• Climate Change and Green Economy

Rising temperatures can put our water security in serious jeopardy: CSE

India is witnessing a repeat of 2021 conditions, when temperatures touched 40oC as early as in February in some parts of the country. On World Water Day, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) researchers pointed out that sudden rising heat has severe implications for water security. To begin with, it would mean greater evaporation from waterbodies. “What does this intense heat wave that has hit large parts of India so early this summer really mean? It means – especially today, as we mark the World Water Day – that this is the age of climate change; it also means that how we deal with our water in the coming days will determine whether we would survive such extreme climatic conditions,” says Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE. She said, “It means that we need to work not just on storing water in millions of structures, but also plan for reducing losses due to evaporation. It’s not that evaporation losses did not happen in the past, but the rate of evaporation will now increase with the soaring temperatures.”

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

10 Indian cities with most polluted air. Is your city on the list?

India air pollution: None of the Indian cities whose air quality was measured met WHO standards of 5 mg per cubic metre. Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, and national capital Delhi have the most polluted air, according to the World Air Quality Report that is prepared annually by Swiss organisation IQAir and was released on Tuesday. The three are joined by UP's Jaunpur and Noida in the list of the five Indian cities with the worst air quality. India also has 35 entries in the list of the 50 global cities with toxic air and Delhi is the world's most polluted capital city for a fourth consecutive year, the Swiss organisation's report said. Delhi’s environment minister, Gopal Rai, quoted a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) study claiming that 60% of Delhi’s air pollution comes from outside the Capital (PTI) The list of ten Indian cities with most polluted air quality levels: City name AQI level Bhiwadi (Rajasthan) 106.2 Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) 102 Delhi (Delhi NCR) 96.4 Jaunpur (Uttar Pradesh) 95.3 Noida (Uttar Pradesh) 91.4 Baghpat (Uttar Pradesh) 89.1 Hisar (Haryana) 89 Faridabad (Haryana) 88.9 Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) 87.5 None of the Indian cities whose air quality was measured met World Health Organization (WHO) standards of 5 micrograms per cubic metre, IQAir said. The study also found that air quality in China continues to improve; over half its cities saw lower levels of air pollution as compared to last year. Pollution levels within capital Beijing continued a five-year trend of improved air quality, driven by emission control and reduction of coal power plant activity and other high emission industries, the report added.

• Climate Change and Green Economy

Rising temperatures can put our water security in serious jeopardy: CSE

What does this intense heat wave that has hit large parts of India so early this summer really mean? "It means that this is the age of climate change; it also means that how we deal with our water in the coming days will determine whether we will survive such extreme climatic conditions," said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). "I am saying this because we all know that climate change impacts are about heat -- increased and scorching temperatures -- and about variable and extreme rain. Both have a direct correlation with the water cycle. Therefore, climate change mitigation has to be about water and its management," Narain elaborated. India is witnessing a repeat of 2021 conditions, when temperatures touched 40 degrees Celsius as early as in February in some parts of the country. Said Avantika Goswami, deputy programme manager, climate change, CSE: "And this was when 2021 was the year of the La Nina -- the Pacific water currents that are known to bring cooler temperatures globally. Indian weather scientists have informed that global warming has offset this cooling effect of La Nina." CSE researchers point out that rising heat has severe implications for water security. To begin with, it would mean greater evaporation from water bodies. Observed Narain: "It means that we need to work not just on storing water in millions of structures, but also plan for reducing losses due to evaporation. It's not that evaporation losses did not happen in the past, but the rate of evaporation will now increase with the soaring temperatures." One option is to work on underground water storage, or wells. According to CSE researchers, India's irrigation planners and bureaucracies have largely depended on canals and other surface water systems -- they should not discount the management of groundwater systems. Increased heat can also lead to a drying up of moisture in soils. It will make the land dusty and will increase the need for irrigation. In a country like India where the bulk of the food is still grown in rainfed regions -- irrigated by rain -- it will intensify land degradation and dust bowl formations. This means water management must go hand in hand with vegetation planning to improve the ability of soils to hold water, even in times of intense and prolonged heat. Thirdly, and obviously, heat will drive up the use of water -- from drinking and irrigation to fighting fires in forests or buildings. We have already seen devastating forest fires rage in many parts of the world, and in the forests of India. This will only increase as temperatures go up. The demand for water will increase with climate change, making it even more imperative that we do not waste -- either water or wastewater. But this is not all. The fact is that climate change is already showing up in terms of the increasing number of extreme rain events. This means that we can expect rain to come as a flood, making the cycle of floods followed by droughts even more intense. "India already has fewer rainy days in a year -- it is said that it rains for just 100 hours on average in a year. Now the number of rainy days will further go down, but extreme rainy days will increase. This has a huge impact on our plans for water management. This means that we need to think more about flood management, not only to embank rivers but to optimise the floodwaters so that we can store them in underground and overground aquifers -- wells and ponds. But it also means that we need to plan differently for the capture of rainwater. Currently, our water structures, the many millions that are being constructed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, for instance, are designed for normal rainfall. But now, as extreme rains become the normal, the structures will need to be redesigned so that they last over the seasons. The bottom-line is that we must plan deliberately to capture every drop, not just of rain but of floodwater, in this age of climate change.

• Climate Change and Green Economy

बढ़ते तापमान से बढ़ेगा वाष्पीकरण, जल प्रबंधन पर काम जरूरी : सुनीता नारायण

जलवायु परिवर्तन के के कारण बढ़े हुए तापमान, और चिलचिलाती गर्मी का सीधा जल चक्र से संबंध है। इसलिए जलवायु परिवर्तन के कारण हमें जल प्रबंधन पर भी काम करना चाहिए। यह बात मंगलवार को सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट (सीएसई) की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण ने कही। बढ़ती गर्मी से जल संकट बढ़ेगा उन्होंने कहा कि देश के विभिन्न हिस्सों में अचानक बढ़ी गर्मी का क्या मतलब है? खासकर तब जब हम विश्व जल दिवस मना रहे हैं। यह जलवायु परिवर्तन का युग है। आने वाले दिनों में हम भीषण जल संकट से कैसे निपटेंगे इसकी तैयारी करनी जरूरी है। सीएसई की अवंतिका गोस्वामी ने कहा कि 2021 में ला नीना की वजह से देश के कई हिस्सों में फरवरी में ही तापमान 40 डिग्री सेंटीग्रेट चला गया था। इस वर्ष भी ठीक उसी तरह के वातावरण से हम दो चार हो रहे हैं। केंद्रीय विवि स्नातक कोर्स में छात्रों के दाखिले के लिए सीयूईटी के अंकों का उपयोग करेंगे: कुमार अंडर ग्राउंड वाटर स्टोरेज बनाकर किया जा सकता है संरक्षण जिससे वाष्पीकरण तेजी से बढ़ा है। आने वाले जल संकट से बचने के लिए हमें लाखों पानी जमा करने की जगहें बनानी होंगी। ताकि वाष्पीकरण से हो रही जल हानि को पूरा किया जा सके। सरकारें चाहें तो वह अंडर ग्राउंड वाटर स्टोरेज, कुएं बनाने पर भी काम कर सकती हैं। क्योंकि बढ़ती गर्मी से मिट्टी सूखेगी सूखी मिट्टी से धूल बनेगी और धूल भरी आंधियां अधिक आएंगी। बार बार सूख रही मिट्टी के कारण किसानों को अन्न उपजाने के लिए अधिक सिंचाई भी करनी पड़ेगी।

