When the Centre launched the second edition of its flagship Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in October 2021, it signalled a paradigm shift in efforts to create garbage-free cities. It emphasised the scientific treatment of waste to meet current and projected waste generation in cities and mandated civic authorities to remediate their legacy waste dumpsites by March 31, 2024. For details please click the attachment.
Introduction: Air quality in the Delhi-NCR is deteriorating with each passing day and it continues to remain in the severe category. Air pollution in the national capital and NCR region has been severely affecting people’s health especially elders and children. This problem however is not just limited to the NCR region. According to the national Air Quality Index several major and small towns in the country are in the poor to severe category. According to latest assessment by the Centre for Science and Environment, when pollution concentrations from all sources – local, NCR and beyond are added, Delhi’s vehicles account for nearly 17 per cent of total PM2.5 concentration. However, vehicles’ daily share of pollution from local sources varied between 49.3 per cent and 53 per cent during the week of Diwali this year. Delhi-NCR region is most troubled by air pollution at the onset of winter season with stubble burning accounting for at least one third of the pollutants. Various steps have been taken for monitoring and management of air quality for reducing air pollution. Increasing Air Pollution: It is clear that the problem of air pollution has increased very seriously and over the years its intensity and seriousness has grown. In many places there is no proper air quality measurement mechanism. There are thermal power plants around Delhi and the polluted air moves towards the neighbouring cities. There are large mounds of solid waste Seasonally farmers of Punjab and Haryana burn their crop residues for preparing their fields for next crop and during the winter the air becomes heavy, there is temperature inversion and the dispersal of the pollutants is very low. During winter we also see people burning fire during night to bear the cold. All this put together has a cumulative effect on the air quality. The thrust towards renewable energy is time consuming and expensive. Construction and demolition are the two major sources of Particulate Matter in the atmosphere. The bad air quality tells you that the governance is not upto mark. It is a huge problem and increasing geographically every year. According to air quality data compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Delhi is among the world’s most polluted cities. Particulate matter, PM2.5 and PM10 in Delhi, exceed national standards and the more stringent World Health Organization limits. Delhi needs a 65% reduction to meet the national standards for PM2.5. Delhi’s toxic air also contains high doses of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. According to the WHO, India has the world’s highest death rate from chronic respiratory diseases and asthma. Consequences of Air Pollution: Large number of deaths (around 2000) is attributed due to pollution which is very frightening. The figures may not be correct because they are only estimates. India has recorded 50% increase in the pre mature deaths linked to PM 2.5 and this is between 1990 and 2015 almost coinciding with the economic liberalisation. Air quality has become a serious health issue because the pollutants enter deep inside the lungs and the lungs capacity to purify bloods gets reduced which affects the person’s growth, mental ability and the working capacity especially for children, pregnant women and elderly people. Poor people are more vulnerable to air pollution because they are the one who spend more time on roads. Measures to improve air quality: Improving public transport Limiting the number of polluting vehicles on the road Introducing less polluting fuel Strict emission regulations Improved efficiency for thermal power plants and industries Moving from diesel generators to rooftop solar Increased use of clean renewable energy Electric vehicles Removing dust from roads Regulating construction activities Stopping biomass burning, etc. Way Forward: Undertake a thorough review of the various laws and institutions in order to look at their efficacy and utility. Have detailed consultation with all relevant stakeholders, especially those outside Delhi, which includes farmers’ groups and small scale industries and the public at large.” Draft a Bill and it should be put up for public comments. The members of Commission for Air Quality Management(CAQM) in National Capital Region and adjoining Areas met and reviewed the air quality scenario in the region. Minimize use of personalized transport to the extent possible Restrict travel unless absolutely essential Encourage work from home Strict enforcement of laws and rules regarding dust control measures including at construction sites Strict enforcement to prevent burning of municipal solid waste and biomass Intensify water sprinkling particularly in dust prone areas Use of anti-smog guns at pollution hotspots specially at construction sites Strict implementation of extant rules, Courts and Tribunal orders regarding stubble burning and use of fire crackers Seek co-operation from civil society and public spirited citizens to report air pollution incidents on the Sameer App Encourage coal using industries in NCR to minimize the use of coal in the coming months.
With air pollution a seasonal occurrence in north India every winter, particularly in the National Capital Region, those who can afford to install ever more sophisticated air filtration systems are doing so in homes, office spaces, schools, gyms and hotels. Nikhil M. Babu and Jacob Koshy report on the technologies which provide a temporary respite for a few and the class stratification that is becoming all the more evident On a chilly November morning, four-year-old Tejaswini Singh got down from her father’s scooter and walked towards the metal gate of the government school in Aliganj where she studies. Singh, who was wearing a grey skirt and pink shirt but no mask, stopped to wave goodbye before she disappeared behind the gate. “Now the air quality is better,” said her father, Bimal Kumar, while explaining why his daughter was not wearing a mask despite the air quality being ‘very poor’ in Delhi. “But I was relieved when the school closed earlier this week due to severe air pollution.” When asked if there were solutions for clean air at school, Kumar, 59, shook his head. About 9 km away, a grey Audi pulled up outside Gate 1 of The Ardee School, a private educational institution. In the central courtyard of the school, past the many security guards and the reception with glass doors, is a 12-foot-high screen displaying the indoor and outdoor Air Quality Index (AQI): 13 and 139, respectively. “We use an advanced air purification system, which is installed on the terrace of the building. It pumps in purified air through a metal duct (from the dome of the building) to each floor of the school,” a spokesperson of the school said. The system was installed in 2021.
