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Gurgaon’s pollution level ‘severe’ for the second day in a row

Gurgaon: A thick blanket of smog continued to engulf the city as the 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) across several monitoring stations was recorded at the ‘severe’ category for the second consecutive day on Saturday. The air quality, however, improved slightly due to higher wind speed and is expected to further flush out pollutants from Sunday onwards, weather experts said. According to Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB), the city’s air quality index (AQI) stood at 456 on Saturday. Due to rampant bursting of crackers on Diwali on Thursday despite restrictions, coupled with a rise in incidents of stubble burning, the city’s AQI had slipped to the ‘severe’ category to reach 472 on Friday. An AQI between 401 and 500 is considered ‘severe’. On Saturday, Vikas Sadan, Sector 51 and Teri Gram air monitoring stations recorded AQIs at 492, 499 and 419, respectively. Statistics for the Gwal Pahari centre was not available because of insufficient data. Congratulations! You have successfully cast your vote The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), however, predicted that the pollutants would clear out of the city’s air as wind speed had picked up since Saturday evening. On Saturday, the average speed was recorded at six kilometres per hour (km/hr), up from the three km/hr a day ago. Besides calm winds, unfavourable weather conditions like low temperature and low mixing height had also degraded the city’s air quality over the last few days, experts said. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), Gurgaon’s minimum temperature was recorded at 16 degrees Celsius and maximum at 26.2 degrees on Saturday. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at CSE, meanwhile, told TOI that stubble burning had also added to Gurgaon’s air pollution. “We do not have any mechanism in place to check the contribution of stubble burning share in Gurgaon’s air quality at the moment, but of course it is affecting the district’s AQI as we have data that it is clearly impacting Delhi’s air,” Roychowdhury said. The civic authorities, meanwhile, said they have upped pollution mitigation measures by sprinkling water on roads and continuing night patrolling. “We have urged corporates and RWAs to start sprinkling water across Gurgaon,” Kuldeep Singh, HSPCB regional officer, said. Delhi’s air quality may see an improvement, too, with IMD forecasting strong surface winds at 20-30 kmph on Sunday. System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), a pollution monitoring body under the Union ministry of earth sciences, said, “Delhi’s AQI is likely to improve to upper end of ‘very poor’ category as surface winds are becoming stronger, dispersing air pollutants. Strong north-westerly winds enhance transport of emissions from stubble burning. Share of crop residue burning emissions in PM2.5 is 41% (Effective fire count 5,159).” The CPCB’s central control room data showed that Delhi-NCR's average 24-hour PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were 429 micrograms per cubic metre and 298 micrograms per cubic metre, respectively, at 7pm.

Ord mot ord: Västvärlden bör betala klimatnotan

Världen genomgår en gemensam, livsnödvändig omställning till grön energi. Men när klimatkalkylen är på agendan under toppmötet, slåss länderna om vem ska stå för notan. "Det är världens fattigaste folk som faller offer för klimatförändringarna i dag. Utan att de har bidragit till problemet." Påståendet kommer från den indiske klimatforskaren och aktivisten Sunita Narain, som därmed sätter en av de största agendorna för COP26 på sin spets. Det internationella klimattoppmötet, som inleddes den 31 oktober i Glasgow, väntas huvudsakligen kretsa kring vem som ska betala räkningen för omställningen till en mer klimatvänlig världsordning. Indien, Honduras, Libyen och andra utvecklingsländer lägger fram sitt enkla argument som så: Varför ska vi betala för en grön omställning när världens rikaste länder tjänade stora pengar på att skita ned överallt utan någon som helst eftertanke eller omtanke?

Manesar sees highest spike in pollutants day after Diwali

Gurgaon: An analysis of data obtained from the city’s five air monitoring stations has revealed that Manesar witnessed the highest spike in the air quality index (AQI) post Diwali at 33.3%. After Manesar, the Gwalpahari station witnessed the highest spike on Friday compared to the previous day (29%), followed by Teri Gram (27.8%), Vikas Sadan (26%) and Sector 51 (8%). At the Manesar station on Friday, the AQI was recorded at 472. It stood at 478 at Teri Gram, 473 at Gwalpahari, 466 at Vikas Sadan and 464 at Sector 51, all ‘severe’. A day ago, it was 354 at Manesar, 374 at Teri Gram, 366 at Gwalpahari and 369 at Vikas Sadan, all ‘very poor’. Sector 51 reported ‘severe’ AQI at 425 on Thursday. While PM2.5 and PM10 were the most prominent contributors to air pollution on Friday, there was a high presence of toxic pollutants like ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur oxide as well in all five stations. In Teri Gram, the PM2.5 level stood at 477 on Friday, while PM10 was 447. In Sector 51, the PM2.5 was 422 after Diwali and PM10 was 424. The PM2.5 level at Vikas Sadan, which doesn’t monitor PM10, stood at 466. Meanwhile, Gwalpahari saw a PM2.5 level of 475 and PM10 of 424. In Manesar, the PM2.5 level was recorded at 455, while PM10 stood at 359. Congratulations! You have successfully cast your vote Experts said there has been a substantial rise in the level of pollutants a day after Diwali. “Micro-climatic conditions like upwards or downwards wind movement and temperature variations are responsible for accumulation of pollutants at one spot. They are responsible for the deterioration of air quality at a hotspot like Manesar,” Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy) at Centre for Science and Environment, told TOI. Speaking about other hotspots like Teri Gram, Gwalpahari and Vikas Sadan, she said: “Factors like firecrackers, waste burning and pollution from stubble burning are creating these hotspots.” Experts also stressed that the bursting of crackers intensified the accumulation of PM2.5 in the lower atmosphere in the night hours, which led to peak values of PM2.5 crossing the 1,000 µg/m3 mark at most locations.Smog was visible in the morning and poor wind conditions are delaying dispersion, allowing particulate matter to stay afloat

Glasgow Summit - A Media Extravaganza

The Glasgow summit on climate change has been a media extravaganza. The ruling elites from all continents cooped up in their national capitals due to the raging pandemic, finally got a break to throw away their masks and take to their private jets to fly off to “Global Britain” to display their leadership qualities. There are some noble exceptions of course — such as Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, etc. which are predominantly low-lying atolls, rising just metres above the waves, who are the world’s moral conscience on climate change. But obscene grandstanding was the leitmotif of the two-day event in Glasgow. They came as if to party, exult in backslapping and enjoy themselves while taking care to impress their domestic audiences that their personalised politics would translate as gains for their countries. Of course, the two star performers were the UK prime minister Boris Johnson and the US president Joe Biden. For Johnson, the impressive attendance of almost 100 world leaders served to proclaim that Britain is back in the first league of nations, having successfully survived the Brexit. For the US president Joe Biden, it has been a more complicated story. He had the twin mission of reasserting America’s ability to lead the world as well as to draw synergy out of the summit for himself politically at a juncture when the coalition that propelled Democrats to power and himself to the presidency in 2020 seems to have collapsed and there are growing doubts within the party about his ability to push his domestic agenda across the finish line. read more The Glasgow summit witnessed a lack of consensus among world leaders on how to move forward globally on climate change. They presented competing ideas but on core issues there was no consensus — such as the rich countries redeeming their pledge to help poor countries pivot away from fossil fuels. In Copenhagen, at COP15 in 2009, countries came together and said they would provide $100bn per year and would reach that target by 2020. They abysmally failed to meet the target. Arguably, in many ways the success of the Glasgow summit will depend on the issue of financial support. The only tangible outcomes at Glasgow are the two agreements to reduce methane gas emissions and protect the world’s forests. These are low-hanging fruits but are nonetheless two most effective strategies to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5˚C within reach while yielding co-benefits including improving public health and agricultural productivity. Over 100 countries representing over 40% of global methane emissions and over two thirds of global GDP are on board The Global Methane Pledge launched on Tuesday in Glasgow, which is a collective effort to reduce global methane emissions at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030, which could eliminate over 0.2˚C warming by 2050. However, there were notable absentees from those signing on, including some major methane polluters like China, Russia, Australia and India. Again, more than 100 countries pledged on Tuesday to end deforestation by 2030, agreeing to a sweeping accord aimed at protecting some 85 percent of the world’s forests. There is no gainsaying the fact that the accord is crucial to absorbing carbon dioxide and slowing the rise in global temperatures. Again, India happens to be among the countries that dissociated from the accord on curbing deforestation. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his statement made some sensational announcements. The five pledges Modi made are that India will: - increase non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030; - meet 50% of energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030; - reduce the total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now to 2030; - reduce by 2030 the carbon intensity of the economy by 45% (from the previous target of 35%); and, - achieve the net-zero target by 2070. Taken together, this will pose a gigantic transformation of India’s climate commitment through the next 8-year period but will involve huge mobilisation of resources. The noted expert on climate change Sunita Narain aptly used a metaphor to estimate that Modi has assumed an impossible challenge of “not just walking the talk but running it”. An International Energy Agency report in February titled India Energy Outlook 2021 estimates that the country will need to spend an additional $1.4 trillion to adopt clean energy technologies and be on a sustainable trajectory over the next twenty years. The investment is around 70% higher than what the government had envisaged. The report noted that the transformation would require massive advances in innovation, strong partnerships and vast amounts of capital. Only few countries have dared to put their carbon reduction path in such terms in the near term, as Modi has done. Certainly, no country from the industrialised world has done it! Are we shooting ourselves in the foot by wanting to be one up on China? Who are we trying to impress? There are no easy answers. Besides, as Narain noted, Modi’s announcement quintessentially means that India is capping future growth in the coal industry. “The big issue will be to ensure that growth is equitable, and the poor are not denied their right to development in this energy future. As we set out ourselves the goal to grow without pollution, we must work on increasingly clean, but affordable, energy for the poor,” Narain wrote. Finally, the target of net-zero by 2070. What is intriguing is that as recently as on October 28, India had rejected calls to announce a net zero carbon emissions target and maintained that it was more important for the world to lay out a pathway to reduce such emissions. The environment secretary R.P. Gupta told reporters in Delhi, “It is how much carbon you are going to put in the atmosphere before reaching net zero that is more important.” But by November 1, India did an extraordinary volte-face by announcing at Glasgow that 2070 is the target for India to reach net zero carbon emissions. The zest to make dramatic announcements before an elite world audience probably got the better of our judgment. The Russian presidential envoy on climate issues Ruslan Edelgeriyev characterised the Glasgow summit as a “race of ambitions”. He told Tass that the ambitious goals of some countries are “not underpinned by (clear) roadmaps and scientific data” and are based on “unjustified hopes for the emergence of new technologies.” Russia recently assumed 2060 as its net zero target, basing its decision on “scientific evidence and calculations.” But Edelgeriyev said that reaching the net zero target even before 2060 is possible, provided a “favourable domestic and international environment” is available. He cited the Western sanctions against Russian state-owned corporations. Besides, there are obstacles such as the opposition to declare nuclear power as a low carbon source of energy. Russia hosts about 20% of the total area of global forests, and thus it fully supports the Glasgow declaration on forests and land use. But Russia would have liked also to consider forestation as valid “green projects” to offset CO2 emissions.

