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भारत उत्सर्जन से निपटने के लिए साझा कार्बन बजट चाहता है

कार्बन उत्सर्जन को कम करने के उपायों को विज्ञान और सिद्धांत द्वारा निर्देशित किया जाना चाहिए कि कार्बन बजट एक वैश्विक आम है, भारत ने मंगलवार को एक बंद दरवाजे की बैठक के दौरान संयुक्त राष्ट्र जलवायु सम्मेलन (सीओपी 27) में प्रस्तावित किया, इस मामले से अवगत लोगों ने कहा। यह स्टैंड भारत को एक विवादास्पद मुद्दे पर आगे बढ़ने का संकेत देता है – कि अमीर देशों के दायित्वों के बीच एक अंतर है, जिन्होंने ऐतिहासिक रूप से सबसे अधिक कार्बन उत्सर्जन किया है, और विकासशील देश जो अब अपने नागरिकों के जीवन को बेहतर बनाने में एक वैध रुचि रखते हैं। सतत विकास लक्ष्यों को ध्यान में रखते हुए। बैठक में प्रस्तावित भारतीय प्रतिनिधिमंडल ने कहा, “एमडब्ल्यूपी (शमन कार्य कार्यक्रम) को विज्ञान और विशेष रूप से वैश्विक आम के रूप में कार्बन बजट के सिद्धांत और जलवायु लक्ष्यों और सतत विकास लक्ष्यों की प्राप्ति के लिए उचित और न्यायसंगत साझाकरण द्वारा निर्देशित किया जाना चाहिए।” एमडब्ल्यूपी पर। शमन उपाय उन कदमों को संदर्भित करते हैं जो कार्बन उत्सर्जन को कम करेंगे, जिसमें कोयला आधारित ऊर्जा को छोड़ने जैसे उपाय शामिल हैं जो उत्पादन के लिए सस्ता है। भारतीय प्रतिनिधिमंडल के एक वरिष्ठ अधिकारी ने नाम न बताने की शर्त पर कहा कि भारत ने यह भी प्रस्ताव दिया है कि एमडब्ल्यूपी के तहत विषयगत क्षेत्रों के हिस्से के रूप में, देशों की राष्ट्रीय परिस्थितियों के अनुसार स्थायी जीवन शैली अपनाई जाए। कार्बन बजट कार्बन डाइऑक्साइड (CO2) उत्सर्जन की मात्रा है जिसे एक निश्चित तापमान सीमा के भीतर रखने के लिए समय की अवधि में उत्सर्जित किया जा सकता है, जैसे कि 1.5 ° C। इसके बारे में अमीर और विकासशील देशों की ध्रुवीकृत धारणा के कारण कार्बन बजट का मुद्दा बेहद विवादास्पद है। समान विचारधारा वाले विकासशील देशों (LMDC), जिनमें से चीन और भारत सदस्य हैं, ने 21 अक्टूबर को अपने बयान में शेष कार्बन बजट के समान बंटवारे के मुद्दे को हरी झंडी दिखाई। “विकसित देशों के 2020 शमन लक्ष्य पर्याप्त महत्वाकांक्षी नहीं हैं और न ही पर्याप्त रूप से लागू किए गए हैं। इंटरगवर्नमेंटल पैनल ऑन क्लाइमेट चेंज (आईपीसीसी) की मूल्यांकन रिपोर्ट 4 बताती है कि वैश्विक तापमान वृद्धि को 2 डिग्री सेल्सियस से नीचे तक सीमित करने के लिए, अनुलग्नक I पार्टियों को 1990 की तुलना में 2020 में उत्सर्जन को 25-40% तक कम करने की आवश्यकता है, ”यह कहा। लेकिन, 1990 के स्तर की तुलना में 2018 तक गैर-ईआईटी (संक्रमण में अर्थव्यवस्थाएं) अनुबंध I पार्टियों (विकसित देशों) की कुल उत्सर्जन में कमी केवल 3.1% थी। 1990 और 2019 के बीच, वैश्विक आबादी के केवल 17% के साथ अनुबंध I पार्टियां, संचयी CO2 उत्सर्जन के 44% (भूमि-उपयोग परिवर्तन से उत्सर्जन पर विचार किए बिना) के लिए जिम्मेदार हैं। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट द्वारा पिछले सप्ताह जारी किए गए शमन पर एक तथ्य-पत्र, पूर्व-औद्योगिक स्तरों पर ग्लोबल वार्मिंग को 1.5 डिग्री सेल्सियस से कम रखने के लिए 2021 से शुरू होने वाले 351.99 GtCO2 का शेष कार्बन बजट 2030 तक समाप्त हो जाएगा। का अनुपातहीन हिस्सा 1870 से विकसित देशों द्वारा कार्बन बजट का उपभोग पहले ही किया जा चुका है। कार्बन बजट और टिकाऊ जीवन शैली के मुद्दे पर शमन मुद्दे पर सीओपी27 के दौरान फिर से चर्चा की जाएगी। प्रधान मंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी और संयुक्त राष्ट्र महासचिव एंटोनियो गुटेरेस ने उत्सर्जन को कम करने, ऊर्जा बचाने और कचरे में कटौती करने के लिए व्यक्तिगत और सामूहिक कार्रवाई को प्रोत्साहित करने के लिए पिछले महीने जलवायु परिवर्तन पर भारत के प्रमुख कार्यक्रम एलआईएफई की शुरुआत की। COP27 में एक अलग कार्यक्रम में, केंद्रीय पर्यावरण मंत्री भूपेंद्र यादव ने मैंग्रोव एलायंस फॉर क्लाइमेट (MAC) के शुभारंभ पर बात की, जो संयुक्त अरब अमीरात द्वारा समर्थित गठबंधन है। “भारत ने अपने राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर निर्धारित योगदान (एनडीसी) में 2030 तक अतिरिक्त वन और वृक्षों के आवरण के माध्यम से 2.5 से 3 बिलियन टन CO2 के बराबर कार्बन सिंक बनाने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध किया है। हम देखते हैं कि बढ़ते जीएचजी एकाग्रता को कम करने के लिए जबरदस्त संभावित मैंग्रोव हैं। वातावरण। अध्ययनों से पता चला है कि मैंग्रोव वन भू-उष्णकटिबंधीय वनों की तुलना में चार से पांच गुना अधिक कार्बन उत्सर्जन को अवशोषित कर सकते हैं। यह भी पता चला है कि मैंग्रोव समुद्र के अम्लीकरण के लिए बफर के रूप में कार्य कर सकते हैं और सूक्ष्म प्लास्टिक के लिए सिंक के रूप में कार्य कर सकते हैं, ”उन्होंने कहा। मैंग्रोव वनीकरण से नया कार्बन सिंक बनाना और मैंग्रोव वनों की कटाई से उत्सर्जन को कम करना देशों के लिए अपने एनडीसी लक्ष्यों को पूरा करने और कार्बन तटस्थता हासिल करने के दो व्यवहार्य तरीके हैं, ”यादव ने कहा।

