Cse In News

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Staff crunch ailing state pollution control boards in India, finds think tank analysis

In the Indo-Gangetic plains, the majority of state pollution control boards are working without sufficient experts. Around 40 percent of the technical posts in these SPCBs are vacant. A recent report by the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) highlights several challenges related to human resources in nine SPCBs studied. India aims to reduce the hazardous air pollutant PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by 20 percent by 2024. Experts bat for regional cooperation to fight pollution. On November 1 this year, the national capital of India reported the worst Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 464 in 24 hours. Along with Delhi, several other cities in north India face high levels of air pollution almost every year. When the onslaught of smog begins, these states rush to take short-term measures to get immediate relief, as Delhi is doing now – banning construction activities, asking people to work from home etc. But what they have been ignoring is the human-resource crisis in pollution control bodies that are supposed to plan and execute long-term solutions for controlling air pollution. State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) in India lack expertise and function with a human resource crunch, indicates a recent report published by the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) in October 2022. In this working paper, the New Delhi-based think tank highlighted the situation in SPCBs of nine states (Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal) and the State Pollution Control Committee of the union territory of Delhi. All these states and union territory fall under the Indo-Gangetic plains that covers the region starting from Punjab to West Bengal. This region frequently faces high levels of air and water pollution. According to documents from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, towns in north India, especially the Indo-Gangetic plains, have higher concentrations of ambient particulate matter than other parts of India. The CPR report reveals factors ailing pollution watchdogs in these states include staff shortage, especially the technical staff, the dominance of government officials, politicians and the like on these boards, less space for air quality management experts etc. SPCBs were earlier constituted under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974. Later, their mandate expanded to air pollution, noise pollution, regulation of plastic, waste, and e-waste management, among others. SPCBs are autonomous bodies in states with the powers of giving and managing consent to industries to operate, set emissions and effluents standards, monitor compliance of standards and enforcing adherence to environmental norms. In its report, CPR analysed the constitution of the State Pollution Control Boards, the background of selecting chairpersons of these boards, strength, and qualifications of the team of these boards who collectively make decisions for the board to tackle pollution in their respective states. Technical posts remain vacant The CPR report says that seven out of eight SPCBs reported more than 40 percent of staff vacancies in the technical category. Bihar, Haryana, and Jharkhand reported the highest vacancies of technical officials, including environmental engineers and scientists. In Jharkhand, 84 percent of technical posts are vacant. The report claimed that most state pollution control boards lack representation of civil society, academia, and public health experts. As per the rule under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, these boards should have at least two members with special knowledge or practical experience in air quality management. However, this has not been the case in most of the SPCBs in these states, the report highlights. “The board members are often representatives of corporations, industry associations and municipal bodies which are potential polluters. While they are stakeholders, there is clear possibility of conflict of interest. On the other hand, these boards lack representation of those with technical expertise who can solve complex problems,” Shibani Ghosh, a Fellow at CPR and one of the authors, told Mongabay-India. The report claimed that in states like Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, pollution control boards do not have members with technical expertise. Regarding the chairman and member secretary, the report claimed that most of these posts were filled with persons who have served in government departments. Many of those in the leadership posts were given the job as additional charges. As per the CPR’s finding, the tenure of the chairpersons in these SPCBs varies. Many of these officials did not get sufficient time to conceptualise and deliver long-term plans. The data collected by the CPR team claimed that the regional offices of SPCBs also suffer from staff crunch. It said that some regional offices have only one or two executive engineers. In this human resource situation, the boards have tasks well beyond their capacity such as, they are bound to issue as many as 800 consents to operate (given to industry) annually. CPR used Right to Information (RTI) applications to collect this information about the strength of staff at these institutions. Shibani Ghosh from CPR told Mongabay-India, “We used several tools to gather information on the functioning of these SPCBs.” “We filed RTIs in these SPCBs to find out information on the sanctioned strength of the staff, the vacancy numbers, qualifications of board leadership and members, and other issues. We relied on the publicly available data on these bodies and conducted interviews with several people in senior leadership positions in the SPCBs. We also referred to earlier reports on the issue including by government agencies and the Parliamentary Standing Committee,” she said.

Down To Earth

COP27 | Climate finance to rule the agenda at the UN summit in Egypt

Emerging and poor economies are also expected to highlight the loss and damage due to climate change, and demand financial resources to mitigate disasters Memories of extreme weather events that impacted the lives of millions in south Asia this year are still fresh, even as climate negotiators and world leaders are set to gather at Sharm El-Sheikh, a salubrious resort town in Egypt on the Red Sea coast. They will be here to negotiate strategies to contain climate change at the 27th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP27), from November 6 to 18. In Pakistan, rapidly melting glaciers had led to widespread floods. Extreme heat in the north Indian plains had devastated acres of standing crops. And just last month, cyclone Sitrang killed at least 56 people and damaged over 20,000 homes in Bangladesh. These were among the highlights of the havoc wreaked by climate change this year. India witnessed natural disasters and extreme weather events on as many as 242 of 273 days till the end of September 2021, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said in a report on November 1, basing its claim on data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Home Ministry’s disaster management division. According to the report, these weather events claimed 2,755 lives, impacted 1.8 million hectares of cropland, demolished 416,667 houses, and led to the death of thousands of livestock. The situation was no different in other parts of the world. We had Hurricane Ian in Florida, drought and heat waves in Europe, flooding and drought in China, Hurricane Fiona in the Caribbean, and flooding in South Africa, among others, leading to a loss of lives and massive property damage. Between January and September this year, natural disasters across the world have caused economic losses of at least $227 billion, of which a mere $99 billion was covered by public and private insurers, according to a report by Aon, an insurance broker. Insured losses due to weather calamities will breach the $100 billion mark for the third consecutive year, the insurance giant said in October. Tardy progress on climate action Although the climate crisis seems to be accelerating, countries were found wanting in their efforts to arrest the rise in global temperatures, as a slew of reports released in the past week ahead of COP27 pointed out. There is “no credible pathway” to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, an ambitious target set by the 2015 Paris Agreement, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warned in its Emissions Gap Report 2022 published on October 27. The 13th annual report of the UN environment agency showed that the updated national pledges since COP26, held in November 2021 in Glasgow, will make little difference to estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2030. “We are far from the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably 1.5 degrees,” the report said. “Policies currently in place point to a 2.8-degree rise in temperature by the end of the century. Implementation of the current pledges would breach the Paris Agreement goal of containing global warming below 2 degrees compared with preindustrial times. The world requires a systemic transformation to deliver the huge cuts in emissions planned by the end of this decade. Compared to projections based on policies currently in place, emissions will need to be reduced by an additional 45 percent, the UNEP report said. Only a handful of countries have firmed up their plans in the past one year, despite promising to do so at the COP26 summit in Glasgow. Bending the emissions curve Although nations worldwide are slowly lowering GHG emissions, the efforts are not enough to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees by the end of the century, according to the 2022 NDC Synthesis Report published on October 26 by UN Climate Change. The UNCC is the agency that hosts the climate summit. Only 24 new or updated national climate plans had been submitted since COP26, it said. “We are nowhere near the scale and pace of emission reduction required to put us on track towards a 1.5 degree-Celsius world,” said Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary, UNCC. “To keep this goal alive, national governments need to strengthen their climate action plans now and implement them over the next eight years,” he added. The lethargic progress has resulted in the atmospheric levels of all three major GHGs breaching new highs, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in its latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin released on October 26. The increase in carbon dioxide levels from 2020 to 2021 was larger than the average annual growth rate over the past decade, although economic activity slowed globally due to COVID-19, the WMO report said. The findings have “underlined, once again, the enormous challenge – and the vital necessity – of urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and prevent global temperatures from rising even further in the future,” Petteri Taalas, Secretary General, WMO, said in a statement. “The continuing rise in concentration of the main heat-trapping gases, including the record acceleration in methane levels, shows that we are heading in the wrong direction,” he added. Endangering health and food security Extreme climatic events are causing disasters in every continent, adding pressure on health services already stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change said on October 25. In 2021, India lost 167.2 billion potential labour hours due to heat exposure, with income losses equivalent to about 5.4 percent of GDP, the Lancet report said. Compared to 2000-04, the country had a 55 percent increase in heat-related deaths between 2017 and 2021, the report said. Global warming has serious implications for food security. This was seen in the reduced wheat harvest in India in 2022 as extreme heat shrivelled standing crops in March, just ahead of the spring harvest, leading to a reduced output for the first time in years. The growth season for maize has declined by 2 percent compared to the 1981-2010 baseline, while rice and wheat have decreased by 1 percent, the Lancet Countdown said. Amid all the grim reports in the recent past, the only good news was on the energy front. Carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels are expected to peak by 2025 in a “historic turning point” towards a cleaner and more secure future, according to the World Energy Outlook 2022, released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) on October 27. The war in Ukraine since February has precipitated an energy crisis in Europe. This has caused oil and gas prices to spike globally, triggering persistently high inflation across the world, creating favourable conditions for an economic recession in western countries. Despite geopolitical headwinds, investment in renewable and low-carbon energy sources such as solar, wind, and nuclear power would likely rise to $2 trillion a year by 2030, an increase of more than 50 percent from what it is at present, the IEA said in its annual report. “Even with today’s policies, the energy world is shifting dramatically before our eyes,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said. “Government response around the world promises to make this a historic and definitive turning point towards a cleaner, more affordable, and more secure energy system,” he added. The money to fight climate change Given the dire backdrop and accelerating climate crisis, it is widely expected that issues around finance will dominate discussions at COP27. In 2009, rich nations had promised to cough up $100 billion a year between 2020 and 2025, to support climate action in developing countries. That hasn’t happened 13 years down the line. At COP26, it became clear that the developed world had failed to honour their commitment. The broken promise will continue to be a bone of contention at the Egypt summit, and we have to see whether any progress is made on this front. Emerging and poor economies are also expected to highlight the loss and damage due to climate change, and demand financial resources to mitigate the disasters. At the Glasgow summit last year, loss and damage were discussed for the first time in the main negotiation track due to vociferous demands made by countries facing the adverse effects of global warming. Expectations are high that substantial progress will be made in this contentious matter this year. “Egypt is hosting an African COP, so there is going to be lots of attention, and rightly so, on finance, and loss and damage,” Antony Froggatt, Deputy Director of the UK-based Chatham House’s Environment and Society Programme, told a news portal. “This is very clearly a time in which we can make progress in these areas.” Talks at COP27 are also likely to look into workable solutions to adapt to climate change, which would include strategies to manage climate risk and building climate resilience. The COP27 presidency, chaired by Egypt this year, expects countries to capture and assess their progress toward enhancing resilience and helping the most vulnerable communities. Any discussion on climate action will therefore hinge on the source of funding and the willingness of rich countries to contribute to resource mobilisation. Whether the talks will translate into specific commitments is uncertain. Many would say that the very credibility of the UN-hosted summit would depend on the pace of progress made on the thorny issue of climate finance.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

