Centre for Science and Environment masthead Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Donate

Cse In News

Cse In News

WHO to take decision on Covaxin's EUL listing in August first week

WHO has so far approved COVID-19 vaccines belonging to Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca- SK Bio/SII, Johnson & Johnson Janssen, Moderna and Sinopharm for The World Health Organisation (WHO) is likely to take a decision on the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin in the first week of August. WHO's Emergency Use Listing is important for the vaccine company to supply vaccines for global facilities such as Covax or international procurement. WHO's Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan, while speaking at a webinar organised by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on July 9, 2021 said that WHO is reviewing Covaxin as its manufacturer Bharat Biotech is now uploading its entire data on the health body's portal. What all is required for WHO's EUL Listing? • A vaccine company has to follow a certain process to get WHO's EUL listing such as completing phase 3 trials and submitting the whole data to WHO's regulatory department, which will then be examined by an expert advisory group. • The data includes safety and efficacy for the vaccine and also the manufacturing quality and standard. • As per WHO guidelines, Emergency Use Listing is a procedure to streamline the process by which new or unlicensed products can be used during public health emergencies. • Bharat Biotech has already submitted the required data and WHO is expected to announce the decision on its inclusion in 4-6 weeks. Covaxin • India's indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin has showed 63.6 percent efficacy against the Delta variant of Covid-19, which is currently spreading cross the world. • It has demonstrated 93.4 percent efficacy against severe symptomatic Covid-19 and 63.6 percent against asymptomatic Covid-19. • The trial was conducted on 25,800 participants and the data submitted to the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) showed the vaccine was "well-tolerated."

Decision on emergency use listing of Covaxin likely in 4-6 weeks: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) is likely to take a decision on including Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin in the emergency use list (EUL) within four to six weeks, Soumya Swaminathan, the global health body's chief scientist has said. Speaking at a webinar organised by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Friday, Swaminathan said the WHO is reviewing Covaxin as its manufacturer Bharat Biotech is now uploading its entire data on the health body's portal. According to WHO guidelines, EUL is a procedure to streamline the process by which new or unlicensed products can be used during public health emergencies. There is a process to be followed for EUL and pre-qualification of vaccines under which a company has to complete phase 3 trials and submit the whole data to the regulatory department of WHO which is examined by an expert advisory group, Swaminathan said.

Alert: Chemical in cosmetics

There was excessive use of hazardous heavy metals, including mercury, in many of the products. This accumulates over time causing skin issues. A study by the American Environment Working Group shows that a person can apply up to 168 different chemicals on their skin. In another study done by the Pollution Monitoring Lab at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in 2014, it was seen that leading cosmetics brands both Indian and abroad used toxic chemicals in some of their products. There was excessive use of hazardous heavy metals, including mercury, in many of the products. This accumulates over time causing skin issues. The most prominent preservatives are parabens and sulfates. Since the 1920s, parabens have been added to beauty care products to slow down the rate of biodegradation of the ingredients used in them. They help increase the product’s shelf life. However, parabens can cause hormonal imbalance, fertility issues, and increase the chances of getting breast cancer. Sulfates, SLS or SLES found in shampoos and body washes are skin irritants that can lead to excessive dryness, dermatitis, itchy skin, and eczema. For those prone to acne, sulfates can clog pores. Also, mineral oil is your worst enemy as it forms a barrier over the skin and clogs the pores. Phthalate, often shown as a synthetic fragrance, is harmful for young children. In India, a chemical preservative called hexachlorophene is banned for use in beauty products but is still found in some products. Similarly, manufacturers have been asked to control the use of fluoride in toothpaste. If included, it has to be mentioned on the packaging. To control the use of such toxins in beauty products, the government is working on setting up a Central Cosmetics Laboratory that will keep track of the actives being put into creams and lotions. Now it has become compulsory for beauty care product manufacturers to declare all the ingredients that they are including, so it is your job as a consumer to read the fine print carefully. The author is Co-founder, WOW Skin Science, a #MakeInIndia skincare and wellness brand

Only 1 per cent of population in low-income countries vaccinated; in high-income nations, the figure is 48.3 per cent – say experts at CSE-Down To Earth global webinar

