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CSE recommend a fuel shift to alternate, cleaner fuels for reducing carbon emissions from Iron & Steel sector.

While the Iron & Steel sector of India shares 5 % of Green House Emission , CSE recommend a fuel shift to alternate/cleaner fuels for reducing carbon emissions from the sector. The challenge that lies ahead is to make cleaner fuels affordable and available. Releasing a report on the issue ,CSE analysis shows that it is possible to bring down carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from iron and steel sector drastically by 2030, while more than doubling India’s output of steel. “ We can emit even less than what we do today. But this will need planning, technology and adequate funds,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Speaking at a stakeholder workshop organised by CSE on ‘Decarbonising India’s Iron and Steel Sector by 2030 and Beyond’ speakers and participants including – besides Narain – Ruchika Chaudhry Govil, additional secretary, Union ministry of steel, Richa Sharma, additional secretary, Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, Parmjeet Singh, additional industrial advisor, Union ministry of steel, Andrew Purvis, director, World Steel Association discussed details on GHG emissions from the sector and its future emission scenarios (for 2030). The workshop navigated the issues of fuel shift, low carbon technology, energy efficiency, increasing generation and usage of steel scrap and carbon capture utilisation and storage for the Indian iron and steel sector. As the sector plans to double its production by 2030 with 60-65 per cent production based on coal-intensive technology -- blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) -- steel players are actively considering the option of carbon capture utilisation and storage. At the workshop, the panellists elaborated on the national and international scenarios for economic and technological viability of CCUS for the sector. CSE recommend for switch over to cleaner fuels – in the case of BF-BOF, the use of natural-gas injection or hydrogen to reduce the use of coal along with shifting from coal-based DRI to gas-based completely which would have the possibility to further transform to hydrogen-based DRI production. It recommended increase of scrap use – better implementation of vehicular and steel scrap policies to generate more scrap along with increasing the amount of recycled steel in production to its optimum in both production technologies. Industries need to implement carbon capture utilisation and storage in the BF-BOF route to bring down coal- based emissions. It recommended to organise the finance – a switchover to new fuels and technologies would require finance. The government and steel industry should work towards a combined proposal for international climate finance. Speaking on the occasion, Ruchika Govil from the ministry of steel said that the ministry has welcomed CSE’s recommendations, and is willing to work with CSE to make the steel sector less carbon-intensive. “The bottom line is that it is possible to bend the CO2 curve even for a sector like iron and steel. Countries like India can develop while drastically reducing their GHG emissions. The only question is if the rich world will accept the imperative of climate justice and provide the funds for the technology transformation necessary for a future-ready industry,” said Narain.

ndia’s iron and steel industry capable of emitting less and producing more: CSE

“The iron and steel industry is an emission-intensive sector. Our new analysis shows it is possible to bring down carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from our iron and steel sector drastically by 2030, while more than doubling India’s output of steel. We can emit even less than what we do today. But this will need planning, technology and adequate funds,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), speaking at a day-long stakeholder workshop organised by CSE here today on ‘Decarbonising India’s Iron and Steel Sector by 2030 and Beyond’. The workshop discussions were based on CSE’s latest report on the subject — Decarbonizing India: Iron and Steel Sector – which gives detailed insights into GHG emissions from the sector and its future emission scenarios (for 2030). Said Nivit Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution, CSE: “The iron and steel sector is a hard-to-abate sector in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; at the same time, it is a critical contributor to the economic development of the country. Globally, the sector accounts for some 7 per cent of total GHG emissions; in India, the sector’s share is 5 per cent (as per the latest Biennial Update Report (BUR) submitted to UNFCCC in 2016).” The workshop navigated the issues of fuel shift, low carbon technology, energy efficiency, increasing generation and usage of steel scrap and carbon capture utilisation and storage for the Indian iron and steel sector. Giving CSE’s opening presentation, Parth Kumar, programme manager, industrial pollution, CSE, said: “Countries like India need to grow and develop at a time when the world is running out of carbon budget to stay below the guardrail of 1.5°C temperature rise. Given the conundrum, the crucial question that we should all ask is how can India ensure the double benefits of reduced emissions and growth? While energy efficiency is a significant low hanging fruit for decarbonisation, we recommend a fuel shift to alternate/cleaner fuels for reducing carbon emissions from the sector. The challenge that lies ahead for us is to make cleaner fuels affordable and available.” Said Yadav: “We need to ensure effective implementation of these policies that would lead to increased generation of good quality steel scrap along with encouraging India’s steel producers to move towards optimum scrap usage in steel production.” As the sector plans to double its production by 2030 with 60-65 per cent production based on coal-intensive technology — blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) — steel players are actively considering the option of carbon capture utilisation and storage. At the workshop, the panellists elaborated on the national and international scenarios for economic and technological viability of CCUS for the sector. CSE’s recommendations for the sector Switch over to cleaner fuels – in the case of BF-BOF, the use of natural-gas injection or hydrogen to reduce the use of coal is recommended, along with shifting from coal-based DRI to gas-based completely which would have the possibility to further transform to hydrogen-based DRI production. Increase scrap use – better implementation of vehicular and steel scrap policies to generate more scrap along with increasing the amount of recycled steel in production to its optimum in both production technologies. Implement carbon capture utilisation and storage in the BF-BOF route to bring down coal-based emissions. Organise the finance – a switchover to new fuels and technologies would require finance. The government and steel industry should work towards a combined proposal for international climate finance.