दोपहिया गाड़ियों से पराली तक, दिल्ली का दम घुटने के पीछे ये हैं अहम कारण

Delhi Pollution: अक्टूबर-नवंबर आते ही दिल्ली में लोगों का दम घुटने लगता है. 452, 464, 388, 357... ये किसी के एग्जाम में आए नंबर नहीं, बल्कि नवंबर 2022 में दिल्ली का AQI (एयर क्वालिटी इंडेक्स) है. अक्टूबर-नवंबर आते ही दिल्ली में लोगों का दम घुटने लगता है. ऐसा लगता है कि हवा में सीमेंट घुला हुआ है. लेकिन हर साल इन दो-तीन महीनों में दिल्ली इतनी क्यों तड़पती है? दिल्ली में प्रदूषण का प्रमुख कारण? दिल्ली में प्रदूषण का कारण कोई एक नहीं है. राजधानी की सड़कों पर लाखों गाड़ियों से लेकर पराली और पटाखे इस प्रदूषण के लिए जिम्मेदार हैं. मौसमी कारण वाहन औद्योगिकरण पराली-पटाखे थिंक टैंक सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) की हाल ही में जारी रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, अगर दिल्ली के प्रदूषण के कारणों को देखें, तो वाहन सबसे आगे है. दिल्ली के प्रदूषण में सबसे ज्यादा योगदान गाड़ियों से होने वाले प्रदूषण का है. CSE ने अपनी रिसर्च में पाया कि PM2.5 लेवल में 51 फीसदी योगदान लोकल सोर्स का है. लोकल सोर्स का मतलब है कि वो कारण, जो शहर के भीतर ही मौजूद हैं. अगला सबसे बड़ा योगदान आवासीय सोर्स से 13 फीसदी और उद्योगों से 11 फीसदी था. "ये जगजाहिर है कि दिल्ली में वाहनों से होने वाले प्रदूषण में दोपहिया वाहन मुख्य कारण हैं." CSE में क्लीन एयर प्रोग्राम के सीनियर मैनेजर विवेक चट्टोपाध्य ने क्विंट से कहा चट्टोपाध्य ने कहा कि दोपहिया वाहन संख्या में बहुत अधिक हैं और कॉमर्शियल कार सेगमेंट की तुलना में दोपहिया वाहनों के उत्सर्जन मानक कमजोर हैं. इसलिए वो ज्यादा मात्रा में प्रदूषण उत्सर्जित करते हैं. प्रदूषण में पराली जलाने का कितना योगदान? दिल्ली की हवा प्रदूषित होते ही सरकारों का एक-दूसरे पर आरोप-प्रत्यारोप शुरू हो जाता है. दिल्ली सरकार, पंजाब-हरियाणा-उत्तर प्रदेश के किसानों पर पराली जलाने और दिल्ली में प्रदूषण फैलाने का आरोप लगाते हैं. ये सच है कि दिल्ली के प्रदूषण में पराली एक अहम कारण है. SAFAR (सिस्टम ऑफ एयर क्वालिटी एंड वेदर फोरकास्टिंग एंड रिसर्च) के मुताबिक, 3 नवंबर को दिल्ली के प्रदूषण में 34 फीसदी हिस्सा पराली का था. लेकिन दिल्ली के प्रदूषण में पराली ही इकलौता कारक नहीं है. ये भी पढ़ें मैं दिल्ली छोड़ना चाहती हूं, लेकिन खूंटी महीने की सैलरी से बंधी है मैं दिल्ली छोड़ना चाहती हूं, लेकिन खूंटी महीने की सैलरी से बंधी है ADVERTISEMENT दिवाली के बाद इस साल क्या रहा AQI? दिवाली के बाद दिल्ली में प्रदूषण का स्तर अक्सर ज्यादा देखा गया है. हालांकि, इस साल दिवाली के अगले दिन प्रदूषण कम देखा गया था. इस साल दिवाली के दिन AQI 312 दर्ज किया गया, जबकि इसके अगले दिन 25 अक्टूबर को AQI 303 रहा. दिवाली के दिन की हवा इस साल 2019 के बाद से सबसे साफ रही है, जबकि दिवाली के अगले दिन की हवा 2015 के बाद से सबसे साफ दर्ज की गई. दिवाली के अगले दिन की हवा 2015 के बाद से सबसे खराब पिछले साल देखी गई थी, जब AQI 462 (गंभीर श्रेणी में) था. 2015 के बाद से 4 बार दिवाली के अगले दिन की हवा 'गंभीर' कैटेगिरी में जा चुकी है.

Air Pollution: जहरीले गैसों का चैंबर बनता दिल्ली एनसीआर! क्यों कहा जा रहा है इसे साइलेंट किलर? जानें कैसे करें बचाव?

नवंबर माह से उत्तर भारत में जहां मौसम में ठंडी घुलने लगती है, वहीं वायु में प्रदूषण भी बढ़ने लगता है. वर्तमान में दिल्ली, हरियाणा, पंजाब, राजस्थान और उत्तर पूर्व में प्रदूषण चिंताजनक स्थिति है. कमोबेस संपूर्ण भारत की भी वायु प्रदूषण की स्थिति बहुत अच्छी नहीं कही जा सकती. इस दरम्यान संपूर्ण भारत में तय मानकों से ज्यादा वायु प्रदूषण बना रहता है... नवंबर माह से उत्तर भारत में जहां मौसम में ठंडी घुलने लगती है, वहीं वायु में प्रदूषण भी बढ़ने लगता है. वर्तमान में दिल्ली, हरियाणा, पंजाब, राजस्थान और उत्तर पूर्व में प्रदूषण चिंताजनक स्थिति है. कमोबेस संपूर्ण भारत की भी वायु प्रदूषण की स्थिति बहुत अच्छी नहीं कही जा सकती. इस दरम्यान संपूर्ण भारत में तय मानकों से ज्यादा वायु प्रदूषण बना रहता है. दिल्ली-एनसीआर के इर्द-गिर्द सर्दी शुरू होते ही स्मॉग, पराली एवं दिवाली में भारी मात्रा में आतिशबाजियों के कारण वायु प्रदूषित होता है, जिससे घुटन, बेचैनी और सांस लेने में दिक्कतें होती हैं. केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड के अनुसार पीएम 10 और 2.5 दोनों का माप स्तर 500 करीब पहुंच गया है. और दिल्ली एनसीआर, हरियाणा, पंजाब और पश्चिमी उत्तर प्रदेश में तो यह स्थिति पिछले 15 दिनों से बनी हुई है. यह भी पढ़ें: Chanakya Niti: चाणक्य नीति के अनुसार स्त्री की भूख पुरुषों के मुकाबले ज्यादा होती है! जानें स्त्रियों से संबंधित कुछ ऐसी ही रोचक बातें! वायु प्रदूषण है साइलेंट किलर! विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन (WHO) की हालिया रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, वायु प्रदूषण के कारण 80 प्रतिशत मौतें केवल दिल एवं रक्त वाहिकाओं की बीमारियों के कारण होती है. गौरतलब है कि वायु प्रदूषण बढ़ने से PM-2.5 हृदय के लिए सबसे ज्यादा घातक हो सकता है. PM-2.5 के बढ़े हुए 10 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मी के स्तर पर ह्रदय रोग से होने वाली मृत्यु दर 8 से 18 प्रतिशत बढ़ने की संभावना रहती है. दिल्ली के प्राइवेट क्लीनिक के चिकित्सक डॉ जितेंद्र सिंह गुसाईं के अनुसार वायु प्रदूषण किसी साइलेंट किलर की तरह कार्य करता है. ऐसे में समझदारी यही है कि सुबह अथवा शाम के समय घर से निकलने से पूर्व मास्क लगाना ना भूलें. वायु प्रदूषण से बचें * घर को वायु प्रदूषण से मुक्त कराने के लिए किसी अच्छी क्वालिटी वाला एयर प्यूरिफायर्स का इस्तेमाल करें. * घर के आसपास के वातावरण को स्वच्छ रखने के लिए वृक्षारोपण को बढ़ावा दें. संकल्प के साथ अपने हर जन्मदिन पर एक पौधा (वृक्ष वाला) अवश्य लगाएं. * सुबह और शाम के समय घर से बाहर कम से कम बाहर निकलें. * जॉगिंग अथवा रनिंग के बजाय हलका वॉक करें. * घर से निकलने से पहले एन-95 या पी-100 का मास्क पहनें. * खुली हवा में ज्यादा मेहनत वाले कार्यों से बचें. * खांसी, कफ, छींक, सांस लेने में दिक्कत, आ रही है तो काम छोड़कर कुछ देर के लिए आराम करें. * घर की खिड़कियां एवं मुख्य दरवाजे को ज्यादा से ज्यादा समय तक बंद रखें. * एसी अथवा कूलर चलाने से बचें * घर में मोमबत्ती अथवा लकड़ी न जलाएं * घर की सफाई वैक्यूम क्लीनर के बजाय गीले कपड़े से करें. पराली का धुआं भी है घातक जहां तक दिल्ली में बढ़ते वायु प्रदूषण की बात है तो इसके जिम्मेदार काफी हद तक पड़ोसी राज्य भी हैं. डॉ जितेंद्र सिंह कहते हैं, अक्टूबर नवंबर माह में दिल्ली से सटे हरियाणा, पंजाब, पश्चिमी उत्तर प्रदेश के जिलों में धान से निकले पराली को जलाया जाता है. इससे निकले कार्बन डाइऑक्साइड, मिथेन और कार्बन मोनोऑक्साइड जैसी जहरीले गैसें वायुमंडल में घुलती है, जो हमारे फेफड़ों और आंखों के लिए काफी हानिकारक साबित हो सकती हैं. सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट के एक रिपोर्ट के अनुसार वर्तमान में दिल्ली में बढ़ते वायु प्रदूषण के कारण वायु में खतरनाक गैसों का स्तर निरंतर बढ़ रहा है. जहरीली गैसें उगलती आतिशबाजियां दिल्ली एनसीआर को बात करें तो दिवाली से पहले एयर क्वालिटी इंडेक्स अमूमन सामान्य रहता है. दीपावली के बाद उसमें 40 से 50 फीसदी वृद्धि हुई है. मौसम वैज्ञानिकों के अनुसार आतिशबाजियों से वायु में कार्बन डाइऑक्साइड के साथ तमाम जहरीली गैसें वायु में घुलती है. दिवाली की आतिशबाजियों के कारण बढ़ते प्रदूषण की संभावना से लंग्स कैंसर और हृदय की नसों के ब्लॉक होने की संभावना बढ़ जाती है.

