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Floods in Pakistan, hurricane in US, nearly daily extreme weather events in India: the severe climate disasters of 2022

India recorded “extreme weather events on 241 of 273 days” in the first nine months of the year, according to one study. Representatives from nations around the world are heading towards the concluding phase of the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in Sharm el-Shaikh, Egypt. The conference has witnessed nations participating in discussions that emphasize climate finance, including adaptation and mitigation finance, by bringing the concept of ‘loss and damage’ into the forefront. The world’s biggest emitters – China, the United States, the European Union and India – account for more than half of historical emissions of greenhouse gases. Representatives from nations around the world are heading towards the concluding phase of the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in Sharm el-Shaikh, Egypt. The conference has witnessed nations participating in discussions that emphasize climate finance, including adaptation and mitigation finance, by bringing the concept of ‘loss and damage’ into the forefront. The world’s biggest emitters – China, the United States, the European Union and India – account for more than half of historical emissions of greenhouse gases. Representatives from nations around the world are heading towards the concluding phase of the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in Sharm el-Shaikh, Egypt. The conference has witnessed nations participating in discussions that emphasize climate finance, including adaptation and mitigation finance, by bringing the concept of ‘loss and damage’ into the forefront. The world’s biggest emitters – China, the United States, the European Union and India – account for more than half of historical emissions of greenhouse gases. Representatives from nations around the world are heading towards the concluding phase of the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in Sharm el-Shaikh, Egypt. The conference has witnessed nations participating in discussions that emphasize climate finance, including adaptation and mitigation finance, by bringing the concept of ‘loss and damage’ into the forefront. The world’s biggest emitters – China, the United States, the European Union and India – account for more than half of historical emissions of greenhouse gases.

COP27 pledge may repel West’s bid to skirt blame

The first draft of a deal being hashed out at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt appeared to repel efforts by developed nations to shift some of their onus of action and funding to developing countries like India and China, setting up what appeared to be a difficult dash for consensus before a Friday deadline. Released as a “non-paper”, or an unofficial draft, by Egypt’s COP27 president, the 20-page text retains the distinction between rich and poor nations, and highlights the Paris Agreement principles of “equity” and “common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR)”, which relates to the fundamental understanding that countries will act as per their national circumstances and respective capabilities. “We are at crunch time in the negotiations. COP27 is scheduled to close in 24 hours — and the parties remain divided on a number of significant issues,” said UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. “There is clearly a breakdown in trust between North and South, and between developed and emerging economies. This is no time for finger pointing. The blame game is a recipe for mutually assured destruction. I am here to appeal to all parties to rise to this moment and to the greatest challenge facing humanity. The world is watching and has a simple message: stand and deliver,” he added. Negotiators were spending the time till deadline to pore over every word of the text, which will lay down the shape of the global consensus on how to fight the climate crisis. The early draft, an observer from India said, was encouraging for developing countries. “It is an extensive cover text that reflects the concerns of developing countries. It has highlighted the real gap in delivery of climate finance, it talks of the depleting carbon budget and the need for developed countries to attain net-negative emissions by 2030, it refers to India’s call on sustainable lifestyles and consumption, and, most importantly, it doesn’t rephrase the Paris Agreement goal which developed countries were trying to push for,” said this person, asking not to be named. But, India’s proposal to not selectively single out sources of emissions among fossil fuels for action was not a part of the text. India and several other developing nations that rely on coal for energy pushed for requiring all fossil fuels to be phased down, a phrasing that would have included more expensive oil and gas that richer countries largely rely on. The wording on coal One of the developing country negotiators said this was not necessarily a setback for India because the recognition that even action on coal will have to be “in line with national circumstances” and the need for a “just transition”. “We had all put proposals forward. The process is by consensus of all. One of the things that is clear to us is that we cannot go any further than the language in Glasgow because of our national circumstances, energy and developments needs presently. This is work in progress. No conclusions can be drawn at the moment,” said a delegate from India, noting that the early draft reflects the language on equity and CBDR strongly. A second developing country negotiator said that “several parties, including US and the Arab group, were opposed to the idea of calling for a phasedown of all fossil fuels. Statements and country positions are not the same. This too will be negotiated on tonight.” “We have to understand why India agreed to Glasgow language to be repeated. It may be because the earlier call to phase down all fossil fuels was tactical as pressure from rich nations was also building up on expanding donor base etc and such a call was needed put the developed country groups on the backfoot,” said an expert who declined to be named. An observer, who saw India’s intervention on Thursday evening, said: “All countries are sticking to their positions. But the text can change significantly tomorrow morning. India also said focus on only one fuel is prescriptive and it is not okay with such an approach. It is important to remember the same coal language is already in Glasgow Pact and in G20 communique so it is difficult to undo it completely.” Most contentious But talks on other contested issues, such as mitigation work programmes (matters related to reducing emissions in line with the Paris Agreement goals) and the Loss and Damage fund did not appear to have made any progress since these sections were only identified by placeholder text. Rich countries have been pushing to expand the donor base to include developing countries like India and China for climate finance, particularly for Loss and Damage and for mitigation, according to observers. “The logjam over expansion of the donor base and taking on similar mitigation efforts is continuing behind doors. The Arab countries in particular are fuming because of being counted as high income countries. India and China are also being pushed. But Paris Agreement is paramount and no other country classification can be recognised other than how Paris Agreement classifies countries under its annexures,” said a third developing country negotiator, asking not to be named. Experts said there were some positives from the early draft. “Important statements [have been made] on the issue of disproportionate use of carbon budget and the need for climate justice for mitigation and finance. I hope these are not diluted or removed in final draft,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment, commenting on the so-called non-paper. “The elements paper, which will form the basis of the cover text, has been a hard-to-navigate document. It lists down a lot but doesn’t stack up to anything that can be termed as progress so far. It puts placeholders in key agenda items like mitigation work programme. Offers no clarity on the fate of a financing facility for loss and damage, which was a key demand of this COP. A statement in the text acknowledges [the need for] scaled up finance to the tune of $4-6 trillion per year for global transformation to low carbon. Current estimates suggest a mobilisation of less than $1billion from all sources,” said Aarti Khosla, director and founder of Climate Trends, who is tracking the negotiations. “The cover text decision in its present form recognises the low impact of NDCs that will be far short of [leading to] 45% emissions reduction by 2030. But, it suggests that global peaking is possible in 2030 if all conditional and unconditional NDCs are implemented fully. This implies additional financial flows. All fossil fuel phasedown is not mentioned but the failure of developed countries to reduce emissions and the urgency of their becoming net negative by 2030 is mentioned in the current text,” said RR Rashmi, distinguished fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute. The place holder on Loss and Damage led to anxiety among small island countries bearing the worst impacts of climate change. “We are running out of time and patience. The developed countries have failed to mobilise $100 billion but they have unlimited money for pharmaceuticals and weapons but not for Loss and Damage. Our need is existential and waiting for two years is untenable,” said Ralph Regenvanu, minister of climate change, Vanuatu, in a press briefing. “At the moment the cover text looks like a declaration and not a decision. It needs to be narrow and sharp,” said a negotiator from a South American country, asking not to be named. 1.5°C goal alive Key among the issues discussed was the 1.5°C goal. COP27 countries, the document said, “stresses the importance of exerting all efforts at all levels to achieve the Paris Agreement temperature goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels,”. It goes on to point out that developed countries have failed to mitigate emissions based on their fair share and historical responsibility, a portion that is likely to be of particular contention. “Expresses deep regret that developed countries who have the most capabilities financially and technologically to lead in reducing their emissions continue to fall short in doing so, and are taking inadequate and unambitious goals to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, while they continue to emit and disproportionately consume the global carbon budget,” the draft said. Overall, the cover decision encourages wealthy countries to increase support and align funding flows with the 1.5°C goal. This is not the final text and it may change significantly. Egypt being a developing country itself has been trying to reflect the concerns of developing country groups. “The Paris Agreement says in black and white. Under Article 2, it states that the entire Paris Agreement should be guided by based on equity and common but differentiated responsibilities. This is a conversation that takes place every year. We are patrons at this time and we are trying to find a common ground. We will have to find the right language to accommodate differentiation. We are aware of the various positions and we are working now to accommodate the parties’ views but also the legal agreement that we ratified together,” Egypt’s COP27 ambassador Wael Aboulmagd said on Wednesday evening when asked by HT on how the Presidency would address the push by rich countries to remove differentiation among countries. Negotiators said the task to find consensus will be difficult. “It’s going to be quite a long and difficult journey to the end of this process,” European Union climate policy chief Frans Timmermans told a news conference. “Today, I’m afraid I’m not sure yet where these talks will land.” “If this COP fails, we all lose.”