India’s iron and steel industry capable of emitting less and producing more

“The iron and steel industry is an emission-intensive sector. New analysis of CSE shows it is possible to bring down carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from our iron and steel sector drastically by 2030, while more than doubling India’s output of steel. We can emit even less than what we do today. But this will need planning, technology and adequate funds,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), speaking at a day-long stakeholder workshop organised by CSE here today on ‘Decarbonising India’s Iron and Steel Sector by 2030 and Beyond’. The workshop discussions were based on CSE’s latest report on the subject -- Decarbonizing India: Iron and Steel Sector – which gives detailed insights into GHG emissions from the sector and its future emission scenarios (for 2030). The speakers and participants included – besides Narain – Ruchika Chaudhry Govil, additional secretary, Union ministry of steel, Government of India; Richa Sharma, additional secretary, Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, Government of India; Parmjeet Singh, additional industrial advisor, Union ministry of steel, Government of India; Andrew Purvis, director, World Steel Association; and some top industry representatives. Said Nivit Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution, CSE: “The iron and steel sector is a hard-to-abate sector in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; at the same time, it is a critical contributor to the economic development of the country. Globally, the sector accounts for some 7 per cent of total GHG emissions; in India, the sector’s share is 5 per cent (as per the latest Biennial Update Report (BUR) submitted to UNFCCC in 2016).” The workshop navigated the issues of fuel shift, low carbon technology, energy efficiency, increasing generation and usage of steel scrap and carbon capture utilisation and storage for the Indian iron and steel sector. Giving CSE’s opening presentation, Parth Kumar, programme manager, industrial pollution, CSE, said: “Countries like India need to grow and develop at a time when the world is running out of carbon budget to stay below the guardrail of 1.5°C temperature rise. Given the conundrum, the crucial question that we should all ask is how can India ensure the double benefits of reduced emissions and growth? While energy efficiency is a significant low hanging fruit for decarbonisation, we recommend a fuel shift to alternate/cleaner fuels for reducing carbon emissions from the sector. The challenge that lies ahead for us is to make cleaner fuels affordable and available.” Another prominent pathway advocated by CSE in its report is increasing the use of steel scrap. India is making efforts to increase its domestic steel scrap generation through various sources like vehicles, construction, shipping etc, especially with the passage of the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy and the Vehicular Scrappage Policy. Said Yadav: “We need to ensure effective implementation of these policies that would lead to increased generation of good quality steel scrap along with encouraging India’s steel producers to move towards optimum scrap usage in steel production.” As the sector plans to double its production by 2030 with 60-65 per cent production based on coal-intensive technology -- blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) -- steel players are .

High temperatures help make February second cleanest in Delhi since 2016

NEW DELHI: Aided by the early exit of winter, Delhi this year saw its second cleanest month of February since the air quality index was introduced in April 2015. The average AQI during the month was 237, the lowest after 225 in February last year. Though the month didn't see any "good" or "satisfactory" air days, strong winds and high temperatures helped disperse pollutants, experts said. The month saw five "very poor", 13 "poor" and 10 "moderate" air days. There were four "very poor" days in February last year. Strong winds, high temp cleared air in February New Delhi: Temperatures that were generally four to nine degrees above normal played a key role in keeping the air relatively clean this February, which recorded the second best average AQI for the month since 2016. Explaining the meteorological factors behind the comparatively low AQI relatively low this February, a met official said, "The first half of February was windy. The strong winds aided in dispersion of pollutants. The second half of the month saw high temperatures on most days which helped in better ventilation. The temperatures were four to nine degrees above normal on most days." The average AQI of February was highest in 2016 at 291. It was 267 in 2017, 243 in 2018, 242 in 2019, 241 in 2020 and 288 in 2021. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, "The overall pollution levels are expected to come down in February compared to the peak and average levels in winter. This has also been the warmest February in the past 17 years. The level of pollution concentration is also lesser due to changing meteorology." She added, "This is the time to ramp up action to ensure sustained improvement and reduce dependence on emergency action during winter. Focus on reducing emissions from all key sectors." According to CPCB, January and February 2023 saw 47 days when the AQI was between 301 and 500 (in the "very poor" to "severe" range). Last year, 44 such days were recorded during the same period. An AQI reading of 50 or below is classified as "good", readings between 51 and 100 on the index fall in the "satisfactory" category. Readings between 101 and 200 are considered "moderate". "Poor" air ranges from 201 to 300, "very poor" from 301 to 400 and "severe" from 401 to 500.

MP में हटेंगे 15 साल पुराने वाहन:बाइक हो या कार, फिटनेस नहीं तो कबाड़े में बेचना पड़ेगा; 24 लाख गाड़ियों का रजिस्ट्रेशन खत्म