The world needs India to avert climate catastrophe. Can Modi deliver?

It’s not unusual for temperatures in India’s Thar Desert to reach 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit). Even when they drop, hot winds sweep across the bare plains. The soil here is infertile, water is scarce. This place is near unlivable for humans – but it’s ideal for one of the world’s biggest solar farms. The Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan state, near India’s border with Pakistan, is a symbol of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gargantuan ambitions to transform his nation into a green energy powerhouse. By 2030, Modi wants half of India’s energy to come from renewables. It’s a huge and admirable goal from the world’s third-biggest carbon emitter, but achieving it will require trillions of dollars and some tough decisions by Modi. While renewable energy is growing faster in India than in any other major economy, the country remains reliant on coal, which has long powered the country’s growth and accounts for more than 80% of its energy mix. Indian officials have also said the country plans to expand its use of the fossil fuel even as many of its nearly 1.4 billion people choke on the pollution it causes. n the past, India has defended its use of planet-warming fossil fuels in the name of development – a stance that has seen it criticized at international climate talks. At last year’s COP26 negotiations in Glasgow, Scotland, India led a last-minute objection to language in a proposed joint statement around phasing out coal. Its chief delegate argued government fossil fuel subsidies to the public must continue – how else could India get fuel like natural gas to poor people who are still burning wood to cook their meals, he asked. That exchange highlights the contradiction at the heart of India’s stance on climate change – that Modi’s government can continue to set lofty goals, but when it comes to realizing them, his country is caught in a Catch-22 between development and decarbonization. India’s Power Minister Raj Kumar Singh demonstrated that dilemma in September when he announced plans to add 56 gigawatts of coal power to India’s energy mix by 2030 while also investing in renewable energy – emphasizing the need to prioritize reliable power for growth. That’s bad news for the global fight against climate change, where India’s actions have widespread ramifications. India emits over 2.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year based on data collected by the EU. An analysis of its plans by the Climate Action Tracker show that the country’s goals are “critically insufficient” to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above levels before industrialization. Warming beyond that threshold will trigger irreversible damage and push many ecosystems to tipping points, climate science shows. “As one of the world’s largest emitters, what India does is crucial for the world to meet the 1.5˚C limit,” said Hannah Fekete, co-founder of NewClimate Institute who has over a decade of experience quantifying the impact of policies on emissions. And nowhere are the contradictions in India’s stance clearer than in Rajasthan. The state is fast becoming a hotbed of solar energy, yet is also home to at least seven coal-fired power plants. Just 400 miles from the Bhadla Solar Park sit four of the world’s five most polluted cities, according to the 2021 World Air Quality Report. On any given day, they are blanketed in the grey soot and ash of burned coal. A global problem with individual consequences According to a report on Climate Change in the Indian Mind from Yale University’s School of the Environment, 81% of Indians surveyed were worried about global warming, with 50% saying they were “very worried.” In addition, 64% say their government “should be doing more to address global warming.” Still, few would claim climate change is a problem for India alone to solve. Indeed, the picture changes substantially when its emissions are seen in the context of its massive population. Per capita figures show that Indian people actually contribute relatively very little to the problem. While the average American emits 14.7 tons of CO2 a year, an Indian person emits around 1.8. However, despite the low level of per capita emissions, the weight of the country’s struggles can be disproportionately felt on an individual level. In Delhi, the world’s fourth most polluted city, people are seeing first-hand the impacts of the country’s coal consumption. Resident Rohit Sharma, 36, told CNN, “We are frustrated when we look at other cities where there is not much pollution and the lives that they are able to live but we cannot.” “The air pollution is going to impact everything,” he added. “We will have health issues, breathing issues and our life span will be cut short.” His colleague Kunal Sharma, 28, worries about what life could look like in coming years. “If no concrete action is taken, life after 10 years is going to become extremely difficult,” Sharma said. “What can we do? We have to live here.” The Modi government has been encouraging Indians to live more sustainably – in October launching a program that urged drivers to turn off their engines at red traffic lights and for people to take the stairs instead of the lift. But the question isn’t just whether the world can count on the Indian public to decarbonize – it’s also about whether Indians can count on their government to do so, too. A costly choice Even as much of the world came to a standstill during the Covid-19 pandemic, India kept ramping up its renewables. Between 2019 and 2021, the share of India’s energy that comes from renewables increased by almost 3%, according to a 2022 report from the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi. India has had “a sustained increase in renewable energy installation,” Nandini Das, an energy research and policy analyst at the research institute Climate Analytics, told CNN. “Even during Covid it hasn’t stopped.” At COP26, Modi outlined a series of targets for India’s efforts to combat climate change. He pledged that by 2030, India would have increased its non-fossil fuel energy capacity to 500 gigawatts – from 156.83 in 2021 – and would be using renewable energy sources to meet 50% of its energy needs. Experts say India is on track to meet Modi’s non-fossil fuel target by increasing nuclear energy and hydropower, but the country’s shorter-term goals – such as having 175 gigawatts of renewable energy installed by the end of 2022, enough to power up to 131 million homes – hang in the balance.

