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Impact of air pollution on life expectancy

Editor, The time has come when there must be strict check on pollution otherwise the future generation will blame us for the complacency towards pollution and will not forgive us as the situation has come to a stage which is totally harmful to the health of all living beings. Just compare the data of states: Among the states, Delhi saw the maximum plunge — 10 years — in lifespan in the country. The lowest life span fall, however, was recorded in Ladakh, where the life span was shortened by four months. In Haryana, the average life span reduction was seven years and five months. In Punjab, it was five years and 11 months The average lifespan of an Indian has shortened by four years and 11 months owing to the air pollution, reveals the 2023 State of India’s Environment report. In rural areas, people’s lives are on average cut short by five years and two months, which is nine months more than the average lifespan lost by urban Indians. Air pollution, in fact, has shortened the lifespan of 43.4 per cent of India’s population by five years. The report was released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Thursday is revealing. The CSE is a public interest research and advocacy organisation that is based in New Delhi. Eight states and UTs saw the average lifespan shortened by five years or more while nine states saw the average lifespan shortened by three to five years, according to the CSE Report. The lifespan in Haryana is shortened by 7 years and Punjab 6 years and for that pollution is to blame. Over and above that the average age of an Indian had fallen by 5 years Ujwala yojna had proved very useful in the rural areas and in the same way that the Open Defecation Free (ODF) mission had been successfully implemented. The main source of pollution is from petrol driven vehicles and government is encouraging electrical vehicles and many incentives had been declared to encourage the electric or battery driven vehicles. Goverment had also established many solar plants to minimise pollution. It is to be noted here that finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman ‘s latest budget emphasises on the government commitment to move towards net-zero carbon emission by 2070

भारत की पर्यावरण स्थिति रिपोर्ट 2023

चर्चा में क्यों? विज्ञान एवं पर्यावरण केंद्र (Centre for Science and Environment- CSE) तथा डाउन टू अर्थ (DTE) पत्रिका ने हाल ही में भारत की पर्यावरण स्थिति रिपोर्ट 2023 जारी की, जिसमें जलवायु परिवर्तन, कृषि एवं उद्योग के साथ-साथ जल, प्लास्टिक, वन एवं जैवविविधता सहित विभिन्न विषयों के आकलन की एक विस्तृत शृंखला शामिल है। रिपोर्ट का प्रकाशन वार्षिक तौर पर किया जाता है, जो जलवायु परिवर्तन, प्रवासन, स्वास्थ्य एवं खाद्य प्रणालियों पर केंद्रित है। इसमें जैवविविधता, वन एवं वन्य जीवन, ऊर्जा, उद्योग, आवास, प्रदूषण, अपशिष्ट, कृषि और ग्रामीण विकास भी शामिल हैं। CSE नई दिल्ली में स्थित एक गैर-लाभकारी सार्वजनिक हित अनुसंधान संगठन (Advocacy) है। रिपोर्ट के मुख्य बिंदु: अतिक्रमण: देश में 30,000 से अधिक जल निकायों पर अतिक्रमण किया गया है और भारत प्रतिदिन 150,000 टन नगरपालिका ठोस अपशिष्ट (MSW) उत्पन्न कर रहा है, जिनमें से आधे से अधिक या तो लैंडफिल में फेंक दिया जाता है या अनुपयुक्त पड़ा रहता है। वायु प्रदूषण: भारत में वायु प्रदूषण के कारण जीवन की औसत अवधि 4 वर्ष और 11 माह कम हो जाती है। वायु प्रदूषण से संबंधित स्वास्थ्य मुद्दों के कारण शहरी क्षेत्र की तुलना में ग्रामीण भारत में जीवन की औसत अवधि के अधिक वर्ष कम हो रहे हैं। ग्रामीण भारत को 35% अधिक सामुदायिक स्वास्थ्य केंद्रों की आवश्यकता है। पर्यावरणीय अपराध: पर्यावरणीय अपराध बेरोकटोक जारी हैं और लंबित मामलों को निपटाने के लिये न्यायालयों को प्रतिदिन 245 मामलों पर निर्णय देने की आवश्यकता है। चरम मौसमी घटनाएँ: जनवरी और अक्तूबर 2022 के बीच भारत ने 271 दिनों में चरम मौसमी घटनाओं को देखा। इन चरम मौसमी घटनाओं ने 2,900 से अधिक लोगों की जान ले ली। सतत् विकास लक्ष्य: पिछले पाँच वर्षों में संयुक्त राष्ट्र-अनिवार्य सतत् विकास लक्ष्यों (Sustainable Development Goals- SDG) को प्राप्त करने में भारत की वर्ष 2022 की वैश्विक रैंकिंग में नौ स्थानों की गिरावट दर्ज की गई है, जो अब 121वें स्थान पर है। भारत चार दक्षिण एशियाई देशों बांग्लादेश, भूटान, श्रीलंका और नेपाल से नीचे है। भारत सतत् विकास लक्ष्य- 2 (भुखमरी से मुक्ति), सतत् विकास लक्ष्य- 3 (लोगों हेतु स्‍वास्‍थ्‍य और आरोग्यता), सतत् विकास लक्ष्य- 5 (लैंगिक समानता) एवं सतत् विकास लक्ष्य- 11 (संवहनीय शहरी तथा सामुदायिक विकास) सहित 17 सतत् विकास लक्ष्य में से 11 में चुनौतियों का सामना कर रहा है। प्लास्टिक अपशिष्ट: भले ही प्लास्टिक अपशिष्ट की समस्या का पैमाना अभी भी बहुत बड़ा है, फिर भी कई नीतियाँ और तात्कालिकता सही दिशा में हैं। शहर प्लास्टिक के उपयोग को कम कर रहे हैं, स्रोत पर अपशिष्ट को अलग करना और आय का साधन बनाने हेतु अपशिष्ट का पुन: उपयोग एवं पुनर्चक्रण करना सीख रहे हैं। कृषि: कृषि क्षेत्र में पारंपरिक और पुनर्योजी कृषि पद्धतियों की प्रभावशीलता के प्रमाण देखे जा सकते हैं। वनों और जैवविविधता के मुद्दे देखें तो वनों को हो रहा नुकसान एक सर्वविदित सत्य है, लेकिन साथ ही अधिक-से-अधिक समुदाय वनों पर अधिकार की मांग कर रहे हैं और इससे भी अधिक चिंता का विषय यह है कि उन्हें ये अधिकार दिये जा रहे हैं। सिफारिशें: हमें एक सर्वसहमति-आधारित बुनियादी कार्यक्रम की आवश्यकता है जो सभी देशों को दो सबसे महत्त्वपूर्ण वैश्विक समस्याओं से निपटने हेतु एकजुट करता हो, वे समस्याएँ हैं- वर्तमान में हम जिस अस्तित्त्व संबंधी संकट का सामना कर रहे हैं उससे कैसे बचा जाए और एक न्यायसंगत तथा समावेशी विश्व व्यवस्था कैसे बनाई जाए। महामारी संधि इस दिशा में एक स्वागत योग्य कदम हो सकता है।

