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Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

WHO tightens air quality norms over health hazard

India released its National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in January 2019. NCAP does not have a legal mandate but aims to achieve a 20% to 30% reduction in PM 2.5 concentrations over 2017 annual levels in over a hundred cities by 2024. Harms from air pollution begin at much lower levels than previously thought, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday as it lowered acceptable thresholds for several pollutants, including ultrafine PM2.5 particles that India has typically struggled to contain. According to the new thresholds, the average 24-hour exposure to PM2.5 must remain below 15µg/m³, down from 25µg/m³. In case of PM10 particles – typical dust particles – the safe threshold has been lowered from 50 to 45µg/m³. In terms of exposure over a year-long period, the threshold for PM2.5 has been brought down from 10 to 5µg/m³ and for PM10, from 20 to 15µg/m³. In comparison, India’s thresholds are many folds higher. According to the 2009 National Ambient Air Quality Standards still in force, the acceptable PM2.5 exposure limit over 24 hours is 60µg/m³ (four times the new WHO limit) and for exposure over a year-long period, 40µg/m³ (eight times the revised WHO threshold) Since 2005 when WHO last set air pollutant thresholds, “a substantial new body of evidence has accumulated, further demonstrating the degree to which air pollution affects all parts of the body from the brain to a growing baby in a mother’s womb at even lower concentrations than previously observed,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. “Air pollution is a threat to health in all countries, but it hits people in low- and middle-income countries the hardest,” he added, urging governments and experts to make use of the new yardsticks in their fight against air pollution. In India, officials said they will study the WHO’s new guidance for further steps. “There is no plan to revise our national air quality standards immediately. We have, however, started a study to look at what changes need to be made to the air quality standards based on health impacts,” a senior health ministry official said, asking not to be named. “We are aware of the recent studies on health impacts of air pollution. The study will take at least a year to be completed and then a proposal will be made to tighten the standards in India. We will respond to the revised WHO air quality guidelines after going through the report,” this person added. There are 132 cities in India that do not meet the national air quality standard for particulate matter according to data with the environment ministry. A team of scientists from across the world conducted a meta-analysis of over 500 epidemiological studies available on health impact of air pollution to revise the WHO guidelines. For the first time, studies from India and South Asia were also included, according to Kalpana Balakrishnan, the director of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)’s Centre for Advanced Research on Air Quality, Climate and Health, and a member of the WHO technical team which developed the new guidelines. “The guidelines had to be revised because it has been 16 years since the previous ones came. Over 500 epidemiological studies were considered by us, which includes both long-term and short-term effects. For the first time, 19-20 studies from South Asia, including 3-4 from India, were considered. The WHO guidelines are basically values, backed by unequivocal epidemiological evidence, at which highest health benefits can be achieved,” said Balakirishnan. HIGH DISEASE BURDEN’ The new WHO guidance estimates that exposure to even lower concentrations of ambient and household air pollution can cause diseases including lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke, resulting in 7 million premature deaths each year. “This puts the burden of disease attributable to air pollution on a par with other major global health risks such as unhealthy diet and tobacco smoking,” the agency said. The guidelines also give interim targets for countries to pursue to meet the WHO guideline. For PM 2.5 the first annual interim target is 35µg/m³ followed by 25, 15 and 10 µg/m³. “We have to understand that the health burden of air pollution in India is massive. Over 1 million premature deaths are linked to air pollution here. The interim targets that there is benefit even in achieving 35µg/m³ annually. Our annual standard is 40µg/m³. So instead of taking up a large task of revising standards, let’s first try to meet the standards. We of course have to be mindful of the main WHO guideline. Cities or regions that first meet the national standard can look at meeting the interim targets and WHO guideline,” explained Balakrishnan. Central Pollution Control Board’s National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) data indicates that the annual average PM2.5 levels in Delhi last year ranged from 114-145µg/m³ in three stations considered by CPCB. Thus, Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution was at least 22 times higher than the new WHO guideline in 2020. NAMP data also indicates large parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plains region, including several cities in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana, had very high concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10. The State of Global Air (SOGA 2020) estimated that over 116,000 infants in India died within a month after their birth due to exposure to severe air pollution in 2019. The report by US-based Health Effects Institute and Global Burden of Disease said that India had the highest burden of infant deaths due to air pollution followed by Nigeria (67,900), Pakistan (56,500), Ethiopia (22,900), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (1,200). Despite some improvements in air quality, the global toll in deaths and lost years of healthy life has barely declined since the 1990s. While air quality has markedly improved in high-income countries over this period, it has generally deteriorated in most low- and middle-income countries, in step with large-scale urbanization and economic development, the executive summary of WHO Air Quality Guidelines 2021 said. These guidelines are not legally binding on countries, but are meant to provide guidance to help reduce levels of air pollution in order to decrease the health burden, the summary said. “Only evidence assessed as having high or moderate certainty of an association between a pollutant and a specific health outcome was used to define the recommended AQG levels,” the report added. These guidelines do not include recommendations about pollutant mixtures or the combined effects of pollutant exposures. In everyday life, people are exposed to a mixture of air pollutants that varies in space and time. “The WHO Air Quality Guidelines were last updated in 2005, and since then, the body of evidence on the health effects of air pollution has grown substantially. In 2019, air pollution was responsible for more than 1 in 9 deaths globally. Development of these new guidelines was led by an international expert group, and the team considered all available global evidence on this topic,” said Pallavi Pant, senior scientist at the US based Health Effects Institute. “Air pollution has been linked with lung and heart diseases as well as cancer, diabetes and serious health risks for newborns. As India continues the implementation of the national clean air programme (NCAP) and revises its National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), it will be important to align with the WHO Air Quality Guidelines, including the interim targets for various air pollutants, and identify and implement policies that will help bring clean air to all,” Pant added. “India has aligned with the WHO when it comes to CO and 8 hour standard for Ozone (O3). What WHO is trying to tell us is that there can be a steep rise in health impacts even at very low concentrations of certain pollutants. India may not be able to get to 5 micrograms per cubic metres in PM 2.5 concentrations but it should set out stringent and achievable targets. There is a wide variation in pollution levels across the country so strategies should be different. The southern and western states can strive and look at the WHO guideline,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment. India released its National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in January 2019. NCAP does not have a legal mandate but aims to achieve a 20% to 30% reduction in PM 2.5 concentrations over 2017 annual levels in over a hundred cities by 2024. So far, ₹375.44 crore have been released to 114 cities during FY 2019-20 and 2020-21 for initiating actions under city action plans to control air pollution. Further, ₹4,400 crore has been released to 42 cities with million plus population as per recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission report for FY 2020-21.