Farm Fire Count Declining But Next Seven Days Key

The daily stubble burning count has started reducing in north India. Even Punjab and Haryana have seen a reduction of 31% and 46% in farm fires, respectively, between September 15 and November 17 compared with last year. In the normal course, crop stubble burning starts declining from November 15 and gets over by November 30. However, experts said a clear trend for this season would emerge after a few days. Satellites detected 966 farm fires in Punjab, 39 in Haryana and 50 in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. However, the stubble burning counts were 2,647 in Punjab, 99 in Haryana and 36 in UP on November 12. Professor Vinay Sehgal, principal scientist and in-charge of Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space laboratory at Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) said, “Since per day counts have started reducing in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, peak burning season is over. Past data shows that stubble burning gets almost over in Punjab by November 20. We expect the same to happen this year too. The recommended date for sowing wheat is November 15, which is in progress in the states.” According to IARI, which follows the standard protocol 2021 notified by Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas, 47,788 paddy residue burning events were recorded in Punjab between September 15 and November 17 this year as against 69,445 during the same period in 2021 and 80,346 in 2020. Even in previous years, the per-day count in Punjab had crossed 5,000 on a few days. However, the highest per-day farm fires were 3,916 in this season. Between September 15 and November 17, Haryana recorded 3,272 paddy residue burning events in 2022, 6,094 in 2021 and 3,710 in 2020. Uttar Pradesh reported 1,555 farm fires in 2022, 2,763 in 2021 and 2,943 in 2020. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said, “A clearer view of the stubble burning trend will emerge when the season is fully over. If the recorded number of fire incidents are lower than past years, it’s a sign that things are changing on the ground. However, efforts are needed to achieve scale of action to ensure near elimination of the problem for substantial improvement next year.” Gufran Beig, founder project director, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research, said, “It’s yet to be seen if stubble burning extends this season.”

Season of smog grips Delhi along with many north Indian cities

Air pollution respects no geographical boundaries. An inter-State solution should be worked out. Diwali celebrations in October kick-started the annual air pollution emergency in New Delhi and the political blame game as well. While the arrival of winter left millions in north India gasping for breath, and cases of respiratory illnesses soared across the region, the focus remained uncannily on the national capital. Besides Delhi, UP, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Bihar are seeing the worst of air pollution in recent decades. The World Air Quality Report released by the Swiss organisation IQAir in March 2022, lists 35 Indian cities in the 50 most polluted cities in the world. Of them, 14 rank in the top 20, and all are in north India—seven in Uttar Pradesh, five in Haryana, and one each in Rajasthan and New Delhi. In the full list of 50 feature Bhiwadi in Rajasthan; Ghaziabad, Jaunpur, Noida, Baghpat, Meerut, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Bulandshahr and Greater Noida in UP; Muzaffarpur and Patna in Bihar; Hisar, Jind, Rohtak, Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana; and New Delhi. The seasonal factors that result in the deterioration in air quality are well-known: the winter haze, fireworks during Diwali, and smoke from stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, and parts of UP. Stubble burning gets rid of crop residue and helps clear farmland for the next sowing. Such burning has been the focus of all attention for the past few years, with governments offering farmers financial incentives to stop the practice. However, besides these seasonal factors are the constant vehicular pollution and emissions from industries and electricity generation that mix with the winter fog and turn it into toxic smog. Construction dust and brick kilns also contribute to the smog. At the national level, the emphasis now is on renewable energy sources and the phasing out of old polluting automobiles and the eventual closure of thermal power facilities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to have net zero carbon emissions in India by 2070, and his government claims that by 2030 renewable energy will provide 50 per cent of the country’s electricity demands. In the context of automobiles, poor coordination between the pollution control boards and local Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) has made the phasing out of old vehicles a challenge. Toxic air in Uttar Pradesh According to Venkatesh Dutta, an Environment Science professor at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, pollution levels in UP are alarmingly off the charts but often go unreported. He said, “The monitoring devices in UP are unevenly distributed with some districts having multiple devices while others have no functional devices. In smaller cities, the reporting is even more scarce. No serious sampling is done. Because of this, much of the pollution goes unreported.” He added that the pollution woes in UP are likely to get worse if only because the pollution control board in the State is highly understaffed. He added, “The UP Pollution Control Board swings into action only when there is a cumulative, visible impact of pollution. There is no precautionary approach, no advance planning.” Further, he said that cases of respiratory illnesses are rocketing in the state because of pollution. According to Gufran Ullah Beig, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, toxic emissions can cause long-term damage to people’s health. “The chemical composition of the particles that make up PM2.5 matter should be analysed to solve the health problems linked with pollution,” he told Frontline. PM 2.5 refers to particulate matter in the air that are 2.5 microns in width. Among the main contributors to pollution in UP are dust from transportation and construction activities. Several national highways pass through the State, resulting in extreme vehicular pollution. Exposed earth on many of the roads kick up dust and contribute to the worsening air quality. On top of this, many small-scale industries, benefiting from the State government’s push to generate employment, do not comply with environmental regulations. With the failure of awareness programmes on the dangers of stubble burning, the UP government is considering enforcing legal penalties, including filing FIRs against violators apart from the fines already in place. Farmers have remained stubborn on stubble burning cases because the other measures to get rid of stubble require special equipment and/or biochemicals and are labour intensive. The Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the United States, reported close to 800 incidents of stubble burning from 18 districts of UP in two weeks spanning October and November. Support for the farmers has come from Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who said recently that he felt bad when farmers were held responsible for Delhi’s increasing pollution. “I am the Minister for Agriculture and I speak for the farming community. I feel that if farmers cause an increase in pollution in Delhi, I am to blame,” he said. To erase the negative connotation associated with farmers, he argued, is everyone’s responsibility, he added and urged both Delhi and neighbouring states to take action to stop the problem. On the other hand, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have come under fire from Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav for failing to address Delhi’s pollution crisis. Yadav tweeted: “There is no dispute over who has transformed Delhi into a gas chamber,” pointing to an increase in agricultural residue fires in Punjab, which elected an AAP government earlier this year. While pollution in north India soared, south Indian States enjoyed clear skies and weather. This is because of the different meteorological factors in South India. According to S.K. Dhaka, a professor at Delhi University, the pollution levels in southern India are mostly low because of its coastal surroundings. “There are strong winds in the southern regions, while the wind speed is significantly lesser in the northern states,” he said. Rapid Industrialisation High levels of air pollution are also a result of the country’s rapid economic development, which has resulted in a surge in energy demand for industrialisation, vehicle emissions, and rapidly growing cities with their upwardly mobile middle classes. Currently, India’s economy is heavily driven by services, but with Modi’s “Make in India” and production linked incentive schemes manufacturing is getting a big boost. It is possible that further industrialisation could harm the environment at a time when the nation already has some of the most polluted cities in the world and is still at a very early stage of its manufacturing evolution (around 15 per cent of the Indian GDP is from manufacturing.) According to the World Bank, Vietnam has been the world’s fastest-growing greenhouse emitter over the past two decades. During this period, the share of manufacturing in Vietnam’s GDP has doubled. Clearly, rapid industrialisation comes at a cost. According to D.P. Dimri, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Environmental Sciences, air pollution in north Indian States is an alarming issue throughout the year. “At this time, there are several seasonal factors at play, such as changing wind direction, stubble burning, and less moisture in the soil. But the pollution levels are not satisfactory even at other times in the year,” he said. He believes that rapid urbanisation is the main reason for this. “Rapid urbanisation means more industries, more construction activity, increased electricity consumption, and expansion of cities, all of which contribute to air pollution,” he said. Tall buildings have also contributed to the worsening air pollution. According to Dimri, tall buildings prevent the wind from taking away pollutants. “Development comes at a cost. But how much cost can we bear in the name of development? More jobs and better income, of course, are the need of the hour. But development should also focus on creating a sustainable model. An inter-state approach Kalyani Tembhe, Program Officer in the Clean Air and Sustainable Mobility department of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), believes that an inter-State approach is essential to curb air pollution. She told Frontline, “Air pollution does not follow geographical, State boundaries. A single government cannot curb pollution in its jurisdiction without working in conjunction with adjoining States.” In her paper “Managing Regional Air Quality: Need for a Framework”, she writes that the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), the first-ever national framework to guide clean air action in polluted cities, is completely city-centric. As part of the NCAP, 132 cities have been identified as non-attainment cities implementing action plans to meet this target. She said that city-centric measures were not enough to deal with the problem. “The pollution in the city is not all originating in the city. The pollution in the adjoining States does not all originate there. There is a lot of transboundary movement of emissions among the north Indian States,” she said. Air quality analysis carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has shown that even smaller towns and cities in north India with much lower annual average particulate levels than Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) experience higher levels than Delhi during smog episodes. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas, a statutory body, was formed in August 2021 to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR, aiming for better coordination, research, identification, and resolution of problems relating to air quality. She believes that such bodies are important and should be replicated. Further, she said that pressure on politicians from the masses is needed to drive better environmental policies. She said: “People need to be made aware of the damage that pollution can cause to health, which will be possible with proper studies to quantify it. This will create pressure on governments.” The Crux The World Air Quality Report, released by the Swiss organisation IQAir in March 2022, lists 35 Indian cities in the 50 most polluted cities in the world. Of them, 14 rank in the top 20, and all are in north India—seven in Uttar Pradesh, five in Haryana, one in Rajasthan, and New Delhi. The seasonal factors that result in the deterioration in air quality are: the winter haze, fireworks during Diwali, and smoke from stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, and parts of UP. As for stubble burning, with the failure of awareness programmes, the UP government is considering enforcing legal penalties. Air quality analysis carried out by the CSE has shown that even smaller towns and cities in north India with much lower annual average particulate levels than Delhi and the NCR experience higher levels than Delhi during smog episodes.

