्स के बारे में चिंतित होने की उम्मीद करना ठीक नहीं है। एफएसएसएआई अकेले ऐसे मुद्दों का प्रबंधन नहीं कर सकता है और सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य पूरी सरकार, समाज और कल्याण समूहों का दायित्व है।” एक समाचार रिपोर्ट में एफएसएसएआई के एक प्रवक्ता के हवाले से कहा गया, "हमारा वैज्ञानिक पैनल डब्ल्यूएचओ के दिशानिर्देश की विस्तार से जाँच और मूल्यांकन कर रहा है।"

This Week in the War on Women, 6/25-7/1/23: Women in Climate

As I look out the window at the haze from Canada’s worst wildfire season in decades, despite our location in upstate NY being about 500 miles away from the nearest flames, I think “surely there are lots of women fighting this mess”. “This mess” meaning the climate crisis responsible for fires and other disasters. And finding some of these female climate change leaders was easy: Sunita Narain is the DIrector General of the Centre for Science and Environment. She has worked on water management, tiger conservation, air pollution, and now climate change. She writes and edits, has worked with the Indian government, and received multiple awards including the “Water Nobel Prize”. She co-wrote Global Warming in an Unequal World: A case of environmental colonialism, which can be downloaded here.

Let decentralised renewable energy be the solution to the Northeast’s energy woes

The National Seminar on Promotion of Clean Energy Access in Northeast India held in Shillong on June 23, 2023, focused on enhancing energy access through clean energy sources. The event was organised by Delhi-based think tankCentre for Science and Environment (CSE), with support from Association of Renewable Energy Agencies of States under the aegis of Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). It was hosted by Meghalaya New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (MNREDA). The seminar was attended by several dignitaries including the Minister of Power, Government of Meghalaya. The event saw a great level of participation from stakeholders across the region. Northeast India strongly relies upon hydroelectricity for most of its power needs. However, rainfall has reduced due to climate change and hence reservoir levels have been consistently going down over the years. The region has been facing relatively longer power outages as the generation has come down. The Northeast is looking for alternate sources of power. The region presents ample opportunity for Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) as it is home to abundant availability of biomass such as bamboo, banana and pineapple plantations, alongwith significant potential for solar PV and small and micro hydro systems. The Northeast has a significant installed capacity of small hydro systems which is about seven per cent of the total installed capacity for small hydro in India. Although small and micro hydro intervention are things of the past, there is an opportunity to restructure and upgrade existing systems of this kind. Resource mapping also needs to be redone with the help of more advanced technologies like drones, remote sensing and geographical information systems as compared to the mapping techniques used in the past. The North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) and Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati presented their work on technology development during the event. Customised Energy Solutions (CES) presented its work on fostering micro entrepreneurial activities in the region. State Nodal Agencies (SNAs) of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland showcased innovative interventions in their respective states along with the challenges faced by them in implementing and scaling up programs designed and conceptualised by MNRE for the region. MNRE has been instrumental in supporting SNAs by motivating them to look for avenues in DRE and offering support to them with existing institutional strength. It will not be incorrect to say that SNAs, being the nodal organisations to drive DRE and energy access work in the states, need to be pushed by enhancing their skills with adequate training and capacity building activities. A concerted effort from all relevant stakeholders, with the right approach and coordination, can yield results beyond expectations. This was made evident in the case of Tripura which has been doing exemplary work in reaching rural areas with effective energy access solutions. As next steps, CSE proposes to form a Regional Steering Committee to provide guidance and direction to energy access development in the region. The committee will be formed and announced by CSE shortly, with participation from all stakeholders. This cannot be a one-off activity. More of such discussions need to happen as is evidently clear by media coverage the seminar garnered. The people of the Northeast have shown immense aspiration for energy-based interventions to keep pace with the developments happening around the world. But they have been provided with limited options to realise and follow those aspirations. The need of the hour is to look at DRE as a mainstream power system in parallel with the grid in the Northeast region. This requires several challenges to be addressed pertaining to the high cost of DRE power, limited understanding of the potential in the region, and low awareness about policies and institutional capacities. There also needs to be clear intent to implement. There is no dearth of schemes and programmes that can be implemented for the betterment of the region, as pointed out by MNRE as well. What is stopping these schemes and programmes from seeing the light of the day and scaling up in the region needs to be understood objectively. The event, as was agreed by many, was an eye opener and has provided participants, various stakeholders, and people of the Northeast with many questions and concerns to ponder. With a dismal electricity footprint per capita in the region which stands at less than 500 units annually and 7 out of 10 bottom states exhibiting severe energy deprivation being from the Northeast, let DRE be the leading solution to some of those questions and concerns.

