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Rajokri Lake: From wasteland into model lake in just a year

Rajokri Lake, located near the Delhi-Gurugram border till 2017 was a dying water body that had suffered years of toxic abuse. Domestic wastewater and sewerage from the adjoining semi-urban settlements of Rajokri village were channelled through open drains into the lake, which became a breeding ground for communicable diseases. As one resident of the area said, “It was hell living here. But today, we have a park where children play and an open gym”. In what had become a hub for anti-social elements, “it is now safe for women to venture out anytime,” added the resident. The transformation was the result of four years of effort of two individuals, Ankit Srivastava, a graduate of IIT Bombay in Environmental Engineering and Advisor to Delhi Jal Board, and architect Mriganka Saxena, who saw a potential for change under all the filth. Teaming up with the Delhi Jal Board, along with the Irrigation and Flood Control Department (IFCD) the two transformed the Rajokri water body into Delhi’s first-ever decentralised sewage system. The lake area today is 9,446 square metres of redeveloped public space, with a water body of 2,000 square metres which is now fed with treated effluents, which earlier were its primary pollutants. Gravel-based walking pathways around the lake double up as rainwater harvesting channels. “The entire place was nothing but a sewerage pond,” said Hardeep, a student of class XII who has been residing in the colony adjoining the lake for over 10 years. “But now the water body has been made into a lake with trees planted and a children’s park and gym”. One major problem, however, remains. “The garbage dump located just outside the park emanates a lot of stink and something needs to be done about it,” says Hardeep. As did several residents who have become regular visitors to the park. The park’s security guard Suresh has been ensuring its maintenance as well as that of the tank that cleans the sewage flowing into the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). Inspiration to do more Srivastava and Saxena’s success in the transformation of the water body has given huge impetus to the Delhi government’s ambitious initiative, called ‘’City of lakes”, to rejuvenate old water bodies in and around Delhi. Being implemented by the DJB in the plan’s first phase, 250 water bodies and 15 lakes have been identified for transformation. “A 20-acre lake will be built here with the treated water,” state water minister and DJB chairperson Satyendar Jain tweeted in January. He was visiting Timarpur village in North East Delhi, where the DJB is constructing a sewage treatment plant (STP). “The ‘City of Lakes’ project was launched on December 24, 2018, by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who approved Rs 376 crore for the rejuvenation of 159 lakes in Delhi and Rs 77 crore towards the creation of two mega lakes at Rohini in North West Delhi and Nilothi in West Delhi. Reviving traditional water bodies Lake revival also includes the planting of trees and providing appropriate infrastructure to create public spaces. In Dwarka and Rajokri, these rejuvenated lakes are providing much-needed green public spaces for residents. The completed projects include Hauz Khas lake, Bhalswa Lake, Smriti Van (Kondli), Smriti Van (Vasant Kunj), Tikri Khurd Lake and Najafgarh Jheel, which have led to an increase of up to two metres in groundwater levels. “The City of Lakes project has two focus areas – lakes and water bodies,” said Srivastava. “Besides, we are trying to use the old and historic drains, canals and minors, from where we can recharge water. Also, we have got the NOC from Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to take over its 550 water bodies, while tenders have been floated for 350 water bodies and work on 50 of them is nearly over.” As many as ten water bodies in the national capital would be declared wetlands by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The identified water bodies are: Sanjay Lake, Hauz Khas Lake, Bhalswa Lake, Smriti Van (Kondli), Smriti Van (Vasant Kunj), Najafgarh Jheel, Welcome Jheel, Daryapur Kalan, Sultanpur Dabas, Poth Kalan (Sardar Sarovar Lake), says a report by the Delhi Parks and Gardens Society. The goal is to revive all the traditional water bodies in Delhi. “As we had no model of holistic revival to follow, we created our model,” said Srivastava. The Rajokri project was taken up as a pilot project in 2017. “Here, we created an artificial lake with treated water and even built an amphitheatre.” Rajokri Lake is better known as Chhath Ghat which attracts a large number of people for performing the puja and devotees are now able to safely take a dip in the clean lake. The amphitheatre doubles up as Chhath Ghat for public and religious gatherings. In the last few years, the Delhi government has undertaken various lake rejuvenation efforts spearheaded by the DJB, IFCD and several citizen groups. In most cases, after some initial resistance from residents, the localities in the vicinity of these water bodies are cooperating with the authorities. Manoj Misra who is the Executive Director of the PEACE Institute Charitable Trust and Convenor, and head of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, the Yamuna Forever Campaign said such projects like converting water bodies into lakes are always welcome as long as “there is no concretisation and it is done ecologically. Merely converting them into lakes is only for tourism and not a restoration.” However, he felt that “if local people feel happy, it is okay but whether it is good for nature or not, one cannot say.” Focus on Rajokri “This Rajokri project had to both enhance the landscape of the area and also benefit the people on a long-term basis,” says Saxena who did the landscaping of the surrounding areas. “Hence the design was strategized in a manner that the structure could easily be maintained by the surrounding communities. Additionally, there were many environmentally responsible and sustainable guidelines that we were following under the guidance of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). From doing the green landscaping with native plant species to creating percolation pores for groundwater recharge, many elements were added to enhance the value of the project.” As regards the garbage dump located on the periphery of the wall running around the Rajokri lake whose stink pervades inside the well laid out park, she said it was indeed unfortunate and “it has to be flagged and there is a need to clear it.” Srivastava said that in Rajokri, the original plan did not have any provision for a Chhath ghat. However, they got inputs from the nearby communities that celebrate Chhath Puja, who said they want a small bifurcation of the water body exclusively for their religious activities. So a small, natural wall was constructed in the water body which cost around Rs 20 to Rs 30 lakh. Once the water body was completed, the residents around the lake took responsibility for its maintenance. The rejuvenation plan was in two parts. One, construction of a wetland system and two, landscape, civil, electrical and horticulture work including maintenance for five years. The work was based on a scientific wetland system with active biodigesters (SWAB), as opposed to the standard approach of chemical treatment. Creating wetlands The lakes rejuvenation project is primarily aimed at creating reservoirs to stop urban flooding and prevent choked drainage. The government also wants to enhance the aesthetic value of the landscape by ecologically reviving it and restoring the local flora and fauna. As Sushmita Sengupta, Senior Programme Manager, at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said, “If they are going into the health of the water bodies, it is a really good initiative. If it can improve the quality of water, while also looking at groundwater recharge and flood mitigation, it would be good.” While appreciating the Delhi government project of converting these water bodies into lakes, she felt that “there should be regular monitoring of the quality of water in these places and (the authorities should) ensure that the water doesn’t contain any odour or is not contaminated. Besides, the monitoring of these water bodies should be made public.” According to DJB officials, villages had stopped getting adequate water due to rapid urbanisation. This is why rejuvenating water bodies are looked at as a solution to create a buffer zone to store, recycle, and reuse rain and wastewater. DJB has also set up separate budgets for water bodies and lakes. According to officials, DJB has approved Rs 1-1.5 crore per acre for each water body, inclusive of operational and maintenance costs. For lakes, it is Rs 1-1.5 crore. For example, for the 60-acre Rohini Lake, the government has allocated Rs 64 crore. “Initially, the plan appeared to be a difficult task,” said Dr Rakesh Kumar, an Officer on special duty, at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). “It was after successful pilot projects like the one in Rajokri, we thought of planning. The lake rejuvenation process will raise groundwater levels. Following which, locals will start depending on treated water from the water bodies, instead of supply from the government.” Kumar added a note of caution though. “Protecting a water body by building boundary walls around it acts as a death knell,” he added. “The lakes will dry and die, like the Roshanara and Shahdara lakes, currently being restored.”