Climate change deadlier than cancer, widening gap between haves, have-nots, says new UN study

Global warming has had a negative effect on livelihoods, labour efficiency and increased energy consumption — all of which trigger a cycle of adverse climatic impact, the report says. New Delhi: The impact of climate change in some parts of the world is deadlier than cancer, according to a new report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Climate Impact Lab. As a consequence, labour work intensity and overall energy use raise a few alarms, apart from the mortality rate, the study says. The newly-launched Human Climate Horizons, a data and insights platform on climate change — under the Climate Impact Lab and the UNDP’s Human Development Report Office by the UNDP — said, “Because of human action, the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is reaching dangerous levels, driving Earth’s temperatures higher and amplifying the frequency of intensity of extreme events.” With temperatures soaring around the world due to global warming, there has been a negative effect on livelihoods, labour efficiency and increased energy consumption — all of which trigger a cycle of adverse climatic impact. This can further worsen global inequalities, and cause uneven development, the report says. Ads by According to it, the Earth’s average temperature has risen by about 1.2°C since the late 19th century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had said that to counter catastrophic health impacts and prevent millions of climate change-related deaths, the world must limit temperature rise to 1.5°C from pre-industrial times, which is already not considered very safe. India itself saw its warmest March ever this year, and the third driest in 121 years. The UNDP study points out the situation in Dhaka, Bangladesh where additional deaths caused by climate change (132 per 100,000 people every year) by 2100 can double the country’s current annual mortality rate from all cancers. Moreover, deaths induced by climate change by 2100 will also be 10 times higher than Bangladesh’s annual incidence of fatal traffic accidents. However, these patterns are not globally consistent. Depending on region and economic infrastructure, climate change affects different nations in different ways, the report says. For instance, although increased temperatures and a warmer environment affect cardiovascular and respiratory systems everywhere, the effects will differ depending on whether a community has the resources to adapt. Air pollution caused by emissions, which is a major deterrent to good health and even labelled “a silent killer” by the World Health Organisation (WHO) this week, has regional differences across the world map. Most deaths caused by air pollution are in the South East Asia region which stands at 2 million a year. Comparatively, the European region sees only 5,00,000 deaths a year and the American continent sees about 3,00,000 deaths a year. Impact on human life Severely hot temperature conditions affect the ability of humans to perform tasks efficiently, the report says. “The impact of climate change differs across sectors of the economy with workers in high-risk, weather-exposed industries like agriculture, construction, mining and manufacturing most affected,” according to data from Human Climate Horizons. Not only does this impact personal health, it further takes a toll on the nation’s GDP. In sectors like mining, construction and manufacturing in Niamey, Niger, for instance, extreme heat reduced annual working hours by 36, which took a 2.5 per cent toll on the country’s future GDP. Future projections show that things are about to get much worse. According to a previous report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), temperatures above 24 to 26°C are normally associated with reduced labour productivity. At 33 to 34°C, a worker operating at moderate intensity loses 50 percent of work capacity. This leads to heat stress and current projections point that this can trigger reduction in total working hours worldwide by 2.2 percent and global GDP by $2,400 billion in 2030. This “heat stress” is also expected to be more pronounced in lower-middle and low-income countries. Moreover, agricultural and construction workers are expected to be the worst affected, accounting for 60 percent and 19 per cent, respectively, of working hours lost to heat stress in 2030, the ILO report says. Increase in mortality rate Climate change does much more harm than just economic losses. Extreme heat exposure can trigger physiological mechanisms which causes critical impact on or even failure of one’s brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and other organs. A Lancet modelling study suggests that climate change may increase the mortality rate due to excessive heat six times by the end of the century. According to the findings from the UNDP report, climate change might cause mortality rates in Faisalabad, Pakistan, to rise by over 67 deaths per 100,000 people, surpassing the number of deaths caused by strokes. This would make climate change the third largest cause of death in the country. Air pollution is another cause for concern, especially in India, where over 90 percent of India’s population lives in areas where the air quality is below WHO’s standards. The burning of crop stubble and vehicular emissions is in fact not just a Delhi problem, but persistently reflected in the pollution levels of other cities as well. As of this year, 132 Indian cities have pollution levels below the national standard which resulted in 16.7 lakh Indians dying in 2019. Food security is another threat that looms large in the face of climate change. Changing weather patterns, rising temperatures disrupt crop cycles which can lead to food price inflation. It is estimated that the number of Indians at risk from hunger in 2030 is supposed to be 7.39 crore, which will be exacerbated by climate change, taking the number up to 9.06 crore. India is the third worst-affected country due to climate-induced natural disasters. A report by the Centre for Science and Environment highlights that this past year in India, 2,755 lives have been lost, 1.8 million hectares of crop area affected and nearly 70,000 heads of livestock killed due to extreme weather events. Consequential inequalities Over the coming years, one can expect the gap between the haves and the have-nots to widen even further because of the uneven distribution of the impact of climate change. Those with air-conditioners or houses made of sturdy materials, might not have to worry about climatic impact than those who have more difficult living conditions. Climate proofing cities is also essential to good governance in these changing times — to account for safety in the face of unchecked climatic conditions and disasters. In 2018 alone, India suffered infrastructural losses and damage of more than Rs 2.7 lakh crore. A 2020 World Bank report estimates that an additional 68 to 135 million people globally could be pushed into poverty by 2030 solely because of climate change. This could be caused by a variety of factors such as heat stress and bad working conditions, bigger exposure to floods, soil erosion, crop failures and other living conditions. At present, 29 percent of the world’s population live in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid aridity zones. These areas are undergoing greater challenges due to climate change. Moreover, it is estimated that roughly two thirds of the global population lives in areas of extreme water scarcity for at least one month of the year. This very concern is at present being raised at the current COP27, a UN climate summit. The controversial topic of climate compensation to the wealthy nations or High Income Countries (HIC) vs low and middle income countries (LMICs) by those who are economically more stable, which was dodged earlier, is now being raised again. Officially, on the agenda this year at the summit, developing countries have long demanded a fund or finance facility to compensate for the losses and damages caused by climate change, for which they are not entirely responsible. Loss and damage funding “Losses and damages” refer to the destruction that lower income countries have to endure when they are no longer equipped to tackle the adverse changes caused by the climate. Vulnerable countries have argued that higher income countries are predominantly responsible for climate change, but LMICs suffer the negative impacts more. The US for instance, has emitted much more CO2 than any other country. It is responsible for 25 per cent of historical emissions since 1751, compared to the EU which stands at 22 percent. The concept of “loss and damage” first came up at the Warsaw climate summit in 2013. Since then, lower income countries have been trying to secure funding for the same. At COP26, developing nations further vied to strengthen the Santiago network financially. Ultimately, that was met with strong opposition from the higher-income nations, and it was not adopted. This comes in light of the recent Oxfam report that has just been released, stating that a billionaire is responsible for a million times more greenhouse gas emissions than the average person. The report suggests that investments made by the world’s billionaires produce an average of 3 mn tonnes of CO2e per person. This figure is a million times higher than those who live in the bottom 90 percent (2.76 tonnes of CO2e). The “investment emissions” can even be attributed to their personal use of private jets and yachts, other than just their financial capital in polluting industries. The COP26 summit is also well known for receiving 118 different business jets in Glasgow, unleashing a flurry of criticism for world leaders who travelled privately.