How Modi’s announcement became the biggest buzz at climate change summit

It was a closely guarded secret, and officials in the environment ministry threw red herrings all the time. While almost everyone knew Prime Minister Narendra Modi would make a big announcement, true to style, in Glasgow, there was speculation on what this would be. Would he talk about India’s Energy Swaraj by 2047 as the additional commitment or would the transcontinental solar global green grid be the big thing? So, when he announced India’s commitment to reach net-zero (emissions) by 2070, everyone did a double take. India had finally bitten the bullet, or had it? Modi’s speech was in the late afternoon when a certain drowsiness had enveloped the summit, and not just US President Joe Biden. The announcement roused everyone into exclamations and discussions, and it remained the biggest buzz at the World Leaders Summit at the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP26), putting aside the doomsday prophecies that were earlier dominating the narrative. The year 2070 is half a century away, and two decades behind the global north’s clarion of a 2050 deadline; none of the leaders of today are likely to be around then to call each other out. Yet, Modi’s big announcement, along with a slew of others—with 2030 as the deadline for a 45 per cent less carbon-intensive economy, a 50 per cent renewable component in the energy mix and the Indian Railways going totally powered by renewables—brought in relieved praise from India’s bilateral buddy and COP26 host, the United Kingdom. It was a commitment they wanted to this new fancy of theirs, net-zero emissions. Though India has maintained that net-zero emissions alone do not solve the climate crisis, it made the needed commitment. India’s 2070 target seems ridiculous and unambitious at first, but it might actually be closer to being met than the bigger claims other nations have given. Modi’s announcement is ambiguous on whether the net-zero is for carbon emissions or all greenhouse gases, but there is no ambiguity in the trajectory India has taken towards tackling climate change. As Modi pointed out once again, it is the only G20 country on track to meet the commitments it had made in Paris in 2015. “Countries like ours cannot stick to western deadlines; none of us in south Asia can think of removing coal anytime soon; we have to set targets doable for us,” noted Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, an environmental science professor from Dhaka. “We are a global force in carbon emissions, we need to have a plan to bring it down. Yet, given India’s so far rigid stance against net neutrality, the announcement did come as a surprise,” said Anjal Prakash, lead author of the sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “Since China had given a 2060 deadline, India’s 2070 is natural, though we, too, could have accelerated it by a decade.” Sunita Narain, director, Centre for Science and Environment, said that given India’s comparatively low per capita contribution to global emissions and the energy needs of the country, we did not have to make these announcements, but we did, and now this should be a challenge to the already rich world to step up their act. She said that India’s net-zero target matched the commitment of the already industrialised countries, but for the world to reach the 2050 deadline, the west should get there by 2030 and China by 2040. Speaking, as he said, on behalf of the developing world, Modi took up the issue of climate financing. While other leaders made emphatic reminders of the $100 billion commitment pledged a dozen years ago by the developed world, Modi took it a step further, demanding a scale-up of the climate finance ambition in return for scaled-up climate action commitments. India alone needs a trillion US dollars at the earliest, he said. The demand from countries to see the pledged finances on the table reached a crescendo over the two days of the leaders’ summit. Will it shame the developed world into reaching for their wallets finally? They are realising that the pledge has now become an issue of their sincerity to the cause of climate. Talking heads: US President Joe Biden speaks with Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba during the COP26 summit | Reuters Talking heads: US President Joe Biden speaks with Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba during the COP26 summit | Reuters French President Emmanuel Macron called the $100 billion fund delivery the second big objective of the summit, the first being the scaled-up ambition to keep temperature rise within 1.5°C of the pre-industrialised normal. In Paris, in 2015, the consensus was to keep the outer limit at 2°C. The new target means bringing down greenhouse gas emissions even more rapidly now. Finances aside, the sincerity of the rich is under question as they often stray away from the talk. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is a late but enthusiastic entrant to climate concern, but his demands that the world do more are being juxtaposed against his own domestic decisions—giving subsidies to domestic flights, and even the assessment for a new colliery in Cumbria even as the UK announced it would not finance coal projects overseas. Biden announced a quadrupling of US funds for the $100 billion pledge, launched a Build Back Better roundtable and spoke about the American “obligation to help” other countries in making a clean energy transition. The impunity with which the US walks out and back into treaties with leadership changes, however, does not inspire hope in continuity. The many fractures in the world became apparent as around 120 world leaders gathered together. While the poorer nations called out their richer cousins over the money and technology they had promised but did not give, within the developed world itself, the squabbling became personal. Macron and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison continued their rancour from Rome, where they reportedly came down to name-calling. France cannot forgive Australia for rejecting their submarine deal and ganging up with the British and Americans as AUKUS. Macron and Johnson shared an uneasy body language, too, though their squabble over fishing in the English Channel finally de-escalated when France decided to withhold sanctions against British fish exports for the present. This tiff underscored the zealousness with which nations protect their natural resources from others. Will they be able to win against climate change, too? China called out the organisers for deliberately scuttling President Xi Jinping’s address. Biden accused big emitters, China and Russia, of walking out of climate change, conveniently forgetting US behaviour under Donald Trump. Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided to skip the event at the last moment; no explanations were given. It was not surprising then that the youth, both within the venue as well as outside, felt that the leaders were not sincere about climate change. Youth icon and climate crusader Greta Thunberg, who was not invited to the meet, had crowds thronging her event in the city, where she sang a string of swear words against politicians. Just how it helped the cause of climate change remains unclear. Within the event, India Logan-Riley, a Maori climate activist from New Zealand, said, “I am the same age as the negotiations. I have grown up, graduated, have fallen in love and out of it, all while the global north fudges with the future.” The climate in Glasgow is certainly fraught. What will emerge from the remaining days of negotiations? A new mantra? Some diplomatically cobbled consensus like the document that emerged from the G20 meet, and which does not really say much? COP26 president Alok Sharma said that while Paris pledged, Glasgow must deliver. Deliver ‘what’, however, remains the question. Carbon cut? Or, could he have meant cash and tech?