Director General Office

Mary Robinson: We 'are not on a safe course' in relation to the environment

Ireland's former president has said we “are not on a safe course” in relation to the climate crisis. Mary Robinson was among a number of notable speakers who shared their views at The Business Show sustainability summit 2021 online on Wednesday. In a fireside chat with Sunita Narain, Director General of the Centre for Science and the Environment, Robinson outlined her five parts for environmental justice in a conversation about what Narain described as the “existential threat in front of us”. As President, Robinson never made a speech on climate change Mrs Robinson admitted that as Ireland’s seventh and first female president: “I never made a single speech on climate change.” It wasn’t until she started work on human rights issues around the world that she “saw visibly... the injustice of the impacts”. And now it is firmly on her radar as adjunct professor for climate justice at Trinity and chair of The Elders - an independent group of global leaders first brought together by Nelson Mandela in 2007. “We have the IPCC report - we understand that the threat is imminent and irreversible in some senses. How do you see the issue of climate justice playing out in the world?” Ms Narain asked her. Layers of climate injustice Ireland’s 1990-1997 leader said: “I have been talking about it for two decades and really have identified about five layers of injustice. “First of all, that climate change has disproportionately affected the poorest countries, poorest communities, small island states, indigenous peoples. They also happen to be the black and brown people in the world so there’s a racial injustice as well. “Secondly, within that, the gender injustice. The roles of women, the difference in access to power - to rights. Yet women are often the ones building resilience in their communities. “The third layer is the one that young climate activists and school children have been calling us out on - that is the intergenerational injustice and they are perfectly right. “The fourth injustice is a subtle one and I don’t think we talk about it enough. Industrialised countries like Ireland, [across] Europe and the United States - we built our economies on fossil fuel. “Now our challenge is to wean ourselves off far more quickly than we’re doing and just transition for the workers that helped us to build our economies, that they and their communities are part of the move to green solutions and are helped in this. “For developing countries, they have to bring themselves out of poverty.” Robinson says as special envoy to the Secretary General, she saw many poorer countries say they want to go as green as possible, but needed investment. “We haven’t shown enough solidarity and that’s part of the dilemma,” she added. “In Copenhagen there was a promise of €100 billion a year to help developing countries to adapt and to have the space to do so. We still haven’t got that €100 billion and I think Covid has taught us that when the rich world needs money, the money is there - more than billions, if necessary trillions." “The fifth injustice is to nature herself,” Robinson added. “This terrible loss of biodiversity, the extinction of species that we are responsible for and the worsening situation.” Speaking about the recent IPCC report, Robinson said it was really important that it came out when the northern hemisphere was suffering terrible wildfires. “Now the rich world is being hit,” she added. “It’s unfortunate it’s had to take that for people to really understand how urgent the problem is. Collective behaviour is going to have to change dramatically if we are going to have a safe world - by which I mean consumerism,” she added. “This rampant buying in a throwaway context - that has to change. I think there’s a lot of focus now on slow food, slow fashion - it’s beginning to be part of people’s thinking - changing diets etc." Net Zero and Cop26 Sunita Narain said she worried about the hype around ‘net zero’. “Net zero as an aspirational goal is very important but when you look at the IPCC ad science of net zero - it says that the world has to actually reach 50 per cent reduction. Should we not really be pushing for action by 2030 and holding our governments accountable?” “I do very much agree,” added Robinson “That’s why the Cop in Glasgow is so important. "That’s where countries are going to have to step up and set a course - we are not on a safe course at the moment - set a course towards 1.5C. That is doable technically, scientifically and economically. But it will take drastic action.” Eamon Ryan: "we can and could go quicker" The Business Show’s sustainability summit also examined issues like how companies are driving change and using their influence to accelerate the implementation of strong climate policies. Minister Eamon Ryan was among the academics, policy makers and business leaders talking about how Ireland can make a difference. He kicked off with a frank admission that “we can and could go quicker” when asked if going carbon neutral by 2050 in Ireland will be enough. The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications said: “That target, and also the target for halving emissions in the next decade, was done on the back of the recommendations or the science contained within the Paris Climate agreement - needing a halving of emissions from 12 countries in this decade. “My sense is we should achieve the halving in the next decade and then we will be in a much better position to achieve carbon neutrality quicker. It’s no small challenge but it’s one I think will create a better economy. “It will give us better security, help address biodiversity and the pollution crises that we also have to address. “If I was to focus on one thing, I think it’s on the implementation, the urgency of halving emissions in this decade.” "An unsustainable pathway for our human civilisation" UK climate expert and Centre for Climate Repair founder David King spoke of the need for climate repair now. He says as the icecaps melt they no longer reflect sunlight making the North Pole “one of the warmest regions of the northern hemisphere”. The Cambridge University professor also told how he would like to see our built environment “converted to wood taken from managed forests” and our seas restored to their former glory. Sir King told The Business Show sustainability summit: “We believe we have already gone past the point where tipping points are being passed,” he said. “The current level of greenhouse gases in the air are already on an unsustainable pathway for our human civilisation going forward. Repair is the word we use to indicate that we are trying to do is return the global biosystems [and] ecosystems to something like they were two or three hundreds years ago. “We are also very keen to see that we try to manage the current state of crises with all of the extreme weather events occurring around the northern hemisphere and whether we can return those to normality by operating in a full repair mode, for example attempting to refreeze the arctic sea. “In essence, we believe we have already created that world that is unmanageable and the centre is here to try to set up a global collaborative process to meet these challenges.”

