Centre for Science and Environment masthead Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Donate

Cse In News

Cse In News

India’s Youth Rise Up to Fix Country’s Toxic Air Problem

Seeing bluer skies in India—a nation known for its alarming air pollution levels—remains a major governmental priority. In recent times, the country launched its flagship National Clean Air Program (NCAP) to provide a roadmap to prevent, control, and reduce unhealthy air and mitigate its effects on development. Yet, much remains to be done, and one can still cough up troubling statistics on the lack of clean air in India: On an average, 248 million Indians lose 8 years of their lives due to exposure to poor air quality. And 1.67 million deaths were attributable to air pollution in India in 2019. Naturally, it came as a breath of fresh air when on April 12, six college teams from across India—beating 1,500 peers in a national competition co-organized by the World Bank and Shri Ram College of Commerce, New Delhi—became air-quality champions for the day and advocated innovative, practical solutions for a cleaner tomorrow, their tomorrow. “Each presentation was fantastic and filled with innovative ideas,” said Urvashi Narain, Lead Economist at the World Bank, and one of the three jurists of the competition. “And all of this was a weekend’s worth of work. Can you imagine what change these youth can spur if they take on the challenge of air pollution as their main profession?” The other jurists of the competition included Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director of the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi and Aasherwaad Dwivedi, Assistant Professor at Shri Ram College of Commerce. Rising Up to the Challenge The premise of the Shri Ram Macromania youth challenge was three-fold: pick an Indian city of choice, study its air quality trends, and develop a public awareness campaign to mitigate the impact of air pollution, particularly from exposure to PM2.5—small particulates hanging in the air that cause deadly illnesses such as lung cancer, stroke, and heart disease. The challenge came with two practical caveats. The approach had to be multi-jurisdictional and incorporate an airshed-based management approach to air pollution. Air pollution travels across administrative boundaries, and pollution sources are located both inside and outside of any given city. Therefore, an airshed-based management approach that cuts across jurisdictions is key to achieving results. Also, the approach had to be multi-sectoral, recognizing that poor air quality in India is driven by urban as well as rural sources such as agricultural residue burning, household use of biomass for cooking, and less-known sources such as excessive use of fertilizer, emissions from which contribute indirectly to the formation of PM2.5. Youth: Informed Agents of Change “If not youth, then who?” asked John Roome, World Bank’s Regional Director for South Asia Sustainable Development, in his opening remarks. “Youth ideas, participation, and representation are key to demanding better policies, stricter action, driving innovation, and finding solutions.” Sundeep Singh, Director, Air Quality, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, also wished the students great success. Narain’s familiar refrain after each of the six rounds, asking contestants what they had learned in preparation for the competition, captured their new-found awareness and insights: “I learned that the horticulture and agriculture industries lead to large contributions of PM2.5.” “Combatting crisis at a city level is not effective, a regional solution is required. Knowing that made a lot of difference.” The future of the world indeed belongs to youth. “I am glad we are catching them young and now, to address these issues,” said Roychowdhury.