How ‘airshed management’ could tackle India’s air pollution crisis

The Indian government is moving to a new transboundary way of dealing with air pollution that recognises 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 (NCAP). Three years later, the NCAP is widely described as ineffective, and India continues to rank among the top five most polluted countries in the world. Now, scientists are looking to a different approach to tackling the country’s toxic air, one based on the recognition that pollution transcends national and state borders. The NCAP was formulated to tackle air pollution in cities, specifically to reduce particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution by 20 per cent-30 per cent 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 (IIT) Kanpur and a member of the NCAP 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 per cent of air pollution (adjusted for population distribution) originates from another Indian state. “Because of the transboundary dispersion of air pollution, smaller towns that don’t 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 per cent is from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. In Punjab, about 60 per cent 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 would airshed management work in India? 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 per cent 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 don’t have any control over the pollution in their jurisdiction. That is why we need an airshed approach as 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 per cent 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 per cent of premature deaths. “The World Bank is supporting a team of Indian experts who have applied several internationally adopted models, including GAINS 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 in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, particularly the development of air action plans in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar using an airshed management approach.” GAINS stands for 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; the process is still being deliberated. Uttar Pradesh takes first step on airshed management However, some states feel urgent action is required before then. 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 GAINS model. The state plans to distribute 100,000 free stoves and electric tandoors to restaurants and eateries. “Introduction of clean fuel will definitely have a huge impact,” Tembhe says, but she adds a word of caution. “While it’s a good solution, it’s not a permanent solution,” as sources of pollution need to be identified at the airshed level. “It makes more sense to develop an airshed management plan for the entire Indo-Gangetic Plain region, as pollutants don’t stop at state lines,” says Alan Lloyd, a senior research fellow at the Energy Institute of the University of Texas at Austin. He recommends the formation of an air resources board for the Indo-Gangetic Plain, similar to the one in California, that combines richer and lower-income areas within the same geographic area. “However, the perfect should not get in the way of the good. It is critical to get good data to put into the model. So, if Uttar Pradesh is ahead in data collection, then a lot can be learned while the other states acquire more and better data,” he adds. “In a big airshed like the Indo-Gangetic Plain, we need to understand the emission load of each state, so they can coordinate among each other in terms of governance and infrastructure to ensure that these major polluting sources can be reduced,” explains Prathima Singh, an air-pollution scientist at the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), a think-tank in Bangalore. A 2019 study found that secondary PM2.5 (which is formed though the interaction of particles that were emitted directly) is the major source of pollution in most of the Indo-Gangetic Plain states, followed by domestic cooking. In Delhi, 20 per cent of PM2.5 comes from mobile sources, such as cars, buses, aeroplanes and construction equipment. There are also seasonal variations, Singh adds. In winter, stubble burning affects the entire Indo-Gangetic Plain. In summer, dust pollution from the alluvial soil in the river belt is a big contributor to air pollution. A snapshot taken by a NASA satellite in November 2017 of the smog created by stubble burning showed that both India and Pakistan were affected equally. The smog caused a health emergency, with schools, industries and airports shutting down in both countries. Airshed management needs international cooperation Despite a number of efforts to revive the Malé Declaration, an agreement to address transboundary pollution signed by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as far back as 1998, “as far as I know, nothing has come of it”, Tembhe says. This demonstrates why “international cooperation is important in the Indo-Gangetic Plain”, Tripathi says. “Punjab, especially Amritsar and Jalandhar, are heavily influenced by pollution coming from Pakistan. A large part of the pollution from the Indo-Gangetic Plain goes to Bangladesh and, at certain times of the year, pollution comes from Bangladesh to West Bengal and Jharkhand.” Ultimately, for airshed management in India to work, enforcement has to be taken seriously. This was a key element of its success in California, says Lloyd. “Previous plans in India failed because of a lack of serious enforcement. Fines must be commensurate with the violation, and public health must be addressed asap.”