यदि आपकी बाइक या कार 15 साल से ज्यादा पुरानी हो गई है तो आपको इसे बदलने की तैयारी कर लेनी चाहिए। मध्यप्रदेश सरकार ने 1 मार्च को विधानसभा में बजट पेश करते हुए घोषणा कर दी है कि अगले महीने 1 अप्रैल 2023 से पुराने और कंडम वाहन सड़क से बाहर होने शुरू हो जाएंगे। पहले 15 साल की उम्र पूरी कर चुके सरकारी वाहनों को कबाड़ में भेजा जाएगा। 1 हजार वाहनों की लिस्ट भी तैयार हो गई है। प्राइवेट वाहन चाहें वो बाइक हो या कार, यदि 15 साल की उम्र पूरी कर चुके हैं तो नए रजिस्ट्रेशन के लिए फिर से फिटनेस टेस्ट से गुजरना होगा। फिटनेस में फेल होने पर रजिस्ट्रेशन नहीं होगा। उस गाड़ी को सड़क पर चलाना गैरकानूनी होगा। ऐसे में स्क्रैप ही आखिरी विकल्प होगा। मध्यप्रदेश में 15 साल की उम्र पूरी कर चुकी गाड़ियों की संख्या 24 लाख है। इसमें 16 लाख से ज्यादा दो पहिया वाहन हैं, बाकी गाड़ियों में कार, ट्रैक्टर, बस और ट्रक शामिल हैं। अगले महीने से इन गाड़ियों के लिए उल्टी गिनती शुरू हो जाएगी। पुरानी गाड़ियों के रजिस्ट्रेशन का शुल्क भी सरकार ने अप्रत्याशित रूप से 10 गुना तक बढ़ा दिया है। पुरानी गाड़ी का 15 साल बाद दोबारा रजिस्ट्रेशन भी सिर्फ 5 साल के लिए ही हो सकेगा। इसके बाद फिर वही प्रक्रिया अपनानी होगी। यानी फिटनेस टेस्ट के बाद फिर नए सिरे से रजिस्ट्रेशन कराना होगा। परिवहन विभाग के प्रमुख सचिव फैज अहमद किदवई ने भास्कर से कहा- 15 साल से पुराने सरकारी वाहनों का तो अप्रैल से रजिस्ट्रेशन ही रद्द हो जाएगा। रही बात निजी गाड़ियों की तो नया रजिस्ट्रेशन कराने के लिए पहले फिटनेस टेस्ट कराना होगा। फिटनेस ओके होने पर ही 5 साल के लिए नया रजिस्ट्रेशन होगा। कंपनियों को क्या फायदा होगा? इस समय मोटर वाहन कंपनियों को स्टील एवं कुछ अन्य महंगा मेटल विदेशों से मंगवाना पड़ता है। पिछले साल करीब 23 हजार करोड़ रुपए का स्क्रैप स्टील भारत को आयात करना पड़ा था। इससे प्रोडक्टिव स्क्रैप मिलेगा और मोटर गाड़ी बनाने वाली कंपनियों को कच्चा माल सस्ता मिलेगा। सरकार को क्या होगा फायदा जब लोग पुरानी गाड़ियां स्क्रैप करेंगे और नई गाड़ियां खरीदेंगे तो इससे सरकार को सालाना करीब 40,000 करोड़ रुपए का जीएसटी आएगा। इससे सरकार के रेवेन्यू में बढ़ोतरी होगी। स्क्रैप पॉलिसी के दायरे में 20 साल से ज्यादा पुराने लगभग 51 लाख हल्के मोटर वाहन (एलएमवी) और 15 साल से अधिक पुराने 34 लाख अन्य एलएमवी आएंगे। इसके तहत वे 15 लाख मीडियम और हैवी मोटर वाहन भी आएंगे जो 15 साल से ज्यादा पुराने हैं और इस समय इनके पास फिटनेस सर्टिफिकेट नहीं है। मध्यप्रदेश के अफसरों का कहना है कि यहां भी करीब 1 लाख गाड़ियां स्क्रैप में भेजे जाने लायक हैं, यानी ये गाड़ियां 20 साल से ज्यादा पुरानी हैं। क्या इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल को फायदा होगा? ई-व्हीकल के लिए तेजी से चार्जिंग स्टेशन का नेटवर्क तैयार हो रहा है। ई-व्हीकल की कीमतें और क्वालिटी दोनों ठीक हो रही है। ऐसे में व्हीकल स्क्रैप पॉलिसी से जो वाहन सड़कों से हटेंगे उनमें से एक बड़े वर्ग के इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल अपनाने की उम्मीद है। स्क्रैप पॉलिसी की वजह से पुराने वाहन के सड़क से हटने की वजह से प्रदूषण कम होगा। ग्राहक का फ्यूल कॉस्ट घट जाएगा। इस वजह से भारत का क्रूड इंपोर्ट भी कम होगा। नए सिरे से रजिस्ट्रेशन के लिए फिटनेस टेस्ट भी महंगा टू-व्हीलर के लिए अब पहले से 700 रुपए ज्यादा यानी एक हजार रुपए और कार के लिए 4400 रुपए ज्यादा यानी 5000 रुपए फीस चुकाना होगी। यदि आपने समय पर रजिस्ट्रेशन नहीं कराया तो देरी पर टू-व्हीलर पर 300 रुपए, जबकि फोर व्हीलर पर 500 रुपए प्रतिमाह पेनल्टी वसूली जाएगी। इसके अलावा बाइक और कार की फिटनेस जांच के लिए 1 हजार रुपए की फीस अलग चुकाना होगी। इस पॉलिसी का मकसद यह भी है कि पुराने वाहन चलन से बाहर हों, जिससे प्रदूषण में कमी आए। सबसे ज्यादा फीस फिटनेस में ली जाएगी। भारी वाहन का जो फिटनेस अब तक 800 रुपए में होता था, अब उसके लिए 13 हजार 500 रुपए देने होंगे। इसमें एक हजार रुपए फीस और 12 हजार 500 रुपए फिटनेस ग्रांट फीस के लगेंगे। 