Tall order for Delhi civic poll winners: Flattening landfills

On average, each of Delhi’s 20 million residents generates 550gm of garbage a day, among the highest in the country (the figure is 330gm for Mumbai and 500gm for Bengaluru). This includes kitchen waste, food containers, packing material (a significant component in the era of e-commerce), and garden trimmings. Around 60-70% of it is kitchen and horticulture waste, and around 30%, consists of dry plastic and cardboard. Of this, around 2-3% is hazardous. From its entry into the household bin to its journey towards the three overburdened landfill sites or waste processing facilities, the treatment of trash by households as well as the municipality determines if the four million tonnes of annual production of garbage can be treated as a resource or a massive liability, a constant polluting source and a nuisance impacting public health. With elections to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) less than two weeks away, 1,349 candidates are attempting to shape the narratives in 250 wards over various bitterly contested issues. However, more than in any previous civic elections, the spotlight is on the three infamous garbage mountains and the municipal waste collection mechanism, the primary and some would say, MCD’s most important responsibility. The two principal opponents have attempted to sell their own solution to Delhi’s garbage management woes. Dubbed “the tallest mountain of waste” in the country, with its height often compared to Qutub Minar, the Ghazipur landfill — 65 metres tall, compared to the Qutub’s 73 metres in 2019 — that holds more than 14 million tonnes of legacy waste was the launchpad for AAP’s political campaign for the MCD elections. To be sure, the maximum permissible height of a landfill according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is only 20 metres. The biomining project was initiated in 2019 on the directions of National Green Tribunal. MCD has since claimed that the height of various portions of the mound has come down by 12-18 metres. With the Ghazipur mound in the backdrop, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on October 27 announced that the elections would be ”solely fought over the issue of garbage and cleaning Delhi”. Over the past month, the AAP has alleged that the BJP’s 15-year reign in MCD has “shamed Delhi with heaps of garbage lying everywhere.” The three landfill sites have seen multiple protests as well as visits by the CM and the deputy CM Manish Sisodia. AAP has launched a combative campaign with the tagline “Koode ke Pahad hatana hai, Dilli ko Chamkana hai” (we need to remove the garbage mounds and make Delhi shine) while claiming that 16 more such landfill sites will come up across the city if the BJP returns to power, a claim that has been vehemently denied by the MCD. The party is also parading 35 vans mounted with replicas of landfills across the city. Sisodia, during a visit to Ghazipur, said that Kejriwal has ”studied the whole situation of solid waste management in the Capital and prepared a blueprint to eliminate the mountains of garbage from Delhi and make it garbage-free.” However, party functionaries have not explained the finer details of this action plan. Garbage is a big issue for the BJP as well. Its campaign began at the launch, by Union home minister Amit Shah, on October 20, of a waste-to-energy plant in Tehkhand that would take the city-state’s waste processing capacity from 56.5% to over 74%. Shah claimed that Delhi’s garbage problems would be solved over the next three years, presenting a plan for setting up 15 waste processing facilities. And BJP state chief Adesh Gupta argued that a lot of work has been carried out by operationalising four waste-to-energy plants and the closure of hundreds of dhalaos (open garbage collection centres) with mechanised garbage compactors coming up. The sanitation crisis in the capital city is a publicly acknowledged reality that is reaffirmed annually, by Delhi’s performance in national sanitation rankings issued by the central government. In contrast to the New Delhi area, the city’s three erstwhile municipal corporations have consistently fared poorly in Swachh Survekshan, usually figuring in the bottom 10 spots in their categories. In Swacch Surveskshan 2022, the South corporation was ranked 28th, the East corporation 34th and the North corporation at 37th among 45 cities with a population of more than one million that participated in the exercise. Until very recently, almost half of the roughly 11,000 tonnes of garbage produced by the city every day ended up on three landfills — in Okhla, Ghazipur and Bhalswa. Much of the 8,000 tonnes of waste that is processed is incinerated in four waste-to-energy plants (together producing 74-84MW of power a day--the Tehkhand plant is partially operational) while very little ends up in the preferred route of recycling, composting and bio-methanation. Arun Kumar, a retired MCD official who worked with the sanitation department for around 34 years said that in the journey of garbage from a household to the waste-processing unit or landfill, the most effective intervention is at the household level. “Waste segregation at the household level is the key. The further processing of garbage depends on whether it has been mixed or segregated. From the household, it ends up in the dhalaos and garbage compactor stations. At these sites, informal groups and ragpickers retrieve the recyclable items, undertaking the job that should have been carried out by people,” he explained. Jai Prakash Chaudhary, secretary of Safai Sena, an organisation of waste collectors and ragpickers said that all political parties promise to clear landfills, but they continue to grow. “Burning waste also affects