16 voces que defendieron al medio ambiente a lo largo de la historia

Son mujeres y hombres que dedicaron su vida para hacer un mundo sustentable y digno de ser vivido. Desde Asia, Europa, Estados Unidos, África y América Latina, estas son sus historias, logros y sacrificios Maria Silbylla Merian Además de auténtica pionera, esta alemana que vivió en entre los siglos XVII y XVIII fue una revolucionaria. No sólo por interesarse en la entomología -la ciencia que estudia a los insectos- sino por imponerse siendo mujer y escribir La oruga, maravillosa transformación y extraña alimentación floral en idioma alemán, cuando la lengua oficial de la ciencia en aquel momento era el latín. En esas páginas, además de sus estudios sobre la metamorfosis de los animales, descollaban las delicadas ilustraciones que ella misma hacía. Entre otros descubrimientos que hizo durante su estancia en Surinam, detectó nueve especies de mariposas, dos de escarabajos y detalló cómo las orugas se alimentan de pequeñas plantas. Su trabajo fue muy importante para sentar las bases de la investigación sobre estos pequeños animales, la base de la cadena alimentaria. David Attenborough A los 94 años, el divulgador y naturalista inglés continúa atrapando audiencias de todo el mundo a través del canal BBC Earth. En 2020 estrenó en Netflix el que quizás sea su testamento ambientalista: Una vida en nuestro planeta. Allí advirtió que no sólo la emergencia climática es una amenaza contra la Tierra. Para él, la biodiversidad se ve resentida por la devastación de los ecosistemas, y reclama un cambio drástico en nuestra relación con los animales y la forma en que conseguimos nuestro alimento. Durante más de 60 años dedicados al ambientalismo, y aún antes de que se hablara del cambio climático, el británico alertó sobre las transformaciones que sufría el planeta. Intrépido, audaz y profundo, Attenborough logró filmar en las geografías más inhóspitas del globo. Sus documentales Planeta Tierra y Planeta Azul son gigantescas lecciones que fascinaron a millones de jóvenes y los hicieron abrazar la misma causa que su autor. Sylvia Earle La llaman “La Dama de las profundidades” y el apelativo se lo ganó. A los 85 años, la bióloga marina, oceanógrafa y filósofa norteamericana busca alcanzar su objetivo de vida: que las áreas marinas protegidas tengan la misma superficie que la tierra. Casi una utopía, pero ella no ceja. Hasta el momento, apenas el 6% de los océanos están a salvo de la depredación. Pero el agua ocupa el 70 % del planeta. Muy poca gente influyó tanto en conocer la biodiversidad marina como ella. Ya en 1964 fue la única mujer en ser parte de una fabulosa expedición que investigó el fondo marino en las islas Seychelles. Medio siglo más tarde, Earle puede contar que pasó más de 7 mil horas de su vida bajo la superficie del mar. Entre sus logros están, además, ser directora de la Administración Oceánica y Atmosférica Nacional de los Estados Unidos y la obtención del premio Princesa de Asturias de la Concordia en 2018. Sheila Watt-Cloutier La ambientalista canadiense de 67 años y origen inuit es una gran luchadora contra el cambio climático en el Ártico y defensora de los derechos humanos de los esquimales. De las primeras en hablar de sostenibilidad, inspiró el modelo actual de considerar al medio ambiente, la economía, la salud y la política exterior como un todo. Escribió varios libros, entre los que se destaca El derecho a estar fríos. Entre 1995 y 2002 presidió el Consejo Circupolar Inuit, y entre entre el 2002 y el 2006 fue presidenta de la Conferencia Inuit del Círculo Polar, donde representó a más de 155 mil esquimales de Canadá, Groenlandia, Alaska y Rusia. Luego de esa distinción fue candidata al Premio Nobel de la Paz en el año 2007. Jane Goodall De niña, su padre -un hombre de negocios- le regaló un chimpancé de peluche, al que bautizó Jubilee. Ese pequeño obsequio le cambió la vida a esta etóloga y antropóloga inglesa, nacida en Londres en 1934. Jane Goodall Jane Goodall Con apenas 23 años tomó las riendas de su destino y viajó a Kenia, al corazón de África, y allí trabajó con el famoso antropólogo Louis Leakey. A los 26 descubrió su lugar en el mundo. Se afincó en la reserva de Gombe Stream, en Tanzania. Durante medio siglo, allí estudió a los chimpancés. Fue ella quien descubrió la habilidad de los primates para fabricar y usar herramientas, lo que revolucionó todas las teorías del desarrollo de los seres humanos. Referente de su actividad, a los 87 años continúa activa y se la reconoce también como fundadora del Instituto Jane Goodall y el programa Roots & Shoots. Vandana Shiva Nacida en Uttaranchal, India, en 1952 -tiene 68 años- desde joven mostró su activismo por la defensa del medio ambiente. Influenciada por su madre, una agricultora con conciencia social, en 1973 ya se puso al frente de la lucha por detener la tala de árboles en el Himalaya. Tiene un doctorado sobre física cuántica, pero sin embargo su vida la dedicó a proteger la biodiversidad, luchar contra los alimentos transgénicos y la industria alimentaria y promover la agricultura ecológica. Su tarea es movilizar campesinos para adoptar una forma sostenible de agricultura. Creó Navdanya, una organización cuyo nombre significa “nueve cultivos”. Con ella lidera un movimiento que lucha por conservar las variedades de cultivos locales en peligro de desaparición y los reservorios de semillas. Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente En España, este divulgador de la naturaleza se hizo famoso por sus documentales, en especial El hombre y la Tierra, donde advirtió la desaparición de la fauna autóctona de la península ibérica. La defensa del lobo ibérico frente a quienes deseaban eliminarlo por su amenaza al ganado doméstico y la agricultura fue su mayor obsesión. A tal punto, que adoptó dos ejemplares a los que llamó Rómulo y Remo. También fue un incansable viajero. Es singular su filmación de una carrera de trineos en Alaska. En el pináculo de su carrera como documentalista, y justo el día de su cumpleaños -14 de marzo de 1980- la avioneta en la que viajaba se precipitó a tierra por causas que aún se desconocen. Tenía 52 años. Lois Gibbs Esta activista por el medio ambiente fue una madre y ama de casa como tantas hasta 1978. En ese momento tenía 27 años y descubrió que las enfermedades que tenían a menudo sus hijos se debían a que la escuela donde iban estaba construida sobre un vertedero de desechos tóxicos. Comenzó a liderar un movimiento vecinal en su barrio de Love Canal en Niágara Falls, en el estado de Nueva York. Al poco tiempo, reveló que no sólo la escuela, sino también todo el barrio había sido erigido sobre un basural. Con sus protestas logró que 800 familias fueran evacuadas. Ese impulso la llevó a fundar el Centro de Salud, Medio Ambiente y Justicia que se encarga de investigar las cuestiones ambientales de las ciudades. Por su labor ganó numerosos galardones, entre ellos el prestigioso Premio Godman de Medio Ambiente. Sunita Narain Es una escritora y activista india de 60 años que utiliza el conocimiento para luchar contra el cambio climático. Directora General del Instituto Indio de Investigaciones en el Centro de Ciencia y Ambiente, edita la revista quincenal “Down to Earth” sobre temas ambientales y fue co autora de un compendio sobre el Estado Ambiental de la India que se publicó en 1985. Su principal aporte a la ecología fue el desarrollo que llevó adelante sobre los sistemas de gestión y apoyo financiero que se necesitan para la sostenibilidad de las acciones de los grupos verdes y la conciencia que los más pobres tienen sobre el ambientalismo. Trabaja a nivel global y local con temas de manejo de los recursos forestales y aquellos que se relacionan con el agua. En ese rol obtuvo el Premio Mundial del Agua por un estudio sobre recolección de agua de lluvia. En el año 2013, mientras recorría la India con su bicicleta, fue arrollada por un auto. Aunque el accidente le dejó secuelas, continúa con su labor. Jacques Cousteau A bordo del Calypso y como productor de documentales, fue sin dudas el oceanógrafo más famoso del mundo. Nacido en 1910 en Saint André de CubZac, Francia, de joven fue nadador. Se enroló en el ejército de su país y luchó en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Cuando terminó el conflicto comenzó a investigar los océanos. La primera gran filmación que realizó fue en las costas de Túnez, cuando buscó a un buque hundido, el Mahdia. Allí, además de demostrar sus dotes en la práctica del buceo, se lució como diseñador de artefactos para inmersión. En La Valletta, capital de Malta, compró un viejo dragaminas, al que bautizó Calypso y convirtió en un espectacular buque oceanográfico. Escribió un libro, El mundo del silencio, que luego llevó a la pantalla grande. Con él ganó la Palma de Oro de Cannes y el Oscar al mejor documental. Con El mundo submarino, una serie de programas documentales, concientizó al planeta en temas de sobrepesca y distintas amenazas a la biodiversidad marina. Berta Cáceres Nacida en 1971 en La Esperanza, Honduras, luchó por el medio ambiente y el respeto a la naturaleza en medio de un entorno hostil. Su madre fue una activista que dio refugio a muchos salvadoreños en la guerra civil que azotó a ese país. Ella, criada en ese medio, pronto encaró sus propias batallas. Como defensora de los derechos de los indígenas a tener una tierra limpia fundó el Consejo Cívico de Organizaciones Populares e Indígenas de Honduras (COPINH), una organización para la preservación del medio ambiente. Además de enfrentarse a empresas mineras y madereras, su principal enemigo fueron quienes proponían apoderarse de los ríos para la construcción de proyectos hidroeléctricos. Fue amenazada de muerte varias veces, no dormía jamás en la misma casa y no usaba teléfonos para no ser detectada. Su familia debió abandonar el país por el hostigamiento. El 2 de marzo de 2016, mientras peleaba contra la instalación de la usina hidroeléctrica de Agua Zasca, fue asesinada. Según la ONG Global Witness, Honduras es el país más peligroso para los ambientalistas. Carl Sagan Fue, sin lugar a dudas, el gran divulgador de la ciencia de los astros. Nacido en Nueva York, después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial estudió en la Universidad de Chicago, donde en 1954 se graduó en Artes con honores especiales, al año siguiente hizo lo propio en Ciencias y en 1956 obtuvo un máster en Física. En 1960 se doctoró en Astronomía y Astrofísica. A sus conocimientos le sumó un sentido único para convertir a la ciencia en un show. Quizás lo heredó de las largas horas que pasaba en el cine donde su padre trabajaba como acomodador. Con su programa Cosmos, muchos niños despertaron al asombro que genera el increíble espectáculo de las galaxias. Pero a su vez, generó una profunda conciencia sobre la pequeñez de la Tierra y la humildad que debería tener la raza humana en relación a la naturaleza. Ese fue su gran aporte al ambientalismo: hacernos entender que este es nuestro hogar, un punto pequeño en la inmensidad del espacio, y que debemos cuidarlo. Wangari Maathai Activista ambiental y bióloga keniata, durante su vida sufrió discriminación por su condición de mujer. Ya era miembro del parlamento de su país cuando su marido le pidió el divorcio. Además de acusarla de adulterio, adujo que era era “tenía una mentalidad demasiado fuerte para ser mujer”. Lo curioso es que ganó la contienda legal. Wangari declaró contra el juez y la sentenciaron a prisión. Liberada, su lucha y su compromiso por las mujeres y el medio ambiente de su país no cejó. Promovió el ‘Movimiento Cinturón Verde’, un proyecto ambicioso por el que fueron plantados miles de árboles en Kenia. A partir del éxito de este emprendimiento, fue apodada como “Mujer árbol”. La tarea que llevó a cabo por el desarrollo sostenible hizo que el respeto a su persona tomara dimensión global. En el año 2004 ganó el Premio Nobel de la Paz. Tres años después, a los 71, falleció. En su memoria se entrega un galardón con su nombre para quienes luchan por la conservación de los bosques. Gerald Durrell Hijo de una irlandesa y un inglés, nació en Jamshedpur, India, en 1925, cuando era territorio de la Corona Británica. A los 3 años murió su padre y la familia regresó a Inglaterra. Pero antes, recuerda, visitó el zoológico local. Siempre dijo que eso le produjo una fascinación tan grande, que toda su vida fue marcada por ese hecho. Gerald Durrell (Reuters) Gerald Durrell (Reuters) Años más tarde fundó al Zoológico de Jersey, que con el tiempo se convirtió en en Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust. Como naturalista publicó más de 30 libros sobre el mundo de la naturaleza. Para él, los zoológicos eran clave para preservar especies amenazadas. En 1958 organizó una expedición a la Patagonia Argentina para conseguir animales que luego introdujo en su propia reserva en los Estados Unidos. Su ideario se puede resumir diciendo que, para él, los zoológicos debía ser sólo una reserva para animales en peligro de extinción, cuyo salvataje y reproducción sólo se podía dar en forma controlada en cautiverio. Su amor por los animales fue tan grande que construyó su propia casa dentro de la institución que conducía. Murió en 1990. Dian Fossey Toda su vida la dedicó a luchar por la preservación de los gorilas de montaña. Nació en San Francisco, pero muy joven se trasladó a África. Allí, al igual que Jane Goodall, se contactó con Louis Leakey. Luego viajó hacia las montañas Virunga, en el Congo y más tarde al Parque Nacional de los Volcanes de Ruanda. Allí se estableció y fundó el Karisoke Research Center. Su libro Gorilas en la niebla fue un un best seller, Fossey pronosticó la extinción de este tipo de gorilas por la caza indiscriminada a la que eran sometidos. Pero el éxito de la publicación logró llamar la atención mundial y la matanza se detuvo. Quizás haya sido ese logro lo que le costó la vida. En esas mismas montañas que amaba, y con su propio machete, fue asesinada a los 52 años. Nunca se probó quién la mató. Se sospecha de uno de los jefes de las bandas locales de cazadores furtivos. Tras su muerte, un film protagonizado por Sigourney Weaver la inmortalizó. Greta Thunberg La joven sueca se transformó en un fenómeno mundial cuando polemizó nada menos que con Donald Trump, el entonces presidente norteamericano, en las redes sociales. Y no sólo con él, también lo hizo con Jair Bolsonaro y Vladimir Putin. Nació en Estocolmo en enero de 2003, y es hija de un actor y una cantante lírica. De joven fue diagnosticada con el Sindrome de Asperger, lo que le confiere ese aspecto serio. Comenzó a interesarse por el ambientalismo en la escuela. En 2018 decidió no asistir a clases en protesta por incendios forestales en su país. La forma de protesta fue sentarse frente al Parlamento sueco en el horario de clases. Y su demanda, que su país disminuyera las emisiones de carbono. Ayudada por las redes sociales, su discurso y su edad llamaron la atención del mundo. Su palabra firme y su discurso coherente -no viaja en avión y no come carne para disminuir la huella de carbono- la transformaron, hasta el día de hoy, con 18 años, en la inspiración de millones de jóvenes que desean un planeta más sano y sustentable.