The first draft of a deal being hashed out at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt appeared to repel efforts by developed nations to shift some of their onus of action and funding to developing countries like India and China, setting up what appeared to be a difficult dash for consensus before a Friday deadline. The first draft of a deal being hashed out at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt appeared to repel efforts by developed nations to shift some of their onus of action and funding to developing countries like India and China, setting up what appeared to be a difficult dash for consensus before a Friday deadline. Released as a “non-paper”, or an unofficial draft, by Egypt’s COP27 president, the 20-page text retains the distinction between rich and poor nations, and highlights the Paris Agreement principles of “equity” and “common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR)”, which relates to the fundamental understanding that countries will act as per their national circumstances and respective capabilities. “We are at crunch time in the negotiations. COP27 is scheduled to close in 24 hours — and the parties remain divided on a number of significant issues,” said UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. “There is clearly a breakdown in trust between North and South, and between developed and emerging economies. This is no time for finger pointing. The blame game is a recipe for mutually assured destruction. I am here to appeal to all parties to rise to this moment and to the greatest challenge facing humanity. The world is watching and has a simple message: stand and deliver,” he added. Negotiators were spending the time till deadline to pore over every word of the text, which will lay down the shape of the global consensus on how to fight the climate crisis. The early draft, an observer from India said, was encouraging for developing countries. “It is an extensive cover text that reflects the concerns of developing countries. It has highlighted the real gap in delivery of climate finance, it talks of the depleting carbon budget and the need for developed countries to attain net-negative emissions by 2030, it refers to India’s call on sustainable lifestyles and consumption, and, most importantly, it doesn’t rephrase the Paris Agreement goal which developed countries were trying to push for,” said this person, asking not to be named. But, India’s proposal to not selectively single out sources of emissions among fossil fuels for action was not a part of the text. India and several other developing nations that rely on coal for energy pushed for requiring all fossil fuels to be phased down, a phrasing that would have included more expensive oil and gas that richer countries largely rely on. The wording on coal One of the developing country negotiators said this was not necessarily a setback for India because the recognition that even action on coal will have to be “in line with national circumstances” and the need for a “just transition”. “We had all put proposals forward. The process is by consensus of all. One of the things that is clear to us is that we cannot go any further than the language in Glasgow because of our national circumstances, energy and developments needs presently. This is work in progress. No conclusions can be drawn at the moment,” said a delegate from India, noting that the early draft reflects the language on equity and CBDR strongly. A second developing country negotiator said that “several parties, including US and the Arab group, were opposed to the idea of calling for a phasedown of all fossil fuels. Statements and country positions are not the same. This too will be negotiated on tonight.” “We have to understand why India agreed to Glasgow language to be repeated. It may be because the earlier call to phase down all fossil fuels was tactical as pressure from rich nations was also building up on expanding donor base etc and such a call was needed put the developed country groups on the backfoot,” said an expert who declined to be named. An observer, who saw India’s intervention on Thursday evening, said: “All countries are sticking to their positions. But the text can change significantly tomorrow morning. India also said focus on only one fuel is prescriptive and it is not okay with such an approach. It is important to remember the same coal language is already in Glasgow Pact and in G20 communique so it is difficult to undo it completely.” Most contentious But talks on other contested issues, such as mitigation work programmes (matters related to reducing emissions in line with the Paris Agreement goals) and the Loss and Damage fund did not appear to have made any progress since these sections were only identified by placeholder text. Rich countries have been pushing to expand the donor base to include developing countries like India and China for climate finance, particularly for Loss and Damage and for mitigation, according to observers. “The logjam over expansion of the donor base and taking on similar mitigation efforts is continuing behind doors. The Arab countries in particular are fuming because of being counted as high income countries. India and China are also being pushed. But Paris Agreement is paramount and no other country classification can be recognised other than how Paris Agreement classifies countries under its annexures,” said a third developing country negotiator, asking not to be named. Experts said there were some positives from the early draft. “Important statements [have been made] on the issue of disproportionate use of carbon budget and the need for climate justice for mitigation and finance. I hope these are not diluted or removed in final draft,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment, commenting on the so-called non-paper. “The elements paper, which will form the basis of the cover text, has been a hard-to-navigate document. It lists down a lot but doesn’t stack up to anything that can be termed as progress so far. It puts placeholders in key agenda items like mitigation work programme. Offers no clarity on the fate of a financing facility for loss and damage, which was a key demand of this COP. A statement in the text acknowledges [the need for] scaled up finance to the tune of $4-6 trillion per year for global transformation to low carbon. Current estimates suggest a mobilisation of less than $1billion from all sources,” said Aarti Khosla, director and founder of Climate Trends, who is tracking the negotiations. “The cover text decision in its present form recognises the low impact of NDCs that will be far short of [leading to] 45% emissions reduction by 2030. But, it suggests that global peaking is possible in 2030 if all conditional and unconditional NDCs are implemented fully. This implies additional financial flows. All fossil fuel phasedown is not mentioned but the failure of developed countries to reduce emissions and the urgency of their becoming net negative by 2030 is mentioned in the current text,” said RR Rashmi, distinguished fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute. The place holder on Loss and Damage led to anxiety among small island countries bearing the worst impacts of climate change. “We are running out of time and patience. The developed countries have failed to mobilise $100 billion but they have unlimited money for pharmaceuticals and weapons but not for Loss and Damage. Our need is existential and waiting for two years is untenable,” said Ralph Regenvanu, minister of climate change, Vanuatu, in a press briefing. “At the moment the cover text looks like a declaration and not a decision. It needs to be narrow and sharp,” said a negotiator from a South American country, asking not to be named. 1.5°C goal alive Key among the issues discussed was the 1.5°C goal. COP27 countries, the document said, “stresses the importance of exerting all efforts at all levels to achieve the Paris Agreement temperature goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels,”. It goes on to point out that developed countries have failed to mitigate emissions based on their fair share and historical responsibility, a portion that is likely to be of particular contention. “Expresses deep regret that developed countries who have the most capabilities financially and technologically to lead in reducing their emissions continue to fall short in doing so, and are taking inadequate and unambitious goals to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, while they continue to emit and disproportionately consume the global carbon budget,” the draft said. Overall, the cover decision encourages wealthy countries to increase support and align funding flows with the 1.5°C goal. This is not the final text and it may change significantly. Egypt being a developing country itself has been trying to reflect the concerns of developing country groups. “The Paris Agreement says in black and white. Under Article 2, it states that the entire Paris Agreement should be guided by based on equity and common but differentiated responsibilities. This is a conversation that takes place every year. We are patrons at this time and we are trying to find a common ground. We will have to find the right language to accommodate differentiation. We are aware of the various positions and we are working now to accommodate the parties’ views but also the legal agreement that we ratified together,” Egypt’s COP27 ambassador Wael Aboulmagd said on Wednesday evening when asked by HT on how the Presidency would address the push by rich countries to remove differentiation among countries. Negotiators said the task to find consensus will be difficult. “It’s going to be quite a long and difficult journey to the end of this process,” European Union climate policy chief Frans Timmermans told a news conference. “Today, I’m afraid I’m not sure yet where these talks will land.”