Director General Office

एशिया-साउथ अफ्रीका प्रशिक्षण में गिरिडीह की सुमन दूसरे स्थान पर

गिरिडीह : ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में मल-कीचड़ प्रबंधन विषय पर आयोजित अफ्रीका-साउथ एशिया आनलाइन कानक्लेव एंड ट्रेनिग में गिरिडीह का डंका बजा है। स्वच्छ भारत मिशन के तहत गिरिडीह में कार्यरत जिला परामर्शी सुमन कुमारी को दूसरा स्थान प्राप्त हुआ है। टाप फाइव में धनबाद के भी जिला परामर्शी शामिल हैं। प्रशिक्षण के दौरान दिए गए कार्यों को समय पर करने और बेहतर प्रदर्शन के कारण सुमन का चयन दूसरे स्थान पर किया गया है। 25 देशों के 100 प्रतिभागियों ने लिया भाग : सेंटर फार साइंस एंड इंवायरेनमेंट नई दिल्ली की ओर से हुए प्रशिक्षण में भारत के अलावा बांग्लादेश, फिजी, अफ्रीका, इथोपिया सहित करीब 25 देशों के सौ प्रतिभागियों ने भाग लिया था। सभी प्रतिभागी अपने-अपने देश में पेयजल एवं स्वच्छता पर काम कर रहे हैं। प्रशिक्षण के दौरान सीएसई की डायरेक्टर जनरल सुनीता नारायण, इंवायरेनमेंटल हेल्थ, सैनिटेशन एंड हाईजीन सेक्शन मिनिस्ट्री आफ हेल्थ, कम्युनिटी डेवलपमेंट तंजानिया के असिस्टेंट डायरेक्टर खालिद मस्सा, यूनिसेफ के वाटर, सैनिटेशन एंड हाईजीन विशेषज्ञ सुजोय मजूमदार, मलेशिया के इंटरनेशनल एफएसएम कंसल्टेंट दोराई नारायण ने जूम मीटिग में जानकारियां दीं। वाट्सएप एक्सपर्ट सेशन व वीडियो क्लिप से ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में मल-कीचड़ प्रबंधन, शौचालय का रख-रखाव, ठोस एवं तरल कचरा का प्रबंधन, ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में आसान एवं उपयोगी शौचालय निर्माण तकनीक, शौचालय तक पानी की पहुंच पर विस्तार से बताया। रोज होता था क्विज : सुमन ने बताया कि प्रतिदिन अध्ययन करना था। अध्ययन के बाद किसी एक विषय पर क्विज होता था। उसमें भाग लेना था। सभी विषयों का प्रशिक्षण समाप्त होने पर फीडबैक फार्म एवं असाइनमेंट 15 सितंबर तक जमा करना था। सभी कार्यों का निष्पादन समय पर किया। प्रशिक्षण में उनका अच्छा प्रदर्शन रहा, जिस कारण टाप फाइव में दूसरे स्थान पर आ सकी। सभी विजेता प्रतिभागियों को सेंटर फार साइंस एंड इंवायरेनमेंट की ओर से प्रकाशित पत्रिका डाउन टु अर्थ का एक साल के लिए सब्सक्रिप्शन दिया जाएगा। इधर, पेयजल एवं स्वच्छता प्रमंडल-दो के कार्यपालक अभियंता मुकेश कुमार मंडल ने इस उपलब्धि पर सुमन को बधाई दी है। कहा कि सुमन ने पूरे झारखंड का मान बढ़ाया है।

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

What WHO’s new air quality guidelines say, and what it means for India

WHO's latest global air quality norms indicate that air pollutants are harmful to health at much lower levels than what was understood in 2005. After a gap of 15 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) released an updated version of the Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) which outlines the recommended air quality levels to protect the health of populations based on the latest scientific evidence from across the world. Since WHO’s last update in 2005, there has been a marked increase of evidence that shows how air pollution affects different aspects of health and makes continued exposure to it as deadly as other major global health risks such as unhealthy diet and tobacco smoking. Every year, exposure to air pollution is estimated to cause 7 million premature deaths globally. WHO’s new guidelines recommend air quality levels for six pollutants — particulate matter (PM), ozone (O₃), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and carbon monoxide (CO) — that are not just health hazards but they also give rise to other damaging pollutants. The health risks associated with particulate matter equal to or smaller than 10 and 2.5 micrometers in diameter — known as PM 10 and PM 2.5 respectively — are of particular concern. These can penetrate deep into the lungs. PM 2.5 can even enter the bloodstream, leading to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The 2021 guideline stipulates that the annual average for PM 10 should not exceed 15 micrograms per cubic metre of air, while the 24-hour average should not exceed 45 micrograms per cubic metre. Compared to this, the earlier limit was 20 micrograms per cubic metre annually and 50 micrograms per cubic metre in a day. Similarly, the recommendation for PM 2.5 is that the annual average should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic metre, or 15 micrograms per cubic metre in a day. The earlier limit was 10 micrograms per cubic metre annually and 25 micrograms per cubic metre in a day. Other recommendations say the ozone levels average should not exceed 100 micrograms per cubic metre over a 24-hour period, nitrogen oxide should not exceed 25 micrograms per cubic metre, sulphur dioxide should remain below 40 micrograms per cubic metre and carbon monoxide levels should not exceed more than 4 micrograms per cubic metre over the same time period. Urgent need to improve air quality Anumita Roychowdhury, an executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, said the key consideration in these guidelines was the effect on health and not the feasibility of achieving these levels. “What scientific evidence is now showing is that these air pollutants are harmful to the health at much lower levels than what was understood in 2005,” she told ThePrint. Going by these standards, most Indians breathe unacceptable levels of pollutants. To put these numbers in context, Roychowdhury pointed out that the average annual PM 2.5 levels in Delhi in 2020 was 98 µg/m3. “This was after Delhi has made huge improvements in its air quality levels over the last three years. But we need to continue to incrementally improve the air quality,” she added. Other Indian cities, which feature in the list of the world’s most polluted cities, have PM 2.5 levels much higher than the 2005 recommendations. This includes Ghaziabad, where the annual average for PM 2.5 levels was over 110 microgram per cubic metre in 2019. Noida and Gurgaon’s annual averages were 97 and 93 microgram per cubic metre respectively. In children, pollutants may reduce lung growth and function, cause respiratory infections and aggravated asthma. In adults, heart diseases and stroke are the most common causes of premature death, attributable to outdoor air pollution, and evidence is also emerging of other effects such as diabetes and neurodegenerative conditions. “WHO’s new Air Quality Guidelines are an evidence-based and practical tool for improving the quality of the air on which all life depends. I urge all countries and all those fighting to protect our environment to put them to use to reduce suffering and save lives,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

New WHO standards for air quality: Delhi needs to accelerate action, say experts

Experts say that the revised guidelines emphasize the need to accelerate action to deal with pollutants considering that Delhi’s air pollution levels are far from the National Air Quality Standards. The World Health Organisation (WHO) released its revised air quality guidelines on Wednesday, lowering the the recommended levels of pollutants from the existing guidelines that were framed in 2005. What do these revised guidelines mean for Delhi? Experts say that the revised guidelines emphasize the need to accelerate action to deal with pollutants considering that Delhi’s air pollution levels are far from the National Air Quality Standards. “In 2020, annual average PM2.5 levels for Delhi was roughly 98. We are way off the health-based target that WHO is talking about. If we have to make public health central to air pollution mitigation, we need aggressive strategies to reduce emissions at source,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, Executive Director for Research and Advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment. For PM2.5, the 24-hour average amount has been reduced from 25 micrograms per cubic metre to 15 micrograms per cubic metre. The amount for nitrogen dioxide has been reduced from 40 micrograms per cubic metre as an annual average to 10 micrograms per cubic metre. In India, the PM2.5 guideline for a 24-hour average is 40 micrograms per cubic metre, and 60 micrograms per cubic metre as an annual average. Similarly, for nitrogen dioxide, the Central Pollution Control Board’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards set 40 micrograms per cubic metre as an annual average and 80 micrograms per cubic metre as a 24-hour average. The guidelines set thresholds for air pollutants depending on their impact on health. The WHO said in a statement on Wednesday that almost all air quality guideline levels have been adjusted downwards, and warned that exceeding the new levels is associated with significant risks to health. “While we need to strengthen local action, we also need to scale that up across the region. Delhi has special challenges of location and climatic conditions – we’re landlocked, there’s winter inversion because of the cold. We have so much more to do. We are not even meeting our own National Air Quality Standard, which is an intermediate standard – a step towards the WHO guidelines. Stringent action will have to be taken on waste management, transport vehicles to cut down local sources of pollution,” Roy Chowdhury said. Sagnik Dey, Associate Professor, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT Delhi, said, “We are far away even from our own standards. Action will have to be accelerated to reduce air pollution because most north Indian States are way above the national standards. The first step is to achieve the interim target set by the National Clean Air Programme, which is a 20% to 30% decrease in pollutants, and then try to achieve the national standard, which is at 40 for PM2.5,” he said.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