CAQM gives 'green' DG sets a hard push in NCR, sets Sept 30 deadline

GURGAON: Beginning October 1, diesel generator (DG) sets can't be operated in NCR - not even for essential services - if they haven't been retrofitted with emission control devices or shifted to run on cleaner fuels, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) announced on Wednesday. CAQM, the expert task force that decides and enforces measures to cut down NCR's perennial air pollution problem, on Thursday issued a revised schedule for regulating the use of DG sets in NCR. According to the order, all residential, commercial and industrial establishments have to switch to modified generators, which emit relatively lower pollutants than their diesel counterparts, by September 30. This includes hospitals, societies, offices and factories. The blanket ban is to be followed at all times; it is not limited to the months when the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for air pollution is in effect, according to the order. GRAP consists of a set of measures that are annually taken with the onset of winter, when NCR turns into a chamber of toxic haze. Power backup devices are widely used across Delhi-NCR because transmission lines remain prone to snags, causing localised outages in packed cities. In Gurgaon, power cuts in townships and condominiums are also caused by a mismatch in the required and sanctioned load capacity. Before this CAQM order, there was a window for DG sets to be used for essential services such as lifts, escalators and common areas when GRAP came into force in winter. This exception will close this year. "It was accordingly also directed that retrofitting of dual fuel kits or ECDs, wherever warranted as per the revised schedule, must be targeted to be completed latest by September 30, 2023, failing which the use of the diesel genset shall not be permitted under any circumstances, anywhere in the entire NCR, including for use in essential services, etc." the June 28 order said. Gensets that run on diesel are highly polluting devices. An analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that one DG set of 250kVA emits 3kg of nitrogen oxides (NOx), 1.5kg of carbon monoxide (CO) and 0.183kg of PM10 pollutant on an average if it operates three hours in a day. According to the data collected by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the organised sector in NCR adds 1.2 lakh DG sets every year, and another 30,000-40,000 machines are annually bought by unorganised sectors. CAQM's effort to phase out DG sets over the years have met resistance from residential clusters and industries, which say the cost of modifying the devices is high or switching to cleaner fuels isn't an option when there is no availability of piped natural gas (PNG) in some areas. The panel, in its latest order, attempted to address these reasons. "By far, major residential, commercial, and industrial pockets in NCR have access to PNG infrastructure and supply. Even where a dedicated supply of gas may not be feasible, viable, gas availability through cascades and cylinders is a convenient option," read the order. Similarly, on the issue of expenses, the order said the cost of retrofitting emission control devices (ECDs) "would almost be equal to the cost of a new DG set", particularly the low-capacity ones normally used by MSMEs in NCR. From October, DG sets with capacity between 19kW and 125kW will have to operate on dual fuel mode, but these devices can only be used for a maximum of two hours a day when GRAP restrictions are in place. DG sets with a power capacity of 125kW to 800kW will have to run on dual fuel mode and will also have to be retrofitted with ECDs. Gensets over 800kW have to be retrofitted with dual fuel kits or with ECDs, but these too can be operated up to two hours a day if GRAP is in effect. There is no bar to new gensets (up to 800kW) that adhere to CAQM's standards, the order said. On Thursday, experts said cities' dependence on DG sets must be dealt with eventually to do away with the need to use them. "If there is uninterrupted electricity to all houses, industries, hospitals, etc. there would be no need to rely on DG sets. Apart from air pollution, diesel emissions are carcinogenic to humans who have high exposure to fumes from DG sets. Now, efforts should be made to enforce compliance of CAQM's rules," said Anumita Roy Chowdhary, executive director for research and advocacy at CSE. RWA president of SARE Homes in Sector 92, reacting to the CAQM's order, said the burden of modifying generator sets will fall on the residents. "The ideal solution would be for the government to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply," Praveen Malik said. Asked how Haryana will enforce the new norms, state pollution board (HSPCB) chairperson P Raghavendra Rao told TOI: "We will sensitise all the stakeholders and do our best."

Senegal signs Just Energy Transition Partnership deal after South Africa, Indonesia & Vietnam