India recorded “extreme weather events on 241 of 273 days” in the first nine months of the year, according to one study. Representatives from nations around the world are heading towards the concluding phase of the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in Sharm el-Shaikh, Egypt. The conference has witnessed nations participating in discussions that emphasize climate finance, including adaptation and mitigation finance, by bringing the concept of ‘loss and damage’ into the forefront. The world’s biggest emitters – China, the United States, the European Union and India – account for more than half of historical emissions of greenhouse gases. Representatives from nations around the world are heading towards the concluding phase of the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in Sharm el-Shaikh, Egypt. The conference has witnessed nations participating in discussions that emphasize climate finance, including adaptation and mitigation finance, by bringing the concept of ‘loss and damage’ into the forefront. The world’s biggest emitters – China, the United States, the European Union and India – account for more than half of historical emissions of greenhouse gases. Representatives from nations around the world are heading towards the concluding phase of the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in Sharm el-Shaikh, Egypt. The conference has witnessed nations participating in discussions that emphasize climate finance, including adaptation and mitigation finance, by bringing the concept of ‘loss and damage’ into the forefront. The world’s biggest emitters – China, the United States, the European Union and India – account for more than half of historical emissions of greenhouse gases. Representatives from nations around the world are heading towards the concluding phase of the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in Sharm el-Shaikh, Egypt. The conference has witnessed nations participating in discussions that emphasize climate finance, including adaptation and mitigation finance, by bringing the concept of ‘loss and damage’ into the forefront. The world’s biggest emitters – China, the United States, the European Union and India – account for more than half of historical emissions of greenhouse gases.
The first draft of a deal being hashed out at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt appeared to repel efforts by developed nations to shift some of their onus of action and funding to developing countries like India and China, setting up what appeared to be a difficult dash for consensus before a Friday deadline. Released as a “non-paper”, or an unofficial draft, by Egypt’s COP27 president, the 20-page text retains the distinction between rich and poor nations, and highlights the Paris Agreement principles of “equity” and “common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR)”, which relates to the fundamental understanding that countries will act as per their national circumstances and respective capabilities. “We are at crunch time in the negotiations. COP27 is scheduled to close in 24 hours — and the parties remain divided on a number of significant issues,” said UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. “There is clearly a breakdown in trust between North and South, and between developed and emerging economies. This is no time for finger pointing. The blame game is a recipe for mutually assured destruction. I am here to appeal to all parties to rise to this moment and to the greatest challenge facing humanity. The world is watching and has a simple message: stand and deliver,” he added. Negotiators were spending the time till deadline to pore over every word of the text, which will lay down the shape of the global consensus on how to fight the climate crisis. The early draft, an observer from India said, was encouraging for developing countries. “It is an extensive cover text that reflects the concerns of developing countries. It has highlighted the real gap in delivery of climate finance, it talks of the depleting carbon budget and the need for developed countries to attain net-negative emissions by 2030, it refers to India’s call on sustainable lifestyles and consumption, and, most importantly, it doesn’t rephrase the Paris Agreement goal which developed countries were trying to push for,” said this person, asking not to be named. But, India’s proposal to not selectively single out sources of emissions among fossil fuels for action was not a part of the text. India and several other developing nations that rely on coal for energy pushed for requiring all fossil fuels to be phased down, a phrasing that would have included more expensive oil and gas that richer countries largely rely on. The wording on coal One of the developing country negotiators said this was not necessarily a setback for India because the recognition that even action on coal will have to be “in line with national circumstances” and the need for a “just transition”. “We had all put proposals forward. The process is by consensus of all. One of the things that is clear to us is that we cannot go any further than the language in Glasgow because of our national circumstances, energy and developments needs presently. This is work in progress. No conclusions can be drawn at the moment,” said a delegate from India, noting that the early draft reflects the language on equity and CBDR strongly. A second developing country negotiator said that “several parties, including US and the Arab group, were opposed to the idea of calling for a phasedown of all fossil fuels. Statements and country positions are not the same. This too will be negotiated on tonight.” “We have to understand why India agreed to Glasgow language to be repeated. It may be because the earlier call to phase down all fossil fuels was tactical as pressure from rich nations was also building up on expanding donor base etc and such a call was needed put the developed country groups on the backfoot,” said an expert who declined to be named. An observer, who saw India’s intervention on Thursday evening, said: “All countries are sticking to their positions. But the text can change significantly tomorrow morning. India also said focus on only one fuel is prescriptive and it is not okay with such an approach. It is important to remember the same coal language is already in Glasgow Pact and in G20 communique so it is difficult to undo it completely.” Most contentious But talks on other contested issues, such as mitigation work programmes (matters related to reducing emissions in line with the Paris Agreement goals) and the Loss and Damage fund did not appear to have made any progress since these sections were only identified by placeholder text. Rich countries have been pushing to expand the donor base to include developing countries like India and China for climate finance, particularly for Loss and Damage and for mitigation, according to observers. “The logjam over expansion of the donor base and taking on similar mitigation efforts is continuing behind doors. The Arab countries in particular are fuming because of being counted as high income countries. India and China are also being pushed. But Paris Agreement is paramount and no other country classification can be recognised other than how Paris Agreement classifies countries under