• Director General Office

John F. Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate to Address CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2022 in Houston

-(BUSINESS WIRE)--The United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John F. Kerry will address delegates at the 40th annual CERAWeek by IHS Markit, to be held in-person March 7-11 in Houston. The first-ever Principal to sit on the U.S. National Security Council entirely dedicated to climate change, Mr. Kerry previously served as the 68th U.S. Secretary of State and as a U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts. "We are pleased to welcome Secretary Kerry among the distinguished speakers at CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2022," said Daniel Yergin, conference chair and vice chairman of IHS Markit. "His unique knowledge and experience, both in his current position at the epicenters of global climate diplomacy such as at COP26 in Glasgow and a career imbued with leadership in foreign affairs, will be a timely and important contribution to the critical dialogues taking place at this year’s conference." Sec. Kerry will join the world’s energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers, as well as leaders from the technology, financial and industrial communities addressing this year’s conference. CERAWeek 2022: Pace of Change: Energy, Climate and Innovation will examine the challenges and opportunities of reducing emissions while supplying the needs of a growing global economy in the era of energy transition. The conference is returning to Houston for its 40th annual gathering after being hosted as an all-virtual event in 2021. Produced by IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions, the CERAWeek 2022 conference program will explore key themes related to More Energy, Lower Emissions; Geopolitics and Energy Markets; Workforce of the Future; Competitive Landscape and the Energy Transition; Supply Chains; and Financing the Energy Future. The conference will also feature the CERAWeek Innovation Agora, serving as the center of technology and innovation programming at the event. Featuring a community of thought leaders, technologists, start-ups, investors, academics, energy companies and government officials, the Innovation Agora will showcase transformational technology platforms in the energy space ranging from digitalization, AI, analytics and connectivity, robotics, blockchain, additive manufacturing, mobility and decarbonization. Newly added for 2022 will be dedicated "Agora Hubs" focused on hydrogen and carbon management. CERAWeek 2022 speakers will include (partial list): Jennifer Granholm – secretary of energy, U.S. Department of Energy Vicki Hollub – CEO, Occidental Amin Nasser – president and CEO, Saudi Aramco Bernard Looney – CEO, bp Patti Poppe – CEO, PG&E Corporation Pedro Pizarro – president and CEO, Edison International Ben van Beurden – CEO, Royal Dutch Shell Patrick Pouyanné – chairman of the board and CEO, TotalEnergies Jim Fitterling – chairman and CEO, Dow H.E. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo – secretary general, OPEC Ignacio Galán – chairman and CEO, Iberdrola, S.A. Shrikant Madhav Vaidya – chairman, IndianOil Maria Pope – president and CEO, Portland General Electric Ryan Lance – chairman and CEO, ConocoPhillips H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber – minister of industry and advanced technology; special envoy for climate change and chairman of Masdar, United Arab Emirates; Group CEO, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Dr. Fatih Birol – executive director, International Energy Agency Josu Jon Imaz – CEO, Repsol Jill Evanko – CEO and president, Chart Industries Hon. Richard Glick – chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Miranda Ballentine – CEO, Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA) Ernie Thrasher – CEO and chief marketing officer, Xcoal Energy and Resources Øyvind Eriksen – president and CEO, Aker ASA Peter Terwiesch – president, process automation and member of group executive committee, ABB Jean-Pascal Tricoire – chairman and CEO, Schneider Electric RJ Scaringe – CEO, Rivian Barbara Burger – vice president, innovation, Chevron; president, Chevron Technology Ventures Carri Lockhard – executive vice president, technology, digital and innovation, Equinor Christian Bruch – president and CEO, Siemens Energy Sunita Narain – director general, Center for Science and Environment Amos Hochstein – senior advisor for energy security, U.S. Department of State Dan Brouillette – president, Sempra Infrastructure Emma Delaney – executive vice president, customers and products, bp Daniel Poneman – president and CEO, Centrus Energy Scott Sheffield – CEO, Pioneer Natural Resources Hon. Sonya Savage – minister of energy, Alberta, Canada Mark Little – president and CEO, Suncor Felipe Bayón – CEO, Ecopetrol S.A. Dawn Summers – member of the executive board and COO, region EMEA, Wintershall Dea AG Mark Nelson – executive vice president, downstream and chemicals, Chevron Visit www.ceraweek.com for a complete list of speakers and the most up-to-date program information (subject to change). Registration Information CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2022 will be held March 7-11 at the Hilton Americas—Houston. Further information and delegate registration is available at www.ceraweek.com.

• Director General Office

John F. Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate to Address CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2022 in Houston

The first-ever Principal to sit on the U.S. National Security Council entirely dedicated to climate change, Mr. Kerry previously served as the 68th U.S. Secretary of State and as a U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts. “We are pleased to welcome Secretary Kerry among the distinguished speakers at CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2022,” said Daniel Yergin, conference chair and vice chairman of IHS Markit. “His unique knowledge and experience, both in his current position at the epicenters of global climate diplomacy such as at COP26 in Glasgow and a career imbued with leadership in foreign affairs, will be a timely and important contribution to the critical dialogues taking place at this year’s conference.” Sec. Kerry will join the world’s energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers, as well as leaders from the technology, financial and industrial communities addressing this year’s conference. CERAWeek 2022: Pace of Change: Energy, Climate and Innovation will examine the challenges and opportunities of reducing emissions while supplying the needs of a growing global economy in the era of energy transition. The conference is returning to Houston for its 40th annual gathering after being hosted as an all-virtual event in 2021. Produced by IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions, the CERAWeek 2022 conference program will explore key themes related to More Energy, Lower Emissions; Geopolitics and Energy Markets; Workforce of the Future; Competitive Landscape and the Energy Transition; Supply Chains; and Financing the Energy Future. The conference will also feature the CERAWeek Innovation Agora, serving as the center of technology and innovation programming at the event. Featuring a community of thought leaders, technologists, start-ups, investors, academics, energy companies and government officials, the Innovation Agora will showcase transformational technology platforms in the energy space ranging from digitalization, AI, analytics and connectivity, robotics, blockchain, additive manufacturing, mobility and decarbonization. Newly added for 2022 will be dedicated “Agora Hubs” focused on hydrogen and carbon management. CERAWeek 2022 speakers will include (partial list): Jennifer Granholm – secretary of energy, U.S. Department of Energy Vicki Hollub – CEO, Occidental Amin Nasser – president and CEO, Saudi Aramco Bernard Looney – CEO, bp Patti Poppe – CEO, PG&E Corporation Pedro Pizarro – president and CEO, Edison International Ben van Beurden – CEO, Royal Dutch Shell Patrick Pouyanné – chairman of the board and CEO, TotalEnergies Jim Fitterling – chairman and CEO, Dow H.E. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo – secretary general, OPEC Ignacio Galán – chairman and CEO, Iberdrola, S.A. Shrikant Madhav Vaidya – chairman, IndianOil Maria Pope – president and CEO, Portland General Electric Ryan Lance – chairman and CEO, ConocoPhillips H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber – minister of industry and advanced technology; special envoy for climate change and chairman of Masdar, United Arab Emirates; Group CEO, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Dr. Fatih Birol – executive director, International Energy Agency Josu Jon Imaz – CEO, Repsol Jill Evanko – CEO and president, Chart Industries Hon. Richard Glick – chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Miranda Ballentine – CEO, Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA) Ernie Thrasher – CEO and chief marketing officer, Xcoal Energy and Resources Øyvind Eriksen – president and CEO, Aker ASA Peter Terwiesch – president, process automation and member of group executive committee, ABB Jean-Pascal Tricoire – chairman and CEO, Schneider Electric RJ Scaringe – CEO, Rivian Barbara Burger – vice president, innovation, Chevron; president, Chevron Technology Ventures Carri Lockhard – executive vice president, technology, digital and innovation, Equinor Christian Bruch – president and CEO, Siemens Energy Sunita Narain – director general, Center for Science and Environment Amos Hochstein – senior advisor for energy security, U.S. Department of State Dan Brouillette – president, Sempra Infrastructure Emma Delaney – executive vice president, customers and products, bp Daniel Poneman – president and CEO, Centrus Energy Scott Sheffield – CEO, Pioneer Natural Resources Hon. Sonya Savage – minister of energy, Alberta, Canada Mark Little – president and CEO, Suncor Felipe Bayón – CEO, Ecopetrol S.A. Dawn Summers – member of the executive board and COO, region EMEA, Wintershall Dea AG Mark Nelson – executive vice president, downstream and chemicals, Chevron

• Director General Office

John F. Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate to Address CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2022 in Houston