Explainer | COP27: 2022 has been a year of extremes, what does it mean for India?

With 80 per cent of the population living in regions highly vulnerable to disasters such as severe flooding or heatwaves, adaptation is key to the country’s future. Every day of the three months of monsoon this year, between June and August, heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall was recorded in some parts of India. All regions were affected. In Assam, people lost their lives, homes and sources of livelihoods as large parts of the state were submerged. The floods were so frequent it forced many people to permanently move out of their homes. An extreme weather event is one that is “rare at a particular place and time of year”, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Unfortunately, they have become increasingly common. According to a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), published this month, India witnessed 241 days of extreme weather events in 2022. Painting a grim picture, it states that the country has seen a disaster nearly every day in the first nine months — from heat and cold waves, cyclones, lightning to heavy rain, floods and landslides. These disasters have claimed 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 million hectares of crop area, destroyed over 416,667 houses and killed close to 70,000 livestock. CSE director general Sunita Narain, while releasing the report, said, “What the country has witnessed so far in 2022 is the new abnormal in a warming world. There is a clear spike in frequency and intensity of extreme events that we are seeing.” Hot stuff It’s not like extreme weather events have never happened before. This drastic change, however, is due to the rise in greenhouse gas emissions in the Earth’s atmosphere in the past 150 years. It’s making the planet hotter. Warmer air holds more water vapour. When combined with warmer ocean temperatures, it leads to increased precipitation, which can cause frequent cyclones, flooding and landslides. Extreme heat can also lead to severe and prolonged heat waves and droughts, and can make forest fires worse. Warmer land temperatures result in reduced snowpack and more snowmelt. As Earth continues to heat up owing to global warming, the frequency, intensity, and impacts of extreme weather events are only expected to worsen. It will affect everyone, living everywhere. The summer of 2022 has already given us a sneak-peek into our collective future. South Asia baked under a deadly heatwave, and India experienced its hottest March ever. Floods washed away entire cities in Pakistan. France logged its hottest May on record, while the UK declared its first-ever national emergency red heat alert as temperatures rose above 40 degrees Celsius. Nearly half of Europe had warning conditions declared for what was called the continent’s worst drought in at least 500 years. The repercussions of this summer were felt in the Arctic, where ice melt reached yet another record high. Deep impact India’s geography and population makes it particularly vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather events. They claim lives and impact livelihoods. According to a World Bank estimate, nearly half of India’s population (approximately 600 million people) could have lower standards of living due to climate-change impacts. They also affect food production and cause shortages of vital resources. Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns deeply affect the farming sector. A Government of India estimate, according to the CSE report, indicates that extreme temperature shocks reduce average farmer incomes by 4.3 per cent and 4.1 per cent during kharif and rabi seasons, respectively, while extreme rainfall shocks reduce average incomes by 13.7 per cent and 5.5 per cent. Cumulatively, they have a significant impact on the economy. In 2021 alone, India suffered an income loss of $159 billion (now around Rs 13 lakh crore), almost 5.4 per cent of its gross domestic product, owing to extreme heat. “Exposure to higher temperatures and the resulting reduction of working hours led to substantial income losses in services, manufacturing, agriculture, and construction,” notes the Climate Transparency Report 2022. If the warming continues unabated, then by 2100, the country’s average income could be 92 per cent lower than what it would have been without climate change. What further complicates matters is that 80 per cent of India's population live in regions highly vulnerable to extreme disasters such as severe flooding or heatwaves. It means they are exposed to its impacts, and have to constantly adapt to survive. One world To mitigate the risks of climate change, India has set its own ambitious green pledges and has a net-zero goal. At COP26, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his intention to achieve them by 2070. The government is also pushing for the adoption of a sustainable life at the individual and community level via Mission Life. But it can’t get there by itself. The country needs climate finance to help its people adapt and to build resilience among its communities. It also needs financial assistance for climate change-induced loss and damages. It must also boost investment in renewables. Which is why at COP27, India is pushing the international community to deliver on its $100 billion-a-year pledge. There is no doubt that 2022 will be one for the record books. More climate action is needed immediately, globally and at scale to ensure this record isn’t broken soon.