Strive for environmental protection: Collector to students

District Collector K Venkataramana Reddy called upon the students to strive for environmental protection from now onwards as the environmental imbalance and changes in climatic conditions have been causing calamities. He congratulated the schools which were adjudged as the best Green Schools as part of the Green School programme of AP National Green Corps (APNGC) and Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi. It may be noted that out of 2,187 schools enrolled for the purpose across the State, 10 schools were selected as best Green Schools while nine of them are from the erstwhile Chittoor district. Among these, six are from Tirupati district. On the occasion, the Collector handed over the certificates to the respective schools at a programme held in the Collectorate on Monday. DEO Dr V Sekhar said that students work in the areas of water, air, food, waste management, energy etc., aspects and enrol the details online based on which the Green Schools are selected. APNGC State coordinator P Neelakantaiah and district coordinator K Hari Shankar were present. The six schools which were selected as best Green Schools in Tirupati district are: ZPHS, Kamma Kandriga of RC Puram mandal, ZPGHS, Narayanavanam, KGBV School, Yerravaripalem, ZPHS, Anjuru, SPZP Girls High School, Chandragiri and ZPHS, Kallivettu of BN Kandriga mandal.

पर्यावरण संरक्षण के लिए प्रयासरत रहें विद्यार्थी : कलेक्टर

जिला कलेक्टर के वेंकटरमण रेड्डी ने छात्रों से आह्वान किया कि वे अभी से पर्यावरण संरक्षण के लिए प्रयास करें क्योंकि पर्यावरण असंतुलन और जलवायु परिस्थितियों में परिवर्तन आपदाएं पैदा कर रहा है। उन्होंने उन स्कूलों को बधाई दी जिन्हें एपी नेशनल ग्रीन कॉर्प्स (एपीएनजीसी) और सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट, नई दिल्ली के ग्रीन स्कूल कार्यक्रम के हिस्से के रूप में सर्वश्रेष्ठ ग्रीन स्कूल घोषित किया गया था। यह ध्यान दिया जा सकता है कि राज्य भर में इस उद्देश्य के लिए नामांकित 2,187 स्कूलों में से 10 स्कूलों को सर्वश्रेष्ठ ग्रीन स्कूलों के रूप में चुना गया था, जबकि उनमें से नौ पूर्ववर्ती चित्तूर जिले से हैं। इनमें छह तिरुपति जिले के हैं। इस अवसर पर सोमवार को समाहरणालय में आयोजित कार्यक्रम में कलेक्टर ने संबंधित विद्यालयों को प्रमाण पत्र सौंपे. डीईओ डॉ. वी शेखर ने कहा कि छात्र जल, वायु, भोजन, अपशिष्ट प्रबंधन, ऊर्जा आदि पहलुओं के क्षेत्रों में काम करते हैं और विवरणों को ऑनलाइन दर्ज करते हैं जिसके आधार पर ग्रीन स्कूलों का चयन किया जाता है। APNGC के राज्य समन्वयक पी नीलकंठैया और जिला समन्वयक के हरि शंकर उपस्थित थे। तिरुपति जिले में जिन छह स्कूलों को सर्वश्रेष्ठ ग्रीन स्कूल के रूप में चुना गया, वे हैं: ZPHS, RC पुरम मंडल के कम्मा कंद्रिगा, ZPGHS, नारायणवनम, KGBV स्कूल, येरवरिपलेम, ZPHS, अंजुरू, SPZP गर्ल्स हाई स्कूल, चंद्रगिरि और ZPHS, बीएन कंद्रिगा के कल्लिवेटु मंडल।