The vaccination drive to combat Covid-19 is one of the most anticipated events of our times, but severe vaccine “apartheid” and inequity across the world is threatening to derail the fight against the virus – said experts speaking at a global webinar here today. Covid-19 has already infected 184,572,371 people globally and claimed 3,997,640 lives. A mere 24.7 per cent of the world population has received at least one dose till date. However, most of these doses have been hogged by the rich countries. At the webinar on ‘Vaccines for all’, some of the world’s top experts came together to examine the race between the virus, its variants and vaccines, and the question of inequity. The webinar was addressed by Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist, World Health Organization; Shabir A Madhi, professor of vaccinology and dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa; Leena Menghaney, regional head (South Asia), Access Campaign for Medicines Sans Frontiers; and Vibha Varshney, associate editor, Down To Earth. CSE director general Dr. Sunita Narain anchored the discussions. Speaking at the webinar, Sunita Narain pointed out: “As early as April 2020, COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access or COVAX, an alliance between WHO, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, was set up to accelerate the development and production of and equitable access to vaccines. Yet, a year later, shortages and inequitable distribution of doses threatens to derail this largest vaccination campaign the world has ever seen.” Gross inequity For an estimated global adult population of 5.5 billion, 11 billion vaccine doses are needed. Of this, 3.32 billion doses have already been administered. “The industry seems to have promised overambitious production numbers without actually setting its house in order. The unavailability of enough raw materials is likely to make matters worse,” says Vibha Varshney. About 48.3 per cent of people in high-income countries have been vaccinated. The percentage drops to 33.8, 13.2 and a mere 1 per cent in middle-income, lower-middle income and low-income countries, respectively. Under COVAX (with 180 participating countries) rich countries pay for vaccines, and 92 low- and middle-income countries are subsidised. Serum Institute of India (SII) has to provide one billion of the doses under COVAX. The initiative has been facing acute shortfall after SII slipped on the delivery timeline because of a surge in cases in India. COVAX has also been criticised for allocating vaccines in proportion to population sizes, which is not the best public health metric. As a result, it has short-changed nations in desperate need of vaccines, while providing it to others that have comparatively fewer cases. The alliance also does not consider countries’ capacities to roll out massive immunisation campaigns,” says Down To Earth in a report it has published earlier. What the WHO is saying – Soumya Swaminathan Speaking at the webinar, Swaminathan pointed out that the ongoing spike in many countries is worrying mainly because the cases of Delta variant are rising sharply. “There had been a hope that the number of daily deaths will decrease, but they have been increasing as well,” she said. Swaminathan said COVAX has mobilized significant amount of resources and access to the vaccines, but due to supply considerations, most of the roll-out is now going to happen in the last quarter of 2021. She also listed some of the reasons for the relatively slow uptake of the vaccines — lack of knowledge and information, operational issues, and apprehensions about vaccination, among others. “WHO’s initial 20 per cent goal of vaccine coverage was aimed at covering the vulnerable in each country, the idea being that healthcare and frontline workers and the elderly should be covered so that the mortality rate is brought down. The goal has now been revised to 40 per cent coverage in each country by the end of this year, and 70 per cent by the middle of the next year,” she said. Swaminathan thinks the big challenge in vaccine research is “the need for well-designed effectiveness trials in multiple countries”. The only way to increase supplies right now, according to her, is dose-sharing by countries that have already vaccinated more than 40 per cent of their population. The question of TRIPS and Big Pharma Perhaps the biggest spanner in the works of the vaccination drive are powerful multinational pharmaceutical companies encouraged by prevaricating governments of high-income countries. Big Pharma is not willing to part with scientific know-how on the vaccines. They are protected by World Trade Organisation (WTO)’s strict trade-related intellectual property rights (TRIPS). While it is true that many developing nations do not have the capacity to manufacture vaccines, even those that do are seriously hampered by TRIPS. “When COVAX was set up, the world’s richest countries went ahead and donated to COVAX but then tied up supplies to themselves first. The disparity in access that we see today is the direct result of this strategy,” said Leena Menghaney, speaking at the webinar. Developed countries could do this because of concentration of manufacturing in these geographical location and control of manufacturing through a variety of business strategies including IPR, says Menghaney. COVAX can procure only WHO-approved vaccines, explained Varshney. The UN agency has given a nod to just six of the 17 vaccines that are being administered in different countries across the world. Of these, Covishield, manufactured by SII, is the cheapest at around US $3 a dose. The other vaccines cost anywhere between $1 and $40, as manufacturers are selling them at different prices to different countries to maximise profits. How is Africa faring – the Valleys of Death In his presentation, Shabir Madhi said that cases in Africa have been grossly underreported. The continent is struggling with what has been called the two ‘Valleys of Death’. The first of these is the disease itself and its rapid spread, and the second is the unavailability of a cure or vaccine. According to Madhi: “Only 64 per cent of the vaccines available in Africa are actually being administered. Less than 3 per cent of Africans have been vaccinated.” He pointed out that Africa does not have much vaccine manufacturing capacity, and will have to depend on countries that have the capacity to share vaccines with it. “The virus is going to be with us for some time,” said Madhi. “Herd immunity is not going to be achieved soon. The focus should be to accelerate innovation so that high-risk individuals have access to the best treatment and care to protect them against severe disease and death.” Vaccines for all Says Richard Mahapatra, managing editor of Down To Earth: “The virus is rapidly mutating, multiplying variants and policy and logistic headaches. Four variants, named after the first four letters of the Greek alphabet, are already of serious concern. Many more are being observed closely. In the mad race between the virus and the vaccine, cooperation between nations and agencies will be crucial.” “We must free technology through TRIPS waiver and COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), augment production facilities and promote collaborations for raw materials. We must set a system for equitable distribution via COVAX by restricting hoarding, ensuring funding and increasing transparency. Vaccines must be provided free of cost and their access and delivery rate should be increased. Promotion of pandemic-appropriate behaviour to control spread needs to be continued. Only then can we hope to beat the pandemic,” says Varshney. Said webinar anchor Dr. Sunita Narain: “The virus has been a great equalizer and we must learn our lessons from it. It is impossible to try to compartmentalise our responses to a pandemic of this magnitude and scale. It will continue to be a threat as long as we don’t truly unite against it, rising over national and corporate interests. No one is safe until everyone is safe.”

Decision on emergency use listing of Covaxin likely in 4-6 weeks: WHO

Soumya Swaminathan said the WHO is reviewing Covaxin as its manufacturer Bharat Biotech is now uploading its entire data on the health body's portal The World Health Organization (WHO) is likely to take a decision on including Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin in the emergency use list (EUL) within four to six weeks, Soumya Swaminathan, the global health body's chief scientist has said. Speaking at a webinar organised by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Friday, Swaminathan said the WHO is reviewing Covaxin as its manufacturer Bharat Biotech is now uploading its entire data on the health body's portal. According to WHO guidelines, EUL is a procedure to streamline the process by which new or unlicensed products can be used during public health emergencies. There is a process to be followed for EUL and pre-qualification of vaccines under which a company has to complete phase 3 trials and submit the whole data to the regulatory department of WHO which is examined by an expert advisory group, Swaminathan said. The completeness of the data, which includes safety and efficacy and also the manufacturing quality, standard is provided. So, I expect that Bharat Biotech has already submitted data and in four to six weeks there will be a decision on its inclusion, Swaminathan added. At present, the WHO has approved vaccines by Pfizer/BioNTech, Astrazeneca-SK Bio/Serum Institute of India, AstraZeneca EU, Janssen, Moderna and Sinopharm for emergency use. We currently have six vaccines approved with EUL and have recommendations from our Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE). We continue to look at Covaxin. Bharat Biotech has now started uploading their data on our portal and that is the next vaccine that will be reviewed by our experts committee, the chief scientist said. She also mentioned the WHO Research and Development Blueprint prepared in 2016, shortly after the Ebola outbreak, in which a research roadmap for diseases with pandemic potential was laid out. I want to mention the Research and Development (R&D) Blueprint. I think we need to think about how we can do better in the future in terms of development of not just vaccines but drugs, diagnostics and ensuring equitable access. This blueprint was developed after the Ebola outbreak and essentially it laid out a research roadmap for diseases which have pandemic potential, she said. So, when the roadmap was developed in 2016, it mentioned 'Pathogen X' in it which showed that we were anticipating a pandemic, which is now COVID-19, she added. Swaminathan also said the roadmap essentially laid out the steps in terms of developing target product profiles like standards for vaccines, diagnostics regulatory standards, trial designs, and trial simulators. This pre-thinking helped because WHO was able to bring together scientists, researchers, academics and companies at the beginning of last year to develop a research roadmap for COVID, she said. At present, there are 105 candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation out of which 27 are in phase three or four, she said. There are another 184 candidate vaccines in preclinical evaluation. Most of the vaccines are designed for a two-dose schedule, she added. The WHO chief scientist also said the Delta variant of the coronavirus is very transmissible. Two complete doses are required for protection against the Delta variant but you can still get the infection and can transmit it. This is why masking and other precautions are important to continue, she said. Talking about some companies stressing on the need to develop a booster dose after two vaccine shots doses to protect people, Swaminathan said, at this point there is no data to indicate if a booster dose is required. Science is evolving. At this point we don't have data to indicate that everyone will need a booster and is it going to be after one year or two years. But data from follow up studies of vaccinated people are very encouraging and is showing that immune responses are lasting up to 8, 10 or even 12 months, she said. A few studies that have looked at giving booster dose after six months have shown that it can increase the antibody levels so high that they can protect against all variants. What we know is you need a high level of antibodies, whether it's through a booster or the first course. We need more studies and see which vaccines will require a booster and when. It could be possible that a combination of two different vaccines is administered in future but these are all being looked into through research and so we have to wait, she said.