Extreme weather hits economies, hurts Asia most: WMO report

ontext- Economic losses incurred by Asian countries due to natural disasters have increased manifold as climate change has made these events more frequent. Details- In 2021, at least 48.3 million people in Asia were affected by over 100 natural hazards, which claimed at least 3,803 lives, according to the State of the Climate in Asia 2021. The total economic damage due to the extreme weather events was estimated to be $35.5 billion. These events included drought, extreme temperature, floods, glacial lake outbursts, landslides, storms and wildfires. Scenario in Asia- In Asia, floods have been the most impactful, causing the highest number of human deaths and economic damage. Drought affected the highest number of people in the region. Losses due to landslides increased 147 per cent, compared to the 20-year average from 2001–2020, according to the report. Losses from drought increased 63 per cent and flood 23 per cent during that period. The report, which was produced jointly by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), was presented at the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Earlier this month, WMO announced its plan to develop a global early warning system for extreme weather events. Floods, the costliest disaster Floods were estimated to be the costliest disaster from Asian countries including China and India. China lost $18.4 billion due to floods, followed by India ($3.2 billion) and Thailand ($0.6 billion) India lost $4.4 billion due to storms, followed by China $3 billion and Japan $2 billion. In 2021, over 80 per cent of the extreme events were floods and storms. Floods in India, China and Afghanistan caused the greatest number of fatalities, highlighting the high level of vulnerability of Asia, especially to floods. In India, during the monsoon season, the heavy rain and flash floods resulted in about 1,300 human deaths. Data on loss and damage is required more than ever as funding for loss & damage has made it to the COP27 agenda for the first time ever in the history of UN climate negotiations. A realistic estimate can still be made about the number of days the country recorded extreme weather events. Impact of extreme weather events on SDGs- These events will impact food security, poverty, and inequality and will threaten the global goals on sustainable development. SDG 13 for climate action has suffered from a lack of global participation: Progress on achieving targets such as 13.1.1 on the number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters and 13.1.2 on adoption and implementation of national disaster risk reduction strategies have been insufficient. Early warning systems can help achieve SDG 13 as well as other associated SDGs, including Goal 1 (No Poverty), Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being), Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Extreme weather hits economies, hurts Asia most: WMO report

Loss due to landslides increased by 147% compared to average in the past 20 years Economic losses incurred by Asian countries due to natural disasters have increased manifold as climate change has made these events more frequent. In 2021, at least 48.3 million people in Asia were affected by over 100 natural hazards, which claimed at least 3,803 lives, according to the State of the Climate in Asia 2021 released November 14, 2022. The total economic damage due to the extreme weather events was estimated to be $35.5 billion. These events included drought, extreme temperature, floods, glacial lake outburst, landslide, storm and wildfire. In Asia, floods have been the most impactful, causing the highest number of human deaths and economic damage. Drought affected the highest number of people in the region. Losses due to landslides increased 147 per cent, compared to…

Keeping a watch on India’s climate

India saw extreme weather events on 88% of the days in the first nine months of the year, according to the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report, ‘Climate India 2022’. The report adds that the country recorded its warmest March and the third warmest April in over a century and that weather events have killed 2755 people, affected 1.8 million hectares of crop area, basing its claim on an analysis of data from the India Meteorological Department and the disaster management division of the Union home ministry. India recorded extreme weather events on 241 of the 273 days from January 1 to September 30, 2022. This means that close to 90% of the first nine months of this year, India had an extreme weather event breaking in one or more parts of the country. It also experienced record-breaking temperatures for several months and regions across the country were deluged because of very and extremely heavy rainfall. This led to floods and the loss of life and livestock. This speaks of the increased frequency and intensity of the extreme events that we are seeing in our rapidly warming world. All Indian states are significantly climate vulnerable and the gap between the least vulnerable state (Maharashtra) and the most vulnerable state (Jharkhand) is small. Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of days with extreme weather events; but Himachal Pradesh saw the highest number of human deaths at 359 deaths. Madhya Pradesh and Assam saw 301 human deaths each. Assam reported the highest number of damaged houses and animal deaths. Central India recorded the highest losses with extreme weather events recorded on 198 of 273 days that claimed 887 lives, affected 136,780 ha crop area, damaged 28,032 houses and killed 7,519 animals. The northwestern region recorded extreme weather events on 195 of 273 days, which killed 735 persons, damaged 393,726 ha crop area, damaged 5,122 houses and killed 1,707 animals. What the country has witnessed so far in 2022 is the new abnormal in a warming world. The CSE report cites a 2020 report by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction that says globally, there has been “a sharp increase [in disasters] over the previous twenty years”. This report, as per the CSE, is, therefore, an attempt to build an evidence base on the frequency and expanding geography of extreme weather events in India. It provides season-by-season, month-by-month, and region-by-region analyses of extreme weather events and the loss and damage they caused in the first nine months of 2022. All Indian states are significantly climate vulnerable and the gap between the least vulnerable state (Maharashtra) and the most vulnerable state (Jharkhand) is small, as per the Centre’s “Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Adaptation Planning in India Using a Common Framework 2019-20”. Yet robust data on extreme weather events, which are increasing in frequency and intensity due to climate change, is not available publicly. The report provides season-wise, month-wise and region-wise analysis of extreme weather events and their associated loss and damage. Along with this report, the CSE has also launched the ‘India’s Atlas on Weather Disasters, an open-access online public interactive database on extreme weather events that will be updated every month. The “India 2022: An assessment of extreme weather events”, has also scanned media reports to track the events — particularly in the pre-monsoon period when official data is inadequate. The media reports have provided further information on the extent of loss and damage as well. This extreme weather report card is important to understand, according to the CSE. It tells of the number of such events; the fact that this will lead to cumulative and extensive damage. It calls for the need to recognize that its impact has the human face of its victims. It speaks of the need to do much for managing these extreme events — the need to move beyond management of the disaster to reducing risks and improving resilience and improve the systems for flood management — deliberately building drainage and water recharge systems on the one hand and investing in green spaces and forests so that these sponges of water can be revitalised for the coming storms. It also speaks of the need to demand reparations for the damage from the countries that have contributed to the emissions in the atmosphere and are responsible for this damage. The models that explain the impacts of climate change are clear that extreme weather events will increase in frequency and intensity as we are seeing today.

तापमान में गिरावट के साथ कोलकाता की वायु गुणवत्ता बिगड़ी https://jantaserishta.com/local/west-bengal/kolkata-air-quality-deteriorates-with-drop-in-temperature-1753184