The United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John F. Kerry will address delegates at the 40th annual CERAWeek by IHS Markit, to be held in-person March 7-11 in Houston. The first-ever Principal to sit on the U.S. National Security Council entirely dedicated to climate change, Mr. Kerry previously served as the 68th U.S. Secretary of State and as a U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts. “We are pleased to welcome Secretary Kerry among the distinguished speakers at CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2022,” said Daniel Yergin, conference chair and vice chairman of IHS Markit. “His unique knowledge and experience, both in his current position at the epicenters of global climate diplomacy such as at COP26 in Glasgow and a career imbued with leadership in foreign affairs, will be a timely and important contribution to the critical dialogues taking place at this year’s conference.” Sec. Kerry will join the world’s energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers, as well as leaders from the technology, financial and industrial communities addressing this year’s conference. CERAWeek 2022: Pace of Change: Energy, Climate and Innovation will examine the challenges and opportunities of reducing emissions while supplying the needs of a growing global economy in the era of energy transition. The conference is returning to Houston for its 40th annual gathering after being hosted as an all-virtual event in 2021. Produced by IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions, the CERAWeek 2022 conference program will explore key themes related to More Energy, Lower Emissions; Geopolitics and Energy Markets; Workforce of the Future; Competitive Landscape and the Energy Transition; Supply Chains; and Financing the Energy Future. The conference will also feature the CERAWeek Innovation Agora, serving as the center of technology and innovation programming at the event. Featuring a community of thought leaders, technologists, start-ups, investors, academics, energy companies and government officials, the Innovation Agora will showcase transformational technology platforms in the energy space ranging from digitalization, AI, analytics and connectivity, robotics, blockchain, additive manufacturing, mobility and decarbonization. Newly added for 2022 will be dedicated “Agora Hubs” focused on hydrogen and carbon management. CERAWeek 2022 speakers will include (partial list): Jennifer Granholm – secretary of energy, U.S. Department of Energy Vicki Hollub – CEO, Occidental Amin Nasser – president and CEO, Saudi Aramco Bernard Looney – CEO, bp Patti Poppe – CEO, PG&E Corporation Pedro Pizarro – president and CEO, Edison International Ben van Beurden – CEO, Royal Dutch Shell Patrick Pouyanné – chairman of the board and CEO, TotalEnergies Jim Fitterling – chairman and CEO, Dow H.E. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo – secretary general, OPEC Ignacio Galán – chairman and CEO, Iberdrola, S.A. Shrikant Madhav Vaidya – chairman, IndianOil Maria Pope – president and CEO, Portland General Electric Ryan Lance – chairman and CEO, ConocoPhillips H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber – minister of industry and advanced technology; special envoy for climate change and chairman of Masdar, United Arab Emirates; Group CEO, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Dr. Fatih Birol – executive director, International Energy Agency Josu Jon Imaz – CEO, Repsol Jill Evanko – CEO and president, Chart Industries Hon. Richard Glick – chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Miranda Ballentine – CEO, Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA) Ernie Thrasher – CEO and chief marketing officer, Xcoal Energy and Resources Øyvind Eriksen – president and CEO, Aker ASA Peter Terwiesch – president, process automation and member of group executive committee, ABB Jean-Pascal Tricoire – chairman and CEO, Schneider Electric RJ Scaringe – CEO, Rivian Barbara Burger – vice president, innovation, Chevron; president, Chevron Technology Ventures Carri Lockhard – executive vice president, technology, digital and innovation, Equinor Christian Bruch – president and CEO, Siemens Energy Sunita Narain – director general, Center for Science and Environment Amos Hochstein – senior advisor for energy security, U.S. Department of State Dan Brouillette – president, Sempra Infrastructure Emma Delaney – executive vice president, customers and products, bp Daniel Poneman – president and CEO, Centrus Energy Scott Sheffield – CEO, Pioneer Natural Resources Hon. Sonya Savage – minister of energy, Alberta, Canada Mark Little – president and CEO, Suncor Felipe Bayón – CEO, Ecopetrol S.A. Dawn Summers – member of the executive board and COO, region EMEA, Wintershall Dea AG Mark Nelson – executive vice president, downstream and chemicals, Chevron Visit www.ceraweek.com for a complete list of speakers and the most up-to-date program information (subject to change).

• Climate Change and Green Economy

How Modern Progress Defined by Speed, Efficiency Is Killing the Planet — And Us

The “lightbulb” moment symbolises humanity’s ticket to greatness, signifying a paradigm shift in innovation and progress, akin to the moment of discovering fire. What’s left unsaid is that the humble light bulb sparked an avalanche of change in our cultural imagination. Electricity allowed us the gift of sight in the dark at the flick of a switch, no longer requiring the tedious and long-winded process of manually breathing life into a fire. This logic has pervaded our sense of progress ever since. How fast can we think? How fast can we move? How soon can we consume? Produce? Live? The dominant frame of thought would have us believe that whatever costs – most notably, environmental – are being incurred due to progress are worth it due to the comforts we have acquired along the way and the rapidness with which we can keep expecting to acquire them. This thinking culminated most recently in India in the form of a new, shiny little scheme from the 2022 Union Budget. The ‘Gati Shakti’ scheme, its crowning jewel, aims to increase connectivity, the efficiency of logistics, by building more ports, more roads, more highways. “The Gati Shakti scheme is targeted at aiding economic growth and sustainable development,” the finance minister said. “Development” is the keyword that keeps everyone happy, even as the powers that be constantly raze down the Earth to build more ways for us to travel faster, for goods and services to be delivered more speedily, in the name of progress and development. Our clothes, grocery deliveries, e-commerce carts and travel will reach us faster under this “development” and we can have a good life much faster too, just the way we like it. The pandemic, for instance, has seen a deluge of innovation – not around public health, which is slow and requires patience, but around public convenience, which is faster. Delivery apps now promise 10-minute wait times for non-essential goods that you can buy in a flash however many times a day. The emphasis on speed for trivial commodities has innumerable, longer-lasting costs. “In the name of comfort, we are creating more discomfort. The fast and furious rush of the world in the name of development is disastrous,” says Goldy M. George, Dalit rights activist and scholar. Related on The Swaddle: To Keep Our Coastal Cities From Drowning in Floods, We Have to Reimagine Land Use Meanwhile, deep in the Atacama desert in Chile, a strange blight was to be beheld late last year. Heaps and heaps of unused and unsold fast-fashion clothing replaced the rolling sand dunes, with price tags still attached. It took an unspeakable amount of water, land, and labor to make all of it, only for it to return to the elements – never having been seen, touched, or felt by a single consumer. All this while e-commerce continues to support the fast-fashion industry’s need to rapidly cycling through outfit