बल्क वेस्ट जेनरेटर को बताईं रिस्पॉन्सिबिलिटीज

शहर में वेस्ट मैनेजमेंट को लेकर लोगों को जागरुक किया जा रहा है. जिससे कि कचरे को सेग्रिगेट करके उसे रिसाईकिल किया जा सके. सोमवार को होटल होली डे-इन में सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट संस्था व नगर निगम द्वारा बल्क वेस्ट जेनरेटर के लिए एक दिवसीय वर्कशॉप का आयोजन किया गया. इसमें होटल, हॉस्पिटल और आरडब्लूए (रेजिडेंट वेलफेयर एसोसिएशन) के प्रतिनिधियों ने प्रतिभाग किया। वर्कशॉप में बल्क वेस्ट जेनरेटर को रूल्स एंड रिस्पॉन्सिबिलिटीज से अवगत कराया गया। इसके साथ ही आगरा में बल्क वेस्ट जेनरेटर से जनित कूड़े के मौजूदा हालत से भी अवगत कराया गया। 2136 बल्क वेस्ट जेनेटर्स आगरा में वर्कशॉप में नगर निगम के पर्यावरण अभियंता बताया गया कि आगरा नगर निगम के सर्वे के अनुसार ताजनगरी में 2136 बल्क वेस्ट जेनेरेटर्स हैं जोकि कुल सॉलिड वेस्ट का 23 परसेंट वेस्ट जेनरेट करते हैं। इस वर्कशॉप से बल्क वेस्ट जेनरेटर द्वारा जनित कूड़े के सही निस्तारण करने की दिशा में एक सहारनीय कदम हैं। वर्कशॉप में होटल्स, आरडब्ल्यूए, और हॉस्पिटल्स के कुल 72 लोगो ने प्रतिभाग किया। इन्होंने किया आयोजन वर्कशॉप में नगर निगम के पर्यावरण अभियंता पंकज भूषण, केके पांडेय, फीडबैक फाउंडेशन से पियूष कुमार, लायंस सर्विसेज से विपिन कुमार, ह्यूमन मैट्रिक्स से बलजीत सिंह, स्वच्छता कॉर्पोरेशन से सुधीर शेखर रेड्डी, एनडब्लूएमएस से रचित गुजराल, सीएसई से प्रोग्राम डायरेक्टर अतिन बिस्वास, प्रोग्राम मैनेजर सिद्धार्थ सिंह, डिप्टी प्रोग्राम मैनेजर मऊ सेनगुप्ता, आशीष कुमार चौहान, प्रोग्राम ऑफिसर कुलदीप चौधरी ने वर्कशॉप का आयोजन किया। वर्कशॉप में होटल, हॉस्पिटल और आरडब्लूए के बल्क वेस्ट जेनरेटर को रूल्स और रिस्पॉन्सिबिलिटीज के बारे में बताया गया।