3 साल में दिल्ली से आने वाली गाड़ियों की संख्या बढ़ी 3 साल में दिल्ली से आने वाली गाड़ियों की एनओसी (अनापत्ति प्रमाण पत्र) की संख्या लगातार बढ़ी है। 2020 में 353 गाड़ियों की एनओसी आई। 2021 में यह संख्या बढ़कर 1257 हो गई। 2022 में नवंबर तक ही 1764 गाड़ियों की एनओसी आ चुकी है। ये वो नंबर है जो सरकारी रिकॉर्ड में दर्ज हैं। ऑटो डीलर्स के अनुसार दिल्ली से आने वाली गाड़ियों की संख्या इससे 10 गुना ज्यादा है। इधर, प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक भोपाल व इंदौर में दो साल में 250% से ज्यादा प्रदूषण बढ़ गया है। स्क्रैप में जिस गाड़ी के 50 हजार मिलेंगे, उसके यहां 2 लाख एमपी नगर जोन-1 में कार बाजार के संचालक बृजेश तिवारी कहते हैं कि खरीदार कम कीमत की गाड़ियां चाहते हैं, डिमांड ज्यादा होने से दिल्ली में कंडम घोषित गाड़ियां ज्यादा आ रही हैं। मप्र में सख्ती नहीं है, बगैर रजिस्ट्रेशन के भी यहां गाड़ियां सालों तक चलती रही हैं। मप्र में वाहन डिस्पोज नहीं हुए, 40 साल से दौड़ रहे भोपाल में पर्यावरण पर काम कर रहे वैज्ञानिक सुभाषचंद्र पाण्डे कहते हैं कि एयर पॉल्यूशन में भोपाल और इंदौर की स्थिति ठीक नहीं है। जब से मध्यप्रदेश बना है, तब से यहां कोई वाहन डिस्पोज नहीं हुआ। पुराने भोपाल में तो ऐसे वाहन चल रहे हैं जो 40 साल पुराने हैं। हवा की बिगड़ती क्वालिटी को देखते हुए सुप्रीम कोर्ट के आदेश पर मध्यप्रदेश के भोपाल, इंदौर, देवास, ग्वालियर, उज्जैन, जबलपुर और सागर को नेशनल क्लीन एयर प्रोग्राम में शामिल किया गया है। आप सोच रहे होंगे कि ऐसा करना क्यों जरूरी इसके लिए आपको बीते सालों में मध्यप्रदेश के शहरों में बढ़ रहे प्रदूषण का ये चार्ट जरूर देखना चाहिए। यही वो वजह है, जिससे सरकार को ऐसा करना पड़ रहा है। शहरों में बढ़ती गाड़ियों की वजह से प्रदूषण की रफ्तार बढ़ रही है। चिंताजनक बात ये है कि साल दर साल ये खतरनाक होती जा रही है। पुरानी गाड़ियां इस प्रदूषण की सबसे बड़ी वजह है। डीजल गाड़ियों के धुएं के कण से सबसे ज्यादा नुकसान सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एन्वायर्नमेंट (सीएसई) की एग्जीक्यूटिव डायरेक्टर अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी कहती हैं कि वाहनों से होने वाला प्रदूषण फेफड़ों के लिए बहुत नुकसानदायक है। सीएसई के सीनियर मैनेजर अविकल सोमवंशी कहते हैं कि डीजल-पेट्रोल वाले पुराने व्हीकल प्रदूषण का बड़ा कारण होते हैं। डीजल के धुएं से हो रहा प्रदूषण कार्सेनोजोनिक होता है। ज्यादा समय तक इसका असर रहने से कैंसर भी हो सकता है। पेट्रोल का प्रदूषण भी टॉक्सिक होता है। पीएम 0.25 के कण कई बार सड़क की धूल-मिट्‌टी से भी आते हैं, लेकिन ये शरीर को बहुत ज्यादा हानि नहीं पहुंचाते। डीजल गाड़ियों के धुएं से निकले महीन कण बहुत नुकसानदेह है। शाम 6 से 8 के बीच वाहनों के धुएं में सबसे ज्यादा प्रदूषण सीएसई के मुताबिक मप्र के सभी शहरों में वायु प्रदूषण के लिए गाड़ियों का धुआं मुख्य वजह है। शाम 6 से रात 8 बजे के बीच नाइट्रोजन डाई ऑक्साइड (NO2 ) की मात्रा काफी बढ़ जाती है। ग्वालियर में दोपहर की तुलना में शाम 6 बजे NO2 का स्तर पांच गुना ज्यादा बढ़ जाता है। वहीं भोपाल, इंदौर और जबलपुर में यह 2.5 से 4.3 गुना ज्यादा होता है। इंदौर में शाम को बढ़ा हुआ NO2 का स्तर आधी रात तक बढ़ा हुआ रहता है, इसकी वजह यहां रात में ट्रकों का मूवमेंट बढ़ना है।