its annexures,” said a third developing country negotiator, asking not to be named. Experts said there were some positives from the early draft. “Important statements [have been made] on the issue of disproportionate use of carbon budget and the need for climate justice for mitigation and finance. I hope these are not diluted or removed in final draft,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment, commenting on the so-called non-paper. “The elements paper, which will form the basis of the cover text, has been a hard-to-navigate document. It lists down a lot but doesn’t stack up to anything that can be termed as progress so far. It puts placeholders in key agenda items like mitigation work programme. Offers no clarity on the fate of a financing facility for loss and damage, which was a key demand of this COP. A statement in the text acknowledges [the need for] scaled up finance to the tune of $4-6 trillion per year for global transformation to low carbon. Current estimates suggest a mobilisation of less than $1billion from all sources,” said Aarti Khosla, director and founder of Climate Trends, who is tracking the negotiations. “The cover text decision in its present form recognises the low impact of NDCs that will be far short of [leading to] 45% emissions reduction by 2030. But, it suggests that global peaking is possible in 2030 if all conditional and unconditional NDCs are implemented fully. This implies additional financial flows. All fossil fuel phasedown is not mentioned but the failure of developed countries to reduce emissions and the urgency of their becoming net negative by 2030 is mentioned in the current text,” said RR Rashmi, distinguished fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute. The place holder on Loss and Damage led to anxiety among small island countries bearing the worst impacts of climate change. “We are running out of time and patience. The developed countries have failed to mobilise $100 billion but they have unlimited money for pharmaceuticals and weapons but not for Loss and Damage. Our need is existential and waiting for two years is untenable,” said Ralph Regenvanu, minister of climate change, Vanuatu, in a press briefing. “At the moment the cover text looks like a declaration and not a decision. It needs to be narrow and sharp,” said a negotiator from a South American country, asking not to be named. 1.5°C goal alive Key among the issues discussed was the 1.5°C goal. COP27 countries, the document said, “stresses the importance of exerting all efforts at all levels to achieve the Paris Agreement temperature goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels,”. It goes on to point out that developed countries have failed to mitigate emissions based on their fair share and historical responsibility, a portion that is likely to be of particular contention. “Expresses deep regret that developed countries who have the most capabilities financially and technologically to lead in reducing their emissions continue to fall short in doing so, and are taking inadequate and unambitious goals to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, while they continue to emit and disproportionately consume the global carbon budget,” the draft said. Overall, the cover decision encourages wealthy countries to increase support and align funding flows with the 1.5°C goal. This is not the final text and it may change significantly. Egypt being a developing country itself has been trying to reflect the concerns of developing country groups. “The Paris Agreement says in black and white. Under Article 2, it states that the entire Paris Agreement should be guided by based on equity and common but differentiated responsibilities. This is a conversation that takes place every year. We are patrons at this time and we are trying to find a common ground. We will have to find the right language to accommodate differentiation. We are aware of the various positions and we are working now to accommodate the parties’ views but also the legal agreement that we ratified together,” Egypt’s COP27 ambassador Wael Aboulmagd said on Wednesday evening when asked by HT on how the Presidency would address the push by rich countries to remove differentiation among countries. Negotiators said the task to find consensus will be difficult. “It’s going to be quite a long and difficult journey to the end of this process,” European Union climate policy chief Frans Timmermans told a news conference. “Today, I’m afraid I’m not sure yet where these talks will land.” “If this COP fails, we all lose.”
The daily stubble burning count has started reducing in north India. Even Punjab and Haryana have seen a reduction of 31% and 46% in farm fires, respectively, between September 15 and November 17 compared with last year. In the normal course, crop stubble burning starts declining from November 15 and gets over by November 30. However, experts said a clear trend for this season would emerge after a few days. Satellites detected 966 farm fires in Punjab, 39 in Haryana and 50 in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. However, the stubble burning counts were 2,647 in Punjab, 99 in Haryana and 36 in UP on November 12. Professor Vinay Sehgal, principal scientist and in-charge of Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space laboratory at Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) said, “Since per day counts have started reducing in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, peak burning season is over. Past data shows that stubble burning gets almost over in Punjab by November 20. We expect the same to happen this year too. The recommended date for sowing wheat is November 15, which is in progress in the states.” According to IARI, which follows the standard protocol 2021 notified by Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas, 47,788 paddy residue burning events were recorded in Punjab between September 15 and November 17 this year as against 69,445 during the same period in 2021 and 80,346 in 2020. Even in previous years, the per-day count in Punjab had crossed 5,000 on a few days. However, the highest per-day farm fires were 3,916 in this season. Between September 15 and November 17, Haryana recorded 3,272 paddy residue burning events in 2022, 6,094 in 2021 and 3,710 in 2020. Uttar Pradesh reported 1,555 farm fires in 2022, 2,763 in 2021 and 2,943 in 2020. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said, “A clearer view of the stubble burning trend will emerge when the season is fully over. If the recorded number of fire incidents are lower than past years, it’s a sign that things are changing on the ground. However, efforts are needed to achieve scale of action to ensure near elimination of the problem for substantial improvement next year.” Gufran Beig, founder project director, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research, said, “It’s yet to be seen if stubble burning extends this season.”
The issue of garbage and waste management that has come to haunt Delhi's citizens, presented in video and graphics With less than a month for the municipal polls in Delhi, the issue of garbage and waste management has become the centrepiece of the AAP’s campaign to dethrone the BJP and get rid of the party’s 15-year long dominance at the civic body level.