क्या है WHO के नए एअर क्वॉलिटी गाइडलाइंस में, भारत के लिए इसके क्या मायने हैं

डब्ल्यूएचओ के नवीनतम वैश्विक वायु गुणवत्ता मानदंडों (ग्लोबल एअर क्वॉलिटी नॉर्म्स) से यह संकेत मिलता है कि वायु प्रदूषक तत्व मानव स्वास्थ्य के लिए 2005 में तय किए गये स्तर से बहुत निचले स्तर पर भी हानिकारक हैं. 15 वर्षों के अंतराल के बाद विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन ने वैश्विक वायु गुणवत्ता दिशानिर्देशों (ग्लोबल एअर क्वॉलिटी गाइडलाइंस) का एक नया और अद्यतन संस्करण जारी किया, जो पूरे विश्व से इकट्ठा किए गये नवीनतम वैज्ञानिक प्रमाणों के आधार पर इस दुनिया की समूची आबादी के स्वास्थ्य की रक्षा हेतु अनुशंसित वायु गुणवत्ता स्तरों की रूपरेखा तय करता है. इस बारे में डब्ल्यूएचओ द्वारा 2005 में दिए गये आखिरी अपडेट के बाद से इस तरह के सबूतों में उल्लेखनीय वृद्धि हुई है जो यह दर्शाते हैं कि कैसे वायु प्रदूषण स्वास्थ्य के विभिन्न पहलुओं को प्रभावित करता है और कैसे लगातार इसके संपर्क में रहना स्वास्थ्य के अन्य प्रमुख वैश्विक खतरों, जैसे अस्वास्थ्यकर आहार और धूम्रपान के बराबर ही घातक होता है. एक अनुमान के आधार पर हर साल वायु प्रदूषण के संपर्क में आने से वैश्विक स्तर पर 7 मिलियन (70 लाख) लोगों की समय से पहले ही मौत हो जाती है. डब्ल्यूएचओ के ये नए दिशानिर्देश मुख्यतः छह प्रदूषकों- पार्टिकुलेट मैटर (पीएम), ओजोन (O₃), नाइट्रोजन डाइऑक्साइड (NO₃) सल्फर डाइऑक्साइड (SO2) और कार्बन मोनोऑक्साइड (CO)- जो न केवल अपने आप में स्वास्थ्य के लिए बड़ा खतरा हैं बल्कि अन्य हानिकारक प्रदूषकों की मात्रा में भी वृद्धि करते हैं- के लिए वायु गुणवत्ता के स्तर तय करने की संस्तुति करते हैं. इसके अनुसार 10 और 2.5 माइक्रोमीटर व्यास के बराबर या उससे कम व्यास वाले पार्टिकुलेट मैटर (अभिकणीय पदार्थ)- जिन्हें क्रमशः पीएम 10 और पीएम 2.5 के रूप में जाना जाता है- से जुड़े स्वास्थ्य संबंधी खतरे विशेष तौर पर चिंता का विषय हैं. ये अतिसूक्ष्म कण फेफड़ों में गहराई तक प्रवेश कर सकते हैं और पीएम 2.5 तो रक्तप्रवाह में भी प्रवेश कर सकता है, जिससे हृदय और श्वसन संबंधी बीमारियां हो सकती हैं. 2021 की गाइडलाइन में कहा गया है कि हवा में पीएम 10 का वार्षिक औसत 15 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति क्यूबिक (घन) मीटर से अधिक नहीं होना चाहिए, जबकि 24 घंटे के दरम्यान यह औसत 45 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर से अधिक नहीं होना चाहिए. इसकी तुलना में पहले इन की सीमा 20 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर प्रति वर्ष और एक दिन में 50 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर थी. इसी तरह, पीएम 2.5 के लिए की गयी संस्तुति के अनुसार इसका वार्षिक औसत 5 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर या एक दिन में 15 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर से अधिक नहीं होना चाहिए. पहले की गाइडलाइन में यह सीमा 10 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर सालाना और एक दिन में 25 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर थी. इस गाइडलाइन की अन्य सिफारिशों में कहा गया है कि 24 घंटे की अवधि के दौरान ओजोन का स्तर का औसत रूप से 100 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर से अधिक नहीं होना चाहिए, वहीं नाइट्रोजन ऑक्साइड 25 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर से अधिक नहीं होना चाहिए. सल्फर डाइऑक्साइड के मामले में यह 40 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर से नीचे रहना चाहिए और कार्बन मोनोऑक्साइड का स्तर इसी समयावधि में 4 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर से अधिक नहीं होना चाहिए. वायु की गुणवत्ता में सुधार की तत्काल आवश्यकता सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी का कहना है कि इन दिशानिर्देशों में मुख्य ध्यान इनका स्वास्थ्य पर पड़ने वाला प्रभाव था न कि इन स्तरों को प्राप्त करने की व्यवहार्यता के प्रति. उन्होंने दिप्रिंट को बताया, ‘वैज्ञानिक प्रमाणों से अब जो दिख रहा है वह यह है कि ये वायु प्रदूषक स्वास्थ्य के लिए 2005 की तुलना में बहुत निचले स्तर पर भी हानिकारक हैं. इन मानकों के अनुसार तो अधिकांश भारतीय इन प्रदूषकों के स्वीकार्य ना किया जा सकने वाले स्तरों में ही सांस लेते हैं.’ इन आंकड़ों के संदर्भ को स्पष्ट करने के लिए रॉय चौधरी ने बताया कि साल 2020 में दिल्ली में पीएम 2.5 का स्तर औसत वार्षिक 98 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर था. उन्होने कहा, ‘यह तब था जब कि दिल्ली ने पिछले तीन वर्षों में अपने वायु गुणवत्ता के स्तर में काफी अधिक सुधार किया है. लेकिन हमें हवा की गुणवत्ता में लगातार सुधार जारी रखने की जरूरत है.’ दुनिया के सबसे प्रदूषित शहरों की सूची में शामिल अन्य भारतीय शहरों में पीएम 2.5 का स्तर 2005 में की गई सिफारिशों की तुलना में काफी अधिक है. इसमें गाजियाबाद भी शामिल है, जहां 2019 में पीएम 2.5 के स्तर का वार्षिक औसत 110 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर से अधिक था. इसी तरह नोएडा और गुड़गांव का वार्षिक औसत क्रमशः 97 और 93 माइक्रोग्राम प्रति घन मीटर था. बच्चों के मामले में, ये प्रदूषक तत्व फेफड़ों की वृद्धि और कार्यशीलता को कम कर सकते हैं तथा श्वसन संबंधी संक्रमण और अस्थमा को बढ़ावा दे सकते हैं. वयस्कों में, हृदय रोग और हृदयाघात बाहरी वायु प्रदूषण के कारण होने वाली असामयिक मृत्यु के सबसे आम कारण हैं. साथ ही मधुमेह और न्यूरोडीजेनेरेटिव कंडीशन्स के रूप में इसके अन्य प्रभावों के प्रमाण भी सामने आ रहे हैं. इस बारे में डब्ल्यूएचओ के महानिदेशक टेड्रोस एडनॉम घेब्येयियस ने एक बयान में कहा कि ‘डब्ल्यूएचओ के नए वायु गुणवत्ता दिशानिर्देश हवा की गुणवत्ता में सुधार के लिए एक साक्ष्य-आधारित और व्यावहारिक उपकरण हैं, जिस पर हमारा सारा-का-सारा जन-जीवन निर्भर करता है. मैं सभी देशों और उन सभी लोगों से आग्रह करता हूं जो हमारे पर्यावरण की रक्षा करने के लिए संघर्ष कर रहे हैं कि वे लोगों की पीड़ा को कम करने और मानव जीवन को बचाने के लिए इनका उपयोग करें.’