the lungs of people in the city. More than 80,000 waste pickers are reducing a large chunk of garbage by recycling and silently collecting waste from houses but governments continue to focus on large waste management companies,” he said. From these primary garbage receptacles, the garbage is either compacted under high pressure and sent to waste-to-energy plants (a small component, around 2.5%, ends up in few material recovery facilities and another 5% in composting units). The gap, around 3,000 tonnes, ends up in landfills. Some of the tallest garbage mounds in the country, Delhi’s three landfills store over 28 million tonnes of trash. The city’s inability to manage its waste has also translated into massive environmental costs in terms of air pollution and groundwater contamination. Toxic fumes that these landfills emit include extremely polluting and greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide and monoxide, hydrogen sulphide, dioxins and furans. In many places, waste from the landfill sites has leached and contaminated ground water . In January 2021, a committee comprising members from National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Central Pollution Control Board and IIT, Delhi concluded that the three landfills have collectively caused nearly ₹450 crore in damage to the environment. At the root of the sanitation crisis is the failure of the city to segregate waste at source, leakages in garbage collection as well as failure to implement the provisions of the Solid Waste Management SWM by-laws for the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), which were notified in January 2018. Provisions regarding waste segregation at source, 100% door to door collection and user charges, end user collection mechanism for non-biodegradable packaging material also remain completely to partially non-operative. Atul Goel, who heads United RWAs Joint Action (URJA), a federation of resident welfare associations (RWA) said the issue of garbage and landfills remains relevant because the on-ground situation remains problematic. “The sanitation by-laws have remained on paper, but we must also understand that these are linked with MCD’s financial health. If the city has to be made world-class, the civic body cannot be left without funds. Allocation needs to increase in proportion with state revenue and both parties should lay down their blueprint on the solutions.” Atin Biswas, programme director of the municipal solid waste sector at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said Delhi will have to return to the basics of waste management. “Delhi seems to have resigned to its fate and is no longer attempting segregation at scale. The cities with best practices in our country like Indore are now moving to six-way segregation of different components of waste,” he said. His reference is to Indore’s directive that waste be segregated into six categories — wet waste: leftover kitchen waste, tea leaves, food leftover etc; plastic waste; non-plastic dry waste such as cardboard, used newspapers etc; domestic hazardous waste: thermometers, used paint boxes; electronic waste; and sanitary waste: sanitary napkins, expired medicines, used syringes.

Stubble burning counts in Punjab and Haryana lowest since 2020

NEW DELHI: The annual season of stubble burning is almost over with the daily combined count in Punjab and Haryana staying below 200. Both Punjab and Haryana have recorded lowest paddy residue burning events this year since 2020, shows data of Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), which follows the standard protocol notified by the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) in 2021. Between September 15 and November 23, Punjab and Haryana have witnessed a reduction of fire counts by 30% and 48%, respectively, this year as against last year. Punjab has recorded 49,604 farm fires between September 15 and November 23 in 2022 as compared to 71,181 in 2021 and 82,693 in 2020. Data from the stubble burning season of 2021 shows that the daily fire counts crossed 4,000 on six days, including three days when per day counts were higher than 5,000. However, the highest single day count was 3,916 on November 11. Similarly, from September 15 to November 23, Haryana recorded 3,549 paddy residue burning events in 2022; 6,792 in 2021; and 4,016 in 2020. The cumulative fire counts in Uttar Pradesh during the same period stood at 2,100 in 2022; 3,376 in 2021 and 3,629 in 2020. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, “We certainly need to assess the ground level situation to understand what has helped in reducing the fire counts this year and take that forward. There is also a need of better assessment and monitoring of fire counts on days when there is a cloud cover. If we have bent the curve this time, efforts should be intensified to achieve near elimination of the problem by next year.” Though the fire counts have been lower this year, the impact of stubble burning in Delhi’s air was less than last year, shows the data of System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the forecasting body under the Union ministry of earth sciences. The contribution of stubble burning in Delhi’s PM2.5 depends on wind direction and speed. The highest single-day share of stubble burning in Delhi’s PM2.5 was just 34% this year. However, SAFAR data shows that the highest per day share of farm fires in Delhi’s PM2.5 was 58% in 2018, 44% in 2019, 42% in 2020, and 48% in 2021. Gufran Beig, founder project director at SAFAR, said, “The fire counts were lower than last year. However, as surface wind speed in Delhi was higher on some days in November than previous years, it helped in dispersion of pollutants and impact of stubble burning was not as high as past years.”