The deal will mobilise 2.5 billion euros for Senegal & will help increase the share of renewable energy installed capacity to 40% As the discussions around just energy transition and fossil fuel phase out ramps up globally, alongside the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, yet another name got added to the list of countries that have signed a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET-P) deal. Senegal has become the fourth country after South Africa, Indonesia and Vietnam to sign the JET-P deal, with the International Partners Group comprising France, Germany, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada. The deal was announced June 22, 2023 and will mobilise 2.5 billion euros for Senegal in new and additional financing over an initial period of 3-5 years. The European Commission’s official website said the finance would come from international partners and multilateral development banks and a draft investment plan will be prepared within 12 months. The partnership will offer significant opportunities for investment from the private sector, sovereign wealth funds and philanthropic foundations, according to the official website of the President of France. No mention of grants or concessional loans being a part of the finance was found in the official statements. The official website of the President of France also mentions that the partnership will help accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and increase the share of renewable energy to 40 per cent in terms of installed capacity of Senegal’s electricity mix by 2030. It will also help with the publication of a vision for a long-term greenhouse gas emission development strategy for Senegal by COP28, due to be finalised in 2024. Senegal’s new nationally determined contributions, which were to be published at COP30, will reflect the climate ambitions undertaken in this deal. The current share of renewable energy in Senegal is around 31 per cent of the installed capacity. A 2015 Senegal government planning document had set a target of 20 per cent renewable energy in the electricity mix by 2020 and 23 per cent in 2030. The same year, a new target for 30 per cent of photovoltaic and wind in the electricity generation mix was set for 2025. The 20 per cent target for renewable energy production in the electricity mix was achieved by 2021. Under this deal the installed capacity target stands at 40 per cent for 2030, but there isn’t any electricity generation target set under the deal as of now. As of 2020-21, the total installed capacity for power generation in Senegal was around 1.2 to 1.5 gigawatts, generating 5.6 terrawatt-hours of electricity. The country currently relies heavily on imported fossil fuels to meet its energy demands. Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) was responsible for generation of around 85 per cent of the electricity for the country back in 2010, although this share has come down substantially due to a large shift towards gas and some coal as well as the recently growing solar and wind. But still, HFO continues to hold the largest share of fuel in the electricity mix of the country. Senegal adopted a gas-to-power strategy in 2018, following discoveries of oil and gas reserves between 2014 and 2017. “We will allow Senegal to develop its gas projects because gas is a transitional energy. What we want to do is get the big emerging countries out of coal as a priority,” said French President Emmanuel Macron during the Paris Finance Summit. It is rather rare to hear the Global North advocating for emerging economies to use natural gas as a bridge fuel — usually the expectation is to directly switch from coal / oil to renewables. But the question is: What is different in this case? Is it about fulfilling Europe’s own need for natural gas through export? In 2022, a Germany-Senegal gas plan came up, under which the German government was supporting the Senegalese government in export of gas and LNG resources to Europe and in ensuring that the extracted gas can be used by domestic power plants as well, according to Deutsche Welle, a German news broadcaster. Infrastructure to export the gas, including a floating terminal for LNG, is already being built in Senegal. The first flows of fossil gas from the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim field are expected in December 2023. It is one of the single-largest gas projects in Senegal. The African civil society has been raising voices against obtrusion by the Global North in Africa’s natural resources and energy policies. Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, tweeted in response to President Macron’s statement: As of 2021, the population of Senegal was 16.8 million, according to the World Bank. Alongside signing the JET-P deal, a big challenge for Senegal is that of providing energy access to all its population. Approximately 4.8 million people (slightly below 30 per cent) still lack access to electricity in the country (especially in the rural areas) and are dependent on polluting energy sources like firewood and charcoal for cooking. The country has targeted to provide electricity access to all its citizens by 2025. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his views on their JET-P deal at the Paris Finance Summit, saying “The financing of $8.5 billion offered to South Africa has been far below their estimated need of $98 billion and we must have a greater emphasis on grants and concessional loans.” Moreover, a recent report titled Beyond Climate Finance by Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that Senegal is one of the developing countries whose annual debt burden exceeds the cost of achieving its climate goal or NDC. “A high debt burden coupled with high cost of capital makes renewable energy unaffordable in many developing countries,” said Avantika Goswami, Programme Manager, Climate Change at CSE and a co-author of the report. “For this reason, there have been calls from many developing country leaders for more concessional and grant-based funding to be channelled for climate mitigation and adaptation, and this is crucial for energy transition”. Senegal annually emits around 13.6 million tonnes of CO2, excluding land use change, which is hardly .03 per cent of the global CO2 emissions (37.12 billion tonnes) as of 2021. Clearly the need for action is much more globally (including Global North) and especially support for renewable energy growth is required in the Global South, where the cost of capital for renewable energy is still very high. Nivit Yadav, Programme Manager, Industry Unit, Centre for Science and Environment, said, “The past JET-P deals have largely been focusing on coal phase out and have had targets on capping coal based power in a country, whereas in this deal, for now what seems like a positive point is that its major focus is on enabling the growth of RE rather than acting as a stick on the fossil economy.” In the past few months, there were a lot of back channel talks going on about the possibility of India signing a similar JET-P deal, but they didn’t yield a concrete outcome. The discussions over a JET-P deal with India have still not found a final conclusion due to these three major reasons: First, the huge scale and the diverse and complex ownership of the Indian power sector, which makes it challenging to make everyone agree on the same terms; second, the nature of majority of finance under the past deals being in the form of loans as in the case of South Africa; and third, to have absolutely no form of international condition or compromise with respect to India’s energy security and development, said Yadav. “Any such deal with India could happen only if India’s conditions are well considered.” We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.