DTE - Web

Mauritius ranks first in Africa in Global Innovation Index 2021

Mauritius, unlike most African countries, has a high human development score. Its economy has grown robustly in the last half a century, especially in financial services, tourism and information technology. It was followed by South Africa (61), Tunisia (71) and Kenya (85) in terms of innovation, according to the 15th edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII 2021) released September 21, 2021. The GII 2021 was published by World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in partnership with the Portulans Institute, an independent nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute based in Washington DC. 10 countries improved ranking Kenya and Tanzania are among developing economies that have performed above expectations on innovation relative to their economic development, the index showed. They have retained their position in the top 100 and improved their performance over time. Rwanda (102) regained the first position in the low-income group after ranking second in 2020. It ranked 1st in 2015, 2016 and 2019 and has been consistently in the top three of its income group since 2014. As many as nine other economies in Africa moved up the GII ranks since 2020: Kenya (85), Cape Verde (89), Egypt (94), Namibia (100), Malawi (107), Madagascar (110), Zimbabwe (113), Burkina Faso (115) and Algeria (120). Cape Verde improved its rank considerably from 103 in 2013, the authors of the report noted. The GII ranking is based on performance across seven pillars: Institutions Human capital and research Infrastructure Market sophistication Business sophistication’ Knowledge and technology outputs Creative outputs The sub-Saharan Africa region performed the best in the ‘institutions’ category. This is based on the political, regulatory and business environment for strengthening institutions. Mauritius ranked the highest in the region in the following categories: Institutions (rank 21), infrastructure (65) and creative outputs (31). Namibia came first in ‘human capital and research (57) and South Africa in ‘market sophistication’ (23), ‘business sophistication’ (51) as well as ‘knowledge and technology outputs’ (61). Mauritius also fared well in various categories globally. It stood 21st in ‘institutions’ and 31 in ‘creative outputs’. It needs to work towards improving its performance under ‘business sophistication’ (111) and ‘knowledge and technology outputs’ (93). Angola in Africa ranked lowest in the global ranking Venture capital deals grew The number of venture capital (VC) deals grew by 5.8 per cent globally in 2020, exceeding the indicator’s 10-year average growth rate of 3.6 per cent, said WIPO in the report. Africa too made significant progress last year, with its VC deals growing by 82.7 per cent. “As the world rebuilds after the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, it is essential to utilise innovation for deepening the transformation of our economies and societies for the good of all,” said Daren Tang, director-general, WIPO. The global change in the ‘innovation landscape’ is slow and not at the desired pace, the authors pointed out.

DTE - Web

Extreme weather events in India made women, children more vulnerable to modern slavery, flags report -Kiran Pandey

Cyclones in India, particularly in the Sundarbans, made locals vulnerable to traffickers and drove them into forced labour, the report flagged Climate change-induced extreme weather events put women, children and minorities at risk of modern slavery and human trafficking. The phenomenon is on the rise in India, among other countries, warned the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and Anti-Slavery International in a recent report. Modern slavery — including debt bondage, bonded labour, early / forced marriage and human trafficking — converge with climate change, particularly climate shocks and climate-related forced displacement and migration, the report said.

Sustainable Food Systems

CSE calls for law on front-of-pack labelling on packaged junk foods

Sustainable Mobility

इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल के 30%@2030 के लक्ष्य से कोसोें दूर है झारखंड, 78.88% CAGR की जरूरत