trends that die out faster than we’ve had time to process them. The same applies to most other industries. In the 21st century – change is good. The faster it happens, the better we can say our lives are. In other words, our lifestyle trends, the norms we’ve come to associate with a good life, are less agentic than they seem. It is less the case that communities drive demands for faster production of the commodities they use, and more that industries producing these things coerce demand from us. Avantika Goswami, from the Centre for Science and Environment, too points out that this demand hardly comes from consumers first – it is manufactured by industries. Because when we give in to this manufactured need for speed and efficiency, it lines the pockets of those who make it. Take the fact that soon after the Gati Shakti announcement, steel, construction and logistics companies saw the highest gains in stock value. And yet, this is precisely what is framed as “growth.” And “we associate growth in our minds with something that is good,” says Nityanand Jayaraman, environmental activist and journalist. But the discourse obscures whose growth, exactly, is at hand. And critiquing growth would be to imply that people don’t deserve, or shouldn’t want, a good life of convenience. But the corpse of this model of comfort and development lies in the Atacama desert. Clearly, we don’t actually want or need so many new things; the rate at which they’re produced far exceeds our demand. “We don’t need anything that is super fast, we need to shift back to methods that exist in the age of taking things slow. A lot of why we want speed could also have something to do with social media and reduced attention spans… Quickness feels like an advance when it’s not really the case,” says Disha Ravi, 23-year-old environmental activist from Fridays for Future. Ravi’s words cut to the heart of why the ideology of speed is not to our betterment. The Internet revolution promised a lot, most notably faster, instantaneous communication. This is a good thing, to an extent. But the easy access to other people and information has turned it into a toxic heap of crossed wires where communication often breaks down, leading to misinformation and hate that threatens entire democracies, fuels conflict, and notably, fuels climate denialism. It epitomizes an age of alienation, keeping individuals in pursuit of faster goods and services instead of giving and receiving care as communities. Somewhere along the way, we crossed over from being citizens to consumers, where we don’t owe anyone anything. We are reassured that it is okay to abdicate responsibility towards the community: individual comfort is the priority above all else. And the ability to make things happen with nothing more than a flick of the finger endows us with a sense of luxury, a sign of having made it. Time itself is optimized under this regime of lifestyle citizenship; and the cost is our very future on this planet. For instance, the only thing we, as consumers, gain from more roads is perhaps a few hours saved in travel. But so much more is lost – and the costs of convenience are hidden from view. Even when they’re not, however, the notion that some must make sacrifices for the good of society overall persists, without questioning what “good” is. Right now, fast equals good and good equals more goods. Within this paradigm, making decisions as individuals to consume items at a slower rate does not fundamentally challenge what it means to live a comfortable or a good life. *** Most notably, indigenous systems of knowledge – many of which value slowness and reject the hyper-individualistic focus on speed and efficiency oriented growth – are kept out in these industrialized processes, even as indigenous populations suffer the most. George talks about how indigenous values have been “swept under the carpet of capitalism and casteism.” “This [idea of growth] is not representative of the indigenous people who have a different worldview, the trade unions, the transgender groups, they have extremely different ways of looking at the same problem,” Jayaraman adds. For one, our relationship with nature itself has become one centered around treating it as a “resource” for constructing the pace and standard of life that we are currently accustomed to. “This isn’t to say we must go back to horses and bullock carts, but not to dismiss their importance. If the cost of a lightbulb is the displacement and death of thousands, it is better to live by the candle,” he says. The long-term environmental effects of thinking about comfort in this way, however, will soon catch up with us. “We need to look at the inverse. Is it comfortable to live without oxygen? Without water?” asks George. Reducing consumption and slowing down is touted as a “sacrifice.” But the sooner we recognize it as necessary, the more we can start to see “the overproducers, the fossil fuel industries and their associates, as attacking the real heart of our world: we see them not as purveyors of beneficial products, but as death-bearing destroyers,” notes Julia Steinberger, ecological economist at the University of Lausanne. Related on The Swaddle: Mumbai Fish Workers Escalate Protest Against Displacement, Loss of Livelihood However, these mechanics are hidden from view in the name of comfort, progress, and an inexorable rush away from what we’ve come to see as “primitive” or “slow.” A few steps behind the material comforts we’ve become more than accustomed to lie “other” people are sacrificed for these comforts. A few steps ahead, our own people are sacrificed for the comforts of elites above us. And on and on it goes until humanity extinguishes itself – all in service of a quality life that never felt that good or comfortable to begin with. 5G and bullet trains, when they properly arrive, will once again reset the normal for what the pace of life should be, as opposed to what it needs to be. But what’s so good about speed? Other alternatives exist. “[These alternatives] don’t valorize simplicity – they valorize health, time, community, land, these are all slow,” says Jayaraman. What do we do about all this? One framework to think through it is that of survival versus luxury emissions. Enter the “degrowth” school of thought. Proponents argue that changing the paradigm of growth to decenter the economy and slow down how we live to just what consuming and emitting what we need, would reduce the chasm between the global North and South. There is also another model of governance itself, that doesn’t look for the big changes we need from the state or from corporations. Radical ecological democracy, as Ashish Kothari explains, “puts collectives and communities at the center of governance and the economy.” Techno-optimists would have us believe that it is possible and desirable to maintain the current pace of life, while also being sustainable. However, emerging research suggests otherwise: “unless we tackle the ‘root causes of vulnerability’ (i.e. the systemic and historically laden inequities based on extraction, colonialism, anthropocentricism etc.) through social and behavioural approaches, these tech fixes are, at best, bandages,” notes Chandni Singh, senior research consultant at the Indian Institute of Human Settlements. “Transformational change, the type needed for grave problems, requires a complete reimagination of human-nature relationships, societal functioning, and changes in our financial systems.” Slowing down, therefore, doesn’t mean renouncement. Clearly, speed – defined even scientifically as the rate of displacement – leaves people behind. On the other hand, nobody is likely to suffer from slowness. Think about it: slower workdays. A slower pace of life. More rest and relaxation. In an economy designed to churn out maximum labor for minimum returns in the name of efficiency, rest can be resistance in more ways than one. It allows, simultaneously, for bodies and the planet to heal.

• Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

PlastiCities: the role of grassroots initiatives to manage waste in cities

In India, many national policies have recognised the role of the informal sector, mainly waste pickers, and have expressed value in their inclusion in the waste ecosystem. Yet, there are many challenges in integrating them into the existing waste infrastructure. Integrating the formal and informal sectors in India will be key to optimising resource recovery and recycling in the future and finding solutions to plug the ‘leak’ of plastics into our oceans. Grassroots organisations that work at the intersection between the formal and informal sectors are important, and policy level changes are needed to adopt a decentralised, cost-efficient blueprint for waste management. Most of us forget about our waste once it is discarded into dustbins or municipal garbage trucks. Municipalities and waste management companies are only at the tip of an iceberg – the formal waste sector – funded, regulated and managed by local governments. This sector is involved with all kinds of waste: organic, inorganic, domestic, hazardous, horticultural refuse, and construction debris, among others. They are responsible for the collection, transport, recycling, and the appropriate disposal of waste which they often execute directly or via an external vendor. Ideally, the segregation of waste into recyclables and non-recyclables should be done at source by the households, residential areas, or business centres that generate waste. Paper, metal, and glass have long been salvaged as they have good potential for recycling. Plastic is the new material that needs immediate attention. While polyethylene terephthalate or PET has a fair recycling value with the plastic-to-textile industry creating high demand, other commonly used plastics have little to no value and are often discarded. Hence, this plastic often reaches landfills, where it is incinerated or buried. Many chemical additives from these plastics leach into the soil and the surrounding ecosystems, often finding their way into rivers and marine ecosystems. In much of the developing world, as in India, recovering recyclable waste between source and landfill is expensive, tedious and labour-intensive. This gap in the waste ecosystem is filled by the informal sector. This informal sector is a near-invisible, shadowy waste economy that we rarely acknowledge or appreciate, because it falls outside the purview of the formal system. The informal sector, often concerned with inorganic waste, has many players. Waste pickers collect and segregate recyclable waste from residential areas, and are incentivised by the chance to earn a livelihood from it. They then sell the waste to small scrap dealers or kabadiwallas. The scrap dealers further segregate the waste and sell it to a (Level 2) small or medium aggregator. From here, it is carted off to a wholesaler or stockist, and finally, to specific recycling units. In India, many national policies have recognised the role of the informal sector, mainly waste pickers, and have expressed value in their inclusion in the waste ecosystem. Yet waste pickers face other challenges while operating within the formal waste economy: outsourcing of waste management to private companies, waste-to-energy plants touted as alternatives to recycling, and urban zoning plans that do not factor in the infrastructure requirements of waste management. Importantly, waste pickers at the frontline of the informal sector work in challenging, often unsanitary conditions that affect their health. They also face uncertainty due to fluctuating market prices of recyclables. Over the decade, grassroots organisations around the country have been working with waste pickers, in a bid to integrate them into the waste economy. Among these are Kabadiwalla Connect (Chennai), Hasiru Dala (Bengaluru), and Chintan (Delhi) that have emerged as waste management solutions and there are a few lessons that can be learnt from them. Informal sector crucial in finding solutions to plug plastic leak “Every year, Chennai generates over 1,30,000 tonnes of waste, of which plastic accounts for 10-15,000 tonnes. It is a huge challenge for the municipality to implement waste segregation at source. Hence, most of the waste, including 10-15% of which can be recycled, ends up in landfills. City authorities spend $200,000 (approximately Rs. 15 million) every day to collect the waste and transport it to the Pallikaranai and Kodungaiyur landfills,” states Siddharth Hande, CEO of Kabadiwalla Connect, a Chennai-based initiative for decentralised waste management. “If cities across India are keen on optimising their resource recovery and recycling in the future and finding solutions to plug the ‘leak’ of plastics into our oceans, integrating the formal and informal waste sectors will be crucial,” adds Hande. Hande also shares that the informal waste system helps Chennai collect roughly 20% of its recyclable waste, over 100,000 tonnes annually. By linking networks of waste pickers and scrap shop owners, he says he believes that almost 70% of the waste being sent to landfills could be diverted. Kabadiwalla Connect helps leverage the city’s existing informal waste infrastructure in the collection, segregation and processing of post-consumer waste, with the help of innovative, technology-based solutions. Its inclusive, cost-efficient, and industry-compliant solutions harness the untapped resource of the informal sector in the supply chain, reduce the health risks faced by waste pickers, and pay rich dividends while tackling plastic waste at urban, and semi-urban levels. “In the informal sector, we rarely talk of the stakeholders beyond waste pickers. Yet there is a nexus of scrap dealers or kabadiwallas, aggregators, wholesalers and recyclers, that are an essential part of the waste ecosystem. This lack of classification is key to the problem of integrating the formal and informal sectors,” explains Hande. The involvement of upstream stakeholders of the value chain, such as plastic manufacturers and retailers is needed to bring about an integration of the waste ecosystem. Bridging gap between waste workers and other stakeholders vital In Bengaluru, the informal waste ecosystem is much the same – the door-to-door collection of waste is done by the municipality, or waste pickers, and is deposited at dry waste collection centres, where it is sorted for recycling. Paper, metal, glass, cloth, and plastics are usually recovered, with plastics like tetra packs, which are technically recyclable but have a poor market value, sent off to waste-to-energy plants or as fuel for cement kilns. Since 2011, Hasiru Dala has been working to bridge the gap between waste workers and other stakeholders, such as the local governments, policymakers, and citizens, while improving the lives and livelihoods of waste pickers. Bengaluru with over 35,000 waste pickers and itinerant buyers, has approximately 3,500 tonnes of plastic traded in the informal economy every single day – rescuing it from landfills, incineration sites and water networks. In 2021, Hasiru Dala actively worked with over 40 wards in the city, and their dry waste collection centres handled a total of 13,656 metric tonnes (T) of waste, of which 4,097 T was recyclable, and 9,559 T was non-recyclable waste. “Often plastics that can be recycled, such as food containers, aren’t washed properly, and hence, have to be discarded. Working with residents and encouraging them to put in the effort to clean food-related waste, often discarded improperly due to convenience, is essential,” says Rohini Malur, Communications Manager at Hasiru Dala. “Putting the onus of cleaning and segregation on households reaps benefits further up the waste ecosystem, as lesser waste, especially plastic, ends up at the highly polluting waste-to-energy plants, “she continues. The pandemic adversely affected the entire informal waste ecosystem, and as single-use plastic consumption soared, recovery and recycling couldn’t keep pace. Waste pickers are essentially daily wage workers, and restricted mobility affects their ability to collect recyclables and earn a livelihood. With waste pickers clocking fewer hours, there was lesser income for scrap shops too. There were months during the first wave when the entire recycling industry shut down. Dry waste collection centres were deemed essential services, yet scrap shops and godowns were not, and had to close down. Collection centres stayed open during the lockdowns yet they had nowhere to send the aggregated waste, causing the waste economy to stagnate. Workers struggled to get by as they could collect but not sell the recovered recyclable waste, payments from the authorities were often in arrears and they had little to no savings to fall back on. “It is crucial for grassroots organisations to amplify the messages of other efforts across India if we are to see a bigger shift in our waste management practises and to realise how vulnerable and essential these waste warriors are,” Malur adds. Waste workers play a crucial environmental role Every day, Delhi produces 12,350 tonnes of solid waste, most of which ends up at three major dumpsites: Ghazipur, Bhalaswa, and Okhla. The city has an estimated 40,000 waste pickers, with other recyclers, itinerant buyers, small and large kabadis, re-processors and other waste workers adding to a total of a 1,50,000 strong informal sector. They collect 15-20 per cent of Delhi’s total waste (in terms of weight) and 55% (in terms of volume) and recycle about 2,000 tonnes of the city’s waste each day. As in other cities, much of this recycling happens due to the toil of waste pickers. In addition, as unsegregated waste accumulates at landfills, rotting wet waste releases methane – a highly combustible gas. This results in spontaneous combustion of waste, with plastics, among other hazardous, polluting materials being set on fire. Sometimes, waste is incinerated at landfills before being buried. This adds significantly to Delhi’s air pollution issues. Waste pickers can help Delhi tackle some of its air pollution problems by diverting waste from reaching dumping sites. As a partner of the CounterMEASURE initiative under the United Nations Environment Programme, funded by Japan, Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group (Chintan) strives for better waste recovery between source and landfills. Their work with waste pickers ensures lesser plastics end up in the Yamuna, and further downstream into the Ganges, and the Bay of Bengal. In 2018, Chintan’s report titled Wastepickers: Delhi’s Forgotten Environmentalists, highlighted the role of the informal sector in tackling the burgeoning problem of waste management and plastic pollution. “Ironically, Delhi’s Master Plan 2041 talks in detail about solid waste management and environmental pollution, yet doesn’t make provisions for the labour involved, nor for the space and infrastructure they require,” says Shruti Sinha, Manager of Policy and Outreach at Chintan. “Recently, many dhalaos (large three-walled concrete structures used by waste pickers to collect garbage from a locality or market), have been put to alternate use. A study by Chintan in 2021 found that 73.8% of waste pickers do not have access to sheltered spaces, which makes it difficult to work through monsoon and winter,” Sinha continues. The Chintan report advocates establishing partnerships between the informal and private sectors, as well as the public, legitimising the informal workers, developing waste management protocols, and training and monitoring waste workers. This would ensure they can operate effectively in their niche while performing key environmental roles. A waste management blueprint The CounterMEASURE initiatives are committed to identifying sources and pathways of plastic pollution and finding solutions to prevent city-sourced plastic from reaching rivers and oceans. Working at the grassroots level with stakeholders in the waste economy, is an effective way to raise awareness about source segregation to reduce mismanaged waste, as well as build on existing knowledge to inform policy decisions. The 2021 report titled Waste-Wise Cities published by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Niti Aayog, inspected solid waste management initiatives in 28 cities to understand the mechanisms that worked best. Across cities, grassroots initiatives concur that the integration of the informal and the formal sector is an effective solution for waste management. The report found that decentralised systems and public-private partnerships would be ideal for India to achieve its ‘smart cities’ objectives. City planners and municipal organisations should take cognisance and find ways to integrate the waste ecosystem. This would not only ensure better living and working standards for the informal sector but also incentivise their role in last-mile resource recovery and recycling, while providing cities with a decentralised, cost-efficient blueprint for waste management.

• Down To Earth

Find the Balance

In the early 2010s, most large projects got stuck because of the idiosyncratic behavior of a few people. Now it seems no project will ever get held up due to environmental concerns (see this edit in the Indian Express). Why can’t we have a good balance, where harmful projects whether by the private sector or government are stopped, and non-harmful ones receive quick permission? The Economic Times carried a commentary by me posing this same question and also answering it. Can we not create independent and capable environmental regulators who can stand up to such harmful progress? The alternative is hundreds perhaps thousands of harmful projects over the next 3-4 decades. Each may seem insignificant individually but together will create disaster.

• Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

Lack of disposal sites slows work on flattening Delhi’s 3 landfills

A proposal moved by the civic bodies states that the plan is to fill inert waste in pits 2,6,10 and 12 -- spread over an area of 477 acres with a 30m depth. Delhi’s three municipal corporations are on a hunt for a “gigantic” plot -- gigantic enough to accommodate 18 million tonnes of inert waste from the three landfill sites of Okhla, Bhalswa and Ghazipur in Delhi. It is the want of such a space that is proving a major impediment to the ₹250-crore project to flatten the three landfills, said municipal officials. The civic bodies are now eyeing the abandoned Bhatti Mines in the Southern Ridge and a feasibility study will soon be carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India at the behest of the Ridge Management Board (RMB), the body that is mandated to protect the Ridge, a forest department official said, asking not to be named. The three landfills together hold over 28 million tonnes of legacy waste and it has been estimated that about 60-70% of the material recovered after bio mining -- process of using trommel machines to separate legacy waste into plastic, paper, cloth, sand etc-- consists of soil, stones and inert material. Till December, only about 14% of the legacy waste had been excavated and the inert sent to locations such as the eco park being developed in Badarpur, various low-lying areas that face water-logging in the monsoon, a park being developed by filling up the old ash pond sites in ravines of south-east Delhi’s Tajpur Pahadi, and for horticulture purposes. RELATED STORIES Delhi: Civic bodies eye abandoned Bhatti Mines for dumping inert waste Delhi: Civic bodies eye abandoned Bhatti Mines for dumping inert waste Gurugram: 12 waste recovery facilities to lessen burden on Bandhwari landfill Gurugram: 12 waste recovery facilities to lessen burden on Bandhwari landfill Mumbaiites may have to pay ‘user fee’ to BMC over waste collection Mumbaiites may have to pay ‘user fee’ to BMC over waste collection Mumbai logs less than 500 Covid-19 cases as downward trend continues Mumbai logs less than 500 Covid-19 cases as downward trend continues Haryana gets its 1st waste recovery facility in Gurugram’s Badshahpur: Officials Haryana gets its 1st waste recovery facility in Gurugram’s Badshahpur: Officials 53 waterlogging spots to remain this monsoon in Mumbai 53 waterlogging spots to remain this monsoon in Mumbai Mumbai mega-block: 350 suburban locals, 117 mail, express cancelled for 72 hours Mumbai mega-block: 350 suburban locals, 117 mail, express cancelled for 72 hours Air quality in Delhi remains in ‘very poor’ category for second day Air quality in Delhi remains in ‘very poor’ category for second day Municipal officials are now looking at the abandoned Bhatti Mines. A proposal moved by the civic bodies states that the plan is to fill inert waste in pits 2,6,10 and 12 -- spread over an area of 477 acres with a 30m depth. The total estimated volume of these pits is 57,898,200 cubic metres and they can accommodate 69,478,000 metric tonnes of inert soil, the proposal said. The area is also part of the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, however, and experts have opposed the move, citing possible contamination of groundwater that may adversely impact the flora and fauna of the Ridge. In October 2019, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) also turned down a plea by the three civic bodies to use the mines. Chairperson justice Adarsh Kumar Goel asked the south civic body to approach “more appropriate authorities” in this regard. So, a fresh proposal was sent to the RMB in March 2021 by the SDMC on behalf of the three corporations, asking for permission to use Bhatti Mines. While no approval was given by the body, it set up a five-member panel to look into the proposal. Civic officials say the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has now been asked to carry out a study to ascertain whether dumping inert there could harm the ecology. “Once the study is complete, we will decide on SDMC’s proposal,” said a member of the ridge management board. Already running behind the projected timelines for clearing the landfill sites through bio remediation, the municipal corporations have now submitted fresh deadlines for completion of the NGT-mandated project to flatten the three garbage mounds. The north corporation has revised the deadline to clear Bhalswa landfill site to December 31, 2023; the Okhla landfill needs to be cleared by March 2023 and Ghazipur landfill by December 2024. “We have got the inert material tested and it has been found fit for use in road construction. We are hoping that National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will use the material,” east Delhi mayor Shyam Sunder Agarwal said. As per the north corporation, it plans to increase the number of trommel machines to 50 the coming month. Once operational, the new units will increase the daily processing from existing 5,000 tonnes per day to 13,000 tonnes per day,” an official claimed, asking not to be named. “NHAI has agreed to use the inert soil in Urban Extension 2 project. The NTPC will take around 300,000 tonnes of inert soil,” the north civic body official said. North corporation also plans to use the low-lying area near the cluster bus depot in Rani Khera for dumping the inert so as to alleviate water-logging issues. Atin Biswas, programme director, municipal solid waste, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), who is part of an on-going study of landfill sites across the country, said preliminary findings indicate the presence of heavy metals and toxic chemicals in the inert material, suggesting it could be harmful to dump them in open mines in Delhi. “Of India’s 3,159 officially designated dump sites, there is a total legacy waste of around 1,300 million metric tonnes. When bio-mining is carried out, around 70% ends up as inert waste. As part of our ongoing study, in most samples, we found the presence of heavy metals and dumping inert in mines could contaminate the water table,” he said.

• Director General Office

Our broken system of clearances

The EIA has become a convoluted exercise, designed for futility Sunita Narain Ranking is an instrument to reward the best performers — but more importantly, it signals the best way to do things. So, when the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change says that it will rank the state environmental impact assessment authorities based on the speed at which environmental approvals are given, it basically implies that all it cares about is the “clearance” of projects, not the quality of the assessment or the ability to ensure that the environmental impacts of development projects are mitigated. You could argue that time taken is not an indicator of the level of scrutiny — and that the ministry’s notice is designed only to hold the assessment committees accountable and to ensure that projects are not unnecessarily delayed. But it is not that simple. The fact is this “ranking” is the final nail in the already built coffin of environmental assessments. Over the past decade or so, government after government has systematically decimated the process of decision-making that would allow for assessment or scrutiny. It is a sham and a farce, and in my view this direction by the ministry — set up to purportedly safeguard environmental interests — has only made its contempt for its self-built process apparent. Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) started way back in 1994, when development projects were few and the process remained uncontested. The rot took hold from the early 2000s, when “building” projects were included in this system of scrutiny. There is no question that construction — especially large-scale housing, infrastructure, or commercial projects — has a massive environmental footprint. They add to water usage, wastewater generation, traffic, and solid waste. The problem was the system was never upgraded to handle the huge volume of “building” projects. This led to delays and high transaction costs — corruption, in other words. So in 2006, the ministry decentralised and outsourced the work to states. It replicated the Central system at state level, setting up the state environmental impact assessment authorities. A maze of categories — projects falling into A, B, BI, and B2 — were created, with overlaps and a good measure of discretion thrown in. All in all, the quality of scrutiny has not improved and development projects are not more environmentally compliant. The EIA has become a convoluted exercise, designed for futility. Why do I say this? Just consider how fundamentally flawed the process is today. The project proponent is expected to pay consultants to do the EIA, which is based on the terms of reference (ToR) approved by the Central or state environmental impact assessment authority. Category A projects come to the Centre and Category B projects go to the state, where the state authority then decides if it is B1 (projects requiring detailed assessments) or B2 (that do not require detailed assessments). The committee can approve the ToR, ask for more information, or reject it. After this, the EIA is done. This, in turn, requires the involvement of at least 12 functional area experts and management and monitoring plans. The draft EIA is in English and its summary is in the regional language, which is then put out for public consultation. A detailed process is in place for holding the public hearing, which would be crucial for “listening” to local objections. Then all this goes to the appraisal committee, which has to scrutinise the draft, ask for more information, and accept it with conditions or reject it. In actual fact, projects are rarely “rejected”. In our analysis of projects between July 2015 and August 2020, of the 3,100 projects submitted, only 3 per cent were not recommended. Even these would come back with more information. So, all this fuss, and then nothing. But in the process, proponents are asked — and more so in controversial projects — many times to come back with more data and more clarifications. Finally, the committees “clear” the project, and, in most cases, to protect themselves, they do so with a fistful of conditions that will never really be monitored. The faceless committees are not held responsible for the project after clearance; their “job” ends with this clearance. So you really cannot hold them responsible for the quality of the decision taken. The monitoring is then left to the understaffed regional offices of the ministry — state pollution control boards are not empowered to monitor impacts because this clearance is done under the Environmental Protection Act and not under the laws governing air or water. In all this, there is duplication, lack of scrutiny, and no real intent to ensure that projects are implemented keeping in mind environmental interests. So, when we defend this broken system of “clearances” it only adds fuel to the fire of the extremely false narrative of environment versus development. In reality, environmental interests have already been given a bypass, and development has become mindless, without any regard for what can be done to mitigate and manage harm. The writer is at the Centre for Science and Environment sunita@cseindia.org Twitter: @sunitanar

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Mumbai: Unusual increase in air pollution in western India due to dust, scientists suspect climate change

Other areas which recorded very poor AQI were Colaba (348), Malad (346), Chembur (316) and Andheri (306) Mumbai’s Air Quality Index (AQI) continues to remain in the ‘Very Poor’ category and Mumbaikars are likely to have no relief for the next few days as experts pointed out that this was a result of the second dust storm hitting in the last 15 days, which has even left the scientific community surprised. The overall AQI of Mumbai on Sunday evening stood at 361 (very poor). Mazagon in south Mumbai recorded AQI of 426 which is in the severe category. Other areas which recorded very poor AQI were Colaba (348), Malad (346), Chembur (316) and Andheri (306) According to Gufran Beig, Founder Project Director, System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research under IITM-Pune the western part of India is experiencing a very peculiar kind of air quality trend this winter which is very unusual. “During the last 15 days, a second successive dust storm originated on February 3 from the border areas of Rajasthan, Pakistan and Afghanistan. This coincided with the westerly disturbances due to which upper air trough was formed, which aggravated it and it then entered somewhere near Ahmedabad thus making the air quality of Mumbai and Ahmedabad in the Very Poor category, which in this season is mostly in the moderate category,” Beig explained that the AQI of Mumbai is likely to continue to remain in the Very Poor category till February 7 because of calm wind and colder conditions are prevailing in Mumbai. “The cause of this particular successive dust storms coming in when the air is very heavy is what is making all of us think about it reasons and we cannot deny the impact of climate change. A recent analysis of regional air pollution levels, done by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), has pointed out that air pollution is rapidly becoming a matter of concern in the western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat as well. Winter pollution sets in these states during late December and early January when cooler and calmer conditions trap the local pollution, which is high. "Bad-air days begin to build up in the cities of the western states during the end of December and persist till the end of January. Cities in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region show a more pronounced impact of winter pollution compared to cities of other regions," the CSE analysis report states. According to the analysis of CSE, Over the years, the air quality in Mumbai seems to be declining. Daily AQI analysis based on the 10 oldest stations shows a 20 per cent drop in the number of good AQI days in the city between 2019 and 2021 -- while days with poor or very poor AQI have doubled. South Mumbai has the worst air within the city during winter: CSE In December 2021, the stations in south Mumbai have reported significantly higher PM2.5 levels compared to the rest of the city. Mazgaon with a monthly average of 134 ug/m3 was the most polluted neighbourhood of the city, followed by Navy Nagar-Colaba (124 ug/m3), Kurla (101 ug/m3), Vile Parle West (101 ug/m3) and Worli (97 ug/m3). Khindipada at the edge of Sanjay Gandhi National Park in the suburbs with a monthly average of 54 ug/m3 was the least polluted neighbourhood. Bandra and Malad West reported low numbers, but the values are not considered valid due to significantly large amounts of missing data from these two stations, CSE's report stated.