Decision on Covaxin nod likely in 4-6 weeks: WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is likely to take a decision on including Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin in its list of vaccines approved for Emergency Use, within four to six weeks, Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, WHO said at a webinar organised by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). A WHO prequalification, or EUL, is necessary for a vaccine company to supply vaccines to global facilities such as COVAX or international procurement. So far eight vaccines have got an EUL from the WHO. “It is mandatory to supply a complete dossier listing safety, efficacy and manufacturing conditions of the vaccine to the WHO. I understand that Bharat Biotech is in this process and I think a decision on their case is likely in the next four to six weeks,” said Swaminathan. The EUL assesses the quality, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as risk management plans and programmatic suitability, such as cold chain requirements. The assessment is performed by the product evaluation group, composed by regulatory experts from around the world and a Technical Advisory Group (TAG), in charge of performing the risk-benefit assessment for an independent recommendation on whether a vaccine can be listed for emergency use and, if so, under which conditions, the WHO says. In late May, Bharat Biotech said it has submitted “90% of the data” required for the pre-qualification process. Last Saturday, the firm publicised its long-awaited phase-3 trial efficacy data, via an non-peer-reviewed pre-print publication, reporting an overall 77.8% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 based on analysis involving 25,800 volunteers. The two-dose vaccine was also 93.4% effective against severe disease and 63% protective against asymptomatic COVID. Moreover, it was 65% protective against the Delta variant. of the coronavirus, the most widespread in India and linked to a rising number of cases in Europe as well as the United States. Bharat Biotech didn't respond to a query from The Hindu on Dr. Swaminathan's statement. At Friday’s seminar, Dr. Swaminathan said that it was “frustrating” that countries were contemplating and testing booster doses for themselves when large parts of the world, especially Africa, hadn’t yet got vaccinated. The target was to have at least 10% of the world fully vaccinated by September and 40% by December. She said that it was unlikely that the world would be sufficiently protected at least until the next year and a half and ‘herd immunity’, or when substantial fraction of people was protected by antibodies, was only likely when 80% had been vaccinated. So far only 5% of Indians have been fully vaccinated and only 21.8% have got at least one dose of the vaccine.

A proposed plan to encourage ‘clean’ power plants

The article has been authored by Nivit Kumar Yadav, Programme Director, Industrial Pollution Unit, Centre for Science and Environment. Coal-based power is one of the most resource-intensive and polluting industries. In a long-overdue action, on December 7, 2015, the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) introduced stricter environmental standards for coal-based thermal power plants (TPPs) under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. The first deadline to meet the norms was 2017; this was extended to 2022 in 2017 by the Supreme Court. That, unfortunately, was not the end. There has been constant tweaking of the standards in between: The water and nitrogen oxide (NOx) norms were diluted under pressure from the industry. Later, an effort was made by the industry to delay the installation of sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) control equipment, the excuses being work was hampered due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the industry does not want to import equipment from China. What did the MoEFCC do in response to the constant nudging from industry and the Union ministry of power? It extended the deadline – once again -- for meeting the norms. Thermal power plants are placed in three categories: Category A includes TPPs in a 10-km radius of the National Capital Region (NCR) (or any cities with a million-plus population as per the 2011 Census); Category B includes TPPs in a 10-km radius of critically polluted areas and non-attainment cities; and the rest of the TPPs are in Category C. As per the ministry’s new deadline, TPPs in Category A have to meet the norms by 2022, those in Category B by 2023, and those in Category C by 2024. The notification has conveniently disregarded the efforts of those plants which are already meeting the 2015 norms or have floated tenders to install pollution control equipment to meet the 2022 deadline in a timely manner. The power plants that have been sitting idle for the last five-and-a-half years have been granted another escape route. The maximum penalty imposed on non-compliant units after this relaxed deadline is a mere 20 paise per unit of electricity. But the levelised cost of retrofitting pollution control equipment to meet the new norms for these plants are estimated between 30-70 paise a unit. In terms of per MW, a 500 MW unit receiving ₹60 lakh/MW fixed charges is liable to pay between ₹5-11 lakh/MW on default, whereas to retrofit pollution control technology, it may have to invest ₹40-100 lakh/MW. This clearly shows that the cost of non-compliance is lower than that of compliance – which is why plants are taking it easy. So what should be done? Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has proposed a way of resolving this. Fixed cost is the charge paid to a power station even when it is not in operation; the plant simply indicates that it has the technical capacity to generate electricity when needed. Plants will have serious difficulty in continuing operations if their fixed charges are stopped. Why can’t we come with a methodology that combines fixed cost and compliance? Let us divide thermal power plants in three categories - yellow, orange and red. The ‘yellow’ category could be defined as power stations that have awarded tenders or are in the process of complying with the norms. Full fixed charges should be reimbursed to this category. This can serve as an incentive, and might motivate other power stations to follow suit. Let us call these yellow category units as First Run plants. The First Run power stations should be ranked and power procured from them on a priority basis (after must-run plants in the merit order). The ‘orange’ category could be those plants that are in the stage of tendering or doing a feasibility study. Only 50% of the fixed cost should be reimbursed to these stations. The ‘red’ category plants would be those that do not have any plans till now to meet the norms. To these plants, no fixed cost should be paid until they meet the norms. Fear of a halt on operations or minimal operations can drive the rest of the non-complying power stations to meet the norms at the earliest. Most of India’s centrally-run power stations – such as National Thermal Power Corporation, Neyveli Lignite Corporation, LC and DVC – have shown progress in their efforts to meet the norms by awarding contracts for installing pollution control equipment -- they should be included in the yellow category to incentivise them. The laggards largely consist of state- and privately-run power stations. These plants should be penalised for their non-serious attitude about implementing the 2015 standards.

From The Newsroom: UP unveils draft of The Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilisation and Welfare) Bill, 2021

In your evening news update, WHO likely to take a decision on including Covaxin in the emergency use list within four to six weeks; UP unveils draft of The Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilisation and Welfare) Bill, 2021; BJP dubs Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar a “rowdy”, and Kerala reports 40 Zika virus cases. Speaking at a webinar organised by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) today, Swaminathan said, the WHO is reviewing Covaxin as its manufacturer Bharat Biotech is now uploading its entire data on the health body’s portal.

Covax, a beautiful solution for vaccine equity, delayed because vaccine manufacturers not prioritising it’