Climate Change and Green Economy

Expect action on finance, tech transfer: Bhupender Yadav on COP27

India hopes the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) at Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt is a meeting of “action”, union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said on Thursday. “We expect action on climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building,” Yadav said while adding that there have been enough promises by countries but not enough action. The unofficial theme of COP27 is also “implementation”. The Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit will take place on November 7-8 when heads of state and governments are expected to speak on implementation of pledges they made in the past and in the Glasgow COP26 last year. Following the summit’s inauguration, roundtables will be held to focus on six key topics: Just Transitions, Food Security, Innovative Finance for Climate and Development, Investing in the Future of Energy, Water Security, and Climate Change and the Sustainability of Vulnerable Communities according to COP27 Presidency. adav said India’s overall approach at COP27 will be to emphasize on the lead it has taken in strong, ambitious and decisive climate actions, its calls for climate justice, and its focus on sustainable lifestyles through the Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) movement launched by PM Narendra Modi and UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres on October 20. The country will also look for collaborations in technology development in renewable energy and hard to abate sectors and emphasize that climate action can be further accelerated through enhanced climate finance, technology and capacity building support, he added. The critical issues for India are climate finance; mitigation work programme; global goal on adaptation and loss and damage, the minister said. “We are very clear that we want a multilaterally agreed definition of climate finance. India doesn’t recognise loans to be climate finance because it pushes vulnerable countries further into indebtedness so the only focus is on concessional and climate specific grants. On climate finance, India expects progress towards the target of mobilisation of $ 100bn/year by developed nations . There should be a decision on a new collective quantified goal (NCQG) on climate finance for the post 2025 period. It needs to specify (i) quantity of long-term finance (in trillions), (ii) quality, (iii) scope, and also for ease of access to finance and with methods of tracking flows of such finance in a transparent manner,” Yadav said in a presentation. “When the definition of climate finance has not been arrived at, how is anyone claiming that climate finance is flowing to developing nations? ,” asked Leena Nandan, secretary, MoEFCC during the briefing. India’s updated Nationally Determined contribution (NDC) is a significant contribution towards global climate action, Yadav said. This was announced in August and has two broad quantifiable goals– to reduce emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030, from the 2005 level and to achieve about 50% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030. India will strongly oppose all attempts to rewrite and redefine the provisions of the Paris Agreement, particularly uniform mitigation goals for all countries irrespective of development status, and call for sectoral or gas-specific mitigation goals, he added in the presentation. Action on mitigation, must take into account historical responsibilities and different national circumstances of the Parties, as well as the needs for sustainable development in developing countries,” he said. On adaptation, the global goal on adaptation should reflect realities on the ground and country driven nature of adaptation actions and India’s ask will be to avoid making this a top-down reporting exercise that further burdens developing countries with limited public resources, the presentation said. India supports early operationalization of the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage for providing technical assistance to developing countries for averting, minimising loss and damage due to impacts of climate change. In a factsheet released by Centre for Science and Environment on Thursday, climate policy researchers said climate finance is expected to be a major issue at COP 27. At COP 26 in Glasgow, developed countries noted with “deep regret” that the $100 billion target of climate finance, first determined in 2009, has not been delivered and is expected to be delivered only by 2023. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) latest estimate suggests that US $83.3 billion in climate finance was mobilized in 2020, but this has been contested by independent estimates. Loss and Damage will be big at COP27 because impacts of the climate crisis are severe and frequent now. It is reparations for damages and will establish the polluters pays principle, which will be deterrence over large polluters,” said Sunita Narain, director general, CSE during a briefing on Thursday.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Air pollution: Kejriwal, Mann seek Centre’s help, promise solution by Nov 2023

Delhi’s pollution levels remained in the ‘Severe+’ category on Friday morning, with an hourly Air Quality Index (AQI) of 453 at 7 am, for the second consecutive day The alarming rise in pollution levels in the National Capital Territory of Delhi has drawn sharp criticism from several concerned stakeholders, but chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann on Friday said at a joint press conference that only Delhi and Punjab are not responsible for the problem. Instead, pinning the blame on ‘multiple factors’, they appealed to the central government to pitch in to fix the problem affecting people across north India. “Air pollution has turned severe in Delhi. People are finding it difficult to breathe. It is not a Delhi specific problem, but of the entire north India. Only Delhi and Punjab governments are not responsible for it. Several local and regional factors are also behind the problem because air is not confined to one state,” Kejriwal said. Both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders took responsibility for stubble burning in Punjab, one of the major factors behind the choking air pollution in Delhi, and said that the AAP government under Mann got only six months this year to fix the issue, so much could not be done. However, they set a deadline of November 2023 to find solutions for the problem. Delhi’s pollution levels remained in the ‘Severe+’ category on Friday morning, with an hourly Air Quality Index (AQI) of 453 at 7 am, for the second consecutive day. As a result, the Central Pollution Control Board called for a series of restrictions under Stage IV of the graded response action plan (Grap), such as ban on the entry of diesel trucks and use of older private diesel vehicles. “This is not the time to point fingers or indulge in blame game. Politics on this issue will not bring any solution to the problem. It does not help the people. People need solutions,” Kejriwal said, appealing to the Centre to come forward and “save the entire north India”. Defending AAP’s new government in Punjab, Kejriwal said, “We got only six months. Six months are very less. The initial months went into improving law and order, etc. We will find a solution in the next one year. We will explore multiple options, including crop diversification.” Mann seconded Kejriwal and said, “We and our government take responsibility for stubble burning in Punjab. We got only six months. Six months is a very short time. We were successful in some spheres.” “We accept that stubble burning is happening in Punjab, but farmers are not responsible for it. They will stop burning stubble if they get a solution,” Kejriwal said. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has warned that the situation may worsen in the coming days as farm fires rage in Punjab. “We will take several measures along with the people. Farmers do not want to burn stubble. They have a very short window between two crops (harvesting paddy and sowing wheat). We encouraged many panchayats against burning stubble. By next November, we will solve this problem. We will also explore crop diversification in the area where stubble is burnt. We have started work on this front, sit with farmers and fix the problem,” Mann said. The Punjab CM said that paddy is grown on 7.5 million acres in Punjab and around 4.5 million acres of such areas stubble burning is prevalent. “For crop diversification, MSP (support to the farmers) is required. We plan to use crops that are less water intensive. Farmers also want crop diversification provided it brings them profit,” Mann said. Pitching a ‘zero tolerance policy’ approach to fix the problem, Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director for research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, “We all know what the solutions are – absorbing biomass at industries and power plants, crop diversification, which is a long-term measure, etc. The government is already supporting these solutions and we need to quickly implement them on a massive scale. It is time to examine what’s working and what’s not. The solutions must be a combination of multiple measures and factors. Since the problem involves many states, there has to be large-scale coordination so that each and every farmer can be reached to contain stubble burning.”

Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

सिंगल यूज प्लास्टिक पर लगा प्रतिबंध फेल क्यों हो रहा है?