Challenging to quantify India's adaptation finance needs: Govt

India's adaptation finance needs across economic sectors are substantially challenging to quantify, the government has told the Lok Sabha. Responding to a question by Telugu Desam Party's MP Galla Jayadev, Union Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey said India's climate actions have so far largely been financed from domestic sources, including government budgetary support as well as a mix of market mechanisms and fiscal instruments and policy interventions. "However, providing new and additional financial resources as well as the transfer of technology to developing countries to address the global climate change challenge are among the commitments and responsibilities of the developed countries under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement," he said. "India's adaptation finance needs across economic sectors are substantially challenging to quantify," Choubey replied to Jayadev who had asked whether it is true that it would require almost USD 85 trillion by 2030 to adapt to the requirements of climate change. At COP26 in Glasgow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanded USD 1 trillion from developed countries to adapt to, and mitigate the challenges arising from global warming. India has kept this as a condition for delivering on its climate commitments Rich countries have repeatedly failed to mobilise USD 100 billion every year, a promise they made in 2009, to help developing countries cope with climate change According to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental body consisting of wealthy nations, developed countries mobilised USD 52.5 billion in 2013. After dropping to USD 44.6 billion in 2015, the finance flow has steadily increased. In 2020, the developed countries raised USD 83.3 billion, a jump from USD 80.4 billion in 2019, according to a fact sheet published by the Centre for Science and Environment. The Standing Committee on Finance, UNFCCC, has estimated that resources in the range of USD 6 trillion to USD 11 trillion are required till 2030 to meet the targets set by developing countries in their NDCs and other communications, including the Needs Determination Reports. India will require USD 900 billion over the next 30 years to move away from coal mines and thermal plants without jeopardising the livelihoods of millions who still are employed there, according to a report released by The International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology last week. Adaptation is a significant component spelt out in India's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) -- national plans to limit global temperature rise to well below two degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) provides an overarching policy framework for climate actions in the country and outlines a number of steps towards the achievement of India's climate change-related objectives including adaptation. agriculture, water, the Himalayan ecosystem, sustainable habitat, human health, and forestry. The implementation of these missions is being anchored by nodal ministries concerned through annual budgetary allocations to these programmes and schemes.

Only 49% used LPG for cooking in rural areas in 2020-21 despite PM Ujjwala Yojana — What may be the issue

LPG was the primary source of energy for 49.4 percent of households in rural areas and 89 percent of urban households across India, according to the National Sample Survey Office report for 2020-2021 released on Monday. According to the survey, a total of 34.7 percent of households were using clean fuel for cooking, lighting and heating across India in 2020-21. Also, 49.8 percent of households in rural areas and about 92 percent of households in urban areas used clean fuel as primary source of energy for cooking in 2020-2021. A statewise data shows that Delhi, Goa, Karnataka Telangana and Sikkim were among the states where over 90 percent of the household were using clean energy for cooking. In Chandigarh, 100 percent household in rural areas were using clean fuel for cooking purposes. West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Meghalaya were among the states where around 15-30 percent of rural households were using clean fuel - such as LPG, other natural gas, gobar gas, other biogas, electricity (including generated by solar/ wind power generators) and solar cooker - for cooking. Very low' LPG usage in rural areas Shambhavi Shukla of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said that just 49 percent of using clean fuel for household usage is "too low". She pointed at the problem with the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), under which the government aims to provide LPG coverage in rural households. "The problem is that initially, you are providing subsidies to people to buy those cylinders. But, when the cost of refilling falls on people, it becomes difficult for them to afford that amount," she said. As a solution, she suggested that government should provide subsidies to people for refilling their cylinders as well, apart from the initial cost of buying. What is PMUY? The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) "aims to safeguard the health of women and children" by providing them with a clean cooking fuel – LPG. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in May 2016. Under this flagship scheme, the government aims to provide 5 crore LPG connections to BPL (Below poverty line) families with a support of Rs 1600 per connection in the next three years. "Ensuring women’s empowerment, especially in rural India, the connections will be issued in the name of women of the households," it said. Under the Ujjwala 2.0 scheme, the government made an additional allocation of Rs 1.6 crore for LPG connections. Some traditional cooking fuels include firewood, coal, and cow-dung cakes, which when used, can cause health and respiratory problems. They also impact climate. What government says The government claims to have increased the LPG coverage from 62 percent on May 1 (since the launch) to 99.8 percent as on April 1, 2021. This finding holds importance in the backdrop of the Indian government pushing for clean energy and a green environment in coming years. Several countries have been working against the time to push for green energy and achieve sustainable development goals, and India is one of them. India is "rapidly" moving towards a "clean energy transition" with its total installed renewable energy capacity touching 168.96 GW mark by February 2023-end. Union Minister for Power RK Singh told the Rajya Sabha this month that of the total 168.96 GW, 64.38 GW is solar power capacity, 51.79 GW hydro, 42.02 GW wind and 10.77 GW bio power.