Diwali Pollution Record: बिना प्रदूषण वाली दिवाली दिल्ली से फिर रह गई दूर, 6 साल में सबसे प्रदूषित 2021 की दिवाली

नई दिल्ली: एक्यूआई सिस्टम आने के बाद 2021 की दिवाली सबसे प्रदूषित दिवाली हो गई है। देश में सबसे प्रदूषित स्थान नोएडा रहा। दूसरे नंबर पर गुरुग्राम रहा। राजधानी का एक्यूआई 462 दर्ज हुआ। हेल्थ की इस इमरजेंसी ने अच्छे लोगों को भी हांफने पर मजबूर कर दिया है। आतिशबाजी के साथ उत्तर भारत में पराली जलाना और हवाओं की सुस्त रफ्तार इसकी वजह रही। शुक्रवार को दिल्ली का एक्यूआई 462 रहा। राजधानी के कई इलाकों ने प्रदूषण के मामले में नोएडा को पीछे छोड़ दिया। नोएडा का एक्यूआई 475 रहा। राजधानी में अलीपुर का एक्यूआई 476, पंजाबी बाग का 479, नेहरू नगर 479, सोनिया विहार का 486, जहांगीरपुरी का 485, रोहिणी का 479, विवेक विहार का 483, नरेला का 482, वजीरपुर का 476, मुंडका का एक्यूआई 479 रहा। इसके अलावा, भी कई इलाकों में एक्यूआई 401 से ऊपर रहा। यह गंभीर श्रेणी है। दूसरे नंबर पर रहे गुरुग्राम का एक्यूआई 472, तीसरे नंबर पर रहे गाजियाबाद का एक्यूआई 470 था। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी के अनुसार इस बार हवाएं काफी धीमी हो गई थीं। हवाएं पराली के धुएं को राजधानी की तरफ धकेल रही थीं। आतिशबाजी भी राजधानी में हुई है। इन्हीं तीन वजहों से राजधानी का दम घुटा है। काउंसिल ऑन एनर्जी, एनवायरनमेंट एंड वॉटर की प्रोग्राम लीड तनुश्री गांगुली ने बताया कि इस सीजन में पहली बार 4 नवंबर की शाम को राजधानी गंभीर स्थिति में पहुंची है। दिवाली की रात लगभग सभी मॉनिटरिंग स्टेशनों में पीएम 2.5 में तेजी से उछाल आया है। रात 10 बजे 250 एमजीसीएम से यह बढ़कर 600 एमजीसीएम तक पहुंच गया। इसी तरह पीएम 10 भी 300 एमजीसीएम से बढ़कर 700 एमजीसीएम तक पहुंच गया। रात एक बजे यह सबसे अधिक 836 एमजीसीएम दर्ज हुआ। यह इस बात का सबूत है कि पटाखे जलाने से प्रदूषण बढ़ा है। बीते तीन दिनों से दिल्ली की हवा की वजह से पराली प्रदूषण 10 प्रतिशत से भी कम था। काउंसिल की प्रोग्राम असोसिएट एल. एस. कुरिंजी के अनुसार, गुरुवार को अकेले पंजाब और हरियाणा में 3500 जगहों पर पराली जली। पिछले तीन दिनों से हवाओं के साथ देने की वजह से पराली जलाने के मामले अधिक होने के बावजूद पराली प्रदूषण 10 प्रतिशत से भी कम था। अब पराली का प्रदूषण बढ़ गया है।

After Diwali sparkle, smog engulfs Delhi

ollution level increases due to bursting of firecrackers and stubble burning Delhi’s air quality dipped to its most severe levels due to the bursting of firecrackers during Diwali and stubble burning in adjoining States, with hospitals seeing an increase in the number of patients complaining of respiratory tract problems. The Capital’s air quality is expected to remain well beyond healthy levels till Saturday, but some respite is expected from Sunday. “Delhi recorded the lowest pollution levels in October this year, compared to the last five years. But the pollution level has been increasing for the last three days on account of bursting of firecrackers and an increase in stubble burning,” said Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai. NASA images show that stubble is being burnt at 3,500 places (up from 1,000 in last week of October) on Friday. “A huge chunk of Delhi’s population did not burst crackers, but some people did it intentionally because of which the pollution levels have increased.” On Thursday evening (Diwali day), the overall air quality of Delhi plunged into the upper end of the ‘very poor category’ as predicted by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). SAFAR has predicted that relief is expected only from the evening of November 7, but the Air Quality Index (AQI) will fluctuate within the ‘very poor’ range. According to SAFAR, firework emissions on Diwali night degraded the air quality from ‘very poor’ to ‘severe category’ as predicted by SAFAR. The share of stubble emissions peaked on Friday at 36 per cent, and will touch approximately 40 per cent on November 6 and 7. It further added that the share of PM 2.5 pollutants is higher when compared to 2020, but much lesser than 2018. However, it may be noted that local winds have picked up since morning and fast dispersion is expected. Without any more firecracker emissions, AQI is likely to improve to the ‘very poor’ category by Friday night, although stubble contribution is expected to remain almost the same. “From Sunday onwards the winds will increase, which will dismiss the accumulation of pollution and it will come down to the very poor category in Delhi. “Besides, if there is heavy rain — which is highly unlikely as of now — the pollution can come to moderate category as well,” said BS Murthy, Project Director at SAFAR. According to the Central Pollution Control Board data, as of 3 pm on Friday, most of the areas of the National Capital had an AQI level above 450. “This year the month of October was cleaner compared to previous years, but in November as the winter started setting in, the air quality has deteriorated,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, Executive Director-Research, Centre for Science and Environment, adding that farm fires and crackers are the primary triggers of rising pollution in the Capital. Takes a toll on health Hospitals saw people turning up with asthma and breathing difficulties. “As usual, this Diwali also the air quality is becoming poor. There is already a rise in number of respiratory problems such as viral pneumonia, asthma, COPD attacks and chest infections. They present with breathing difficulty, cough, fever, increased sputum and sleep disturbances. People should wear masks, continue preventive therapies and consider vaccination for flu and pneumonia after consulting a doctor. “They should restrict outdoor activities to minimum. Avoid running and strenuous exercises outside if the air quality is poor. Avoid cold beverages. Also quit smoking,” said Dr Manoj Goel, Director, Pulmonology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute.

Reaching net zero by 2070 is possible – but it’s what India does right now that matters