India plots tricky path to growth and net zero

Economic ambition limits New Delhi’s willingness to radically stretch targets and curb growing emissions Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/12f12c5e-c46f-4df9-9c2d-2c4e65f3b681 India comes to COP27 as part of an exclusive club: one of around twenty countries to have submitted updated plans for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions since the last global climate conference in Glasgow, last November. Prime minister Narendra Modi then committed to having net zero carbon emissions by 2070, later than the 2050 deadline set by many other countries. India and China were also at the centre of upset in Glasgow after they were accused of insisting that a UN commitment be only to “phase down”, rather than “phase out”, coal use. Even so, the world’s third-largest polluter has now added to the commitments its government made in Glasgow. In August, New Delhi provided more details on changes to its so-called Nationally Determined Contribution targets, updating its previous submission from 2015. Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/12f12c5e-c46f-4df9-9c2d-2c4e65f3b681 Firstly, India has committed to reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 45 per cent from its 2005 level — previously it had aimed for a cut of just 33-35 per cent by 2030. Rajat Gupta, who leads consultancy McKinsey’s sustainability practice in Asia, describes this measure as “grammes of carbon for every dollar of GDP”, which helps weigh carbon emissions in relative, rather than absolute, terms because India’s economy is growing from a low industrial base. Although India is ranked the third worst emitter of greenhouse gases in total, its environmental impact per head is far lower than that of counterparts calling for tougher collective action — because it is the world’s second most populous country. A UN report published in October confirms India is behind China and the US in the ranking of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, ahead of the EU trading bloc (now excluding the UK) and the Russian Federation. But India’s per capita level of greenhouse gas emissions is well below half the world average, according to the report. Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/12f12c5e-c46f-4df9-9c2d-2c4e65f3b681 Still, at 1.4bn people, the scale of the country’s population gives cause for concern over the future trajectory of its carbon consumption. India is currently bringing down the emissions intensity of its economy, aided by a large services sector which is less polluting than heavy industry. According to an analysis by the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in 2021, India’s emission intensity is down 24-25 per cent since 2005. In its second updated plan to the UN, India has also pledged to get half of its installed electric power from “non-fossil fuel-based energy” — 10 percentage points more than its previous goal. Given that India is reaching roughly 40 per cent non-fossil fuel installed electrical capacity already, “achieving 50 per cent by 2030 is definitely do-able,” says Avantika Goswami, climate change programme manager at CSE. However, some critics say this target is not sufficiently ambitious. Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/12f12c5e-c46f-4df9-9c2d-2c4e65f3b681 Beyond its climate targets, there are other reasons for India to boost renewable power generation: it needs a whole lot more electricity. “Frankly speaking, we have to do it,” says Sumant Sinha, chair and managing director of Indian renewable energy producer ReNew Power, “because we are going to have a lot of demand growth in the power sector.” Analysts point out that renewable power is now cheaper than burning fossil fuels. India’s growing population and economy mean it must rapidly produce more electricity. It is still highly dependent on burning fuels like coal, which generate 58 per cent of its power, according to official statistics. Solar, by contrast, contributes 15 per cent, while hydro is 11.5 per cent. Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/12f12c5e-c46f-4df9-9c2d-2c4e65f3b681 Private investment is set to expand India’s renewable capacity, though. Many of the country’s biggest companies — from the Adani Group to Reliance Industries and Tata Group — are highly dependent on fossil fuels. Yet they have made ambitious investment commitments to green energy production including solar and green hydrogen. As the world’s third-biggest oil importer, India also hopes that investing in renewables will give it greater energy independence. But the cost of transitioning is extremely high for India, given it is already a low per capita greenhouse gas emitter and still suffers high poverty levels. In a report published in October, McKinsey estimated that the bill for green investments to decarbonise India could be as much as $12.1tn until 2050. New Delhi expects developed nations — which historically have emitted most of the greenhouse gases — to help with money and technology. At COP27 in Egypt, Goswami expects India to push for “more financing for green technologies”, to achieve “decarbonisation across hard-to-abate sectors” in particular. Gupta says that New Delhi is showing commitment to its emissions targets. For example, it is providing incentives for businesses that manufacture the components needed to build renewable energy capacity and developing policies to support electric vehicle adoption. But he believes the government needs a clearer road map for decarbonisation: “If there is a steady hand on the policy front, industries or companies will invest the billions and the tens of billions that are needed for this transition to work.”

Despite 'improvement', air quality remains 'very poor' in Delhi

The air quality in Delhi and the national capital region remained in the ‘very poor’ category as the Air Quality Index (AQI) score around the city remained in the 300-400 range. Overall the AQI in the city stood at 348 on Tuesday morning. With changes in weather and a gradual decrease in pollution, Environment Minister Gopal Rai stated that primary schools will reopen on November 9 and government employees will have to come to the office in full strength again. “There has been an improvement in air quality in the past two days. Yesterday and today, the AQI has fallen to around 350. In stubble burning counts as well, there’s a reduction and wind direction has changed,” Rai said on Sunday. The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), however, has rescinded the restrictions that were enforced under stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan GRAP, following an improvement in air quality from ‘severe’ to ‘very poor’. The use of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in the region will remain banned under stage 3 of the GRAP. In response to the continuing “very poor” air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has asked all construction and demolition sites across the city to use anti-smog guns in direct proportion to the total area of the project. Meanwhile, stubble-burning incidents crossed the 30,000 mark in Punjab and the state reported 2,487 stubble-burning cases on Monday itself. Ludhiana-based Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data counted a total of 32,486 cases of stubble burning between September 15 and November 7, a decline over 2021’s 37,933 and 2010’s 57,696 farm fires in the same time period. Areas like Ferozepur, Moga, Muktsar, Batala, Faridkot, Barnala, Sangrur, Fazilka and Mansa are some of the hotspots of stubble burning. Stubble burning has been blamed as one of the contributing factors to the worsening air quality over the national capital as farmers burn paddy straw to quickly prepare the land for the Rabi wheat crop. ALSO READ: As Delhi air quality improves, ban lifted on non-BS VI diesel cars and entry of trucks According to a LocalCircles survey of 20,000 inhabitants of the Delhi-NCR, 53 percent blame stubble burning for air pollution. But other sources like vehicular pollution, household pollution, and pollution from the 11 thermal coal-using power plants around Delhi also contribute to the poor air quality. An assessment from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that pollution from vehicles contributed to half of the local sources for PM2.5 pollution in Delhi. The geography and weather also play a large role in a layer of smog settling over the Northern Gangetic Plains, which Delhi sits squarely in the middle of. The flat area allows wind to flow from the Tibetan plateau and essentially traps the heady mix of pollutants and smoke over the plains. The combination of geography, climatic conditions, continuing pollution and stubble burning make Delhi, along with other cities in the capital region and north India turn into some of the most polluted in the world. Meanwhile, Delhi's relative humidity was 92 percent at 8.30am on Tuesday. The IMD has also predicted party cloudy skies that could result in light drizzle and rain during the day. The city's maximum temperature could be around 32 degrees Celsius.

BS-4 diesel vehicle ban goes up in smoke, 11% of car owners in Delhi-NCR don’t care about it

A survey reveals nearly 49% out of 9,225 respondents have a petrol or e-car or bike and will use it. As many as 11% of people in Delhi-NCR don’t care about the ban on BS-4 diesel vehicles and will continue to use their diesel car, while 5% admitted that they don’t care as they are not currently in Delhi-NCR, a study by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, revealed. Nearly 49% out of 9,225 respondents indicated that they have a petrol or electric car or bike too and will use it; just 5% assured that they will not drive at all and stay indoors and 5% were yet undecided on their plans. Of the remaining, 25% planned to use public transport or taxi instead, the survey said. On November 5, the Delhi Government put a ban on plying of all non-BS VI-compliant diesel cars and other diesel vehicles in the Delhi-NCR. The ban was imposed following recommendations of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). The restrictions were reduced on November 6 as Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) restrictions were downgraded to Stage 3. However, the ban on BS-4 diesel vehicles continues. The offenders will be slapped with Rs 20,000 fine as per Motor Vehicle Act. “We got responses from over 9,000 owners of BS-4 diesel cars. Many expressed their lack of knowledge of BS classification and asked if their diesel car can still ply in Delhi-NCR. Some also raised concerns about the last-minute announcements by CAQM and Delhi government with no effective communication other than news,” Sachin Taparia, the founder of LocalCircles, said. Anumita Roy Chowdhury the executive director, Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, said, “There are two issues here. One enforcement mechanism and identification of non BS6 vehicles need to be strengthened. Second, any curb on personal vehicles will require very good public transport infrastructure and fiscal restraints.” The central government has laid down Bharat Stage (BS) emission standards to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine and spark-ignition engine equipment, including motor vehicles. The vehicle makers must mandatorily manufacture, sell and register only BS6 vehicles from April 1, 2020.