DST and CSE to collaborate to build EV battery manufacturing capabilities

(KNN) The government’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) joined hands with the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) to create a platform that will support the development of new electric vehicle batteries to suit and meet Indian requirements. As per reports, a white paper will be prepared on a roadmap for the development of new battery technologies in India; this would be followed by the creation of an expert-industry forum or platform to support this process. FOLLOW US on GOOGLE NEWS CSE and DST had recently organised a round table on locally appropriate EV batteries that are safe, durable and effective within the constraints of a hot and humid tropical climate. This was the first in a series of consultations that will be held with experts from leading institutions and representatives from vehicle manufacturers, battery industry, regulatory bodies, testing entities and independent laboratories focused on battery chemistries. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE said, “India has been working with FAME and production-linked incentives to push the EV story, but challenges abound with regard to cost, safety and charging infrastructure – all of which point at gaps in fulfilling the country’s zero emission ambitions. The gaps range from concerns relating to safety, supply chain, cost sensitivity and need for quick charging opportunities among others.” “This joint initiative of DST and CSE is aimed at addressing these gaps and to create a platform that will assess, evaluate and identify technology solutions that are safe, have locally appropriate supply chain systems and can be customised for the various vehicle applications,” said Moushumi Mohanty, senior programme manager, Clean Air and Sustainable Mobility, CSE, The round table brought forward several key issues for establishing future pathways. Building volumes for EV battery manufacturing and ensuring the supply chain is an important issue. Suppose the global EV battery storage is expected to be 10,000 GWhr in 2030-35. In that case, India cannot be less than 5 per cent of the global battery manufacturing capacity, according to the CSE press note.

Kolkata: Temperature drop pushes up air pollutant levels

KOLKATA: The drop in temperature to 16.9 °C on Wednesday had an immediate impact on the ambient air quality across the city. After a brief respite for a couple of days, the city's ambient air once again swung back to its 'poor' (AQI range: 201-300) status. The air quality might degrade even further in the next two days with the wintry chill persisting, pollution control board (PCB) scientists warned. The lowest temperature on Wednesday dropped by almost 2°C. Track the pollution level in your city "The earth's surface has become cooler than the upper atmosphere. This phenomenon, known as thermal inversion, leaves pollutants hanging close to the ground at a breathable height, putting residents at greater risk. In other seasons, we might emit similar amounts of pollutants, but they escape high in the atmosphere because of the warmer earth's surface," said a PCB scientist. Indian Council of Medical Research said poor air quality caused breathing discomfort among most people on prolonged exposure. "It is particularly bad for people with pre-existing respiratory issues. We urgently need a graded response action plan (GRAP) to give citizens some relief," said Bonani Kakkar, founder of People United for Better Living in Calcutta (PUBLIC). Temp drop pushes up air pollutant levels The air quality of Ballygunge and Salt Lake, particularly, worsened considerably on Wednesday. In the afternoon, the air quality measured at these two stations hovered above 290. If it crossed the 301-mark, the air quality would have turned 'very poor'. "Under these circumstances, people should refrain from getting exposed to ambient air. The finer particulate matter travels to the lung and causes serious respiratory ailments. We are witnessing a rise in the number of respiratory distress patients at our OPDs," said senior pulmonologist Arup Halder. The Rabindra Sarobar continuous ambient air quality monitoring station (CAAQMS), which usually shows the best possible air quality in the city, also indicated 'poor' throughout the day. The only CAAQMS that showed 'moderate' air quality is the one at Fort William. "The north-easterly wind is probably carrying pollutants to the Hooghly from the Maidan area," said a scientist. "Winter is a special challenge when inversion and cool and calm weather trap and spike daily pollution. This year, even though the average level of PM2.5 in summer and monsoon was considerably lower than that in the previous year due to the pandemic, the winter PM2.5 concentration has risen compared to that of 2019 winter in many cities across regions," said Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE's executive director in charge of research and advocacy.