भारत में तीन महीने पहले सिंगल यूज प्लास्टिक (एसयूपी) के इस्तेमाल पर प्रतिबंध लगा दिया गया था ताकि प्लास्टिक कचरे और बढ़ते प्रदूषण पर लगाम लग सके लेकिन देश भर में अभी भी प्लास्टिक का इस्तेमाल धड़ल्ले से हो रहा है. ये प्रतिबंध एसयूपी से बनी 21 चीजों पर लगाए गए थे जिनमें प्लेट्स, बर्तन, स्ट्रॉ, पैकेजिंग फिल्म और सिगरेट के पैकेट शामिल हैं. हर जगह मौजूद माइक्रोप्लास्टिक के बढ़ते खतरे डीडब्ल्यू से बातचीत में पर्यावरण आधारित एनजीओ टॉक्सिक्स लिंक के डायरेक्टर रवि अग्रवाल कहते हैं, "हालांकि ये प्रतिबंध केंद्र सरकार की ओर से जारी किए गए हैं, लेकिन इन्हें लागू कराने की जिम्मेदारी राज्य सरकारों और उनके प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड्स की होती है. राज्य समुचित कार्रवाई नहीं कर रहे हैं. ऐसा लगता है कि प्रतिबंधों को पूरी तरह से लागू कराने के लिए राज्यों के पास कोई प्रभावी रणनीति नहीं है.” भारत ने प्रतिबंध तो लागू कर दिए हैं लेकिन एसयूपी को रोकने के लिए कोई एडवाइजरी नहीं जारी की है और न ही कोई जुर्माना लगाया गया है. इसीलिए एसयूपी के उत्पाद प्रतिबंधों के बावजूद देश भर में मिल रहे हैं. भारत हर साल करीब 14 मिलियन टन प्लास्टिक का इस्तेमाल करता है. केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड के चेयरमैन तन्मय कुमार ने हाल ही में एक बातचीत में इस बात पर जोर डाला कि प्रतिबंध के बावजूद, एसयूपी से बनी वस्तुओं, खासकर थैलों का उपयोग छोटे दुकानदारों द्वारा बहुतायत से हो रहा है. जर्मन वैज्ञानिकों ने ढूंढ निकाला प्लास्टिक को विघटित करने वाला एंजाइम ‘सस्ते विकल्पों' की जरूरत पिछले साल एक सरकारी समिति ने एसयूपी से बनी चीजों को उनकी उपयोगिता और उनके पर्यावरणीय प्रभाव के सूचकांक के आधार पर चिह्नित किया जिन्हें प्रतिबंधित किया जाना था. इस तरह के प्लास्टिक, भारत में निकलने वाले कुल प्लास्टिक कचरे का महज 2-3 फीसद ही है. प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी ने स्पष्ट किया था कि उनकी सरकार अपने दूसरे कार्यकाल में प्लास्टिक को खत्म करने की दिशा में सक्रियतापूर्वक कार्य करेगी. लेकिन विशेषज्ञों ने चेतावनी दी है कि यह कोई आसान काम नहीं है क्योंकि भारत में हर रोज करीब 26 हजार टन कचरा निकलता है, जिसमें से करीब दस हजार टन कचरा इकट्ठा ही नहीं किया जा पाता. टॉक्सिक्स लिंक से जुड़े अग्रवाल इस बात पर जोर देते हैं कि एसयूपी के विकल्पों की जरूरत है. वो कहते हैं, "इन प्रतिबंधित वस्तुओं की मांग को पूरा करने के लिए सस्ते विकल्पों की उपलब्धता बहुत बड़ी चुनौती है जिन पर नजर रखने की जरूरत है.” चिंतन एनवॉयरनमेंटल रिसर्च एंड एक्शन ग्रुप की संस्थापक और निदेशक भारती चतुर्वेदी कहती हैं कि इसके लिए पर्याप्त मात्रा में निवेश भी नहीं हुआ है. डीडब्ल्यू से बातचीत में वो कहती हैं, "इस बदलाव के लिए प्रोत्साहन की जरूरत है...निर्माताओं को अनिश्चित शर्तों के बारे में बताना होगा. प्लास्टिक उद्योग के समर्थन से बन रहे प्लस्टिक को सुनामी की तरह जमकर मथने की जरूरत है.” हर रोज इस्तेमाल होने वाला प्लास्टिक छोड़ रहा पानी में अरबों सूक्ष्म कण छोटी और मझोली इकाइयां सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित होंगे भारत में प्रति व्यक्ति प्लास्टिक की खपत 11 किलो ग्राम प्रति वर्ष है और यह दुनिया में अभी भी सबसे सबसे कम है. दुनिया भर में प्रति वर्ष प्रति व्यक्ति प्लास्टिक की खपत 28 किलो है. सरकारी आंकड़ों के मुताबिक, साल 2020-21 में भारत में करीब 35 लाख टन प्लास्टिक का उत्पादन हुआ. ये आंकड़े देश के सभी 28 राज्यों और 8 केंद्र शासित प्रदेशों के दिए आंकड़ों के आधार पर जुटाए गए थे. भारत में सबसे ज्यादा प्लास्टिक का उत्पादन महाराष्ट्र में 13 फीसद और उसके बाद तमिलनाडु और पंजाब 12 फीसद प्लास्टिक का उत्पादन करते हैं. दूसरी ओर, भारत में प्लास्टिक को रीसाक्लिंग करने की क्षमता महज 15.6 लाख टन प्रति वर्ष है जो कि प्लास्टिक उत्पादन की तुलना में आधी है. भारत में एक संगठित प्लास्टिक कचरा प्रबंधन तंत्र का अभाव है जिसकी वजह से ये इधर-उधर बिखरा मिलता है. प्लास्टिक्स को लोग नदियों, समुद्र और गड्ढों में फेंक देते हैं जिसकी वजह से वन्यजीवों के जीवन के लिए नुकसानदायक होता हैं. इसके अलावा, प्रतिबंध का सबसे ज्यादा प्रभाव समाज और अर्थव्यवस्था के सबसे कमजोर तबके पर पड़ता है, खासकर प्लास्टिक उद्योग की छोटी और मध्यम औद्योगिक इकाइयों पर. इसका मतलब, सिर्फ प्रतिबंध के जरिए बड़ी संख्या में नौकरियों के जाने की भी अनदेखी की जा रही है. केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड के एक वरिष्ठ अधिकारी ने डीडब्ल्यू को बताया, "ट्रैक रिकॉर्ड को देखते हुए, हमने प्रतिबंधों को कड़ाई से लागू करने के लिए निर्देशित किया है. इसके तहत सड़क किनारे दुकानदारों, सब्जी विक्रेताओं और स्थानीय बाजारों के साथ-साथ सीमाओं पर भी निगरानी रखी जा रही है और प्लास्टिक से संबंधित उद्योगों की भी जांच की जा रही है.” प्रतिबंध लागू करने का राजनीतिक विरोध एसयूपी पर प्रतिबंधों को सफल बनाने के लिए, औद्योगिक जगत के जानकार सरकार से आह्वान कर रहे हैं कि आर्थिक और पर्यावरणीय लाभ-लागत विश्लेषण के साथ-साथ इसके सामाजिक और आर्थिक प्रभावों को ध्यान में रखते हुए एक योजना तैयार की जाए. आल इंडिया प्लास्टिक मैन्युफैक्चरर्स एसोसिएशन (AIPMA) के महानिदेशक दीपक बलानी कहते हैं, "हम लोग एक स्वच्छ भारत चाहते हैं और बदलाव के लिए तैयार भी हैं. लेकिन हम समस्या की जड़ पर ध्यान क्यों नहीं दे रहे हैं- मतलब प्लास्टिक कचरा. हमें कचरे को अलग-अलग करने के तरीके में सुधार की जरूरत है....और कचरों को रीसाइक्लिंग करने संबंधी आधारभूत ढांचे को बढ़ाने की जरूरत है.” AIPMA प्लास्टिक उद्योग का प्रतिनिधित्व करने वाली सबसे बड़ी व्यावसायिक संस्थाओं में से एक है. संस्था ने सरकार से अपील की है कि कोविड महामारी से विनिर्माण इकाइयों को हुए आर्थिक नुकसान के मद्देनजर एसयूपी उत्पादों को चरणबद्ध तरीके से खत्म करने की समय सीमा एक साल यानी 2023 तक के लिए बढ़ा दी जाए. लेकिन प्रतिबंध को सफल बनाने में सभी संबंधित पक्षों को साथ आना होगा. मसलन, कच्चे माल का उत्पादन करने वाले, प्लास्टिक बनाने वाले, उपभोक्ता वस्तुओं का निर्माण करने वाले बड़े उद्योग और सरकारी तंत्र को भी. कचरे के ढेर से पेट्रोल, डीजल बनाता जाम्बिया सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट के प्रोग्राम डायरेक्टर अतिन बिस्वास डीडब्ल्यू से बातचीत में कहते हैं, "कई चुनौतियां हैं. कुछ राज्यों में राजनीतिक प्रतिरोध है और प्रतिबंधों को लागू करने के लिए सरकारी स्तर पर कोई ऐसी योजना भी नहीं है.” इंटरनेशनल फोरम फॉर एनवायरनमेंट, सस्टेनेबिलिटी एंड टेक्नोलॉजी के सीईओ चंद्रा भूषण इस बात पर आशंका जताती हैं कि सिर्फ प्रतिबंधों की घोषणा से एसयूपी को खत्म नहीं किया जा सकता है. वो कहती हैं, "अच्छे परिणाम के लिए सस्ते विकल्पों के प्रसार के साथ-साथ कचरा प्रबंधन में सुधार की भी जरूरत है.”