• Climate Change and Green Economy

हमें जल्द से जल्द जल प्रबंधन पर काम करने की ज़रूरत: सुनीता नारायण https://jantaserishta.com/delhi-ncr/evaporation-will-increase-due-to-rising-temperature-work-on-water-management-is-necessary-1198236

दिल्ली न्यूज़: जलवायु परिवर्तन के के कारण बढ़े हुए तापमान, और चिलचिलाती गर्मी का सीधा जल चक्र से संबंध है। इसलिए जलवायु परिवर्तन के कारण हमें जल प्रबंधन पर भी काम करना चाहिए। यह बात मंगलवार को सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट (सीएसई) की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण ने कही। बढ़ती गर्मी से जल संकट बढ़ेगा: उन्होंने कहा कि देश के विभिन्न हिस्सों में अचानक बढ़ी गर्मी का क्या मतलब है? खासकर तब जब हम विश्व जल दिवस मना रहे हैं। यह जलवायु परिवर्तन का युग है। आने वाले दिनों में हम भीषण जल संकट से कैसे निपटेंगे इसकी तैयारी करनी जरूरी है। सीएसई की अवंतिका गोस्वामी ने कहा कि 2021 में ला नीना की वजह से देश के कई हिस्सों में फरवरी में ही तापमान 40 डिग्री सेंटीग्रेट चला गया था। इस वर्ष भी ठीक उसी तरह के वातावरण से हम दो चार हो रहे हैं। अंडर ग्राउंड वाटर स्टोरेज बनाकर किया जा सकता है संरक्षण: जिससे वाष्पीकरण तेजी से बढ़ा है। आने वाले जल संकट से बचने के लिए हमें लाखों पानी जमा करने की जगहें बनानी होंगी। ताकि वाष्पीकरण से हो रही जल हानि को पूरा किया जा सके। सरकारें चाहें तो वह अंडर ग्राउंड वाटर स्टोरेज, कुएं बनाने पर भी काम कर सकती हैं। क्योंकि बढ़ती गर्मी से मिट्टी सूखेगी सूखी मिट्टी से धूल बनेगी और धूल भरी आंधियां अधिक आएंगी। बार बार सूख रही मिट्टी के कारण किसानों को अन्न उपजाने के लिए अधिक सिंचाई भी करनी पड़ेगी। https://jantaserishta.com/delhi-ncr/evaporation-will-increase-due-to-rising-temperature-work-on-water-management-is-necessary-1198236

• Climate Change and Green Economy

बढ़ते तापमान का जल संरक्षण पर गंभीर प्रभाव: सीएसई

ग्रीष्म ऋतु की शुरुआत में भारत के बड़े हिस्से में तेज गर्मी महसूस होना इस बात का सबूत है कि यह जलवायु परिवर्तन का युग है और इसका जल संरक्षण पर गंभीर प्रभाव पड़ सकता है। विज्ञान एवं पर्यावरण केंद्र (सीएसई) ने मंगलवार को यह बात कही। विश्व जल दिवस के अवसर पर सीएसई की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण ने कहा कि जलवायु परिवर्तन का प्रभाव जल और उसके प्रबंधन पर पड़ेगा। उन्होंने कहा, '' ग्रीष्म ऋतु की शुरुआत में ही भारत के बड़े हिस्से को चपेट में लेने वाली इस तीव्र गर्मी की लहर का वास्तव में क्या मतलब है? विशेष रूप से आज विश्व जल दिवस के अवसर पर इसका मतलब है कि यह जलवायु परिवर्तन का युग है। इसका मतलब यह भी है कि हम कैसे आने वाले दिनों में हमारे पानी का प्रबंधन करेंगे और यह ही तय करेगा कि हम ऐसी चरम जलवायु परिस्थितियों से बचे रहेंगे या नहीं।'' नारायण ने कहा, ''हम सभी जानते हैं कि जलवायु परिवर्तन का प्रभाव बढ़ी हुई गर्मी, बढ़ते तापमान और अत्यधिक बारिश व इसके समय में बदलाव के बारे में है। दोनों का जलचक्र के साथ सीधा संबंध है। इसलिए जलवायु परिवर्तन को काबू करने का संबंध पानी और उसके प्रबंधन को लेकर भी होना चाहिए।'' सीएसई के जलवायु परिवर्तन इकाई की उप कार्यक्रम प्रबंधक अवंतिका गोस्वामी ने कहा कि भारत में 2021 की स्थिति दोहराई जा रही है, जब फरवरी की शुरुआत में देश के कुछ हिस्सों में तापमान 40 डिग्री सेल्सियस तक पहुंच गया था। गोस्वामी ने कहा, ''यह तब था जब 2021 'ला नीना' का साल था, ये प्रशांत जल धाराएं वैश्विक स्तर पर तापमान को कम करने के लिए जानी जाती हैं। भारतीय मौसम वैज्ञानिकों ने सूचित किया है कि वैश्विक तापमान में वृद्धि ने 'ला नीना' के इस शीतलन प्रभाव को बेहद कम कर दिया है।''