झारखंड इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल के 2030 तक 30 प्रतिशत हिस्सेदारी के लक्ष्य को हासिल करने से काफी पिछड़ चुका है। जब देश के कई राज्यों ने जीरो कार्बन उत्सर्जन के लक्ष्य को हासिल करने की दिशा में 2023 व 2030 के लिए लक्ष्य निर्धारित कर उस दिशा में बढने की शुरुआत कर दी थी तो झारखंड फिलहाल इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल पॉलिसी के प्रारूप पर ही चर्चा कर रहा है। झारखंड के मुख्यमंत्री हेमंत सोरेन (Hemant Soren) ने पिछले ही महीने नई दिल्ली में आयोजित इनवेस्टर्स मीट में इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल की पॉलिसी की चर्चा की। हालांकि इस प्रस्ताव के प्रारूप को अबतक सार्वजनिक नहीं किया गया है। झारखंड इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल के 2030 तक 30 प्रतिशत हिस्सेदारी के लक्ष्य को हासिल करने से काफी पिछड़ चुका है। जब देश के कई राज्यों ने जीरो कार्बन उत्सर्जन के लक्ष्य को हासिल करने की दिशा में 2023 व 2030 के लिए लक्ष्य निर्धारित कर उस दिशा में बढने की शुरुआत कर दी थी तो झारखंड फिलहाल इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल पॉलिसी के प्रारूप पर ही चर्चा कर रहा है। झारखंड के मुख्यमंत्री हेमंत सोरेन (Hemant Soren) ने पिछले ही महीने नई दिल्ली में आयोजित इनवेस्टर्स मीट में इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल की पॉलिसी की चर्चा की। हालांकि इस प्रस्ताव के प्रारूप को अबतक सार्वजनिक नहीं किया गया है। मुख्यमंत्री हेमंत सोरेन ने 27 अगस्त 2021 को नई दिल्ली में राज्य सरकार की ओर से आयोजित इन्वेस्टर्स मीट में निवेशकों से कहा, प्रस्तावित इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल पॉलिसी आप लोगों के सामने प्रस्तुत है। अगर हम भविष्य की ओर देखें तो मेरा मानना है कि इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल भविष्य का व्हीकलहै, जहां हम जितना चाहें उतना कर सकते हैं। मुख्यमंत्री हेमंत सोरेन ने अगले दिन इस सम्मेलन में कहा कि रिन्यूबल एनर्जी में हम एक बड़ा प्रोजेक्ट लेकर आ रहे हैं। सीएम सोरन इस निवेश सम्मेलन में निवेशकों को आकर्षित करने के लिए नयी निवेश नीति की घोषणा की और उन्होंने व मुख्य सचिव सुखदेव सिंह ने सिंगल विंडो सिस्टम जैसी सुविधाएं देने का वादा किया। हालांकि इस कथन पर दो राय नहीं हो सकती है कि 2050 तक शून्य कार्बन उत्सर्जन के लक्ष्य को हासिल करने के लिए इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल ही भविष्य के वाहन हैं, लेकिन राज्य इस बड़े उद्देश्य को हासिल करने में देश के कई राज्यों से पिछड़ चुका है, जबकि देश खुद इस लक्ष्य को हासिल करने के लिए जो रफ्तार चाहिए उससे काफी धीमी गति से आगे बढ रहा है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड इनवायरमेंट – CSE (Centre for Science and Environment) ने अपने एक हालिया अध्ययन के आधार पर भारत के इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल पॉलिसी एवं प्रोग्राम को ए केस ऑफ मिस्ड अपरच्यूनिटी (a case of missed opportunities) यानी अवसर गंवा देने का मामला करार दिया है। अपने अध्ययन के आधार पर सीइसी ने कहा है कि भारत को 30%@2030 के लक्ष्य को हासिल करने के लिए 46 प्रतिशत सीएजीआर (Compound Annual Growth Rate – चक्रवृद्धि वार्षिक वृद्धि दर) से आगे बढना होगा। अगर भारत इस दर से आगे बढता है तो वह 2030 तक न्यूनतम लक्ष्य 30 प्रतिशत इलेक्ट्रिक वेहकिल बिक्री को हासिल कर सकेगा, हालांकि यह अलग बात है कि इसका उच्चतम लक्ष्य नीति आयोग ने 70 प्रतिशत व SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) ने 40 प्रतिशत रखा है। अगर झारखंड की इन आंकड़ों से तुलना करें तो इसे अगले नौ साल में न्यूनतम लक्ष्य हासिल करने के लिए 78.88 प्रतिशत की रफ्तार से इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल के क्षेत्र में आगे बढना होगा। यह एक बहुत बड़ा लक्ष्य है और इसे हासिल करने के लिए बेहद ठोस नीति व कार्ययोजना की जरूरत होगी, जिसका अभी राज्य को इंतजार है। राज्य में इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल को लेकर ठोस नीति के अभाव में इस ओर वाहन खरीदारों का रूझान काफी कम है। देश में जहां इस महीने के पूर्वार्द्ध तक कुल वाहनों में 1 प्रतिशत से कुछ कम इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल रजिस्टर्ड हुए हैं, वहीं झारखंड में यह मात्र 0.159 प्रतिशत है। साढे तीन करोड़ की आबादी वाले राज्य झारखंड में प्रति महीने रजिस्टर्ड होने वाले इलेक्ट्रिक वेहकिल के आंकड़े तीन अंकों में सीमित हैं। आंकड़े नीचे देखें : 20 सितंबर 2021 तक के सरकार के उपलब्ध आंकड़ें के अनुसार, झारखंड में जहां 9,49,020 लाख डीजल वाहन व 50,83,240 पेट्रोल वाहन रजिस्टर्ड हैं, वहीं इलेक्ट्रिक(बीओवी) वाहन मात्र 9798 रजिस्टर्ड हैं। सीएनजी संचालित वाहन 1282, डीजल/हाइब्रिड 3711, इथेनॉल के दो, सिर्फ एलपीजी के 17 एवं पेट्रोल/सीएनजी के 4233 व पेट्रोल/हाइब्रिड के 5935 एवं पेट्रोल/एलपीजी के 311 वाहन रजिस्टर्ड हैं। राज्य में कुल रजिस्टर्ड वाहनों की संख्या 61,47489 है। इस साल 20 सितंबर 2021 तक रजिस्टर्ड हुए कुल 3,28,347 वाहनों में इलेक्ट्रिक वाहनों की संख्या 1819 है जो आधे प्रतिशत से थोड़ा अधिक यानी 0.55 प्रतिशत है। वहीं, पिछले साल रजिस्टर्ड हुए कुल 4,82,852 वाहनों में इलेक्ट्रिक वेहकिल की संख्या 1516 थी। यानी साल-दर-साल इसमें बेहद मामूली इजाफा आप आंकड़ों को बारीक विश्लेषण करने पर देख सकते हैं, लेकिन यह स्वतः है जो इंगित करती है कि उपभोक्ताओं की इसमें रुचि है, लेकिन ग्राहक व मैन्युफेक्चरर उसके लेकर एक ठोस नीति देखना चाहते हैं। क्या इलेक्ट्रिक वेहकिल आम लोगों के लिए कम भरोसेमंद हैं? भारत में इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल का चलन आरंभिक दौर में है। और, जब किसी नई चीज का चलन आरंभ होता है तो उसकी विश्वसनीयता व टिकाऊपन पर बार-बार सवाल उठाये जाते हैं। हमने सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड इनवारमेंट की विशेषज्ञ से यह सवाल पूछा। इस सवाल के जवाब में सीएसइ की सीनियर प्रोग्राम मैनेजर (स्वच्छ हवा और सतत गतिशीलता कार्यक्रम) मौसमी मोहंती स्वच्छ हवा और सतत गतिशीलता कार्यक्रमने कहा, इलेक्ट्रिक वाहन भरोसेमंद हैं और इस पर सवाल नहीं उठाया जा सकता, इनकी तुलना में पेट्रोल-डीजल के वाहन अधिक जटिल होते हैं। वहीं, इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल में जटिलता नहीं होती। मौसमी मोहंती ने कहा, इलेक्ट्रिक व्हीकल में जो कुछ जटिलताएं हैं, वह सॉफ्टवेयर की वजह से हैं। उस पर काम करने की जरूरत है। आगे की राह क्या हो सकती है? सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड इनवायरमेंट ने अपने अध्ययन के आधार पर देश के लिए जो प्रमुख सुझाव दिए हैं, उसे झारखंड के संदर्भ में भी देखा जा सकता है। सीएसइ ने कहा है कि जबकि प्रोत्साहन आधारित नीतियां मौजूद हैं, तो शून्य उत्सर्जन वाहन को लेकर स्पष्ट शासनादेश की आवश्यकता है। यह बाजार को एक निश्चितता प्रदान कर सकता है, निवेशकों को प्रोत्साहित कर सकता है। इसके साथ ही कुछ सवालों को एड्रेस करने की आवश्यकता है। इसमें उद्योगों को लचीलापन प्रदान करना, मजबूत आपूर्ति व बड़े मॉडल की उपलब्धता सुनिश्चित करना व विषम लागत महत्वपूर्ण बिंदु हैं।