तापमान में और गिरावट के साथ, शहर के वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक (एक्यूआई) ने मंगलवार को 'खराब' (01-300) और 'बहुत खराब' (301-400) के बीच के अंतर को बंद कर दिया। दो वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी स्टेशनों - उत्तर में रवींद्र भारती विश्वविद्यालय और दक्षिण में विक्टोरिया मेमोरियल - ने लगातार 260 से ऊपर एक्यूआई दिखाया, जिससे अधिकांश लोगों को लंबे समय तक सांस लेने में तकलीफ का सामना करना पड़ा। पीसीबी के एक वैज्ञानिक ने कहा, "थर्मल उलटा सांस की ऊंचाई पर लटके प्रदूषकों के साथ खेल रहा है।" ऊष्मीय व्युत्क्रमण क्षोभमंडल (पृथ्वी की सतह के निकटतम वातावरण का क्षेत्र) में तापमान के सामान्य व्यवहार का एक उलट है, जिसमें सतह पर ठंडी हवा की एक परत गर्म हवा की एक परत से ढकी होती है (सामान्य परिस्थितियों में हवा का तापमान आमतौर पर ऊंचाई के साथ घटता है)। इससे भी बुरी बात यह है कि शहर का एक्यूआई पीएम2.5 संचालित है जिसका मतलब है कि पीएम2.5 सबसे प्रमुख प्रदूषक है। गौरतलब है कि अल्ट्राफाइन पीएम2.5 को अपेक्षाकृत मोटे पीएम10 की तुलना में कहीं अधिक घातक माना जाता है। PM2.5 कण मानव बाल के व्यास का लगभग 3% है, और सीधे रक्तप्रवाह में जा सकता है। मानव स्वास्थ्य के साथ खिलवाड़ करने के लिए हानिकारक रसायन इन कणों पर गुल्लक की सवारी करते हैं। "एजेसी बोस रोड पर वाहनों के यातायात में जबरदस्त वृद्धि हुई है, विक्टोरिया मेमोरियल में स्टेशन के चारों ओर प्रदूषक भार बढ़ रहा है। वही रवींद्र भारती विश्वविद्यालय के निगरानी स्टेशन पर लागू होता है। हालांकि, दो स्टेशनों - फोर्ट विलियम और रवींद्र सरोबर - ने लगातार मध्यम दिखाया एक्यूआई (101-200), "पीसीबी अध्यक्ष कल्याण रुद्र ने कहा। वास्तव में, बोस इंस्टीट्यूट के एक अध्ययन के साथ शहर का एक्यूआई और भी खराब हो सकता है, जिसमें राज्य में एरोसोल प्रदूषण में 8% की वृद्धि दिखाई दे रही है और एयरोसोल प्रदूषण के लिए "अत्यधिक संवेदनशील" रेड ज़ोन में बना हुआ है। एयरोसोल प्रदूषक हवा में केवल PM2.5 और PM10 की मात्रा बढ़ाएंगे। शहर और उसके उपनगरों में वाहनों की आबादी में रिकॉर्ड वृद्धि हुई है। वाहनों, कारखानों, खुले में जलने और थर्मल पावर स्टेशनों के हानिकारक धुएं के अलावा हवा में धुआं निकलता रहा। पर्यावरण कार्यकर्ता सुभाष दत्ता ने कहा, "हमें राज्य प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड, कोलकाता पुलिस और नागरिक निकाय द्वारा मजबूत शमन उपायों की आवश्यकता है।" सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) ने कहा कि कोलकाता को औसत पीएम2.5 के स्तर में गहरी कटौती की जरूरत है। सीएसई की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी ने कहा, "सर्दियों के चरम प्रदूषण से पता चलता है कि शहर को सर्दियों के प्रदूषण को कम करके नागरिकों को राहत देने के लिए एक ग्रेडेड रिस्पांस एक्शन प्लान (जीआरएपी) की जरूरत है।"

COP27: Rich Countries Seek to Delay, Prolong Discussions on Loss, Damage

The 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt that began on November 7, 2022, has gone half way. While rich countries tried to delay loss and damage talks again, day five of the COP27 climate talks belonged to decarbonisation, according to reports by Down To Earth magazine. “At the loss and damage negotiations, developed countries have formally acknowledged the funding gap in “addressing” loss and damage, but are now requesting more information on the needs, gaps and possible funding sources — a possible delaying tactic to prolong the discussions further. “The United States suggested establishing a work programme on loss and damage to conclude in 2024.” The EU stated that the process to be developed can feed back findings on various proposals such as the Global Shield, or the IMF’s fundings sources. The UK suggested establishing a process at COP27 to map out how funding arrangements can be made in the future, and review and report at COP28. The G77 responded by pointing to the lack of urgency in the discussions, and that organising more workshops would replicate conversations that have already been had. In the mitigation work programme (MWP), efforts continued to agree on and conclude the draft text since the Subsidiary Bodies meetings are due to close on November 12. Zimbabwe on behalf of the African Group pointed out that the text must not impose new targets and not undermine the nationally determined nature of the NDCs. The US and Alliance of Small Island States stated that the text is missing the urgency needed to scale up mitigation efforts. The negotiations on the technical dialogue regarding the Global Stocktake have concluded at COP27. A high-level event will formally close the talks and would summarise the discussions related to lack of international funding for climate action in the most vulnerable countries, sustainable and localised renewable energy solutions, direct carbon capture, involvement of civil society and international cooperation. In the technical dialogues that happened over many roundtable sessions the issues of equity, transparency and language barrier were raised by many countries. Some countries mentioned that the discussions were going around in circles without arriving at an outcome. The Global Carbon Budget report for 2022 was launched at a UNFCCC side event at COP27 on November 11. The report showed that if global CO2 emissions remain at current levels, the world’s carbon budget would be exhausted in nine years. It also found that emissions from fossil fuel sources and cement have increased by one per cent in 2022. The report highlighted that the increase in emissions has been mostly because of increase in oil consumption, especially in aviation, some increase in emissions from coal and gas though they were also highest on record. Worldwide increase in emissions were driven by increase in emissions from India, Rest of the World and the US. The Ministry of Steel of the Government of India organised a side event at the India Pavillion at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Sanjay Singh, secretary, Ministry of Steel gave the opening remarks. He highlighted the various initiatives being taken by the Indian government to make the Indian steel industry move towards decarbonisation. Post the Secretary’s address, various Indian steel companies presented their initiatives towards decarbonisation. Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), carbon circularity, carbon avoidance, need for advanced furnaces, scrap usage, energy efficiency, use of plastics as fuel in the steel industry were some of the initiatives which were highlighted by different steel companies. This was followed by panel discussions. Centre for Science and Environment also participated in a panel discussion focussing on decarbonisation of the steel sector. CSE’s Parth Kumar highlighted the role of steel scrap and CCUS in the way ahead for 2030 and also the enabling environment, policy framework and the financial support required to scale up CCUS in the Indian steel industry. He also pointed out “the need for an effective implementation of the vehicle scrappage policy to be able to extract the maximum scrap generation potential India has”. The United Nations Environment Programme announced its Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) at COP27 November 11. It is a new global system of detecting sources of methane emissions through satellite monitoring around the world to help governments and companies to take action against them. This would accelerate the progress towards meeting the Global Methane Pledge that was announced at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021. Under this pledge, global methane emissions have to be brought down by 30 per cent by 2030 to keep the under 1.5 degrees Paris Agreement target within reach. United States President Joe Biden made a special statement at the COP27 on November 11. He announced a $500 million package to finance and facilitate Egypt’s clean energy transition. The package includes the deployment of 10 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030 and capturing four billion tonnes of natural gas that Egypt currently emits from its oil and gas operations. These steps would help reduce Egypt’s GHG emissions by 10 per cent. Apart from this, he also announced a Global Green Shipping Challenge, alongside the European Union and Germany. The COP presidency, along with the US government, also announced $150 million to aid adaptation measures in Africa. This was distributed across projects on global weather and climate observing systems, early warning systems, increasing access to adaptation finance and food security.