Amazement, elation, worry, disappointment, derision – the announcement by India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, that the country would reach net zero carbon emissions by 2070 has provoked all kinds of reaction across the spectrum. India is the world’s fourth largest greenhouse gas polluter after China, the US and the EU. It has far lower emissions per head than the other three and already has a highly ambitious solar programme. At the same time, it depends on coal for two-thirds of its energy generation, and is projected to increase its emissions in the next couple of decades as millions move out of poverty and increase their electricity use. The contradictions make for a complicated relationship with emissions, but what is clear is that Indians are experiencing the climate crisis here and now, through more frequent and more intense storms, floods and droughts; from a rising sea that is already decimating farms along the coast and forcing people in the region to drink saltwater; from monsoon anomalies that lead to cloudbursts and therefore flash floods and landslides in the Himalayas and other mountains. Sunil Kandar, a resident of Ghoramara island. ‘The island has been shrinking’: living on the frontline of global heating Read more As scientists from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have repeatedly pointed out, the world’s emissions must reach net zero by 2050 to control these crises. As part of that, India needs to curb emissions for its own sake, while it reminds rich nations of the importance of climate justice during negotiations. The announcement of its own net zero year has brought relief to the American, British and European climate diplomats who have been pushing India on this; it has elated solar and e-vehicle entrepreneurs; and it has drawn criticism from those who misread the global goal (2050) as the net zero year for every country, ignoring that rich nations – that have placed most of the extra carbon in the atmosphere – have to get there first. The net zero goal has serious critics in India, who see it as an attempt by rich nations to shift the goalposts into the future rather than act now. Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and Environment reacted to Modi’s speech by arguing that: “OECD countries should get [to net zero] by 2030 and China by 2040.” Her argument is based on climate justice and the fundamental principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” in the UN framework. India has been repeatedly asking developed countries to spell out their plans for this decade, and Modi outlined India’s short-term goals before he got to the net zero target in his speech at the Cop26 world leaders’ summit. The point is that India – and all countries – can demonstrate their seriousness by how they act now. Narendra Modi vows India will reduce emissions to net zero by 2070 – video 01:22 Narendra Modi vows India will reduce emissions to net zero by 2070 – video Advertisement Modi’s big pledge for this decade is to increase installed generation capacity using renewables to 500 gigawatts by 2030. If this is achieved, it will mean renewable energy will account for 50% of installed capacity and carbon emissions will go down by a billion tonnes. Modi’s other announcement was that India would reduce the carbon intensity of its emissions per unit of production by more than 45% by 2030, compared with 2005, something that Indian industry is on track to achieve anyway as it increases efficiency. The big question right now is where these 500GW of renewable energy will come from? India’s installed renewables capacity – excluding large hydro – crossed the 100GW mark this August, according to power minister R K Singh. India’s Central Electricity Authority earlier projected that the country’s installed generation capacity by the end of the decade would be 817GW, of which 525GW would be through non-fossil fuels. The bulk of this would be from solar (280GW), followed by wind power (140GW) and hydro (71GW). Srinivas Krishnaswamy, of the New Delhi based thinktank Vasudha Foundation, said in a statement that this target is more ambitious “than what would be achieved solely through market factors and the falling prices of renewable energy. Massive support and [a policy push] is required for carbon-free electricity standards, investments in ramping up storage capacity, improving the health of power distribution companies, grid stability, net metering etc.” The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, and India's Narendra Modi holding hands next to climate change sign Is India’s pledge of net zero by 2070 an ambitious target – or worthless words? Read more As usual, when it comes to implementation, there will be many devils in the details. There is support for renewable energy across India’s political spectrum, but solar installations cannot be ramped up to the required level without installing panels on thousands and thousands of rooftops. This is lagging woefully behind schedule, firstly due to passive resistance from utility companies scared that their revenues will be affected, and secondly due to a plethora of antiquated local rules on who owns the rooftops of apartment buildings. A lot of this will come down to the actions of state governments. The other big problem will be to take along the myriad micro, small and medium factories that comprise more than 80% of India’s industrial sector. They rarely have the money or the will to invest even in efficiency measures, though they know very well they will make a saving in the long run by doing so. This sector will need many carrots, and perhaps some sticks, before it comes along. Vaibhav Chaturvedi of the Council for Energy, Environment and Water, another thinktank based in New Delhi, observed that India’s emissions will rise for at least the next two decades despite the 500 GW renewables goal, though nonetheless thinks this will be compatible with the 2070 net zero target. India’s coal use will have to peak by 2040 to meet the goal. Though, whatever happens in India, most attention will be on the EU and US. As Chaturvedi said: “The burden of action now lies on the developed world to [advance] their net zero pledges to ensure a 1.5C-compatible world.” In general, the analysts’ conclusions are that it will be tough but possible to do what India has promised – but bigger polluters need to do better. Modi also used his speech in Glasgow to reiterate that the rich world needs to keep its promises on climate finance. He not only wanted a trillion dollars a year for poor nations, but also an international monitoring system to keep track of how these promises are being kept – or how they aren’t. Joydeep Gupta is south Asia director at the Third Pole, an environmental news website focusing on the Himalayan region and South Asia … as you're joining us today from India, we have a small favour to ask. With the world's eyes on the crucial UN climate summit, the Guardian will bring you the facts, negotiations, news and science. For years, climate experts have stressed that Guardian reporting - independent, rigorous, persistent and open to all - is a critical tool to confront the climate crisis, which is intensifying around the world. Leaders, influenced by powerful lobbies, are now set to make decisions that will determine our future. We have no shareholders and no billionaire owner. Just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact reporting for the world, always free from commercial and political influence. Reporting like this is vital for democracy, for fairness and to demand better from the powerful. And we provide all this for free, for everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. As such, tens of millions have placed their trust in us for the last 200 years, turning to us in moments of crisis, uncertainty, solidarity and hope. With more than 1.5 million supporters in 180 countries, our model for open access journalism is better sustained, meaning we can reach more people. This helps everyone keep track of global events like the climate summit, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. We take this emergency seriously as a news organisation: two years ago, we pledged to prioritise the climate crisis, and we've published some 6,000 pieces of environmental journalism since. We set ambitious targets to green our business, and have turned away from fossil fuel investments and advertising as a result. We are on track to meet our goals, including that of transparency, where we will continue to update you on our progress.

India's Pledge at COP26 on Point. But Need of the Hour is Focus on Rapid Relief from Toxic Air

Environment experts have lauded India for doing more than most countries, including China, and reducing emissions. According to them, the country’s pledge at COP26 to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2070 is “real climate action". The promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tackle climate change at the 26th international climate conference in Glasgow included achieving carbon neutrality by 2070. While the experts said that by making the pledge, India has put the ball in the court of developed nations to fulfil the promise $1 trillion of climate finance, the move does not bring relief from the immediate problem of toxic air that the people, especially those in the national capital, are having to breath in. The Air Quality Index deteriorates to a new low each year around the months of October-December as stubble burning from neighbouring states intensifies and people violate norms and burst firecrackers to celebrate the festival of Diwali. This year, too, despite a Supreme Court order, several appeals by the Delhi government and other efforts in place to keep a check on bursting of firecrackers during Diwali, several areas in the city reported violations as people burst crackers all through Thursday. On Friday morning, Delhiites woke up to a thick blanket of smog and a worrying AQI of 617. People from several parts of the city and its suburbs complained of itchy throat and watery eyes. The city’s overall air quality index was 451 at 8 am and entered the “severe" category, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ air quality forecast agency System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). At around 3am, the air quality at Janpath in Delhi was in ‘hazardous’ category with PM2.5 at 655.07. Modi, The Economist said in a piece on Friday, highlighted at Glasgow that while poor countries bear a mere fraction of the blame for creating the world’s climate mess, some, such as India, have done better at keeping environmental commitments than many rich countries. As per the report, India, with 18% of the world’s population, is estimated to have caused just 3% of accumulated CO2 emissions. Yet even as Indian leaders repeatedly—and sometimes justifiably—take the moral high ground on climate change’s long-term challenges, their people continue to suffer and die from its immediate, home-grown causes, it says. The Economist further points out that the problem is not faced by Delhi alone. “In winter the Himalayas trap the combined exhaust of the 600m people who populate the sprawling Indo-Gangetic Plain. From diesel pumps for irrigation to cremation pyres and from coal-fired power plants to gas-guzzling suvs, the smoke combines in a toxic stew that can hang for weeks in the season’s typically windless conditions. Big provincial cities such as Lucknow and Patna are just as sooty as Delhi. So are many rural areas,” it says. Climate change activist and director general of Centre for Science and Environment Sunita Narain has said that India has laid out its roadmap, and targets of non-fossil fuel, renewable energy (RE) and reduction of carbon intensity are all pathways to get one billion tonnes carbon emission reduction by 2030. “RE target of 50 per cent, non-fossil fuel 500 GW; carbon intensity of 45 per cent are all pathways to get to 1 billion tonnes carbon emission reduction by 2030. India has laid out its roadmap; this is more than OECD and certainly what China has done. India enhanced NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) is a challenge to the world to step up," she said in a tweet. Along with this ready roadmap, India has taken several other quick measures to prevent air pollution, including the replacement of solid fuels with gas for cooking. It has also ramped up its solar and wind power capacity and, backed by Modi, tightened the vehicle-emissions rules. With a goal to cut pollution in 122 cities by up to 30% in the next five years, the central government in 2019 also launched a National Clean Air Programme.