CAQM issues Sept 30 deadline for retrofitting DG sets in NCR

On June 2, the CAQM had issued similar directions on the use of DG sets and said only retrofitted, 19kW generators will be allowed to operate even when the graded response action plan (Grap) is not in effect The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Wednesday issued fresh regulations for the use of diesel generator (DG) sets in the National Capital Region (NCR) and reiterated that all government and private establishments must use DG sets that are of a capacity of over 19 kilowatts (kW) and are retrofitted with emission control devices (ECDs) or dual fuel kits of natural gas and diesel. All establishments have been given time till September 30, the CAQM said, post which the use of diesel generators will not be allowed in any circumstance anywhere in the NCR. It also stressed that DG sets under 19 kW will not be allowed even for emergency services, and both private and government establishments must ensure compliance of these directions. By installing a dual fuel kit, a generator can use both diesel as well as greener fuels such as CNG or PNG to produce electricity. The generator sets running on gas are cleaner and produce less pollution as compared to DG sets, according to energy experts. The direction issued by CAQM on June 28 said,” The commission issued a revised schedule for regulated operations of DG sets across all sectors in the NCR, including industrial, commercial, residential and office establishments etc. which would come in force in the entire NCR strictly w.e.f 01. 10.2023. It was accordingly also directed that retrofitting of dual fuel kits or ECDs, wherever warranted as per the revised schedule, must be targeted to be completed latest by 30.09.2023, failing which the use of the diesel genset shall not be permitted under any circumstance, anywhere in the entire NCR including for use in essential services.” On June 2, the CAQM had issued similar directions on the use of DG sets and said only retrofitted, 19kW generators will be allowed to operate even when the graded response action plan (Grap) is not in effect. In the previous years, the commission had allowed the use of diesel sets for essential and emergency services such as operations of Metro stations, airports, health-care facilities and similar establishments. The latest directions by the commission had not gone down well with the industry bodies and Gurugram residents, who claimed that it was costly and difficult to convert DG sets to dual fuel mode or retrofit it with ECDs. Pravin Malik, president, United Association of New Gurugram, a group of residents’ welfare associations, said the process of converting the generators to dual fuel mode is very costly, making it prohibitive for an average RWA. “The government should focus on building adequate electricity infrastructure as there are several areas where the supply lines are not adequate, and connection is taken from rural feeders. Residents in such places are forced to use DG sets. The cost of retrofitting is very high and government should focus on providing power 24x7 power,” he said. The industrialists said a majority of units were small and medium enterprises and it was beyond their capacity to spend around ₹45-50 lakh for a single conversion. “Large industries may be able to afford this cost but it is impossible for medium enterprises to spend lakhs on this. Also, the permission to run these units is only for two hours a day. Spending such huge amounts on conversion is not viable under the circumstance,” Sumit Rao, general secretary, Gurgaon Industrial Association. The association also said government should ensure 24-hour power supply so that there is no need to run DG sets. Running diesel generators , as per experts, leads to emission of carbon monoxide, nitrogen and other particulate matter which causes serious air pollution and health issues in humans. They also said people living near DG sets are prone to several diseases related to lungs, hardening of arteries and other issues. Anumita Roy Chowdhary, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre of Science and Environment said that there is need to strengthen electricity supply and distribution in NCR. “Emission from diesel is carcinogenic and it is important to curb the use of gensets and these should be run on dual fuel kits,” she said. When asked about what steps DHBVN is taking to ensure uninterrupted power supply, Sanjay Chugh, spokesperson of the utility. said all efforts are being made to ensure continuous supply in Gurugram and adjoining areas so that there is minimum need to use gensets. “We have already improved power supply in the city, and reduced our response time to manage faults. A large number of industrial and commercial establishments, particularly hospitals, have been given a dedicated powerline to ensure continuous supply,” he said.