• Water Programme

Cry me a lake

According to a report by the Centre-for-Science-and-Environment the amount of faecal matter in sewage is monitored through coliform count — a water quality parameter that acts as an indicator of pathogens that most commonly cause diarrhoea, typhoid and a host of enteric or intestinal diseases. While coliform is not a cause of illness, it does indicate pathogens of faecal origin such as bacteria, virus or protozoa. <br> <br>According to the <keyword keytype="General" smid="0" usetype="2" source="Orion" keywordseo="Central-Pollution-Control-Board" keynameseo="central-pollution-control-board" actualkeyword="central pollution control board">Central Pollution Control Board</keyword> (CPCB), the total coliform organism or MPN/100 ml (most probable number) for drinking water source, without conventional treatment but after disinfection, should be 50 or less. <br> <br>For outdoor bathing, MPN/100 ml should be less than 500, and drinking water source after conventional treatment and disinfection, MPN/100 ml shall be 5,000 or less. <br> <br>In Doddakallasandra Lake, however, the water sample showed much higher value at 350x102, showcasing a high amount of coliform bacteria, which does not qualify as safe. <br> <br>Raghvendra B Pachhapur, resident of <keyword keytype="General" smid="0" usetype="2" source="Orion" keywordseo="Doddakalasandra" keynameseo="doddakalasandra" actualkeyword="doddakalasandra">Doddakalasandra</keyword> and ActionAid, India’s programme manager, said: “The high value of coliform indicates bad water quality. <br> <br>Sewage is still entering the lake. Other parameters like pH, dissolved oxygen and conductivity are good.” <br> <br>The report also showed an increase in biochemical oxygen demand. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) represents the amount of oxygen consumed by bacteria and other microorganisms while they decompose organic matter under aerobic conditions (when oxygen is present) at a specified temperature. The decay of organic matter in water is measured as biochemical or chemical oxygen demand.

• Down To Earth

Record Breaking: Delhi Experiences Coldest Day in Almost a Decade, Leaving Homeless Dead

Although Delhi had its chilliest season in almost a decade ago, a penniless gentleman on the city 's alleys survived over the evening while carrying a rotting corpse next to him, until officials from an organization came to assist. Rajkumar, a low paid laborer, has been in Delhi for 5 years and is yet to find a place to dwell. A statistic campaigners estimate is likely to be less than a third of the true total for street campers in the metropolis in which Rajkumar is among the town's overall total of 46,724 homeless individuals. Although a trip around the metropolis reveals a growing amount of the state's rough sleepers, who mostly seek sanctuary beneath crossings, in playgrounds, and on sidewalks, the administration's approach to reducing fatalities among the destitute was restricted to the establishment of overnight facilities. Experts claim that all three seasons, namely, wintertime, summertime, and monsoon, inevitably endanger the lives of homeless persons in the region. In an interview with a homeless shelter organizer with the nonprofit Aashray Adhikar Abhiyan, Sanjay Kumar, he informed Independent - that almost all homeless folks work in the informal employment, in which they are compensated daily. While in an unpublished study by the Centre for Holistic Development (CHD), a charity comprised of peaceful helpers such as attorneys and political scholars that assisted Rajkumar, at least 176 living on the streets individuals perished in Delhi in January as a result of contact to severe weather. Often times, lifeless corpses are discarded on the pavements, while the authorities figure out about the fatalities after some time. Coldest Day in Delhi Results to More Deaths Owing to the inadequacy of government documents on homeless fatalities, finding a comparison to last year is challenging. However, 152 casualties were documented in India, owing to winter surges in 2020, as per the India Environment Portal (IEP). According to a reportnin Al Jazeera, CHD experts used material from community centers in India as well as municipal reports of fatalities on pavements, as well as their independent assessments, to calculate the death toll in January. According to campaigners, the overwhelming of the state's homeless community is made up of individuals who serve in informal economy as laborers and assistants, or who are forced to plead or trade things on the roads. Volunteers believe that an estimate of 1% of the town's inhabitants are socially isolated. Sanjay Kumar also believes that there is a climatic influence on all of these events, stressing that although one incident may not be wholly ascribed to global warming, the magnitude of these occurrences are. As per CHD, fatalities have been increasing in congested regions like as eastern and northern Delhi, wherein various micro enterprises are situated and where individuals come from neighboring countries in quest of jobs. Advocates have often expressed worry about an absence of statistics when it concerns to measuring the number of homeless people, which is also in movement since many employees relocate to communities just over a specific timeframe. According to Aarti Khosla, the head of Weather Forecasts, a climate information program, the extreme cold circumstances this year are partially due to La Nina, an oceanographic and meteorological phenomenon that is the harsher equivalent of El Nino and drags air temperature lower.

• Sustainable Food Systems

Crop yield, net returns and soil health – organic farming leads on all counts, finds CSE study

In its latest report, Centre for Science and Environment presents irrefutable evidence of the benefits of non-chemical farming, supported by its analysis on crop yield recorded during 2014-19. The yields were found to be the highest with organic farming, followed by integrated agriculture and finally, the inorganic approach. On February 1, while presenting the Union Budget 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that chemical-free farming will be promoted across the country and the foundation for it would begin with fields within a five kilometre (km) wide corridor along the Ganges. A day later, on February 2, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based research and advocacy group, released its report titled Evidence (2004-20) on holistic benefits of organic and natural farming in India, which presents irrefutable evidence of the benefits of non-chemical agriculture. With respect to crop yield, the CSE report highlighted that out of the 504 times that yield results were recorded during 2014-19, the yields were found to be highest 41 per cent with organic approach, followed by 33 per cent with integrated, and 26 per cent with inorganic approach. “In the case of vegetables, oilseeds and cereals, yield with organic approach was highest more times than integrated and inorganic approach. In pulses and spices, it was highest more times with integrated approach than with organic and inorganic approach,” the report observed. Similarly, cropping systems with an organic approach have scored the highest in terms of all the parameters on soil health – organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The report’s findings on soil bulk density, soil bacteria, fungi, micronutrients etc also offered a similar verdict. Also Read: A village in Bihar goes organic, transforming the lives of its women “Despite the push given to it through periodic pronouncements from India’s leaders, the country’s efforts to upscale non-chemical farming practises have largely remained half-hearted at best,” said Sunita Narain, director general of CSE during the virtual event of the launch of the report. “CSE’s new report on the subject presents robust evidence which makes it clear that we can upscale organic and natural farming. It is time to invest adequately in a well-funded nation-wide programme for this,” she said. The CSE report compares results of three approaches – organic farming, integrated (which partly involves chemicals) agriculture, and inorganic (dependent on chemicals) farming. These results documented in the report are based on the evidence collected on various factors like crop yield, cost of cultivation, income, livelihood, soil health and environment, and food quality and nutrients. The report is based on two sets of sources – the results of the All-India Network Project on Organic Farming (AI-NPOF), 2004-19; and the CSE researchers combed through about 90 scientific studies on organic and natural farming published between 2010 and 2020 in India. The CSE report has brought forward some key points with regard to crop yield, income and livelihood and health of the soil. It presents a comparison between the three approaches of organic, integrated and inorganic farming. “Among three approaches, out of 63 cropping systems, cost of cultivation was highest in 63 per cent cropping systems with organic approach at 15 centres, 8 per cent with integrated approach at three centres, and 29 per cent with inorganic approach at eight centres. With organic approach, the cost of cultivation was lowest in five per cent cropping systems,” notes the new report. With organic approach, the mean cost of cultivation was lower than inorganic in 19 per cent cropping systems. The report goes on to say that the cost of cultivation is higher with organic approach than an integrated approach. “This high cost is explained by the fact that organic and bio-inputs used in the AI-NPOF are largely purchased from the market and not produced on-farm, as the project involves experimental farms. Whereas, organic inputs cost less if produced on-farm by farmers,” reads the report. The food quality and nutrition with organic approach were also found to be better than inorganic and slightly better than the integrated approach, the CSE report observed. Also Read: Non-pesticidal management in agriculture is a win-win for farmers and consumers While the report’s release came a day after the announcement made by FM for promotion of chemical-free natural farming, Amit Kumar, programme director, Sustainable Food Systems programme, CSE, and co-author of the CSE report, said that these are relatively small steps compared to the need of the hour. “Hopefully, our new report, which highlights that there is strong long-term evidence that organic and natural farming is not only profitable and sustainable but also productive, will propel the country to invest more adequately to upscale and encourage such a mass movement,” he added. Recommendations of the report CSE researchers have called for development of a roadmap to set the long-term agenda for adoption of agro-ecological approaches across different parts of the country in view of their benefits on multiple and cross- cutting aspects such as nutrition, livelihood of farmers, natural resource conservation, biodiversity, resource efficiency, soil- health, disease resilience and mitigation of climate crisis. In addition to that, the report has also demanded to shift the focus on supporting farmers during the transition to organic and natural farming through technical and financial support. Apart from this, it has called for a targeted, ambitious and well-funded nationwide programme developed to drive the change towards organic and natural farming and promotion of organic fertilisers and biofertilizers instead of chemical fertilisers. The report also recommended that states should step up their action in a concerted way to promote organic and natural farming. “This should be done through a series of measures such as those related to organic seeds, bio-inputs, capacity building of farmers and providing market linkages,” the report stated.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Pollutant in ‘scary’ Kolkata air exceeds 13 times the WHO limit