नई दिल्ली में फैली जहरीली धुंध

केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड ने 2016 में वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक, या AQI के साथ, पंजाब और हरियाणा में पराली जलाने में तेज वृद्धि के कारण 462 तक बढ़ कर, दिल्ली में दिवाली की वायु गुणवत्ता के बाद से सबसे खराब दिन दर्ज किया। और राष्ट्रीय राजधानी में आतिशबाजी पर प्रतिबंध का घोर उल्लंघन। कम तापमान और गैर-मौजूद हवाओं ने मदद नहीं की। दिल्ली पुलिस नियंत्रण कक्ष के आंकड़ों से पता चला है कि 4 नवंबर की मध्यरात्रि तक, शहर भर से कम से कम 1,100 लोगों द्वारा पटाखों का उपयोग करने की शिकायतें दर्ज की गईं – औसतन 47 घंटे। सीपीसीबी के अनुसार, 2016 में, जब उसने एक्यूआई पर नज़र रखना शुरू किया, दीवाली के अगले दिन 445 की रीडिंग देखी गई। यही वह वर्ष भी था जब दिल्ली ने अपने सबसे खराब प्रदूषण काल ​​में से एक देखा, 6 नवंबर को अपना सबसे प्रदूषित दिन दर्ज किया, जब एक्यूआई बढ़कर 497 हो गया। गुरुवार (दिवाली के दिन), दिल्ली में समग्र एक्यूआई 382 था, जो “बहुत खराब” क्षेत्र में था। सीपीसीबी के आंकड़ों से पता चलता है कि 24 घंटे का औसत एक्यूआई रात 9 बजे “गंभीर” क्षेत्र में प्रवेश कर गया, धीरे-धीरे हर घंटे बढ़ रहा था क्योंकि राजधानी में धुंध छा गई थी। यह रात 9 बजे 404, आधी रात तक 422, 2 बजे तक 428, सुबह 6 बजे तक 444, सुबह 7 बजे तक 446 और शुक्रवार को सुबह 8 बजे तक 451 थी। राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र (एनसीआर) के अन्य शहरों और कस्बों का प्रदर्शन बेहतर नहीं रहा, फरीदाबाद (एक्यूआई 469), गाजियाबाद (470), गुरुग्राम (472), ग्रेटर नोएडा (464) और नोएडा (475) – सभी गंभीर क्षेत्र में हैं। सीपीसीबी के 24 घंटे के औसत एक्यूआई के अनुसार शाम चार बजे। 51-100 के एक्यूआई को “संतोषजनक”, 101-200 को “मध्यम”, 201-300 को “खराब”, 301-400 को “बहुत खराब” और 401 से ऊपर “गंभीर” के रूप में वर्गीकृत किया गया है। नासा की सैटेलाइट इमेजरी ने गुरुवार को उत्तरी मैदानी इलाकों में 3,500 से अधिक खेत में आग की घटनाओं को रिकॉर्ड किया, जिसमें उत्तर-पश्चिमी हवाएं प्रदूषकों को राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र में ले जा रही थीं। केंद्रीय पृथ्वी विज्ञान मंत्रालय के सिस्टम ऑफ एयर क्वालिटी एंड वेदर फोरकास्टिंग एंड रिसर्च (SAFAR) के अनुसार, दिवाली के दिन पीएम2.5 (2.5 माइक्रोमीटर से कम व्यास वाले पार्टिकुलेट मैटर) का 25% और उस दिन 36% पराली जलाने का कारण था। उपरांत। इससे पहले, 29 अक्टूबर को दिल्ली की हवा में पराली जलाने से सबसे अधिक योगदान 20% था। दिलचस्प बात यह है कि सफर ने कहा कि आतिशबाजी से उत्सर्जन “लगभग समान परिमाण का” था। खेत में लगी आग जहां पटाखों का प्रदूषण में योगदान कम होगा, वहीं खेतों में लगी आग के बढ़ने की आशंका है। धान की कटाई 70% पूरी हो चुकी है, और पराली जलाने के मामले चरम पर हैं; पिछले पांच दिनों में इस साल पराली जलाने के कुल मामलों में से 55 फीसदी मामले सामने आए हैं। इस साल अब तक 23,465 खेतों में आग लगने की संख्या पिछले साल की इसी अवधि (4 नवंबर तक) में दर्ज किए गए 44,086 मामलों में से लगभग आधी है, लेकिन अधिकांश अधिकारियों को आने वाले सप्ताह में इसके बढ़ने की उम्मीद है। 4 नवंबर को, पंजाब में 3,032 कृषि आग की घटनाओं को उपग्रह द्वारा कैप्चर किया गया था। 2019 में, एक ही तारीख में 5,953 सक्रिय आग लगी थी, और 2020 में 4,908 – इस बात के संकेत थे कि संख्या कितनी अधिक हो सकती है। दिल्ली के पर्यावरण मंत्री गोपाल राय ने शुक्रवार को राजधानी की वायु गुणवत्ता में भारी गिरावट के लिए पंजाब और हरियाणा में बड़े पैमाने पर आतिशबाजी और खेतों में आग लगने को जिम्मेदार ठहराया। उन्होंने भारतीय जनता पार्टी पर दिवाली पर पटाखों पर प्रतिबंध का उल्लंघन करने के लिए लोगों को “जानबूझकर प्रोत्साहित” करने का भी आरोप लगाया। सरकारी आंकड़ों के अनुसार, इस अक्टूबर में, एनसीआर के निवासियों ने रिकॉर्ड पर सबसे स्वच्छ हवा का अनुभव किया। कारण: पंजाब और हरियाणा में बेमौसम अक्टूबर की बारिश और देरी से फसल (और इसलिए पराली जलाने में देरी) का मौसम। एचटी ने 27 अक्टूबर को सूचना दी कि दिल्ली एक हवाई आपात स्थिति की ओर बढ़ रही है, जिसमें दीवाली के आसपास पराली की आग चरम पर होने की उम्मीद है। “दिल्ली ने अक्टूबर में एक भी खराब वायु दिवस रिकॉर्ड नहीं किया। दिल्ली के आसपास के 3,500 खेत में आग का असर आज राष्ट्रीय राजधानी में दिखाई दे रहा था। शहर में पटाखा प्रतिबंध का जानबूझकर उल्लंघन भी किया गया था, जिसे भाजपा ने प्रोत्साहित किया था, ”राय ने कहा। इस बीच, दिल्ली भाजपा प्रमुख आदेश गुप्ता ने प्रदूषण पर अंकुश लगाने के लिए कोई ठोस कदम नहीं उठाने के लिए दिल्ली सरकार की खिंचाई की। राय के बयान का जिक्र करते हुए गुप्ता ने कहा, ‘केजरीवाल सरकार शहर में प्रदूषण पर लगाम लगाने में अपनी नाकामी को छिपाने की कोशिश कर रही है. पिछले छह वर्षों में, सरकार ने प्रदूषण पर अंकुश लगाने के लिए अंतिम मील कनेक्टिविटी में सुधार, बस बेड़े का विस्तार, बैटरी से चलने वाले वाहनों के उपयोग को प्रोत्साहित करने आदि जैसे कोई ठोस कदम नहीं उठाए हैं। वे सिर्फ अस्थायी व्यवस्था से इस मुद्दे से निपटना चाहते हैं। पटाखों पर प्रतिबंध कोई समाधान नहीं है, क्योंकि इससे लोगों की धार्मिक भावनाएं आहत होती हैं। सरकार ने अब परिणाम देखा है। उन्हें सीमित समय के लिए पटाखों के इस्तेमाल की अनुमति देनी चाहिए थी।” सफर ने बताया कि राष्ट्रीय राजधानी में पिछले 24 घंटों में पीएम 2.5 का स्तर, एक सामान्य वायु प्रदूषक और एक प्रमुख श्वसन स्वास्थ्य जोखिम, तीन वर्षों में सबसे अधिक था। PM2.5 ठीक, सांस लेने योग्य पार्टिकुलेट मैटर है। यह मानव बाल के एक कतरा से लगभग 30 गुना छोटा है। पीएम 2.5 प्रदूषक सैकड़ों रसायनों से बने होते हैं। निर्माण स्थल, कच्ची सड़कें, खेत, और धुएँ के ढेर या आग, बिजली संयंत्र, कारखाने और ऑटोमोबाइल इन प्रदूषकों को हवा में छोड़ते हैं। प्रदूषक श्वसन प्रणाली के माध्यम से रक्तप्रवाह में प्रवेश कर सकते हैं और अस्थमा, फेफड़ों के कैंसर और हृदय रोग का कारण बन सकते हैं। सफर के विश्लेषण में कहा गया है कि जहां पीएम2.5 का स्तर तीन वर्षों में सबसे अधिक था, वे 2018 की तुलना में अभी भी “काफी कम” थे। इसमें कहा गया है कि इस दिवाली स्तर बहुत तेजी से चरम पर है, फैलाव भी तेजी से होने की उम्मीद है। विश्लेषण में कहा गया है, “… सुबह से (शुक्रवार को) स्थानीय हवाएं तेज हो गई हैं और अब तेजी से छितरे जाने की उम्मीद है।” “किसी भी अधिक पटाखों के उत्सर्जन के बिना, AQI (वायु गुणवत्ता सूचकांक) आज रात (शुक्रवार) तक ‘बहुत खराब’ श्रेणी में सुधर जाएगा, हालांकि पराली का योगदान लगभग आज (शुक्रवार) के समान रहने की उम्मीद है …” विश्लेषण से पता चला है कि गुरुवार को सुबह 10 बजे से शुक्रवार को सुबह 10 बजे के बीच दिल्ली का पीएम 2.5 का स्तर 457ug/m3 पर पहुंच गया। यह 2020 में 298ug/m3 से अधिक था और 2019 में दिवाली के एक दिन बाद 377ug/m3 दर्ज किया गया था। 2018 में, PM 2.5 का स्तर 624ug/m3 तक पहुंच गया। सफर के विश्लेषण में कहा गया है कि राहत रविवार शाम से ही मिलने की उम्मीद है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) में कार्यकारी निदेशक, अनुसंधान और वकालत अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी का कहना है कि प्रतिकूल मौसम की स्थिति और उत्तर-पश्चिमी हवा के कारण एजेंसियों द्वारा इस तरह के एक एपिसोडिक स्मॉग घटना का पूर्वानुमान लगाया गया था, जो प्रभाव को बढ़ाने के लिए बाध्य है। पराली जलाने से। “खेत की आग की हिस्सेदारी बढ़ रही है और हवा की गति कम है जो प्रदूषकों के फैलाव की अनुमति नहीं दे रही है और पटाखों ने दिल्ली की हवा में अतिरिक्त उत्सर्जन जोड़ा है। यह सब फंस गया, जिससे इस सीजन की पहली ‘गंभीर’ प्रदूषण घटना हुई।” प्रदूषण के इन दो प्रमुख स्रोतों के अलावा, दिल्ली को हवा में उच्च नमी की मात्रा से भी जूझना पड़ा, जिसके परिणामस्वरूप गुरुवार की सुबह मौसम का पहला उथला कोहरा था, जिसमें सफदरजंग और पालम दोनों में दृश्यता 500 मीटर तक गिर गई थी। शुक्रवार को यह और भी गिरकर महज 200 मीटर रह गया। जबकि आईएमडी केवल दृश्यता के आधार पर कोहरे का वर्गीकरण करता है, हवा में प्रदूषकों और जहरीले रसायनों का उच्च योगदान कम दृश्यता का एक प्रमुख कारक होने की संभावना है, जिससे यह कोहरे की तुलना में अधिक स्मॉग बन जाता है। वर्ष के इस समय में आमतौर पर कोहरा दुर्लभ होता है, सर्दियों का पहला मध्यम से घना कोहरा आमतौर पर दिसंबर के अंत में देखा जाता है। आईएमडी के वैज्ञानिक आरके जेनामणि ने कहा, “दिल्ली एनसीआर में आज सुबह (5 नवंबर) कोहरे की स्थिति तेज हो गई है, इसके दो हवाई अड्डों – सफदरजंग और पालम में – सुबह 5.30 बजे तक 200 से 500 मीटर की दृश्यता के स्तर के साथ मध्यम कोहरे की सूचना मिली है। आईजीआई पालम हवाई अड्डे ने शहर की ओर 200 मीटर तक दृश्यता में गिरावट दर्ज की, ”जेनामणि ने कहा। दक्षिण-पूर्वी दिल्ली में ओखला-चरण 2 में दिवाली के दिन पीएम 2.5 एकाग्रता में सबसे बड़ी वृद्धि देखी गई, क्योंकि पीएम 2.5 एकाग्रता 1,984 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति क्यूबिक मीटर को छू गई – 60 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति क्यूबिक मीटर के स्वीकार्य स्तर से 33 गुना से अधिक और लगभग 397 गुना। 5 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर के नए डब्ल्यूएचओ मानक। इसके बाद उत्तरी दिल्ली में अशोक विहार था, जहां प्रति घंटा पीएम 2.5 एकाग्रता 1,957 माइक्रोग्राम को छू गया। पिछले डेढ़ महीने में दीवाली की आधी रात तक गिरफ्तार किए गए लोगों की संख्या पिछले साल दीवाली पर की गई पुलिस कार्रवाई से काफी कम है. पिछले डेढ़ महीने में पुलिस ने करीब 300 लोगों को पटाखे फोड़ने और स्टॉक करने के आरोप में गिरफ्तार किया है। पिछले साल दीवाली पर पुलिस ने दो मामलों में 850 लोगों को गिरफ्तार किया था। गुरुवार दीपावली के दिन पुलिस ने 1,206 मामले दर्ज किए। बार-बार कॉल और मैसेज करने के बावजूद दिल्ली पुलिस ने टिप्पणी करने से इनकार कर दिया। आईएमडी का कहना है कि हवा की गति केवल शनिवार से ही बढ़ने की उम्मीद है, लेकिन 25-35 किमी / घंटा . तक पहुंच सकती है.पूर्वानुमानकर्ताओं ने कहा कि रविवार से हवा की गुणवत्ता में सुधार देखा जा सकता है। मौसम विभाग के एक अधिकारी ने नाम न बताने की शर्त पर कहा, “शनिवार की सुबह अभी भी कुछ धुंध होगी, लेकिन हवा की गति बढ़कर 30-40 किमी / घंटा हो जाएगी और इससे प्रदूषकों को फैलाने में मदद मिलेगी।”