Floods, storms may have cost India $7.6bn last year alone: Report

India may have suffered an economic loss of $4.4 billion last year alone due to storms , and an additional $3.2 billion due to flooding, the World Meteorological Organization said in a report on Monday. India may have suffered an economic loss of $4.4 billion last year alone due to storms , and an additional $3.2 billion due to flooding, the World Meteorological Organization said on Monday. WMO released its State of Climate in Asia 2021 report on Monday which revealed last year alone, weather and water-related hazards caused a total damage of $ 35.6 billion across the continent, affecting nearly 50 million people. The estimates of losses are important because so-called Loss and Damage funding is on the agenda at COP 27 -- the first time it has been on the agenda of a climate conference. Flooding caused the highest economic losses in China ($ 18.4 billion), followed by India ($ 3.2 billion), and Thailand ($ 0.6 billion). Storms also caused significant economic damage, especially in India ($ 4.4 billion), China ($ 3.0 billion), and Japan ($ 2 billion). The report highlightedhow the climate crisis is exacerbating food insecurity and poverty. The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Asia-Pacific Disaster Reports 2021 and 2022, referred by WMO in its report, estimate that in Asia, the annual investment in adaptation would need to be highest for China, at $ 188.8 billion, followed by India at $ 46.3 billion, and Japan at $ 26.5 billion. As a percentage of the country’s GDP, the highest cost is estimated for Nepal, at 1.9%, followed by Cambodia at 1.8%, and India at 1.7%. Many glaciers in High Mountain Asia including the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau lost mass rapidly due exceptionally warm and dry conditions in 2021, the report said. “These so-called water towers of the world are vital for freshwater supplies for the most densely populated part of the planet and so glacier retreat has major implications for future generations. Water-related extremes are the most important hazard in Asia.” . During 2020-2021, preliminary data available from glaciers observed in High-Mountain Asia show a clear regional heterogeneity in mass changes. Most glaciers in the High-Mountain Asia region, particularly in the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau, eastern Himalayas and Pamir Alai, suffered intense mass losses as the result of exceptionally warm and dry conditions in 2021, the report said . The glaciological year 2020/2021 is one of the two strongest years of ablation on observation record, close to 2009, it added. In 2021, the largest relative precipitation deficit was observed in West Asia, including, in particular, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Arabian Peninsula. The largest absolute precipitation excesses, with reference to the 1981–2010 climate normal, were observed along the west coasts of India and Myanmar, in the eastern Himalayas and on the North China Plain. Abnormally high annual precipitation totals were also recorded in South and South-East Asia, eastern China and the West Siberian Plain. “The climate indicators and extreme events shown this report and expected increase in precipitation over much of Asia in the future shows just how vital it is to strengthen early warning systems,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas in a statement. The report, which was produced jointly with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), was presented during the UN climate change negotiations, COP27, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. “It’s critical that COP27 should deliver a strong provision on Loss and Damage funding. It is reparations for damages and will establish the polluters pays principle, which will be deterrence over large polluters,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment. Last year, there were a total of more than 100 natural hazard events in Asia, of which 80% were flood and storm events. These resulted in almost 4,000 fatalities, about 80%caused by flooding. Overall, 48.3 million people were directly affected by these hazards, causing total economic damage of US$ 35.6 billion. During the formal opening of UN Climate Conference (COP27)’s Climate Implementation Summit last Monday, UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres said the world is on a highway to climate hell as global mean temperature is approaching the 1.5 degree C warming threshold. “Global temperatures keep rising. And our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible. We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator. The war in Ukraine, conflict in the Sahel, and violence and unrest in so many other places are terrible crises plaguing today’s world. But climate change is on a different timeline, and a different scale,” he had said.

Mothering Mother Earth

The world should focus more on equality between men and women so that women can break the shackles of society, work hand in hand, and take an active role in the battle against climate change Women make up around 51 per cent of the total world population. Women have actively participated in the fight against climate change. It is seen that in times of crisis, women have responded effectively towards a more sustainable environment. Though the world has modernised, there remains inequality between men and women. The gap must be bridged to involve more women to solve the severe climate change. There are specific reasons why we need to target resources for women climate leaders. As per studies, women are mostly affected by climate change. It is reported that women felt the economic and health impacts more, compared to men. Women living in the poorest countries are vulnerable. The adverse effects of natural disasters are handled by women too. It is also reported that in unequal-gender societies, women die in disasters more than men. In unequal-gendered communities and the world, gender plays a role in which women are susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change. Women look after and take care of the members living in the family, so it is quite natural that the women feel the environmental effects while performing their duties such as gathering food, water, wood, fuel, cleaning, etc. If such women are empowered then they will be able to reverse poverty and give appropriate solutions to reduce climate change. It is seen that women are better leaders than a man in times of crisis. In recent times, it has been seen that many women came out on their own and took steps to join the fight against climate change. This inspires other women too. For example, in Bangladesh, women developed wind and flood-resistant housing foundations for their community. Another example is Nicaragua, where hurricanes are prevalent and are more severe. In Nicaragua, the indigenous women were motivated to create seed banks which are not dependent upon industrialised agriculture. When women are empowered to participate in disaster planning and emergency, women show excellence in unique skill sets. Women have demonstrated excellent leadership qualities during the pandemic. It is reported that the death rate due to Covid-19 was lower in a female-governed state than in a male-controlled. The presence of women in climate conservation resulted in more transparency, compliance, and sustainability. Women can organise better, and sometimes it is seen that women started movements related to the environment. Silent Spring, abook by Rachel Carson inspired generations to take action for the earth, which later led to the foundation of Earth Day and the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency. There are many women conservers and earth influencers. Women have taken the initiative for social and environmental movements. A famous example is Wangari Maathai of Kenya, who created 6,000 tree nurseries to block desertification. This act of her empowered women in her community as well. The Great Green Wall initiative is an outcome of Maathai's work. Studies have shown that the upliftment of women has a lot of benefits for societies. As a result of upliftment, the foundation for a sustainable economy, such as sustainable economy, population stability, education level, and health of children, develops. As per research, the countries where women have high political and social status emit around 12% lower carbon dioxide. The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Arden, and her cabinet declared a "Climate Emergency" to make the public sector of the country carbon neutral by 2025. Women can turn knowledge into actions. Indigenous women have vast knowledge and skill, and over 80% of biodiversity lands are within this person who protected the land for generations. They hold such a close affinity to the land they live on that they consider it unique. Indigenous people know traditional knowledge of ecology and spiritual and philosophical approaches to healing the earth and its climate. All these combined can create a healthy and sustainable environment. Women can be economically dynamic if employment and leadership opportunities are increased. In developed countries, women are more likely to recycle products and encourage energy efficiency measures. Women can take more innovative steps if encouraged, and the gender gap is reduced. In short, the world should focus more on equality between men and women so that women can break the shackles of society, work hand in hand, and take an active role in the battle against climate change. There is a link between gender inequality and climate change, as there is a lack of resources. Despite this lack of resources, female-led initiatives are leading. The Paris Climate Agreement today came into existence due to a group of women who envisioned the idea of 'net zero emissions'. Some of the leading women in the battle against climate change are: Christiana Figueres headed the climate-change non-profit for eight years and ultimately took the leadership of the UNFCCC. UNFCCC is the body responsible for international climate change negotiation. Rhiana Gunn Wright is the one who brought a holistic approach at the national level. It is a group of think tanks that tie up with progressive lawmakers. Hilda Heine is the head of the Climate Vulnerable Forum. She is committed to making the Marshall Islands carbon-neutral by 2050. HindouOumarou Ibrahim is an indigenous activist of Chad who has been working relentlessly to bridge the gap. She focuses on the indigenous people's traditional knowledge to make positive climate changes. Tessa Khan of Thailand has been working on behalf of the women's human rights non-profit. Rachel Kyte works for sustainability. She played a significant role in the UN Climate Change Summit. Kate Marvel informs people about climate change in her blogs, tweets, podcasts, etc. Sunita Narain is an environmental policy researcher who has worked in this field since 1982 and has been awarded for her work. Ellen Page, Anne Simpson, Greta Thunberg, KotchakornVoraakhom, Miranda Wang, Katharine Wilkinson, Wu Changhua, etc., are other women leaders who took a front seat in the battle against climate change. Policymakers, investors, and philanthropists must understand that women, too, can play a significant role in making a sustainable environment. Women can play an important role in the fight against climate change.