Stubble Burning: इस साल हर‍ियाणा से ढाई गुना ज्‍यादा पंजाब में जलाई गईं पराली, जान‍िए द‍िल्‍ली में प्रदूषण का हाल

सर्दियों के दौरान पूरे उत्तर भारत में प्रदूषण का बढ़ना और धुंध का अनुभव अब आम होता जा रहा है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) ने अपने नवीनतम विश्लेषण में पाया है कि ठंड में पीएम 2.5 का स्तर बिहार में भी दिल्ली एनसीआर के समान ही रह रहा है। हालांकि मीडिया में चर्चा व राजनीतिक बहस दिल्ली, पंजाब और हरियाणा के इर्द-गिर्द ही होती है। आरोप-प्रत्यारोप के दौरान कभी पंजाब-हरियाणा के किसानों को, तो कभी दिल्ली की गाड़ियों और कारखानों को दोषी ठहराया जाता है। हरियाणा में पराली जलाने की घटनाएं द इंडियन एक्सप्रेस ने अपनी एक रिपोर्ट में सरकारी अधिकारियों से प्राप्त आंकड़ों के हवाले से बताया है कि पिछले साल 3 नवंबर तक पराली जलाने की 3,438 घटनाएं दर्ज हुई थीं। वहीं इस वर्ष 3 नवंबर तक 2,377 घटनाएं दर्ज हुई हैं, जो पिछले पिछले साल से 30 प्रतिशत कम है। पिछले साल करनाल में 15 सितंबर और 3 नवंबर के बीच 763 खेत में आग लगाने की घटना हुई थी। वहीं इस वर्ष इस अवधि में केवल एक तिहाई यानी 264 खेतों में ही आग लगाने की घटना सामने आयी है। कैथल में पिछले साल 865 घटनाओं की तुलना में इस साल 563 घटनाएं दर्ज की गई हैं। कुरुक्षेत्र में पिछले साल 476 की तुलना में इस साल 289 खेतों में ही आग लगी हैं। यह गिरावट हर साल देखने को मिल रही है। पिछले छह वर्षों में हरियाणा पराली जलाने की घटनाओं में 55 प्रतिशत से अधिक की कमी आयी है।

किसानों को जागरूक करने की जरूरत, उन्हें पराली का विकल्प मुहैया कराना होगा: विवेक चट्टोपाध्याय

राजधानी दिल्ली और आसपास के इलाके पिछले कुछ वर्षों की तरह एक बार फिर ‘‘गैस चैंबर’’ में तब्दील हो चुके हैं। जहरीली हवा ने लोगों का जीना मुहाल कर दिया है लेकिन राजनीतिक दल एक-दूसरे पर दोषारोपण की नूरा-कुश्ती में मशगूल हैं।. इन्हीं सब मुद्दों पर वायु गुणवत्ता विशेषज्ञ और नयी दिल्ली स्थित ‘सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट’ के स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम से जुड़े वरिष्ठ कार्यक्रम प्रबंधक विवेक चट्टोपाध्याय से भाषा के पांच सवाल और उनके जवाब:.

Ripudiare la guerra per salvare il clima. E trovare i soldi che servono a risarcire

Si conferma come centrale, alla Conferenza delle parti Cop27 in Egitto, la discussione su un meccanismo di risarcimento per le perdite e i danni (loss & damage) dovuti ai cambiamenti climatici e subiti dai paesi e dalle comunità più vulnerabili. Danni che potrebbero raggiungere i 500 miliardi di dollari all’anno prima del 2030. Per l’eco-think tank Centre for Science and Environment (Cse) di New Delhi è un fatto di sopravvivenza e di giustizia: i responsabili storici del caos climatico devono pagare. Punto di partenza il recentissimo rapporto «India 2022 – Extreme weather events». Una via crucis. L’India nei primi nove mesi del 2022 ha visto quasi un evento estremo al giorno. Ondate di calore mortali, siccità e inondazioni, cicloni e frane. Il vicino Pakistan e tante altre aree non sono da meno. Riassume Sunita Narain, direttrice del Cse: «Vorremmo avere i dati anche per tutta l’Asia, l’Africa… In questa che è la nuova a-normalità occorre levare una voce collettiva per la giustizia climatica affinché perdite e danni siano risarciti». LA PICCOLA ISOLA DI VANUATU, prima nel «World Risk Index 2021» , dà le cifre: «Abbiamo bisogno di 1,2 miliardi di dollari per contrastare i soli danni umani e ambientali imputabili al clima. Non sono colpa nostra», puntualizza Christophe Bartlett, Climate diplomacy manager dell’isola Stato; «quest’anno anche i paesi ricchi hanno pianto e forse ora capiscono meglio». Ma il meccanismo di risarcimento, menzionato per la prima volta nel Piano d’azione della Cop13 (Bali, 2007), è ancora per aria. Alla Cop26 del 2021 (Glasgow),a spingere sul tema è stato il blocco negoziale G77-Cina, l’80% della popolazione mondiale. E i paesi meno avanzati hanno fatto presente di non potersi svenare per le emergenze. Ma malgrado il meccanismo chiamato Santiago Network, lanciato a Madrid nel 2019, il blocco occidentale cerca scuse: «Vi diamo già aiuto umanitario nelle emergenze» (poco e mai sicuro); «Ci sono le assicurazioni come il Global Climate Shield» (costose, parziali). Il loss & damage è nell’agenda provvisoria dei capi di Stato alla Cop27. Ma quale compromesso si raggiungerà? Ameno un impegno politico a stabilire un meccanismo che non sia basato sui prestiti? O un allentamento della morsa del debito estero il cui rimborso costa a tanti paesi cinque volte più delle azioni di protezione climatica? ANCHE GREENPEACE INSISTE per l’istituzione del loss & damage, chiedendo inoltre ai paesi più ricchi di onorare l’impegno assunto alla Cop26: raddoppiare i finanziamenti per l’adattamento entro il 2025. Ma, fa notare il Cse, «la guerra e la crisi economica ed energetica potrebbero ridurre la volontà», già scarsa. Eppure, oltre ai 400 miliardi di dollari erogati annualmente a livello globale per la produzione e il consumo di fossili, si potrebbe attingere da una miniera di spese che il merceologo e ambientalista Giorgio Nebbia avrebbe chiamato oscene: quelle legate al complesso militar-industriale. Ben 2.113 miliardi di dollari nel 2021, secondo «Trends in World Military Expenditure», l’ultimo rapporto dell’istituto Sipri di Stoccolma. Dietro queste somme si nascondono le emissioni climalteranti del settore militare mondiale. Massicce, ma praticamente ignorate anche nella contabilità sulle emissioni. Nel 1997, al tempo del Protocollo di Kyoto, gli Stati uniti ottennero l’esenzione del settore bellico dall’obbligo di rendicontazione (e dagli impegni di riduzione), con il pretesto della «sicurezza». I CALCOLI BASATI SUL CONSUMO di combustibili fossili per usi militari rivelano solo una parte del problema, e già potrebbero superare i 2 miliardi di tonnellate annue di CO2 equivalente. Poi ci sono la produzione di nuove armi, le infrastrutture, le basi e soprattutto lo sbocco naturale dei sistemi d’arma: le distruzioni di guerra. Essendo altamente improbabili i bombardieri a energia solare, così come città e infrastrutture ricostruite con mattoni di argilla e canapa, è praticamente impossibile decarbonizzare davvero tutto ciò. Sembra invece possibilista una recente analisi pubblicata su Nature, che comunque conclude: «L’uso dei combustibili fossili da parte del settore militare continuerà ad aumentare per molti anni ancora». Da tempo organizzazioni come World Beyond War, la Women International League for Peace and Freedom (Wilpf) e altre chiedono di spezzare questo circolo vizioso tra armi e caos climatico. Ridurre le spese e le emissioni militari e liberare denaro per i risarcimenti, la riconversione planetaria, la protezione della natura, i bisogni essenziali a partire dall’alimentazione (la Global Forest Coalition organizza vari eventi nel padiglione Cibo). HA SCRITTO TAMARA LORINCZ (della Wilpf) nel rapporto Deep Demilitarization for Deep Decarbonization: «Ridimensionare il complesso militar-industriale e ripudiare la guerra è una condizione necessaria per salvare il clima, investendo piuttosto in comunità resilienti. Tutti i fossili ancora estratti siano usati per la transizione verso zero emissioni, non per le armi».