Centre and environmental think tank work towards development of India specific EV batteries

The Centre's Department of Science and Technology (DST) and green think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) have collaborated to create a platform that will support the development of new electric vehicle (EV) batteries to suit Indian requirements. A white paper will be prepared on a roadmap to develop new battery technologies in India. This would be followed by the creation of an expert-industry forum or platform to support this process, the CSE said in a statement on Tuesday. This collaborative initiative was kicked off recently with a round table on locally appropriate EV batteries that are safe, durable and effective within the constraints of a hot and humid tropical climate. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE, said: "India has been working with FAME and production-linked incentives to push the EV story, but challenges are abound with regard to cost, safety and charging infrastructure - all of which point at gaps in fulfilling the country's zero emission ambitions. The gaps range from concerns relating to safety, supply chain, cost sensitivity and need for quick charging opportunities among others." "This joint initiative is aimed at addressing these gaps and to create a platform that will assess, evaluate and identify technology solutions that are safe, have locally appropriate supply chain systems and can be customised for various vehicle applications," said Moushumi Mohanty, senior programme manager, Clean Air and Sustainable Mobility, CSE. As part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020, the Department of Heavy Industry had formulated a scheme -- Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) in 2015 to promote manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicle technology and to ensure its sustainable growth.

CSE and DST join hands to develop EV batteries suited for India

The partners say a white paper will be prepared on a roadmap for the development of new battery technologies in India; this would be followed by the creation of an expert-industry forum or platform to support this process. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) of the government of India have collaborated to create a platform that will support the development of new electric vehicle batteries to suit and meet Indian requirements. The partners say a white paper will be prepared on a roadmap for the development of new battery technologies in India; this would be followed by the creation of an expert-industry forum or platform to support this process. This was the first in a series of consultations that will be held with experts from leading institutions and representatives from vehicle manufacturers, battery industry, regulatory bodies, testing entities and independent laboratories focused on battery chemistries. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE said, “India has been working with FAME and production-linked incentives to push the EV story, but challenges abound with regard to cost, safety and charging infrastructure – all of which point at gaps in fulfilling the country’s zero emission ambitions. The gaps range from concerns relating to safety, supply chain, cost sensitivity and need for quick charging opportunities among others.”

Indian manufacturers and brands don’t manage plastic waste adequately, flags CSE

NEW DELHI: Plastic production has quadrupled over the last four decades and if this trend were to continue, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from plastics alone would reach 15% of the global carbon budget by 2050, said the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in its new report, released on Tuesday, that made a case for proper recycling of of its waste to save the planet. Keeping in view the enormous challenge of plastic waste that pollutes air, water and soil, and also enters the food chain through animals carrying microplastics in their bodies, the report - The Plastic Life-Cycle - flags findings of a research paper published in Nature Climate Change, saying "if the plastic industry were a country, it would be the fifth largest GHG emitter on Earth”. The report, released jointly by environment secretary Leena Nandan and Niti Ayog CEO Parameswaran Iyer, shows that India consumed 18.45 million metric tonne (MMT) of plastic in the year 2018-19 and 59% of this went into packaging — it means of all the petrochemicals produced in the country (29.1 MMT), more than 37% was used to manufacture plastics for packaging applications. Noting the existing challenge of managing the plastic waste, the report reveals that India recycled a meagre 12% and burnt 20% of the 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste it generated in 2019-20 whereas there is no information on the remaining 68% of plastic waste, which most likely ends up in dumpsites and landfills. Broadly, the report flags that the plastic producers as well as major Indian brands cause plastic waste and pollution in the country in a big way. They manufacture large amounts of plastic which can’t be recycled, while brands do not recycle enough. “We are given to understand that the problem of plastic is a waste management issue and not a material production issue because we can recycle it, burn and bury it, or ship it to other countries where it can be handled. But it is not that simple. We have crossed the last frontier on plastic with our current production and consumption patterns. Plastic has not gone away. Plastic that we produce on land is now ending up in our oceans, and from there and elsewhere, into our own bodies," said Sunita Narain, director general, CSE. Globally, the production of plastic between 2000 and 2015 increased by a whopping 79%. “The total mass of plastics on our planet is now twice the mass of all living mammals, and about 80% of all the plastics ever produced continues to remain in the environment,” said the CSE, referring to another study by the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Plastic Production Has Quadrupled Over The Last Four Decades; Poses A Global Challenge