Eucalyptus plantations in Andhra Pradesh sway between economy and ecology

Farmers in coastal villages of the Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh are increasingly opting for eucalyptus plantations, sometimes over traditional crops, as they struggle with water scarcity and groundwater salinity. Eucalyptus is a ‘controversial’ crop, often accused to be a water-guzzler. This, in addition to the negative effects of monocropping, makes these plantations an issue of environmental concern. Notwithstanding the debates – both for and against – for the farmers of these villages, the choice is between leaving their land barren and selling it off, or growing eucalyptus and earning revenue by selling its wood. Driving across coastal villages of the Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh, it is difficult to miss the vast swathes of swaying trees on either side of the road. Eucalyptus – not coconut, as is the typical image that conjures up at the mention of ‘coast’- stands tall, in plantation after plantation. In contrast to the popular view that these evergreen trees are ‘water guzzlers’, farmers here say that they are increasingly opting for eucalyptus as water scarcity and water salinity have posed major challenges to their traditional crops in terms of productivity. While economics tip the scale in favour of eucalyptus for them, environmentalists are sceptical about its impact on the environment. In Reddikancheru village, for instance, 55-year-old Erkonda Appanna said that over the last two year he has been facing water problems and a decrease in the productivity of his crops. As an adaptive measure, he has grown eucalyptus on one portion of his land. “In the last two years, I have harvested five bags of groundnut per acre; there was a time when I used to get almost 30 bags,” Appanna told Mongabay-India. Depleting water level in the farm well and less rainfall, he said, are to be blamed for this. A lowered yield has affected the family’s income forcing both him and his son to go for daily wage work. Appanna, however, has not given up on farming and, as an adaptive measure, grows crops that don’t require as much water such as ragi, which is also a traditionally grown crop in the region. “I have also seen people get success growing eucalyptus. It doesn’t need as much irrigation as other crops and the wood can be sold to the industries. So I have planted saplings in 50 cents (0.2 hectares) of my land,” he said. In another nearby village called Chodipalli Peta, groundwater salinity is a major problem, in addition to water scarcity. In the government-installed taps, water comes only every alternate day. C.H. Garagaiyya, a resident of the village, said that tired of the continuing water problems, he decided to get a borewell dug, but at the place where it was drilled, no water was found till 250 feet. “I lost Rs. 60,000 in the process,” he said. The spill-over effect of scarce water has been on agriculture. Where the family once grew traditional crops like groundnut, green gram and ragi on their 1.5 acre (0.6 hectares) land, Garagaiyya said that they stopped farming altogether and he started working in the chemical industry instead. In the meantime, they noticed a few farmers in the area growing eucalyptus and decided to give it a try. “Eucalyptus doesn’t have any issue with saline water, and grows well even with minimal irrigation,” Garagaiyya said. The first yield takes five years, and they sell the wood to vendors and industries both within the state and to the nearby state of Odisha. Eucalyptus is a controversial crop Although these plantations are only on private land in Vizianagaram as of now, environmental concerns loom large anyway. Ruchika Singh, director, Sustainable Landscapes and Restoration at World Resources Institute (WRI), for instance, pointed out the ecological impact of monocropping. Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) 2017 report, Puzzle of Forest Productivity, says: “Several research studies have proven that monoculture plantations cause change in native forest ecosystems through replacement of natural habitat, changes in the water regime in the catchment, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, chemical contamination etc.” Eucalyptus is also probably one of the most ‘controversial’ crops, with studies both for and against its impact on the groundwater table. Singh, for instance, said, “If an area is already known to have water scarcity (and low groundwater level), I am not sure if eucalyptus is the right plant to grow since it is known to be water-intensive.” In 2017, Karnataka banned any new eucalyptus plantation, citing four research papers. One of these papers, titled, Impact of eucalyptus plantations on groundwater availability in south Karnataka, states that “As a fast-growing, remunerative and consistently demanded industrial wood, eucalyptus has witnessed an unfettered support in most countries . . . But negative impacts of growing eucalyptus outweigh all these benefits . . . It can successfully grow under water scarcity, when its water requirement comes down to 40-50 litres per plant, per day. It is able to draw water from a large area in the vicinity of the root system. In stress situation, its roots can grow even up to 6-9 m and extract more water.” A stay order was however put on the Karnataka high court ruling in 2019, upholding the petitioners’ plea, saying that there are numerous studies stating that eucalyptus is not a water-intensive species. “The biomass produced by eucalyptus is more than the water it extracts,” Rao said, “However, the soil around the tree, because of the leaves that fall, has an acidic pH and this makes growing other crops or plants near eucalyptus difficult.” Most farmers are however more concerned about the economic benefit of growing eucalyptus – or casuarina, also widely grown – over its ecological effect. “Our family land was lying barren because of water problems. I had two options: either sell the land or grow eucalyptus,” Garagaiyya said. A number of farmers have, in fact, sold their barren land to real estate companies and opted for daily wage-earning or migrated to Vishakapatnam for other work. “At present, being able to save our land is the best option,” he added.