Number Theory: India’s balancing act at the climate summit

At the Conference of the Parties (COP27), which is being held from November 6-18 in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, climate stakeholders are expected to build on COP26’s outcomes to address extreme climate-related emergencies. Given the backdrop of escalating geopolitical tension, an energy crisis, record greenhouse gas emissions and a global rise in extreme weather events, it is expected that COP27 will reaffirm international cooperation. Action to avert climate change is the need of the hour. The World Meteorological Organisation, in a report released on Friday, said that the global mean temperature in 2022 is currently estimated to be 1.15°C above the pre-industrial average (1850-1900). In recent years, India has decoupled economic growth from emissions. Data on India's emission inventory from 2005 to 2016 is taken from a working

Vision for urban transportation headlines mobility conference

Transportation bodies from Navi Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, and Delhi bagged an award each for ‘Excellence in Urban Transport’ at the 15th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Expo which concluded in Kochi on Sunday. Powered By VDO.AI Kochi Metro Rail Limited’s exhibit, which was put up at the three-day event organised to discuss the way forward regarding urban transportation in the country, was adjudged the best. While Ahmedabad was awarded for being the city with the most sustainable transport system for its Ahmedabad Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), Navi Mumbai bagged the award for the city with the best public transport system for its modernised and sustainable city bus service. Under the same category, the commendation award went to Thiruvananthapuram for its planned public transport through city services. The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. bagged the award for having a metro rail with the best multimodal integration for the Lucknow Metro Rail Project and a commendation award under the same category went to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. Kolkata was adjudged the city with the best non-motorised transport system for its cycling infrastructure in the new town Kolkata project while Chennai bagged the award for the best Intelligent Transport System (ITS); the award for the metro rail with the best passenger services and satisfaction went to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. Union Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs, Kaushal Kishore said new suggestions and thoughts were required to carry the urban transport sector forward. The Minister added that for the country to develop, it was essential that its cities developed which in turn would ensure that the development is spread to rural areas. Mr. Kishore said that for achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of becoming a developed country by 2047, it was essential that all sectors including agriculture, health and technology developed. The last day of the event also saw a panel discussion on the vision for urban transportation in India by the year 2047. Focusing on the way forward given rapid urbanisation, the panel discussed issues related to urban mobility over the next 25 years. The panel was of the opinion that any step forward in this respect needed to focus on better connectivity between smaller cities keeping net zero carbon emission modes of transportation at the core. In addition to exploring modes of transportation over and above electric vehicles in the near future, the need to create metro rail networks specific to Indian needs in addition to metro rail and railway coaches manufactured in India for the country and beyond was also discussed. Moderated by OSD (Urban Transport), Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Jaideep; Anumita Roy Chowdhary, executive director research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE); Abhishek Agarwal, senior specialist (infrastructure connectivity), Niti Aayog; Subhash Dhar, senior researcher, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre; Mukund Kumar Sinha, transport specialist, ADB; Sarika Chakravarty, senior sector coordinator, shelter & transport National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA); and Abhay Bhakre, DG, Bureau of Energy Efficiency were part of the panel. Senior officials from the Central and State governments, policymakers, managing directors of metro rail companies, chief executives of transport undertakings, international experts, professionals, academicians, and students participated in the three-day event. The conference was organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in collaboration with the Government of Kerala on the theme– ‘Azadi@75–Sustainable Aatma Nirbhar Urban Mobility’.

What is airshed management? And can it be used to curb air pollution in India?

The Indian government is moving to a new way of dealing with air pollution which recognises that the problem does not respect political borders. In 2019, air pollution in India caused the premature deaths of more than a million people. That same year, the government established the National Clean Air Programme. Three years later, the National Clean Air Programme is widely described as ineffective, and India continues to rank among the top five most polluted countries in the world. Now, scientists are looking at a different approach to tackling the country’s toxic air, one based on the recognition that pollution transcends national and state borders. The National Clean Air Programme was formulated to tackle air pollution in cities, specifically to reduce particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution by 20%-30% from 2017 levels by 2024. But the nature of air pollution means there are limitations to a policy that focuses on urban areas. Air pollution is not restricted to geopolitical boundaries,” points out SN Tripathi, professor of civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and a member of the National Clean Air Programme steering committee. South Asia’s geography and weather patterns mean that pollutants can travel long distances: a 2020 study of 22 regions showed that 46% of air pollution (adjusted for population distribution) originates from another Indian state. “Because of the transboundary dispersion of air pollution, smaller towns that do not have as many polluting industries experience high levels of pollution that come from larger cities,” says Kalyani Tembhe, programme officer at the Centre for Science and Environment, a think-tank in New Delhi. “Air pollution depends on meteorology, topography and land-use patterns,” Tripathi agrees. Because of this, Indian states are looking at new ways to tackle the crisis, with many planning to adopt airshed management. The World Bank defines an airshed as a common geographic area where pollutants get trapped, creating similar air quality for everyone. “We can reorganise…natural processes that govern the air, and identify airsheds,” Tripathi says. The concept is demonstrated by a 2019 study that found approximately half of the population-weighted PM2.5 in Delhi comes from outside the territory, of which 50% is from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. In Punjab, about 60% of PM2.5 does not originate within the state, with about half coming from outside India and half from other Indian states. In Uttar Pradesh, only half of PM2.5 originates within the state. Sagnik Dey, a professor at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi, has identified the major regional airsheds that impact India, based on satellite data for PM2.5. “The whole idea is that, within an airshed, the overall patterns of air quality from season to season are similar over the long term. There are nine to 11 airsheds in India. Some, like the Indo-Gangetic plain airshed, within which lie two or more regional airsheds, are gigantic,” he says. The Indo-Gangetic plain covers the states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Bihar and West Bengal, and extends to Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. How it works The idea of airsheds is not new. The Canadian province of British Columbia and California in the US have both used an airshed approach to tackle air pollution. The Air Quality Act of 1967 divided California into 35 districts with similar geographic, topographic and meteorological conditions, where pollution is regulated by the California Air Resources Board. By 2019, this approach had achieved a 98% reduction in emissions from “heavy-duty engines” compared with 2010 levels. In South Asia, the areas with critically high PM2.5 concentrations that would benefit from an airshed approach include the western and central Indo-Gangetic plain, the Brahmaputra basin (India and Bangladesh), middle India (East Gujarat/West Maharashtra and Odisha/Chhattisgarh), the northern and central subcontinent (Pakistani and Indian Punjab and part of Afghanistan) and the southern subcontinent (South Pakistan and West Afghanistan). PM2.5 concentrations in villages and small towns in the Indo-Gangetic Plain are often similar to or higher than the nearest large city, indicating that air-quality management cannot be restricted to cities. “These towns do not have any control over the pollution in their jurisdiction. That is why we need an airshed approach to air-quality management. We need a legal policy to ensure that cities take responsibility,” Tembhe says. “The idea is that all cities that lie within an airshed need to coordinate with each other for an effective solution,” Dey adds. “For example, 80% of the airsheds of Lucknow and Kanpur [in Uttar Pradesh] overlap. Similarly, Dhanbad [in Jharkhand] and Asansol [in West Bengal] have a very big overlap in their airshed. So they will benefit by sharing their resources and data.” Now, the World Bank is developing the country’s first large Airshed Action Plan for the Indo-Gangetic plain, across seven union territories and states. The Indo-Gangetic plain is one of the most polluted areas in the country, contributing to 46% of premature deaths. “The World Bank is supporting a team of Indian experts who have applied several internationally adopted models, including Greenhouse Gas - Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies in Europe, North America and China,” says Karin Shepardson, lead environmental specialist at the World Bank. “Now we are helping Indian partners to tailor it to local conditions in the states on the Indo-Gangetic Plain, particularly the development of air action plans in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar using an airshed management approach.” Greenhouse gas and Air pollution Interactions and Synergies, and refers to a model used to assess strategies that combat air pollution and climate change at the same time. How the technical model is ultimately translated into airsheds for management purposes is something the government has to decide, says Shepardson. The government is yet to define airsheds for India and the process is still being deliberated. Uttar Pradesh However, some states feel urgent action is required. Uttar Pradesh is the first to adopt an airshed action plan. Speaking at the India Clean Air Summit in Bangalore in August, Ashish Tiwari, the secretary of the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Uttar Pradesh, announced that, with the World Bank’s help, the state has identified clean cooking as the most cost-effective intervention, based on the Greenhouse Gas - Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies model. The state plans to distribute 1,00,000 free stoves and electric tandoors to restaurants and eateries.