Between 2000 and 2015, global production of plastic increased by a whopping 79 per cent. The total mass of plastics on our planet is now twice the mass of all living mammals, and about 80 per cent of all the plastics ever produced continues to remain in the environment. There is an intimate connection to climate change as well. Plastic production has quadrupled over the last four decades and if this trend were to continue, the Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from plastics alone would reach 15 per cent of the global carbon budget by 2050. In fact, if the plastic industry were a country, it would be the fifth largest greenhouse gas emitter on Earth. India consumed 18.45 million metric tonne (MMT) of plastic in the year 2018-19 — 59 per cent of this went into packaging. This means that of all the petrochemicals produced in the country (29.1 MMT), more than 37 per cent was used to manufacture plastics for packaging applications. A new report released today (22 November) by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) quotes these mind-numbing data and information from international and national research to bring home the omnipresent character of the ‘plastic problem’. The report was released at a national conclave titled, ‘The plastic life cycle’ that brought together key regulators, waste management professionals, urban and town planners, representatives from NGOs and journalists. The report was released jointly by the secretary, Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Leena Nandan, chief executive officer, NITI Aayog, Parameswaran Iyer and director general, CSE Sunita Narain. Speaking at the occasion, Narain said: “We are given to understand that the problem of plastic is a waste management issue and not a material production issue because we can recycle it, burn and bury it, or ship it to other countries where it can be handled. But it is not that simple." "We have crossed the last frontier on plastic with our current production and consumption patterns. Plastic has not gone away. Plastic that we produce on land is now ending up in our oceans, and from there and elsewhere, into our own bodies,” she added. Releasing the report, Leena Nandan pointed out that while the issue of managing plastic waste was indeed an extremely complex one, it was not something that cannot be resolved. In fact, efforts to mitigate the ill effects of plastics have gained traction through the introduction of policies such as single-use plastic ban and extended producer responsibility. The Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 has listed plastic waste management as one of its key agendas. Carrying on from where Nandan left off, Parameswaran Iyer spoke about three key areas where intervention needed to be focused. “These three key things are governance of plastic and plastic waste management, ensuring behaviour change among people so that they are involved in this management, and following the tenets laid down in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mission LiFE (Lifestyle For Environment), which tells us what communities can and should do,” he said. CSE’s report “is an effort to understand the plastic life cycle and the plastic pollution challenge from the perspective of the different stakeholders who are integral to the landscape.” The report, thus, is an extensive assessment of the roles played by stakeholders ranging from the petroleum, petrochemical and plastic industry and the biodegradable and compostable plastic industry. It also includes producers and brand owners to retailers and consumers, the formal and informal sector recyclers and aggregators, and end-of-life solution providers. Offering the rationale behind the report, Atin Biswas, Municipal Solid Waste Management Unit, CSE says: “The coming years are going to be critical for defining the way we approach this enormous challenge of plastic waste. The technical capacity of the state governments, urban local bodies, and other stakeholders would play a pivotal role in achieving a plastic waste-free nation." Biswas adds that, "It is, therefore, imperative to understand the life cycle of plastic to strategise and streamline our approach towards managing plastic waste not only in India, but across the globe.”

Is Loss And Damage Fund Another Addition To The Empty Coffers Meant For Poor Nations?

A transitional committee that will decide the fund amount and its recipients will only meet by March 2023 Last year, climate activist Greta Thunberg summarised the COP26 Glasgow Summit as “Blah, blah, blah...” This year, at the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit, world leaders have delivered what is being described as a ‘breakthrough agreement’ on dedicated Loss and Damage Fund for vulnerable countries. This looks like a victory for the decades-long efforts of small island developing states (SIDC), who gave the concept and gradually found support in other emerging market economies and the least developed nations. According to UN report, from 1970 to 2019, climate-change induced natural hazards accounted for 50 per cent of all natural disasters, 45 per cent of all reported deaths and 74 per cent of all reported economic losses. Over two million people died in these climate-related disasters and resulted in about $3.64 trillion in losses for the global economy. Also, more than 91 per cent of the deaths occurred in developing countries. It does not mean that climate-related disasters occur more in developing world than the developed side of the world. It only highlights the vulnerability of poorer nations due to paucity of funds in dealing with them, dependence on agriculture by large population and the resultant food insecurity. However, the announced agreement leaves much to be desired as all the nitty-gritty of the deal —as to how much fund will be mobilised and who will get it— has been passed on to transitional committee which will only meet by March 2023. The question on whether China and India, the world’s largest and third largest polluter, respectively, but having no role in cumulative historical emissions, should be asked to pay up remain unanswered. Yet, it can be easily inferred from the past negotiations that pressure would be built on China and India to contribute, similar to how India was earlier coerced into committing to a net-zero target. Moreover, as assessed by the Centre for Science and Environment, the adopted decision does not mention the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities, which are enshrined within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Climate Agreement. Notably, this is not the first time that the apex climate body has agreed to establish a dedicated fund for fighting off climate change-related issues. In the 2009 Copenhagen accord, the Green Climate Fund was mooted to help developing countries transition to low-emission and climate-resilient development. Based on the polluters-pay principle, developed countries were required to mobilise $100 billion by 2020 every year until 2025. This was formally agreed upon under the Paris Agreement.

केंद्र भारत में ईवी बैटरी के उत्पादन को बढ़ावा देने के लिए थिंक थैंक्स के साथ सहयोग करता