Sprinkling water on roads, the experts pointed out, will not achieve much The average level of PM (particulate matter) 2.5 in Kolkata’s air last year was more than 1.5 times the national standard and more than 13 times the standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO), shows an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). PM 2.5 is considered the most toxic of all air pollutants. They can enter deep into the lungs and trigger a range of critical diseases, including cancer. Experts from the Delhi-based CSE who were associated with the study pointed out that the city needed to address “big items like pollution from vehicles” to minimise air pollution. Sprinkling water on roads, the experts pointed out, will not achieve much. Mayor Firhad Hakim, who is also Bengal’s transport minister, admitted that the city’s pollution scene is “scary”. “We have to address the problem. Addressing air pollution is one of the priority areas during my current tenure (as mayor),” he said. In 2021, Kolkata was the only metropolis city after Delhi where the level of PM 2.5 — 66 micrograms per cubic metre of air - remained significantly higher than the national permissible limit. The national limit is 40 micrograms and WHO standard is 5 micrograms. Delhi’s average PM 2.5 level last year was 109 micrograms. The cities that fared better than Kolkata included Bangalore (33 micrograms), Chennai (25 micrograms), Hyderabad (41 micrograms) and Mumbai (34 micrograms). A study carried out by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, at the behest of the state pollution control board, shows household emission accounts for the maximum share of PM 2.5 in the city — 28 per cent share. Then comes road dust (25 per cent) and emission from vehicles (24 per cent). “Vehicles are the major problem in Kolkata. All apportionment studies are showing that, but you are constantly focusing on sprinkling of water. The big-ticket problems like the vehicle count or automobile pollution are being ignored,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury of CSE, who led the analysis.

• Industrial Pollution

Union Budget 2022: Single window environmental clearance, will this usher sustainability in economy?

During the Union Budget 2022 speech, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: “A single-window portal, PARIVESH, for all green clearances was launched in 2018. It has been instrumental in reducing the time required for approvals significantly”. PARIVESH has been developed as one-stop workflow application where online submissions and monitoring of green projects can be submitted for clearances related to the environment, forest, wildlife and coastal regulation zone (CRZ), from central, state and even district-level authorities. An Environmental clearance refers to an approval that is required before an organization can proceed with building an infrastructure, undertaking mining, processing or manufacturing that can potentially be detrimental to the environment. Depending on its nature, the State or Centre may issue a clearance. This has been done in order to promote fast, efficient and red-tapism free decision for any project needed. But if we are to believe various studies including the one published by Pulitzer Center, most of the projects appearing for environmental clearance, are ‘rarely rejected’ by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC). For instance, in between 2014-2020, nearly 2053 projects out of a total of 2,115 projects were granted Environment Clearances (ECs) by MOEFCC. Out of these, 278 are within and immediately around the country’s sensitive Protected Areas (PA). The word of mouth is that the projects lacking the clearances above, might have been asked to return with more information or more clarification. An ecological clearance requires various stakeholders (including the PAP, Project Affected Person) to put forward their perspectives, analysis and discuss for the benefit of all: ecosystem, land-utilization, society at large.\ This fast paced approval will leave this process in doldrums, with no proper investigation, biased approval and industry centric, as India still seeks to improve its ranking on Ease of doing business, that has been earlier published by the World Bank but now stands stalled amidst controversies. Are environmental concerns serving as the impediments to economic growth? The projects at times are stalled with no pretext related to the environmental health. The top five infrastructure projects: Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, Pollavaram irrigation project, Delhi-Jaipur Expressway, Navi Mumbai International Airport and Nariyara Coal Power Plant, have all been delayed because of reasons other environmental clearances. These clearances have long been a safeguard for Nature and sustainability in depth, it is the bureaucratic process that derails it all. In actuality, mindless and irresponsible development with benefits in short run have long bypassed country’s environmental interests. Is it always easy to choose sides for a human? When all this appears to be favoring human-made business and industry rather than compassion and respect for the environment that we yield for, can there be no benefit so important that we need to bring in single-window clearance for environment too? One needs to note that India being the country seeking growth, harbors huge volume of “building” projects and naturally, most of them dealing with the scarce natural resource fulfilling the insatiable need of the country and World, have to undergo clearance. However, with even such drastic progress in volumes, the system was never upgraded and quality of scrutiny never improved. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has advocated a single window clearance system since 2014 in its report Strengthen Institutions, reform laws and streamline processes: Agenda for Improving Environmental Governance in India. The report accentuated the need for a better environmental governance in India through a single point of clearance and better, digitally. Through Parivesh, all the regulating authorities will have relevant information existing for a project at one location. Even the independent researchers will gain a 360-degree view along with the probable impacts probed, analysis provided that too multilaterally. Experts have claimed that such a digital provision will render transparency to a complex system of environmental disclosures. Once expanded, MOEFCC has aimed to provide all four approvals, i.e. Environment, Forest, Wildlife and CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zones) Clearances, embedded in a single form (several experts have advocated that wildlife clearance to be separate from the others). This allows an automated, easy and clear tracking of the processes involved to ascertain the status of the intended project along with quick editing and updation as needed, reducing the greater work in the silos with heavy procrastination. But India being a country of options and illegible solutions, any betterment in the system can lead to uncertainties in outcomes. Will single window environmental clearance do ay better for business and environment remains to be seen? As indicated by our FM complying with the image India has portrayed as a leader in climate diplomacy, climate action shall dictate the growth of this country. That can be done if we begin to include sustainability at any cost in every sector possible. We need to avert the climate crisis, that is only possible if we prosper but not at the cost of our environment.

• Director General Office

अमरजीत सिंह कोहली : कल्पना चावला को पद्म पुरस्कार क्यों नहीं?