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Pollution in Delhi-NCR: दिल्ली-एनसीआर की हवा में 'जहर', SC से लेकर NHRC तक गंभीर; लगाई गईं ये कड़ी पाबंदियां

नई दिल्ली, आनलाइन डेस्क। दिल्ली-NCR की हवा फिर खराब हो गई है। राष्ट्रीय राजधानी का वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक (AQI) गंभीर स्तर तक पहुंच गया है. हवा की गुणवत्ता के तेजी से बिगड़ने की शुरुआत पिछले हफ्ते हुई. जहरीली होती हवा को कंट्रोल को करने के लिए सरकार कदम उठा रही है। आमतौर पर दिल्ली-एनसीआर की हवा बिगड़ने के लिए पराली को जिम्मेदार बताया जा रहा है। वायु की गुणवत्ता गंभीर श्रेणी यानी रेड जोन में पहुंचते ही वायु गुणवत्ता प्रबंधन आयोग (सीएक्यूएम) ने तत्काल प्रभाव से दिल्ली-एनसीआर में ग्रेडेड रिस्पांस एक्शन प्लान (ग्रेप) का चौथा चरण लागू कर दिया। दिल्ली में स्वास्थ्य आपातकाल की स्थिति पैदा हो गई है। अब ग्रेप के पहले, दूसरे और तीसरे चरण के प्रविधान को लेकर भी सख्ती बरती जाएगी। सीएक्यूएम ने बुजुर्गों, बच्चों और सांस के मरीजों को अनावश्यक रूप से बाहर नहीं निकलने की सलाह दी है। सीएक्यूएम की बैठक में सामने आया कि अभी अगले दो-तीन दिन वायु की गुणवत्ता गंभीर या बहुत गंभीर श्रेणी में रह सकती है। ऐसे में लोगों के मन में प्रश्न उठता है कि आखिर दिल्ली-एनसीआर में प्रदूषण क्यो? प्रदूषण के लिए क्या उपाय किए जा रहे? दिल्ली-एनसीआर में प्रदूषण के लिए जिम्मेदार कौन? इसका स्वास्थ्य पर क्या असर पड़ रहा है? प्रदूषण से बचने का क्या है उपाय? आइए जानते हैं इन सभी प्रश्नों का जवाब... दिल्ली में ये प्रतिबंध होंगे लागू आवश्यक वस्तुओं को ले जाने वाले या आवश्यक सेवाएं प्रदान करने वाले ट्रकों और सभी सीएनजी, इलेक्ट्रिक ट्रकों को छोड़कर दिल्ली में ट्रकों की एंट्री बंद हो जाएगी। दिल्ली में पंजीकृत डीजल चालित मध्यम माल वाहन (एमजीवी) और भारी माल वाहन (एचजीवी) के दिल्ली में संचालन पर प्रतिबंध लग जाएगा। हालांकि, यहां भी आवश्यक वस्तुओं को ले जाने और आवश्यक सेवाएं प्रदान करने वालों को छूट मिलेगी आवश्यक व आपातकालीन सेवाओं के लिए उपयोग होने वाले बीएस-6 वाहनों को छोड़ दिल्ली-एनसीआर में चारपहिया डीजल एलएमवीएस के चलने पर प्रतिबंध लग जाएगा। दिल्ली-एनसीआर में राजमार्गों, फ्लाईओवर, पाइपलाइन जैसी सरकारी परियोजनाओं में निर्माण कार्य पर रोक लग जाएगी केंद्र व राज्य सरकारें अपने 50 फीसदी कर्मियों को घर से काम करने की अनुमति दे सकती हैं। एनसीआर में उन उद्योगों को बंद करने का आदेश दिया, जो स्वच्छ ईंधन से नहीं चल रहे। राज्य सरकार स्कूलों को बंद करने, गैर-आपातकालीन व्यावसायिक गतिविधियों को बंद करने को लेकर निर्णय ले सकती है। वाहनों के लिए आड-इवन योजना पर भी सरकार निर्णय ले सकती है। दिल्ली सरकार का बड़ा फैसला केजरीवाल ने एलान किया कि कल से दिल्ली में प्राइमरी स्कूल बंद रहेंगे। कक्षा पांच से ऊपर की सभी कक्षाओं के लिए बाहरी गतिविधियों को भी बंद कर रहे हैं। केजरीवाल ने कहा कि ऑड-ईवन पर विचार कर रहे हैं। जरूरत पड़ने पर इसे लागू किया जाएगा। गोपाल राय ने कहा कि दिल्ली सरकार के 50 फीसदी कर्मचारी वर्क फ्रॉम होम रहेंगे। दिल्ली में डीजल गाड़ियों पर प्रतिबंध रहेगा। केवल सीएनजी ट्रकों को इजाजत रहेगी। दिल्ली में केवल BS-6 गाड़ियों को एंट्री मिलेगी। दिल्ली के RWA के गार्डों को इलेक्ट्रिक हीटर दिल्ली सरकार प्रोवाइड करवाएगी। दिल्ली के मार्केट खुलने के और बंद होने के समय में भी बदलाव किया जाएगा। कैसे रखें खुद का ख्याल ऐसे हालात में भीड़भाड़ वाली जगहों और सड़कों पर पैदल चलने से बचें। अगर आपके साथ में बच्चा है तो उसे गोद लेकर चलें ताकि जमीन के जिस स्तर तक गाड़ियों का धुआं मौजूद है उसके असर से बच्चे को बचाया जा सके। अगर बाहर एक्सरसाइज करते हैं तो अलर्ट रहें। एक्सरसाइज करते समय यह भी चेक करें कि कहीं वो जगह सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित क्षेत्रों में तो नहीं आती। इसके लिए AQI का स्तर देख सकते हैं। ऐसे दिनों में वाहनों का कम से कम इस्तेमाल करें क्योंकि हवा को दूषित करने में इनका बड़ा और अहम रोल है. सीएसई की रिपोर्ट में भी इसका जिक्र किया गया है। कचरे को न जलाएं क्योंकि इसका धुआं सीधे तौर पर आपकी सेहत को भी नुकसान पहुंचाता है और पर्यावरण को भी। पांच वजह जिसने हवा में बढ़ाया ‘जहर’ सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एंनवॉयर्नमेंट (CSE) की रिपोर्ट कहती है, दिल्ली की हवा बिगड़ने के लिए वाहनों से निकला धुआं सबसे ज्यादा जिम्मेदार है। यह रिपोर्ट ऐसे समय आई है जब दिल्ली-एनसीआर की हवा अपने बुरे स्तर तक पहुंच गई है। 21 अक्टूबर से 26 अक्टूबर के बीच हुई एनालिसिस कहती है, कार और दूसरे वाहनों के लिए दिल्ली PM 2.5 का आंकड़ा 51 प्रतिशत तक बढ़ गया। पंजाब और हरियाणा समेत पड़ोसी राज्यों में जलाई जाने वाली पराली का असर दिल्ली-एनसीआर की दूषित होती हवा में दिखाई दे रहा है। दिल्ली-एनसीआर के हालात 1 से 15 नवंबर के बीच तेजी से बिगड़ते हैं क्योंकि इस दौरान पराली को जलाने के मामले सबसे ज्यादा सामने आते हैं। सिस्टम ऑफ एयर क्वालिटी एंड वेदर फॉरकास्टिंग एंड रिसर्च (SAFAR) की रिपोर्ट कहती है, इसके कारण दूषित हवा में मौजूद नुकसान पहुंचाने वाले बारीक कणों (PM 2.5) का दायरा बढ़ता है। पराली के कारण बुधवार को पीएम 2.5 का आंकड़ा 38 प्रतिशत और गुरुवार को 32 प्रतिशत रहा। हवा बिगड़ने की तीसरी वजह है, कंस्ट्रक्शन और भवनों को तोड़ने से जुड़ी गतिविधियां. यहां से निकलने वाले धूल के बारीक कण हवा की गुणवत्ता को बिगाड़ रहे हैं। इसके अलावा हॉट मिक्स प्लांट्स और क्रशर्स हवा को दूषित करने का काम कर रहे हैं। मौसम का असर भी हालात को बिगाड़ रहा है। विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि, तेज हवाओं के न चलने से स्मोक अपनी जगह पर टिकी हुई है। हवा चलने पर हालात में सुधार होता है, लेकिन ऐसा न होने पर वर्तमान में जो हालात हैं उसका असर लम्बे समय तक दिख सकता है। रिपोर्ट कहती है, पटाखे सर्दी की शुरुआत में दिल्ली में हवा की गुणवत्ता को बिगाड़ने का काम करते हैं, लेकिन इस साल दिल्ली में पटाखों पर बैन रहा है, इसलिए पिछले सालों की तुलना में दूषित हवा से इनका कनेक्शन बड़ा मुद्दा नहीं बना है। दिल्ली-NCR में प्रदूषण पर 10 नवंबर को सुप्रीम कोर्ट में सुनवाई दिल्ली-एनसीआर में प्रदूषण के मामले पर सुप्रीम कोर्ट से कदम उठाने की मांग की गई है। वकील ने कहा कि जीवन के अधिकार के तहत सुप्रीम कोर्ट को मामले पर गौर करना चाहिए। सुप्रीम कोर्ट प्रदूषण मामले पर 10 नवंबर को सुनवाई करेगा।