India ‘committed to clean energy’ but continues to boost coal production

Three days before India’s environment minister boarded a flight to Egypt for this year’s UN climate summit, Cop27, the country’s finance minister was busy with a new announcement. “India needs greater investment in coal production,” said Nirmala Sitharaman at the Delhi launch of India’s biggest ever coalmine auction, where 141 new sites for coalmines will be sold off to the highest bidder. At a time when the world’s future hinges on a dramatic global reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and global leaders are gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh to try to limit the impact of the climate crisis – with decarbonisation on the agenda – the Indian government is continuing on its biggest ever push for domestic coal production, even toying with the idea of producing so much it could become a future coal exporter. This was the sixth, and largest, such auction the Indian government has held since 2020, when it privatised the coal industry. Two-thirds of the 968 sites that are allocated for mines, known as coal blocks, are on untouched land and many sit under India’s most ecologically rich and fragile forests, and rural areas populated by tribal communities that will be destroyed if the new projects go ahead. “The worst part is that in order to open up more coal, the government is allowing mining in dense forested areas. Forests are sinks of carbon dioxide so if you are getting new coal to burn by chopping down forests, it’s a double whammy of environmental disaster,” said Sudiep Shrivastava, a lawyer who has fought back against new coal blocks. In Hasdeo Arand, a dense forested area in the state of Chhattisgarh, where 23 coal blocks have been proposed and seven approved – which would wreak havoc on some of India’s oldest and most biodiverse environments and displace thousands of tribal people – communities have been fighting back against the mines. According to anti-mining activists, opening up coalmines in the area will not only lead to the loss of thousands of hectares of forest land, but also affect the flow of the river, cause pollution and displace many villagers and tribal communities who live off the forests. In October last year, hundreds of villagers from the region marched almost 200 miles on foot from their villages to the state capital, Raipur, to register a protest against the proposed coalmines. On the global stage, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, has presented himself as a staunch environmentalist, and speaking at the G20 meeting on Tuesday, Modi said: “India is committed to clean energy and environment.” Yet India has also made no secret of the fact that it will need coal for decades to come, even as it increases its reliance on renewables and moves towards net zero in 2070. It was one of the most dramatic moments at the Cop26 climate talks in Glasgow last year when India, backed by China, made a last-minute intervention to water down the language of the final agreement, changing the commitment to “phase down” rather than “phase out” coal power. Coal currently accounts for 70% of electricity generation in India, while renewables count for only about 12%. At Cop27 this year, the Indian position has been to try to counter the pressure to reduce its continued reliance on coal by pushing for an agreement to phase down all fossil fuels, including gas, which Europe and the US are still heavily dependent on. India’s argument is that it is unfair to single out coal – which is primarily used by developing countries – while other fossil fuels widely used in western countries remain unsanctioned. Speaking on Monday, the environment minister, Bhupender Yadav, who is representing India at Cop27, accused developed nations of “turning back to fossil fuels” as the energy crisis hit. Ashish Fernandes, the chief executive officer of Climate Risk Horizons, which analyses the impact of the climate crisis in India, said: “It’s quite clear because of the west’s failure to live up to its commitments to undertake serious emissions reductions and to meet the promised financing commitments, India is using coal as a bargaining chip. It’s hard to criticise India’s plans for new coal when Europe is looking to build up so much more new gas.” India is already at the forefront of the climate crisis. This year two-thirds of the country suffered months of an unprecedented heatwave that decimated crops and livelihoods. There were extreme weather events on 80% of days this year. Yet the Indian government’s position is that as a fast-developing country, which is the world’s second-largest importer of coal, it is necessary in the name of self-reliance and energy security for the country to take advantage of its own vast domestic coal reserves, said to be the fourth largest in the world. As a historically low emitter of carbon emissions compared with the west, ministers claim it is unfair to penalise such actions. Under plans promoted by Modi, India plans to increase its domestic coal production to a 1bn tonnes a year. In the year since Cop26, the government says the situation has become even more pressing. India’s electricity demand soared post-Covid and foreign coal prices hit record highs because of inflation and the war in Ukraine, costing the government billions of rupees to import what was needed. In April, after the hottest March in 122 years, the country suffered a grave coal shortage and some coal-fired power stations had less than three days supply left, resulting in rolling power cuts. Nivit Yadav, programme director at the environment thinktank Centre for Science and Environment said: “You can’t avoid the fact that India still needs coal and we need to reduce our dependency on imported coal, which is becoming costlier by the day. Long term, we definitely want our reliance on coal to be reduced as much as possible but there is so much conflict around the world, India has to secure its energy.” Yet environmentalists and thinktanks have argued that opening up hundreds of new coalmines across India is both environmentally devastating and unnecessary. Multiple studies have shown that India’s current capacity of coalmines and coal-fired power stations are more than enough to meet India’s growing electricity demand if they operate efficiently. You can’t avoid the fact that India still needs coal The coal shortages that hit in April and May are said not to have been due to a lack of domestic coal, but instead poor planning by power companies, and analysis showed that they could have been avoided if there had been greater investment in renewables. India now produces the world’s cheapest solar power, and prices will continue to fall. “India does not need more coal,” said Fernandes. “There is no financial or energy requirement for new coal construction in India, this is all political.” He emphasised that India’s current coal power generation was “suboptimal”, only currently running at about 60% capacity, and if run properly would be more than enough to meet the electricity demands of a fast-developing nation. On average, India’s coalmines use only two-thirds of the capacity, with some large ones using only 1%, according to analysis by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), calling into question the need to open up more. Fernandes said such huge new investment in coal now meant there was “a real chance that it will undermine the renewable energy industry” by tying India’s electricity sector into a contractual commitment to coal for decades to come, even as renewables are cheaper. Earlier this year, the International Energy Agency said Modi’s coal expansion plans were “difficult to reconcile with India’s evolving energy needs and environmental priorities”. There is also the issue that India’s coal, with its high ash content, is notoriously polluting and inefficient to burn, requiring twice as much to produce the same amount of power as imported coal. It is also difficult to transport. Many coal-powered fire stations are on the coast, specifically built to receive sea shipments of imported coal, and are hundreds of miles away from the central Indian states where many of the coal blocks are located, putting huge pressure on passenger railway lines. Advertisement For environmentalists, one of the greatest concerns is that the push for new coalmines is coming as India’s environmental regulations are being watered down, particularly for power infrastructure projects, while laws around coal “act like an implicit subsidy to coal development”, according to a recent report by the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University. Currently coal blocks are auctioned off before any environmental clearances are done on the area. For the new coalmine in Hasdeo Arand, local people allege the projects have been given all the environmental clearances by the state government without their constitutionally-bound consent and by using fabricated documents. “Once the forest is gone, the people will not only lose their livelihoods but also their heritage, their culture, their religion, because they worship the forests – but their voices have been silenced” said Alok Shukla, an environmental activist who has been at the forefront of the community opposition to the new coal mines in Hasdeo Arand. “Tearing it down will also affect the monsoons as well because it disrupts the whole ecosystem. Tell me, what coal is worth that?” As you’re joining us today from India, we have a small favour to ask. The planet’s future hangs in the balance, and with the Cop27 climate summit taking place in Egypt, there is a small but real chance for meaningful change. With so much at stake, this is the most important summit of its kind. Will global leaders squander this moment, or can they come together, finally, to mobilise? At the Guardian, we are committed to keeping the climate crisis front and centre of our journalism, exposing inaction, reporting on the latest science, and holding the powerful to their promises. We will not stop giving this issue the urgency and attention it demands. We have a huge global team of climate writers around the world and have recently appointed an extreme weather correspondent. Our editorial independence means we are free to write and publish journalism which prioritises the crisis. We have no shareholders and no billionaire owner, just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact global reporting, free from commercial or political influence. And we provide all this for free, for everyone to read. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of the global events shaping our world, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. Millions can benefit from open access to quality, truthful news, regardless of their ability to pay for it.