Courts need to double pace to dispose of all environmental crime cases in a year: Report

While courts in India disposed of 130 environmental crime cases a day in 2021, they need to nearly double the speed to be able to clear the backlog in a year, a new report by the Centre for Science and Environment said. Courts disposed of 47,316 cases (around 130 cases a day) in 2021, but 89,305 cases were still pending at the end of the year. To clear the backlog in a year, they need to dispose of 245 cases a day, according to the ‘State of India’s Environment Report’ released on Thursday. The report said that there has been a 4 percent increase in the number of environmental crimes in the country between 2020 and 2021 but courts are disposing of cases at a rate much lower than required, “leading to pile-ups and delays.” The think tank said that India logged 64,471 environment-related crimes in 2021. A total of 59,220 went to trial, taking the total number of undertrial cases to 1,36,621 (including 77,401 cases pending from 2020). The report said that around 19,000 cases registered under the Indian Forest Act (IFA), 1927 and the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 are pending and it will take courts 14 years and 11 months to dispose of them at the current rate. Similarly, around 2,000 cases registered under the Environment Protection Act (EPA), 1986 are pending and it will take around 38 years and 9 months to clear them at the current rate, it said. Around 3,750 cases registered under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 are pending and the time required to dispose of them at the current rate is around 12 years. The environment ministry has proposed to amend the EPA to decriminalise its existing provisions to “weed out fear of imprisonment for simple violations.” Amendments have been proposed to decriminalise violations of the Air Act of 1981, and the Water Act of 1974. It has proposed to amend the IFA to replace a jail term of six months with Rs 500 for illegal trespassing and tree-cutting in forests. Experts and activists have opposed the ministry’s proposal to decriminalise these laws, arguing that no environmental violation can be considered “simple” as it immediately impacts the human body. (PTI)

Himalayas warming faster than global average: CSE report

When the world is 1.5 °C warmer, Ladakh would bear the maximum brunt and may witness 2.23°C, followed by Jammu and Kashmir (1.76°C), Himachal Pradesh (1.73°C), Uttarakhand (1.62°C), Sikkim (1.55°C), and Arunachal Pradesh (1.47°C). India is home to almost 2,500 kms of the grand Himalayan range spread over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, northern parts of West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had warned that major Himalayan rivers such as the Indus, the Ganges and Brahmaputra could see reductions in their flows. New Delhi: The Himalayas are melting and faster than we can imagine. “The precipitation has declined and snowfall is delayed every year and over all, the Himalayas are warming faster than the global average,” the State of Environment (SoE) Report 2023 has warned. The Himalayas provide water – directly and indirectly through glacier-fed rivers – to more than 1.3 billion people. This includes almost 40% of India’s population spread over the Indus, Gangetic and the Brahmaputra basins. The Himalayas also provide livelihood and ecosystem services to more than 210 million people. One can envision the catastrophe that the world is headed for when a steadily declining snowfall melts away faster due to the rising global temperature. “As the temperature rise triggers the rapid melting of glaciers, which is the main source of water for people living there, it has affected lives and livelihoods,” pointed out Raju Sajwan and Akshit Sangomla, authors of the chapter on the Himalayas in the SoE report released on Thursday. The fortnightly document issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday showed a ‘Large Deficit’ – as much as -65% – precipitation departure from normal in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh together for the period from March 1 to 22. For Leh, the precipitation was a -91% departure from the normal. “Earlier, even the months of January had showed below normal precipitation. Leh district received below normal snowfall in February too. In March, there was some snowfall, but overall, there has been deficit rainfall in winter. Only exception was Kargil and Zanskar region that received good snowfall,” Dr Sonum Lotus, IMD’s chief for the region, told News9 Plus. Wildlife conservationist Karma Sonam is not surprised. “When I was young, it snowed heavily right through December till spring and it would actually be 3-4 feet high. The last few years, the snowfall has been steadily declining and this year, we had so less snowfall even in January, February and March this year,” Karma told News9 Plus on phone from his village near Leh. In India the Himalayas are spread over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Over an expanse of 2,500 kilometres, the Himalayas boast the largest repository of snow and ice in the world after the two poles. In 2019, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) had released a landmark report on the Hindukush Himalayas. The report said a global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era temperature (between 1850 and 1900) would be “too hot” for the Hindu Kush Himalayas. It will lead to a 2 degrees temperature rise in the high reaches of the Himalayas. It would impact glaciers, destabilising Asia’s rivers and endangering lives and livelihoods of millions. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)’s SoE report for 2023 covers an extensive gamut of subjects and assessments, ranging from climate change, Himalayas, agriculture, air pollution, water, plastics, forests and biodiversity, among other topics. Speaking at the release of the SoE report, Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE, said: “The good news is that environment is now mainstream, we are all outraged at how climate change is devastating our future. But the bad news is that we are not acting at the scale of the devastation that we see around us. We need to take more deliberate steps to reverse the damage.” On Wednesday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had warned that major Himalayan rivers such as the Indus, the Ganges and Brahmaputra, all hugely important for India, could see reductions in their flows as glaciers and ice sheets recede over the coming decades due to global warming. “Glaciers are critical to all life on earth. Over centuries, they carved out the landmasses we call home. Today, they cover 10 per cent of our world. Glaciers are also the world’s water towers,” Guterres said in his remarks to an event on the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation.