DTE - Web

Extreme weather events in India made women, children more vulnerable to modern slavery, flags report

Source(s) Down To Earth Climate change-induced extreme weather events put women, children and minorities at risk of modern slavery and human trafficking. The phenomenon is on the rise in India, among other countries, warned the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and Anti-Slavery International in a recent report. [...] The delta region is characterised by intense, recurrent and sudden onset disasters, as well as slow onset ecological degradation making large areas uninhabitable. Rising sea levels, erratic rainfall, increased frequency of cyclones, tidal surges and floods, mean that millions of people across the Sundarbans are unable to work for most of the year. [...] A case study from Accra in Ghana showed that after drought, the young men and women in northern Ghana were forced to migrate to major cities. The women worked as porters and are at risk of trafficking, sexual exploitation and debt bondage. Several ongoing initiatives — including the Warsaw International Mechanism Task Force on Displacement (WIM TFD), the Sendai Framework, etc — should be coordinated to increase understanding of, and response to, growing risks of climate-induced migration / displacement and exposure to modern slavery.

Sustainable Food Systems

Junk food must carry ‘warning’ label: Centre for Science and Environment

Environment think tank Centre for Science and Environment has demanded that junk food must carry a warning label. Environment think tank Centre for Science and Environment’s latest analysis on food labelling has called for a law on front-of-pack labelling that can inform Indian consumers about unhealthy packaged junk foods in a simple and effective way. The CSE has demanded that junk food must carry a warning label. “Countries are working to find ways to nudge consumers into healthy food choices and to contain the growing crisis of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart ailments. It is a crisis that increasingly impacts children and also worsens the Covid-19 symptoms,” said Sunita Narain, CSE director general. She added that “Front-of-pack labelling is definitely an effective tool in this effort. The current nutrition information on the food pack only helps the industry to keep consumers confused and does not let them know about how bad their food is." The analysis states that even after seven years, four committees and two draft regulations, India does not have the much-needed front-of-pack labelling law to ‘warn’ consumers about harmful levels of fat, salt and sugar hiding in ultra-processed junk foods. Amit Khurana, director, food safety and toxins programme at CSE, said that CSE was part of the FSSAI-constituted committee that first proposed front-of-pack labelling in India in 2014. A working group was formed to look into the issue of thresholds following a CSE study (December 2019) which said that most popular packaged junk foods have salt and fat content several times higher than the thresholds proposed by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in its labelling drafts of 2018 and 2019; therefore, they would have been marked ‘red’ as per the proposed law at that time. “We also opposed the last-minute FSSAI proposal of including positive nutrients in the label. We are certain that it will only give industry a chance to claim its bad food as good food and mislead the consumer. These recent consultations were like one step forward and two steps backwards. We are far behind where we were in 2018 and we do not know which way it will go,” said Amit Khurana. The CSE analysis also recommends what should be done in the case of India. For example, nutrient-specific and symbol-based ‘warning’ labels should be adopted. Israel’s ‘warning’ label, which is symbol-based, is better than that of Chile, which only has text. It will help transcend the barriers of language and illiteracy, a statement issued by the CSE added. In addition to calories, nutrients which are most useful for consumers to know should be displayed. These include salt, total sugar and total fat (in addition to saturated fat, if not instead of them). The thresholds proposed by FSSAI in its 2018 draft should be adopted and if new thresholds are developed, they should be in line with best practices of the world. These limits should be set in the interest of consumers and not as per the convenience of the industry, a statement issued by the CSE said.

Sustainable Mobility

A mobility roadmap for circular economy

The automotive industry has seen rapid introduction of new materials and electronics, all of which can potentially help a vehicle achieve greater levels of sustainability. There is an opportunity today to leverage the scrappage policy to create a new business model and extend the auto ecosystem. The scrappage policy also provides an opportunity for the sector to transition into a circular economy, whereby the value embedded in ELVs’ (end-of-life vehicles) components and materials is recaptured through reuse, recycling and recovery. A well-established treatment route can help maximise the preservation of material quality and make automotive OEMs/suppliers rethink the ways vehicles and their materials are designed, constructed, used and handled at the end of life. Governments around the world are looking to provide support to their automotive industries in response to the slowdown brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Stimulus packages that support decarbonisation of the vehicle fleet through increased efficiency and electrification can aid in these economic recovery efforts. In this context, several governments have been considering the implementation of a new generation of incentives and scrappage programmes to boost the local automotive value chain through vehicle sales, while increasing fuel efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions from road transport. Internationally, 85-95% of the vehicle is recovered with vehicle designs being well suited for easy dismantling and disposal. As per the Directive on End-of Life Vehicle 2000/53/EC and Japan Automotive Recyclers Alliance, 2010, Europe and Japan have led the way and mandated 90-95% of vehicle recovery from 2015. India can learn from other nations and adopt a path that focuses on multidimensional aspects of recycling and remanufacturing components. According to the Centre for Science & Environment 2020 report, air pollution from older vehicles requires urgent attention in India. A quick review of the emissions factors for different generation of vehicle technologies shows that there is a significant difference in emissions rates between old and new vehicles. For instance, old heavy-duty diesel trucks meeting BS1 norms can spew 36 times more particulate matter (PM) compared to BS6-compliant trucks. Replacement of old commercial vehicles having better performance will result in reduction of fuel bills. Reduction in oil imports is estimated to be `9,550 crore (2025). Currently, the scrapping market in India is extremely unorganised and a reliable collection of scrap vehicles while also preventing illegal dumping becomes paramount. This risk can be reduced if organised players enter the ecosystem with a centralised management system for scrap vehicles (similar to VAHAN for vehicle sales). While there is a lot more work to be done in the future, the scrappage policy does bring to the table many positives. It should lead to reduction in emissions, act as a catalyst for vehicle sales, save on imported raw materials, and expand the overall automotive ecosystem including fitness centres, new aspects of supply chain, scrapping centres and automation.

