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Cse In News

Smoke-spewing factories, brick kilns choke Jhajjar

Jhajjar: Home to 415 brick kilns, 650 industries, 16 hot mix plants and five stone crushes, Jhajjar is one of Haryana’s 14 districts in the National Capital Region which has recorded a steep slide in air quality, a direct corollary of air fouled by dirty diesel exhaust fumes, construction dust, rising industrial emissions, road dust and crop burning. The average air quality index (AQI) in the district has been recorded in the ‘very poor’ category since November. While the average December AQI (until 25th of the month) was recorded at 320, the overall November AQI was around 347, several notches up from an AQI of 293 recorded in the corresponding period last year. Elderly people, used to the clear, sunny winters, said the morning sky glowed like an ominous shade of orange. “We can barely see down the street these days during the morning walks. Stepping out for a walk or work early in the morning or late at night cause breathing issues. The pandemic has made the situation scarier,” Suresh Singh, a resident of Sector 16, said. With infrastructure projects underway in areas like Beri Road, Badli Road and Sector 9 bypass, residents said there was no respite from suspended dust particles. “The problem is that these suspended particles linger even after the air has cleared. Scant rainfall year after year ensures that it does not settle down. These tiny specks, we fear, can increase the risk of acute respiratory infections, especially in children and older adults,” Karamvir Dahiya, a resident of Beri Road, said. Experts claim the source of air pollution in Jhajjar is not entirely local. “Jhajjar is not a very urbanised district and does not have many active and modern sources of emissions but is surrounded by industries and brick kilns that are major pollution sources. It is also a major rice cultivation region in the state and sees some instances of stubble burning,” Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at Amity Centre for Air Pollution Control, told TOI. Executive director of research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Anumita Roychowdhury, meanwhile, pressed for a holistic mitigation plan. “Pollution sources do not change through the year. What changes in winter is that cold air settles close to the ground and trap pollutants. When Delhi and its surrounding cities choke, it’s not necessarily when stubble burning is at its peak, but when weather conditions are conducive. It is the same here,” she said. Action still not taken The district at present is dependent on its lone ambient air quality station at Bahadurgarh mini secretariat. This, experts said, was insufficient to screen the air quality of a district spread across 1,834 square kilometres. The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), however, has no plan to increase the number of air monitoring stations. “We have installed an online station to monitor the ambient air quality of Bahadurgarh town and have two manual ambient air quality stations. We also have prepared an action plan to mitigate pollution in the district,” Dinesh Kumar, the regional officer of HSPCB, said. Civic agencies, including the municipal council, traffic police, HSIIDC and the pollution board, have begun a crackdown on illegally parked vehicles on the congested roads, he said. The civic agencies will start sprinkling water on dust patches, mechanical sweeping of roads, and initiating work to fill potholes. The pollution board has been tasked to ensure that all building materials are covered and anti-smog guns installed at all construction sites, Kumar said, adding work is on towards phasing out petrol and diesel vehicles that are over 15 and 10 years old, respectively.

Delhi recorded sixth 'severe' air quality day in a row on Sunday

NEW DELHI: The city recorded its sixth “severe” air quality day in a row on Sunday. It is the worst prolonged spell of “severe” days in December since 2015 when Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) started measuring the air quality index (AQI). Due to stubble burning and Diwali, November usually reports several “severe” days, but the number of consecutive “severe” days is usually lower in December. Track the pollution level in your cityCPCB data showed three consecutive “severe” days each in December of 2020 and 2019, four in 2018 and two in 2016. So far, seven “severe” air quality days have been seen in December this year. A higher number of such days (8) were seen in 2018 and 2019. System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) said Delhi was likely to record “severe” days on Monday and Tuesday and significant improvement in air quality was expected from December 29 due to easterly winds at higher speed. The AQI on Sunday was 459. Experts said adverse weather conditions along with local and NCR pollution led to the long spell of “severe” days. Gufran Beig, founding project director, SAFAR, said, “It’s unusual for such a prolonged number of severe days to be recorded in December. Though adverse weather conditions played an important role, there is a possibility of unknown local sources of pollution.” Experts pointed out that the agencies concerned should focus on bringing down the emissions from local sources of pollution. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said, “Clearly, local pollution can also have such pronounced and severe impacts when atmospheric conditions are adverse. This demands deeper action in all key sectors, including industry, power plants, vehicles, waste, household fuels and soil stabilisation, across 24 districts of the NCR to cut the base pollution.” Explaining the meteorological factors, RK Jenamani, senior scientist at IMD, said, “Due to high moisture content, there was no dense fog formation. The dense fog could have acted as a scavenger to reduce pollution. Light to calm winds were recorded this time, which affected the dispersion of pollution. Only feeble western disturbances impacted the region, which could have led to rain and helped in cleaning Delhi’s air.” Dipankar Saha, former head of CPCB’s air laboratory, said there should be a sound prediction system in place to protect people from such high exposure to pollutants and emissions from all sectors must be reduced.

2BHK projects lack access to basic services’

Hyderabad: The on-ground assessment of the state’s 2BHK scheme shows that as most affordable housing projects are in the city periphery, they have poor access to basic services like transport, schools and healthcare, and if the issue is not addressed, it can increase the cost of living for residents and compromise sustained occupancy. In the pilot assessment of the affordable housing schemes carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), it was also pointed out that there is still considerable scope of reducing heat gain in buildings, improving ventilation and day-lit areas to improve thermal comfort and reduce energy intensity of structures. The report, ‘Guidelines for Affordable Housing in Telangana’, was released by special chief secretary Arvind Kumar at a meet organised jointly by CSE and Administrative Staff College.“The report has underscored the importance of integrating thermal comfort requirements when real estate recovery is likely to add millions of dwelling units to formal housing stock in next 3-4 years in India. Else, the new infrastructure can lock in enormous energy and resources guzzling when India has to meet a target of billion tonnes of carbon reduction by 2030,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at CSE.