COVID19 has sickened nearly 181 million people, and some four million of them have succumbed to the disease. In a webinar, Soumya Swaminathan, the chief scientist at the World Health Organization stated that even after persistent calls to end ‘vaccine apartheid’ and promote equity in vaccine distribution, rich countries are not doing much. In 2014-16, when the most widespread outbreak of Ebola virus happened in West Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) knew a much bigger pandemic was on its way and it turned out to be the COVID19 pandemic that is at present raging across the world. This was shared by Soumya Swaminathan, WHO’s Chief Scientist during a webinar organised on July 9 by the Down To Earth, an environment fortnightly. “After the Ebola outbreak in 2016, an ‘R&D Blueprint’ was developed [by WHO] and essentially it lays out a research roadmap for diseases which have epidemic/pandemic potential,” Swaminathan said during the webinar. “When the roadmap was developed, we had marked something called a ‘Pathogen X’ which means that we were anticipating a pandemic. And this is now COVID19,” she added. Despite anticipating a pandemic and formulating the research road map for epidemic/pandemic, Swaminathan regretted the ‘vaccine apartheid’ and ‘moral bankruptcy’ of developed countries that have failed to cooperate with the Covax mechanism of vaccine distribution around the world. Explained: COVAX — an international mechanism for equitable vaccine supply. How successful has it been? COVAX, short for ‘COVID19 Vaccines Global Access’, has been evolved by four major agencies that work on public health — WHO, United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). COVAX supports access to COVID19 vaccines for lower-income economies. The webinar titled, ‘Vaccine For All – The global race between the virus, its variants and the vaccines’, was anchored by Sunita Narain, Director General, Centre for Science and Environment. ‘Vaccine manufacturers not prioritising Covax is frustrating’ COVID-19 has sickened nearly 181 million people, and some four million of them have succumbed to the disease. There is a rush to get vaccinated against the virus and governments are trying to ensure universal vaccination. A total of 7.9 billion people need to be protected – and the speed and scale at which vaccination has to be carried out is unprecedented. However, vaccination has made very slow progress in large parts of the world. Also Read: 50% drop in COVID19 vaccination in India in the past month, shows govt’s Co-WIN data As of July 8, only 5.1 per cent of the Indian population is fully vaccinated against COVID19. Raising an important point, Narain, the webinar’s anchor, questioned the WHO Chief Scientist about the issue of vaccine-boosters vs first vaccinating the entire world population. “Given the sheer inequity in the availability and access to vaccines, should the first task not be to get the vaccines for the vulnerable people in the world… that might push WHO into a more political role but somebody has to take the leadership, somebody will have to bring in the voice of morality as well as reason into the global decision making,” Narain asked Swaminathan. Answering the question, Swaminathan said, “We’ve been very clear, Dr Tedros [Tedros Adhanom, Director General, WHO] has repeatedly used words like ‘vaccine apartheid’, ‘moral bankruptcy’, ‘catastrophic failure’. But individual countries are making their own decisions.” The chief scientist went on to add: “We sometimes feel very frustrated. Covax, which is a beautiful solution for vaccine equity, has been delayed because none of the vaccine manufacturers are prioritising it”. Incidentally, countries like the United States are providing additional immunity against the COVID19 infection by giving booster doses for COVID 19. Meanwhile, a large chunk of the world population in developing countries is yet to receive even the first shot of the vaccine. As of July 8, only 5.1 per cent of the Indian population is fully vaccinated against COVID19. Also Read: Ripple effect of COVID-19’s second wave in India being felt across the globe Last month, on June 2, at the pledging summit for COVAX, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres had said: “Today, ten countries have administered 75% of all COVID-19 vaccines, but, in poor countries, health workers and people with underlying conditions cannot access them. This is not only manifestly unjust, it is also self-defeating”. Disparity in vaccine distribution aggravating the pandemic Echoing the WHO’s emphasis on ‘Nobody is safe until everyone is’, Leena Menghaney , Regional Head (South Asia), Médecins Sans Frontières, said that although the developed countries donated to the Covax, but they tied up the manufacturers to supply the COVID19 vaccines to them on priority. A large chunk of the world population in developing countries is yet to receive even the first shot of the vaccine. “So, on one hand when you [developed countries] were donating money to the Covax, on the other hand you were taking away the ability of the Covax to receive the vaccines that it urgently needed to distribute it to the most vulnerable developing countries,” she said during the webinar. Explained: Why Covaxin is not approved by WHO? Why USFDA rejected its emergency use? Will it affect international travel? Meanwhile, Shabir A Madhi, professor of virology, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa asserted in the webinar that the concept of herd immunity is completely out of the question as it would mean millions of people dying, especially in the low income countries of Africa. Explaining the inequity in terms of COVID19 vaccination across the globe, Vibha Varshney, Associate Editor at the Down To Earth said in the webinar, “The high income countries have managed to vaccinate almost 48 per cent of their population whereas the figures for low income countries are less than one per cent”.

Delayed monsoon jeopardises India’s economic revival

Crops planted weeks ago are withering as farmers wait anxiously for the rains Delayed monsoon rains are threatening India’s vast agricultural sector and endangering the recovery of an economy reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. Farmers in fertile northern and central states such as Punjab, Haryana and parts of Madhya Pradesh are waiting anxiously for rain after the monsoon’s ascent up the Indian subcontinent stalled. “The crops are like on a hospital ventilator due to the lack of monsoon,” said Kedar Sirohi, a leader of the Aam Kisan Union, or the Common Farmers’ Union, in Madhya Pradesh. He said farmers in his state, where irrigation facilities are limited, had planted their soya, cotton, sorghum and pulse crops almost three weeks ago but their seedlings were withering. “We need good rain within four or five days, or we will lose 30 to 40 per cent of our production,” he added. Half of India’s population of 1.4bn depends on agriculture, making the monsoon vital not only to their livelihoods but also to the wider economy. Initial predictions of a good rainy season, which runs from June to September, were a rare bright spot in a country suffering a calamitous second wave of the pandemic. After the economy contracted 7.3 per cent in 2020, the IMF projected in April that it would expand 12.5 per cent this year. But forecasts have been pared back sharply since the recent Covid surge. While parts of the country have received adequate or even heavy rainfall, swaths of central and northern India have remained dry. Punjab, one of the country’s largest producers of rice and other staples, has received little to no rain. India’s meteorological department expects rains in those regions to fall soon. But Giriraj Amarnath, a researcher for the International Water Management Institute, said further delays would result in lower crop yields. “This will certainly have an effect on the economy,” he said. “Production, pricing and export of those crops . . . will ripple from there through the value chain.” The monsoon supplies more than two-thirds of India’s rain. Less than 40 per cent of India’s agricultural land was irrigated as of 2015, the latest figures available, according to the World Bank, leaving the rest dependent exclusively on rain. “It’s an anxious time for farmers,” admitted Ajay Vir Jakhar, chair of the Bharat Krishak Samaj, or Indian Farmers Forum. He estimated that the monsoon was running a week to 10 days late. “Irrigation water cannot fully compensate for rainwater,” he said, adding that farmers would probably plant fewer crops. “You need the moisture in the soil and in the air. It’s a whole ecosystem. When the water drops from the sky, it helps plants differently than when the water is given from the ground.” Scientists warn that climate change is destabilising the monsoon, with severe consequences for the hundreds of millions of people that depend on it. Indian government research shows that extreme events such as heavy rain and flooding, as well as droughts, are increasing. This makes south Asia “extremely vulnerable compared to other parts of the world”, said Avantika Goswami at non-profit the Centre for Science and Environment. A good monsoon season last year was vital in India surviving the historic economic contraction that followed a strict multi-month lockdown. A bountiful harvest provided employment to returning migrants who had lost their jobs in cities and stoked consumption of everything from motorcycles to consumer goods.