As The Financial Capital Struggles Through Severe Air Quality, BMC Convenes High Level Meeting To Devise Strategies For Pollution Control

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) held a meeting involving relevant departments to develop a plan of action, for addressing the issue of air pollution in the city. The meeting was chaired by Sanjeev Kumar, additional municipal commissioner (environment), who directed the officials to ensure that contractors comply with the Environment Protection Act (EPA) 1986 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981.

India’s iron and steel industry capable of emitting less and producing more: CSE

“The iron and steel industry is an emission-intensive sector. Our new analysis shows it is possible to bring down carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from our iron and steel sector drastically by 2030, while more than doubling India’s output of steel. We can emit even less than what we do today. But this will need planning, technology and adequate funds,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), speaking at a day-long stakeholder workshop organised by CSE here today on ‘Decarbonising India’s Iron and Steel Sector by 2030 and Beyond’. The workshop discussions were based on CSE’s latest report on the subject — Decarbonizing India: Iron and Steel Sector – which gives detailed insights into GHG emissions from the sector and its future emission scenarios (for 2030). The speakers and participants included – besides Narain – Ruchika Chaudhry Govil, additional secretary, Union ministry of steel, Government of India; Richa Sharma, additional secretary, Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, Government of India; Parmjeet Singh, additional industrial advisor, Union ministry of steel, Government of India; Andrew Purvis, director, World Steel Association; and some top industry representatives. Said Nivit Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution, CSE: “The iron and steel sector is a hard-to-abate sector in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; at the same time, it is a critical contributor to the economic development of the country. Globally, the sector accounts for some 7 per cent of total GHG emissions; in India, the sector’s share is 5 per cent (as per the latest Biennial Update Report (BUR) submitted to UNFCCC in 2016).” The workshop navigated the issues of fuel shift, low carbon technology, energy efficiency, increasing generation and usage of steel scrap and carbon capture utilisation and storage for the Indian iron and steel sector. Giving CSE’s opening presentation, Parth Kumar, programme manager, industrial pollution, CSE, said: “Countries like India need to grow and develop at a time when the world is running out of carbon budget to stay below the guardrail of 1.5°C temperature rise. Given the conundrum, the crucial question that we should all ask is how can India ensure the double benefits of reduced emissions and growth? While energy efficiency is a significant low hanging fruit for decarbonisation, we recommend a fuel shift to alternate/cleaner fuels for reducing carbon emissions from the sector. The challenge that lies ahead for us is to make cleaner fuels affordable and available.” Another prominent pathway advocated by CSE in its report is increasing the use of steel scrap. India is making efforts to increase its domestic steel scrap generation through various sources like vehicles, construction, shipping etc, especially with the passage of the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy and the Vehicular Scrappage Policy. Said Yadav: “We need to ensure effective implementation of these policies that would lead to increased generation of good quality steel scrap along with encouraging India’s steel producers to move towards optimum scrap usage in steel production.” As the sector plans to double its production by 2030 with 60-65 per cent production based on coal-intensive technology — blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) — steel players are actively considering the option of carbon capture utilisation and storage. At the workshop, the panellists elaborated on the national and international scenarios for economic and technological viability of CCUS for the sector. CSE’s recommendations for the sector Switch over to cleaner fuels – in the case of BF-BOF, the use of natural-gas injection or hydrogen to reduce the use of coal is recommended, along with shifting from coal-based DRI to gas-based completely which would have the possibility to further transform to hydrogen-based DRI production. Increase scrap use – better implementation of vehicular and steel scrap policies to generate more scrap along with increasing the amount of recycled steel in production to its optimum in both production technologies. Implement carbon capture utilisation and storage in the BF-BOF route to bring down coal-based emissions. Organise the finance – a switchover to new fuels and technologies would require finance. The government and steel industry should work towards a combined proposal for international climate finance. Speaking on the occasion, Ruchika Govil from the ministry of steel said that the ministry has welcomed CSE’s recommendations, and is willing to work with CSE to make the steel sector less carbon-intensive. “The bottom line is that it is possible to bend the CO2 curve even for a sector like iron and steel. Countries like India can develop while drastically reducing their GHG emissions. The only question is if the rich world will accept the imperative of climate justice and provide the funds for the technology transformation necessary for a future-ready industry,” said Narain while concluding the workshop.

John F. Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, to Address CERAWeek by S&P Global 2023 in Houston

The United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John F. Kerry, will address delegates at the 41st annual CERAWeek by S&P Global, March 6-10 in Houston. The first-ever Principal to sit on the U.S. National Security Council entirely dedicated to climate change, Mr. Kerry previously served as the 68th U.S. Secretary of State and as a U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts. "We are pleased again to welcome Secretary Kerry among the distinguished speakers at CERAWeek by S&P Global," said Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman of S&P Global and conference chair. "At a time when geopolitics are reshaping the global energy landscape like never before and concerns for energy and climate security are at the forefront, his knowledge and experience at the epicenters of international politics and global climate diplomacy will be a timely and important contribution to the critical dialogues taking place at this year's conference." Sec. Kerry will join the world's energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers, as well as leaders from the technology, financial and industrial communities addressing this year's conference. CERAWeek 2023: Navigating a Turbulent World: Energy, Climate and Security will examine how a new era of global uncertainty and change is reshaping challenges and opportunities for the energy transition. The conference will explore strategies and solutions for reducing emissions while meeting growing energy demand—all as the world grapples with shifting geopolitics, economic uncertainty and the upheaval of war. The CERAWeek 2023 conference program will explore key themes related to: The Energy Trilemma: Balancing security, transition and affordability Geopolitics and Geoeconomics: An era of volatility Competitive Landscape, Technology and Innovation Financing the Energy Future: The capital transition Supply Chains, Commodity Markets and Energy Transition Future Workforce: Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and next-generation skills The week-long event will also include the CERAWeek Innovation Agora, serving as the center of technology and innovation programming at the conference. Featuring a community of thought leaders, technologists, start-ups, investors, academics, energy companies and government officials, the Innovation Agora will showcase transformational technology platforms in the energy space ranging from digitalization, AI, cybersecurity, analytics and connectivity, robotics, blockchain, additive manufacturing, mobility and decarbonization technologies. The 2023 program will also feature expanded "Agora Hubs"—dedicated areas focused on hydrogen, carbon and climate. CERAWeek 2023 speakers will include (partial list): Jennifer Granholm – Secretary of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy Bernard Looney – CEO, bp Pedro Pizarro – President and CEO, Edison International Patrick Pouyanné – Chairman of the Board and CEO, TotalEnergies Vicki Hollub – CEO, Occidental Petroleum John Podesta – Senior Advisor for Clean Energy and Implementation and Chair of the National Climate Task Force, The White House Amin H. Nasser – President and CEO, Saudi Aramco Ryan Lance – Chairman and CEO, ConocoPhillips Hon. Lisa Murkowski – United States Senator, Alaska Mike Wirth – Chairman of the Board and CEO, Chevron Anders Opedal – President and CEO, Equinor Wael Sawan – CEO, Shell Hon. Joe Manchin – United States Senator, West Virginia Douglas Peterson – President and CEO, S&P Global Adam Selipsky – CEO, Amazon Web Services (AWS) David M. Rubenstein – Co-Founder and Co-Chairman, The Carlyle Group H.E. Haitham Al Ghais – Secretary General, OPEC H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber – Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; Special Envoy for Climate Change, United Arab Emirates; Group CEO and managing Director, ADNOC Meg O'Neil – CEO and Managing Director, Woodside Energy Dr. Fatih Birol – Executive Director, International Energy Agency Claudio Descalzi – CEO, Eni Josu Jon Imaz – CEO, Repsol Meg Gentle – Executive Director, HIF Global Hon. Andrew Sullivan – United States Senator, Alaska Ernie Thrasher – Founder and CEO, Xcoal Energy and Resources Jose W. Fernandez -- Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, U.S. Department of State John Ketchum – Chairman, President and CEO, NextEra Energy Willie L. Phillips – Acting Chairman, U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Jean-Pascal Tricoire – Chairman and CEO, Schneider Electric Miguel Stilwell de Andrade – Chairman of the Executive Board of Directors, EDP Zoe Yujnovich – Upstream Director, Shell Barbara Burger – Senior Advisor, Lazard Christian Bruch – President and CEO, Siemens Energy Richard Adkerson – Chairman of the Board and CEO, Freeport-McMoRan Olivier Le Peuch – CEO, Schlumberger Michael Smith – Chairman, CEO and Founder, Freeport LNG Sunita Narain – Director General, Center for Science and Environment Hon. Michael S. Regan – Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Charif Souki – Executive Chairman of the Board, Tellurian Amos Hochstein – Special Presidential Coordinator, U.S. Department of State Dan Brouillette – President, Sempra Infrastructure, former U.S. Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman – President and CEO, Centrus Energy Ernest Moniz – Founder and CEO, Energy Futures Initiative and former U.S. Secretary of Energy Felipe Bayón – CEO, Ecopetrol S.A. Walter Isaacson – Leonard Lauder Professor of American History and Values, Tulane University