Guwahati, Agartala most polluted cities in Northeast- CSE

Guwahati has the most polluted air in northeastern India GUWAHATI- Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) warns of growing air pollution in cities of northeast. The CSE in it’s recent report said put the Guwahati and Agartala at top the list of most polluted cities in the northeast region of India. A new analysis by CSE, the New Delhi-based think tank, says that the problem of air pollution is growing steadily in the northeast, putting paid to the impression of pristine blue skies and clean air that people usually have about this region. Guwahati has the most polluted air in northeastern India. Average PM2.5 levels in 2021 (uptill November 30) has already surpassed the 2019 annual average in Guwahati. The city’s 2020 annual average was also higher than its 2019 average which indicates continuous worsening of air in the city. Agartala with a 2020 average of 45 microgramme per cubic metre (ug/m3) is the second most polluted city in the region. Kohima with a 2020 average of 35 ug/m3 is the third most polluted city in the region. Aizwal and Naharlagun donot meet the minimum data availability requirement, but the limited data available indicates that these two would most probably be meeting the annual standard. This year, so far, the number of days with air quality in ‘very poor’ or ‘severe’ categories stands at 54 days in Guwahati city. This is comparable to cities of north India which are more polluted compared to those in the northeastern states. “The current obsession with high pollution concentration in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and in overall northern India overshadows and sidelines the early signs of the crisis in our northeastern states in the national discourse on air pollution and public health. Weak and inadequate air quality monitoring and paucity of data do not allow proper assessment of the risk. But even the limited evidence shows several cities – especially the state capitals — are already vulnerable to poor air quality and winter smog,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE.

Guwahati, Agartala most polluted cities in Northeast

The pollution level in the Northeast states has increased gradually over the last several years. Among other cities, Guwahati and Agartala are the most polluted. A new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the New Delhi-based think tank, says that the problem of air pollution is growing steadily in the Northeast region, putting paid to the impression of pristine blue skies and clean air that people usually have about this region. “The current obsession with high pollution concentration in the Indo-Gangetic plains and in overall northern India overshadows and sidelines the early signs of the crisis in our northeastern states in the national discourse on air pollution and public health. Weak and inadequate air quality monitoring and paucity of data do not allow a proper assessment of the risk. But even the limited evidence shows several cities – especially the state capitals – are already vulnerable to poor air quality and winter smog,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. The study methodology CSE has analysed the urban air quality status in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh. This is part of the air quality tracker initiative of the urban data analytics lab of CSE, which was initiated last winter. The objective of this new analysis is to understand the magnitude and trend in winter pollution in major cities of the region which have recently started real-time air quality monitoring. This is an assessment of annual and seasonal trends in PM2.5 concentration for the period January 1, 2019, to December 7, 2021. This analysis is based on the real-time data available from currently functioning air quality monitoring stations in the northeast. A huge volume of data points have been cleaned and data gaps have been addressed based on the USEPA (the United States Environmental Protection Agency) method. This analysis covers seven continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) spread across six cities in an equal number of states: two stations in Guwahati (Assam) and one station each in Shillong (Meghalaya), Agartala (Tripura), Kohima (Nagaland), Aizwal (Mizoram) and Naharlagun (Arunachal Pradesh). There is no real-time monitoring in Manipur and Sikkim, which is why the analysis is unable to cover these states. Even from the states covered, the data is limited. Guwahati and Shillong have data available for over two years. Real-time monitors in Agartala, Kohima and Aizwal became operational only near the end of 2020, which limits the possibility of doing long-term trend analysis for these cities. Naharlagun got its real-time monitor in March 2021. Due to the excessive amount of missing data from this station, any meaningful analysis is not possible. “Gaps in air quality data and lack of quality control of data make it difficult to construct reliable air quality trends for these cities,” says Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. ALSO READ: Female giraffe dies at Assam State Zoo in Guwahati due to strangulation “The air quality in the region is worsening. But this has not drawn adequate public attention. In winter, air quality of cities like Guwahati can be almost as bad as what we see in the National Capital Region (NCR) and cities of Uttar Pradesh. Pollution is also high in smaller cities like Agartala and Kohima.” Guwahati has the most polluted air Average PM2.5 levels in 2021 (up till November 30) have already surpassed the 2019 annual average in Guwahati. The city’s 2020 annual average was also higher than its 2019 average which indicates a continuous worsening of air in the city. Shillong is the only other city in the region that has a station generating data for over two years, but due to poor data availability, its annual averages cannot be considered credible. Nevertheless, the city’s average is considerably below the annual standard. Among other cities meeting the minimum data availability requirements, Agartala with a 2020 average of 45 micro gramme per cubic metre (ug/m3) is the second most polluted city in the region. Kohima with a 2020 average of 35 ug/m3 is the third most polluted city in the region. Aizwal and Naharlagun do not meet the minimum data availability requirement, but the limited data available indicates that these two would most probably be meeting the annual standard.