Reconciliation of energy use disparities in brick production in India

Abstract Energy conservation in brick production is crucial to achieving net-zero carbon emissions from the building sector, especially in countries with major expansions in the built environment. However, widely disparate energy consumption estimates impede benchmarking its importance relative to the steel and cement industries. Here we modelled Indian brick production and its regional energy consumption by combining a nationwide questionnaire survey on feedstock, process variables and practices with remote sensing data on kiln enumeration. We found a large underreporting in current official estimates of energy consumption, with actual energy consumption comparable to that in the steel and cement industries in the country. With a total estimated production of 233 ± 15 billion bricks per year, the brick industry consumes 990 ± 125 PJ yr−1 of energy, 35 ± 6 Mt yr−1 coal and 25 ± 6 Mt yr−1 biomass. The main drivers of energy consumption for brick production are the kiln technology, the production capacity and the fuel mix used. The results suggest that improving operating practices would be a first step in making brick production more energy efficient. Main Reducing the embodied energy of buildings (that is, the energy consumed in the production of building materials such as steel, cement, aluminium and bricks) is critical to achieving net-zero emissions from the building sector1,2, especially in developing countries such as India, where construction activity is expected to double by mid-century3. While energy conservation targets have been proposed for India’s formal industries4 (steel, cement and aluminium), there are no mandates to regulate energy consumption in the brick industry. According to India’s latest Biennial Update Report (BUR)5 submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the brick industry accounts for a meagre share of the sector’s energy consumption. However, substantial discrepancies exist in the estimated fuel consumption of the brick industry, with the BUR figures differing by a factor of 10–100 from those reported in official statistics6 and expert studies7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 (Supplementary Table 1). This leads to uncertainties in the relative importance of the brick industry compared to other construction-related industries. Several factors lead to such disagreements in energy consumption. First, incomplete recording by official sources. In practice, official statistics6 rely on coal receipts to estimate industrial coal use. However, unlike formal industries such as steel and cement, the brick industry in India is highly unorganized, with no complete record of the actual coal supply and consumption. In addition, the industry also relies on biomass fuels, which are sourced locally and are not captured in official records. Second, there is no official production data to correlate with reported coal consumption. Third, expert studies7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 lack methodological detail. Estimates are typically based on rough bottom-up calculations of activity and distribution of kiln technologies at the national level without considering regional differences in operating practices. Finally, despite consultation among brick manufacturers and independent groups of industry experts, an extreme paucity of datasets has impeded robust energy benchmarking for this industry. Therefore, this study aims to resolve the disparities in energy consumption in brick production through a transparent framework that includes sufficient information on raw materials, process variables, practices and kiln counts, with attention to regional diversity. As a result, this study contributes to improving future life-cycle assessments of Indian brick production by generating a new dataset of regional inputs for evaluating the embodied energy of fired-clay bricks. Framework design The analysis presented here is based on input from field surveys, remote sensing data and secondary data. Digitally recorded in-person surveys of over 500 kilns—a mix of Bull’s trench kilns (BTKs), clamps and zigzag kilns—spread across 25 districts in 9 states (Supplementary Table 2) were analysed to determine the regional mean distribution of kilns by production capacity, type of fuel mix, brick characteristics (that is, mass and dimensions) and energy performance. The survey responses reveal notable differences in kiln characteristics across six broad regions of India: North, Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), North-East, East, Peninsula and West (Supplementary Tables 3–6). Three data sources were used to determine kiln density (number of kilns per district): manual scanning of high-resolution satellite imagery of major brick-producing districts in India (Supplementary Fig 2), Right to Information (RTI) petitions registered with state pollution control boards and information available on government websites. These were used to compile a list of over 150 districts and the number of kilns in each (hereafter ‘enumerated districts’). The richness of the data is reflected in the complementary interactions between the different data sources (Fig. 1). The remotely enumerated districts and the decadal changes in brick-walled houses derived from the census data were used to develop a model for estimating brick production at the state level. Regional mean coefficients (corresponding to each state, Supplementary Table 3) from field surveys were used to disaggregate production by key operational characteristics for each state. Finally, they were combined with the corresponding energy performance metric to obtain total and subnational energy consumption by kiln technology and fuel mix. Kumar, R. & Yadav, N. K. Makeover: Conversion of Brick Kilns in Delhi-ncr to a Cleaner Technology—a Status Report (Centre for Science and Environment, 2018).

Monsoon showers Delhi with four consecutive ‘satisfactory’ air days

NEW DELHI: Delhi witnessed the fourth consecutive ‘satisfactory’ air quality day on Wednesday, making it the longest streak of cleaner air this year. The last time the city saw a cleaner air spell was from October 6 to 11 with four ‘satisfactory’ and two ‘good’ air days. Since monsoon arrived in Delhi on Sunday, the rain has been playing a major role in settling down the pollutants. Central Pollution Control Board’s data shows that the Air Quality Index (AQI) was 93 on Wednesday. The AQI was 169 on June 24 but it improved to 71 on June 25, when monsoon hit the national capital. The AQI has been hovering in the ‘satisfactory’ category with a reading of 93 on Monday and 83 on Tuesday. Several parts of the city have been receiving ‘light’ to ‘moderate’ rain since the arrival of monsoon. Safdarjung, which is the city’s base station, has logged 79.5mm rainfall in June so far. It is the wettest June since 2020. Experts emphasised that rain played a significant role in cleaning the air quality. delhi aqi Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said, “Usually monsoon months are the cleanest due to the washout effect of rains. This time too Delhi is experiencing a rainy spell. This has reduced the pollution level.” CPCB data shows that this year has seen seven ‘satisfactory’ air days in June so far. Two such days were seen in May too. From January 1 to June 28, the city has witnessed 15 ‘satisfactory’ air quality days. During the same period, 36 such days in 2020, 11 in 2021 and seven in 2022 were recorded. 2020 was the cleanest period due to lockdown. However, the city has not seen any ‘good’ air day so far. More cleaner days may be recorded if the city witnesses intense rain activity during monsoon, said experts. CPCB classifies an AQI between 0 and 50 as ‘good’, between 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, between 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, between 201 and 300 ‘poor’, between 301 and 400 ‘very poor’ and over 400 ‘severe’.