Climate Change and Green Economy

South Asia desperate for positives from COP27

Thirteen years ago, the UN's climate conference saw developed countries commit $100 billion per year by 2020. That figure has not been met and it is South Asia that has paid the price, say climate activists. South Asia is very much on the frontlines when it comes to climate change and COP27 — the UN's annual conference dedicated to the environmental crisis — is taking place at a critical juncture as the region deals with increasingly frequent and intense weather events. By the end of the current decade, South Asian nations will incur costs of about $160 billion (€163 billion) per year because of climate change, according to the World Bank. The financial institution also estimates that in the next three decades the region will experience at least 40 million climate migrants. A 2021 study by environmental group German Watch focusing on the first two decades of the century revealed that 3 of the 10 countries in the long-term climate risk index are from South Asia — namely Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal. India and Afghanistan fall in the next 10. The impact is worsening in India, which in 2021 alone suffered 19 climate shocks, while Asia suffered 174 in total. Catastrophic deluges in Pakistan this year have affected some 33 million people, while massive floods displaced and destroyed the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh and India's northeast. "Floods were devastating in Pakistan, and I think an estimated $16 billion are needed for the reconstruction," Thomas Michael Kerr, lead climate specialist South Asia at the World Bank Group, told DW. "I would like to contrast it to the terrible Hurricane Ian. Florida also had a devastating impact, but you don't see the impact of that magnitude on the people versus people in Pakistan." The 'new climate normal' South Asians are living under intensifying heat waves, cyclones, droughts and floods. The scale and frequency of these events are testing the limits of governments, businesses, and citizens to adapt to the new normal. The World Bank says that the changing climate could sharply diminish living conditions for up to 800 million people in a region that already has some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable populations. "It is gutting. It upsets me deeply. Floods submerged much of the country and millions of people had nowhere to go," Aliza Ayaz, a young Pakistani climate activist and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, told DW. "I wish I could do more. I wish I could be on the ground. Such devastating times for people are the only times I wish I was in the highest place of position and influence, so I could dispose of help and money to emergency causes to save lives and rehabilitate homes." Like Ayaz, climate activists and experts are eyeing this year's UN climate conference, COP27, to find more sustainable solutions for the affected people. There is particular concern surrounding the pledges from the the 2015 Paris Agreement. "There was a dilution of climate justice in the Paris Agreement itself through the expectation that the emissions reduction burden must be borne equally by all countries, rich or poor," Avantika Goswami, a policy researcher from the India-based Center for Science and Environment, told DW. "This inequity will worsen as poor and vulnerable countries suffer disproportionately from a crisis that they have not caused and are also not receiving adequate financial compensation to recover and rebuild," she added. Financing climate resilience The global climate finance target, set at COP15 by developed nations, is supposed to be $100 billion a year from 2020 onward. So far, the pledge has not been fully met. The British international NGO Oxfam estimates $21-$24.5 billion as the "true value" of climate finance provided in 2020, against a reported figure of $68.3 billion in public finance that developed countries said was provided — alongside mobilized private finance bringing the total to $83.3 billion. COP27 will focus on scaling-up adaptation solutions while mobilizing and strengthening access to financing for adaptation. "Money that goes for mitigation, generally goes for renewable projects, like solar or wind energy projects," Saleemul Huq, director of the Dhaka-based climate education institute ICCCAD, told DW. "Those energy projects generate an income. So, these projects can be funded with loans. That is why the developed countries are more interested in mitigation projects. On the other hand, adaptation money should be given as grants, because it will help a flood-affected destitute person in Bangladesh or Pakistan." Policy researcher Goswami believes the COP15 goal of $100 billion per year was "an arbitrary figure that grossly underestimated the needs of the developing world for mitigation and adaptation." "Discussions at COP27 must advance towards a new figure for climate finance from 2025 onward that accurately captures these needs," she continued. "Developed countries must also answer for the gap in finance so far, and how the current goal will be met till 2025." Kerr from the World Bank also said that because of revenue generation opportunities, the private sector is more interested in mitigation projects. "We have to come up with new ways to finance climate resilience across South Asia," Kerr said. With an eye on COP27, Kerr hopes "we can bring people together to think about what else we can do to bring more finance for resilience in these countries." Loss and damage In recent years, more vulnerable countries have been talking about creating another fund called Loss and Damage. They say that countries at risk are suffering huge losses from natural disasters caused by man-made climate change. Beyond adaptation or mitigation, rehabilitation of affected people also requires large sums of money. "The floods in Pakistan were 50% more severe because of human-induced climate change," Huq from ICCCAD said. "This is a new demand to the rich countries to provide additional funds from mitigation and adaptation to help the victims who are suffering from loss and damage now. Adaptation and mitigation have failed for them. They are suffering. They need help now, and for that we need a fund." Loss and Damage is not yet a standing agenda item in the COP27. It is a provisional agenda. At the beginning of the upcoming conference — which will be held for two weeks from November 6 — it has to be adopted by all the parties. The pressure and expectations for that from the climate vulnerable and developing countries have mounted. "Even one country can object and stop it from being adopted. If that happens that will be a big fight, and the COP will be declared a failure even before it has started," Huq, who is also the chair of the experts of climate vulnerable forum, said. "We now have evidence that extreme events are happening because of human-induced climate change," he added. "The IPCC sixth amendment report has clearly mentioned that it is attributable to the carbon emissions because of human actions. COP27 is the first COP in this new era, and it has to deal with this problem."