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

From the archives | Air pollution: The new Capital punishment

The latest World Air Quality Report has again ranked Delhi as the most polluted city. Here’s why the pollution control measures kicked off in 2015 have fallen short Every great city has its great joys and its great sorrows. So, Delhi, a radial melting pot of cultures that has history at every corner, greenery on every sidewalk, and changes clothes and colours with the seasons, has been plagued with debilitating concerns over women's safety, and with something noxious, deleterious, downright nasty, in the air. According to multiple surveys in recent years by organisations ranging from the World Health Organization (WHO) to the University of Surrey, and from the University of California at Berkeley to the Indian Institutes of Technology in Delhi, Kanpur and Mumbai, the city is now the most polluted in the world. An inglorious, undisputed leader in a dishonour roll that features 13 Indian cities among the top 20. A Delhi resident is today exposed to an average of 153 micrograms per cubic metre of PM 2.5—the smallest and most harmful of all measurable particulate matter—which is 15 times higher than the WHO’s recommended annual average. And while this data may seem too obscure to raise alarm bells, and the effects of pollution too insidious to rattle the cage, disease and death is looming. Preying first on the most vulnerable—children, seniors, those with respiratory disorders—and slowly devouring even the most hardy. advertisement The stench of smoke, burning of the eyes, smoggy mornings, hazy nights are all symptoms of a deeper malaise. Doctors associate high levels of suspended particulate matter and sulphur dioxide with increased mortality, morbidity and impaired pulmonary function. They say that fine particulates penetrate the respiratory system, and can alter the immune system, impair the liver and the kidney, and cause brain damage in children resulting in lower IQ, hyperactivity and lower concentration. The rise in carbon monoxide levels affects the cardiovascular system, particularly among children, and can attack the nervous system. Two studies endorsed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 2012 said that one in five adults and one in four children in Delhi suffered from upper respiratory diseases, and that these numbers were on an upward trend. There is no dispute any longer that drastic action is needed. In this winter of discontent when the ambient air quality is at its worst, emergency measures have suddenly become the order of the day as Delhi has emerged all of a sudden as a test case for pollution reforms that will have implications for cities such as Gwalior, Patna and Ahmedabad that are suffering from similar problems. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has announced a series of half-measures—but measures nonetheless—to kick-start the fight. It has been buttressed by the judiciary, which has radical ideas of its own. So while one group has decided to restrict Delhi’s private four-wheelers to even and odd registration plates on alternate days, a battle of one-upmanship has begun in which the other wants to restrict or phase out diesel vehicles altogether. Ignoring the hue and cry and the logistic nightmare both these plans throw up, the executive and the judiciary seem determined to finally bell the cat. While this is a good issue to be squabbling over, some key questions remain: what does the cat really look like, how did it become so menacing, is the bell loud enough, and are they trying to bell the wrong cat altogether? Perhaps the first step towards understanding Delhi’s particular pollution problem is to understand the city—its aspirations, and its design. Delhi is primarily a network of localities, or a conglomerate of villages, linked by roads that intersect, bifurcate and overlap, like spaghetti in a bowl. It’s a series of concentric circles with numerous entry and exit points, and has almost no dedicated commercial centre, and no clear housing pattern. advertisement It is as long as it is wide, unlike Mumbai which has changed gradually from a straight line along the sea to a narrow isosceles triangle. Its population is growing at an alarming rate, having nearly doubled from 10 million to 20 million in the last two decades. And new satellite towns such as Gurgaon and Noida, which now form an ominous National Capital Region because of seamless urban integration, are also as commercial as they are residential. CHECK THESE OUT More Delhi's air quality dips to emergency level first time since January Delhi's air quality dips to emergency level first time since January RECOMMENDED Scientists discover a new form of ice that can not exist on surface of Earth Scientists discover a new form of ice that can not exist on surface of Earth TRENDING Previous odd-even schemes failed to reduce air pollution in Delhi Previous odd-even schemes failed to reduce air pollution in Delhi RECOMMENDED Toxic Diwali aftermath: Delhi air quality dips to very poor; Kolkata, Mumbai breathe easy Toxic Diwali aftermath: Delhi air quality dips to very poor; Kolkata, Mumbai breathe easy RECOMMENDED Odd-even: Allowing private vehicles with school children, patients to be trust based: Arvind Kejriwal Odd-even: Allowing private vehicles with school children, patients to be trust based: Arvind Kejriwal RECOMMENDED Bengaluru to face power cuts on March 26 | Check full list of areas Bengaluru to face power cuts on March 26 | Check full list of areas RECOMMENDED Design Flaw It is, in other words, a landlocked cauldron of smoke, surrounded by an even smokier periphery, without the natural advantage of replenishing its air that coastal cities have. On top of that, it has an organic growth pattern that makes it arduous to provide a mass transit system that works for everyone because of a lack of clarity between where people live, and where they work. It is, as Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), puts it, “suffering from a design flaw”. And as Rahul Mehrotra, urban planner and professor of urban design and planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, describes it, “a victim of poor land-use planning”. It’s because of this haphazard structure that the greatest middle-class dream in Delhi is individual mobility, and the entire focus of its transport system has been to support private vehicles. To have made it in Delhi is to have wheels under you. The city, as a result, has a total of 8.8 million vehicles, and adds an average of 1,400 vehicles to its arsenal every month. This is more than the vehicles in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata combined, though about 60 per cent of these are two-wheelers. advertisement Another problem is that Delhi’s growth, and that of many other big Indian cities, has been so rapid that infrastructure has not been able to keep pace. “Typically, in India, the introduction of mass public transport is a rearguard action,” says the ever-cogent Mehrotra, “as opposed to avant garde action.” This is different from many other global cities where public transport, coupled with cheaper housing incentives, opened up newer, better-connected hinterlands. Infrastructure in Delhi has always tried to play catch-up with urbanisation rather than lead it. These factors make Delhi’s public transport system both more uncomfortable to use and more inefficient when compared with private vehicles. This double whammy is a crucial distinction, for there is no respite on either front—saving time or saving stress—for a majority of Delhi’s commuters who rely on public transport. In Mumbai, for example, if going from Andheri to Churchgate takes 45 minutes by train, it can take up to two hours by car. So,while a car may be more “luxurious”, it robs you of time. In Delhi, if going from South Delhi to Noida takes 40 minutes by car, it takes 90 minutes by train, including getting to and from the station. So public transport is not only more uncomfortable, it also wastes time. This is primarily why anyone who can afford to buy a private vehicle jumps at the idea in Delhi, as opposed to Mumbai, or other well-connected cities in the world, where vehicles are meant for family outings or weekend recreation. And this is why the AAP’s even-odd solution between January 1 and January 15 is likely to fail. For, while pollution is clearly important enough to override personal comfort, relying on the goodness of the people to embrace a more inefficient system for the “greater good” may be wishful thinking. Add to that the lack of capacity—according to Sarath Guttikunda of the advocacy site urbanemissions.info, it would take 13,000 new buses to take the additional load while the government has managed to arrange for only 6,000 extra buses so far—and this plan has all the makings of another urban bungle. The implications could be potentially disastrous for the larger cause because a hasty rollback