22 more air monitoring stations in Haryana in a year

GURGAON: In a year's time, the pollution board will set up another 22 stations to monitor air quality in parts of Haryana, taking the total in the state to 51, officials said on Sunday. Currently, Haryana has 29 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS). Of this, 21 are located in districts that are part of the National Capital Region (NCR) - Gurgaon, Bhiwani, Faridabad, Jhajjar, Jind, Karnal, Panipat and Sonipat. Delhi has 38 such monitors, the highest for all NCR states. Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) chairman P Raghavendra Rao told TOI a tender has been floated to set up the new monitors, which automatically collect and analyse data, and it is likely to be awarded in March. The locations for the new monitors are yet to be decided. "Each monitor costs around Rs 1 crore and we are looking for technical support to initiate work at the earliest. It will take at least one year to complete the project. After completion, Haryana will have the maximum number of air monitoring stations among NCR states," Rao said. According to rules, cities with a population count of 1 to 5 million should have at least five CAAQMS and three manual air quality monitors. Gurgaon has four CAAQMS and no manual monitoring stations. Though both types of stations are used to gather data on pollutants, CAAQMS are more advanced monitors that cover a broader range of parameters than the manual ones. Experts said on Sunday that installing more monitors will help authorities prepare a comprehensive pollution control plan. "Expanding the state's monitoring network is essential for understanding how pollution levels vary across the airshed. Haryana's decision to strengthen its network is definitely a step in the right direction. Monitoring is crucial to have detailed mitigation measures. Improvements in Gurgaon's air quality will be contingent upon how well Haryana plans to increase both monitoring and mitigation," said Anumita Roy Chowdhary, executive director of research and advocacy at the Centre of Science and Environment.

"India Likely to Miss Deadline for 50% of SDG Parameters," says Lancet Study

According to a study published in the Lancet journal on February 20, India is falling short of meeting more than half of the indicators under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) seven years before the 2030 deadline. There are 17 SGDs that provide a blueprint for the safety and prosperity of people and the planet, and 192 UN member states have committed to achieving them by 2030. The study, which provides the first mid-point assessment of India's progress towards the 2030 Agenda, measured progress across nine goals using 33 key indicators. India has lagged in 19 of 33 indicators. More than 75% of Indian districts are falling short on eight critical indicators, including poverty, anaemia, child marriage, domestic violence, stunting and wasting of children, access to essential services, modern contraceptive use, and tobacco consumption. "Because of a worsening trend observed between 2016 and 2021, and assuming no course correction occurs," the study stated, adding that "many districts will never meet the targets on the SDGs even well after 2030." The off-target districts are concentrated in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Odisha. The study was led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers and a team of international researchers. They examined data from two iterations of the National Family Health Survey, conducted in 2016 and 2021 across 707 Indian districts, on adults and children. The study authors stated that India is approaching the halfway point in the timeline for achieving the SDGs, and the findings indicate an urgent need to increase momentum on four SDG goals — No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being, and Gender Equality. "As India rapidly advances as a leading economic player in the global economy, its full realization will critically depend on addressing some of the more basic health and social determinants of these critical health-related SDGs," according to the study. India, on the other hand, is doing well in 13 of the targets. Among these are bank accounts for women, birth registration, internet use, electricity access, full vaccination, birth registration, and a reduction in child marriage. The Union Health Ministry stated in April 2022 that it is confident that India will meet the target Sustainable Development Goals before the 2030 deadline, adding that India has seen a significant decrease in maternal mortality rates. During this year's Union Budget presentation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that India had made "significant progress" towards the SDGs. According to the Centre for Science and Environment's "State of Environment" report, India dropped three ranks from 117 to 120 on the SDG Index in March 2022, putting it behind all South Asian nations except Pakistan. The current study reaffirms the difficulties in meeting health and social indicators of health. Even if the observed rate of change between 2016 and 2030 is maintained, the measures will fall short of the 2030 targets. The progress, while "in the right direction," is "insufficient to meet SDG targets by 2030," according to the study. However, if current efforts continue, India may be able to meet the targets of improved water access by 2031, clean cooking fuel by 2035, lowering the age of teenage pregnancy by 2039, and partner sexual violence by 2040. Between 2041 and 2062, 11 off-target indicators, including access to basic services and partner violence (physical and sexual), may be met. "India will not be able to meet the anaemia targets." Since the prevalence of three of these, Anaemia among Women, Pregnant Women, and Non-Pregnant Women, has increased (worsened) between 2016 and 2021, and assuming this trend continues, India will never be able to meet the SDG targets related to Anaemia," the study added. The fifth and most recent round of the National Family Health Survey (2019-2021) revealed that more Indians than ever before are anaemic, with at least 67% of children and 52.2% of women anaemic. The authors of the study stated that there is an urgent need to develop a strategic roadmap to ensure SDG success, "which should include an honest and transparent assessment of existing GOI programmes that are directly or indirectly related to SDGs."