Worst December air spell holds Delhi in vice grip

Delhi recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 459 on Sunday, the worst since November 12, when the index had a reading of 471. Air quality in Delhi remained severe on Sunday for the sixth consecutive day, the longest spell of such bad air since 2015, when the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) started maintaining detailed records. Delhi recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 459 on Sunday, the worst since November 12, when the index had a reading of 471. Prolonged exposure to such air affects healthy people, and seriously impacts those with existing health conditions, according to the pollution watchdog. Delhi’s average AQI this December so far is 344, higher than December 2020 (331) and 2019 (337). It was only worse in 2018 (360) and 2016 (364), the data show. As a thick haze hung over the city, local sources of pollution, mostly open burning of biomass amid dipping temperature, and meteorological factors such as calm winds have led to higher concentration of pollutants close to the surface, experts said. It is time to weigh in emergency measures again if there is no improvement by Monday,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, an advocacy group. “This is certainly the longest episodic smog event in December for Delhi.” Emergency restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), such as a ban on construction and demolition, and stopping the entry of trucks into Delhi, were lifted on 20 December by the Commission for Air Quality Management on an improvement in air quality. However, air quality slipped to the severe zone ever since. A meeting on Grap was held on 23 December, but emergency measures were not reimposed. There might be some relief as parts of Delhi received light rain on Sunday evening. There could be light rain on Monday and Tuesday as well, the India Meteorological Department has predicted. Delhi’s average PM 2.5 levels were in the emergency or severe plus range – 334 micrograms per cubic metre – for 18 hours, CPCB’s control room data showed at 5pm on Sunday. The safe limit is 60 micrograms per cubic metre. The concentration of PM2.5 has to stay above a threshold of 300 micrograms per cubic metre for 48 hours for restrictions such as ban on construction and entry of trucks to kick in, according to Grap guidelines. Unlike the bad air in November, burning of farm residue was not in play, and the pollution was from local sources, Roy Chowdhury said. “This shows background emissions are still high and, if meteorological conditions become adverse, we see severe air quality, particularly when wind speeds drop. This calls for stricter enforcement,” she said. The western disturbance on 22 December led to a negative pressure zone around the region, with pollutants unable to disperse, said Dipankar Saha, former head of CPCB’s air laboratory. “Air is not flowing from Delhi towards the Indo-Gangetic Plain after this western disturbance created a negative pressure,” Saha said. “Wind speeds have dropped and local pollution is accumulating in Delhi.” It was unusual to see such a long polluted spell in December, and local factors required greater scrutiny, said Gufran Beig, project director of the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research, a government forecasting body. “The moisture content at the moment is also not too high, and we are not recording dense fog, so such a spike in pollution is surprising,” Beig said. “Relief from rain is not expected immediately and, as per our forecast, air quality could remain in severe for the next 48 hours.” The AQI could return to the very poor category by Monday if Delhi receives enough rain, a forecast by the Early Warning System for Delhi showed.

Year In Review: Diluting Environmental Norms May Derail India's Ambitious Climate Goals

In 2021, the government pushed renewables to meet its updated climate targets, but also came up with plans to clear forests and reduced scrutiny of polluting units that could cause further environmental damage In 2021, India committed to achieving net zero by 2070, but the dichotomy between the ambitious target and the steps taken on the ground is hard to miss. The government has not only diluted environmental laws that regulate erring units but also devised plans to divert forest land to non-forest users. During this period, India announced other policy measures such as the National Hydrogen Mission for clean energy and the global solar Green Grids initiative to transition away from coal. However, amid the renewed stress on ramping up climate action, the Indian government also amended the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 to allow non-forest use of the land for "strategic" projects, stripped away the ecological protection of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and pushed palm oil cultivation in north east India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This happened in the backdrop of two major climate events: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6)--the first after 2013--which presented a grim forecast on how global warming has impacted and will impact us in the near future; and countries across the world met for the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) in November, where they adopted the Glasgow Climate Pact to control global temperature rise. As the year comes to a close, we take a look at India's major energy, climate and environment policies and actions this year. Renewed push to renewable energy Renewable energy has been one of the fastest-growing sectors in India in recent years as successive governments have prioritised it, we reported in August 2021. Primary among the reasons is the quest for energy security because most of the conventional energy sources in India are either imported or of poor quality. India had set a target of 175 gigawatt (GW) of renewable capacity by year 2022 and 450 GW by 2030, under the Paris Agreement in 2015. By October 2021, India had already surpassed 100 GW capacity, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). By October 2021, 39% of India's installed power capacity came from non-fossil sources as against a target of 40% by 2022. In India, solar tariffs have also fallen dramatically; this is because the government has been awarding large projects through reverse auctions (where buyers request for goods and services and sellers bid for the prices at which they are willing to sell), which has resulted in global investors setting up very large projects at very low tariffs. Many industrial and commercial establishments in India also find RE power, especially solar, cheaper than the cost of sourcing power from a distribution company (DISCOM), as we reported in August 2021. While India is aggressively pushing large-scale clean energy projects--mainly wind and solar--these are leading to conflicts as rights of communities are not recognised over common lands used for renewable projects. Experts suggest that conflicts could grow as India pushes more clean energy projects such as large solar parks. Such conflicts could be reduced if India pushes for rooftop solar energy. But the high cost of rooftop solar systems and the patchy implementation of its subsidy schemes are holding the sector back, we reported in July 2021. Further, at the COP26, India raised the renewable energy targets to 500 GW by 2030 from the earlier target for 450 GW. India, along with the United Kingdom, launched an ambitious renewables venture called Green Grids Initiative--One Sun One World One Grid, a global solar grid linking 140 countries. While energy experts agree with the initiative's premise and appreciate its scale, they question its feasibility, because of geopolitics and the cost of undersea cables, we reported in October 2021. In August 2021, the prime minister also announced the National Hydrogen Mission to support India's energy transition goals. Green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The use of green hydrogen will help India decarbonise sectors such as shipping and transportation where it can be used as a fuel, as well as in manufacturing industries such as steel and chemicals where it can be used as a raw material. It could also replace fossil fuels in power generation and be used to store renewable energy but only if it is commercially viable and as economically competitive as traditionally used fossil-based grey hydrogen, we reported in September 2021. Transition from coal About 70% of India's energy demand is met by two fossil fuels--coal (44%) and oil (25%). However, at the COP26, India committed to achieving a net zero target by 2070, which means India will have to significantly reduce its coal and oil reliance over the next decades. But, at the same time, India also issued a series of notifications that give polluting units "a license to pollute", according to a briefing note by the Centre for Science and Environment. In April 2021, through a notification, the environment ministry extended the timelines to comply with emission norms for a majority of coal-based power plants in India from 2022 to 2025. This means that 72% of coal-based power plants will continue to pollute for another two-three years. Further, in June 2021, the Central Electricity Authority called for extending the deadline for plants to 2035 to adopt emission norms set in 2015. "Given the 2070 net zero target, India will have to phase out coal by 2035; so, if they plan to give concessions to thermal plants until 2035, when will they phase out," said Shripad Dharmadhikary, analyst at the research organisation Manthan Adhyayan Kendra. In April 2021, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) issued a notification on 100% utilisation of ash generated by coal and lignite-based thermal power plants in an eco-friendly manner and introduced a fine for non-compliance. Over the last two decades, the environment ministry has been issuing similar notifications on the disposal and utilisation of fly ash, but over 50% of industries remain non-compliant, mostly dumping the ash in the open, in water bodies and in unlined and uncovered pits, we reported in August 2021. Environment laws diluted In October, the environment ministry proposed an amendment to the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, permitting non-forest activities--cultivation, construction, mining--in private forest land and state or Union government-notified forest land, where the owner can be any private or public sector entity. The proposed amendment deviates from the mandate to preserve forest by making exemptions to several developmental projects, environmentalists say. Forests are one of the critical elements in the fight against climate change. Apart from sustaining terrestrial biodiversity and livelihoods, forests significantly absorb the carbon dioxide released into the air. The Forest Act is the apex law in India to prevent deforestation, by prohibiting tree felling and other non-forestry activities on forest land without the permission of the Union or state governments. In March 2021, the central government issued an amendment diluting the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) framework of 2006, by exempting all projects from public hearing whose environmental clearance had expired and therefore had to apply afresh. According to the notification, the prior environmental clearance for a project was granted for a maximum period of 10 years, and in some cases five years. The projects which failed to complete within the granted time period had to undergo all the processes afresh, including conducting public hearing. However, as per the new amendment, the earlier compulsion of conducting public hearing was done away with if minimum 50% of the project had been implemented. The 2006 notification has undergone a total of 15 alterations until February 2020. In July 2021, the environment ministry further issued new standard operating procedures (SOPs) for dealing with cases of industrial projects that are operating without prior environmental clearance under the Environment Impact Notification (EIA), 2006. But these provisions will not act as a deterrent against violations of environment norms, defeating the purpose of prior environmental clearances mandated by the EIA 2006, an IndiaSpend investigation found in August. On November 1, MoEF&CC issued a gazette notification seeking an amendment to India's Coastal Regulation (CRZ) Notification, 2019, to exempt oil and natural gas exploration and development activities from obtaining mandatory prior Andaman forests denotified, push to palm oil The government is planning to set up big commercial, tourism and shipping projects in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that would strip the protection that the ecologically and ethnically significant archipelago enjoys, we reported in April 2021. Earlier, in January, the MoEFCC amended the Island Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2019, to move Great Nicobar from Group I of islands with a 200-metre buffer from the high-tide line to Group II with 100 metres' buffer. Andaman and Nicobar Islands comprise 836 islands with a total geographical area of about 8,249 square kilometres, 0.25% of the total geographical area of India. Of the 8,249 sq km, over 80% of the land (6,751 sq km) is recorded as forest land, which includes nine national parks, 96 wildlife sanctuaries and one biosphere reserve. Andaman and Nicobar Islands have seen a marginal rise in forest cover of 0.28% between 2011 and 2019, but have lost their moderately dense forests by 71%, or 1,732 sq km, a November 2021 Factchecker study found. In August 2021, the Union cabinet approved an outlay of Rs 11,040 crore for a proposal to expand palm oil production in India, towards its ultimate goal to have 1 million hectare of land under palm cultivation and becoming atmanirbhar, or 'self-sufficient', in oil. The scheme has identified India's northeast region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as focus areas, which has raised concerns among environmentalists. Palm oil bears a significant threat to the water table of specific areas it is cultivated in, as seen in the major palm oil cultivating countries in southeast Asia. When it comes to air pollution, Northern India, again, saw a deterioration in air quality with the onset of winter. Our report shows that the number of air quality monitors in India per million people is much less compared to compatible countries.