due to improper implementation may potentially harm the fight against pollution rather than helping it. Not dissimilar to how the failure of the ambitious Bus Rapid Transit lanes created by the previous Sheila Dikshit government had ended up militating against the push for a more efficient bus service. Evenly Odd What dilutes the even-odd formula, unless it’s used only as an emergency measure for limited time and with minimal exemptions, is that the numbers simply don’t add up. As Guttikunda explains, vehicular pollution depends on three principal factors—number of vehicles on the road, the distance each vehicle runs, and the emissions from each vehicle. So if 4.4 million of the 8.8 million vehicles in Delhi go off the roads because of the even-odd formula, the assumption is that it would lead to a 50 per cent reduction in vehicular emissions. But there is more to this than a simple division. Once you take into account the various exemptions that the AAP government is planning—for two-wheelers because they form one of the party’s principal constituencies, for women drivers because of safety concerns, and for patients and emergency vehicles such as ambulances and police vans—an estimated 2.5 million vehicles come back on the road, leading to a total reduction of just 2 million. Also, it has been noticed that wherever the even-odd formula has been applied—Mexico City and Bogota are examples—the run of each vehicle increases because it begins to make several rounds to cater to different members of a family. Even if a vehicle’s run increases by an average of 25 per cent, it brings emissions worth an additional 1.5 million vehicles back on the road, thus taking the grand total of reductions to a mere 500,000. Although there are some short-term advantages—fewer exhaust fumes in your immediate vicinity, and lower NO2 and particulate matter—it’s too much trouble for not enough gain. Only if conducted without exemptions for a short period of time—so that people do not buy newer cars or change registration numbers in multiple-vehicle homes—can the even-odd formula be somewhat successful. “We’re not in favour of any exemptions, other than for emergency vehicles,” says CSE’s Roychowdhury, who has met with the Delhi government to help iron out their even-odd formula and other strategies to combat pollution. Vehicular emissions, in any case, roughly account for 25 per cent of Delhi’s pollution, with construction activity and dust the main culprits. Diesel generator sets in homes and offices that spew pollutants through an unrefined motor in a bid to cover for poor power supply, industrial dumping and waste burning also add huge chunks to the pollution pie-chart. But this attempt by the AAP government is still being hailed as ground-breaking by experts, including Roychowdhury, with good reason. It is the first time that any restrictions are being placed on private vehicles in a country where car owners are in the habit of being pampered with a one-time all-India road tax, free parking in homes, cheap parking in markets, and no congestion charges. The move is an acknowledgement that the time to impose checks on vehicles has come, as other cities do across the world, and could serve as a precursor to making owning, maintaining, driving and parking a fleet of private vehicles more expensive and problematic than it currently is. An infinitely more efficient solution for vehicular pollution would be to implement Euro 6 emission norms for automobiles in India because that would bring down particulate matter emission by five times per vehicle over the Euro 4 norms that Delhi currently follows. This can be achieved by persuading oil companies to up their standards, without necessarily having to discard older cars immediately since a Euro 4 vehicle can run on Euro 6 fuels. The Delhi government is also promising to restrict the number of trucks entering the city, shutting coal-based power plants in Rajghat and Badarpur, enforcing the ban on trash burning, and penalising construction violators. But implementing these measures won’t be easy, especially since they will have to rely on the Delhi Police, which is not under the AAP government’s control and has, in fact, been openly inimical towards it. Even controlling the flow of trucks into the city, many of which use sub-standard or mixed fuels, will be a hard cross to bear despite the Supreme Court’s ‘green tax’ that attempts to discourage them from using Delhi as a thoroughfare. The court, on December 16, passed another order that banned the entry of trucks manufactured before 2005 from entering the city, and closing the entry points at NH1 and NH8 for trucks not bound for Delhi. A recent study by the CSE suggests that a total of 115,000 light commercial and heavy trucks enter Delhi every day. The court also stopped the registration of all luxury diesel vehicles larger than 2,000cc, such as luxury SUVs and MUVs, until March. This decision will have huge implications for the auto industry. “Air pollution needs to be tackled at the policy level first,” says Guttikunda. “One-off measures that place the burden on the consumers won’t have wide-reaching impacts.” The solutions he suggests are cleaner fuels; more reliable power supply, which will cut down diesel generator set use; picking up waste because it has the potential to be burned; dust- and pothole-free roads; and improving services that encourage walking and cycling. The important thing is the simultaneity of such measures, making the fight against pollution a crusade instead of piecemeal campaigns against individual contaminants. The Way Out Strange as it may sound, India’s pollution conundrum is not too different from what the US had experienced between the 1940s and the 1970s. It was a time when southern California and the East Coast were both routinely engulfed by smog. On July 26, 1943, in the middle of the Second World War, the smog in Los Angeles was so severe that residents thought the Japanese had attacked using chemical warfare. Another significant incident of all was the Donora Smog in Pennsylvania in 1948. It claimed 20 human and 800 animal lives, and could have consumed thousands of others had the thick wall of smoke not been cleared by unexpected rain after four days. It prompted the beginning of a long fight against air pollution that eventually led to the US Clean Air Act of 1970 and to the creation of a strong United States Environmental Protection Agency, which was given the power to develop and enforce regulations to protect the general public from exposure to airborne contaminants. One of the major problems in India is that while central agencies have been tasked with monitoring pollution, they don't have a mandate to control it. The US Clean Air Act, for example, made it mandatory to develop ways to ensure better air quality across the country without any cost restraints. In India, the CPCB doesn’t have strong enforcement powers. It relies on the government or the courts to take the lead-as the Supreme Court did in 2001 by ordering that all public transport in Delhi must switch to CNG, dramatically improving air quality. But the lack of other reforms, and the sheer volume of vehicles coupled with a terrible central policy that encouraged the rampant production, sale and purchase of diesel vehicles, reversed the trend in 2007. Over the last year, the CPCB has started taking its monitoring role more seriously by setting up a real-time system to measure Air Quality Index (AQI) across eight pollutants in 11 cities. The aim is to make AQIs available for 22 state capitals and 44 other cities with a population exceeding one million. But it’s too little, too late. In all of Delhi’s seven monitoring centres, AQI readings have routinely breached 300 this December—anything above that is considered hazardous—and crossed 600 regularly at Anand Vihar in east Delhi. The solution, suggests Rahul Mehrotra, is to think macro. “Delhi needs imaginative inter-modal transport systems that link buses with metros, and taxis and autos with buses. You shouldn’t lose time and you shouldn’t have to walk more than a few metres to get to your next ride,” he says. Next, he asks for a transport system that is mindful of the relationship between where people live and where they work. “Land-use planning and transportation must go hand in hand. In fact, it should be the only parameter.” And finally, using public transport to develop the city by offering cheap housing near new mass transit systems. It’s important for Delhi that this season of heightened awareness portends holistic changes; that it isn’t an example of intense fire-fighting, only to be forgotten once short-term solutions provide meagre gains. The era of ignorant optimism is over. So, roll over P.B. Shelley and welcome to the grim new world of George R.R. Martin: Winter is coming; Spring may indeed be far behind.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Kochi saw steep rise in pollution during winters: Study

