Centre for Science and Environment masthead Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Donate

Cse In News

Cse In News

“Terra Madre Salone del Gusto” by Slow Food, cala il sipario sull’edizione più lunga

“Di fronte alla crisi sanitaria, sociale, economica causata dalla pandemia abbiamo voluto riportare l’attenzione sulle cause che l’hanno scatenata: la biodiversità agricola compromessa dall’agire umano, la crisi climatica che minaccia gli ecosistemi, le iniquità del modello di produzione e distribuzione del cibo. Tutti problemi che conoscevamo bene già prima di questa pandemia, ma che il modello di sviluppo dominante continua a ignorare o non voler affrontare”: Carlo Petrini, presidente di Slow Food, commenta così la fine di “Terra Madre Salone del Gusto”, edizione n. 13 della manifestazione internazionale organizzata da Slow Food (con Città di Torino e Regione Piemonte) che non si è arresa di fronte all’imperativo dettato dal Covid-19, e con grande spirito di resilienza ha rivoluzionato il proprio format, proponendo 205 giorni di eventi fisici e digitali, organizzati dalla rete di Slow Food e dai suoi partner in 75 Paesi del mondo. “In questa situazione noi abbiamo deciso di puntare i riflettori sulle soluzioni, piccole ma rivoluzionarie per la loro efficacia di azione a livello locale, che già oggi sono nelle mani delle comunità di contadini, pescatori, artigiani, cuochi, ma anche dei singoli cittadini che ogni giorno agiscono per il cambiamento con le loro scelte consapevoli. Da tempo sosteniamo la necessità di un cambio di paradigma, e non siamo i soli a dirlo: ecco, questi sette mesi di Terra Madre ci hanno permesso di ascoltare la voce di studiosi, accademici, filosofi, scienziati, economisti, insieme a quella dei contadini, artigiani, pastori, pescatori, educatori che sono l’ossatura fondamentale della rete di Terra Madre e di Slow Food in ogni angolo del pianeta. Il quadro finale che ci consegna questa edizione dell’evento, attraverso le migliaia di ore di attività realizzate nei cinque continenti, è una lucida visione di questi nuovi paradigmi, che rappresenta quella vera transizione ecologica da più parti invocata e non più rimandabile”, aggiunge Petrini. Nella grande opportunità di conoscere e imparare risiede l’unicità di questa edizione di Terra Madre, che ha unito virtualmente la rete Slow Food come mai nessuna edizione fisica avrebbe potuto fare. Ovviamente, nessun appuntamento virtuale potrà mai sostituire il senso di fraternità e la forza della moltitudine che si incontra a Torino ogni due anni, ma in questi mesi ogni comunità Slow Food, ogni socio, attivista o appassionato - ovunque nel mondo, qualsiasi fosse la sua lingua - ha avuto la possibilità di trovare in Terra Madre il format più adatto. Di Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2020, rimane una straordinaria biblioteca online, con gli interventi, tra gli altri, di Franco Farinelli, Virginie Raisson e Paul Collier, che ha aperto i lavori l’8 ottobre, sul tema delle nuove geografie per leggere il mondo; Jonathan Franzen, che ha confermato la tesi secondo cui la battaglia per salvare la biodiversità, a differenza di quella contro la crisi climatica, è alla portata di tutti; Heribert Hirt e David Quammen, che sono intervenuti sul rapporto tra cibo e salute e il rapporto tra perdita di biodiversità e zoonosi; Elena Granata, con il modello di città del futuro, improntato sulla resilienza anziché sulla monocultura produttiva, a cui ha fatto eco Carolyn Steel, secondo cui l’imperativo è ricollegare le città alla campagna circostante; Sunita Narain che ci ha riportati sulla tragedia delle ingiustizie sociali causate dalla crisi climatica; Célia Xakriabá, con il suo punto di vista di giovane donna indigena a proposito del ruolo del cibo, della biodiversità dei saperi e delle culture, del diritto alla terra; Paul Ariès e Eric Schlosser, sul cibo del futuro e sulle (non) soluzioni proposte dalla tecnologia; Alice Waters sul ruolo dell’educazione al gusto per i più piccoli (e delle scuole) nel cambiare il sistema alimentare. Focus -Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2020 ... ecco i numeri Secondo una prima stima, i 1.160 eventi, organizzati in 75 Paesi - dall’Azerbaijan al Brasile, dalle Filippine all’isola di Antigua - che la piattaforma online di Terra Madre Salone del Gusto ha ospitato e promosso con una media di sei al giorno, hanno raggiunto oltre 10 milioni di profili digitali in tutto il mondo. In particolare, gli appuntamenti trasmessi sulla piattaforma e sui social di Terra Madre Salone del Gusto hanno totalizzato oltre 1,3 milioni di visualizzazioni, con un pubblico distribuito in 202 Paesi, mentre gli eventi organizzati direttamente dalla rete Slow Food in giro per il mondo hanno coinvolto 250.000 partecipanti. Significativo il dato relativo alle attività di formazione e agli incontri che prevedevano la partecipazione previa registrazione: un totale di 97 appuntamenti segna complessivamente l’iscrizione di 10.300 persone, mentre sono oltre 1 milione gli utenti che hanno seguito quegli stessi appuntamenti attraverso i social. Inoltre, 3.300 giovani da tutto il mondo per un mese hanno aderito alla challenge organizzata su Instagram in collaborazione con gli attivisti dello Slow Food Youth Network per promuovere il cibo buono, pulito e giusto. Un altro dato importante emerge da una prima rilevazione statistica effettuata in prossimità della conclusione dell’evento, secondo la quale oltre il 45% dei soggetti che hanno partecipato attivamente agli appuntamenti di Terra Madre Salone del Gusto non aveva mai avuto un coinvolgimento nelle attività di Slow Food: una solida base di interlocutori da cui ripartire per le prossime sfide pensando già a quando ci si potrà tornare a incontrare, fisicamente, a Terra Madre 2022.