Three million COVID deaths is a grim milestone

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken too many lives, and has set back efforts to tackle other infectious diseases. This month, the world passed a devastating milestone, with three million deaths attributed to COVID-19. As the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported, globally, the pandemic remains on a steep upward curve. Although vaccines have been developed in record time, more than 10,000 people are dying each day — around one-third of whom are in Brazil or India. And, as we report in a Feature this week, deaths from other infectious diseases are likely to rise, because diagnosis and treatment of these diseases has suffered as COVID-19 has been prioritized. The greatest impact seems to have been on tuberculosis (TB), with the number of people having treatment down by more than one million. Partly as a result, an extra 500,000 people might have died from TB last year, in addition to the 1.4 million who die from it annually. Scientists say that this has set back TB treatment efforts by at least a decade. Measles cases worldwide were already on the rise before the pandemic, with some 210,000 people, mostly young children, dying annually. A year ago, many countries suspended measles immunization campaigns in response to guidance from the WHO to prioritize COVID-19 — and in 24 countries, these have still not resumed. It is hard to predict when non-COVID immunization might return to pre-pandemic levels. Companies in India normally produce around 60% of the world’s vaccines, according to the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi, but supplies are being interrupted as India concentrates on producing vaccines against COVID-19. What it will take to vaccinate the world against COVID-19 At present, recorded measles cases worldwide are low — in 2020, there were just 89,000, compared with 870,000 in 2019. Researchers say this is down to a combination of factors, including reduced surveillance and the effects of lockdowns, which have limited the disease’s spread. But they are concerned that cases will surge among unvaccinated children once restrictions are eased. Many lives could have been saved had national leaders taken earlier action on the three essential tools for managing a pandemic: competence in testing, tracing and isolating infected people and their contacts; limiting gatherings and enforcing social distancing; and, when necessary, mandating lockdowns. Many leaders rejected some or all of these measures. Some doubted the dangers of the virus. There needs to be renewed urgency in ending the pandemic, but we must not lose sight of other diseases. That means continuing with all essential public-health interventions, and it also means vaccine equity — getting vaccines out, especially to the most vulnerable, as fast as possible.

5 Indian honey brands get HC notice

Honey has been a quintessential part of our day-to-day indulgence, right from accentuating the taste of our morning drinks to teas to desserts, but what if we tell you that the honey you are consuming doesn’t meet the safety standards and may be adulterated! Is your Honey fit for consumption? Well, in a shocking turn of events, The Supreme Court of India on Monday sought response from Centre and states on a plea seeking permanent ban on all unauthorised production, and companies and individuals carrying out illegal adulterated honey business. The plea, filed by the Anti-Corruption Council of India Trust, through advocate Manju Jetley, cited the report from researchers of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), stating that major Indian brands of honey "were mixing honey with a modified sugar from China which bypasses some basic tests used to detect the adulteration in honey". A bench, headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, after a brief hearing in the matter, issued notice on the plea. "Most of the honey sold in the Indian market is adulterated with sugar syrup. Therefore, instead of honey, people are eating more sugar, this is immensely worrying as it will further compromise health in the troubled times of Covid-19," said the plea. The Plea against leading Honey brands The plea also sought direction to the companies to submit to investigation or test reports of different honey brands or products before the top court. "Major brands Dabur, Patanjali and Zandu are selling honey adulterated with the modified sugar from China which can bypass some of the basic tests used to detect adulterated honey, research from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has alleged," added the plea.\ Testing and claims Submitting that spokespersons from Dabur, Patanjali and Zandu claimed that their honey brands meet the regulatory requirements laid down by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) and denied that their honey products were adulterated, the plea argued that as per the news published, out of 70 samples, only three could pass the internationally accepted by NMR spectroscopy test. "It is a food fraud more nefarious and more sophisticated than CSE found in 2003 and 2006 investigation into soft drinks, more damaging to our health than perhaps anything that they have found till now keeping in mind the fact we are still fighting against a killer Covid-19 pandemic with our backs to the wall," the plea said. The plea is based on a CSE investigation, which alleged Chinese companies were exporting sugar syrup as fructose syrup to India with claims that it could bypass the basic test specified for selling honey in the Indian market.

Air pollution costs Indian businesses ₹7 lakh crore annually: Report

Pollution ends up lowering labour productivity and consumer footfall. It leads to premature mortality, lowers asset productivity as well as increases health expenses and welfare losses, according to the report by consulting firm Dalberg Advisors in partnership with Clean Air Fund and the CII Air pollution costs Indian businesses ₹7 lakh crore ($95 billion), or an equivalent to 3% of India’s GDP, annually, according to a report by consulting firm Dalberg Advisors in partnership with Clean Air Fund and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The costs manifest in six ways. The pollution ends up lowering labour productivity and consumer footfall. It leads to premature mortality, lowers asset productivity as well as increases health expenses and welfare losses, according to the report. Out of these, employee productivity, consumer footfall and premature mortality impact businesses directly. According to Dalberg’s estimates, workers take 1.3 billion days off work annually because of the effects of air pollution on their health, amounting to $6 billion in lost revenue. Air pollution has also been shown to have significant effects on workers’ cognitive and physical performance, lowering their on-the-job productivity and thereby decreasing business revenue by up to $24 billion. The report said lower air quality also reduces consumers’ willingness to venture out of their homes, leading to lower footfall and $22 billion less revenue. All estimates are based on data from 2019. The report is based on a quantitative analysis of four pathways through which pollution decreases profitability. These include premature mortality, presenteeism, absenteeism and consumer footfall. It uses air pollution data, historical traffic data, pharmacy sales data and data on premature mortality. Seema Arora, deputy director-general, CII, said as per the survey insights, interviews and data analysis that went into the preparation of this report, it is clear that individual businesses – and their employees – have a direct stake in improving air quality. “While there is a need for a lot of thinking to be done here, the business solutions to this business crisis as per our findings include ‘greening’ business operations and supply chains, adopting renewable energy technology, mitigating emissions through CSR activities, and campaigning for more ambitious pollution policies,” said Arora. “We believe that through active and sustained collaboration between the public and private sectors, bluer skies and a healthier economy can soon become India’s reality.” Sunil Dahiya, analyst, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said a healthy and free workforce and consumer base is the key to expanding businesses and the economy. “If their well-being, health and contributing capacity is compromised, the business and economy at large are bound to suffer. Air pollution is the biggest factor as highlighted in the report which compromises the capacity of individuals to work efficiently and of even being a free consumer as their activities are restricted by hazardous pollution levels.” Dahiya said businesses need to prioritise air pollution and emission reduction strategies in their operations and supply chains to grow efficiently and contribute to India’s economic prosperity. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment, called the report an important insight into how lowering of on-the-job productivity due to air pollution-related health risk remains unaccounted in the balance sheets of businesses that translates into massive revenue and GDP losses. “Such compelling evidence builds the case for a green economic recovery and mainstreaming of health criteria in our decision-making processes.”

Supreme Court issues notice on plea questioning Indian brands of honey

The Supreme Court, on Monday, sought response from the Centre and the States on a plea seeking permanent ban on all unauthorised production, and companies and individuals carrying out illegal adulterated honey business. NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court, on Monday, sought response from the Centre and the States on a plea seeking permanent ban on all unauthorised production, and companies and individuals carrying out illegal adulterated honey business. The plea, filed by the 'Anti-Corruption Council of India Trust', through advocate Manju Jetley, cited a report from researchers of CSE (Centre for Science & Environment), stating that several major Indian brands of honey "were mixing honey with a modified sugar from China which bypasses some basic tests used to detect the adulteration in honey". The Bench, headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, after a brief hearing in the matter, issued notice on the plea. "Most of the honey sold in the Indian market is adulterated with sugar syrup. Therefore, instead of honey, people are eating more sugar, this is immensely worrying as it will further compromise health in the troubled times of COVID-19," said the plea. The plea also sought direction to the companies to submit to investigation or test reports of different honey brands or products before the top Court. "Major brands — Dabur, Patanjali and Zandu — are selling honey adulterated with the modified sugar from China which can bypass some of the basic tests used to detect adulterated honey, research from the Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) has alleged," added the plea.