Marks of a circular economy

Budget 2023-24 provides clear shifts in programme direction that need to be applauded. The real test will be our ability to operationalise those shifts at speed and at scale Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget 2023-24 speech announced that the vision of the government is "green growth", which is being implemented through programmes for greening of fuel, farming, mobility, buildings and energy access. This, she says, will help reduce carbon intensity of the economy and provide large-scale job opportunities. This year, like never before, there is no coyness about the imperative of energy transition. You may argue that it is still not clear how the budgetary allocation of Rs 35,000 crore for energy transition will be spent. But I believe that this budget provides us with seemingly disparate programmes, which when put together could be the needed game changers. First, it provides impetus to biogas (produced using animal manure and traditionally promoted in rural India) and its advanced version, compressed biogas (also known as bio-compressed natural gas or bio-CNG).The finance minister has called for an investment of Rs 10,000 crore to set up 300 community- or cluster-based biogas plants and 200 bio-CNG plants; 75 bio-CNG plants will be built in cities.She has accepted that there is a need to rationalise the cascading taxes on clean fuel and has alluded to the possibility of a mandate on all natural and biogas companies to ensure that bio-CNG is bought and marketed.Second, she has provided funds for replacement of old and polluting vehicles of the central government under the vehicle scrappage programme. Third is the budgetary focus on mechanical desludging of septic tanks and management of dry and wet waste. Stitch them together and you understand how the government is taking the idea of circular economy to implementation. Take the issue of bio-CNG. The government programme Sustainable Alternatives Towards Automobile Transportation (SATAT) has projects on ground where companies use agricultural residue—largely rice straw, which is burnt by farmers in Punjab and Haryana—and city waste to manufacture bio-CNG.This gas is then used to run vehicles, including city buses. In cities, which are fast losing the battle to handle solid waste, bio-CNG plants can help reinvent waste management. Our cities are running out of land for dumping waste and do not have the resources to pay for managing the ever-growing volumes of waste.The only option is to make wealth out of waste—which is what the finance minister stresses in her speech.But for the bio-CNG project to work, cities will have to learn the art of segregating waste at source. Bio-CNG plants need high quality organic (or wet) waste. We know that 40-80 per cent of the waste of any city is wet waste, but it gets mixed with plastic and other dry waste streams because we do not practice segregation at the scale that is needed. So for bio-CNG plants, or for any other project that would process and add value to this "waste", cities would need to ensure that households segregate garbage and that city sanitation is designed to transport this segregated wet waste for processing. This is possible. Indore, which has built India's first citywide bio-CNG plant, finds that selling the fuel to city buses improves the economics of sanitation management. A byproduct of bio-CNG plants is fermented organic manure, which can be used as a bio-fertiliser.Taking this bio-CNG project to the next level has some challenges, the most important of which is to ensure standards for compost and fermented organic manure so that this byproduct is utilised and is paid for.This byproduct can ensure that the enormous subsidy to chemical fertilisers is reduced, if not removed. This is also how the budget's directional shift to fund desludging of septic tanks—instead of only spending on building underground sewers—can add to the circular economy of waste. The human excreta can be transported for treatment and then the sludge be reused for manure. Budget 2023-24 says that 10,000 bio-input resource centres will be built for natural farming. It also has a programme to promote alternative fertilisers and "balanced use of chemical fertilisers", but it does not go far enough to create a level playing field for non-chemical fertilisers. Clearly, this is the agenda for the next budget. Similarly, the vehicle scrappage programme has huge benefits for both air pollution and decarbonisation of sectors like iron and steel. It needs to be designed deliberately so that the most polluting vehicles—commercial vehicles like trucks—are phased out and replaced by much cleaner variants with Bharat Stage (BS) VI emission standards, being manufactured today. The added benefit of this programme is that the steel scrap of the discarded vehicles can be utilised to reduce the carbon emissions of the steel sector. This is, again, a huge game changer, but needs to be done deliberately and at scale to make the difference. So, Budget 2023-24 provides clear shifts in programme direction that need to be applauded. The real test will be our ability to operationalise those shifts at speed and at scale. (Writer is Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and the Editor of Down To Earth magazine. She is an environmentalist who pushes for changes in policies, practices and mindsets; Courtesy: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/)

‘From water to air, the global commons must be managed with rules — and climate justice’