Air pollution respects no geographical boundaries. An inter-State solution should be worked out. Diwali celebrations in October kick-started the annual air pollution emergency in New Delhi and the political blame game as well. While the arrival of winter left millions in north India gasping for breath, and cases of respiratory illnesses soared across the region, the focus remained uncannily on the national capital. Besides Delhi, UP, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Bihar are seeing the worst of air pollution in recent decades. The World Air Quality Report released by the Swiss organisation IQAir in March 2022, lists 35 Indian cities in the 50 most polluted cities in the world. Of them, 14 rank in the top 20, and all are in north India—seven in Uttar Pradesh, five in Haryana, and one each in Rajasthan and New Delhi. In the full list of 50 feature Bhiwadi in Rajasthan; Ghaziabad, Jaunpur, Noida, Baghpat, Meerut, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Bulandshahr and Greater Noida in UP; Muzaffarpur and Patna in Bihar; Hisar, Jind, Rohtak, Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana; and New Delhi. The seasonal factors that result in the deterioration in air quality are well-known: the winter haze, fireworks during Diwali, and smoke from stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, and parts of UP. Stubble burning gets rid of crop residue and helps clear farmland for the next sowing. Such burning has been the focus of all attention for the past few years, with governments offering farmers financial incentives to stop the practice. However, besides these seasonal factors are the constant vehicular pollution and emissions from industries and electricity generation that mix with the winter fog and turn it into toxic smog. Construction dust and brick kilns also contribute to the smog. At the national level, the emphasis now is on renewable energy sources and the phasing out of old polluting automobiles and the eventual closure of thermal power facilities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to have net zero carbon emissions in India by 2070, and his government claims that by 2030 renewable energy will provide 50 per cent of the country’s electricity demands. In the context of automobiles, poor coordination between the pollution control boards and local Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) has made the phasing out of old vehicles a challenge. Toxic air in Uttar Pradesh According to Venkatesh Dutta, an Environment Science professor at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, pollution levels in UP are alarmingly off the charts but often go unreported. He said, “The monitoring devices in UP are unevenly distributed with some districts having multiple devices while others have no functional devices. In smaller cities, the reporting is even more scarce. No serious sampling is done. Because of this, much of the pollution goes unreported.” He added that the pollution woes in UP are likely to get worse if only because the pollution control board in the State is highly understaffed. He added, “The UP Pollution Control Board swings into action only when there is a cumulative, visible impact of pollution. There is no precautionary approach, no advance planning.” Further, he said that cases of respiratory illnesses are rocketing in the state because of pollution. According to Gufran Ullah Beig, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, toxic emissions can cause long-term damage to people’s health. “The chemical composition of the particles that make up PM2.5 matter should be analysed to solve the health problems linked with pollution,” he told Frontline. PM 2.5 refers to particulate matter in the air that are 2.5 microns in width. Among the main contributors to pollution in UP are dust from transportation and construction activities. Several national highways pass through the State, resulting in extreme vehicular pollution. Exposed earth on many of the roads kick up dust and contribute to the worsening air quality. On top of this, many small-scale industries, benefiting from the State government’s push to generate employment, do not comply with environmental regulations. With the failure of awareness programmes on the dangers of stubble burning, the UP government is considering enforcing legal penalties, including filing FIRs against violators apart from the fines already in place. Farmers have remained stubborn on stubble burning cases because the other measures to get rid of stubble require special equipment and/or biochemicals and are labour intensive. The Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the United States, reported close to 800 incidents of stubble burning from 18 districts of UP in two weeks spanning October and November. Support for the farmers has come from Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who said recently that he felt bad when farmers were held responsible for Delhi’s increasing pollution. “I am the Minister for Agriculture and I speak for the farming community. I feel that if farmers cause an increase in pollution in Delhi, I am to blame,” he said. To erase the negative connotation associated with farmers, he argued, is everyone’s responsibility, he added and urged both Delhi and neighbouring states to take action to stop the problem. On the other hand, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have come under fire from Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav for failing to address Delhi’s pollution crisis. Yadav tweeted: “There is no dispute over who has transformed Delhi into a gas chamber,” pointing to an increase in agricultural residue fires in Punjab, which elected an AAP government earlier this year. While pollution in north India soared, south Indian States enjoyed clear skies and weather. This is because of the different meteorological factors in South India. According to S.K. Dhaka, a professor at Delhi University, the pollution levels in southern India are mostly low because of its coastal surroundings. “There are strong winds in the southern regions, while the wind speed is significantly lesser in the northern states,” he said. Rapid Industrialisation High levels of air pollution are also a result of the country’s rapid economic development, which has resulted in a surge in energy demand for industrialisation, vehicle emissions, and rapidly growing cities with their upwardly mobile middle classes. Currently, India’s economy is heavily driven by services, but with Modi’s “Make in India” and production linked incentive schemes manufacturing is getting a big boost. It is possible that further industrialisation could harm the environment at a time when the nation already has some of the most polluted cities in the world and is still at a very early stage of its manufacturing evolution (around 15 per cent of the Indian GDP is from manufacturing.) According to the World Bank, Vietnam has been the world’s fastest-growing greenhouse emitter over the past two decades. During this period, the share of manufacturing in Vietnam’s GDP has doubled. Clearly, rapid industrialisation comes at a cost. According to D.P. Dimri, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Environmental Sciences, air pollution in north Indian States is an alarming issue throughout the year. “At this time, there are several seasonal factors at play, such as changing wind direction, stubble burning, and less moisture in the soil. But the pollution levels are not satisfactory even at other times in the year,” he said. He believes that rapid urbanisation is the main reason for this. “Rapid urbanisation means more industries, more construction activity, increased electricity consumption, and expansion of cities, all of which contribute to air pollution,” he said. Tall buildings have also contributed to the worsening air pollution. According to Dimri, tall buildings prevent the wind from taking away pollutants. “Development comes at a cost. But how much cost can we bear in the name of development? More jobs and better income, of course, are the need of the hour. But development should also focus on creating a sustainable model. An inter-state approach Kalyani Tembhe, Program Officer in the Clean Air and Sustainable Mobility department of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), believes that an inter-State approach is essential to curb air pollution. She told Frontline, “Air pollution does not follow geographical, State boundaries. A single government cannot curb pollution in its jurisdiction without working in conjunction with adjoining States.” In her paper “Managing Regional Air Quality: Need for a Framework”, she writes that the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), the first-ever national framework to guide clean air action in polluted cities, is completely city-centric. As part of the NCAP, 132 cities have been identified as non-attainment cities implementing action plans to meet this target. She said that city-centric measures were not enough to deal with the problem. “The pollution in the city is not all originating in the city. The pollution in the adjoining States does not all originate there. There is a lot of transboundary movement of emissions among the north Indian States,” she said. Air quality analysis carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has shown that even smaller towns and cities in north India with much lower annual average particulate levels than Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) experience higher levels than Delhi during smog episodes. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas, a statutory body, was formed in August 2021 to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR, aiming for better coordination, research, identification, and resolution of problems relating to air quality. She believes that such bodies are important and should be replicated. Further, she said that pressure on politicians from the masses is needed to drive better environmental policies. She said: “People need to be made aware of the damage that pollution can cause to health, which will be possible with proper studies to quantify it. This will create pressure on governments.” The Crux The World Air Quality Report, released by the Swiss organisation IQAir in March 2022, lists 35 Indian cities in the 50 most polluted cities in the world. Of them, 14 rank in the top 20, and all are in north India—seven in Uttar Pradesh, five in Haryana, one in Rajasthan, and New Delhi. The seasonal factors that result in the deterioration in air quality are: the winter haze, fireworks during Diwali, and smoke from stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, and parts of UP. As for stubble burning, with the failure of awareness programmes, the UP government is considering enforcing legal penalties. Air quality analysis carried out by the CSE has shown that even smaller towns and cities in north India with much lower annual average particulate levels than Delhi and the NCR experience higher levels than Delhi during smog episodes.