61% of power pants to miss meeting their 2022 deadline on emission standards

NEW DELHI: Sixty-one percent of the coal-based power plants located near million-plus population cities, which have to meet their emission standards by December 2022, will miss their deadlines, shows an analysis of three different categories of power plants whose new targets to meet the green norms were set by the environment ministry early this year. The power plants which have to meet the December next year target are those which are located within 10 km radius of the National Capital Region (NCR) or cities having million-plus population. There are 79 coal-based power plants in this category (Category A) as per a categorisation list of a task force, constituted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The task force, disaggregating 596 coal thermal power plants from across the country, had on December 13 released the list, putting 68 power plants in Category B (compliance deadline of December, 2023) and 449 in Category C (compliance deadline of December, 2024). The power plants which are located within 10 km radius of critically polluted areas or non-attainment cities fall under category B while the rest others (75% of total) fall in category C. he analysis, done by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), shows that 48 of 79 power plants (61%) in Category A will miss their emission standards deadlines -- it means the non-compliant power plants will continue to emit pollutants more than their acceptable limits, polluting air in the million-plus population cities. The list provided by the ministry on categories A,B and C is a much delayed exercise. They have taken so much time to prepare the list. It did not deliberate how plants in Category A will meet the deadline of 2022. Of course, they can pay a penalty and continue operating, but it's environmentally dangerous. The whole exercise of the ministry and the CPCB is farce and the majority of plants in each category will miss the extended deadline," said Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director, CSE. The CSE's analysis shows that 35% of the total coal power capacity belonging to all three categories is going to miss their respective deadlines. It noted that a majority of the coal thermal power capacity that is likely to meet the emission norms belongs to the central sector, followed by the private sector. The environment ministry had in 2015 set new emission norms and fixed a deadline to meet it. The deadlines were, however, extended twice in the past six years. Thermal power plants (TPPs) located in different regions will, however, have different deadlines with maximum three years being given to those in comparatively lesser polluting areas. The TPPs will have to install pollution control equipment such as flue gas desulphurization (FGD) units within the extended deadline to meet the new emission norms of sulphur dioxides.