Sustainable Food Systems

Junk foods must carry a ‘warning’ label: CSE

Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) latest analysis on food labelling has called for a law on front-of-pack labelling that can inform the Indian consumer about unhealthy packaged junk foods in a simple and effective way. The analysis has been published in the latest issue of Down To Earth. “Countries are working to find ways to nudge consumers into healthy food choices and to contain the growing crisis of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart ailments. It is a crisis that increasingly impacts children and also worsens the Covid-19 symptoms,” says Sunita Narain, director general, CSE and editor of Down To Earth. “Front-of-pack labelling is definitely an effective tool in this effort. The current nutrition information on the food pack only helps the industry to keep consumers confused and does not let them know about how bad their food is,” adds Narain. The analysis systematically presents how after seven years, four committees and two draft regulations, India still does not have the much-needed front-of pack labelling law to ‘warn’ consumers about harmful levels of fat, salt and sugar hiding in ultra-processed junk foods. “CSE was part of the FSSAI-constituted committee that first proposed front-of-pack labelling in India in 2014. Ever since, the packaged junk food industry is pushing hard to delay it and make it weak,” says Amit Khurana, director, food safety and toxins programme at CSE and lead author of the analysis. “While the lobbying by powerful industry is not surprising, the real concern is that the FSSAI has been hesitant to take a strong stand to protect the interest of consumers and public health,” adds Khurana. The authors of the analysis, who were also part of the 2021 stakeholder consultations organised by the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India), have also elaborated on how these consultations have not made meaningful progress and instead have opened possibilities for front-of-pack labelling options, which are weak, regressive and preferred by industry. Another study is now proposed by FSSAI to analyse major front-of-pack labelling models to identify ease of understanding and behavioural change of Indian consumers. The analysis clearly enumerates how the draft thresholds (limits above which a product could be marked unhealthy) proposed by the FSSAI-constituted working group have suited the packaged food industry, as they were much relaxed than those proposed by FSSAI in its earlier labelling drafts of 2018 and 2019 as well as those adopted by countries with best practices. The draft proposed thresholds have now been put on hold; most consumer organisations had opposed them. This working group was formed to look into the issue of thresholds following a CSE study (December 2019) which said that most popular packaged junk foods have salt and fat content several times higher than the thresholds proposed by FSSAI in its labelling drafts of 2018 and 2019; therefore, they would have been marked ‘red’ as per the proposed law at that time. “We also opposed the last-minute FSSAI proposal of including ‘positive nutrients’ in the label. We are certain that it will only give industry a chance to claim its bad food as good food and mislead the consumer. These recent consultations were like one-step forward and two-steps backwards. We are far behind where we were in 2018 and we do not know which way it will go,” said Khurana. The analysis outlines different types of front-of-pack labelling systems adopted in several countries and their limitations and effectiveness to inform consumers and change towards healthier food choices. In particular, it presents characteristics of ‘warning’ labels and how based on evidence they have been the choice of several countries in the last five years. It also recommends what should be done in the case of India. For example, nutrient specific and symbol-based ‘warning’ labels should be adopted. Israel’s ‘warning’ label, which is symbol-based. is better than that of Chile that only has text. It will help transcend the barriers of language and illiteracy. “If the government is serious to fight obesity and diet-related NCD epidemic, then it should soon make a law to make front-of-pack labelling mandatory. It should opt for symbol-based ‘warning’ label. FSSAI has experience of logos that depict vegetarian and non-vegetarian food and is aware how successful and effective such a label can be,” says Narain. The CSE analysis recommends that in addition to calories, nutrients which are most useful for consumers to know should be displayed. These include salt, total sugar and total fat (in addition to saturated fat, if not instead of them). The thresholds proposed by FSSAI in its 2018 draft should be adopted and if new thresholds are developed, they should be in line with best practices from the world. These limits should be set in the interest of consumers and not as per convenience of the industry.

Sustainable Food Systems

CSE calls for law on front-of-pack labelling on packaged junk foods

To help India fight obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) epidemic, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has called for a law on front-of-pack labelling to inform the consumers about the unhealthy packaged junk foods, enabling them to make informed decisions about what they intake. "Countries are working to find ways to nudge the consumers into healthy food choices and to contain the growing crisis of obesity and diet-related NCDs such as diabetes, hypertension and heart ailments. It is a crisis that increasingly impacts children and also worsens the Covid-19 symptoms," said Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE, and editor of 'Down To Earth' that carried the analysis. The analysis underlined how even after seven years, four committees and two draft regulations, India still does not have the much-needed front-of-pack labelling law to warn the consumers about the harmful levels of fat, salt and sugar hiding in ultra-processed junk foods. "The CSE was part of the FSSAI-constituted committee that first proposed front-of-pack labelling in India in 2014. Ever since, the packaged junk food industry is pushing hard to delay it and make it weak," said Amit Khurana, Director, food safety and toxins programme at the CSE, and the lead author of the analysis. Also the part of the 2021 stakeholder consultations organised by the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India), the authors have elaborated on how these consultations have not made meaningful progress and instead have opened possibilities for front-of-pack labelling options preferred by the industry. The analysis clearly enumerates how the draft thresholds - limits above which a product could be marked unhealthy - proposed by the FSSAI-constituted working group have suited the packaged food industry, as they were much relaxed than those proposed by the FSSAI in its earlier labelling drafts of 2018 and 2019 as well as those adopted by countries with best practices. The proposed thresholds have now been put on hold after most consumer organisations opposed them. This working group was formed to look into the issue of thresholds following a CSE study in December 2019, which said that most popular packaged junk foods have salt and fat content several times higher than the thresholds proposed by the FSSAI in its labelling drafts of 2018 and 2019. Therefore, they would have been marked 'red' as per the proposed law at that time. "We also opposed the last-minute FSSAI proposal of including 'positive nutrients' in the label. We are certain that it will only give the industry a chance to claim its bad food as good food and mislead the consumer. These recent consultations were like one-step forward and two-steps backwards. We are far behind than where we were in 2018 and we do not know which way it will go," said Khurana.

Sustainable Food Systems