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Vehicles contributed half of PM 2.5 pollution from local sources in Delhi around Diwali: CSE report

Report uses decision support system (DSS) of Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology(IITM), which has provided the information on potential emission sources Vehicular emission contributed half of PM 2.5 pollution from local sources in Delhi during the Diwali week between October 21 and October 26, according to the latest assessment by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). It said that 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. But, according to CSE's indicative data, vehicles' daily share of pollution varied between 49.3 per cent and 53 per cent during the week of Diwali. "The vehicular contribution was followed by household pollution (residential) at 13 per cent, industries at 11 per cent, construction at 7 per cent, waste burning and the energy sector at 5 per cent each, and road dust and other sources at 4 per cent each. This observation is consistent with the trends evaluated during the previous winter in Delhi," principal programme manager at CSE's Clean Air and Sustainable Mobility unit Vivek Chattopadhyay said. The CSE report indicated all combustion sources, including vehicles, peripheral industries, the energy sector, waste burning and residential cooking, have a higher share than the dust sources that include construction and road dust. The report has used the decision support system (DSS) of Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology(IITM), which has provided the information on potential emission sources in Delhi. "With high traffic on pre-Diwali days, average speed plummeted to 27 km per hour against the design standard of 60 km per hour or regulated speed of 40 km per hour. On some stretches this reduced to 17 km per hour. Nitrogen dioxide coming largely from vehicles correlates well with traffic peaks and congestion though dispersion helped to dilute it in the afternoons, the CSE assessment stated. The organisation said that despite vehicles becoming the top polluter, action on transport remains "the weakest". It further stated that public transport augmentation and integration is needed, along with electrification of fleet, walking and cycling infrastructure, low emissions zones and vehicle restraint measures such as parking caps and pricing.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Delhi air pollution: Biggest culprit this year, and possible solutions

The CSE analysis found that Delhi’s local sources caused around 32.9 per cent of the pollution in the city from October 21 to 26. Here are the causes and culprits it found. What kept Delhi’s air polluted from October 21 to 26, the week that the city recorded the first ‘very poor’ air day of the season? The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based organisation that focuses on environment-related research and advocacy, analysed data to indicate that much of the air pollution over the week from within the city was caused by vehicular emissions. What were CSE’s findings? CSE’s analysis of data from October 21 to 26 found that of the local sources of pollution, vehicular emissions may have contributed around 51 per cent to the PM2.5 levels in Delhi. Local sources refer to the sources within the city. Among these, local sources, the next largest contribution was 13 per cent from residential sources, and 11 per cent from industries. Construction activities contributed around 7 per cent to PM2.5, followed by 5 per cent each from the burning of waste and the energy sector. Road dust contributed around 4 per cent to PM2.5 levels. What kept Delhi’s air polluted from October 21 to 26, the week that the city recorded the first ‘very poor’ air day of the season? The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based organisation that focuses on environment-related research and advocacy, analysed data to indicate that much of the air pollution over the week from within the city was caused by vehicular emissions. What were CSE’s findings? CSE’s analysis of data from October 21 to 26 found that of the local sources of pollution, vehicular emissions may have contributed around 51 per cent to the PM2.5 levels in Delhi. Local sources refer to the sources within the city. Among these, local sources, the next largest contribution was 13 per cent from residential sources, and 11 per cent from industries. Construction activities contributed around 7 per cent to PM2.5, followed by 5 per cent each from the burning of waste and the energy sector. Road dust contributed around 4 per cent to PM2.5 levels.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Delhi minister's solution to air pollution is 'work from home'

In other measures to reduce air pollution, Delhi Environment minister Gopal Rai urged people not to burn wood or coal, especially in the mornings. As Delhi's air quality becomes "severe", Environment minister Gopal Rai has a possible solution to the pollution problem -- work from home. He appealed to people to work from home and avoid using private vehicles because half of the pollution was caused by vehicular emissions. "I appeal to people, if possible work from home and avoid taking out private vehicles. Fifty per cent of the pollution is from vehicles," Rai said. "If you are going to office, try to share vehicles; if you can, work from home, so vehicles can be taken out only in emergencies." He also asked people not to burst firecrackers. The AAP minister also blamed the Centre for not supporting the Punjab government's plan to provide a cash incentive to them for not burning the crop residue. "Stubble burning in Punjab is happening due to Centre as they didn't support Punjab govt, farmers to stop it," Rai said. "The BJP is blaming farmers for burning stubble because of their protests.... They now want FIRs to be filed against them. They should stop abusing farmers, stop seeking revenge from them." Quoting a study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Rai said that 69 per cent of the air pollution in Delhi comes from neighbouring states. "The air pollution problem cannot be resolved through politics," he said. "The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has come up with a plan, which will have to be implemented in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana too -- in Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Bahadurgarh." In other measures to reduce air pollution, Rai urged people not to burn wood or coal, especially in the mornings. He appealed to housing associations to provide their security guards with electric heaters so that they do not have to light bonfires.

Down To Earth

India Has Witnessed a Climate Change-Induced Natural Disaster Almost Every Day So Far in 2022: New CSE Report

Climate change has never been fair. While the battle remains a global effort, the disproportional manner in which climate disaster tramples on the weakest makes it an achingly cruel opponent. For example, despite exhibiting one of the lowest per-capita emissions in the world, India stands to be one of the worst affected. The cataclysmic cogs of climate events have already begun turning, with a new report mourning that India has witnessed a natural disaster almost every day of 2022 so far. The report, released in collaboration between the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down To Earth magazine, assesses that out of the 273 days between January 1 and September 30, some form of extreme weather event shrouded some part of India in tragedy for 242 of them — or 88% of the time. Additionally, the sheer range of the disaster types seems eyebrow-raising. India simultaneously recorded one of the wettest Januaries and one of the driest Marches in over 120 years. In addition, eastern and northeastern India recorded abnormally cold day and night-time temperatures in February, which can be devastating for crop growth due to frost development. This, too, can be attributed to climate change, which is making these kinds of record-breaking events occur more frequently than they should. “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,” said CSE director general Sunita Narain. Death and destruction toll higher than ever The repercussions of the warming trend remain painfully real. According to the report, these climate change-induced natural disasters killed almost 3,000 people and 70,000 livestock, and destroyed around 4.1 lakh houses just this year alone. They also affected 18 lakh hectares of crop area — about 1% of the total cropped area in the nation. For an agrarian country, this could spell significant social and economic consequences. Assam Floods. (IANS) Assam Floods (IANS) The worst-hit regions include India’s central and northwestern parts, which recorded almost 200 days of extreme weather events and grieved the highest death toll than any other region, with 887 lives lost. Next in line is the northeastern region, with 783 deaths. Northeast India was continuously ravaged by extremely heavy rains and floods throughout the southwest monsoon season. Assam, which was submerged for months, reported the highest number of damaged houses and animal deaths than any other state in the nation. Further, the report adds that extreme weather events brought Madhya Pradesh to its knees every second day. But surprisingly, the state did not suffer from any crop damage. Experts assert this to “gaps in loss and damage reporting” — a recurring phenomenon that could significantly inflate these numbers if adequately accounted for. A similar trend is observed when we compare lives lost to heatwaves as well. Experts reckon that the 45 lives that succumbed to heatwaves would be much larger if adjusted for its long-term effects. A silver lining Ferocious winds uprooted trees in several districts of West Bengal (TOI, BCCL, Kolkata) Ferocious winds uprooted trees in several districts of West Bengal (TOI, BCCL, Kolkata) In between all this muck, there is some good news. Despite cyclones tearing down large swaths of areas in the country, the direct fatalities caused by these disasters remained low at just 2. Experts posit that this is primarily due to effective and early forecasting and warning systems, which allowed for better mitigation measures to be put in place. “This is because of the amazing work done by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on cyclone forecasting so that there is adequate warning to governments. It is also because state governments — particularly those in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal — have improved their systems of disaster management,” Narain explained. **

Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

Why is India's Single-Use Plastic Ban Failing?