Delhi’s air pollution levels in ‘severe’ zone for 3rd consecutive day

Weather and environment experts have said that a mix of factors may have led to the worsening of air quality, including lower-than-expected wind speed and a poor assessment of the impact of lifting restrictions ir pollution-related restrictions on construction and demolition activities in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the ban on entry of diesel and petrol trucks into Delhi were lifted by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Monday, citing an improvement in air quality and a good wind speed forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). However, the next day, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) plunged into the “severe” category for the first time since December 2, and since then, it has remained “severe” with Delhi on Thursday logging the third consecutive day when the AQI was over 400. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI on Thursday was recorded at 423, up from Wednesday’s 407, and the highest since December 2 when the city logged an AQI of 429. IMD said on Thursday that the situation may not improve till Sunday, when light rain is likely to help improve air quality. Weather and environment experts have said that a mix of factors may have led to the worsening of air quality, including lower-than-expected wind speed and a poor assessment of the impact of lifting restrictions. Tanushree Ganguly, Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) said a minor improvement in air quality was seen between December 17 and 19, but the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations began to increase from December 20, the day the restrictions were lifted. “The average PM2.5 levels have been in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category since December 20. CEEW’s analysis of meteorological parameters suggests that the ventilation index has been on the lower side since December 20, preventing the dispersion of pollutants,” said Ganguly. “Proactive directions by the CAQM on using air quality and meteorology forecasts are indeed steps in the right direction, but there is a need to calibrate actions on the ground as per the source contributions forecasted by the models. Dust and waste burning continue to dominate locally. Therefore, resuming activities at large construction sites might not be ideal unless authorities ensure stringent implementation of dust suppression measures,” she added. Despite three consecutive “severe” days, no restrictions were reimposed by CAQM on Thursday, however an official, on condition of anonymity, said that situation was being “closely monitored”. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said forecasts should serve as the basis of removing or imposing restrictions, and it was now important to factor in the impact of each section in air pollution. “Severe air pollution happens when pollutants get trapped locally because of a combination of factors, which includes the lifting of restrictions and meteorological conditions. We need our forecasts to be even more reliable and guide action in the future,” she said. Gufran Beig, project director and founder at the System for Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar), a central forecasting body, said the “mixing height” has been a key factor in the last three days, dropping down to 500 to 700 metres. Mixing height is an invisible boundary layer, which if low, can trap pollutants close to the surface. A mixing height of 1-1.5 kms is considered enough to allow dispersal of pollutants.

Editorial: Uneven burden

Focus on clean air measures cannot be limited to big cities Breathing has become injurious to health. Two recent studies have identified the double burden of air pollution in India in different ways. A study published in Nature by researchers at the CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute found that cities along the Indo-Gangetic plain with a population of more than one million that do not meet the national ambient air quality standards consistently register the highest premature mortality because of diseases caused by air pollution. Furthermore, the study computed the economic burden of premature mortality in 31 non-attainment cities — metropolitan centres that have failed to meet air quality standards — and concluded that it was responsible for an estimated loss of $90 billion in 2017, accounting for about 3.4 per cent of India’s gross domestic product. Delhi tops the list followed by Mumbai, Hyderabad and Calcutta. Significantly, a disproportionate emphasis on the ill-effects of air pollution in bigger cities reveals only a part of the worrying tale. A new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment, which coincides with the publication of the other study, found that while all of northern India experiences smog in winter, the otherwise cleaner, small towns witness episodes matching — or exceeding — the pollution levels reported in the Delhi-National Capital Region. It concluded that while Delhi’s average PM2.5 concentration during winter was nearly 4.5 times the national safety standard, towns such as Agra, Vrindavan and Firozabad fared much worse. The average urban concentration of particulate matter in Uttar Pradesh was eight per cent higher than that in NCR. Policy and public discourse have a tendency to perceive air pollution as a contagion that adversely affects big cities only. Policy action and public attention, therefore, ignore India’s smaller towns as well as its villages that suffer as much, if not more. Steps to alleviate poor air quality are, consequently, predominantly designed with urban agglomerations in mind. While the National Clean Air Programme focuses on initiatives in both cities and rural areas, the focus remains mostly on non-attainment cities. The scale of the crisis in India’s urban hinterlands is significant. Adding to the challenge is a decrepit healthcare infrastructure as well as an uneven template of development. Mitigatory intervention must encompass Tier-II cities and rural hamlets. Air pollution is a transboundary problem and policymakers must incorporate a regional outlook that would complement urban models for cleaning the air.

Delhi's air quality slips into 'severe' zone, likely to worsen further

NEW DELHI: After oscillating between "poor" and "very poor" for over two weeks, Delhi's air quality slipped into the "severe" category on Tuesday. The pollution monitoring agencies predict further drop in the next few days. According to Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality index (AQI), on a scale of 0 to 500, was 402 as against 332 a day earlier and 271 a day before that. Calm wind conditions and slight rise in humidity, among other meteorological reasons, led to accumulation of pollutants within Delhi, said Met officials. AQI slipped a day after Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) announced relaxations, allowing resumption of construction work and entry of the trucks in Delhi. Last time the national capital recorded a "severe" AQI was on December 2. "It's difficult to establish now if the accumulation of the pollutants have happened due to lifting the CAQM bans as the weather conditions have changed. We will have to observe the trend," said Anumita Roy Chawdhury, executive director at Centre for Science and Environment. According to SAFAR, the air quality is likely to worsen due to low wind speeds. The wind speed was almost nil by the evening and may remain low for the next few days, said Mahesh Palawat of Skymet.