MNRE organizes webinar on “Women in Renewable Energy & Sustainability”

We are either going to have a future where women lead the way to make peace with the Earth, or we’re not going to have a human future at all”– Vandana Shiva The global contributions in the field of environment and sustainability is replete with examples of great women, who have worked relentlessly in the service of mother Nature. A webinar was organized by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), in collaboration with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on “Women in Renewable Energy & Sustainability,” on Wednesday night. The webinar, organized to encourage women to be at the forefront in leading positions in the Renewable Energy sector was addressed by Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi, Secretary, MNRE. The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, International Solar Alliance and Ms. Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s Country representative for India. Theme of the webinar: The webinar featured two panel discussions. The theme for the first panel was “Women Leadership in Renewables: Envisioning a New World.” The first panel saw the participation of Deputy Director General of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Gauri Singh, the Director General of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Mahua Acharya, the CEO of EESL Convergence, Sullajja Firodia Motwani, and Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of Council on Energy, Environment & Water (CEEW). The theme for the second panel was “Women Entrepreneurs in RE: A gateway to innovation and economic growth.” The panellists for the second round of discussion included the Secretary General of Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Reema Nanavaty, Meagan Fallone from the Barefoot college, CEO of Frontier Markets, Cecile Martin Phipps, Director Communication and Strategy from ISA, Suhela Khan, UN-Women and CEO of Skill Council for Green Jobs, Praveen Saxena. The webinar was attended by audiences from around the world to open a consequential dialogue towards bringing more women to the forefront to lead positions in the Renewable Energy sector as well as making entrepreneurial opportunities available to them. The webinar was a part of India’s global advocacy efforts in the role of a Global Theme Champion for the UN High Level Dialogue on Energy which is set to take place in September 2021. India’s women environmentalists: There’s no dearth of names, when we talk of the contributions of women environmentalists in nurturing India’s natural resources. Here’s a look at some of these revolutionary women: 1.) Sugathakumari An Indian poet and activist, Sugathakumari has been leading environmental and feminist movements in Kerala. Her father’s social activism and nationalistic fervour deeply inspired her. She is the founder secretary of the Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi, an organisation that works for the protection of nature. She also works for the protection and care of destitute women and the mentally ill. 2.) Vandana Shiva A Delhi based environmentalist and eco feminist, Vandana Shiva is well known for her proletarian efforts to protect forests, organize women’s networks, and conserve local biodiversity. A physicist and philosopher of science, she has authored books such as Monocultures of the Mind, Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development, Biopiracy and Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis. She was identified as an environmental ‘hero’ by the Time Magazine, in 2003. She was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 1993, considered equivalent to the Nobel Prize. 3.) Sunita Narain Currently the Director General of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), and publisher of the fortnightly magazine ‘Down To Earth’, Sunita Narain began her work in 1980s. After the loss of tigers in Sariska, Sunita chaired the Tiger Task Force for conservation in 2005. She is a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Climate Change and National Ganga River Basin Authority. In 2005, 2008 and 2009, she featured on the world’s 100 public intellectuals list, by US journal Foreign Policy. She has been conferred the Padma Shri. Her research interests are global democracy (emphasizing on climate change) and local democracy (forest resource management and water related issues).

TIL: What We Know About COVID Transmission Through Faeces

Knowing whether Covid-19 can be transmitted through faeces or through virus-laden particles released via sewage is important for India where many still defecate in the open and most sewage is released untreated. Delhi: Faeces of Covid-19 patients contain the virus, sometimes even days after the person tests negative on a Covid-19 swab test. But researchers have been unable to confirm whether the virus could transmit through faeces. We look at the research and explain what this means for sanitation, especially in India where 72% of sewage is left untreated and 72,368 million liters of sewage is generated per day. What the research says Researchers, supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology, tracked a family of four in Pune, Maharashtra, after they tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus on an RT-PCR test, according to a preprint of the study from June 2021. The first person to test positive, known as the 'index case', was a 37-year-old healthcare worker who worked in the Covid-19 ward of a hospital. Researchers say he spread the infection to his family: his wife, 34, and their two children, aged 8 years and 6 years, who tested positive for Covid-19 a few days after him. The health worker had serious symptoms that lasted the longest, his wife had moderate symptoms, while the children had very mild symptoms. Researchers tested their stools after their admission to hospital and then on days 14, 21, 32, 40, 48 and 55 from the onset of symptoms, and found the presence of SARS-CoV-2 until at least day 21 in stool samples, even for the children who had mild symptoms. They were excreting the virus even after they had tested negative on pharyngeal swabs and this "suggested the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 transmission via the faecal-oral route", which means that the disease could spread via pathogens in faecal matter of one person that are ingested by another person, the researchers said. Urine samples, collected on admission and 14 days later, were negative throughout but this could mean that "improved methods of testing of urine samples are warranted", the researchers wrote. In December 2020, scientists at India's National Chemical Laboratory undertook similar research, along with officials from the Pune Municipal Corporation. They found traces of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage samples collected from different parts of Pune. Researchers also studied nine Covid-19 patients across three families, 193 other residents, and 24 staff in an apartment building in Guangzhou, China in December 2020. They concluded that the virus could have spread among these families through drainage pipes through faecal-aerosol transmission, which means that small virus-laden particles are released into the air from faeces, which can infect other people. "On the basis of circumstantial evidence, fecal-aerosol transmission may have caused the community outbreak of COVID-19 in this high-rise building," the authors wrote, without confirming that SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted through the faeces. "If SARS-CoV-2 RNA is detected on water or sewage, infectivity cannot be ruled out," according to a review of literature published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, in June 2021. But so far there have been no confirmed cases of people contracting Covid-19 via this route and little is known about whether aerosols contaminated with the virus can also be released during sewage treatment, the review said. "We know that it is very important that people have access to clean water in the first place to wash away the Covid-19 virus. But more research is needed to understand what happens with the wastewater from there," said Sushmita Sengupta, programme manager for the Delhi-based based Centre for Science and Environment. Why is this important for controlling Covid-19 in India? Knowing whether Covid-19 is only present or is both present and transmitted through faeces of infected patients is important for two reasons: tracking and mapping Covid-19 in a city and for preventing its further spread. In urban India, only 28% of the 72,368 million litres of sewage generated per day is treated, before it is discharged, often into rivers and other water bodies, putting people at risk of infection if the disease can be transmitted through faeces. Further, in 2018, nearly 38% of households in Uttar Pradesh, 33% in Bihar and 22.5% in Madhya Pradesh did not have latrines, we reported in June 2020. If Covid-19 could be transmitted through the faecal-oral, open defecation could add to the risk of the disease spreading. One of the aims of the 2020 study of sewage water in Pune was to find if "testing wastewater could serve as a cost-effective early warning system" to help officials keep track of the disease, even at an early stage and even among asymptomatic people, the authors wrote. "Epidemiology from wastewater has been useful in the past in surveillance and monitoring for polio, rotavirus," said Mahesh Dharne, principal scientist at the National Chemical Laboratory. For instance, testing sewage for poliovirus is four to five times more sensitive in detecting outbreaks than monitoring communities, found a study from 2018. As a majority of Covid-19 cases are asymptomatic, they may be missed in testing and diagnosis and tracing the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater could serve as an early indicator for the disease, Dharne explained. "This kind of research into waste water can be useful as a tool to map out areas in a city where the virus may be present in wastewater. Right now we are still trying to understand the SARS-CoV-2 virus better. We should keep applying whatever tools we can develop," Sengupta said.