Centre proposes draft rules for Green Credit Programme

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has notified draft rules for ‘Green Credit’, an incentive that individuals, farmer-producer organisations (FPO), industries, rural and urban local bodies, among other stakeholders, will be able to earn for environment positive actions. The ministry proposed the draft Green Credit Programme Implementation Rules 2023 in a notification issued June 26, 2023 and has invited for objections and suggestions within 60 days. By ‘green credit’, the government means a singular unit of an incentive provided for a specified activity, delivering a positive impact on the environment. The activities include: 1. Tree plantation-based green credit: To promote activities for increasing the green cover across the country through tree plantation and related activities 2. Water-based green credit: To promote water conservation, water harvesting and water use efficiency / savings, including treatment and reuse of wastewater 3. Sustainable agriculture-based green credit: To promote natural and regenerative agricultural practices and land restoration to improve productivity, soil health and nutritional value of food produced 4. Waste management-based green credit: To promote sustainable and improved practices for waste management, including collection, segregation and treatment 5. Air pollution reduction-based green credit: To promote measures for reducing air pollution and other pollution abatement activities 6. Mangrove conservation and restoration-based green credit: To promote measures for conservation and restoration of mangroves 7. Ecomark-based green credit: To encourage manufacturers to obtain ‘Ecomark’ label for their goods and services 8. Sustainable building and infrastructure-based green credit: To encourage the construction of buildings and other infrastructure using sustainable technologies and materials Through the programme, thresholds and benchmarks will be developed for each green credit activity. The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education shall be the administrator of the programme. The institute will develop guidelines, processes and procedures for implementation of the programme and develop methodologies and standards, registration process and associated measurement, reporting and verification mechanisms. The green credits will be tradable and those earning it will be able to put these credits up for sale on a proposed domestic market platform. It was first announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the 2023-24 budget with a view to leverage a competitive market-based approach and incentivise voluntary environmental actions of various stakeholders. “Apart from incentivising individual / community behaviour, the Green Credit Programme will encourage private sector industries and companies as well as other entities to meet their existing obligations, stemming from other legal frameworks, by taking actions which are able to converge with activities relevant for generating or buying green credits,” the draft said. Agriculture scientist GV Ramanjaneyulu from the Centre for Sustainble Agriculture said the guidelines bring together mechanisms to quantify and support ecosystem services together and would be of great help for organic farmers and FPOs. “It’s a first of its kind instrument that seeks to value and reward multiple ecosystem services to allow green projects to achieve optimal returns beyond just carbon. In fact, the scheme will allow project proponents to also access carbon markets additionally,” he said. But experts also expressed concerns of greenwashing through such market based mechanisms. “In the case of carbon reductions, market-based mechanisms have proved too incremental at a time when we need urgent reduction of emissions. Expanding this method to other ecosystem and pollution areas creates a strong risk of greenwashing — the appearance of doing a lot without actually achieving much beneficial impact,” said Avantika Goswami, programme manager, climate change, Centre for Science and Environment. It also raises serious questions about how rigour of monitoring will be maintained and who should take the responsibility for pollution reduction and biodiversity savings, she added. She also pointed out that the capacity that will have to be built to monitor these systems and prevent fraud will use resources that could have been diverted to more transformational pollution control and biodiversity protection efforts, regulated and mandated by the government. We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.

National Seminar on Promotion of Clean Energy Access in NE India held

The Meghalaya New & Renewable Energy Development Agency in collaboration with Ministry of New & Renewable Energy today conducted a National Seminar on Promotion of Clean Energy Access in North East India, at Courtyard by Marriot, Police Bazar, Shillong. Meghalaya Power Minister, A T Mondal graced the inaugural programme as the Chief Guest. The main objective of the seminar is to explore and understand potential pathways to energize the population of North Eastern states through clean energy interventions. The day long programme saw the participation of resource persons who spoke on a wide range of topics relating to Overview and Current Status of Compressed Biogas, Biomass Pellets and Briquettes as Fuels, Role of Energy Access in Livelihood Enhancement in North East, Penetration of Small and Medium Scale Biogas Plants with a Special Focus on North East states, etc. In his inaugural address, the minister expressed his gratitude to the Ministry for organising such platforms in the region and said that it is a great opportunity for the state and the region as a whole to tap other forms of new and renewable energy in order to address the power shortage especially in Meghalaya. He hoped that the deliberations in the sessions will go a long way in promoting sustainable energy in the region. The seminar was also attended by various Government agencies including Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Association of Renewable Energy Agencies of States (AREAS), IIT Guwahati and North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR).

Only 5% of Thermal Capacity Meet Pollution Norms; Plants in Eastern States Non-Compliant: CSE Study