Obnoxious, toxic, a ‘silent killer’: The same old saga of winter air quality in Delhi-NCR

It was an encouraging clean air start of October for Delhi. The capital recorded five good AQI days in the first two weeks of October. But the good news ended there. The annual nightmare of poor to severe and very severe air quality in Delhi and adjoining areas soon returned. And with it, the annual nightmare of strict and systematic implementation of the different stages of the revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the NCR which had kicked in from September 11th. Air quality had continued to deteriorate before and after the dust and pollution on account of the Diwali crackers had settled down. And all the restrictions under the two stages of air pollution were in force by October 29th, when restrictions under Stage 3 were enforced, implying that almost all the toughest measures were in force. Yet, on November 3rd, before Goldy Malhotra, a former principal of Modern School, Vasant Vihar, drove from her Gurugram residence to her office in Civil Lines, she ensured that her house was “tightly sealed”, because of what she saw outside: virtually zero visibility due to the thick smog that had engulfed the entire area. It was a day when air quality in the NCR turned terrible, making it “extraordinarily difficult to breathe”, as Neha Dayal, an east Delhi student put it. By mid-day, the CAQM ordered implementation of Stage 4 of GRAP in the area stating that “as per the dynamic model and weather/meteorological forecast, the overall air quality over Delhi is likely to be in “Severe+/Severe” (AQI more than 450) category in the next couple of days”. As forecast, AQI rose to 472 the very next day. Everyone in the NCR was literally breathing smoke. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee referred to the forecast and invoked Direction No 66, the action plan under Stage 4 of GRAP. On November 5th morning, the staff at SAFAR (the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, were somewhat relieved when AQI dropped to 431, a bit better than 472 of the previous day, but still in the severe category. No relief from bad air days But huge variations in AQI were noticed in different areas of the NCR. In NOIDA, the fast developing Uttar Pradesh township beyond south Delhi, AQI was 562. While in the Millennium city of Gurugram, home to most big tech companies, AQI was at 539. With fears that AQI could touch an unprecedented 700 in the short run, before it begins to ease. Stage 4 restrictions means all truck traffic into Delhi would be stopped, the only exemption being for trucks carrying essential commodities and providing essential services and CNG trucks. It also meant a ban on using diesel operated medium goods vehicles and heavy goods vehicles, again exempting those carrying essential commodities or providing essential services. For personal vehicles, it meant a ban of diesel cars in the capital, unless they were BS-VI vehicles or were for essential and emergency services. And all industries, even where PNG infrastructure was not available, had to close down all over the NCR. The directives also banned all construction and demolition activities including in the generally most exempted public projects like highways, roads, flyovers, bridges, power transmission etc. State governments in the NCR as well as the Government of Delhi were asked to decide on allowing public, municipal and private offices to work with 50% working from home. They were also asked to “consider additional emergency measures” that included closure of schools, colleges, other educational institutions, non-emergency commercial activities, and the introduction of odd-even scheme for vehicles on the roads. Band aid measures Similarly, the Central government was asked to decide on permitting work from home for their offices. On November 4th, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that his government was “shutting primary schools till things improve”, and will take a decision on introducing odd-even vehicles. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced that half the NCT government staff will work from home, and urged employers in the private sector to follow suit. Effectively, it was almost like the COVID lockdown. With the worst affected being those who were still struggling to recover from the first lockdown. “It has been barely four months since my 6-year-old daughter has actually seen a classroom, classmates and teachers,” said an agitated Delhi resident Radhika Kashyap.. “Now this air pollution closure has interrupted her normal school life. I wish the government would review the holiday time-table so that one vacation is timed with this’ ‘. But not many private offices and traders were willing to let half the staff work from home. “How can my staff work from home?” asked Manish Rajput who runs a small ‘superstore’ in Vasundhara. He employs three boys who deliver groceries to nearby residences, and one salesman while he manages the billing. But there are reports that some companies have retained the hybrid mode in anticipation of Delhi turning into a gas chamber and GRAP being strictly enforced. The rising AQI figures making the air over the capital more and more toxic resulted in the Kejriwal government doing many other things: To reduce the number of cars on the roads, they launched over 500 CNG buses under the “Paryavaran Bus Service” banner. Plans are also underway to stagger market and office timings. By November 5th evening, SAFAR’s website recorded that the overall AQI indicated the “upper end of Very Poor AQI”, attributing 21% of it to stubble burning, but ended on an optimistic note that the AQI was likely to be at the lower end of “Very Poor” or even Poor, on account of a drop in fire counts, unfavourable upper level wind flow, reduction in local emissions and moderate dispersion of pollutants leading to dilution of near surface pollution. All that was however just wordy mumbo jumbo for the residents of the NCR, for SAFAR also urged people to avoid all outdoor activities and to stay put indoors. The advisory also suggested that asthmatics keep their nebulizers handy, indicating that the air they had to breathe was simply not safe. A survey by LocalCircles, a social media website connecting people to their communities, governance, city, causes, neighbourhoods, interest, needs etc found that 13% of NCR residents had left town to escape the toxic air, and that the percentage of families with one or more members having pollution related ailments rose from 70 to 80% within five days. About 80% of the families surveyed had someone experiencing pollution related ailments, and18 % of those surveyed had already visited a doctor. The symptoms included cough, congestion, breathlessness, burning eyes and sore throat. LocalCircles quotes former AIIMS director Randeep Guleria as saying, “You can call air pollution a silent killer”. If residents of Delhi and the NCR continue to gasp for breath and dream of fresh winter air even after implementing all the action plans under GRAP, virtually bringing life and economic activity to a grinding halt, the CAQM and authorities should really be asking themselves – if all this does not work, what next? And will the same cycle be repeated next year? CSE assessment and recommendations Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) says that Delhi has failed to build transportation strategies to scale, and points to their assessment that vehicles are the top polluters in Delhi during the Diwali week, Oct 21st to 26th. A city with 1.4 crore vehicles and generating at least 276 lakh travel trips a day does not have scalable transportation yet to reduce traffic volume. What is needed is public transport augmentation and integration, electrification of fleet, walking and cycling infrastructure, low emissions zones, vehilcle restraint measures like parking caps and pricing and transit -oriented development, says the CSE, adding that there is a “lack of sustainable alternatives blocking effective emergency measures to control vehicle usage during the severe smog episodes in winter”. Even the air emergency measures enforced for the very poor and severe categories of AQI under GRAP do not include action, barring increased parking charges. Says Roychowdhury, “Even though action on transportation is underway, it is too little too late. Sustained and stringent action is needed for mobility transition.