Hyderabad sees 69% increase in key pollutant nitrogen dioxide in last one year

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad saw a substantial increase of 69% in the level of the key pollutant, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) between April 2020 and April 2021, a new report by Greenpeace India said on Wednesday. Greenpeace India made satellite observations in the eight most populous Indian cities to assess the NO2 levels over the past one year. The report has attributed the hike to city’s reliance on fossil fuels, including coal, oil and gas and due to increased economic activity once the lockdown was lifted last year. NO2 is a dangerous air pollutant and exposure to it severely impacts people’s lungs, blood circulatory systems and brain. The report titled ‘Behind the Smokescreen’ revealed that despite lockdown 2.0, NO2 levels in Hyderabad have increased significantly. The city recorded the fourth highest rise in NO2 pollution levels in eight state capitals, after Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai. In Delhi, NO2 was higher by 125%, Chennai by 94%, Mumbai by 52%, Bengaluru by 90 %, Kolkata by 11%, Jaipur by 47 % and Lucknow by 32 % “The air quality levels are alarming. Motor vehicles and industries based on fossil fuel consumption are major drivers of NO2 pollution. People saw clean skies and breathed fresh air during the nationwide lockdown though it was an unintended consequence of the pandemic. Recovery from the pandemic must not come at the expense of a return to previous levels of air pollution,” said Avinash Chanchal, senior climate campaigner, Greenpeace India. In addition to vehicular emission, experts attribute the rise in NO2 levels to high usage of fossil fuels, including coal, oil and gas. Increased economic activity is still largely coupled with toxic air pollution. “Part of this difference is attributable to changing weather conditions. After removing the effect of weather, there is still an increase of 38% which is attributed to an increase in emissions,” read the report. Earlier this year, the Centre for Science and Environment indicated that Telangana is among the top three states in the country, producing and procuring unclean coal-based power that is severely impacting the environment. As per the report, 73% of the power produced and procured by Telangana is unclean. “NO2 is much more dangerous than carbon dioxide. Neither the Central government nor the state governments have taken enough efforts to mitigate this issue. On one hand, they want to reduce the emissions but don’t want to stop using coal,” said Purushottam Reddy, well-known environmentalist. “While Telangana government promotes Haritha Haram, it’s attempt to extensively produce thermal power using coal only shows its dichotomy towards conserving the environment,” he added.

7-member panel set up to monitor restoration of Delhi's water bodies

“We are continuously forcing the city’s land-owning agencies to take action and scientific plans for the restoration of water bodies. NEW DELHI: The Wetland Authority of the Delhi government has set up a seven-member technical committee, which will approve restoration plans and monitor efforts thereafter being undertaken by the different land-owning agencies to revitalise water bodies in the city. The agency has also formed a grievance committee, for which an order was issued last week, as per the Wetlands (Conservation and management) rules to look into complaints lodged by the general public and make recommendations for their redressal. K S Jayachandran, member secretary of the Wetland Authority of Delhi, said besides supervising restoration efforts, the committee would review brief documents and plans for the renewal of the water bodies so that they could be notified and conserved. “We are continuously forcing the city’s land-owning agencies to take action and scientific plans for the restoration of water bodies. We also need to review those plans by the concerned agencies because they are inexperienced and technically incompetent,” said Jayachandran, who is also special secretary of the environment and forests department. There are over 1,000 water bodies in the national capital under the jurisdiction of 20 different land-owning agencies such as the Delhi Development Authority, Public Work Department, and Central Public Work Department. “After the review, approval will be accorded to the action plan and brief documents prepared by the agencies. All the restoration efforts by the agency will be monitored. Based on the brief documents and scientific or ecological plans, we will prioritise the wetland which will be notified by the government. As it will become a legal body, nobody will be able to encroach on it,” said Jayachandran. Madhu Verma, chief economist at World Resources Institute in Delhi, has been appointed as the chairperson of the technical committee. Prof J K Garg, senior fellow (TERI University), Suresh Rohilla, senior director (Centre for Science and Environment), Man Singh, project director at Water Technology Centre, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Ritesh Kumar, director, Wetlands International South Asia and Pranay Lal of PM-STIAC are its members.

धरती की जलन शांत हो सकती है, अगर...