NCR resolved 50% pollution-related complaints: CPCB

Among the NCR states, Delhi is faring best, having resolved nearly 63% (761) of the 1,214 complaints filed during this period. Nearly half of the pollution-related complaints made to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) or logged by its monitoring teams across the National Capital Region (NCR) between October 15 and December 19 are yet to be resolved, with data from the pollution watchdog showing that only 1,100 of the 2,207 complaints have been addressed so far. However, among the NCR states, Delhi is faring best, having resolved nearly 63% (761) of the 1,214 complaints filed during this period. In comparison, UP (134 of 370 complaints) and Haryana (184 of 509 complaints) have resolved 36% complaints, and Rajasthan (nine of 53 complaints) resolved only 17% complaints. A senior CPCB official, on the condition of anonymity, said most complaints were related to dust violations, construction and demolition waste and instances of open waste burning. “Data is collected each day from each agency and is being updated in real time. Agencies have been asked to ensure no complaints remain pending and are being asked to prioritise those complaints in particular which can be dealt with quickly,” the official said. CPCB data showed that in Delhi, most complaints (403) were recorded in areas under the jurisdiction of North Delhi Municipal Corporation but the civic body has addressed only 189 complaints (47%). South MCD received 359 complaints and resolved 232 (65%), whereas East MCD got 87 complaints, of which they have resolved 79 (91%). In comparison, other agencies with a high pendency rate include the Delhi government’s flood control department, which has only resolved four of its 17 complaints (24%), and the Delhi Police, which has addressed only 10 of its 24 complaints (42%). The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the Delhi Cantonment Board and the Delhi transport department have meanwhile resolved all the complaints received so far. Among agencies in NCR which failed to solve a single complaint are the Central Public Works Department (56 complaints), Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (40 complaints), Haryana Urban Development Authority (21 complaints) and the UP state pollution control board (56 complaints). Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said it is important to act swiftly on all such complaints during the winter to somewhat halt the spike in air pollution. “In winters, you cannot carry out infrastructure-based intervention and therefore strict enforcement is essential. The CPCB may also need to carry out a system audit and assign accountability to agencies failing to solve complaints,” she said.

2021 was 'historic' for Jal Shakti ministry, several long-standing issues resolved, says Shekhawat

One of the main achievements was the passage of a bill that seeks to set up an institutional mechanism for the safety of specified dam 2021 was "historic" for the Jal Shakti ministry as several landmark decisions were taken and many long-pending issues were resolved, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, noting that the focus next year would be to expedite the Jal Jeevan Mission to provide tap water connections to more rural households. Talking to <em>PTI</em> about how the year was for the Jal Shakti ministry, he said all responsibilities given to it were fulfilled.</p><p>"The year has truly been historic for the ministry. The long-standing issue of interlinkage of rivers was resolved. An agreement was also reached between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in this regard," he said.<div class="ad-320-1023 inart2_processed" id="in-article3-1" style="display: none;" data-google-query-id="CKPOnq6Y9_QCFcsecgodhqoNuA"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/1013527/dh_mobile_ap_display_1x1_s1_p2_0__container__" style="border: 0pt none; margin: auto; text-align: center;"></div></div></p><div id="outstream_ad" style="background-color: transparent; display: none;" data-google-query-id="COqA48CX9_QCFQmBSwUdv24GhQ" align="center"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/1013527/DH_Mobile_AP_Outstream_1x1_S1_0__container__" style="border: 0pt none;"></div></div><p>The governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh earlier this year signed an agreement&nbsp;to tackle a long-stalled multi-crore project to link the Ken and Betwa rivers and irrigate the water-deficient Bundelkhand region (spread across both states), as well as provide electricity.</p> <p>Shekhawat said 2021 was also significant for the Jal Shakti ministry as a law relating to dam safety was enacted.&nbsp;"The Machchhu dam collapsed in 1979 and in 1982, a report was given on the matter. Now after all these years, a dam safety bill was passed that is very significant," he said.</p><p>In the Winter Session, Parliament passed a bill that seeks to set up an institutional mechanism for the safety of specified dams in the country. The bill provides for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of the specified dams for the prevention of dam failure-related disasters. It provides for an institutional mechanism to ensure safe functioning of the dams.</p><p>In December, the government also extended the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), launched in 2015, under which 90 per cent grant has been given to three National Projects including Renukaji (Himachal Pradesh) and Lakhwar (Uttarakhand).</p><p>The minister said the construction of Renukaji and Lakhwar dams would be critical for the national capital's water supply needs and would also lead to a "rebirth" of the river.</p><p>"Like in Ganga, it has been notified that all the dam holding stakeholders have to discharge a particular quantum of water in non-monsoon months. Similarly, we will make it mandatory that some amount of water has to flow into Yamuna too and when water will flow, and if effluent treatment plants are working, then fresh water and treated water both will improve Yamuna's water quality," he said.</p><p>Speaking about the vision for 2022, Shekhawat said the biggest target for the Jal Shakti ministry is to complete the ongoing projects in a time-bound manner. "Drinking water supply has to reach every household, that is our foremost aim," he said.</p> <p>According to government data, 86,778,991 households have been provided with tap water connections till now, while 833,704 connections have been provided to schools and 876,664 to anganwadis.</p><p>While 100 per cent households have been provided with tap water connections in Goa, Telangana, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Haryana, there are still five states, namely&nbsp;Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Rajasthan, where less than 25 per cent households have tap water connections.</p><p>This year, the ministry also started water quality surveillance using field test kits, under which five women from every village are trained in water quality surveillance using these kits to lead these activities in their village.</p><p>The year also marked the completion of several major projects on the Ganga main stem and tributaries such as the Yamuna.</p><p>Elaborating on the progress made under the National Mission for Clean Ganga in 2021, NMCG Director-General Rajiv Ranjan Mishra said 2021 witnessed a watershed moment for public participation with a tremendous response received in the government's various endeavours such as Ganga Quest, Ganga Utsav and Ganga Mashal Abhiyan.</p> "The success of Namami Gange is derived from its collaborative partnership. This year, we launched a capacity-building initiative with the Centre for Science and Environment for Making Ganga Basin Cities Water Sensitive. With TERI, we are launching the first of its kind Centre of Excellence on Water Reuse. Last but not the least, we launched the historic River Cities Alliance with NIUA which is a unique platform for river cities to embark upon the path of river centric planning and programs. We also launched the Urban River Management Plan for Kanpur," Mishra told <em>PTI</em>.</p><p>As far as challenges that lie ahead in 2022, Mishra said there is a need to ensure the sustainability of the initiatives undertaken in the mission, expand activities along tributaries, further strengthen the people river connect and work extensively for improving ecology and flow.</p><p>"It is a continuous process, and the task is not only to clean but also to keep it clean and rejuvenated. Another key challenge would be to record and manage the knowledge that has been created under the mission. All these would only be possible with collaborative partnerships, which has been the mainstay of Namami Gange mission," he added.</p>