Kochi saw a sharp rise in winter pollution compared to the previous winter, a recent study from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has revealed. All other cities in Kerala have shown a declining trend. A recent study was conducted by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on the winter pollution levels in the country using the central pollution control board (CPCB) data. The study has revealed that Kochi is among the six cities in south India which has shown an increase in the winter average and peak pollution compared to the previous winters. The pollution level in the city saw a jump from 6 per cent from the start of the season to 89 per cent when winter ended in February. All the other cities in Kerala showed a declining trend, barring Kochi. VDO.AI Despite the pollution level in the city remaining much less as compared to other cities across India, Kochi has the distinction of being the most polluted city in Kerala. But the pollution levels had gone down rapidly owing to the Covid-19 induced lockdown. But a recent study on winter pollution from October 18, 2021 to February 28, 2022 shows that the city has shown a sharp rise in winter pollution among the other six cities. The analysis has been done for the 2021-22 winter air quality tracker initiative of CSE’s Urban Data Analytics Lab. The study says, "Six cities in the region show increasing trends, i.e. both winter average and peak increased compared to their previous winter. Coimbatore and Kochi are the major cities with an increasing trend. Other cities with increasing trend in the region are Gadag, Yadgir, and Hubballi." (sic) advertisement DATA FROM 326 STATIONS USED The study on winter pollution was conducted using the national data captured from 326 official stations under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) which is spread across 161 cities in 28 states and UTs. The experts used the data from Kochi, Thiruvanathapuram, Kozhikode, Kollam, Thissur and Kannur for the study. “As the availability of real time air quality data has improved in several regions with expansion of the air quality monitoring systems, it has become possible to assess the regional differences and the unique regional trends. This can help to inform the regional clean air action,” says Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, Urban Data Analytics Lab, CSE. (sic). ALSO READ| Delhi ranked world's most polluted capital city for fourth consecutive year CHECK THESE OUT More WHAT DO EXPERTS SAY? She added,“While cities require their respective clean air action plans for controlling local pollution, the effort will have to be scaled up for the region to control pollution from widely dispersed sources across the urban and rural landscape. The multi-sector plan has to address vehicles, industry, power plants, household pollution, waste burning and more. This granular tracking of regional and local pollution needs to inform policy making and the compliance framework for air quality management to meet the clean air targets.” This air quality tracker initiative has helped to benchmark the winter air quality for peer-to-peer comparison within each region and inter-regional differences. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, CSE executive director, said, "Clearly, the winter pollution challenge is not limited to mega cities or to one specific region; it is now a widespread national problem that requires urgent and deliberate action at a national scale. This requires quicker reforms and action in key sectors of pollution vehicles, industry, power plants and waste management to bend the annual air pollution curve and daily spikes." According to experts, waste burning, industrial pollution and vehicular pollution could be the major reasons for the rise in pollution in the city.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Winter pollution peaks in Kochi: Study

KOCHI: Even though pollution levels in the city have been much less compared to other cities in the country, Kochi has the distinction of being the most polluted city in the state. 1 While the levels had gone down rapidly during the Covid lockdown period, a recent study on winter pollution from October 18, 2021 to February 28, 2022 shows that Kochi is the only city which has shown a steep increase in winter pollution among the six cities where it is being monitored real-time. Congratulations! You have successfully cast your vote The study conducted by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on the winter pollution levels in the country using the data from the central pollution control board (CPCB) showed that Kochi is among the six cities in south India which has shown an increase in the winter average and peak pollution when compared to the previous winter. The pollution level increased from 6% during the start of the season to 89% when the season ended in February. The national data is captured from 326 official stations under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) spread across 161 cities in 26 states and Union territories. Data from Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Kollam, Thrissur and Kannur were used for the study. Interestingly, except for Kochi, all the other cities in Kerala showed a declining trend. The analysis was done as part of the 2021-22 winter air quality tracker initiative of CSE’s urban data analytics lab. “Clearly, the winter pollution challenge is not limited to mega cities or to one specific region; it is now a widespread national problem that requires urgent and deliberate action at a national scale,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE executive director (research and advocacy). The southern region includes 35 cities spread across Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Geographically, this region represents the southern Deccan plateau, Western Ghats, Malabar and Coromandel coasts. Southern region recorded the lowest regional PM2.5 average this winter but it also registered almost 24% increase in regional average peak pollution compared to previous winter. Experts said waste burning, industrial pollution and vehicular pollution could be the reason for the city’s spike in pollution as the commercial capital moves to normal.