Astate-level analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on compliance with sulphur dioxide emission norms by thermal plants across the country throws up alarming indications of feet-dragging by the sector. At present, only 5% of thermal capacity meets the norms. Thermal plants in all the eastern states are non-compliant. Very few in the remaining regions are meeting the norms, says the analysis. The CSE analysis is based on the updated Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) status released by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). “The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had issued a notification specifying the emission norms for coal-based power plants way back in December 2015. Since then, the norms have been diluted for several parameters and deadlines delayed,” said programme director, industrial pollution unit, CSE Nivit Yadav. According to the CSE analysis, the 5% of plants that have so far installed FGDs for controlling SO2 emissions include 9,280 MW that have been reported to have commissioned FGDs and another 1,430 MW that “claim to be SO2 compliant”. “We have found that despite five to eight years of extensions in deadlines, 43% of the capacity (Category A, which includes plants within 10 km radius of Delhi-NCR or cities with million-plus population); 11% of the capacity (Category B — within 10 km radius of critically polluted areas); and 1% of the remaining capacity (Category C) are unlikely to meet the norms by the latest deadlines of 2024, 2025 and 2026, respectively,” said CSE programme officer, industrial pollution unit Anubha Aggarwal. But a comparison of the likelihood of compliance between December 2021 and now shows that there has been an improvement. This can primarily be attributed to an extension in deadlines by another two years, combined with increased clarity for another 34 GW capacity, about which CEA had not been reporting until December 2021. None of the states in the eastern region — Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, and Jharkhand — have any thermal power plants (TPPs) that are at present complying with the emission norms. Although, apart from West Bengal, TPPs in all other states in this region are likely to meet the norms by their respective deadlines. You May Like Time for back to campus, Explore Laptops, Up to 40% OFF Croma by Taboola Sponsored Links All states in Western Region — Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra — have some TPPs that are complying with the SO2. The states and locations in the Northern Region are Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The Dadri TPP and Unchhar TPS in Uttar Pradesh and the Mahatma Gandhi TPP in Haryana (cumulative capacity of 3,150 MW) are the only plants in the northern region that are complying with the norms. Also, 1,025 MW capacity in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh is at a very initial stage of compliance. In case of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 6,440 MW capacity was commissioned after January 1, 2017, two years after the enforcement of the emission norms, yet these plants are not complying with the norms.

India’s megacities face soaring temperatures brought on by urbanisation

Air conditioners in the main bazar of Paharganj, Delhi. Photo: iStock Metro cities across India are facing an increased challenge of rising temperatures. As these cities continue to industrialise, appliances like ACs and automobiles prove to be major contributors to deadly heat waves. This February 2023, India witnessed a temperature of 29.66 degrees Celsius, the hottest since 1901, according to the India Meteorological Department. India’s average annual temperature has increased at a rate of 0.62 degrees Celsius per 100 years between 1901 and 2020, according to data from the World Bank. Maximum temperatures have climbed even quicker at a rate of 0.99 degrees Celsius every 100 years. By 2100, India’s summer heat waves are projected to triple or quadruple while its average temperature is expected to rise by 2.4-4.4 degrees Celsius, according to a policy report by the International Food Policy Research Institute. While India faces the threat of an overall rise in temperatures, a study by Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment points out that India’s megacities have higher temperatures than other regions. Heat waves have severe consequences. The Lancet Countdown on Health and Cimate Change reported that India has witnessed around 20,000 deaths in adults of age 65 in between 2000 to 2004, and the number grew to 31,000 from 2017 to 2021. These studies cast doubt on Indian cities’ abilities to achieve sustainable growth. While the increase in city temperatures is widely attributed to only global warming, there are also contributing factors linked to urbanisation. ACs are a main contributor to heat in India’s megacities. Delhi and Chandigarh top the list of places having the highest demand for ACs. As per estimates, a house utilising air conditioning or emits 12,0000 British Thermal Units of heat in the surroundings. More the number of ACs, more is the heat generated. According to a report issued in February 2021 by Shanglio Sun, research expert at Statista, there is room for 9.7 million units of AC to be sold in the Financial Year (FY) 2023 in India. The second main contributor to heat is automobiles. Maruti Suzuki is India’s largest automobile manufacturer. In March 2023, the company sold a total of 170,071 units out of which 136,787 units were sold domestically, according to its press release. For the full FY 2022-23, the company posted its highest ever total sales of 1,966,164 units. According to the US Department of Energy in 2021, 68 per cent to 72 per cent of the energy from the fossil fuels in the vehicle’s tank is wasted as heat through the radiator and exhaust. This is in addition to heat-generating vehicular carbon dioxide emissions. The number of registered vehicles across India was around 295 million in FY 2019. Vehicle registrations grew at a compound annual growth rate of over 10 per cent between FYs 2007 and 2019, according to a research released in Februaru 2021 by Shangliao Sun, researcher at Statista. More structures continue being developed and trees cut down, adding to the heat. And again to get rid of this heat, ACs are purchased. This vicious cycle of demand for ACs and autos has converged together to aggravate the temperature rise. And to get rid of the acute guilt of actively contributing to heat creation, commemorating World Environment Day comes to our rescue. Before the future leaves us with no other alternative than to be burnt down, it is about time we start taking actions that are environment-friendly. Trishna Sarkar is an Assistant Professor (Department of Economics) at Dr BR Ambedkar College, University of Delhi Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/urbanisation/india-s-megacities-face-soaring-temperatures-brought-on-by-urbanisation-90251