दिल्ली : नए साल में सड़कों पर नहीं उतर सकेंगे 10 साल पुराने 2.64 लाख डीजल वाहन Read more: https://www.amarujala.com/delhi/10-year-old-2-64-lakh-diesel-vehicles-will-not-be-able-to-hit-the-roads-in-the-new-year

स्क्रैप होने से वाहनों को बचाने का विकल्प। इलेक्ट्रिक वाहनों में बदलने से कबाड़ बनने वाले वाहनों को मिलेगी नई जिंदगी। दिल्ली में डीजल वाहनों के डी रजिस्टर करने से 10 साल से अधिक पुराने 2.64 लाख से अधिक डीजल वाहन सड़कों पर नहीं उतर सकेंगे। सड़कों पर न उतरने से वाहनों के जाम से राहत के साथ साथ वायु प्रदूषण में भी काफी कमी आएगी। विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि इससे दिल्ली की हवा की गुणवत्ता में सुधार के साथ साथ वाहनों के जाम की समस्या भी कम होगी। मियाद पूरी कर चुके डीजल वाहनों पर एक जनवरी, 2022 से कार्रवाई के साथ ही दिल्ली सरकार के परिवहन विभाग ने वाहन मालिकों को राहत देने के लिए कई विकल्प भी दिए हैं। इसके तहत पुराने वाहनों का दूसरे राज्यों में पंजीकरण के लिए अनापत्ति प्रमाण पत्र(एनओसी) सहित इलेक्ट्रिक वाहनों में पुराने वाहनों को परिवर्तित करने के विकल्प से भी वाहन मालिकों को बड़ी राहत मिलने की उम्मीद है। दिल्ली सरकार ने एनजीटी की ओर से जारी आदेश के बाद एक जनवरी से इसे सख्ती से लागू करने का निर्णय लिया है। इसके तहत वाहनों का पंजीकरण रद्द करने के बाद सड़कों पर वाहन नहीं उतारे जा सकेंगे। बावजूद इसके अगर नियमों की अनदेखी की जाती है तो इन वाहनों को जब्त कर स्क्रैप कर दिया जाएगा। बीएस-3 वाहनों से होता है 10 गुना अधिक प्रदूषण सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवॉयरमेंट(सीएसई)की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी के मुताबिक सरकार के इस कदम में दिल्ली में वाहनों से होने वाले प्रदूषण में काफी हद तक कमी आने की उम्मीद है। उन्होंने बताया कि बीएस-3 डीजल वाहनों से मौजूदा बीएस-6 वाहनों की तुलना में 10 गुना ्रेभी अधिक प्रदूषण होता है। इससे नाइट्रोजन ऑक्साईड सहित कई जहरीली गैस महीन धूलकणों का उत्सर्जन होता है। वाहनों के सड़कों से हटने से प्रदूषण स्तर में काफी सुधार होने की उम्मीद है। रेट्रो फिटमेंट के बाद दोबारा सड़कों पर उतर सकेंगे पुराने वाहन भी वाहनों के लिए इलेक्ट्रिक रेट्रो फिटमेंट का विकल्प दिया गया है। इसके तहत पुराने डीजल वाहनों में भी परिवर्तित करने के बाद वाहनों से होने वाला उत्सर्जन शून्य हो जाएगा। इसके लिए दिल्ली सरकार और एजेंसियों से बातचीत चल रही है ताकि ताकि 10 साल पुराने डीजल और 15 साल पुराने पेट्रोल वाहनों में इलेक्ट्रिक किट की रेट्रो फिटमेंट के बाद इन वाहनों को दोबारा सड़कों पर उतारा जा सके। इससे वाहन मालिकों की बचत होगी और वाहनों को स्क्रैप करने की बजाय दोबारा इस्तेमाल किया जा सकेगा। कैंसर होने का भी डीजल वाहनों से हैं खतरा डॉ. अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी ने कहा कि डीजल वाहनों से निकलने वाले धूलकण और धुआं, बेहद हानिकारक हैं। विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन(डब्ल्यूएचओ)ने भी माना है कि डीजल वाहनों से होने वाला प्रदूषण सेहत के लिहाज से खतरनाक है। इससे कैंसर पीड़ित होने की आशंका कई गुना बढ़ जाती है। यह तंबाकू उत्पादों से भी अधिक नुकसानदेह है और इससे फेफड़े का कैंसर होने का खतरा रहता है। कार के रेट्रो फिटमेंट पर चार लाख तक की हो सकती है लागत दिल्ली सरकार की ओर से इलेक्ट्रिक वाहनों को प्रोत्साहित किया जा रहा है। इसके लिए नई ईवी पॉलिसी के तहत वित्तीय प्रोत्साहन दिया जा रहा है ताकि वायु गुणवत्ता में सुधार हो सके। वाहनों के इलेक्ट्रिक रेट्रो फिटमेंट से पुराने डीजल और पेट्रोल वाहनों को दोबारा इस्तेमाल के बाद भी प्रदूषण में बढ़ोतरी नहीं होगी। पुराने वाहन मालिकों की चिंता है कि अगर उनके वाहन डी रजिस्टर होने के बाद स्क्रैप कर दिए जाएंगे तो इसके बदले महज 35 से 40े हजार रुपये मिलेंगे। अगर वाहनों की रेट्रो फिटमेंट करवाते हैं तो एक कार पर चार लाख तक से अधिक का खर्च होने का अनुमान है। इसमें बैटरी का खर्च सर्वाधिक होगा। सीएसई की मौसमी मोहंती के मुताबिक दोपहिया वाहन या ऑटो की रेट्रो फिटमेंट से कोई खास फायदा नहीं होगा, क्योंकि इसपर अपेक्षाकृत लागत अधिक है। टैक्सी मालिकों में रोष डीजल वाहनों के डी रजिस्ट्शन पर यूनियन के संजय सम्राट ने विरोध जताते हुए कहा कि कारोना काल में पहले ही वित्तीय तंगी से टैक्सी चालक जूझ रहे हैं। डीजल वाहनों को डी रजिस्टर करने से उनपर लाखों का अतिरिक्त बोझ बढ़ेगा जबकि कई टैक्सी संचालकों के लिए इस कारोबार में बने रहना भी मुश्किल हो रहा है। उन्होंने आरोप लगाया कि अब तक सीएनजी वाहनों को पर्यावरण के लिए अनुकूल माना जा रहा था। अचानक इलेक्ट्रिक वाहनों की तरफ रुख करने के पीछे कोई और मंशा नजर आ रही है। अचानक लागू होने वाले इस फैसले से टैक्सी परिचालकों में रोष है और इसपर विरोध जताएंगे। अंतरराज्यीय बसों पर भी शिकंजा कसना जरूरी दूसरे राज्यों से दिल्ली में रोजाना करीब तीन हजार बसें दिल्ली में आवागमन करती हैं। इनमें से अधिकतर डीजल बसें हैं, जिनमें रोजाना यात्रियों का आवागमन होता है। दिल्ली में पहले ही सड़कों पर डीटीसी और क्लस्टर की सीएनजी बसें हैं। मगर, दूसरे राज्यों से रोजाना दिल्ली में दाखिल होने वाले वाहनों से होने वाले प्रदूषण पर फिलहाल शिकंजा नहीं कसा गया है। हालांकि कश्मीरी गेट, सराय कालें खां और आनंद विहार, आईएसबीटी पर अब दूसरे राज्यों से भी कुछ सीएनजी बसें पहुंच रही हैं। इन वाहनों के प्रदूषण की जांच और सख्ती नहीं की गई तो सरकार की तमाम कोशिशों के बावजूद दिल्ली की वायु गुणवत्ता में सुधार की राह में मुश्किलें बनी रहेंगी। परिवहन विभाग के एक अधिकारी ने बताया कि दूसरे राज्यों से आने वाले वाहनों की निगरानी की जा रही है। प्रदूषण मानकों की अनदेखी करने वालों पर कार्रवाई भी शुरू कर दी गई है। इसके बाद कुछ सीएनजी बसें भी अब आईएसबीटी पर दिखने लगी हैं।

CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2022 to Convene Energy CEOs, Government Officials, and Business and Technology Leaders in Houston, March 7-11

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 40th annual gathering of CERAWeek by IHS Markit—the world’s preeminent energy conference—will convene the world’s energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers, as well as leaders from the technology, financial and industrial communities in-person, March 7-11 in Houston. 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. Chaired by Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of IHS Markit and author of The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations, the conference is returning to Houston after being hosted as an all-virtual event in 2021. “We are pleased to be returning to Houston in 2022 for the 40th annual CERAWeek by IHS Markit,” said Yergin. “Houston is the energy capital of the world and we are honored to have it as the home of CERAWeek these past several decades. At a time of profound change in the energy world, there is no more-fitting place for the critical dialogues that will take place at this year’s conference. “The inherent challenges of the energy transition—and the rapid transformation to the basis of the world’s $86 trillion economy that it entails—are as profound as they are vast,” Yergin added. “Recent energy crises and market volatility illustrate the importance of balance between reducing emissions and ensuring stable and reliable energy flows that the growing global economy needs. It is a challenge made more complex at a time of strained supply chains and heightened geopolitical tensions. Meeting the demands of the energy future will require new strategies, intelligent investment and plenty of innovation. These are among the important issues that the world’s energy leaders will address in Houston at CERAWeek 2022.” 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, Less 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): 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 Vicki Hollub – CEO, Occidental 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 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 Hon. Richard Glick – chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2022 to Convene Energy CEOs, Government Officials, and Business and Technology Leaders in Houston, March 7-11

HOUSTON, December 22, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 40th annual gathering of CERAWeek by IHS Markit—the world’s preeminent energy conference—will convene the world’s energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers, as well as leaders from the technology, financial and industrial communities in-person, March 7-11 in Houston. 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. Chaired by Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of IHS Markit and author of The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations, the conference is returning to Houston after being hosted as an all-virtual event in 2021. "We are pleased to be returning to Houston in 2022 for the 40th annual CERAWeek by IHS Markit," said Yergin. "Houston is the energy capital of the world and we are honored to have it as the home of CERAWeek these past several decades. At a time of profound change in the energy world, there is no more-fitting place for the critical dialogues that will take place at this year’s conference. "The inherent challenges of the energy transition—and the rapid transformation to the basis of the world’s $86 trillion economy that it entails—are as profound as they are vast," Yergin added. "Recent energy crises and market volatility illustrate the importance of balance between reducing emissions and ensuring stable and reliable energy flows that the growing global economy needs. It is a challenge made more complex at a time of strained supply chains and heightened geopolitical tensions. Meeting the demands of the energy future will require new strategies, intelligent investment and plenty of innovation. These are among the important issues that the world’s energy leaders will address in Houston at CERAWeek 2022." 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, Less 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): 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 Vicki Hollub – CEO, Occidental 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 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 Hon. Richard Glick – chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) 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. Media Accreditation Media registration is now open. Members of the media interested in covering CERAWeek 2022 are required to apply for accreditation. Applications are subject to approval and can be submitted at the following link: https://ceraweek.com/about/press.html About IHS Markit (www.ihsmarkit.com) IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO) is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 business and government customers, including 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world’s leading financial institutions. Headquartered in London, IHS Markit is committed to sustainable, profitable growth.