केंद्र के विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी विभाग (डीएसटी) और ग्रीन थिंक टैंक सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) ने एक मंच बनाने के लिए सहयोग किया है जो भारतीय आवश्यकताओं के अनुरूप नई इलेक्ट्रिक वाहन (ईवी) बैटरी के विकास का समर्थन करेगा। भारत में नई बैटरी तकनीकों को विकसित करने के लिए एक रोडमैप पर एक श्वेत पत्र तैयार किया जाएगा। सीएसई ने मंगलवार को एक बयान में कहा, इसके बाद इस प्रक्रिया का समर्थन करने के लिए एक विशेषज्ञ-उद्योग मंच या मंच का निर्माण किया जाएगा। इस सहयोगी पहल को हाल ही में स्थानीय उपयुक्त ईवी बैटरी पर एक गोल मेज के साथ शुरू किया गया था जो गर्म और आर्द्र उष्णकटिबंधीय जलवायु की बाधाओं के भीतर सुरक्षित, टिकाऊ और प्रभावी हैं। अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी, कार्यकारी निदेशक-अनुसंधान और वकालत, सीएसई, ने कहा: "भारत ईवी कहानी को आगे बढ़ाने के लिए फेम और उत्पादन से जुड़े प्रोत्साहन के साथ काम कर रहा है, लेकिन लागत, सुरक्षा और चार्जिंग बुनियादी ढांचे के संबंध में चुनौतियां लाजिमी हैं - जिनमें से सभी बिंदु देश की शून्य उत्सर्जन महत्वाकांक्षाओं को पूरा करने में अंतराल पर। अंतर दूसरों के बीच सुरक्षा, आपूर्ति श्रृंखला, लागत संवेदनशीलता और त्वरित चार्जिंग अवसरों की आवश्यकता से संबंधित चिंताओं से लेकर है।" वरिष्ठ कार्यक्रम मौसमी मोहंती ने कहा, "इस संयुक्त पहल का उद्देश्य इन कमियों को दूर करना और एक ऐसा मंच तैयार करना है जो सुरक्षित, स्थानीय रूप से उपयुक्त आपूर्ति श्रृंखला प्रणालियों का मूल्यांकन, मूल्यांकन और पहचान करेगा और विभिन्न वाहन अनुप्रयोगों के लिए अनुकूलित किया जा सकता है।" प्रबंधक, स्वच्छ वायु और सतत गतिशीलता, सीएसई। नेशनल इलेक्ट्रिक मोबिलिटी मिशन प्लान (NEMMP) 2020 के हिस्से के रूप में, भारी उद्योग विभाग ने 2015 में इलेक्ट्रिक और इलेक्ट्रिक वाहनों के निर्माण को बढ़ावा देने के लिए भारत में (हाइब्रिड और) इलेक्ट्रिक वाहनों के तेजी से अपनाने और विनिर्माण (FAME India) नामक एक योजना तैयार की थी। हाइब्रिड वाहन प्रौद्योगिकी और इसके सतत विकास को सुनिश्चित करने के लिए।

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray | Deal on climate, but hard decisions put off till 2023

The goal was to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels Hearing Gianni Infantino, Fifa’s Swiss-born ethnic Italian president, declare “I think for what we Europeans have been doing the last 3,000 years, we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people”, millions of TV watchers worldwide may have wondered if it was the moment of truth, the epiphany that would erase the difference between East and West, rich and poor, and save mankind from extinction through floods, fires and all the catastrophic effects of climate change. For it was the last day of a contentious two-week conference on saving a world teetering on the edge of destruction, desertification and drowning. But, no, Mr Infantino wasn’t addressing the COP27 (Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) summit in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh where the representatives of 200 nations were haggling on who would have to pay the price of industrialisation. He was speaking in Qatar on the eve of the World Cup soccer tournament. The White House reckons that floods, drought, wildfires and hurricanes exacerbated by climate change could cost Washington about $2 trillion annually by the end of the century. Delayed by a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, COP27 left effective action for COP28 to be held at the end of 2023. In theory, however, the developed nations agreed at last Sunday’s dawn session to create a “loss and damage fund” to help the developing countries pay for the disastrous consequences of climate change. The crucial question of who will finance the fund and who will be entitled to draw on it has been left to the future, and probably even more painfully protracted wrangling. But for Egypt’s Sameh Shoukry, who presided over the tumultuous two weeks of bargaining, this represented “the highest ambition that can be reached at this time”. He saw the agreement as “a gateway” to more substantive, far-reaching actions to counter the effects of climate change and the long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns that destroyed the Indus Valley civilisation in Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, accounted for damage worth more than $30 billion in Pakistan’s devastating floods, and threatens to obliterate the independent Pacific island of Tuvalu. Since the 1800s, human activities -- not natural causes -- have been the main driver of climate change, primarily because burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas generate greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures so that icebergs melt, forests burn and the oceans rise. The United States had previously opposed the plan for a disaster-aversion fund, fearing it might have to bankroll it. The $11.4 billion that President Joe Biden has promised may be a drop in the ocean of global needs, although American officials who attended the Sharm el-Sheikh summit argued that it would suffice for Washington’s international climate commitments. The draft agreement says nothing about the demand to phase out all polluting fossil fuels. India, which relies heavily on coal, initially led the push to broaden the phasedown to include natural gas and oil. Later, the United States, the European Union and other vulnerable countries also backed the call. China and Saudi Arabia didn’t. Nor did the energy-poor African nations. A core commitment of last year’s landmark Glasgow Climate Pact, reached at COP26 which targeted only coal, was to reassemble more quickly than planned and persuade many countries to accelerate their efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions even more. That didn’t happen. It probably would not have happened even if Covid-19 had not intervened. Inspired by the British politician, Alok Sharma, the pact also called for a doubling of finance to help developing countries to adapt to climate change and build resilience. Moreover, Glasgow established a work programme to define a global goal on adaptation, which will identify collective needs and solutions to the crisis already affecting many countries. While the need to adapt is not disputed, some of the most vulnerable communities are also the least able to adapt because they are poor and already struggling to mobilise resources for basics like health care and education. It has been estimated that adaptation costs in developing countries could reach $300 billion every year by 2030. Right now, only 21 per cent (or about $16.8 billion annually) of the climate finance provided by richer countries to assist developing nations goes towards adaptation and resilience. The Kyoto Protocol, adopted in December 1997 although it did not enter into force until February 2005, was one of the earliest action-oriented expressions of collective global concern. The protocol’s 192 parties operationalized the UNFCC by committing industrialised countries and economies in transition to limit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with agreed individual targets. A number of countries have developed national adaptation plans since 2011, but a more aggressive version of the global adaptation fund, which already finances pioneering initiatives in developing countries like Costa Rica, Ghana, Djibouti and even India, is obviously needed. The wealthier countries are supposed to fulfil their commitment made in the Paris agreement to provide $100 billion a year in international climate finance. At least half of this should go to adaptation. This would be an important symbol of global solidarity in the face of a challenge we can only solve if everyone works together. The Paris agreement, a legally binding international treaty adopted by 196 parties at COP21 in December 2015, was a landmark in the multilateral climate change process because, for the first time, a binding agreement brought all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat the peril. All the parties to the agreement were committed to strengthening the global response by increasing the ability of all to adapt and build resilience, and reduce vulnerability. The goal was to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. This long-term temperature goal, which is essential to achieve a climate neutral world by mid-century, will remain elusive if governments continue to squander their resources on weapons, space programmes, massive statuary and elaborate, expensive and unnecessary city redevelopment. As Indian environmentalist Sunita Narain has pointed out, we already know how to make our communities safer, and must act on that knowledge in the interests of justice. The tragedy is that there’s a Nero fiddling away in every burning Rome.

COP27: Tι πήγε καλά, τι απέτυχε και τι έπεται στις ενέργειες για το κλίμα

Η27η διάσκεψη των Ηνωμένων Εθνών για το κλίμα (COP27) ολοκληρώθηκε το πρωί της Κυριακής με τους ερευνητές να είναι σε μεγάλο βαθμό απογοητευμένοι από την έλλειψη οποιασδήποτε φιλοδοξίας για σταδιακή κατάργηση των ορυκτών καυσίμων. Eκπρόσωποι από χώρες χαμηλού και μεσαίου εισοδήματος μάλιστα κατέληξαν σε συμφωνία για ένα νέο ταμείο χρηματοδότησης «απωλειών και ζημιών» για να τους βοηθήσει να καλύψουν το κόστος των επιπτώσεων της κλιματικής αλλαγής. Το τελικό κείμενο περίληψης 10 σελίδων, το οποίο συμφωνήθηκε στις 20 Νοεμβρίου, λέει ότι ο περιορισμός της υπερθέρμανσης του πλανήτη στους 1,5 °C πάνω από τα προβιομηχανικά επίπεδα απαιτεί «ταχεία, βαθιά και διαρκή μείωση των εκπομπών αερίων του θερμοκηπίου» έως το 2030. Το Μέλλον Με Πλαστικά Greenpeace 00:00 Previous PauseNext 00:33 / 01:53 Unmute Fullscreen Copy video url Play / Pause Mute / Unmute Report a problem Language Mox Player Ωστόσο, οι εκκλήσεις για σταδιακή κατάργηση των ορυκτών καυσίμων εμποδίστηκαν από τα κράτη που παράγουν πετρέλαιο και ορισμένοι εκπρόσωποι προσπάθησαν να βρουν λόγους για να είναι ικανοποιημένοι με τον αργό ρυθμό που κυλούν τα σχέδια απαλλαγής από τον άνθρακα. Πολλοί κατηγόρησαν την ενεργειακή κρίση που πυροδότησε η εισβολή της Ρωσίας στην Ουκρανία για έλλειψη προόδου στο ζήτημα με τα ορυκτά καύσιμα. Στα 45.000 ανέρχονται τα άτομα που εγγράφηκαν για να παρακολουθήσουν τις διαβουλεύσεις της COP27, με αποτέλεσμα ορισμένοι να αναρωτηθούν εάν αυτό από μόνο του αποτελεί ένα δείγμα για μια κατάλληλη αντιμετώπιση μιας πλανητικής έκτακτης ανάγκης. «Οι διαπραγματεύσεις που γίνονται στερούνται εντελώς πραγματικότητας», λέει η Sunita Narain, γενική διευθύντρια του Κέντρου Επιστήμης και Περιβάλλοντος, ενός οργανισμού περιβαλλοντικής έρευνας στο Νέο Δελχί της Ινδίας. Αν και έχει αξία να φέρεις κοντά τους ανθρώπους για να μοιραστούν ιδέες και να δώσουν ώθηση, φοβάται ότι ο βασικός σκοπός της συνάντησης - να ωθήσουν τους παγκόσμιους ηγέτες να δεσμευτούν σε ισχυρότερες ενέργειες και να τους θέσουν υπόλογους - έχει χαθεί. «Δεν έχω ξαναδεί κάτι τέτοιο. Υποβαθμίσαμε το όλο θέμα σε ένα μεγαλειώδες θέαμα», λέει. Ερευνητές και ακτιβιστές που παρευρέθηκαν στις συνομιλίες για πρώτη φορά περιέγραψαν δυσπιστία καθώς οι κυβερνητικοί διαπραγματευτές επί μέρες πήγαιναν και ερχόντουσαν δίχως τα όσα εξέφραζαν να έχουν ουσιαστική βαρύτητα. «Είμαι απλά, πολύ απλά σοκαρισμένος με τη διαπραγματευτική διαδικασία που έχω δει», λέει ο Blutus Mbambi από το Κέντρο Δράσης και Συνηγορίας για την Κλιματική Αλλαγή στη Λουσάκα της Ζάμπια. «Αλλά θα συνεχίσουμε να στηρίζουμε. Θα συνεχίσουμε να πιέζουμε».