With 80 per cent of the population living in regions highly vulnerable to disasters such as severe flooding or heatwaves, adaptation is key to the country’s future. Every day of the three months of monsoon this year, between June and August, heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall was recorded in some parts of India. All regions were affected. In Assam, people lost their lives, homes and sources of livelihoods as large parts of the state were submerged. The floods were so frequent it forced many people to permanently move out of their homes. An extreme weather event is one that is “rare at a particular place and time of year”, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Unfortunately, they have become increasingly common. According to a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), published this month, India witnessed 241 days of extreme weather events in 2022. Painting a grim picture, it states that the country has seen a disaster nearly every day in the first nine months — from heat and cold waves, cyclones, lightning to heavy rain, floods and landslides. These disasters have claimed 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 million hectares of crop area, destroyed over 416,667 houses and killed close to 70,000 livestock. CSE director general Sunita Narain, while releasing the report, said, “What the country has witnessed so far in 2022 is the new abnormal in a warming world. There is a clear spike in frequency and intensity of extreme events that we are seeing.” Hot stuff It’s not like extreme weather events have never happened before. This drastic change, however, is due to the rise in greenhouse gas emissions in the Earth’s atmosphere in the past 150 years. It’s making the planet hotter. Warmer air holds more water vapour. When combined with warmer ocean temperatures, it leads to increased precipitation, which can cause frequent cyclones, flooding and landslides. Extreme heat can also lead to severe and prolonged heat waves and droughts, and can make forest fires worse. Warmer land temperatures result in reduced snowpack and more snowmelt. As Earth continues to heat up owing to global warming, the frequency, intensity, and impacts of extreme weather events are only expected to worsen. It will affect everyone, living everywhere. The summer of 2022 has already given us a sneak-peek into our collective future. South Asia baked under a deadly heatwave, and India experienced its hottest March ever. Floods washed away entire cities in Pakistan. France logged its hottest May on record, while the UK declared its first-ever national emergency red heat alert as temperatures rose above 40 degrees Celsius. Nearly half of Europe had warning conditions declared for what was called the continent’s worst drought in at least 500 years. The repercussions of this summer were felt in the Arctic, where ice melt reached yet another record high. Deep impact India’s geography and population makes it particularly vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather events. They claim lives and impact livelihoods. According to a World Bank estimate, nearly half of India’s population (approximately 600 million people) could have lower standards of living due to climate-change impacts. They also affect food production and cause shortages of vital resources. Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns deeply affect the farming sector. A Government of India estimate, according to the CSE report, indicates that extreme temperature shocks reduce average farmer incomes by 4.3 per cent and 4.1 per cent during kharif and rabi seasons, respectively, while extreme rainfall shocks reduce average incomes by 13.7 per cent and 5.5 per cent. Cumulatively, they have a significant impact on the economy. In 2021 alone, India suffered an income loss of $159 billion (now around Rs 13 lakh crore), almost 5.4 per cent of its gross domestic product, owing to extreme heat. “Exposure to higher temperatures and the resulting reduction of working hours led to substantial income losses in services, manufacturing, agriculture, and construction,” notes the Climate Transparency Report 2022. If the warming continues unabated, then by 2100, the country’s average income could be 92 per cent lower than what it would have been without climate change. What further complicates matters is that 80 per cent of India's population live in regions highly vulnerable to extreme disasters such as severe flooding or heatwaves. It means they are exposed to its impacts, and have to constantly adapt to survive. One world To mitigate the risks of climate change, India has set its own ambitious green pledges and has a net-zero goal. At COP26, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his intention to achieve them by 2070. The government is also pushing for the adoption of a sustainable life at the individual and community level via Mission Life. But it can’t get there by itself. The country needs climate finance to help its people adapt and to build resilience among its communities. It also needs financial assistance for climate change-induced loss and damages. It must also boost investment in renewables. Which is why at COP27, India is pushing the international community to deliver on its $100 billion-a-year pledge. There is no doubt that 2022 will be one for the record books. More climate action is needed immediately, globally and at scale to ensure this record isn’t broken soon.