• Climate Change and Green Economy

बढ़ते तापमान का जल संरक्षण पर गंभीर प्रभाव: सीएसई

Get Latest हिन्दी समाचार, Breaking News on India at LatestLY हिन्दी. ग्रीष्म ऋतु की शुरुआत में भारत के बड़े हिस्से में तेज गर्मी महसूस होना इस बात का सबूत है कि यह जलवायु परिवर्तन का युग है और इसका जल संरक्षण पर गंभीर प्रभाव पड़ सकता है। विज्ञान एवं पर्यावरण केंद्र (सीएसई) ने मंगलवार को यह बात कही। नयी दिल्ली, 22 मार्च ग्रीष्म ऋतु की शुरुआत में भारत के बड़े हिस्से में तेज गर्मी महसूस होना इस बात का सबूत है कि यह जलवायु परिवर्तन का युग है और इसका जल संरक्षण पर गंभीर प्रभाव पड़ सकता है। विज्ञान एवं पर्यावरण केंद्र (सीएसई) ने मंगलवार को यह बात कही। विश्व जल दिवस के अवसर पर सीएसई की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण ने कहा कि जलवायु परिवर्तन का प्रभाव जल और उसके प्रबंधन पर पड़ेगा। उन्होंने कहा, '' ग्रीष्म ऋतु की शुरुआत में ही भारत के बड़े हिस्से को चपेट में लेने वाली इस तीव्र गर्मी की लहर का वास्तव में क्या मतलब है? विशेष रूप से आज विश्व जल दिवस के अवसर पर इसका मतलब है कि यह जलवायु परिवर्तन का युग है। इसका मतलब यह भी है कि हम कैसे आने वाले दिनों में हमारे पानी का प्रबंधन करेंगे और यह ही तय करेगा कि हम ऐसी चरम जलवायु परिस्थितियों से बचे रहेंगे या नहीं।'' नारायण ने कहा, ''हम सभी जानते हैं कि जलवायु परिवर्तन का प्रभाव बढ़ी हुई गर्मी, बढ़ते तापमान और अत्यधिक बारिश व इसके समय में बदलाव के बारे में है। दोनों का जलचक्र के साथ सीधा संबंध है। इसलिए जलवायु परिवर्तन को काबू करने का संबंध पानी और उसके प्रबंधन को लेकर भी होना चाहिए।'' सीएसई के जलवायु परिवर्तन इकाई की उप कार्यक्रम प्रबंधक अवंतिका गोस्वामी ने कहा कि भारत में 2021 की स्थिति दोहराई जा रही है, जब फरवरी की शुरुआत में देश के कुछ हिस्सों में तापमान 40 डिग्री सेल्सियस तक पहुंच गया था। गोस्वामी ने कहा, ''यह तब था जब 2021 'ला नीना' का साल था, ये प्रशांत जल धाराएं वैश्विक स्तर पर तापमान को कम करने के लिए जानी जाती हैं। भारतीय मौसम वैज्ञानिकों ने सूचित किया है कि वैश्विक तापमान में वृद्धि ने 'ला नीना' के इस शीतलन प्रभाव को बेहद कम कर दिया है।'' (यह सिंडिकेटेड न्यूज़ फीड से अनएडिटेड और ऑटो-जेनरेटेड स्टोरी है, ऐसी संभावना है कि लेटेस्टली स्टाफ द्वारा इसमें कोई बदलाव या एडिट नहीं किया गया है)

• Climate Change and Green Economy

बढ़ते तापमान का जल संरक्षण पर गंभीर प्रभाव: सीएसई

नयी दिल्ली, 22 मार्च (भाषा) ग्रीष्म ऋतु की शुरुआत में भारत के बड़े हिस्से में तेज गर्मी महसूस होना इस बात का सबूत है कि यह जलवायु परिवर्तन का युग है और इसका जल संरक्षण पर गंभीर प्रभाव पड़ सकता है। विज्ञान एवं पर्यावरण केंद्र (सीएसई) ने मंगलवार को यह बात कही। विश्व जल दिवस के अवसर पर सीएसई की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण ने कहा कि जलवायु परिवर्तन का प्रभाव जल और उसके प्रबंधन पर पड़ेगा। उन्होंने कहा, '' ग्रीष्म ऋतु की शुरुआत में ही भारत के बड़े हिस्से को चपेट में लेने वाली इस तीव्र गर्मी की लहर का वास्तव में क्या मतलब है? विशेष रूप से आज विश्व जल दिवस के अवसर पर इसका मतलब है कि यह जलवायु परिवर्तन का युग है। इसका मतलब यह भी है कि हम कैसे आने वाले दिनों में हमारे पानी का प्रबंधन करेंगे और यह ही तय करेगा कि हम ऐसी चरम जलवायु परिस्थितियों से बचे रहेंगे या नहीं।'' नारायण ने कहा, ''हम सभी जानते हैं कि जलवायु परिवर्तन का प्रभाव बढ़ी हुई गर्मी, बढ़ते तापमान और अत्यधिक बारिश व इसके समय में बदलाव के बारे में है। दोनों का जलचक्र के साथ सीधा संबंध है। इसलिए जलवायु परिवर्तन को काबू करने का संबंध पानी और उसके प्रबंधन को लेकर भी होना चाहिए।'' सीएसई के जलवायु परिवर्तन इकाई की उप कार्यक्रम प्रबंधक अवंतिका गोस्वामी ने कहा कि भारत में 2021 की स्थिति दोहराई जा रही है, जब फरवरी की शुरुआत में देश के कुछ हिस्सों में तापमान 40 डिग्री सेल्सियस तक पहुंच गया था। गोस्वामी ने कहा, ''यह तब था जब 2021 'ला नीना' का साल था, ये प्रशांत जल धाराएं वैश्विक स्तर पर तापमान को कम करने के लिए जानी जाती हैं। भारतीय मौसम वैज्ञानिकों ने सूचित किया है कि वैश्विक तापमान में वृद्धि ने 'ला नीना' के इस शीतलन प्रभाव को बेहद कम कर दिया है।''

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

The city's pollution increases in the winter, according to a new study

Kochi: Despite the fact that the city's pollution levels are much lower than that of other parts of the country, Kochi still has the distinction of being the state's most polluted city.Although the levels in the Covid lockdown period dropped quickly, a new study on winter pollution in India from October 18, 2021 to February 28, 2022 shows that Kochi is the only city in the country with a significant increase in winter pollution among the six cities monitored real-time by the central pollution control board (CPCB), according to the report.The temperature rises from 6% to 89% as the season ends in February, according to 326 official stations located in 161 states and Union territories.For the study, data from Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Kollam, Thrissur, and Kannur were collected. The report was performed as part of the CSE's urban data analytics unit's 2021-22 winter air quality monitoring program.According to Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the CSE (research and advocacy), the winter pollution crisis isn't limited to large cities or a specific region; it is now a national problem that necessitates urgent and deliberate intervention on a national level.Geographically speaking, this region includes the southern Deccan plateau, the Western Ghats, Malabar and Coromandel coasts.Although the southern region saw the lowest regional PM2.5 level this winter, it also saw a nearly 24% increase in its regional average peak pollution when compared to the previous winter, according to experts.