India’s Electric Vehicles Face Practical, Technical Hurdles

NEW DELHI — H.S. Panno, an independent contractor living in a spacious two-story penthouse in New Delhi, had his doubts when he bought his first electric car in September. So far, he’s pleased with his savings on gas and maintenance, which are down by more than half, but disappointed with the practical limitations of driving his Nexon XZ+. For starters, he says he’s only getting 125 miles per charge, not the promised range of 195 miles. And he can’t drive the car outside the city because of a lack of charging stations. EVs are a rarity in India, where more than 300 million vehicles, most of them scooters and three-wheel motorized rickshaws, jam the highways. The country is now making an ambitious push for what it calls “electric mobility,” to reduce smog. But the effort is plagued with technological and logistical hurdles, even for those relatively simple vehicles. The EV passenger car segment may be potentially huge but for now it is a niche within a niche: In March, 25,640 electric vehicles were sold across the country, of which 90% were two and three-wheelers. The total 400,000 EVs registered in India in 2019 accounted for less than 0.2% of all vehicles. Panno got a $1,770 rebate as a government incentive for buying his Nexon XZ+, Indian automaker Tata’s mid-range electric vehicle model. It cost $22,740, about twice the price of the company’s most popular gas-fueled models. “It’s a good car and a pleasure to drive, but I’m still scared of breaking down midway from a lack of charge,” Panno said. Officials see EVs as a solution to the deadly smog choking city streets, even though for the most part heavily polluting coal power plants generate the electricity needed to charge them. India’s capital New Delhi provides a slew of subsidies to first-time EV buyers. EVs are also exempt from road tax and registration fees and there are other incentives to encourage swapping of old gas and diesel vehicles for new electric ones. About half of India’s 31 states have drafted similar EV policies with varying degrees of progress. The New Delhi government recently dropped the Nexon XZ+ and Nexon XM from its list of a dozen four-wheel vehicles eligible for subsidies. The reason? Their low range. Tata said the Nexon XZ+’s 315-kilometer range was verified by the official Automotive Research Association of India. But the actual range depends on factors such as air conditioning, “individual driving style and the conditions in which the vehicle is driven,” the company said in a statement. The EV market has been growing at an annual rate of 20% and is dominated by five major players: Tata, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., MG Motor India, Olectra Greentech Ltd. and JBM Auto Ltd. Startups also are joining the fray. Local automakers have been slow to get into making EVs and their parts, largely because of a lack of demand. Those that have jumped in mostly rely on cheap imports that have added to complaints over poor quality. Last year, India raised tariffs on imports of EVs and their parts, including all-important and expensive lithium-ion batteries. That and other policies are aimed at encouraging domestic production, raising quality and bringing prices down to the level of conventional autos. Some companies, both domestic and foreign, have taken heed and dozens of projects are in the pipeline. Tata plans a $54 million lithium-ion production facility in the Indian state of Gujarat. Japan’s Toshiba-Denzo-Suzuki has set up a factory in the western state of Gujarat, an auto manufacturing hub, to make lithium-ion batteries for Maruti Suzuki and Suzuki motor plants. Elon Musk recently announced Tesla plans to set up an EV factory in southern India. Moushumi Mohanty, head of electric mobility at the Centre for Science and Environment, a nonprofit focused on sustainable development, says the lack of charging stations remains a big hurdle. “For the supply side to work, the government will have to formulate a standardized regulatory framework to monitor the quality of technology and safety parameters,” Mohanty added. India has been striving to follow the lead of the U.S., Japan, and China in building up its auto industry, which already employs more than 35 million people, directly or indirectly, and contributes more than 7% to the country’s gross domestic product. To help repair damage from the pandemic, the country’s leaders are aiming to double exports of vehicles and components in the next five years. The effort to ramp up EV use is part of a global trend. Sales of such vehicles rose 40% in 2019 from a year earlier to account for 2.6% of worldwide car sales, or about 1% of all vehicles, according to the International Energy Agency. But for the foreseeable future, India’s EV market will likely remain the domain of electric scooters and rickshaws, which cost $1,200 to $3,680 and like passenger cars need charging facilities. Ashok Kumar switched to driving an electric rickshaw taxi from working at a printing press three years ago, after hearing the New Delhi government was offering subsidies. However, he never got the promised rebate on his $1,770 electric rickshaw. Kumar sets out each day acutely aware that he has just until lunchtime to earn as much as he can. Then he has to rush home to charge his vehicle. It takes 12 hours of charging to get a running time of five hours, he says. “It’s absolutely useless,” he said about the e-rickshaw as he waited for customers outside a metro station. So far, New Delhi, a city of 31 million people, has only 72 active charging stations, with another 100 in the pipeline. That’s nowhere near enough for a city that plans to ensure one-quarter of all new vehicles sold, whatever their size, be electric. The problem is worst for commercial vehicles that cannot afford to stop in the day to recharge. Most private EV owners just charge their vehicles at home, viewing public charging stations as a last resort. Jasmine Shah, vice chairman of the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission, a government think tank leading the capital’s electric mobility initiative, shrugs off such complaints. India needs EVs to improve the environment, he said. “We’re simply focusing on creating demand for electric vehicles. The rest will follow,” Shah said.

SC notice on plea questioning Indian brands of honey

The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from Centre and states on a plea seeking permanent ban on all unauthorised production, and companies and individuals carrying out illegal adulterated honey business. New Delhi: The plea, filed by the Anti-Corruption Council of India Trust, through advocate Manju Jetley, cited the report from researchers of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), stating that major Indian brands of honey "were mixing honey with a modified sugar from China which bypasses some basic tests used to detect the adulteration in honey". A bench, headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, after a brief hearing in the matter, issued notice on the plea. "Most of the honey sold in the Indian market is adulterated with sugar syrup. Therefore, instead of honey, people are eating more sugar, this is immensely worrying as it will further compromise health in the troubled times of Covid-19," said the plea. The plea also sought direction to the companies to submit to investigation or test reports of different honey brands or products before the top court. "Major brands Dabur, Patanjali and Zandu are selling honey adulterated with the modified sugar from China which can bypass some of the basic tests used to detect adulterated honey, research from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has alleged," added the plea. Submitting that spokespersons from Dabur, Patanjali and Zandu claimed that their honey brands meet the regulatory requirements laid down by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) and denied that their honey products were adulterated, the plea argued that as per the news published, out of 70 samples, only three could pass the internationally accepted by NMR spectroscopy test. "It is a food fraud more nefarious and more sophisticated than CSE found in 2003 and 2006 investigation into soft drinks, more damaging to our health than perhaps anything that they have found till now keeping in mind the fact we are still fighting against a killer Covid-19 pandemic with our backs to the wall," the plea said. The plea is based on a CSE investigation, which alleged Chinese companies were exporting sugar syrup as fructose syrup to India with claims that it could bypass the basic test specified for selling honey in the Indian market.

Vehicle Scrappage Policy: Is India On The Right Track To Ensure Clean Air For All?