ontext- Economic losses incurred by Asian countries due to natural disasters have increased manifold as climate change has made these events more frequent. Details- In 2021, at least 48.3 million people in Asia were affected by over 100 natural hazards, which claimed at least 3,803 lives, according to the State of the Climate in Asia 2021. The total economic damage due to the extreme weather events was estimated to be $35.5 billion. These events included drought, extreme temperature, floods, glacial lake outbursts, landslides, storms and wildfires. Scenario in Asia- In Asia, floods have been the most impactful, causing the highest number of human deaths and economic damage. Drought affected the highest number of people in the region. Losses due to landslides increased 147 per cent, compared to the 20-year average from 2001–2020, according to the report. Losses from drought increased 63 per cent and flood 23 per cent during that period. The report, which was produced jointly by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), was presented at the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Earlier this month, WMO announced its plan to develop a global early warning system for extreme weather events. Floods, the costliest disaster Floods were estimated to be the costliest disaster from Asian countries including China and India. China lost $18.4 billion due to floods, followed by India ($3.2 billion) and Thailand ($0.6 billion) India lost $4.4 billion due to storms, followed by China $3 billion and Japan $2 billion. In 2021, over 80 per cent of the extreme events were floods and storms. Floods in India, China and Afghanistan caused the greatest number of fatalities, highlighting the high level of vulnerability of Asia, especially to floods. In India, during the monsoon season, the heavy rain and flash floods resulted in about 1,300 human deaths. Data on loss and damage is required more than ever as funding for loss & damage has made it to the COP27 agenda for the first time ever in the history of UN climate negotiations. A realistic estimate can still be made about the number of days the country recorded extreme weather events. Impact of extreme weather events on SDGs- These events will impact food security, poverty, and inequality and will threaten the global goals on sustainable development. SDG 13 for climate action has suffered from a lack of global participation: Progress on achieving targets such as 13.1.1 on the number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters and 13.1.2 on adoption and implementation of national disaster risk reduction strategies have been insufficient. Early warning systems can help achieve SDG 13 as well as other associated SDGs, including Goal 1 (No Poverty), Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being), Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
Loss due to landslides increased by 147% compared to average in the past 20 years Economic losses incurred by Asian countries due to natural disasters have increased manifold as climate change has made these events more frequent. In 2021, at least 48.3 million people in Asia were affected by over 100 natural hazards, which claimed at least 3,803 lives, according to the State of the Climate in Asia 2021 released November 14, 2022. The total economic damage due to the extreme weather events was estimated to be $35.5 billion. These events included drought, extreme temperature, floods, glacial lake outburst, landslide, storm and wildfire. In Asia, floods have been the most impactful, causing the highest number of human deaths and economic damage. Drought affected the highest number of people in the region. Losses due to landslides increased 147 per cent, compared to…
India saw extreme weather events on 88% of the days in the first nine months of the year, according to the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report, ‘Climate India 2022’. The report adds that the country recorded its warmest March and the third warmest April in over a century and that weather events have killed 2755 people, affected 1.8 million hectares of crop area, basing its claim on an analysis of data from the India Meteorological Department and the disaster management division of the Union home ministry. India recorded extreme weather events on 241 of the 273 days from January 1 to September 30, 2022. This means that close to 90% of the first nine months of this year, India had an extreme weather event breaking in one or more parts of the country. It also experienced record-breaking temperatures for several months and regions across the country were deluged because of very and extremely heavy rainfall. This led to floods and the loss of life and livestock. This speaks of the increased frequency and intensity of the extreme events that we are seeing in our rapidly warming world. All Indian states are significantly climate vulnerable and the gap between the least vulnerable state (Maharashtra) and the most vulnerable state (Jharkhand) is small. Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of days with extreme weather events; but Himachal Pradesh saw the highest number of human deaths at 359 deaths. Madhya Pradesh and Assam saw 301 human deaths each. Assam reported the highest number of damaged houses and animal deaths. Central India recorded the highest losses with extreme weather events recorded on 198 of 273 days that claimed 887 lives, affected 136,780 ha crop area, damaged 28,032 houses and killed 7,519 animals. The northwestern region recorded extreme weather events on 195 of 273 days, which killed 735 persons, damaged 393,726 ha crop area, damaged 5,122 houses and killed 1,707 animals. What the country has witnessed so far in 2022 is the new abnormal in a warming world. The CSE report cites a 2020 report by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction that says globally, there has been “a sharp increase [in disasters] over the previous twenty years”. This report, as per the CSE, is, therefore, an attempt to build an evidence base on the frequency and expanding geography of extreme weather events in India. It provides season-by-season, month-by-month, and region-by-region analyses of extreme weather events and the loss and damage they caused in the first nine months of 2022. All Indian states are significantly climate vulnerable and the gap between the least vulnerable state (Maharashtra) and the most vulnerable state (Jharkhand) is small, as per the Centre’s “Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Adaptation Planning in India Using a Common Framework 2019-20”. Yet robust data on extreme weather events, which are increasing in frequency and intensity due to climate change, is not available publicly. The report provides season-wise, month-wise and region-wise analysis of extreme weather events and their associated loss and damage. Along with this report, the CSE has also launched the ‘India’s Atlas on Weather Disasters, an open-access online public interactive database on extreme weather events that will be updated every month. The “India 2022: An assessment of extreme weather events”, has also scanned media reports to track the events — particularly in the pre-monsoon period when official data is inadequate. The media reports have provided further information on the extent of loss and damage as well. This extreme weather report card is important to understand, according to the CSE. It tells of the number of such events; the fact that this will lead to cumulative and extensive damage. It calls for the need to recognize that its impact has the human face of its victims. It speaks of the need to do much for managing these extreme events — the need to move beyond management of the disaster to reducing risks and improving resilience and improve the systems for flood management — deliberately building drainage and water recharge systems on the one hand and investing in green spaces and forests so that these sponges of water can be revitalised for the coming storms. It also speaks of the need to demand reparations for the damage from the countries that have contributed to the emissions in the atmosphere and are responsible for this damage. The models that explain the impacts of climate change are clear that extreme weather events will increase in frequency and intensity as we are seeing today.