पर्यावरणCSE-DTE release 2023 State of India’s Environment report

The annual report covers wide gamut of topics like climate change, agriculture and industry to water, plastics, forests and biodiversity The year 2022-2023 saw two huge trends in terms of the environment: Reversal of gains for the energy transition and the overwhelming impact of climate change, which is a real threat staring at us. This is among the many facts brought out in the latest report by Down To Earth, the fortnightly magazine by New Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment. The 2023 State of India’s Environment report, also known as SoE, will be officially unveiled at 6.30 pm on March 23, 2023, at India Habitat Centre (IHC), Delhi. The report covers an extensive gamut of subject assessments, ranging from climate change, agriculture and industry to water, plastics, forests and biodiversity. “The state of India’s environment is not a story that is unendingly, inexorably dark — it has a lot of silver lining as well, it provides us with a lot of reasons to celebrate as well. This is the story that the 2023 State of India’s Environment report, put together by CSE and DTE magazine, attempts to present,” Sunita Narain, director general, CSE, stated in a press briefing. The report presents some dark facts. Over 30,000 waterbodies have been encroached on in the country and India is generating 150,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day — more than half of which is either dumped in landfills or remains unattended. Four years and 11 months is the average duration of life lost to air pollution in India, the report has found. Rural India is losing more years due to air pollution-related health issues than the urban belt. In fact, rural India needs 35 per cent more community health centres. For almost four decades now, SoE reports have held up a mirror to the development pathways that the country has chosen, said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE. “Bringing stories and voices from the ground, they have told us where we are going wrong; what has worked and what hasn’t; and have laid down some options to correct our trajectory,” she said. The edition also reports that environmental crimes continue unabated — courts need to decide on 245 cases every day to clear the backlog. Between January and October 2022 (304 days), India witnessed extreme weather events on 271 days. These extreme weather events claimed over 2,900 lives. India’s overall global rank in meeting the United Nations-mandated sustainable development goals (SDGs) has also slipped by nine places. Richard Mahapatra, managing editor, DTE, says the 2023 report follows the tradition. “The 2023 edition, with 20 chapters covering different aspects, shows how busy the country is with its many challenges. But it also notes the many opportunities being explored, debated and discussed to meet these challenges.” India has many mutinies on the environmental front, but also has as many warriors waging a battle to win, Mahapatra added. 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.

Revolutionary Print-On-Demand Personalization With Your Design Store

The new "new" in the Indian fashion industry is personalization. Consumers want clothing that is customized to their unique requirements and tastes, whether it is a particular cut, design, fabric, or color. Fashion trends come and go quickly, but customization is one trend that will never go out of style. The days of settling for what was readily accessible on the market are long gone. Consumers today are seeking distinctive, one-of-a-kind items that reflect their likes and styles. The new "new" in the Indian fashion industry is personalization. Consumers want clothing that is customized to their unique requirements and tastes, whether it is a particular cut, design, fabric, or color. Enter Your Design Store, an online store looking to make customization accessible to everyone. As one of the country’s first online customization portals, Your Design Store seeks to capitalize on this emerging market with its revolutionary groundbreaking print-on-demand service. Being one of the very few merchandise companies offering single-piece orders, YDS has changed the way custom apparel is thought of. Your Design Store aims to make memories, ideas, and thoughts into products that people may wear, collect, or give as gifts. They seek to not only expand the Indian customization industry but also to provide enthusiasts with a place to create, sell, and develop their custom culture. They do this by keeping one eye on worldwide trends and the other on local grassroots culture. Your Design Store’s main offering is their online store for all things custom. Here you can choose from a variety of products to create your own custom merchandise. While offering single-quantity custom printed or embroidered t-shirts, Bangalore-based Your Design Store expands the catalog for customization way past t-shirts, with custom jackets, pullovers, activewear, and even stationery and accessories. Your Design aims to be a conscious company, with strides taken to ensure minimal carbon footprint. 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 their bit for the cause, YDS has taken certain measures to reduce overall carbon footprint. Shedding the erstwhile plastic tamper-proof delivery bags, Your Design initially shifted to biodegradable plastic bags for delivery, and have 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 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. Aside from their B2C website, the team at Your Design also offers their print-on-demand services to other businesses. For small companies, NGOs, artists, musicians, comedians and content creators, the world of drop shipped merchandise is a great way to generate revenue or raise funds. Since there’s no initial investment in merchandise, the stress of paying for products that you have no idea will sell is now non-existent. It’s a great way to test the market of merchandise outreach if you haven’t before, or a great way to build your brand without spending too much time or money on it. A gathering of thinkers continuously buzzing with fresh ideas, an online hub for all modification, and a creative area for both businesses and individuals. Your Design Store is the ultimate one-stop shop for everything you need to make yourself stand out. YDS strives to be Your (friendly neighborhood) Design Store!