As per the Scrappage policy, commercial vehicles will be deregistered in 15 years and private vehicles in 20 years if they fail to get fitness certificates New Delhi: On February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman confirmed that vehicle scrappage policy will be coming soon, while announcing Budget 2021. Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, in March shared an outline of the policy, which is said to not only help boost the automobile sector but also help support government’s clean air initiatives. As per the policy, commercial vehicles will be deregistered in 15 years and private vehicles in 20 years, if they fail to get fitness certificates. Every vehicle beyond the age-limit will have to undergo the mandatory automated fitness test, failing which it will be taken off the road and the owner will be fined. Vehicle Scrappage Policy: Is India On The Right Track To Ensure Clean Air For All? India has around 17 lakh vehicles that are older than 15 years but do not have a fitness certificate The move will help reduce vehicular pollution and contribute to India’s efforts towards achieving its climate goals. It will also strengthen the country’s road safety and create employment by providing a necessary boost to the automobile sector, Mr Gadkari said while announcing the policy in Lok Sabha on March 18, 2021. He added that India has around 17 lakh vehicles that are older than 15 years but do not have a fitness certificate. Also Read: Google Earth’s ‘Timelapse’ Reflects The Effects Of Climate Change Over The Past 37 Years Government will offer incentives for those who buy a new vehicle and scap the old ones. These initiatives will include tax rebates of up to 25 per cent, to be offered by State governments; 5 per cent discount on new cars to be provided by manufacturers, upon showing the scrapping certificate; as well as a waiver of the registration fee for new vehicle. Mr Gadkari also claimed that several scrapping centres will be set up across the country where people can sell their old automobiles at approximately 4-6 per cent of the value of the new vehicle. Vehicle Scrappage Policy: Is India On The Right Track To Ensure Clean Air For All? The rules of the policy are likely to come into effect from the end of this year: Experts Also Read: India Has Already Witnessed Multiple Big Forest Fires This Year: Here Is All You Need To Know About Wildfires The rules of the policy are likely to come into effect from the end of this year post which a vehicle that fails the fitness test or fails to get its registration renewed will be termed ‘end of life vehicle’. As per a report by Centre for Science and Environment, the older generation of vehicles emit several times more pollutants than the current generation. India implemented BS VI emissions standards nation-wide in April 2020. In most parts of India, barring 13 big cities that had introduced BS IV standards in 2010, BS IV standards were only introduced nationwide in 2017. Currently, BS III and BS IV vehicles largely dominate the vehicle fleet across India with BS I and BS II vehicles continuing in varied proportion. CSE also reports that compared to a BS IV car, a 15-year-old diesel car emits 7.6 times higher Particulate Matter (PM) and 3.4 times higher Nitrogen Oxide. Thus, emissions from one old diesel car are equal to four to seven new cars. A 10-year-old diesel car emits 2.4 times higher PM compared to a BS IV car. Toxic emissions, too, are higher from older vehicles. The difference in emissions of different genre of commercial vehicles is also substantial, it says. CSE’s estimate shows that the emission load from diesel vehicles that are 11 to 15 years old is a lot more on a per vehicle basis than those that are between 1 to 10 years old. Removing old vehicles, particularly old diesel vehicles, from the fleet will substantially reduce direct exposure on road. This benefit can be maximised if the old heavy duty diesel trucks are removed, it says. Vehicle Scrappage Policy: Is India On The Right Track To Ensure Clean Air For All? As per a report by Centre for Science and Environment, the older generation of vehicles emit several times more pollutants than the current generation Also Read: Delhi Has Taken More Air Pollution Control Measures Than Any Other City But There Is Still A Long Way Ahead: CSE Report According to S N Tripathi, member, Steering Committee, National Clean Air Program, the policy will benefit both car owners and clean air initiatives by the government. He tells NDTV, From the new vehicle scrapping policy for private and commercial vehicles, both owners and clean air plan will be benefitted. While owners will get better deal than scrapping in private yards, the scrapped metal can be used for car manufacturing thus avoiding fugitive dust coming out from metal ores mining. This is a wonderful example of circular economy. He adds that the time bound scraping will also limit exhaust emissions which is a major cause of pollution in cities. CSE’s Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Anumita Roychowdhury says that the policy is an important step forward, but falls short of becoming an instrument of green recovery. She explains, This is certainly an important step forward to build infrastructure for organised and scientific scrapping of old vehicles. But this misses the opportunity of designing the policy as an effective stimulus programme for green recovery in the sector to achieve deeper and quicker air quality benefits. This policy has only ‘advised’ the state governments and the automobile industry to provide voluntary incentives to the owners of the old vehicles. There is no commitment from the central government to make this a fiscal stimulus strategy in the post Covid times for quicker renewal of the ageing heavy duty vehicle fleet with Bharat Stage VI vehicles or to link other segments with targeted electrification. This is a case of missed opportunity. She further adds that while the new draft policy is a big positive for supporting a network of well – equipped scrappage facilities, with adequate environmental safeguards to stop unsafe dismantling of old vehicles that contaminate water, soil and air and wastage of material, ‘its focus on targeted fleet renewal for maximum emissions gains is still weak.’ For such a targeted programme for heavy duty vehicles, the policy can take a more nuanced approach, she explains, Consider the fact that some truck owners may want to only dispose of the very old trucks without replacing it. But others may want to scrap and replace the older trucks. In that case, a rebate can be given to the owners of end-of-life vehicles who are interested in ‘only scrapping’ the vehicle without immediate replacement. And this rebate can be given based on scrappage certificate from authorised scrappage centres. But higher incentives can be given for ‘scrappage and replacement’ of old/end-of-life vehicles with BSVI compliant vehicles. Also Read: World Air Quality Report Highlights: India’s Air Quality Improved In 2020, But 22 of 30 World’s Most Polluted Cities Are In India In this case, Ms Roychowdhury says, the vehicle dealer/manufacturer may also give matching incentives. She suggests that the thumb rule could be to reduce the overall cost of the new replacement vehicle meeting BSVI standards by upto 15 per cent. While old trucks with more economic life left can get comparatively higher incentive as that will give higher emissions benefits. The strategy however, can be different for older personal vehicles – cars and two-wheelers. For these vehicles, the incentive can be linked with voluntary replacement with electric vehicles. Reason is simple. Personal vehicles are numerous and a generic public support for their fleet renewal can divert a lion share of allocated budget from the priority heavy duty segment Therefore, the public support for personal vehicle segment can be linked only with voluntary electrification. This can be additional to the normal scrapping of end-of life vehicles as already proposed in the draft policy. This can maximise air quality gains, Ms Roychowdhury explains. Lastly, she asserts that this first ever formal scrappage policy in India is urgently needed to help build infrastructure for safe disposal and material recovery to minimise environmental hazards from junk vehicles and clunkers. But given the fact that India is adopting scrappage policy during these unprecedented pandemic times, it is necessary to leverage this targeted fleet renewal with well-designed central support for post-pandemic green deal.

An overview of most prevalent lifestyle diseases – Prevention and Care

An overview of most prevalent lifestyle diseases – Prevention and Care As the law of nature states, a healthy lifestyle assures a better life. The demanding work life and personal commitments has made humans prone to a number of diseases. The on-going pandemic has also brought upon a number of challenges, like the lack of physical activity and excess stress with the work from home culture. As we celebrate World Health day, it is imperative we pay attention to the most common lifestyle diseases and how they have become more prevalent in recent times. India is the world’s democracy and is a fast growing economy and rates at number 10 out of the 11 countries in Asia Pacifiz Region in the Health Index. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, over 61 percent of the deaths in India are attributed to lifestyle or non-communicable diseases. The reports also say that every 12th Indian is a diabetic patient as India ranks second in the list of countries with the highest diabetes records. Unhealthy eating habits like junk or processed foods, artificial sweeteners and fatty food items is one major reason for the various health complications in the present day world. While lifestyle choices like consumption of alcohol, irregular sleeping cycles and tobacco smoking also contributes largely to the rise in the number of medical cases. An unexpected rise in body weight increases the risk of diabetes. Uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure can result in serious health complications like brain strokes, nerve damage, and kidney failure. While thyroid may not show noticeable symptoms in the initial stages but if progressed to an advanced stage, can lead to a number of health problems like obesity, heart diseases, infertility complications, and sleep apnea. Below listed are a few preventive measures one can adopt to live a hassle-free life and cut down the risks associated with several health ailments: ● Make healthy food choices: A wholesome diet can help the body receive the right amount of proteins, nutrients, and vitamins. It is essential to chalk out the right diet plan and follow the same on a regular basis. The platter should consist of green leafy vegetables and food items rich in vitamin A, calcium, and fiber. One must also consume an adequate amount of water on an everyday basis while water-based fresh fruits like watermelon, muskmelon, grapes, etc are also another best alternative. Portion control is important to understand for every individual, excessive food consumption can lead to serious health hazards. It is advisable to reduce the portion size and consume food every two hours. ● Include more physical activities in your daily routine: Striking the balance between the right diet and physical activity is important to keep the body fit and healthy. To keep the immune system active and functioning properly, every individual must participate in some physical activities for nearly 30 minutes per day. Walking is considered to be the best form of exercise for all age groups that can help to burn the extra calories and improve the strength and endurance of our immune system. Performing household chores and some light yoga can help one calm down from the regular stress and anxiety. ● Monitor the body weight: Bodyweight needs to be managed and monitored regularly. Increased body weight can lead to obesity, diabetes, and thyroid in extreme conditions. ● Avoid Smoking and Drinking: Thiocyanate and nicotine in cigarettes can increase the excretion of iodine that develops high risks of adapting thyroid. It automatically doubles the risk of adopting several health complications by damaging the blood vessels. Reduction in smoking and drinking can help one live long and develop higher energy levels. ● Try to reduce screen time – The usage of mobile phones should be reduced when it is not required. The radiation coming out of mobile phones affects our health in many ways and especially patients suffering from thyroid. Therefore it is important to keep away the mobile phones or any electronic devices and reduce screen-timing before sleeping. It helps one to get a goodnight’s sleep and feel fresh the next morning.