First Severe Smog Episode Hits Delhi, Could Be Longest In 4 Years: Report

The first severe haze hit Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) and is expected to last two more days, the Green Think-Tank Center for Science and Environment (CSE) said today. Advertisement Although the monsoon fog is intense in Delhi, the average daily contribution of farm fire smoke from mid-October to November 8 was the lowest in the last four years, it said. “Approximately, the first episode of the season started with the combined effects of adverse weather (cold and calm winds and reversal), hay burning and fireworks,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, CSE. Compared to the first haze episodes of the previous four years, the current haze coincided with the first haze period of the 2018 and 2020 seasons – both lasted six days. If the situation does not improve, it could surpass the 2019 haze that lasted eight days, the CSE said. Advertisement So far this year, the average haze intensity is 329 micrograms per cubic meter per day, which is lower than the haze of 2020 (6 percent) and haze of 2019 (3 ​​percent). This is more intense than the 2018 haze (about 9 percent). The Green Think Tank says that despite the relatively windy weather, this year’s fog could remain stable for a long time due to the city’s lack of pollution control systems. “Although very high concentrations of PM2.5 have attracted attention, gas levels – ozone, CO or NO2 – have remained high during this foggy period. The PM2.5 concentration on Diwali night (8pm to 8am) was the strongest since 2017, ”said Avikal Sombangshi, Program Manager, Urban Lab, CSE. Advertisement This analysis is based on real-time data available from the existing working air quality monitoring centers in Delhi-NCR and the greater Indo-Gangetic plain. “On average, the contribution of smoke to Delhi’s daily PM2.5 between mid-October to November 8 is the lowest in the last four years. So far, it has recorded an average of 12 per cent per day as against 17 per cent. 16 percent per day (as reported by SAFAR), “said CSE “If converted to perfect density, the contribution to smoke this year stands at 26 micrograms per cubic meter this year, compared to 35 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020, 40 micrograms per cubic meter in 2019 and 31 micrograms per cubic meter in 2018,” it said. Advertisement However, the highest contribution of smoke at the PM level in Delhi was recorded on November 7 when it reached 48 per cent. This is the second highest daily contribution percentage recorded since SAFAR started such estimates in 2018. On November 5, 2018, the maximum one-day contribution was recorded at 58 percent.

India’s new climate targets could mean emissions peaking after 2030

GLASGOW: India through its new climate action commitments has not only demonstrated its seriousness in responding to the climate crisis but also put the ball back in the court of affluent nations by shouldering more than its fair share of burdens and securing a diplomatic edge by pitching itself as a voice of developing countries seeking accountability from rich nations on their finance promises. Though more clarity on how India would achieve its goals may come through the country’s formal submission of nationally determined contributions (NDCs), the fine-print of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech looks bolder than what appeared initially as it has clearly hinted that the country may try to peak its carbon emission after 2030 backed by a huge renewables push. Even as the announcement on ‘net zero’ by 2070 has become a centrepiece of commentary, the real objectives are the pledge to reduce carbon emission in absolute terms – with mitigation currently measured in reduction of carbon intensity (emission per unit of GDP) — and asking the global forum to track the progress on climate finance the way it is being done on climate mitigation (emission reduction). Congratulations! Nevertheless, there has always been an agreement among observers that the country could peak its emission during 2040-45. Modi on Monday announced India will reduce its total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now onwards till 2030. It means the country would reduce 22% of greenhouse gases (GHG) in carbon equivalent from its total inventory in 2030. The country’s entire GHG inventory is currently less than 3 billion tonnes and it will be 4.5 billion tonnes in 2030 in a business-as-usual scenario. “It also sets the stage for carbon markets. In a way this means absolute emission reductions and this also means that India has set itself to commit to a peak in emissions without saying so explicitly,” said R R Rashmi, distinguished fellow, TERI and India’s former climate negotiator. As far as announcing the ‘net zero’ goal is concerned, India has successfully resisted the pressure from the developed countries to join the 2050 league and instead put it on 2070 timeline which in a way signals foreign and domestic investors who want to invest in manufacturing (Make in India) and development of green technologies in the country. It also indicates that nations with historic responsibilities must pay up. “In fact, by announcing these targets, India is not only walking its talk, it is literally running the talk — and recognising the urgent need to reduce GHG emissions and combat climate change. Going by our comparatively low contribution to global emissions, coupled with the fact that our economy needs to grow and meet the energy needs of millions of poor citizens, we did not need to make such an ambitious pledge. But these are a challenge to the already rich world to step up,” said Sunita Narain, environmentalist and director general of the New Delhi-based policy group, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Referring to the CSE analysis on the issue, she said, “As far as the net-zero 2070 is concerned, India’s target matches the commitment of the already industrialised. The fact is that the world must reach net-zero by 2050, which means that the OECD countries should get there by 2030 and China by 2040 (not in 2060 as announced by the country)”.