तापमान में और गिरावट के साथ, शहर के वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक (एक्यूआई) ने मंगलवार को 'खराब' (01-300) और 'बहुत खराब' (301-400) के बीच के अंतर को बंद कर दिया। दो वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी स्टेशनों - उत्तर में रवींद्र भारती विश्वविद्यालय और दक्षिण में विक्टोरिया मेमोरियल - ने लगातार 260 से ऊपर एक्यूआई दिखाया, जिससे अधिकांश लोगों को लंबे समय तक सांस लेने में तकलीफ का सामना करना पड़ा। पीसीबी के एक वैज्ञानिक ने कहा, "थर्मल उलटा सांस की ऊंचाई पर लटके प्रदूषकों के साथ खेल रहा है।" ऊष्मीय व्युत्क्रमण क्षोभमंडल (पृथ्वी की सतह के निकटतम वातावरण का क्षेत्र) में तापमान के सामान्य व्यवहार का एक उलट है, जिसमें सतह पर ठंडी हवा की एक परत गर्म हवा की एक परत से ढकी होती है (सामान्य परिस्थितियों में हवा का तापमान आमतौर पर ऊंचाई के साथ घटता है)। इससे भी बुरी बात यह है कि शहर का एक्यूआई पीएम2.5 संचालित है जिसका मतलब है कि पीएम2.5 सबसे प्रमुख प्रदूषक है। गौरतलब है कि अल्ट्राफाइन पीएम2.5 को अपेक्षाकृत मोटे पीएम10 की तुलना में कहीं अधिक घातक माना जाता है। PM2.5 कण मानव बाल के व्यास का लगभग 3% है, और सीधे रक्तप्रवाह में जा सकता है। मानव स्वास्थ्य के साथ खिलवाड़ करने के लिए हानिकारक रसायन इन कणों पर गुल्लक की सवारी करते हैं। "एजेसी बोस रोड पर वाहनों के यातायात में जबरदस्त वृद्धि हुई है, विक्टोरिया मेमोरियल में स्टेशन के चारों ओर प्रदूषक भार बढ़ रहा है। वही रवींद्र भारती विश्वविद्यालय के निगरानी स्टेशन पर लागू होता है। हालांकि, दो स्टेशनों - फोर्ट विलियम और रवींद्र सरोबर - ने लगातार मध्यम दिखाया एक्यूआई (101-200), "पीसीबी अध्यक्ष कल्याण रुद्र ने कहा। वास्तव में, बोस इंस्टीट्यूट के एक अध्ययन के साथ शहर का एक्यूआई और भी खराब हो सकता है, जिसमें राज्य में एरोसोल प्रदूषण में 8% की वृद्धि दिखाई दे रही है और एयरोसोल प्रदूषण के लिए "अत्यधिक संवेदनशील" रेड ज़ोन में बना हुआ है। एयरोसोल प्रदूषक हवा में केवल PM2.5 और PM10 की मात्रा बढ़ाएंगे। शहर और उसके उपनगरों में वाहनों की आबादी में रिकॉर्ड वृद्धि हुई है। वाहनों, कारखानों, खुले में जलने और थर्मल पावर स्टेशनों के हानिकारक धुएं के अलावा हवा में धुआं निकलता रहा। पर्यावरण कार्यकर्ता सुभाष दत्ता ने कहा, "हमें राज्य प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड, कोलकाता पुलिस और नागरिक निकाय द्वारा मजबूत शमन उपायों की आवश्यकता है।" सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) ने कहा कि कोलकाता को औसत पीएम2.5 के स्तर में गहरी कटौती की जरूरत है। सीएसई की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी ने कहा, "सर्दियों के चरम प्रदूषण से पता चलता है कि शहर को सर्दियों के प्रदूषण को कम करके नागरिकों को राहत देने के लिए एक ग्रेडेड रिस्पांस एक्शन प्लान (जीआरएपी) की जरूरत है।"
The 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt that began on November 7, 2022, has gone half way. While rich countries tried to delay loss and damage talks again, day five of the COP27 climate talks belonged to decarbonisation, according to reports by Down To Earth magazine. “At the loss and damage negotiations, developed countries have formally acknowledged the funding gap in “addressing” loss and damage, but are now requesting more information on the needs, gaps and possible funding sources — a possible delaying tactic to prolong the discussions further. “The United States suggested establishing a work programme on loss and damage to conclude in 2024.” The EU stated that the process to be developed can feed back findings on various proposals such as the Global Shield, or the IMF’s fundings sources. The UK suggested establishing a process at COP27 to map out how funding arrangements can be made in the future, and review and report at COP28. The G77 responded by pointing to the lack of urgency in the discussions, and that organising more workshops would replicate conversations that have already been had. In the mitigation work programme (MWP), efforts continued to agree on and conclude the draft text since the Subsidiary Bodies meetings are due to close on November 12. Zimbabwe on behalf of the African Group pointed out that the text must not impose new targets and not undermine the nationally determined nature of the NDCs. The US and Alliance of Small Island States stated that the text is missing the urgency needed to scale up mitigation efforts. The negotiations on the technical dialogue regarding the Global Stocktake have concluded at COP27. A high-level event will formally close the talks and would summarise the discussions related to lack of international funding for climate action in the most vulnerable countries, sustainable and localised renewable energy solutions, direct carbon capture, involvement of civil society and international cooperation. In the technical dialogues that happened over many roundtable sessions the issues of equity, transparency and language barrier were raised by many countries. Some countries mentioned that the discussions were going around in circles without arriving at an outcome. The Global Carbon Budget report for 2022 was launched at a UNFCCC side event at COP27 on November 11. The report showed that if global CO2 emissions remain at current levels, the world’s carbon budget would be exhausted in nine years. It also found that emissions from fossil fuel sources and cement have increased by one per cent in 2022. The report highlighted that the increase in emissions has been mostly because of increase in oil consumption, especially in aviation, some increase in emissions from coal and gas though they were also highest on record. Worldwide increase in emissions were driven by increase in emissions from India, Rest of the World and the US. The Ministry of Steel of the Government of India organised a side event at the India Pavillion at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Sanjay Singh, secretary, Ministry of Steel gave the opening remarks. He highlighted the various initiatives being taken by the Indian government to make the Indian steel industry move towards decarbonisation. Post the Secretary’s address, various Indian steel companies presented their initiatives towards decarbonisation. Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), carbon circularity, carbon avoidance, need for advanced furnaces, scrap usage, energy efficiency, use of plastics as fuel in the steel industry were some of the initiatives which were highlighted by different steel companies. This was followed by panel discussions. Centre for Science and Environment also participated in a panel discussion focussing on decarbonisation of the steel sector. CSE’s Parth Kumar highlighted the role of steel scrap and CCUS in the way ahead for 2030 and also the enabling environment, policy framework and the financial support required to scale up CCUS in the Indian steel industry. He also pointed out “the need for an effective implementation of the vehicle scrappage policy to be able to extract the maximum scrap generation potential India has”. The United Nations Environment Programme announced its Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) at COP27 November 11. It is a new global system of detecting sources of methane emissions through satellite monitoring around the world to help governments and companies to take action against them. This would accelerate the progress towards meeting the Global Methane Pledge that was announced at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021. Under this pledge, global methane emissions have to be brought down by 30 per cent by 2030 to keep the under 1.5 degrees Paris Agreement target within reach. United States President Joe Biden made a special statement at the COP27 on November 11. He announced a $500 million package to finance and facilitate Egypt’s clean energy transition. The package includes the deployment of 10 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030 and capturing four billion tonnes of natural gas that Egypt currently emits from its oil and gas operations. These steps would help reduce Egypt’s GHG emissions by 10 per cent. Apart from this, he also announced a Global Green Shipping Challenge, alongside the European Union and Germany. The COP presidency, along with the US government, also announced $150 million to aid adaptation measures in Africa. This was distributed across projects on global weather and climate observing systems, early warning systems, increasing access to adaptation finance and food security.