• Down To Earth

Plastic endgame: Did UNEA 5.2 start a new era

Officers stroll previous an paintings on the fifth UN Atmosphere Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya that urges individuals to show off the plastic faucet ({Photograph}: United Nations Atmosphere Programme) FROM ESTABLISHING a science coverage panel for chemical compounds and waste administration to agreeing to revive ecosystems, the world handed 14 resolutions on the resumed session of the fifth United Nations Atmosphere Meeting (UNEA), held in Nairobi, Kenya, between February 28 and March 2, 2022. Probably the most essential of those was the choice to determine an intergovernmental negotiating committee that may forge a legally binding settlement to finish plastic air pollution. World leaders plan to start out negotiations on this decision in June. If the timeline is saved, this would be the second-fastest environmental settlement to maneuver from the adoption stage into negotiations. This highlights the urgency of the issue and the worldwide dedication to handle it. The proposed committee has the bold activity of drafting an settlement on plastics by the tip of 2024, when the leaders plan to fulfill for the sixth Meeting. Of the 11 world environmental agreements both in drive or below dialogue, the decision to arrange the UN Framework Conference on Local weather Change (UNFCCC) within the Nineties was the quickest. World leaders took rather less than two months to maneuver from adopting the decision to beginning negotiations on UNFCCC. Within the Paris Settlement below UNFCCC, it took over 5 months. Tough activity The treaty on ending plastic air pollution, which incorporates microplastics and marine litter, can have each binding and voluntary approaches. The decision signifies that the committee has to incorporate provisions selling nationwide and worldwide cooperative measures and nationwide motion plans to work in the direction of the prevention, discount and elimination of plastic air pollution. It is going to additionally specify preparations for capability constructing, technical help, know-how switch and monetary help. The decision signifies the potential of a worldwide fund and invitations governments and different stakeholders to supply budgetary assets. The fund will guarantee international locations and economies in transition that cope with a big fraction of plastic waste, particularly within the world south, are supported by nations whose plastic manufacturing and waste technology are excessive. Whereas the decision requires strict motion to curb the complete lifecycle of plastics, it’s silent on whether or not the settlement will have a look at the oil, fuel or coal sectors which are answerable for the uncooked supplies used to make plastics. At the moment, 99 per cent of plastics are produced from petrochemicals. Specialists count on fierce resistance from the petrochemical trade, which isn’t proud of the decision. In India, the share worth of Reliance Industries fell because the information of the worldwide plastic treaty unfold throughout the nation. The corporate holds a 42 per cent stake within the Indian plastic ecosystem. For the reason that settlement invitations all related stakeholders, together with the industries, there can be makes an attempt to insert half-baked options like chemical recycling (plastic to gas) and incineration (together with co-incineration) within the ultimate textual content. Uniliver a couple of years again began a pilot venture in Indonesia below which it claimed plastic sachets could possibly be “safely” became gas. A report earlier this 12 months by non-profit International Alliance for Incineration Options says the corporate clandestinely stopped the operations. International locations are additionally holding on to plastics. A report launched on the Meeting reveals Australia has been dumping plastic in ASEAN international locations regardless of banning the export of plastic waste in 2020. The nation has managed to do that by delivery plastics within the type of plastic waste gas that incorporates a variety of poisonous components. In January, India launched new tips below its prolonged producer duty (EPR) norms that launched the idea of plastic credit for the trade. Below this, firms have a legal responsibility to gather plastic waste equal to the quantity they generate in a 12 months. Additional, if an organization collects plastic waste along with what it generates, it may possibly promote the additional as credit score to firms that aren’t gathering sufficient plastic waste. The coverage has piqued the curiosity of client items firms who’re utilizing it to greenwash their manufacturers and keep away from accountability. Dabur, certainly one of India’s largest client items firm, in February began claiming it was plastic impartial simply by fulfiling its EPR legal responsibility. Different guarantees The Meeting handed a decision supporting the institution of a complete and bold science coverage panel on the sound administration of chemical compounds and waste and stopping air pollution. That is essential because the world has failed to attain the 2020 aim on administration of chemical compounds, agreed below the Strategic Strategy to Worldwide Chemical compounds Administration based in 2006. There have been additionally resolutions on minerals and metals, sustainable lake administration and local weather mitigation and adaptation. The Meeting concluded with the adoption of a ministerial declaration reflecting issues of UN member states on future pandemics and different well being dangers, if destruction of nature continues on the present fee. The ministerial assertion known as for enhanced safety of habitats and wild animals in view of dangers of the deadly pathogens spreading to people. This was first revealed in Down To Earth’s print editionn (dated 16-31 March, 2022) We’re a voice to you; you will have been a assist to us. Collectively we construct journalism that’s unbiased, credible and fearless. You may additional assist us by making a donation. It will imply lots for our capacity to deliver you information, views and evaluation from the bottom in order that we will make change collectively.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

अक्तूबर से फरवरी के बीच दिल्ली एनसीआर रहा सबसे ज्यादा प्रदूषित : शोध

सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट (सीएसई) द्वारा हाल ही में जारी किए गए एक अखिल भारतीय शीतकालीन वायु गुणवत्ता विश्लेषण में कहा है कि 2021-22 के अक्तूबर से लेकर फरवरी 2022 तक देश के विभिन्न राज्यों जिलों का पीएम 2.5 स्तर मापा गया। जिसमें दिल्ली एनसीआर ने बिहार के साथ टॉप किया है। पूरे एनसीआर में गाजियाबाद शहर सबसे ज्यादा प्रदूषित पाया गया। यूपीएससी मुख्य परीक्षा 2021 के नतीजे घोषित देश के 161 शहरों में पीएम 2.5 के स्तर को 326 स्टेशनों के जरिए मापा गया सीएसई ने कहा कि प्रदूषण अब राष्ट्रीय संकट बन गया है इससे निपटने के लिए क्षेत्रीय स्तर पर तत्काल और समय बद्ध कार्रवाई की आवश्यकता है। सीएसई के रिसर्च और एडवोकेसी विभाग में एग्जीक्यूटिव डायरेक्टर अनुमिता राय चौधरी ने कहा कि इसके लिए वाहन, उद्योग, बिजली संयंत्र और अपशिष्ट प्रबंधन जैसे क्षेत्रों में दैनिक प्रदूषण तीव्रता को मोडऩे की त्वरित आवश्यकता है। हाईकोर्ट ने दिल्ली सरकार से खाली पड़े स्कूल भवन को लेकर मांगा जवाब दिल्ली एनसीआर के पीएम 2.5 का स्तर बिहार के 19 शहरों के समान पाया गया सीएसई के प्रोग्राम मैनेजर अविकल सोमवंशी ने कहा कि क्षेत्रीय और स्थानीय प्रदूषण को नीति निर्माण और वायु गुणवत्ता प्रबंधन के जरिए कम किया जा सकता है। यह डेटा 161 शहरों और केंद्र शासित प्रदेशों में फैले कंटीन्यूअस एंबियंट एयर क्वालिटी मॉनिटरिंग सिस्टम(सीएएक्यूएमएस) के तहत 326 आधिकारिक स्टेशनों से लिए गए हैं। उन्होंने कहा कि प्रदूषण के स्तर में दिल्ली एनसीआर के पीएम 2.5 का स्तर और बिहार के 19 शहरों का स्तर समान ही पाया गया। सीबीएसई ने 12वीं कक्षा के टर्म-1 नतीजे किए घोषित प्रदूषण का स्तर 2020-21 की सर्दियों की तुलना में रहा कम दिल्ली में गाजियाबाद, नोएडा, फरीदाबाद, ग्रेटर नोएडा और गुरुग्राम में भी बीते अक्तूबर से फरवरी के दौरान प्रदूषण का स्तर चरम पर रहा है। अविकल ने कहा कि हमने पाया कि किसी भी क्षेत्र के बड़े शहर सर्वाधिक प्रदूषित नहीं हैं हमें छोटे और नए शहर हैं जो प्रदूषण के हॉट स्पॉट बन रहे हैं। उन्होंने कहा कि हालांकि यह प्रदूषण का स्तर 2020-21 की सर्दियों की तुलना में कम ही रहा है। इस सर्दी में हवा की गुणवत्ता बीते वर्ष से 12 फीसद अधिक रही है। अविकल ने कहा कि देश में मिजोरम का आईजोल और मेघालय का शिलांग सबसे कम प्रदूषित शहर मापा गया है।