3 năm mất trắng 4 ngôi nhà: Thảm cảnh của đất nước tỉ dân trước cơn khủng hoảng khí hậu

Anish Yadav đang say giấc trong ngôi nhà của mình - đúng hơn là một túp lều, mỏng manh, được làm từ gỗ và nhựa - khi nước lũ tràn vào. Bức tường bê tông từng dùng để chặn nước lũ trước kia đã sụp đổ, khiến trận lụt tựa như đại hồng thủy tràn vào khu ổ chuột tại Malad - vùng ngoại ô phía bắc của Mumbai, Ấn Độ. "Chúng tôi thức dậy sau tiếng hét thất thanh của những người xung quanh," - Yadav nhớ lại đêm ấy, vào tháng 7/2019. "Nước dâng lên ngập đầu, và tôi phải tận mắt chứng kiến cảnh người ta bị cuốn trôi đi." Bức tường ấy đã bảo vệ Yadav và láng giềng của anh khỏi nước lũ từ các trận bão theo mùa mỗi năm. Căn nhà của anh thậm chí chưa từng bị tổn hại vì lũ. Nhưng bức tường đã sụp đổ, và trong 3 năm sau đó, Yadav phải mất 4 lần xây lại nhà. 3 năm mất trắng 4 ngôi nhà: Thảm cảnh của đất nước tỉ dân trước cơn khủng hoảng khí hậu - Ảnh 1. Bức tường bảo vệ khu ổ chuột của Yadav đã sụp đổ vào năm 2019 Mỗi năm, có hàng ngàn người tại Ấn Độ thiệt mạng vì nước lũ và sạt lở đất trong giai đoạn gió mùa - thường diễn ra từ tháng 6 đến tháng 9 mỗi năm. Về bản chất, gió mùa là một hiện tượng tự nhiên do không khí ấm và ẩm di chuyển từ Ấn Độ Dương vào Nam Á mỗi khi mùa thay đổi. Vấn đề là cơn khủng hoảng khí hậu ngày nay đã khiến gió mùa trở nên kinh khủng và khó đoán hơn. "Bi kịch và trớ trêu, khi người nghèo lại là nạn nhân chính của biến đổi khí hậu dù họ chẳng phải là những người tạo ra nó," - Sunita Narain, tổng giám đốc Trung tâm Khoa học và Môi trường tại Ấn Độ cho biết. Cuối tuần qua, lãnh đạo các nước trên thế giới đã tập trung ở Glasgow để dự hội nghị khí hậu COP26, nhằm tìm ra giải pháp giảm lượng phát thải carbon và tránh được thảm họa từ việc gia tăng nhiệt độ toàn cầu. Nhưng với hàng triệu người Ấn Độ, những văn bản ấy chẳng giúp họ giữ được nhà. Cơn khủng hoảng khí hậu đã ở ngay trước mặt họ, cuốn trôi tất cả mọi thứ. Mất trắng 4 căn nhà trong 3 năm Mumbai, thành phố đông dân nhất của Ấn Độ, là niềm tự hào với những tòa nhà chọc trời và khách sạn sang trọng bậc nhất. Nhưng cũng ở đây lại có khoảng cách chênh lệch giàu nghèo rất lớn. 65% trên tổng số 12 triệu cư dân đang phải sống trong những túp lều che chắn bằng vải bạt và thiếc, ở những khu ổ chuột đông đến nghẹt thở. Yadav và mẹ được sơ tán đến một ngôi trường sau trận lũ năm 2019 - cũng là lần đầu tiên nhà của họ bị cuốn trôi đi. Trận lũ khiến 32 người tử vong, trong khi chính quyền địa phương nhận định khu ổ chuột đã trở nên quá nguy hiểm để sinh sống. Nhưng sau khi lời đề nghị cấp nhà không thành hiện thực, Yadav và mẹ phải trở về đó để xây lại nhà, tiếp tục bám trụ. "Nhà tôi chỉ rộng khoảng 12m2, sàn được làm từ đất," - Yadav kể. "Cọc gỗ được đóng xuống, buộc lại rồi phủ bạt nhựa lên. Và nếu có gió mạnh, chắc chắn là không giữ được." Gia đình Yadav bắt đầu tập thói quen cất giữ đồ quý trong các túi nhựa để tiện di tản. Nhưng có quá nhiều thứ cần phải bảo vệ. 3 năm mất trắng 4 ngôi nhà: Thảm cảnh của đất nước tỉ dân trước cơn khủng hoảng khí hậu - Ảnh 2. "Căn nhà" nơi Yadav ở cùng mẹ của mình Mùa lũ năm 2020, mẹ con Yadav lại mất nhà, kèm theo quần áo và số thực phẩm quý giá mà họ có được. Tháng 5/2021, chuyện đó lại xảy ra sau một cơn cuồng phong quét đến bờ Tây Ấn Độ. Một cơn bão bất thường, vì mọi năm chúng thường quét vào bờ Đông nhiều hơn. TIN LIÊN QUAN Siêu công trình hơn 11 triệu tỷ ở Ả Rập Saudi: Không giống bất cứ thứ gì trên Trái Đất! Lần này, Yadav cho biết mọi người dường như đã chán ngấy với những lời hứa của chính quyền địa phương và vòng lặp tàn khốc: phá hủy - sơ tán - xây lại. "Sống làm sao nổi cơ chứ?" - Yadav nói. Mà nào đã hết. Thảm họa lại một lần nữa tới vào tháng 9/2021, khi mùa mưa bão tưởng như đã hết. Một dòng nước lũ đầy mảnh vỡ lại quét qua khu ổ chuột, vào lúc 1h30 phút sáng. Cư dân lại đi sơ tán, lại phải ở đó trong vài ngày với lượng nước sạch hạn chế và chẳng có nhà vệ sinh. "Liệu có thể trở về hay tìm được một ngôi nhà khác? Chẳng ai biết," - Yadav nói một cách ngán ngẩm. "Họ (nhà chức trách) chỉ bảo chúng tôi sẽ có nhà mới trong 3 - 4 ngày tới, nhưng chẳng có gì xảy ra cả. Mọi người mất việc và cũng chẳng có tiền để mua thực phẩm." Không thể sống nổi Cơn khủng hoảng khí hậu ngày càng xấu đi khiến các trận lũ trở nên nguy hiểm hơn với ít nhất 35% dân số Ấn Độ - tương đương với 472 triệu người. Họ đang sống trong các khu ổ chuột đông đúc, chật hẹp. Muralee Thummarukudy, quyền giám đốc chương trình chống thảm họa tự nhiên của Liên Hợp Quốc (UN) cho biết những người bám trụ ở khu ổ chuột thường phải sống trong những căn nhà hoặc lều trại đầy mỏng manh và chịu nhiều rủi ro hơn với thiên tai. Họ cũng không có bảo hiểm để tái xây dựng hoặc tái định cư trong trường hợp mất tất cả vì nước lũ. 3 năm mất trắng 4 ngôi nhà: Thảm cảnh của đất nước tỉ dân trước cơn khủng hoảng khí hậu - Ảnh 4. Nhưng đâu chỉ có vậy. Kể cả khi nước lũ buông tha cho căn nhà của họ, những tác động thứ cấp vẫn tồn tại - như ô nhiễm nước ngầm, lây lan bệnh tật qua nguồn nước, hay không có nguồn cung thực phẩm. TIN LIÊN QUAN 'Con đường' đắt đỏ bậc nhất hành tinh: Ngốn 100-200 tỷ đô, như dát vàng ở Ả Rập Saudi COP26 trước giờ G: LHQ cảnh báo sấm sét, NATGEO chỉ thẳng 5 nước thải CO2 nhiều nhất "Xu hướng tôi đang chứng kiến là cuộc sống bị xáo trộn bởi thảm họa, rồi nơi trú ẩn bị cuốn trôi," - Rajan Samuel, giám đốc điều hành của Habitat for Humanity cho biết. Một số bang đã hành động, như bang Odisha đã xây dựng kênh thoát nước cho các khu ổ chuột, hay như Kerala cung cấp tài chính để người dân được tái định cư. Nhưng xét trên quy mô toàn quốc, tiến trình vẫn đang rất chậm. Nhiều kế hoạch suốt 2 thập kỷ qua đã thất bại, nơi thiếu vốn, nơi thiếu nhân lực, hoặc do thủ tục hành chính quá lằng nhằng. "Đã từng có lúc những thảm họa như vậy 10 năm mới có 1 lần, rồi 5 năm 1 lần. Còn giờ là 1 năm 10 lần," - Narain nhận xét. "Lũ lụt, hạn hán và các hiện tượng kinh hoàng khác gần đây cho thấy tương lai sẽ như thế nào." Những người phải di cư vì khí hậu Trong nhiều năm, các chuyên gia đã nhiều lần cảnh báo về một cơn khủng hoảng khí hậu sẽ gây ảnh hưởng đến hàng tỉ người vào các thập kỷ kế tiếp. Nó sẽ tạo ra một thế hệ người "di dân khí hậu", hoặc "tị nạn khí hậu". Trong đó, lũ lụt sẽ gây ảnh hưởng nghiêm trọng nhất, khi lượng mưa ngày càng tăng lên. Đừng nghĩ đó chỉ là câu chuyện trên giấy tờ. Vì ở Ấn Độ, nhiều người đã trở thành di dân thật rồi. 3 năm mất trắng 4 ngôi nhà: Thảm cảnh của đất nước tỉ dân trước cơn khủng hoảng khí hậu - Ảnh 6. Thảm họa tự nhiên đã khiến hơn 5 triệu người Ấn Độ mất nhà cửa vào năm 2019, theo một nghiên cứu từ Sydney. Con số ấy sẽ chỉ ngày càng tăng lên mà thôi. Những người như Yadav không có lựa chọn nào khác ngoài việc phải trở lại chốn cũ, dựng nhà và chờ đợi nước lũ cuốn đi. Bản thân gia đình Yadav lại khá chần chừ trong việc rời khỏi mảnh đất của họ trong khu ổ chuột, trừ phi nhà chức trách cung cấp một giải pháp thay thế. Anh và mẹ hiện phải sống dựa vào khoản tiền tiết kiệm ít ỏi hoặc vay mượn từ họ hàng, cùng một vài đồng lẻ kiếm được qua ngày. Sau trận lũ tháng 9, anh mất hoàn toàn hy vọng trước ý nghĩ phải xây lại nhà, một lần nữa. "Mọi thứ kéo dài quá lâu rồi. Bạn chẳng thể biết khi nào nước sẽ tới và lại phá hủy ngôi nhà mình dựng lên một lần nữa."