1 फरवरी 2022, अंतरिक्ष यात्री कल्पना चावला की 19वीं पुण्यतिथि थी, जिनकी 1 फरवरी 2003 को अंतरिक्ष शटल कोलंबिया के दुर्घटना में मृत्यु हो गई थी। यह तस्वीर 2010 में दिल्ली में उनकी 7वीं पुण्यतिथि पर उन्हें श्रद्धांजलि देते हुए दिखाई दी थी। साथ ही पुलिस अधिकारी किरण बेदी (पहली महिला आईपीएस अधिकारी और मैगसेसे पुरस्कार विजेता) कल्पना चावला के पिता श्री बनारसी लाल चावला उत्कृष्टता पुरस्कार प्राप्त कर रहे हैं, जबकि मैं बीच में खड़ा हूं। ये पुरस्कार 2006 में स्थापित किए गए थे और हर साल 1 फरवरी को दिए जाते हैं। 1967 में दिल्ली में स्थापित पंजाब इंजीनियरिंग कॉलेज चंडीगढ़ ओल्ड बॉयज एसोसिएशन (PECOBA) के संस्थापक जनरल सेकेरी के रूप में मेरे द्वारा समारोह का आयोजन किया गया था। PEC के 1962 बैच के एक अरुणकुमार संस्थापक अध्यक्ष थे। जब मैंने 1964 में PEC, चंडीगढ़ से Mech Engg की डिग्री पूरी की, कल्पना चावला ने PEC से 1982 में वैमानिकी इंजीनियरिंग में अपनी डिग्री पूरी की। एक अन्य अमेरिकी अंतरिक्ष यात्री सुनीता विलियम्स, जिन्होंने पहली बार दिसंबर 2006 में स्पेस शटल डिस्कवरी में उड़ान भरी थी, को 2008 में पद्म भूषण से सम्मानित किया गया था, लेकिन कल्पना चावला को नहीं, जिन्होंने सुनीता विलियम्स से पूरे 9 साल पहले 1997 में पहली बार अमेरिकी अंतरिक्ष यान कोलंबिया में उड़ान भरी थी। कल्पना चावला ने 2003 में एयरक्रैश में अपनी जान भी गंवा दी। इसके अलावा, कल्पना चावला का जन्म भारत के करनाल में हुआ था जबकि सुनीता विलियम्स का जन्म और पालन-पोषण यूएसए में हुआ था। मुझे यह जोड़ना होगा कि PECOBA द्वारा स्थापित कल्पना चावला उत्कृष्टता पुरस्कार पद्म विभूषण पुरस्कार विजेता दिवंगत कैप्टन लक्ष्मी सहगल द्वारा स्वीकार किए गए थे, जो नेताजी सुभाष चंद्र बोस की INA की रानी झांसी रेजिमेंट के कमांडर थे। वह 2010 में कानपुर में रहने वाली 96 साल की थीं। जब मैंने उससे बात की तो वह इसे स्वीकार करने में बहुत खुश हुई और उसने अपनी बेटी अनीसा पुरी को पुरस्कार लेने के लिए भेजा क्योंकि वह बहुत कमजोर थी और दिल्ली जाने की स्थिति में नहीं थी। अन्य पुरस्कार प्राप्त करने वालों में व्यक्तिगत रूप से पद्म भूषण उमा शर्मा (कथक नर्तक), पद्मश्री नफीसा अली सोढ़ी (अभिनेत्री, राष्ट्रीय तैराकी चैंपियन), पद्मश्री सुनीता नारायण (पर्यावरण सूची), अलवर की पद्मश्री भुवनेश्वरी कुमारी (16 बार राष्ट्रीय स्क्वैश चैंपियन), पद्मश्री शामिल हैं। शांति हीरानंद (अनुभवी गायक), पद्मश्री अजीत कौर (पंजाबी साहित्यकार)। जब मैं इस पुरस्कार समारोह की तुलना कर रहा था, मैं हर समय सोचता रहता था कि क्या विडंबना है कि अगर ये सभी पद्म पुरस्कार विजेता कल्पना चावला के नाम पर एक पुरस्कार स्वीकार कर रहे हैं, फिर भी कल्पना चावला को अभी तक कोई पद्म पुरस्कार नहीं दिया गया है, यहां तक ​​कि पद्मश्री भी नहीं। हालांकि वह भारत रत्न की हकदार हैं। कल्पना चावला उत्कृष्टता पुरस्कार कल्पना चावला के पिता श्री बीएल चावला द्वारा 2016 तक पूरे 11 वर्षों के लिए कैबिनेट मंत्रियों की उपस्थिति में प्रदान किए गए हैं और बहुत बड़ी संख्या में पद्म पुरस्कार विजेताओं और प्रसिद्ध हस्तियों (जैसे किरण मजूमदार शाह, सीएमडी, बायोकॉन) ने स्वीकार किया है।

• Sustainable Food Systems

Crop yield, net returns and soil health – organic farming leads on all counts, finds CSE study

In its latest report, Centre for Science and Environment presents irrefutable evidence of the benefits of non-chemical farming, supported by its analysis on crop yield recorded during 2014-19. The yields were found to be the highest with organic farming, followed by integrated agriculture and finally, the inorganic approach. On February 1, while presenting the Union Budget 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that chemical-free farming will be promoted across the country and the foundation for it would begin with fields within a five kilometre (km) wide corridor along the Ganges. A day later, on February 2, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based research and advocacy group, released its report titled Evidence (2004-20) on holistic benefits of organic and natural farming in India, which presents irrefutable evidence of the benefits of non-chemical agriculture. With respect to crop yield, the CSE report highlighted that out of the 504 times that yield results were recorded during 2014-19, the yields were found to be highest 41 per cent with organic approach, followed by 33 per cent with integrated, and 26 per cent with inorganic approach. Similarly, cropping systems with an organic approach have scored the highest in terms of all the parameters on soil health – organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. “In the case of vegetables, oilseeds and cereals, yield with organic approach was highest more times than integrated and inorganic approach. In pulses and spices, it was highest more times with integrated approach than with organic and inorganic approach,” the report observed. Similarly, cropping systems with an organic approach have scored the highest in terms of all the parameters on soil health – organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The report’s findings on soil bulk density, soil bacteria, fungi, micronutrients etc also offered a similar verdict. Also Read: A village in Bihar goes organic, transforming the lives of its women “Despite the push given to it through periodic pronouncements from India’s leaders, the country’s efforts to upscale non-chemical farming practises have largely remained half-hearted at best,” said Sunita Narain, director general of CSE during the virtual event of the launch of the report. “CSE’s new report on the subject presents robust evidence which makes it clear that we can upscale organic and natural farming. It is time to invest adequately in a well-funded nation-wide programme for this,” she said. The CSE report compares results of three approaches – organic farming, integrated (which partly involves chemicals) agriculture, and inorganic (dependent on chemicals) farming. These results documented in the report are based on the evidence collected on various factors like crop yield, cost of cultivation, income, livelihood, soil health and environment, and food quality and nutrients. The report is based on two sets of sources – the results of the All-India Network Project on Organic Farming (AI-NPOF), 2004-19; and the CSE researchers combed through about 90 scientific studies on organic and natural farming published between 2010 and 2020 in India. Key findings of the report The CSE report has brought forward some key points with regard to crop yield, income and livelihood and health of the soil. It presents a comparison between the three approaches of organic, integrated and inorganic farming. “Among three approaches, out of 63 cropping systems, cost of cultivation was highest in 63 per cent cropping systems with organic approach at 15 centres, 8 per cent with integrated approach at three centres, and 29 per cent with inorganic approach at eight centres. With organic approach, the cost of cultivation was lowest in five per cent cropping systems,” notes the new report. The CSE report has brought forward some key points with regard to crop yield, income and livelihood and health of the soil. With organic approach, the mean cost of cultivation was lower than inorganic in 19 per cent cropping systems. The report goes on to say that the cost of cultivation is higher with organic approach than an integrated approach. “This high cost is explained by the fact that organic and bio-inputs used in the AI-NPOF are largely purchased from the market and not produced on-farm, as the project involves experimental farms. Whereas, organic inputs cost less if produced on-farm by farmers,” reads the report. The food quality and nutrition with organic approach were also found to be better than inorganic and slightly better than the integrated approach, the CSE report observed. Also Read: Non-pesticidal management in agriculture is a win-win for farmers and consumers While the report’s release came a day after the announcement made by FM for promotion of chemical-free natural farming, Amit Kumar, programme director, Sustainable Food Systems programme, CSE, and co-author of the CSE report, said that these are relatively small steps compared to the need of the hour. “Hopefully, our new report, which highlights that there is strong long-term evidence that organic and natural farming is not only profitable and sustainable but also productive, will propel the country to invest more adequately to upscale and encourage such a mass movement,” he added. The food quality and nutrition with organic approach were also found to be better than inorganic and slightly better than the integrated approach, the CSE report observed. Also Read: Using indigenous seeds to sustain livelihoods, fight climate change and pay off loans Recommendations of the report CSE researchers have called for development of a roadmap to set the long-term agenda for adoption of agro-ecological approaches across different parts of the country in view of their benefits on multiple and cross- cutting aspects such as nutrition, livelihood of farmers, natural resource conservation, biodiversity, resource efficiency, soil- health, disease resilience and mitigation of climate crisis. In addition to that, the report has also demanded to shift the focus on supporting farmers during the transition to organic and natural farming through technical and financial support. Apart from this, it has called for a targeted, ambitious and well-funded nationwide programme developed to drive the change towards organic and natural farming and promotion of organic fertilisers and biofertilizers instead of chemical fertilisers. Also Read: Madhya Pradesh farmers say organic farming is profitable, and at the same time saves on medical bills The report also recommended that states should step up their action in a concerted way to promote organic and natural farming. “This should be done through a series of measures such as those related to organic seeds, bio-inputs, capacity building of farmers and providing market linkages,” the report stated.