पर्यावरण दिवस आकर गुज़र गया और अपने पीछे यह तकलीफदेह चर्चा छोड़ गया कि कोरोना के प्रकोप से पृथ्वी के पर्यावरण ने पिछले साल जो चैन की सांस ली थी, वह इस साल नदारद है। हवाई में स्थित मौना-की ऑब्जर्वेट्री यूं तो ब्रह्मांड के ब्यौरे जुटाती रहती है लेकिन उसका एक काम हमारे वायुमंडल में हो रहे बदलावों का जायजा लेने का भी है। उसी ने जून के पहले हफ्ते में अपना यह प्रेक्षण जारी किया कि मई 2021 में जितनी कार्बन डायॉक्साइड हमारी हवा में मौजूद थी, उतनी बीते 41 लाख वर्षों में कभी नहीं रही। इस गैस का जितना बैर हमारे फेफड़ों से है, उससे कहीं ज्यादा धरती के भविष्य से है। एक ग्रीनहाउस गैस के रूप में ग्लोबल वॉर्मिंग के लिए सबसे बड़ी जिम्मेदारी इसी की है। खासकर भारत पर ग्लोबल वॉर्मिंग का कैसा असर हुआ है, इसका प्रामाणिक अध्ययन सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट ने पिछले हफ्ते प्रकाशित किया है, और वह काफी चिंताजनक है। इस सिलसिले में अकेली अच्छी बात यही है कि इस सदी के दो शुरुआती दशकों में ऐसी कई तकनीकें उभरी हैं, और दिनोंदिन सस्ती भी होती गई हैं, जिनके बल पर ग्लोबल वॉर्मिंग को पीछे धकेला जा सकता है। खासकर अमेरिका में जोसफ बाइडन की सरकार आने के बाद से इन तकनीकों को आर्थिक बल मिला है और पर्यावरण के मामले में दुनिया का नजरिया आशावादी हुआ है। ऐसी सबसे बड़ी सहायता हवा से सीधे कार्बन डायॉक्साइड सोख लेने वाली टेक्नॉलजी को मिली है। इस दिशा में सक्रिय ज्यादातर कंपनियां वैज्ञानिकों और इंजीनियरों के शुरू किए गए स्टार्ट-अप्स हैं। उन्हें एक टन कार्बन डायॉक्साइड के अवशोषण पर टैक्स क्रेडिट के रूप में 50 डॉलर और इस अवशोषित गैस का कोई सकारात्मक उपयोग करने पर 35 डॉलर, यानी प्रति टन कुल 85 डॉलर मिल रहे हैं। इंटरनैशनल एनर्जी एजेंसी के अनुसार इस काम पर 135 से 345 डॉलर तक का प्रति टन खर्चा आता है। कंपनियों की कोशिश इसे घटाकर 100 डॉलर से नीचे लाने की है, हालांकि काम वे अभी सरकारों के बुलावे पर ही कर रही हैं। एक अध्ययन के मुताबिक पूरी दुनिया में कार्बन चूसने वाले ऐसे 17 कारखाने चल रहे हैं और कुछ शुरू होने की प्रक्रिया में हैं। हवा से खींची गई कार्बन डायॉक्साइड का सकारात्मक उपयोग कुछ कंपनियां कच्चा तेल बनाने में और कुछ कंक्रीट बनाने में कर रही हैं, हालांकि ज्यादातर इसे कैल्शियम कार्बोनेट में बदलकर पुरानी खदानों में भर देती हैं। अनुमान है कि इस टेक्नॉलजी पर भरपूर अमल की स्थिति में 4 करोड़ टन कार्बन हर साल वायुमंडल से बाहर किया जा सकेगा। लेकिन ग्लोबल वॉर्मिंग को काबू में रखने के लिए सन 2050 तक 600 करोड़ टन कार्बन को बाहर का रास्ता दिखाना जरूरी है, जो इसकी क्षमता तो क्या कल्पना के लिए भी दूर की कौड़ी है। बड़े बदलाव का अकेला रास्ता रीन्यूएबल एनर्जी या अक्षय ऊर्जा का ही है, जिसमें पिछले पांच-सात वर्षों में तकनीक के स्तर पर क्रांतिकारी प्रगति देखने को मिली है। जल विद्युत को अक्षय ऊर्जा माना जाए या नहीं, इसे लेकर दुनिया में दुविधा है क्योंकि बड़े बांधों को पर्यावरण के लिए हानिकर माना जाता है। इसे एक तरफ रख दें तो सौर ऊर्जा, पवन ऊर्जा और ज्वार ऊर्जा, तीनों में लगभग हर रोज कोई न कोई नई खोज या उद्यमी प्रगति पढ़ने को मिलती है। खासकर चीनियों के इस क्षेत्र में कूद पड़ने से खोजों की रफ्तार बहुत बढ़ गई है। इसके अलावा ऑस्ट्रेलिया, अमेरिका, जर्मनी और इंग्लैंड में भी महत्वपूर्ण काम हो रहा है। इन स्रोतों से बनने वाली बिजली अब पारंपरिक थर्मल और हाइडेल पावर से भी सस्ती पड़ने लगी है, हालांकि इसमें कुछ योगदान सरकारी सहायता का भी है। नए ऊर्जा स्रोतों में सबसे बड़ा दायरा सोलर एनर्जी का है, जिसकी सबसे अच्छी बात छतों को पावरहाउस बना देने की है। इसकी अकेली बीमारी सोलर मॉड्यूल्स का भारी होना है, जिसके इलाज की कोशिश जारी है। यहां से दो रास्ते हाइड्रोजन इकॉनमी और बैट्री ट्रैक्शन के निकलते हैं। अपने इर्दगिर्द हम दो तरह से ऊर्जा का इस्तेमाल देखते हैं। एक वे सारे काम, जो बिजली से संपन्न हो जाते हैं। दूसरे वे, जिनमें टंकी में भरकर या पाइप से खींचकर डीजल, पेट्रोल, गैस या कोई और फ्यूल जलाना पड़ता है। सोलर, विंड या टाइडल पावर किसी नैशनल पावर ग्रिड से जुड़कर वहां के स्थापित बिजली ढांचे का हिस्सा बन जाती है। इससे कल-कारखाने चलाए जा सकते हैं, बिजली की घरेलू जरूरतें पूरी की जा सकती हैं और ट्रेनें भी चलाई जा सकती हैं, लेकिन सड़क पर चलने वाली गाड़ियों का धुआं नहीं घटाया जा सकता। हाइड्रोजन इकॉनमी और बैट्री ट्रैक्शन अक्षय ऊर्जा को इसी समस्या से जोड़ते हैं। एलन मस्क की कंपनी टेस्ला ने ऑस्ट्रेलिया में नैशनल पावर ग्रिड से दूर पड़ने वाले कुछ इलाकों में सोलर और विंड एनर्जी से चार्ज होने वाली विशाल बैट्रियां इंस्टाल करके बाकायदा छोटी पैरलल ग्रिड खड़ी कर दी है। हम इस कंपनी की पॉश बैट्री कारों के बारे में जानते हैं लेकिन कोरोना से ठीक पहले अमेरिका में इन कारों से ज्यादा चर्चा बैट्री से चलने वाले हैवी ड्यूटी ट्रकों की थी। इस सिलसिले में अगली लहर प्रदूषण रहित ईंधन के रूप में हाइड्रोजन की चलने वाली है, हालांकि अभी इसे बनाने में बहुत ज्यादा कार्बन डायॉक्साइ़ड निकलती है। दुनिया में सात करोड़ टन हाइड्रोजन का उत्पादन अभी होता है, जिसका ज्यादातर हिस्सा सऊदी अरब और कुछ अन्य तेल उत्पादक देशों में प्राकृतिक गैस और भाप की रासायनिक क्रिया से बनाया जाता है। इसे ग्रे हाइड्रोजन कहने का चलन है। लेकिन अगले कुछ सालों में हम सौर ऊर्जा के जरिये समुद्री पानी को औद्योगिक पैमाने पर हाइड्रोजन में बदलते देखेंगे। इस ग्रीन हाइड्रोजन को अपना फ्यूल बनाने वाली गाड़ियों के एग्जास्ट से सिर्फ भाप निकलेगी। एक बात तय है कि दुनिया में कार्बन उत्सर्जन से निपटने वाली टेक्नॉलजी मौजूद है और यह इतनी महंगी भी नहीं है कि लोगों के रोजी-रोजगार का हवाला देकर इससे नजरें चुराई जा सकें। सरकारों को समझ लेना चाहिए कि ग्लोबल वॉर्मिंग को नियति के रूप में पेश करने के दिन अब लद चुके हैं। अगर वे कम प्रदूषण वाला रास्ता नहीं अपनातीं तो इसे उनका फैसला समझा जाएगा और देर-सवेर इसकी जवाबदेही उनपर आएगी। घरेलू मोर्चे पर लौटें तो जैसे-जैसे दुनिया के बाकी देश अपने लिए कार्बन न्यूट्रलिटी यानी शून्य कार्बन उत्सर्जन का लक्ष्य घोषित कर रहे हैं, वैसे-वैसे भारत पर भी इसके लिए दबाव बढ़ रहा है। ऐसा कोई लक्ष्य अभी तक भारत सरकार की ओर से घोषित नहीं किया गया है। लेकिन कार्बन उत्सर्जन में कटौती के वादे और सन 2030 तक 450 गीगावाट बिजली सिर्फ अक्षय ऊर्जा स्रोतों के जरिये हासिल करने के भारतीय संकल्प को पूरी दुनिया में काफी प्रशंसा प्राप्त हुई है। ध्यान रहे, अभी भारत की कुल बिजली उत्पादन क्षमता 382 गीगावाट है, जिससे ज्यादा का लक्ष्य इस दशक के अंतिम वर्ष में केवल अक्षय ऊर्जा के लिए रखा गया है। एक गीगावाट यानी 1000 मेगावाट और 1 मेगावाट यानी 1000 किलोवाट। हमारे घरों में आने वाली बिजली की इकाई किलोवाट-घंटा होती है। 1 यूनिट बिजली खर्च करने का अर्थ है 1 किलोवाट बिजली का एक घंटा इस्तेमाल। भारत में अक्षय ऊर्जा की मौजूदा क्षमता पर बात करें तो यह 95 गीगावाट के आसपास है। इसमें सौर ऊर्जा और पवन ऊर्जा की क्षमताएं लगभग बराबर, 40 फीसदी के इधर-उधर हैं जबकि थोड़ी बिजली चीनी मिलों में गन्ने की खोई और अन्य बायोमास से तथा लघु पनबिजली परियोजनाओं से बनाई जाती है। जाहिर है, अक्षय ऊर्जा स्रोतों से इनकी क्षमता के बराबर बिजली नहीं बनती। विंडमिल से यह तभी बनती है जब तेज हवा चल रही हो, जबकि सोलर सेल उजाला रहने तक ही काम करते हैं। वास्तविक बिजली के मामले में अक्षय ऊर्जा स्रोतों की 450 गीगावाट क्षमता खड़ी करने का अर्थ वैसा ही है जैसे चार-चार सौ मेगावाट के 50 यानी कुल 200 गीगावाट के कोयले वाले ताप बिजलीघर खड़े करना। सवाल यह है कि क्या भारत 2030 तक 450 गीगावाट की अक्षय ऊर्जा क्षमता विकसित कर पाएगा? प्रधानमंत्री ने 2015 के विश्व जलवायु सम्मेलन में जब यह घोषणा की थी तब इसके पहले चरण में 2022 तक यानी स्वतंत्रता प्राप्ति के 75वें वर्ष में 175 गीगावाट अक्षय ऊर्जा का लक्ष्य हासिल करने की बात भी कही थी। आंकड़ों से स्पष्ट है कि अभी, यानी 2021 के ऐन अधबीच में इस लक्ष्य से हम काफी पीछे हैं। कहा जा रहा है कि सब ठीक-ठाक रहा तो 2022 के अंत तक 110 गीगावाट की अक्षय ऊर्जा क्षमता हमारे पास जरूर होगी। लेकिन सब ठीक-ठाक कहां है? अक्षय ऊर्जा का असली महत्व इसी बात में है कि उसका स्वरूप विकेंद्रित हो। आम लोगों के हितों के साथ उसका कोई टकराव न हो और प्राकृतिक संसाधनों पर उसका दबाव ज्यादा न पड़े। इसको ध्यान में रखते हुए 2022 तक 40 गीगावाट बिजली छतों पर सौर पैनल लगाकर हासिल करने का लक्ष्य रखा गया था, जो अबतक एक चौथाई भी हासिल नहीं हो सका है। भारत की कुल अक्षय ऊर्जा क्षमता में 85 फीसदी हिस्सा सोलर और विंड एनर्जी का है। दोनों के ही उत्पादन पर दो-तीन बड़ी कंपनियों का कब्जा है, जो आत्मनिर्भरता के लक्ष्य को ताक पर रखकर हैवी इंपोर्ट मॉडल पर काम करती हैं। भूमध्य रेखा के पास पड़ने के कारण भारत में हवा ज्यादा नहीं चलती। लिहाजा पवन ऊर्जा के लिए यहां गुंजाइश कम है। अलबत्ता सौर ऊर्जा के लिए हमारे यहां काफी अच्छी संभावना है लेकिन इसकी 40 मेगावाट क्षमता एक किलोमीटर लंबा और इतना ही चौड़ा जमीन का टुकड़ा मांगती है, जिसमें एक मंझोला गांव अपनी खेती-बाड़ी समेत आराम से बस जाता है। चीनियों ने अपने विशाल रेगिस्तानी इलाकों के इस्तेमाल के लिए अक्षय ऊर्जा का दामन थामा तो अपनी पूरी सप्लाई लाइन डेवलप की। सौर ऊर्जा की जान पॉलीसिलिकॉन वेफर्स हैं, जिन्हें साफ रेत को 300 डिग्री गर्म किए गए नमक के तेजाब में धोने के बाद 1800 डिग्री सेल्सियस पर तपाकर हासिल किया जाता है। इसे बनाने वाली दुनिया की दस शीर्ष कंपनियों में पहले, तीसरे, चौथे, पांचवें, छठें, आठवें और दसवें नंबर पर चीनी कंपनियां ही हैं। इस सूची में दूसरे नंबर पर जर्मन, सातवें पर कोरियाई और नवें पर एक अमेरिकी कंपनी है। भारत में तो कोई कंपनी सिलिकॉन वेफर्स बनाने का जोखिम ही नहीं उठाती। सभी या तो चीन से सोलर सेल मंगाकर भारत में उनके मॉड्यूल तैयार करती हैं, या बहुत किया तो उधर से वेफर्स मंगा लिया और उससे सेल और मॉड्यूल बना डाले। अगर हम अक्षय ऊर्जा को भारत के भविष्य की तरह देख रहे हैं तो हमें नीचे से ऊपर तक इसके हर रूप की पूरी सप्लाई लाइन विकसित करनी चाहिए और इनके विकेंद्रित बिजनेस मॉडल को प्रमोट करना चाहिए। आवाज़ : रोहित उपाध्याय *ये लेखक के निजी विचार हैं