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Polluted winter

The NCR has suffered the most with Ghaziabad being the most acutely affected. Delhi, Faridabad, Noida, Greater Noida, and Gurugram were among the worst during the recent winter in terms of peak pollution. Hence the CSE’s conclusion calls for reflection ~ “Peak pollution was alarmingly high and synchronized, despite large distances within the regions ~ especially in the northern and eastern plains.” Pollution in India attained “high levels” during winter, the salubrious season that has just gone by. If the survey conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is any indication, the pollution level had “spiked and stayed elevated with varying intensity” between 15 October 2021 and 28 February 2022. Though the overall regional average of particulate matter (PM 2.5) was lower than the previous winter in most regions, the “winter smog episodes” registered severe spikes in several parts of the country. It thus comes about that six towns in Bihar are mentioned among the top 10 most polluted this winter, with Siwan and Munger leading the statewise pollution graph. The problem has spread from the east to the northern parts of the country. Ghaziabad, Delhi, Faridabad and Manesar have been ranked third, fifth, seventh and tenth, respectively, in the list. The fine print of the survey must be that pollution is almost endemic in this country. Although the seasonal average in the smaller cities of Bihar rivals the mega-cities of the National Capital Region, their peak pollution during smog is comparatively milder.

• Down To Earth

Our aim should not be to merely plant trees; it should be to make tree-planting activities friendly to local biodiversity

Our aim should not be to merely plant trees; it should be to make tree-planting activities friendly to local biodiversity The UN General Assembly has proclaimed March 21 as the International Day of Forests to celebrate and raise awareness about the importance of forests. On this day, countries are encouraged to organise activities such as tree planting campaigns to help increase the green cover, conserve biodiversity, and fight climate change. For decades, the Indian government has been spending billions of rupees in its efforts to increase the green cover through tree planting. Recently, the Central government, through the National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board, launched an ambitious ₹19,000 crore plan for an afforestation project to rejuvenate 13 major rivers. A press note from the government announced that “this project would increase ‘forest’ cover by 7,417.36 square kilometres in the vicinity of these rivers”. Will such a project really increase forest cover? And can forests be created through afforestation? Complex ecosystems Forests are complex ecosystems that are built over years due to the interplay of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, amphibians, fungi, microorganisms, water, soil, environmental conditions, and other factors. Unless these players are part of the rebuilding process, trees will remain as green cover rather than the enchanting, natural, complex ecosystems that they are. Also Read Enough with the token tree planting Nidhi Adlakha It is argued that planting trees will help store carbon and reduce pollution. It is true that all trees — invasive species and native and non-native species — store carbon, but the other benefits which are critical vary widely depending on the species planted and the location of plantation. If wrong areas are selected for plantation, the natural habitat may get altered, which will cause habitat specialist species to become extinct. This will make the local environment and ecosystem less resilient. A classic example that we witness is the conversion of natural grasslands to wooded areas through tree planting. The Great Indian Bustard, once nominated to be India’s national bird, is now staring at extinction with fewer than 200 individuals. This is because many areas where these large birds thrived have been lost due to tree planting. The Ranibennur Wildlife Sanctuary in central Karnataka, which was designated to conserve this species, is an example of this unscientific thinking. Similarly, the Jayamangali Conservation Reserve, another grassland habitat in Karnataka, hosted wolves. But now there are leopards there as the whole area has been planted with acacia, anjan, eucalyptus and tamarind trees. Other natural habitats such as woodland savanna, laterite grasslands, scrubland, wetlands and rocky outcrops that have evolved to support unique biodiversity have been systematically transformed from ecologically rich habitats into sterile landscapes due to tree planting. Planting native species Some of these tree-planting campaigns claim to propagate native species. Native tree species is a very misused terminology in India. Though neem, peepal, banyan, and anjan may be native to India, they are non-native to many parts of the country. We tend to ignore this critical ecological criterion and take up planting of these species in all areas. Planting any kind of native tree species may probably help in urban settings but not in natural habitats. Overall, it is not a bad idea to plant trees. But the aim should not be to only plant trees; it should be to make tree-planting activities friendly to local biodiversity. If we want to restore forests, we need to first understand systematically the native vegetation and the biodiversity that play a critical role in forming these forests. If we plant a range of locally found indigenous species, biodiversity will make a comeback. There is a rule of thumb in the tree-planting world: One should plant the right tree in the right place. And some add, ‘for the right reason’. We should also monitor and examine the outputs of such tree-planting or restoration initiatives. Also Read Is India’s forest cover really increasing? Official maps don’t tell you the whole truth Another solution is to let forests come back on their own through protection. This is called assisted natural regeneration and is cheaper and more effective method. Scientific studies have shown that natural regeneration absorbs 40 times more carbon than plantations and host a lot more biodiversity. But of utmost priority is the task of halting deforestation and protecting existing forests. Also read | ₹48,000 crore released to 32 States for afforestation While the government has embarked on the ₹19,000 crore project of planting trees, a report by the Centre for Science and Environment says that the government has cut the budget for wildlife conservation by 47% between 2018 and 2021. This means reduced support for forests and other habitat protection. We seem to be investing heavily in ‘creating’ forests while letting our natural forests that have evolved over centuries fade. Is this a sensible act? Sanjay Gubbi is a conservationist and the author of Leopard Diaries: The Rosette in India