Sunita Narain is director general of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Speaking to Srijana Mitra Das at Times Evoke, she discusses the global commons, their ‘tragedy’ — and potential: What does ‘global commons’ mean? This refers to shared resources — the biggest issue around which this became a point of policy is the atmosphere. In 1991, Anil Agarwal and I wrote a report titled ‘Global Warming in an Unequal World: A Case of Environmental Colonialism’. This was based on the idea that we are all dealing with a common resource, namely the environment. Our understanding emerged from our research in India where we studied common property resources in villages, such as grazing lands and forests. One of our biggest learnings was that to sustainably manage such commons, you need rules and cooperation, based on fairness — if a farmer who rears goats, for instance, doesn’t get a portion of the produce from the commons, they will let their goats graze there, thereby damaging shared resources. We argued that it was crucial to address the atmospheric commons with the same principles of equity and cooperation. 1 (4) The global commons shows we are entirely interconnected — if one country has emitted, this impacts others. Without principles of fairness, we can’t hope for cooperation and countries to cut emissions at the scale needed. Initially, the ‘global commons’ idea was only applied to the oceans, with the Convention on the Seas the first discussion around this. But the world didn’t come together for a serious discussion here, the larger part of the oceans situated in the global commons still being unregulated, which is why the crises of plastics, over-fishing and oil pollution continue. A piece of water, a handful of shade What do ‘the tragedy of the commons’ and ‘natural debt’ mean? The first describes what ensues without shared management systems where everyone agrees to cooperate. Grazing lands, forests and common water bodies in villages are enduring examples — if we don’t have a system of governance where everyone who is a member of the community (and this can be a collective of nations, residents in a colony or a village) agrees to abide by certain rules, there will be a tragedy of the commons where people will pollute ponds or overuse forests. Importantly, ‘the commons’ exist everywhere — they are also, say the roads everyone uses. These need rules too which should be adhered to with discipline, a system of management, deterrence and cooperation. This is predicated on fairness — if everyone using roads understands that the rules apply to all equally, it gives people confidence in the system. Deterrence must also be applied across the board — you can’t penalise a small polluter, for instance, but let a big polluter get away. These rules must be founded on cooperation — for the global commons, nations must agree on how to preserve shared resources. Without that, tragedies unfold. The concept of ‘natural debt’ emerged in the 1990s, explaining how some countries have overdrawn on their share of the global commons. Consider the United States which occupies a huge portion of the world’s carbon budget, way beyond its fair share. It has overdrawn on natural capital to build financial capital — but its natural debt, just like a financial debt, needs to be paid for. 3 (7) DEEP TRAGEDY: The globally shared seas are polluted by all but tended by few. Photo: iStock Does this idea have relevance for climate equity and environmental justice? Absolutely. Climate justice is fundamentally based on the management of the global commons. This is no moralistic issue — how the global commons has been treated must lie at the heart of cooperation among nations, guiding ambitious climate agreements now. ‘The commons must include many neglected species’ 2 (7) Going forward, what kinds of international pacts would be most effective in preserving the shared global commons? We should revisit 1991’s climate agreement. That was based on the principle of equity, saying there was a common but differentiated responsibility among countries and developed economies needed to act first while rules would be made for other nations, based on their use of the global commons. That was taken forward by the Kyoto Protocol, with the same principle recognising the responsibilities and contributions of countries, which would help set their emissions reduction targets. ‘India’s urban commons give joy — they must be freed from a colonial approach’ 4 (2) THIS WILL ECHO: Deforestation anywhere has ecological impacts across the planet. Photo: iStock However, this was inconvenient for some rich polluters in the world — hence, the 2015 Paris Agreement was reached which essentially says everybody should cut emissions as much as they can but has no abiding rule-based governance. We urgently need this — consider the discussions on whether India should contribute to the loss and damage fund. This is unbelievable because India is not a major emitter — in terms of scale of emissions or its contribution to the total carbon emitted in the world, even till 2030, there is no way India can be on the list of big polluters. We need rule-based governance around the global commons, including an acceptance that a finite amount of CO2 can be emitted into the world’s atmosphere to keep temperatures under 1.5º C. This sum must be divided globally, based on nations’ per capita, etc. It should then be understood that if a country has exceeded its share, it must cut by a certain amount and it can also trade and buy from other countries’ share. That would allow for a proper rule-based system to help mitigate climate change.

Hamirpur (Himachal) News: गुलेला स्कूल को इस वर्ष भी मिला ग्रीन स्कूल का दर्जा

डिडवीं टिक्कर (हमीरपुर)। राजकीय उच्च पाठशाला गुलेला को इस वर्ष भी ग्रीन स्कूल का दर्जा प्राप्त हुआ है। वहीं, स्कूल अध्यापक पूर्णिमा कुमारी ग्रीन स्कूल कार्यक्रम की एंबेंसेडर नियुक्ति किया गया है। इंडियन हैबिटेट सेंटर न्यू दिल्ली में सीएसटी के निदेशक सुनीता नारायण और उपनिदेशक सुब्रतो राय ने विज्ञान अध्यापिका पूर्णिमा कुमारी को ग्रीन स्कूल कार्यक्रम एंबेेंसेडर ट्राॅफी और विद्यालय के दो छात्रों को ग्रीन स्कूल सर्टिफिकेट और कार्यशाला में भाग लेने के लिए प्रशस्ति पत्र देकर सम्मानित किया। इसके साथ वर्कशॉप में सोलर टेबल लैंप प्रदान की गई जो बच्चों के लिए एक अलग अनुभव था। शनिवार को विद्यालय पहुंचने पर स्कूल के छात्रों तथा अध्यापकों ने विद्यालय की शिक्षिका और छात्रों शिवाली और अरुण का स्वागत धूमधाम से किया। इस मौके पर समस्त स्कूल स्टाफ मौजूद रहा।