Noida, Gzb saw more ‘severe’ air days in 2021 than last year

Noida: The air quality of Noida and Ghaziabad has dropped several notches in the first half of 2021 compared to six months of last year. Both districts have seen a rise in the number of “severe” days, when the AQI has been more than 400.This sudden change in air quality levels has baffled officials because the source of pollution in the region has remained similar in both the time frames. Officials in the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) have insisted on a study on the changing pollution levels. Two pollution hotspots in Noida and Ghaziabad recorded a rise in “severe” AQI days in particular. They are the Sector 116 station in Noida, which covers areas that see heavy construction like Noida Extension and the 7X sectors, and the Loni station in Ghaziabad. While Loni had reported just two “severe” days in January last year, it rose to 10 for the same month in 2021. In fact, between January and June, the total number of “severe” days in Loni was only three for 2020 and 16 this year. Noida’s Sector 116 station had recorded three “severe” days in 2020 compared to eight in the first half of this year. AQI records for both these stations are patchy for 2019. “The local reasons for this spike have to be checked. The primary causes can be waste burning and improper management of construction waste. This year, there has been more traffic on the streets compared to last year, when the lockdown had begun early. But the causes for a large qualitative difference have to be investigated,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy and head of the air pollution wing at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Other stations in Ghaziabad, such as Indirapuram, have also shown a significant rise in “severe” AQI days. Indirapuram has recorded eight “severe” days this year compared to just three in 2020. Air quality expert Rekha Singh said, “Last year, we had reached an almost ideal air quality level because of a prolonged lockdown. The air had cleaned up fast. This year, it is not the same. What we can say is that the AQI in NCR is going back to what it was before the lockdown.” UPPCB members said they needed to investigate the reason behind the unstable air quality. “The source of pollution in Noida has not increased. But suddenly, we are getting to see spikes in AQI once in a while. We are investigating this. Overall, the AQI has been worse this year than the same period last year,” said Praveen Kumar, regional officer at UPPCB.