To answer the climate challenge, businesses must lead a green industrial revolution

India: An Emerging Power As Russia wages war on Ukraine and China sabre rattles over Taiwan, the future of the world could well lie in the hands of neither of those two global powers, but in India, a country on the threshold of promotion to greater influence in world affairs. I have been working in India for several decades. When I first came, I was impressed by its vibrant culture, deep history, and rich heritage. Above all, I recognised and wanted to support the entrepreneurial spirit of India’s people, their desire to build a better life for themselves and their families through starting businesses. India’s population is very large, set to become the highest in the world this year according to the United Nations, and also very young, with a far greater proportion of children and working-age adults than the West or China. All of these factors combine to make India a strong nation on the brink of a breakthrough moment. There is, sadly, one blot on what has been termed “the Indian century”. The climate challenge is a global one, yet there are few places where it will be felt more strongly than in India. A report published in November by the Centre for Science and Environment, based in New Delhi, made for shocking reading. It covered the first nine months of 2022, and found that India experienced an extreme weather event such as a cyclone, flood, or landslide on nearly 90% of the days it surveyed. In that time, these events affected 1.8 million hectares of crops and killed 2,755 people. The future is even bleaker, with predictions of Himalayan glaciers receding, monsoon rains becoming more intense, and temperatures rising. A Quantum Leap in Well-being At the COP27 international climate summit, held at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022, there was one common topic of discussion: the obligations of industrialised countries to support those still undergoing this transition. It can be easy for those in the developed world to forget just how seismic the emergence of fossil fuels was for human development. For centuries, life in even the most prosperous nations changed little from generation to generation. Then, in 1712, a British ironmonger from the coastal town of Dartmouth, Devon made an invention that changed the world. Thomas Newcomen’s primitive coal-powered steam engine was designed to drain water from coal and tin mines. By the 1770s, others such as James Watt had vastly improved on Newcomen’s engine, increasing its efficiency and adapting it for use in other industrial settings. Later came oil, steam trains and railroads, internal combustion engines and the modern motor car, widespread electricity and the labour-saving appliances it powered. As the industrial revolution progressed, living standards in those countries at the forefront exploded – and we have witnessed the same around the world as other nations and regions have fought to catch up. India’s rapid growth this century, which has seen GDP per capita increase five-fold since the turn of the millennium, is part of this long story. Building a Green Industrial Revolution Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Good and evil often are found together.” So it has been with fossil fuels. These resources have elevated swathes of mankind, yet sowed the seeds of a global crisis. How can we maintain and spread the benefits of abundant, low-cost energy while leaving behind a liveable planet for future generations? The answer lies in building a green industrial revolution, applying the innovative spirit of Newcomen and his contemporaries to the challenge of decarbonising our infrastructure today. In the recent Budget, Indian government pledged 350 billion rupees (US$ 4.25 billion) to aid the green energy transition. This supports the commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2021 to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. As India approaches becoming the world’s largest nation, the actions of its government will have global significance. At the same time, while welcoming this essential support, the central role of business in this endeavour must not be forgotten. Entrepreneurs form the vital link between creativity and prosperity, turning visionary ideas and groundbreaking technology into goods and services which serve the needs of the marketplace. Without the innovation and scalability of business, progress will be slow. Without carbon-neutral, or even carbon-negative, products capable of turning a profit by delighting customers, large-scale transformation will be impossible. Harnessing the Creativity of Business Take the example of Elon Musk. His company, Tesla, is leading the electric vehicle industry and shaping the culture of transportation. In 2012, 130,000 electric cars were sold worldwide. Now, that many are sold every single week. The market share for electric cars more than tripled just between 2019 and 2021. Yet it is not only companies as large or as famous as Musk’s that are demonstrating the goodness of business in the face of the climate challenge. As the problems have grown more acute, so creativity has flourished in response. The Earthshot Prize was founded in 2020 by the U.K.’s Prince William, now the Prince of Wales. Every year it gives away five awards of GBP 1 million to help scale the “best and most ingenious solutions to repair and regenerate our planet”. The prize is not limited to businesses, yet the majority of winners have been small companies, offering a showcase of the innovation being carried out by small- and medium-sized enterprises in response to the great challenge of the age. The 2022 prize winners included Kheyti, a start-up based in Hyderabad that has designed a new low-cost “greenhouse in a box” that protects the crops of smallholder farmers from extreme weather. This innovative technology enables farmers to use 90% less water, grow seven times more food, and increase the reliability of their income. The social enterprise is now working with 1,000 farmers in six states of India. In a measure of how rapidly successful businesses can scale up their operations, their goal is to reach 50,000 farmers by 2027. Great Companies Listen to the Voice of the Customer According to research, nearly three quarters of Indians say they have experienced the effects of climate change and 84% are worried about it. Great companies succeed by listening to the voice of the customer and meeting their needs. Culture in India and around the world is demanding that companies commit to sustainability like never before. Where culture leads, government and regulators will follow. Businesses that do not recognise the customer demand for green technology and who fail to heed the trend for increased carbon penalties and other regulation around the world will find themselves on the back foot. I believe that great nations are built by great companies. The Indian century will be led by innovative businesses that meet the needs of India’s booming population. Those committed to the green industrial revolution will find they are in the best position to win the marketplace – and to leave behind a better world as their legacy.