Anti-pollution Plans Go Up In Smoke

Supreme Court’s ban on use of firecrackers was flouted at will across cities Delhi-National Capital Region recording 'severe' air pollution levels has once again reignited the debate on the issue that grips the country every year post Diwali. Rahul Malik, 27 started coughing a day after Diwali, his condition has remained the same days later. "It happens to me every time after Diwali. I woke up next with a terrible cold and cough," he said. While some areas in Delhi were in the 'severe' category, NCR regions like Noida were not far behind. "It has become a year-round phenomenon now," said Malik, who is a software engineer in a Delhi based organisation. While there are many reasons for the bad air condition in Delhi-NCR, bursting of crackers triggers the onset of a pollution that goes throughout winters. Like last year, the Supreme Court banned the use of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, this year the apex court ordered restricting the bursting of firecrackers to two hours (8 pm to 10 pm) and mandated 'green crackers'. However, all the measures were ineffective. In fact, the order was flouted at will across cities, with crackers being burst through the day and well into the night, throwing both air and noise pollution norms to the wind. Neither was the 'green cracker' label strictly adhered to. Even in Delhi, where burning of crackers is punishable with a jail term and fine, the law was violated with impunity. Although reports stating that Delhi experienced its cleanest day after Diwali in seven years, the situation escalated badly within a week. By the end of last week, the air quality in Delhi and various parts of India had taken a massive dip. On the other hand, politics over stubble burning has already started, as farmers have started getting fined due to it. So far, Punjab has reported 1,842 cases of stubble burning on Tuesday, for which the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress are blaming the Aam Aadmi Party's government. In Ludhiana district, the government has so far imposed Rs 2.47 lakh in fines on farmers who burnt crop residue. Besides, 79 'red entries' have also been made in revenue records. Once a red entry is made in revenue records, a farmer may not be able to mortgage or sell the land. The BJP has targeted the AAP government over the rising stubble burning cases and asked it to wake up from its "deep slumber". Stubble burning is always named as one of the major factors for pollution in Delhi-NCR, barring it is not a major reason for air pollution in Punjab, where it is happening. The practice has been formally banned by the Supreme Court, and farmers were warned they would face fines for violating the decree. "I find it funny when they blame us for pollution in Delhi. We are literally there on the field doing this. While the pollution levels in Punjab remain fine. It is all political chaos," a Ludhiana based farmer told The Citizen. Stubble burning cannot be fully ruled out as a pollution driving factor, however, experts believe blaming it as the sole reason for it is wrong. The NCR's pollution problem is due to various other reasons including emissions from tailpipes of vehicles, industrial activities and geographical factors such as wind speeds. Winds blowing at around 6-7 kmph on Diwali checked the accumulation of pollutants on the festival day. There are also early indications of a decrease in farm fires in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The court has also come down hard on states as well as central governments over the issue and despite stringent measures, the situation does not improve. While stubble burning is one of the reasons for air pollution, vehicular emissions are also considered a major pollutant factor in Delhi-NCR. In 2021, the Supreme Court warned of strict action and had given a 24-hour ultimatum to centre, Delhi, and neighbouring states to act against industrial and vehicular pollution. This was counted as the main causes behind the deteriorating air quality. This year, however, the AAP government in Delhi has blamed buses from Uttar Pradesh for vehicular emissions. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal has blamed the vehicular emissions from government buses operating in Uttar Pradesh for the rise in pollution in the national capital. According to a 2021 survey by the Centre for Science and Environment, a New Delhi-based research and advocacy organisation, emissions from two-, three- and four-wheeled vehicles account for more than half of Delhi's particulate pollution. "Clearly, after the closure of all coal-based power plants, expansion of natural gas usage in industry and controls on dirty fuels, vehicles have emerged as the biggest real time contributor among the local sources of winter pollution in Delhi this year. Action on transportation has to gather strong momentum. At the same time, action on waste management, clean energy access in households, and dust control must be speeded up," stated Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE. The Delhi government, now, is following a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to combat air pollution in the city. Under the plan, construction activities are banned at stage three — when the air quality hits the "severe" level. It envisions a four-stage ad-hoc mechanism wherein Stage 1 of GRAP is activated when the AQI is in the 'poor' category (201 to 300), while the second, third and fourth stages are activated three days ahead of the AQI reaching the 'very poor' category (301 to 400), 'severe' category (401 to 450) and 'severe +' category (above 450) respectively. The origin of the GRAP dates back to the 2016 Supreme Court verdict, where state authorities were directed to take gradual steps to maintain the air quality standards in the Delhi NCR. Air quality monitoring and meteorological forecasts are based on data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Following a modification in 2020, the GRAP now focuses on a more comprehensive AQI, which accounts for other pollutants such as ozone, sulphur dioxide, and oxides of nitrogen as well. Furthermore, till 2020, the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) implemented the plan, but this was dissolved two years ago and the responsibility to enforce the GRAP now rests with the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM). Meanwhile, in July this year the National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the Union Environment Ministry over the impact of air pollution on the life expectancy of people. In a statement, the NHRC said it has taken motu cognizance of media reports quoting a survey that air pollution is a great threat to human health in India, reducing overall life expectancy by five years and 9.7 years for the people in Delhi. It has also issued notice to the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, seeking a report within four weeks, including the status of the National Clean Air Programme, launched in 2019. The commission also expects the state authorities to take the issue with utmost sincerity in a time-bound manner, the statement said. While the Supreme Court churns into action every year when the air pollution reaches dangerous levels, the situation is far from better.