Why Delhi is witnessing high pollution despite a blanket ban on crackers

Diwali and pollution have become synonymous for the residents of Delhi and adjoining areas. Almost every year, air pollution chokes the national capital just before the festive season. This is attributed to mainly crop burning in adjoining states, cracker bursting and unfavourable climatic conditions that do not allow the pollutants to disperse. This year is no different, despite the ban on crackers and more favourable meteorological conditions prevailing in the area for at least a month now. India Today spoke to experts — both environmentalists and weather scientists — to find out why, despite the cracker ban, Delhi is witnessing "very poor" air quality prior to Diwali. This situation may deteriorate in days to come to the "severe" category, depending on the cracker ban implementation and other important factors. Here are the five reasons behind the worsening air quality of Delhi: LATE MONSOON This year, the rainfall activities continued till late October. This kept October far cleaner than previous years. But at the same time, it delayed the harvesting season as well. Now, Punjab and Haryana are witnessing massive stubble burning just before Diwali. Punjab witnessed more than 3,000 burning spots till November 2, while over 200 burning points were recorded in Haryana on Tuesday. Since significant rainfall activities were witnessed till the third week of October, the harvesting cycle was also delayed. As per the IMD, the contribution of stubble burning to the pollution on Diwali would be more than 5% due to increased stubble burning. Senior weather scientist R K Jenamani told India Today: "We had a much cleaner air quality in October as rains washed away most of the pollutants. That impacted the harvest season as well." advertisement SUDDEN DIP IN TEMPERATURE AND HIGH HUMIDITY A sudden dip in the temperature and reduced wind speed along with high humidity has left fine particles suspended in the air. November started with the minimum temperature dropping below 15 degrees Celsius, along with other meteorological conditions like low wind speed (below 10kmph) impacting the pollutants in the air. Heavier air due to high humidity keeps the particulate matter suspended near the ground. According to R K Jenamani, "Typical winter conditions increased the pollutants in the first week of November. It is on the lower side of "very bad" AQI right now, which is likely to deteriorate in the next few days. The only relief in sight is a high vertical airflow, which is dispersing the pollutants away from the earth’s surface to the higher atmosphere." Senior environmentalist Anumita Roy Choudhary also said, "Diwali pollution has a major climatic factor behind it. Due to the conditions prevailing in the northern plains, the pollutants remain trapped." ALSO READ | Crackers, farm fires may push Delhi's air quality to 'severe' zone on Diwali CHECK THESE OUT More NEET 2021 topper with AIR 5 Nikhar Bansal is writing a novel NEET 2021 topper with AIR 5 Nikhar Bansal is writing a novel MOST READ Malaysia to ‘make life difficult’ for those choosing not to get vaccinated against Covid-19 Malaysia to ‘make life difficult’ for those choosing not to get vaccinated against Covid-19 TRENDING How Priyanka Gandhi has used 4 incidents to build Congress's campaign in Uttar Pradesh How Priyanka Gandhi has used 4 incidents to build Congress's campaign in Uttar Pradesh TRENDING Fact Check- Viral post falsely claims that state levies more tax on LPG cylinder than Centre Fact Check- Viral post falsely claims that state levies more tax on LPG cylinder than Centre TRENDING Computer shortcut keys everyone should know: Word, Excel, Outlook, Windows shortcuts Computer shortcut keys everyone should know: Word, Excel, Outlook, Windows shortcuts TRENDING Baby elephant wearing pink bow and cover enjoys sugarcane treats. Adorable viral video Baby elephant wearing pink bow and cover enjoys sugarcane treats. Adorable viral video MOST READ INEFFECTIVE BAN ON FIRECRACKERS Although several NCR cities have ordered a blanket ban on firecrackers, including green crackers, the implementation is not complete. Many of the shops in the NCR areas can be seen selling firecrackers. Many political leaders have also opposed the ban on crackers. IMD scientist Jenamani mentioned, "The next 36 hours would be crucial. Deteriorated pollution levels during the last few days were mainly due to PM2.5 levels and even firecrackers are a big source of these small particulate matter. So, even if the climatic conditions are better, human activities can be a spoiler during Diwali." COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES PICKING UP After a long Covid break commercial activities shot up in the days leading to Diwali, resulting in increased vehicular pollution — the largest contributor to Delhi’s pollution. During the last week, several markets have seen huge footfalls. Shoppers choked roads till the eve of Diwali as commercial activities picked up. This led to an increase in vehicular pollution, which contributes almost 40% of the total air pollution on normal days. Anumita Roy Choudhary elaborated, "We have studied traffic intensity during Diwali. Our findings revealed that due to high commercial activities, both the vehicular pollution and dust pollution increase by several notches." advertisement NO RAIN IN SIGHT TO MITIGATE STUBBLE BURNING DAMAGE If Delhiites are expecting relief after Diwali, they are in for a disappointment. There are very low chances of improvement in the air quality. Anumita Roy Choudhary explained, "Stubble burning may increase immediately after Diwali and its contribution to Delhi’s air pollution could reach up to 38% by November 6." While the weather department is claiming that the wind speed will rise from Saturday and that could help in blowing out the pollutants. But at the same time, there has been hardly any rainfall activity in the capital for the last 10 days and, as of now, there are no future predictions for rain. Hence, washing out of the pollutants is also only a remote hope.

Climate pledge: On CoP26 summit in Glasgow

Nations must realise they are not in a competitive race but trying to outrun the clock In a surprise move at COP26 in Glasgow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India will commit to ambitious, enhanced climate targets and cuts in carbon emissions in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). There were promises to increase non-fossil fuel energy capacity to 500 GW, meet 50% energy from renewable energy, reduce emissions by one billion tonnes, and bring down the economy’s carbon intensity below 45%, all by 2030. Finally, the PM made the much-awaited declaration: to reach Net Zero emissions by 2070. The announcement came as a surprise given that India had given no assurances to visiting western climate negotiators before the conference, and had not filed updated NDCs by the deadline last month. Earlier, the G20 summit in Rome ended without any new commitments on climate change, and India’s G20 Sherpa and Minister Piyush Goyal had said that India could not “identify a year” for ending net carbon emissions (ensuring carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed by the use of technology and lowering output), unless the developed world committed to funding India’s energy transition and enabled clean technology transfers on a much higher scale. Mr. Goyal even suggested that India could not switch to non-fossil fuel and end coal-based thermal plants unless it was made a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, where it is being blocked by China and a number of other countries. Mr. Modi’s pledges in 2021 will require an almost immediate shift in the Government’s priorities if it wishes to meet its first few goals in just eight years. According to one estimate (the Centre for Science and Environment), the promise to reduce emissions by one billion tonnes would need a reduction in India’s carbon output by a massive 22% by 2030. On Net Zero, the target of 2070 is two decades after the global goal at mid-century, and would require the world’s other growing economies including China to peak emissions, preferably by 2030 itself. India meets about 12% of its electricity needs through renewable energy, and ramping that up to 50% by 2030 will be a tall ask too. If the Government realises Mr. Modi’s promises in Glasgow, India will be a global beacon in fighting climate change and ensuring sustainable development. At the least, it is hoped the commitments will inspire other countries to keep their word, particularly the developed world that has lagged behind in fulfilling combined promises of billions of dollars to fund emerging economies, LDCs and the most climate vulnerable countries in the global South. When it comes to climate change, countries must remember they are not in competition with one another, but trying together to outrun the clock.