Three months after India imposed a ban on single use plastics (SUPs) to tackle plastic waste and worsening pollution, plastics are still in rampant circulation across the country. The ban includes almost 21 SUP items such as plates, cups, cutlery, straws, packaging films and cigarette packets. "Though the central government has issued the ban, the implementation lies with the respective state governments and their state pollution control boards," Ravi Agarwal, director of environmental NGO Toxics Link, told DW. "The state's actions are not up to the mark; there seems to be lack of effective implementation strategy from the states to enforce the ban fully," he added. But India, which uses about 14 million tons of plastic annually, has not issued any advisory to stop the use of SUPs, and no penalties have been imposed following the ban. SUP products continue to be available as usual. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) chairman Tanmay Kumar highlighted in a recent communication that despite the ban, the use of SUP items, specifically thin carry-bags, also continues unabated in the low-end section of the economy. 'Cheap alternatives' needed Last year, a government committee identified the SUP items to be banned based on an index of their low utility and high environmental impact. The share of plastic used for these banned SUPs is less than 2-3% of the total plastic waste generated in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that his government would be actively working towards a crackdown on plastic in its second term in power. But experts warned it would not be an easy task given that close to 26,000 tons of plastic waste is generated across India every day, of which more than 10,000 tons stay uncollected. Agarwal from Toxics Link stressed that alternatives to SUPs are needed. "Availability of cheap alternatives to cater the demand of these banned products are critical challenges which need to be looked into," he said. Bharati Chaturvedi, founder and director of Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, pointed out that investments have not been adequately made to make the transition. "There have to be incentives for this shift…Manufacturers have to be told on no uncertain terms. At times the all-pervasive plastics, backed by the might of the plastics industry, really needs a tsunami to shake it up,” Chaturvedi told DW. SMEs to be hit hardest India's per capita consumption of plastic at 11 kilograms per year is still among the lowest in the world (global average is 28 kilograms per year). In 2020-21, India generated nearly 3.5 million tons of plastic, according to government figures provided by the country's 28 states and 8 union territories. Maharashtra state forms 13% of this, followed by Tamil Nadu and Punjab at 12% each, respectively. Meanwhile, India's recycling capacity at 1.56 million tons per year is only half of the total of plastics generated. India lacks an organized plastic waste management system, resulting in widespread littering. Plastics end up in rivers, oceans and landfills, threatening the lives of wildlife species. What's more, the ban as it stands impacts the most vulnerable segments, especially the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of the plastic industry, and potential job losses are also being overlooked. "Going by track record, we have directed strict enforcement of the ban, with a focus on street vendors, vegetable markets and local markets, along with checks at borders and inspection of concerned industries," a senior Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) official told DW. Political resistance to implement ban For the ban on SUPs to be successful, industry experts are calling on the government to carry out a thorough economic and environmental cost-benefit analysis, as well as chalk out a plan to take into account social and economic impacts. "We want a clean India and are ready to transition. But why not focus on the root of the problem — plastic waste. We need to improve waste segregation… and amp up our recycling infrastructure," said Deepak Ballani, director-general of the All India Plastic Manufacturers Association (AIPMA). The AIPMA, one of the largest trade bodies representing the plastics industry, has requested the government to push the deadline for phasing out SUP products by a period of one year to 2023 due to economic distress faced by manufacturing units because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But all stakeholders involved — producers of raw materials, plastic manufacturers, giant fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, and government entities — have their parts to play to make the ban a success. "There are challenges. There is political resistance in some states, and also there is no planned effort by state authorities to implement the ban," Atin Biswas, program director at Centre for Science and Environment, told DW. Chandra Bhushan, the CEO of International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology, doubts India's ban alone would be sufficient to eliminate SUPs. "There needs to be marketing of affordable alternatives as well as improvements in waste management to achieve results," she said.

Down To Earth

A climate change-induced natural disaster has struck India every day of 2022 so far, new CSE report shows

Climate change has never been fair. While the battle remains a global effort, the disproportional manner in which climate disaster tramples on the weakest makes it an achingly cruel opponent. For example, despite exhibiting one of the lowest per-capita emissions in the world, India stands to be one of the worst affected. The cataclysmic cogs of climate events have already begun turning, with a new report mourning that India has witnessed a natural disaster almost every day of 2022 so far. The report, released in collaboration between the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down To Earth magazine, assesses that out of the 273 days between January 1 and September 30, some form of extreme weather event shrouded some part of India in tragedy for 242 of them — or 88% of the time. Additionally, the sheer range of the disaster types seems eyebrow-raising. India simultaneously recorded one of the wettest Januaries and one of the driest Marches in over 120 years. In addition, eastern and northeastern India recorded abnormally cold day and night-time temperatures in February, which can be devastating for crop growth due to frost development. This too can be attributed to climate change, which is making these kinds of record-breaking events occur more frequently than they should. “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,” said CSE director general Sunita Narain. Death and destruction toll higher than ever The repercussions of the warming trend remain painfully real. According to the report, these climate change-induced natural disasters killed almost 3,000 people and 70,000 livestock, and destroyed around 4.1 lakh houses just this year alone. They also affected 18 lakh hectares of crop area — about 1% of the total cropped area in the nation. For an agrarian country, this could spell significant social and economic consequences. The worst-hit regions include India’s central and northwestern parts, which recorded almost 200 days of extreme weather events and grieved the highest death toll than any other region, with 887 lives lost. Next in line is the northeastern region with 783 deaths. Northeast India was continuously ravaged by extremely heavy rains and floods throughout the southwest monsoon season. Assam, which was submerged for months, reported the highest number of damaged houses and animal deaths than any other state in the nation. Further, the report adds that extreme weather events brought Madhya Pradesh to its knees every second day. But surprisingly, the state did not suffer from any crop damage. Experts assert this to “gaps in loss and damage reporting” — a recurring phenomenon that could significantly inflate these numbers if adequately accounted for. A similar trend is observed when we compare lives lost to heatwaves as well. Experts reckon that the 45 lives that succumbed to heatwaves would be much larger if adjusted for its long-term effects. A silver lining In between all this muck, there is some good news. Despite cyclones tearing down large swaths of areas in the country, the direct fatalities caused by these disasters remained low at just 2. Experts posit that this is primarily due to effective and early forecasting and warning systems, which allowed for better mitigation measures to be put in place. “This is because of the amazing work done by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on cyclone forecasting so that there is adequate warning to governments. It is also because state governments — particularly those in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal — have improved their systems of disaster management,” Narain explained.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Work From Home Or Use Shared Transport To Reduce Vehicular Emissions: Rai Appeals To Delhiites

Citing a study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment, Rai said local sources account for 31 per cent of the air pollution in Delhi, 54.5 per cent comes from other areas in the National Capital Region and the rest is due to biomass burning. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday appealed to city residents to preferably work from home or use shared transport to reduce vehicular emissions, a major contributor to air pollution in the national capital. He also said that vehicular emissions account for 51 per cent of the air pollution generated locally. "If possible, please share a ride to work or work from home. This is how we can reduce the share of vehicular emissions in Delhi's air pollution," he said during a press conference here. Rai asked people to refrain from using coal or firewood for heating purposes and to provide electric heaters to security staff to avoid open burning during winters. "We have to reduce our share of pollution. We have to do everything we can. We cannot sit idle waiting for others to act," the minister said. He said people should avoid bursting firecrackers. "Emission from even one firecracker can cause great harm in such unfavourable meteorological conditions," he said. Rai also asked people to take pictures if they find anyone violating the ban on construction work and upload them on "Green Delhi" application for necessary action. With pollution levels worsening, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had on Saturday directed authorities to impose a ban on construction and demolition activities in Delhi-NCR, except in essential projects, and other curbs under stage three of the Graded Response Action plan (GRAP). GRAP, first implemented in 2017, is a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the national capital and its vicinity according to the severity of the situation. The Delhi government had on Tuesday issued a notice to stop work at the BJP headquarters here and imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on private firm Larsen & Toubro Ltd for violating the ban on construction and demolition work. Rai said the Delhi government will run a special drive at the 13 pollution hotspots in Delhi, including Narela, Anand Vihar, Mundka, Dwarka, Punjabi Bagh, among others. "Fire tenders will be deployed at these places to sprinkle water," he said. Citing a study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment, Rai said local sources account for 31 per cent of the air pollution in Delhi, 54.5 per cent comes from other areas in the National Capital Region and the rest is due to biomass burning. "The air pollution problem cannot be resolved through politics. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has come up with Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which will have to be implemented in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana too -- in Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Bahadurgarh. "We have been following GRAP and have accordingly banned construction work, barring some essential projects, in Delhi. We need the support of the governments in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. They need to become active," he said.

Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy