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Pre-monsoon summer time warmth 2022 overtakes 2016 pre-monsoon season in India: CSE

Even because the monsoon has made its footfalls felt throughout the nation, there appears to be little respite from the searing warmth – aided by steep rises in humidity ranges — in lots of pockets. The warmth waves lashing India this summer time are symptomatic of the anomalous temperature tendencies which can be anticipated to worsen with rising local weather change impacts. The Centre for Science and Atmosphere (CSE) has revealed some key findings which states 2022 pre-monsoon summer time warmth tendencies overtake 2016 because the second hottest pre-monsoon season on report for India As per the discovering, the seasonal common air temperature for 2022 — pre-monsoon or summer time (March, April and Could as per IMD classification) — is 1.24°C hotter than the baseline tendencies that relate to 1971-2000 climatology. “It is a very disturbing development as coverage preparedness to mitigate rising warmth on account of local weather change is almost absent in India. With out warmth motion plans, rising air temperature, radiating warmth from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping constructed buildings, waste warmth from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of warmth dousing forests, city greens and waterbodies will worsen public well being dangers. This requires pressing time-bound mitigation,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, govt director, analysis and advocacy, CSE. “Understanding the general temperature anomaly, excessive warmth circumstances, and the combined tendencies in warmth patterns throughout completely different areas of India has change into essential to assess the emergent threat. Presently, the eye is essentially on the utmost every day warmth ranges and excessive circumstances of warmth waves. However it’s equally vital to concentrate to the general rising temperature and humidity tendencies in several areas to grasp the gravity of the issue,” says Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme supervisor, City Lab, CSE. The City Lab of CSE has analysed the temperature tendencies in India from January 2015 until Could 2022. The hassle has been to grasp the warming tendencies by overlaying all three dimensions of warmth stress — floor air temperature, land floor temperature, and relative humidity (warmth index) — on the nationwide, regional and native ranges. The tendencies within the metropolises of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad (one situated in every of IMD’s 4 homogenous areas) have additionally been assessed. It additional revealed monsoon is hotter than the pre-monsoon interval on a mean, whereas winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up quicker. At an all-India stage, the monsoon season (June, July, August and September as per IMD classification) has been 0.3-0.4°C hotter than pre-monsoon (or summer time) – what’s extra, it’s getting hotter with time. Apart from, this 12 months, the noticed common every day most temperature for March and April for states and Union territories in India’s northwest (Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand – as per IMD classification) has been virtually 4°C above the conventional (in comparison with its baseline of 1981-2010). That is virtually twice as a lot because the anomaly noticed in any respect India stage, and it holds true for even common every day minimal, every day imply and land floor temperatures. Temperatures turned comparatively nearer to regular in the course of the month of Could. Roychowdhury added, “On this climate-constrained world, warmth stress is predicted to worsen. This calls for pressing motion to undertake direct measures to mitigate warmth throughout the area in addition to the town to scale back public well being threat and occupational publicity to warmth, include power consumption on account of elevated demand for cooling, stop harm to infrastructure, and guarantee total wellbeing of the lots uncovered to excessive and excessive warmth.” She provides: “This can require strategic interventions to scale back warmth island results in cities by conserving and increasing city greens/forests and waterbodies, undertake architectural design tips for the constructed surroundings to scale back warmth load on constructed buildings, and include concretisation of floor areas. On the identical time, emergency measures could be wanted to reply to the acute warmth circumstances in the course of the warmth waves.”

Heat stress rising in India, heat waves second biggest killer among natural forces

Even though the monsoon has begun to affect the entire country, many areas still seem to be experiencing intense heat which is exacerbated by sharp increases in humidity. This summer's heat waves in India are a reflection of the unusual temperature trends that are anticipated to get worse as the effects of climate change become more pronounced. After the summer of 2010, the summer of 2022 has been the second-hottest summer since 2016. Due to heat island effects brought on by surface heat absorption and local waste heat produced by traffic, industry, and air conditioning, megacities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad are significantly hotter than the greater territory around them (among other urban activities). According to a recent country-wide by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), while extreme heat waves in the northwest states as defined by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) attract the most public attention, the rise in overall anomalous temperature in other parts of the nation has been largely ignored. "This is a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India. Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat dousing forests, urban greens and water bodies will worsen public health risks. This requires urgent time-bound mitigation," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE said "Understanding the overall temperature anomaly, extreme heat conditions, and the mixed trends in heat patterns across different regions of India has become necessary to assess the emergent risk. Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves. But it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem". Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) that also captures accidental deaths including those from climatic stress, shows that between 2015 and 2020, 2,137 people had reportedly died due to heat stroke in the states in the northwest. But the southern peninsula region had reported 2,444 deaths due to excessive environmental heat, with Andhra Pradesh alone accounting for over half of the reported casualties. Delhi reported only one death for the same period. Most deaths have been reported among working-age men (30-60-year-olds), usually not considered highly vulnerable to temperature anomalies. The understanding of the public health impacts of meteorological conditions like heat waves is still weak in India. Heat waves are the second most deadly natural force in India, having killed over 20,615 people during 2000-20. Lightning, with 49,679 deaths, was the top killer. There has been a decline in the number of reported deaths since 2015 when IMD reported 2,081 deaths and NCRB reported 1,908 deaths. There were no deaths reported by IMD in 2021 and NCRB is yet to publish the 2021 edition of its annual Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI). The temperature trends in India from January 2015 to May 2022 were studied by the Urban Lab of CSE. Surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index) have been studied at the national, regional, and local levels in an effort to understand the patterns in global warming. Additionally, the patterns in the metropolises of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad in each of the four homogeneous zones of the IMD have been evaluated. A CSE release said the temperature anomaly has been examined by the analysis (which refers to a departure from a reference value or long-term average or a baseline). A positive anomaly means that the temperature was higher than the baseline, whereas a negative anomaly means that it was lower. It typically serves to report monthly, seasonal, yearly, or decadal fluctuations in temperature. Although significantly shorter in duration and characterised in contrast to an absolute temperature threshold as well as deviation from the usual, heat waves are likewise anomalous temperature events. (ANI)

2022 Takes Document For Second Hottest Summer season After 2010; Specialists Present Concern Over Absence of Warmth-Mitigation Measures | The Climate Channel – Articles from The Climate Channel

Whereas excessive warmth waves within the states of the northwest draw most public consideration, the rise in general anomalous temperature in different areas of the nation has been largely uncared for, indicated a brand new country-wide evaluation by the Centre for Science and Setting (CSE) on Thursday. The seasonal common air temperature for the 2022 summer time was 1.24°C hotter than the baseline tendencies. Furthermore, the warmth waves lashing India this summer time are symptomatic of the anomalous temperature tendencies which might be anticipated to worsen with rising local weather change impacts, it stated. This 12 months’s summer time was the second hottest after the summer time of 2010. Megacities together with Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad are a lot hotter than the bigger area round them on account of warmth island results attributable to floor absorption of warmth and native waste warmth generated by visitors, trade and air con, amongst different city actions, the most recent CSE evaluation stated. Anumita Roychowdhury, the chief director of analysis and advocacy at CSE, speaking concerning the neglect of enhance in general anomalous temperature in different areas of the nation, says: “This can be a very disturbing pattern as coverage preparedness to mitigate rising warmth on account of local weather change is almost absent in India,” stated “With out warmth motion plans, rising air temperature, radiating warmth from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping constructed constructions, waste warmth from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of warmth dousing forests, city greens and water our bodies will worsen public well being dangers. This requires pressing time-bound mitigation,” she stated. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme supervisor at City Lab, CSE, stated: “At the moment, the eye is basically on the utmost each day warmth ranges and excessive situations of warmth waves. However it’s equally essential to concentrate to the general rising temperature and humidity tendencies in numerous areas to grasp the gravity of the issue.” The City Lab of CSE has analysed the temperature tendencies in India from January 2015 to Could 2022. Floor air temperature, land floor temperature, and relative humidity (warmth index) have been studied on the nationwide, regional, and native ranges in an effort to grasp the patterns in world warming. The seasonal common air temperature for 2022 — pre-monsoon or summer time (March, April and Could as per IMD classification) — is 1.24°C hotter than the baseline tendencies that relate to 1971-2000 climatology. Baselines are outlined based mostly on historic timelines and will range for various metrics; the anomaly is usually computed from the 1951-80, 1971-2000, or 1981-2010 climatology baseline. That is hotter than the 1.20°C anomaly famous within the 2016 pre-monsoon season however decrease than the 1.45°C anomaly recorded in 2010. Equally, the land floor temperature anomaly has been excessive this pre-monsoon season, with a 1.46°C departure from the baseline (1971-2000). It have to be famous that pre-monsoon seasonal tendencies in each land and air temperature are an identical to the annual tendencies, however with extra pronounced highs and lows. Monsoon is hotter than the pre-monsoon interval on common, whereas winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up quicker.

Monsoon temperatures now higher than in summer, says CSE report

Monsoons have usually meant respite from the heat of summer months but increasingly temperatures during the monsoon months — June to September — are seeing a rise, says an analysis by environment group Centre for Science and Environment going by the weather data they made public on Thursday. At an all-India level, average temperatures during the monsoon season (June, July, August and September) are now 0.3°C higher than average summer temperatures (March, April, May) when compared from 1951-80. In the last decade, 2012-2021, this anomaly has risen to 0.4 C. India’s average temperature has risen 0.62 C from 1901-2020 according to India Meteorological Department records. However, disaggregating this rise, the CSE analysis shows, has translated to summer temperatures rising slower than not only monsoon but even post-monsoon (October-December) and winter temperatures (January and February) that have risen by 0.79 C and 0.58 C respectively. This year saw record pre-monsoon temperatures in North and Western India largely on the back of an absence of rainfall. The average daily maximum temperature for March and April for Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand – as per IMD classification, was almost 4°C above the normal (compared to its baseline of 1981-2010). This is almost twice as much as the anomaly observed at the all India level, and it holds true for even average daily minimum, daily mean and land surface temperatures, the CSE noted. Temperatures became relatively closer to normal during the month of May. ADVT ADVT While these were searing conditions, CSE authors say, they obscured the rise in temperatures in other parts of the country. Average daily maximum for north-western states for the month of March was 30.7°C, whereas the all India average was 33.1°C or 2.4°C hotter). The average daily minimum temperature showed an even larger (4.9°C) difference. Central India (Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha) and the southern peninsular region (Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana) had higher normal temperatures compared to the northwest during the pre-monsoon or summer season. Central India’s normal maximum was 2-7°C higher, while south peninsular India’s normal minimum was 4-10°C higher than temperatures in northwest India. Public health impacts These numbers had a bearing on heatwave deaths. From 2015 - 2020, 2,137 people had reportedly died due to heat stroke in the States in northwest but the southern peninsula region had reported 2,444 deaths due to excess environmental heat, with Andhra Pradesh alone accounting for over half of the reported casualties. Delhi reported only one death for the same period. Most deaths have been reported among working age men (30-60 year olds), usually not considered highly vulnerable to temperature anomalies. “The understanding of the public health impacts of meteorological conditions like heat wave is still weak in India,” their analysis underlined. The years 2016 and 2017 reported twice the number of hazardous heat wave events compared to 2015, but reported deaths caused were less than a quarter of the 2015 toll. The urban heat island effect, a phenomenon whereby cities because of concrete surfaces and dense populations tended to be on average hotter than rural habitations also contributed to heat stress. The CSE study analysed temperature and humidity data collected by the real-time air quality monitoring network and found massive variations in temperature within the cities. In terms of absolute air temperature, Hyderabad with a 7.1°C variation had the most pronounced heat islands, while Kolkata with just 1.3°C had the least pronounced ones. Delhi had a 6.2°C variation; Mumbai’s was 5.5°C. “Policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India. Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat dousing forests, urban greens and waterbodies will worsen public health risks. This requires urgent time-bound mitigation”Anumita RoychowdhuryExecutive director, Research and Advocacy, CSE “This is a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India. Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat dousing forests, urban greens and waterbodies will worsen public health risks. This requires urgent time-bound mitigation,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE.

Scorching heat: When City of Joy leaves Delhi behind

Calcutta’s seasonal maximum heat index stands at 50°C, compared with national capital's 45.6°C Calcutta this summer experienced the worst of heat measured through both temperature and humidity among four Indian cities, touching a level four degrees higher than Delhi, a climate and the environmental group has found. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi, said its analysis of heat trends had calculated Calcutta’s seasonal maximum heat index as 50°C, compared with Delhi’s 45.6°C. The heat index is the apparent temperature the body feels when humidity is combined with air temperature. A heat index value between 41°C and 43°C is “dangerous” while 54°C and higher is “extremely dangerous”, the CSE said. The analysis has also underlined concerns that parts of cities serve as “heat islands” hotter than surrounding regions. The CSE analysis, which covers the period from 2015 through 2022, has found that the monsoon season has been 0.3°C to 0.4°C hotter than the average during the 1951-80 period. The post-monsoon period — October through December — has been hotter by 0.73°C. The elevated urban temperatures result from the heat trapped by the excessive occurrence of hard and dark surfaces in cities as well as the waste heat generated through machines. The extra heat should dissipate after sunset, but pollution and the continuing generation of waste heat prevent cities from cooling. Hyderabad showed the most pronounced heat island effect with temperature variations of up to 7.1°C within the city while Calcutta had the least pronounced effect with a variation within 1.3°C. The CSE, citing data from the National Crime Records Bureau on accidental deaths, including those linked to extreme weather, said the southern peninsula had reported more deaths (2,444) from heat stroke than the northwest (2,137) between 2015 and 2020. “These are disturbing trends as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India,” Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director for research and advocacy at the CSE, said in a media release. “Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, waste heat from industrial processes, air-conditioners, and erosion of urban greens and water bodies will worsen public health risks.” The CSE analysis has found that heat waves were the second most deadly natural force in India during the period from 2000 to 2020, claiming 20,615 lives, after lightning which killed 49,679 people.

15 Ways to Stay Cool This Summer

The summer of 2022 is already shaping up to be a hot one. According to a July 2022 analysis from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), this is the second-hottest summer since 2010. In June 2022 alone, there were 1,995 record daily high temperatures broken across the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Stacker scoured scientific studies, DIY websites, and even American history to come up with 15 ways to stay cool on warm days without AC. For anyone not living along the northern edges or mountains of the U.S., the dog days of summer feature weeks—if not months—on end of intolerable heat. Sizzling temperatures have been shown to negatively affect memory, reaction time, productivity, moods, and even suicide rates. One study by Harvard University in 2016 tracked students before and after a heatwave and determined that higher temperatures correlated with decreased cognitive function; another by Stanford University in 2018 studied the links between suicide rates and temperature and ultimately theorized that bumps in temperature from now through the year 2050 may correlate with an added 21,000 deaths from suicide. For the times we can’t be in air conditioning 24/7, there are thankfully many low-cost, energy-efficient ways to cool off during summer heat that work and don’t involve sitting in a bath of ice water all day. These tricks can make a difference when your attention is required in a classroom or office setting, or if you’re working outside and need relief from the hot sun. Keep reading to see a simple hack for using skin care products to bring down your core temperature, how hot beverages may actually cool you off, and how to up your use of fans to beat the heat this summer.

Pre-monsoon season this year second hottest in India: CSE http://www.millenniumpost.in/nation/pre-monsoon-season-this-year-second-hottest-in-india-cse-484998

While summer or pre-monsoon season this year has overtaken 2016 records as the second hottest pre-monsoon season in the country, winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up faster, according to the latest findings by the Urban Lab of Centre for Science and Environment. According to the study, land surface temperatures in Delhi have been the highest since 2010 and that the city recorded significant positive anomaly (temperature higher than expected) on all three temperature parameters. In a bid to understand the warming trend in a comprehensive way, the study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has analysed the temperature trends by covering all three dimensions of heat stress -- surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index). In Delhi, air temperature has been 1.77 degrees Celsius hotter than 2010, and the land surface temperature 1.95 degrees Celsius hotter, the study said. According to the CSE analysis, the daily average heat index crossed 40 degrees Celsius in June, 2022. It said March and April have been unusually dry in Delhi, but humidity started to rise in May with some scattered rain spells. But this spike in humidity has led to an increase in the heat index in the city, indicating increased thermal discomfort among the population. "The highest land surface temperature was observed on May 16, 2020 when 53.9 degrees Celsius was recorded within city limits, followed by May 14, 2022 with maximum land surface temperature of 51.8 degrees Celsius. In the previous years, maximum land surface temperature was observed to be in mid-40s range," the CSE findings said. It further said during the heatwave in May, 2022, the land surface temperature across Delhi shot above 38 degrees Celsius, which was "unusual as the green pockets within the city have not heated up to this magnitude in the previous years," and that the average land surface temperature has been getting higher than daily average air temperature. "Industrial and agricultural zone recorded highest increase in land surface temperature between March to May. The regions at the city periphery in the north, southwest, and northwest Delhi have seen the extremely high surface temperature rise from March 19 to May 14, 2022," the study said. The study further noted that even the temperature of the water bodies rose to 29-30 degrees Celsius in May.

Cse Report: This Year Was The Second Hottest Pre-monsoon, In 20 Years, Heat Took More Than 20 Thousand Lives

This year the pre-monsoon months were the second warmest since 2010 in terms of recorded temperatures in India’s history. It broke the record of the year 2016. Big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad also remained hot. The reason for this was considered to be heat-island, traffic, industries, increasing use of AC and waste. Heat islands are hard surfaces that store heat, so that the temperature of cities does not decrease even during the day. The Center for Science and Environment (CSE) has released the report based on the data collected from the Indian Meteorological Department. According to this, the extreme heat in the north-western part of the country got everyone’s attention, but almost the same trend is seen in the whole country. The depleting ponds in the cities, decreasing greenery are adding to the heat. The pre-monsoon time covers the summer months from March to May. The report claimed that 20,615 people died due to heat wave during 2000 to 2020. above average heat in monsoon The June-September temperature, as per the nationwide average, was 0.3 to 0.4 degrees above the pre-monsoon months. The average temperature for this decade was 0.49 degrees above the baseline from 1951 to 1980. The increase was 0.73 degrees more in the post-monsoon months i.e. October to December and 0.68 degrees more in the winter months of January and February. Average temperature was 1.24 degrees higher The mean air temperature in pre-monsoon in 2022 was 1.24 degrees above the baseline. This baseline is determined by the temperature recorded between 1971 and 2000. Earlier, the average temperature was 1.20 degrees in 2016 and 1.45 degrees in 2010. In March-April this year, the daily mean maximum temperature of northwest India was 4 degrees above the baseline from 1981 to 2010. These regions include Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Rajasthan.

2022 pre-monsoon summer heat overtake 2016 as 2nd hottest pre-monsoon season on record: CSE

While extreme heat waves in the states of the northwest draw maximum public attention, the increase in overall anomalous temperature in other regions of the country have been largely neglected, indicated a new country-wide analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Thursday. The seasonal average air temperature for 2022 summer was 1.24 degrees Celsius warmer than the baseline trends. Moreover, the heat waves lashing India this summer are symptomatic of the anomalous temperature trends that is expected to worsen with growing climate change impacts, it said. Year 2022 summer was the second hottest after the summer of 2010. Mega cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad are much hotter than the larger region around them due to heat island effects caused by surface absorption of heat and local waste heat generated by traffic, industry and air conditioning (among other urban activities), the latest CSE analysis said. Talking about the increase in overall anomalous temperature in other regions of the country that have been largely neglected, "This is a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. "Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat dousing forests, urban greens and waterbodies will worsen public health risks. This requires urgent time-bound mitigation," she said. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE, said: "Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves. But it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem." The Urban Lab of CSE has analysed the temperature trends in India from January 2015 till May 2022. The effort has been to understand the warming trends by covering all three dimensions of heat stress -- surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index) -- at the national, regional and local levels. The seasonal average air temperature for 2022 -- pre-monsoon or summer (March, April and May as per IMD classification) -- is 1.24 degrees Celsius warmer than the baseline trends that relate to 1971-2000 climatology. Baselines are defined based on historical timelines and may vary for different metrics; the anomaly is generally computed from the 1951-80, 1971-2000, or 1981-2010 climatology baseline. This is warmer than the 1.20 degrees Celsius anomaly noted in 2016 pre-monsoon, but lower than the 1.45 degrees Celsius anomaly recorded in the 2010 pre-monsoon season. Similarly, land surface temperature anomaly has been extreme this pre-monsoon season, with a 1.46 degrees Celsius departure from the baseline (1971-2000). It must be noted that pre-monsoon seasonal trends in both land and air temperature are identical to the annual trends, but with more pronounced highs and lows. Monsoon is hotter than the pre-monsoon period on an average, while winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up faster. High heat stress and heat waves in the northwestern states, but Other regions even hotter in absolute terms.

Waste-to-energy plants have mostly failed in India – and yet governments are building more

Many countries, realising the limitations of such plants, are shifting focus to reducing waste and segregating at the source. On June 13, the National Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the Haryana government regarding inaction over hazardous waste contaminating the groundwater near the Bandhwari landfill. The waste dumping site, located near the Delhi and Haryana border, has been in the news for many years now. To deal with the many health, environmental, and waste management challenges, the Haryana government has proposed a waste-to-energy plant. In 2018, Haryana’s Chief Minister ML Khattar laid the foundation stone for a 15-megawatt capacity plant. Later, when a proposal was mooted to increase its capacity from 15 megawatts to 25 megawatts, it received intense opposition from the local people. Neelam Ahulawalia from Aravalli Bachao Citizens Group, which has run an online campaign against the proposed waste-to-energy plant that has received support from more than 34,000 people, said, “On August 31 last year, a public hearing was organised regarding the increase of the capacity of the proposed waste-to-energy plants. Around 300 people were present there. Everyone opposed the plan vehemently.” In their petition, they have argued, “Despite the fact that waste incineration is a completely failed model in India, the Haryana government is in the process of setting up a waste-to-energy plant in our Aravalli Forest at the Bandhwari landfill site, which is not only a complete waste of huge amount of money but is another environmental disaster in the making.” Their fear seems reasonable when one looks at the history of waste-to-energy plants in India. The first waste-to-energy plant was set up in Timarpur in Delhi in 1987. Built by a company from Denmark, the plant was supposed to incinerate 300 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day to generate 3.75 megawatts of electricity. Established with the cost of Rs 20 crore, the plant survived for only around 20 days. The reason for its failure was the poor quality of waste coming to the plant, states Dharmesh Shah, a technical advisor with Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment, a non-governmental organisation. This waste-to-energy plant failure story has continued since then. “A total of 14 waste-to-energy plants have been installed in India, out of which seven plants were closed,” said Swati Singh Sambyal, an independent waste management and circular economy expert. Burgeoning waste Landfills have become a common feature of the landscape in many Indian cities. Increasing population, urbanisation and industrialisation are some of the main reasons for increased waste generation. A 2018 World Bank report also underlined the connection between economic development and waste generation. During the budget session in 2022, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change informed that the total quantity of solid waste generated in the country was 1,50,761 tonnes per day in 2019-’20. The same World Bank report from 2018 states that India’s per capita waste generation lies at 0.57 kg per day as compared to 0.52 kg in South Asia and 0.74 kg at the global level. India, however, is yet to find a sustainable way to deal with this burgeoning waste in every city. Talking to Mongabay-India, founder and CEO of iForest, Chandra Bhushan said, “Our capacity to manage waste has not grown with the pace of our capacity to generate waste. There is a huge gap between the quantity and quality of waste we are generating, and the capacity of the municipality to manage that waste.” iForest is a Delhi-based think-tank. To deal with these challenges, state governments are relying on waste-to-energy plants. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s website says that the total estimated energy generation potential from urban and industrial organic waste in India is approximately 5,690 megawatts. A report titled “To Burn or Not To Burn”, by the Centre for Science and Environment that was published in 2019, says that plants of a combined capacity of 382.7 megawatts are proposed in India. According to the report, the plants with a capacity of 69.2 megawatts are operational, the ones with a capacity of 84.3 megawatts are under construction and 66.35 megawatts plants are non-functional. Sambyal is one of the authors of this report. Waste not fit The proposed Bandhwari waste-to-energy plant is one among these plants and the Aravali Bachao Citizens Group opposes the plant on various grounds including a Central Pollution Control Board report, which says that the waste dumped at the Bandhwari site is not fit for incineration. This is true for almost all the waste-to-energy plants,” Sambyal said, adding that most of the waste sent to waste-to-energy plants is unsegregated and has inert content which is not suitable for burning in waste-to-energy plants. “Additional fuel is required to burn this waste which makes the plant unviable,” She said. “This is the reason why waste-to-energy plants in many cities are not functioning properly or were shut down.” The quality of waste suitable for the waste-to-energy plant is decided based on its composition, calorific value, and moisture content. The existing waste going to waste-to-energy plants is majorly organic waste. “To Burn or Not to Burn” says that organic waste is around 40%-70% of the total waste, paper and cardboard contribute about 6% to 7%, and then come recyclable plastic (6% to 10%), and non-recyclable plastic (5%-10%). Other than this, metal, glass and domestic hazardous waste contribute around 1%- 3%. “Indian waste has low calorific value and high moisture content,” Sambyal explained. “The calorific value of waste in India ranges from 1,411 kcal/kg to 2,150 kcal/kg. If it is compared to the calorific value of garbage in Sweden, Norway, Germany and United States ranges between 1,900 kcal/kg and 3,800 kcal/kg. India’s is too low to burn. In this case, these plants need supplementary energy to burn the waste.” Pollution coming from waste-to-energy plants is another issue and the poor quality of waste put into the plants is making them unviable. Bhushan explains that most of these plants are established at competitive bidding, which means they have to provide energy at Rs 5 or Rs 7 per unit. If supplementary energy is needed, they are not economically viable and get closed down. More than half of the waste-to-energy plants have shut down today, which says that technology improvements do not work with the quality of waste that is being generated today. To add a comparative perspective, solar and wind energy cost somewhere between Rs 2 and Rs 3 per unit while the tariff of thermal energy is in the range of Rs 4.5 to Rs 6. However, Shah has a completely different take on the factor about energy. He said that the energy part of this project is negligible. “Waste-to-energy is just a waste management tool,” he told Mongabay-India. “The Waste-to-Energy was brought in because ‘incineration’ got a very bad name in the Global North.” “A lot of the communities were protesting it because the plants were polluting a lot,” he told Mongabay-India. “The industry then came up with a new idea and named it waste-to-energy, adding an energy component to it. Energy is negligible and it can never be competitive unless it gets a huge subsidy.” Controversies over plants Bandhwari is not the only place where people are protesting against waste-to-energy plants. The proposals of installing such plants in Mumbai, Bengaluru and even Delhi for Okhla plants, have been met with protests. The residents and environmental activists are concerned about the impact of waste-to-energy plants on their health. A resident of Sukhdev Vihar in Delhi said that this fear is not without any reason. “We are concerned about our health,” he claims. “Earlier, the National Green Tribunal fined the Okhla waste-to-energy plant for violating pollution norms. The plant is set up at a 40-metre distance from Sukhdev Vihar, violating all the norms.” Similar fear prevails among citizens in other cities as well. Responding to a question relating to the health concerns of citizens, Shah claims that there is ample evidence globally that talks about the health impact of waste-to-energy plants. “A report from Zero Waste Europe funded by the European Commission has a compilation of case studies of incineration and its impact on human health,” Shah told Mongabay-India. “Where waste-to-energy plants are running in western Europe and the United States, investments are way high. We spend a fraction of that.” “I have compared the Okhla incinerator, which costs Rs 200 crore, at least 10 times less than any incinerator running in West Europe,” he added. “That itself is a big concern because most of the plants are under pollution control. They are inherently polluting.” “So, they invest the most amount of money in the pollution control component,” he said. “Here they cut the cost, so pollution control is substandard. In urban areas, burning waste is one major reason for air pollution. Now, you are legitimising it by burning substandard waste in an incinerator.” “Europe has some of the most advanced burning facilities, still, the sub-continent has taken the first step to phase out incinerators and pushing for a circular economy,” he said.

'Can't abandon single-use plastics until we get affordable alternatives', say Tiruchy vendors

Though the ban has come for appreciation from many, people are of the opinion that it will be successful only when production of banned plastics is completely stopped. TIRUCHY: The countrywide ban on single-use plastic has come into effect from July 1. However, a majority of street vendors, who have their business dependent on plastics, do not seem ready for the change. R Kannan, who runs a fast-food shop on Shastri Road, said, "I buy 50 pieces of thermocol bowls, which is banned, for `40. But, 50 pieces of eco-friendly areca plates cost Rs 100. If I switch to these plates, I will have to increase the price of foodstuff. That would mean losing customers. This can be effected only when there is enough awareness among customers." A flower seller in the same locality said he buys 80 pieces of plastic carry bags at Rs 25, but 70 pieces of cloth bag would cost him Rs 120. Without a cost-efficient alternative, he does not stand a chance of abandoning plastics. A juice shop owner on Bharathidasan Salai told The New Indian Express, "While ordering parcels, people should bring their own utensils. But, there isn't much awareness, and they invariably ask them for plastic containers. In such cases, we would not want to lose whatever little business we get, and are forced to use plastics." Though the ban has come for appreciation from many, people are of the opinion that it will be successful only when production of banned plastics is completely stopped. "We usually pack snacks in plastic covers. Now, we are being told to use aluminum foil, which will cost us 30 per cent more. This is unmanageable," a proprietor of a cottage industry in Chennai, said. Siddharth Ghanshyam Singh of the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, said, "It is impossible to expect a dramatic change unless affordable, eco-friendly alternatives for plastics are made available. A complete halt of producing plastics can happen only at that point." Environment Minister Siva V Meyyanathan said, "The initiative for bio-degradable cover production is being taken up in the State. Once production increases, the prices will come down. Production of plastic covers will completely stop soon." Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary (Climate Change and Forests), said that the State has been promoting the use of alternatives such as 'Manja Pai,' banana leaves and areca leaves. "Nothing happens in a day. Once it gets going full steam, people will get used to it. Initiatives like vending machines have received very good response from the public, and these will be started across the States in the coming days," she said. Corporation commissioner R Vaithinathan said, "We are encouraging the production of alternatives like cloth bags, areca plates and wooden sticks, through women schemes, under which they will receive training through National Urban Livelihood Mission. The price of the alternatives will eventually come down when production and consumption increase. The women we train will be linked to NGOs to collaborate and sell their products. This will promote entrepreneurs."

Monsoon season was 0.58 degree C warmer this decade than long-term average

Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director (research and advocacy), called this a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India The June to September monsoon season has been 0.3-0.4 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-monsoon seasons in the decade from 2012 to 2022, according to a new Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) analysis based on India Meteorological Department (IMD)’s long-term data. Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director (research and advocacy), called this a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India. “Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat dousing forests, urban greens, and water bodies will worsen public health risks,” she said in a statement. “This requires an urgent time-bound mitigation.” The decadal average temperature for the pre-monsoon or summer period was 0.49 degrees Celsius hotter than long-term normal (1951-80 baseline). This is a significant increase but not as much as that for the other three seasons. The post-monsoon period from October to December has been hotter by 0.73 degrees Celsius than the long-term normal. The winter season from January to February, as per IMD classification, has been warmer by 0.68 degrees Celsius, and the monsoon by 0.58 degrees Celsius. HT on March 22 reported that there has been a sharp upward trend in average temperatures across seasons in the country since 1991 compared to the average surface air temperature baseline recorded between 1981 and 2010. The trend is more evenly pronounced during the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. The seasonal average air temperature for this summer from March to May was 1.24 degrees Celsius warmer than the baseline trends between 1971 and 2000. This was warmer than the 1.20 degrees Celsius anomaly noted in 2016 summer. But it is lower than the 1.45 degree anomaly recorded in 2010 summer. Land surface temperature anomaly has been extreme this summer with a 1.46-degree Celsius increase compared to the baseline (1971-2000). Institute of Climate Change Studies director DS Pai said the temperature anomalies are increasing mainly because of less clouding on a higher number of days. “So, if rainy days are reducing, cloudless or less cloudy days will increase. If we analyse the overall increase in maximum and minimum temperatures during these two seasons [monsoon and post-monsoon] we can also find out if there is an incursion of warm air from other regions.” Pai said the rise in average temperatures is mainly linked to global warming. “We cannot link less cloudy days in monsoon and post-monsoon seasons to global warming directly but there may be indirect effects of climate change on cloud and rain patterns.” The CSE said that the average daily maximum temperature this year for March and April in northwest India was almost 4 degrees Celsius above the normal compared to its baseline of 1981-2010. “This is almost twice as much as the increase observed at all India levels and it holds true for even average daily minimum, daily mean, and land surface temperatures. Temperatures became relatively closer to normal during the month of May.” CSE cited National Crime Records Bureau data and said 2,137 people reportedly died due to heat strokes in northwest India between 2015 and 2020. “...the southern peninsula region... reported 2,444 deaths due to excessive environmental heat with Andhra Pradesh alone accounting for over half of the reported casualties.” It added Delhi reported only one death for the same period. “Most deaths have been reported among working-age men (30-60), usually not considered highly vulnerable to temperature anomalies. The understanding of the public health impacts of meteorological conditions like the heat waves is still weak in India.” The seasonal average temperatures of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad were 1-2-degree Celsius higher than the all-India average due to the urban heat island phenomenon. “Due to excessive hard and dark surfaces, cities tend to absorb the heat coming from the sun during the day; a city also generates a lot of waste heat due to human activities which adds to the natural heat. This extra heat should dissipate after sunset, but due to pollution and continuing generation of waste heat the city fails to cool down, leading to warmer condition compared to rural areas,” said the CSE analysis. It added that temperature and humidity data suggested massive variations in temperature within the cities. In terms of absolute air temperature, Hyderabad, with a 7.1-degree Celsius variation (difference between hottest and coolest part of the city), had the most pronounced heat islands. Kolkata, with just 1.3 degree Celsius, had the least pronounced ones. Delhi had a 6.2-degree Celsius variation and Mumbai 5.5. Some urban or metropolitan areas were significantly warmer than their surrounding rural areas or areas with more green cover. The phenomenon is referred as Urban Heat Island effect. Avikal Somvanshi, a senior programme manager with CSE’s Urban Lab, said understanding the overall temperature anomaly, extreme heat conditions, and the mixed trends in heat patterns across India has become necessary to assess the emergent risk. “Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves. But it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem.” CSE sourced the intracity temperature variation data from the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations and surface air from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

2022 pre-monsoon summer heat overtake 2016 as 2nd hottest pre-monsoon season on record: CSE

While extreme heat waves in the states of the northwest draw maximum public attention, the increase in overall anomalous temperature in other regions of the country have been largely neglected, indicated a new country-wide analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Thursday. The seasonal average air temperature for 2022 summer was 1.24 degrees Celsius warmer than the baseline trends. Moreover, the heat waves lashing India this summer are symptomatic of the anomalous temperature trends that is expected to worsen with growing climate change impacts, it said. Year 2022 summer was the second hottest after the summer of 2010. Mega cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad are much hotter than the larger region around them due to heat island effects caused by surface absorption of heat and local waste heat generated by traffic, industry and air conditioning (among other urban activities), the latest CSE analysis said. Talking about the increase in overall anomalous temperature in other regions of the country that have been largely neglected, “This is a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. “Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat dousing forests, urban greens and waterbodies will worsen public health risks. This requires urgent time-bound mitigation,” she said. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE, said: “Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves. But it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem.” The Urban Lab of CSE has analysed the temperature trends in India from January 2015 till May 2022. The effort has been to understand the warming trends by covering all three dimensions of heat stress — surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index) — at the national, regional and local levels. The seasonal average air temperature for 2022 — pre-monsoon or summer (March, April and May as per IMD classification) — is 1.24 degrees Celsius warmer than the baseline trends that relate to 1971-2000 climatology. Baselines are defined based on historical timelines and may vary for different metrics; the anomaly is generally computed from the 1951-80, 1971-2000, or 1981-2010 climatology baseline. This is warmer than the 1.20 degrees Celsius anomaly noted in 2016 pre-monsoon, but lower than the 1.45 degrees Celsius anomaly recorded in the 2010 pre-monsoon season. Similarly, land surface temperature anomaly has been extreme this pre-monsoon season, with a 1.46 degrees Celsius departure from the baseline (1971-2000). It must be noted that pre-monsoon seasonal trends in both land and air temperature are identical to the annual trends, but with more pronounced highs and lows. Monsoon is hotter than the pre-monsoon period on an average, while winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up faster. High heat stress and heat waves in the northwestern states, but Other regions even hotter in absolute terms.

Environment Ministry proposes more fines, less imprisonment for violations

Fines proposed in lieu of imprisonment are 5-500 times greater than those currently levied The Environment Ministry proposes to soften the provisions of the Environment Protection Act (EPA) by replacing a clause that provides for imprisoning violators with one that only requires them to pay a fine. This, however, doesn’t apply to violations that cause grave injury or loss of life. The proposed fines, in lieu of imprisonment, are also 5-500 times greater than those currently levied. The Act currently says that violators will be punishable with imprisonment up to five years or with a fine up to ₹1 lakh, or with both. Were violations to continue, an additional fine of up to ₹5,000 for every day during which such failure or contravention continues after the conviction would be levied. There’s also a provision for jail terms to extend to seven years. The Environment Ministry in a note this week, laying out the rationale governing the amendments, said that it had received “suggestions” to decriminalise existing provisions of the EPA to weed out “fear of imprisonment for simple violations”. The two major changes proposed are appointing an “adjudication officer” who would decide on a penalty in cases of environmental violations such as reports not being submitted or information not provided when demanded. “However, in case of serious violations which lead to grievous injury or loss of life, they shall be covered under the provision of Indian Penal Code, 1860 read with Section 24 of EP Act,” the document notes. Funds collected as penalties would be accrued in an “Environmental Protection Fund”. In case of contraventions of the Act, the penalties could extend to anywhere from ₹5 lakh to ₹5 crore, the proposal notes. The Ministry has sought comments from the public on its proposals until July 21. The removal of prison terms also applies to the Air Act, that is the cornerstone legislation for dealing with air pollution, and the Water Act, which deals with violations to water bodies. An analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment found that Indian courts took between 9-33 years to clear a backlog of cases for environmental violations. Beginning 2018, close to 45,000 cases were pending trial and another 35,000 cases were added in that year. More than 90% cases were pending trial in five of the seven environment laws. Environmentalist Vikrant Tongad said that the existing clause of imprisonment was to deter violators and not to imprison. The proposed penalties were too meagre and the proposed amendments opened up avenues for “large scale corruption” as the proposed ‘adjudication officers’ would be “arbitrary” in their decision making.

'Café Classroom': a pursuit to relearn relationship across humans and nature

The idea of coexistence and interdependency between atmosphere and humans more often than not falls into the trap of assumption – a deficit of understanding the human-led asymmetrical balance between the two. Over the years, the capitalistic way of life has sharply stifled the atmosphere, turning the natural process of breathing into a forceful exercise. As the terms pollution, toxicity, and suffocation received mainstream attention, especially in the year 2016, the urgency to curb the further deterioration of the atmosphere was all-time heightened. The series Café Classroom, part of the Does the Blue Sky Lie? Testimonies of Air’s Toxicities project by Khoj studios, emerges from the exigency to “relearn” our relationship with the natural world. Curated by Pradip Saha, Director of Damage Control, a communications agency in the sustainable development context, the Café Classroom acutely emphasised the collective effort of citizens, creative minds, environmentalists, economists and policymakers, to restore the equilibrium of the ecosystem. In an interview with STIR, Saha explains, “The Café Classroom was not conceived to address ‘rising air pollution’, but to use air pollution as an entry point for a larger discussion about ecological crisis. We used two threads. One was to enter through air pollution and move towards the larger crisis of climate change. The other was to connect ecological crisis (environment is a management term, it is anthropocentric and fails to address larger issues) to its reason which is political economy.” The Café Classroom began with in-person talk Decoding Dirty Air: Joining the Dots for the Big Solution by Anumita Roy Chowdhury, who is the Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, India. The lecture at the Canteen, Khoj, Khoj studios traced the spiral concern around air pollution since the year 1996. Against the political and social issues, the crisis of air pollution and entailing health issues are deemed of lesser importance. The detrimental air makes for a “compelling human story,” which continues to be the most conflicted and unresolved one. While giving the statistical data on the declining quality of the air in the national capital New Delhi, India, Chowdhury observed the road design structure favours the car owner resulting in the disproportional effect on the pedestrians. The unfavourable road structures fail to promote the interest among the public to take a walk across the short distance. The talk walked us through the variety of places in Delhi which have been transformed into people-friendly and accessible on foot. Largely, the mobility by a vehicle is perceived as a sign of privilege. To deflate such preconceived notions of entitlement, Chowdhury gave an example of a Dutch minister who visited the queen on a bicycle. The image introduced the idea of owning the environment rather than being a purchaser of an automobile. When the atmosphere is a universal equaliser, we need to reciprocate it in a similar fashion. The next in-person talk Assessment of Vulnerability/Risk to Climate Change by Sandhya Rao focussed on the interconnection between climate change and vulnerability. While looking at the data produced by the IPCC report, Rao underlined how humans are forcing a substantial increase in the temperature globally. Be it Texas cold snap in February 2021, Canada heat wave in July 2021, floods in Germany in July 2021, Greece wildfire in August 2021, a Day Zero declared in Chennai, summer of 2019, Delhi urban flood in July 2021 and ongoing heat wave in the Indian Subcontinent are the cumulative results of the urbanisation and destruction of natural habitats. The vulnerability determined by climate change highlights the inequality among humans. The talk had Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand as the case studies to indicate how the factors such as economic, social, cultural, institutional, and politics play a significant role to define the living conditions of the people. Rao highlighted an informed decision-making process is pertinent to make an appropriate adaptation.