India's electric mobility ambitions face practical, technical hurdles

H.S. Panno, an independent contractor living in a spacious two-story penthouse in New Delhi, had his doubts when he bought his first electric car in September. So far, he's pleased with his savings on gas and maintenance, which are down by more than half, but disappointed with the practical limitations of driving his Nexon XZ+. For starters, he says he's only getting 200 kilometers (125 miles) per charge, not the promised range of 315 kilometers (195 miles). And he can't drive the car outside the city because of a lack of charging stations. EVs are a rarity in India, where more than 300 million vehicles, most of them scooters and three-wheel motorized rickshaws, jam the highways. The country is now making an ambitious push for what it calls “electric mobility," to reduce smog. But the effort is plagued with technological and logistical hurdles, even for those relatively simple vehicles. The EV passenger car segment may be potentially huge but for now it is a niche within a niche: In March, 25,640 electric vehicles were sold across the country, of which 90% were two and three-wheelers. The total 400,000 EVs registered in India in 2019 accounted for less than 0.2% of all vehicles. Panno got a $1,770 rebate as a government incentive for buying his Nexon XZ+, Indian automaker Tata’s mid-range electric vehicle model. It cost $22,740, about twice the price of the company's most popular gas-fueled models. “It's a good car and a pleasure to drive, but I'm still scared of breaking down midway from a lack of charge," Panno said. Officials see EVs as a solution to the deadly smog choking city streets, even though for the most part heavily polluting coal power plants generate the electricity needed to charge them. India’s capital New Delhi provides a slew of subsidies to first-time EV buyers. EVs are also exempt from road tax and registration fees and there are other incentives to encourage swapping of old gas and diesel vehicles for new electric ones. About half of India’s 31 states have drafted similar EV policies with varying degrees of progress. The New Delhi government recently dropped the Nexon XZ+ and Nexon XM from its list of a dozen four-wheel vehicles eligible for subsidies. The reason? Their low range. Tata said the Nexon XZ+'s 315-kilometer range was verified by the official Automotive Research Association of India. But the actual range depends on factors such as air conditioning, “individual driving style and the conditions in which the vehicle is driven," the company said in a statement. The EV market has been growing at an annual rate of 20% and is dominated by five major players: Tata, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., MG Motor India, Olectra Greentech Ltd. and JBM Auto Ltd. Startups also are joining the fray. Local automakers have been slow to get into making EVs and their parts, largely because of a lack of demand. Those that have jumped in mostly rely on cheap imports that have added to complaints over poor quality. Last year, India raised tariffs on imports of EVs and their parts, including all-important and expensive lithium-ion batteries. That and other policies are aimed at encouraging domestic production, raising quality and bringing prices down to the level of conventional autos. Some companies, both domestic and foreign, have taken heed and dozens of projects are in the pipeline. Tata plans a $54 million lithium-ion production facility in the Indian state of Gujarat. Japan’s Toshiba-Denzo-Suzuki has set up a factory in the western state of Gujarat, an auto manufacturing hub, to make lithium-ion batteries for Maruti Suzuki and Suzuki motor plants. Elon Musk recently announced Tesla plans to set up an EV factory in southern India. Moushumi Mohanty, head of electric mobility at the Centre for Science and Environment, a nonprofit focused on sustainable development, says the lack of charging stations remains a big hurdle. “For the supply side to work, the government will have to formulate a standardized regulatory framework to monitor the quality of technology and safety parameters," Mohanty added. India has been striving to follow the lead of the U.S., Japan, and China in building up its auto industry, which already employs more than 35 million people, directly or indirectly, and contributes more than 7% to the country’s gross domestic product. To help repair damage from the pandemic, the country's leaders are aiming to double exports of vehicles and components in the next five years. The effort to ramp up EV use is part of a global trend. Sales of such vehicles rose 40% in 2019 from a year earlier to account for 2.6% of worldwide car sales, or about 1% of all vehicles, according to the International Energy Agency. But for the foreseeable future, India's EV market will likely remain the domain of electric scooters and rickshaws, which cost $1,200 to $3,680 and like passenger cars need charging facilities. Ashok Kumar switched to driving an electric rickshaw taxi from working at a printing press three years ago, after hearing the New Delhi government was offering subsidies. However, he never got the promised rebate on his $1,770 electric rickshaw. Kumar sets out each day acutely aware that he has just until lunchtime to earn as much as he can. Then he has to rush home to charge his vehicle. It takes 12 hours of charging to get a running time of five hours, he says. “It’s absolutely useless," he said about the e-rickshaw as he waited for customers outside a metro station. So far, New Delhi, a city of 31 million people, has only 72 active charging stations, with another 100 in the pipeline. That’s nowhere near enough for a city that plans to ensure one-quarter of all new vehicles sold, whatever their size, be electric. The problem is worst for commercial vehicles that cannot afford to stop in the day to recharge. Most private EV owners just charge their vehicles at home, viewing public charging stations as a last resort. Jasmine Shah, vice chairman of the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission, a government think tank leading the capital’s electric mobility initiative, shrugs off such complaints. India needs EVs to improve the environment, he said. “We’re simply focusing on creating demand for electric vehicles. The rest will follow," Shah said.

PIL in SC seeks testing of honey brands for purity

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Union government's response to a PIL seeking purity test of all brands of honey sold in the market, given various reports available in the public domain about massive adulteration of one of the most sought after natural products. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde issued notice to the home ministry on a petition by NGO 'Anti-Corruption Council of India' after hearing brief arguments from senior advocate V K Shukla, who persuaded the bench to overcome its initial hesitation to entertain the PIL. Citing a report from Centre for Science and Environment, the petitioner said major Indian brands were mixing honey with a modified sugar imported from China to bypass basic tests for detection of adulteration. "CSE alleged that Chinese companies were exporting sugar syrup as 'fructose syrup' to India with claims that it could bypass the basic test specified for selling honey in the Indian market," it said. The petitioner pegged the assertion by saying "as per database, the average quantity of fructose imported from China is over 10,000 MT every year since 2014-2015, when it was less than 2,500 MT"." The NGO said, "It is also found that most of the honey sold in the Indian market is adulterated with sugar syrup. Therefore, instead of honey, people are eating more sugar. This is immensely worrying as it will further compromise health in the troubled times of Covid- 19."