'Protecting environment must be everyone's priority'

A two-day national seminar on ‘Clean Air for Blue Skies: An understanding of Air Pollution Concerns and its abatement’ was organised jointly by Guru Ram Das School of Planning, Guru Nanak Dev University, and the Punjab Pollution Control Board, Patiala. In the inaugural session, the welcome address was given by Dr Ashwani Luthra, head, Guru Ram Das School of Planning. The introduction of the theme of the seminar was given by Dr Ritu Raj Kaur who talked about the issues of air pollution and its effects. Prof Sarabjot Singh Behl, Dean Academic Affairs, GNDU, spoke on sources of air pollution like transport, energy and built environment. “The fossil fuel — coal — is being burnt at a rapid pace, contributing greatly to air pollution. We need to find sustainable replacement for clean energy and develop them on a rapid scale to ensure that air pollution is not just kept under check but also reduced significantly,” he said. Building on clean energy and sufficient public transport systems to reduce vehicular pollution, checking external pollutants, including the burning of stubble and garbage, too was discussed. Prof Adarsh Pal Vig, Chairman, Punjab Pollution Control Board, Patiala, spoke on the activities of the PPCB. He said protecting the environment should be the priority of everyone. People must think how they were contributing to the environment pollution and mitigation. There were six technical sessions pertaining to the theme of the seminar. The themes of various technical sessions were air quality and pollution, air pollution concerns and efforts, air pollution mitigation measures, climate change and emission reduction, mobility and air pollution and stakeholders in air pollution reduction. There were eminent speakers from various government organisations, environmental experts from NGOs like the Centre from Science and Environment, ICLEI, academicians – students and faculty — from across the country who participated in the conference.

Lifespan in Haryana down 7 years, Punjab 6 years, pollution to blame

The average lifespan of an Indian has shortened by four years and 11 months owing to the air pollution, reveals the 2023 State of India’s Environment report. In rural areas, people’s lives are on average cut short by five years and two months, which is nine months more than the average lifespan lost by urban Indians. Air pollution, in fact, has shortened the lifespan of 43.4 per cent of India’s population by five years. The report was released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Thursday. The CSE is a public interest research and advocacy organisation that is based in New Delhi. Eight states and UTs saw the average lifespan shortened by five years or more while nine states saw the average lifespan shortened by three to five years, according to the report. Among the states, Delhi saw the maximum plunge — 10 years — in lifespan in the country. The lowest life span fall, however, was recorded in Ladakh, where the life span was shortened by four months. In Haryana, the average life span reduction was seven years and five months. In Punjab, it was five years and 11 months. According to the CSE, the analysis is based on the district-level air quality life index released by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, US. The index estimates the relationship between PM 2.5 air pollution and life expectancy, allowing users to view the gain in life expectancy they could experience if their community met WHO PM 2.5 annual average guideline. “We are not acting at the scale of the devastation that we see around us. We will keep losing the battle unless we take more deliberate steps to reverse the damage,” said CSE director Sunita Narain.

अगले 27 साल में नहीं मिलेगा चावल, गेहूं और मक्का! जलवायु संकट से इतनी घट जाएगी पैदावार

भारत में कुछ सालों के बाद चावल, गेंहू और मक्का खाने को शायद न मिले. या कम मिले. ये सच्चाई है. क्योंकि जिस हिसाब से मौसम बदल रहा है. 2050 तक चावल, गेंहू और मक्के की पैदावार में भारी कमी आएगी. 27 साल बाद चावल के पैदावार में 20, गेंहू में 19.3 और बाजरे में 18% की गिरावट होगी. वजह क्लाइमेट चेंज है. एक्सट्रीम वेदर इवेंट्स की वजह से ज्यादा मुसीबत जलवायु परिवर्तन इंसानों द्वारा किए जा रहे ग्रीनहाउस गैसों के उत्सर्जन से हो रहा है. इसमें बड़ी भूमिका जंगलों का काटा जाना है. इस आशंका को सच करती हुई एक रिपोर्ट अभी सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट ने रिलीज की है. जिसमें बताया है कि भारत में पिछले साल 1 जनवरी से लेकर 31 अक्टूबर तक 304 दिनों में 271 दिन मौमस खराब ही रहा है. वो भी आपदाओं के तौर पर. कभी सूखा तो कभी बाढ़. कभी ओले तो कभी आंधी-तूफान.