Paris Finance Summit fails to promote transformative solutions – CSE

“We can no longer talk about small changes, or about short-changing the poor. We need answers and we need them fast,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Sunita stated that the most vulnerable countries today, which also require funding for climate mitigation, have a crushingly high debt burden, and that while the summit did not result in any transformational solutions, it did start a conversation about the climate and development financing crisis, which cannot be lost. She was speaking about the just concluded Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, France, which was spearheaded by President Emmanuel Macron of France and attended by many leaders from the developing world and Europe. The Summit attempted to address the paucity of funds flowing to poor and vulnerable countries as they deal with “a cocktail of interconnected crises,” as Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called it: poverty, debt, and inflation caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as escalating climate impacts. According to Avantika Goswami, CSE’s programme manager for climate change, who also attended the Summit, countries in the Global South are in debt and are under pressure to decarbonize their economy without enough climate finance. “The Summit was never expected to solve these problems in a day and a half, but it has started a crucial conversation. It shone a spotlight on the scale of these crises, the clear demands from countries of the Global South, and the pathways of action that the Global North is choosing to advocate for.” Avantika emphasizes the magnitude of the situation by referencing Summit attendees, particularly Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who stated that African countries are suffering unprecedented budget constraints. Debt, both public and private, has reached new heights. “Inflation in almost all commodities has risen sharply, and today daily meals are the biggest issue for many Africans.” Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, issued a rallying call, stating that the poor world is falling in debt and hence vulnerable, and that developing countries are people, countries, and need similar respect. “The UK took a hundred years to repay its debt for World War I; Germany had all the benefits of being able to have its debt service capped at 3 to 5 percent of its GDP in order to rebuild after World War II.” What do governments in the Global South want? According to Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s finance minister, as stated by CSE, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) are “being asked by non-borrowing shareholders to address transboundary challenges in addition to their core development mandate.” However, Avantika stated that this will put further strain on MDB resources, adding that developed countries want to squeeze more out of existing MDB resources while simultaneously incorporating climate into the Banks’ mandate. “Developed countries are resistant to paying more money from their budgets and also risking more influence from large economies such as India and China if their paid-in share rises.” Countries in the Global South are requesting additional concessional and grant finance, as well as debt reductions in developing countries, including debt cancellations for the least developed countries. Deals like the Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETP) must also take into account each country’s circumstances, the requirements of workers and communities, and development aims to combat poverty and unemployment, as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has stated. He stated that the government must be flexible enough to recognize that some fossil fuel generation may need to continue in order to meet the country’s basic energy demands. They must also provide appropriate funding. “In the case of South Africa, for instance, the financing of US $8.5 billion that has been offered is far below the country’s estimated need of US $98 billion.” Kenya has advocated for a global finance structure free of national or shareholder interests, while Brazil has questioned why it must trade in dollars rather than its own currency. What was announced at the Summit? The Summit did not reach complete agreement on a contentious MDB Vision Statement document. Separately, it was announced that an additional $200 billion in lending capacity will be made available to emerging economies. The World Bank approved disaster clauses for debt agreements, which would stop debt payments in the event of severe weather. The Bank also announced the establishment of a Private Sector Investment Lab to “develop and rapidly scale solutions that address the barriers that are preventing the private sector from investing – at scale – in emerging markets and developing countries, with a specific focus on renewable energy and energy infrastructure.” The IMF stated that vulnerable countries have received US $100 billion in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). The’recycling’ of SDRs from rich countries with central banks that do not require the cushioning to poor countries that do or MDBs that can route them has been advocated as a way to increase the amount of concessional funding available to developing countries. Senegal has signed a new Euro 2.5 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) agreement with a consortium of developed countries, with the goal of increasing the share of renewable energy in installed capacity to 40% of Senegal’s electricity mix by 2030. Many organizations advocated for a charge on shipping emissions. This issue is expected to gain pace at the International Maritime Organization convention in July. A financial transactions tax is also gaining popularity. Colombia and Kenya have proposed a Global Expert Review on Debt, Nature, and Climate to “assess the impact of debt on the capacity of low- and medium-income countries to preserve nature, adapt to climate change, and decarbonize their economies.” The EU issued a call to action on “Paris Aligned Carbon Markets,” with the goal of covering at least 60% of global emissions with carbon pricing mechanisms (up from 4% presently) and devoting a share of the income to climate finance. It has been suggested that the long-delayed US $100 billion climate funding objective will be met this year. Narain & Avantika responses According to Narain, every climate change disaster causes the Global South countries to become more indebted as they borrow to survive and rebuild, and that this year, countries must discuss structural issues that underpin the world’s vast inequities, which ensure that countries in the Global South cannot afford the cost of adaptation or mitigation. “And we need to find the money and we need to do this fast.” According to Goswami, the Paris Summit demonstrated that the developing world’s aspirations appear to be falling on deaf ears. “Peddling false solutions, offering piecemeal and inadequate debt relief efforts, and shifting the onus to the private sector was the plan that developed countries offered in Paris.” Few results emerged Rich countries were hesitant to meet the Global South’s primary demands for debt relief and increased climate money. The two-day meeting, which attempted to accelerate reform initiatives aimed at releasing the trillions of funds needed to combat climate change, did, however, provide a feeling of increased momentum. Despite some progress, the Paris meeting finished on Friday without addressing the underlying issues blocking developing countries from investing in development and climate measures, particularly their crushing debt levels.