SC issue notices to Centre, States on plea seeking ban on adulterated honey

The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from Centre and states on a plea seeking permanent ban on all unauthorised production, and companies and individuals carrying out illegal adulterated honey business. The plea, filed by the Anti-Corruption Council of India Trust, through advocate Manju Jetley, cited the report from researchers of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), stating that major Indian brands of honey "were mixing honey with a modified sugar from China which bypasses some basic tests used to detect the adulteration in honey". A bench, headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, after a brief hearing in the matter, issued notice on the plea. "Most of the honey sold in the Indian market is adulterated with sugar syrup. Therefore, instead of honey, people are eating more sugar, this is immensely worrying as it will further compromise health in the troubled times of Covid-19," said the plea. The plea also sought direction to the companies to submit to investigation or test reports of different honey brands or products before the top court. "Major brands Dabur, Patanjali and Zandu are selling honey adulterated with the modified sugar from China which can bypass some of the basic tests used to detect adulterated honey, research from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has alleged," added the plea. Submitting that spokespersons from Dabur, Patanjali and Zandu claimed that their honey brands meet the regulatory requirements laid down by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) and denied that their honey products were adulterated, the plea argued that as per the news published, out of 70 samples, only three could pass the internationally accepted by NMR spectroscopy test. "It is a food fraud more nefarious and more sophisticated than CSE found in 2003 and 2006 investigation into soft drinks, more damaging to our health than perhaps anything that they have found till now keeping in mind the fact we are still fighting against a killer Covid-19 pandemic with our backs to the wall," the plea said. The plea is based on a CSE investigation, which alleged Chinese companies were exporting sugar syrup as fructose syrup to India with claims that it could bypass the basic test specified for selling honey in the Indian market.

Promoting coal and renewables cannot go together; India must embrace green energy for rapid, sustainable growth

ON Earth Day on April 22, US President Joe Biden will host 40 world leaders at an extraordinary virtual summit he has convened to tackle the crisis of climate change. Both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to attend the conclave. Since his first day in office, Biden has assumed the mantle of global climate leadership. Within hours of his inauguration, Biden re-entered the US into the Paris Agreement, an international accord signed in 2015 by 196 countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in order to keep global warming below 2˚C and ideally below 1.5˚C compared to pre-industrial levels. Also read: Good start by Joe Biden rolling back travel ban and rejoining the Paris Agreement Biden has repeatedly stressed that he wants the US to achieve a 100% clean energy economy and reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050. His administration is close to signing agreements with Japan, South Korea and Canada to scale up their respective carbon emission reduction targets under the Paris accord. US climate envoy John Kerry visited India and China in the past few weeks to push two of the world’s major polluters to strengthen their greenhouse gas reduction targets. Following Kerry’s visit, China and the US issued a joint statement committing to cooperate to tackle the climate crisis, but negotiations with India did not yield any specific promise to strengthen New Delhi’s climate change goals. While publicly the US administration has been appreciative of India’s efforts to increase its share of renewable energy, the global climate emergency demands a more ambitious greenhouse gas reduction target from India—something that is proving to be elusive. PM Modi is not expected to make any major announcement in terms of measurable targets in emission reduction at the summit or revising upwards its goals under the Paris climate agreement. India’s inconsistent policy on green energy India’s green energy policy is a study in contradictions. On one hand, PM Modi had announced last year that India will increase its existing clean energy capacity of 134 gigawatt (GW) to 220 GW by 2022; on the other hand Union Home Minister Amit Shah is promoting coal mining. Speaking at a public event in January this year, Shah said that the coal sector will be the largest contributor to India’s ambition of being a $5 trillion economy, suggesting that more coal mines would be offered for commercial mining in the near future. At the same event, Union minister for Coal Pralhad Joshi said that India should make the maximum use of its coal reserves while shifting to cleaner forms of energy. As per the draft National Electricity Policy (NEP) 2021, India may build new coal-fired power plants, it was reported on Monday. The confusion and contradictions in our climate change and energy plan couldn’t have been more glaring. According to a study by Nature Climate Change, India’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have been rising much higher than the world average of 0.7%. We are responsible for 7 % of carbon emissions globally. Though in absolute terms it is still lower than both US and China (China and the US emitted 10.06 gigatonnes (Gt) and 5.41 Gt of CO2 emissions in 2018, while India emitted 2.65 Gt in the same year), the question we need to ask ourselves as a nation is do we need to emulate the US or China in their growth trajectory—which is to first pollute and then clean up – or can we chart an entirely new course in our development path, making a clean break from fossil fuels while leading the global efforts in renewable energy generation and combating climate change? Coal is a dirty fuel. It pollutes our water bodies, our air, and our soil. Coal mining has displaced communities, depriving tens of thousands of their traditional livelihood. Besides the steep social and environmental cost that coal mining and burning imposes on society, there are several other compelling reasons why India will benefit from making a complete transition towards renewable energy. Also read: India urgently needs a comprehensive strategy to combat climate change Why India must shift to renewable energy Firstly, unlike US domestic policy on the climate crisis that has been marred by fierce Republican opposition and climate science denialism, in India there is a near domestic consensus on making a rapid transition towards clean energy. Ten years ago, the then-Indian PM Manmohan Singh made an aggressive bid for green energy when he launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, aiming to create an installed capacity of 20,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power by 2022. Singh nudged the private industry to create solar valleys along the lines of silicon valleys. It was Singh’s prescience that he saw solar power promotion as a huge growth opportunity. He envisioned solar valleys to become hubs for solar science, engineering and research, and fabrication and manufacturing. “I am convinced that solar energy can be the next scientific and industrial frontier in India after atomic energy, space and IT,” Singh had said in 2010. Secondly, Shah’s push for coal is at variance with PM Modi’s consistent promotion of solar power. Modi signed the Paris accord in 2015, setting India’s ambitious national goals for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Under his leadership, India has enhanced renewable energy capacity by two-and-a-half times, while solar energy capacity has increased by 15 times in the past six years. In February this year, he said that his government aims to produce 40 GW of solar power in the next one-and-a-half years through rooftop solar projects alone. The Union Government under PM Modi has been promoting a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, under which domestic solar companies are being incentivised to manufacture solar photovoltaic modules in the country rather than importing them from China. When seen in this context, Shah’s projection of coal as being the mainstay of the Indian economy is not only deeply troubling but also sends conflicting signals both domestically and globally. For India to be a pioneer in renewable and solar power, it is imperative that it gradually transitions away from coal-fired power plants, which currently account for three-fourths of India’s annual power output. Thirdly, given that solar and wind energy prices have fallen to record lows, there is neither an economic nor a social case in favour of coal power. Last month, the Centre for Science and Environment reported that half of India’s coal-fired thermal power plants had failed to meet the December 2017 target of 100% ash utilisation, thereby threatening water bodies, soil health and the well-being of communities situated near the thermal power plants. Thermal power is not only polluting, it is also no more particularly cheaper compared to renewable power. The solar tariff reached through competitive bidding in the country touched a record low of Rs 2 per unit in an auction held by Solar Energy Corporation of India for a 1,070-MW solar power project in November last year. Also read: World Environment Day: Climate Change, Refugees & Governance Fourthly, publicly funded financial institutions such as multilateral development banks and export credit agencies based in member nations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, such as the US, the UK, and several European nations, are no longer willing to finance greenfield coal power projects. Some of the word’s largest investment funds are moving away from coal and fossil fuels, too. Why should we funnel the money of Indian banks in thermal power when global financial institutions are moving away from coal? Fifthly, US President Biden has committed to invest trillions of dollars in clean energy over the next four years of his presidency. This is a great opportunity for India to create millions of new jobs and businesses around clean energy by joining hands with the US President at this critical juncture of human history. Sixthly, it is estimated that unmitigated climate change could reduce the average income of a person on the earth by 23% by the end of this century. Far from being a catalyst for India’s economic growth, coal burning and its adverse impact on the environment and communities in India will impede India’s growth. We are currently in a unique moment in human history. The next ten years will be critical in determining whether mankind will be successful in limiting global warming and saving our planet. The last two hundred years of global growth was fired by fossil fuels, but human survival and progress hereon must be led by green energy and not coal. One hopes PM Modi will seize this moment in history, and on Earth Day, when he addresses world leaders, he will commit India to meet a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal by 2050.