Using ACs to Cool Our Houses—and the Planet Too

As summer temperatures soar, millions of Indians depend upon air conditioners (ACs). This is not an exaggeration: the number of AC owners in India went up from 2 million in 2006, to 5 million by 2011. By 2030, a staggering 200 million Indians may own an AC. After all, India’s increasingly affluent middle class ranks first amongst lower-middle income countries in the world; this means that more Indians can now afford to buy air conditioners. Fanning the flames of an increasing AC demand are the rising temperatures across the subcontinent. Since 2004, India has recorded 11 of its warmest years. This may worsen. Before the end of the century, India’s average summer temperature is expected to increase by 4.4℃, while the intensity of heat waves is set to increase by 3 to 4 times. Then, in this scorching country, an inevitable pattern emerges—more people can now afford to buy cheap ACs, which are unfortunately, also the least energy efficient amongst available air conditioners. Why does energy efficiency matter? Let’s put this into perspective. According to a 2018 report by the International Energy Association, “the global stock of air conditioners in buildings will grow to 5.6 billion by 2050, up from 1.6 billion today.” For this projection to come true, 10 new ACs will have be sold every second around the world for the next 30 years. That’s a lot of ACs—which means that their energy requirements are huge too. For example, between 2017-18 India utilised 130 million tonnes of refrigeration for cooling purposes. Over the next 16 years, this figure is expected to grow by 8 times—which would result in a colossal emission of greenhouse gases. Add to this the danger of ozone depleting hydrofluorocarbons that refrigerants in ACs contain. Together, this is a deadly combination and a grave threat to climate change mitigation efforts. “Most of those people who are now buying ACs in developing countries like India are first-time buyers. So, they do not yet have the experience to see the long-term economic benefits of [buying] more energy efficient but expensive ACs,” says Manjeet Singh, Associate Fellow at The Energy Resources Institute (TERI). So, if more and more Indians are set to buy ACs, how can the more energy efficient variants become popular? The answers lie in first understanding Indian consumer behaviour. Inside the AC Shopper’s Mind For a consumer, the easiest and clearest indication of their appliance’s energy efficiency is the star rating system developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). The system gives appliances a rating between 1 to 5 stars, where a 5-star rating refers to the highest energy efficiency for that appliance. Despite this information, the most popular AC choice, according to a 2021 study based on Delhi’s AC usage, was a mid-efficiency 3-star rating unit. Unsurprisingly, the higher costs of more energy efficient ACs were a deterrent for consumers. “India is currently importing about 30% of its ACs. Imports of components like compressors and electronic sensors which are then assembled domestically is even higher. Most of the imported units [which are also more expensive] are the more efficient ACs,” says Singh. This year, an increase in import costs is also reflecting in the prices of major AC manufacturers such as Voltas, Daikin, LG, and Blue Star, who have raised their prices by 5 to 8 percent. This has a direct repercussion on what type of ACs get sold more: a higher price means that the demand for low-end, affordable products, like 3 or 4-star ACs, will go up instead of for 5-star ones. While high costs act as a deterrent, efficiency is still not the next top factor that consumers base their decisions on. Less than 5% of the households in the 2021 study reported energy efficiency as a determining reason for what kind of AC to buy. Other features like having a remote, or a heating mode, is what seems to excite consumers more. Apart from insights into what consumers buy, understanding how the AC gets used after being bought is equally important in the energy efficiency conversation. A 2016 Centre for Science and Environment study noted that if consumers lower a 5-star rated AC’s internal temperature to 20℃ or lower, its performance becomes equivalent to a 2 or 3-star rated AC. That’s not all. Its performance is also impacted by outside temperatures: if it is 40℃ to 50℃ outside, the 5-star rated AC will perform worse than a 2 or even a 1-star rated AC. For a country like India with hot summers, this is almost inevitable with the current technology available. Take for instance, New Delhi, which has already witnessed a 40-degree day in March this year, with the end of April also seeing soaring temperatures. So, since the current AC consumer market is plagued with high costs and gaps in consumer awareness, what can be done to move consumers towards more sustainable air conditioning decisions? Addressing the Cost Factor The best solution would be to have a low-cost, highly energy efficient air conditioner on the market, which sustains its performance even in high outside temperatures. In 2019, Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL)—a joint venture under the Ministry of Power—did just that with Voltas. They began selling a 7-star rated AC at a relatively affordable ₹41,300—cheaper than many 5-star models—which maintains its efficiency even when the outside temperature hovers at 52℃. This was made possible through bulk procurement of units—EESL floated a tender to procure 1,00,000 super-efficient ACs, resulting in a steep fall in market prices. The winning bidder was required to extend support right from designing and manufacturing the AC to supplying it, installing it, and providing post-sales operation and monitoring. This was not EESL’s first such experiment; in 2016, it conducted a similar bulk procurement with energy saving 9-watt LED bulbs, which brought the retail price of each bulb down from ₹550 per piece in 2015 to ₹65 in 2016. “Bringing affordability to the customer has to be a priority for India, where we will see a very high demand for ACs in the coming years. Maybe attracting foreign investment to develop more such technologies would accelerate this process,” says Singh. As of 2019, China and Thailand are the leading exporters of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) components in the world. Now that efficient ACs are making their way into the market, what is the best way to inform consumers about the technicalities of energy efficiency? Letting the Customers Know If the BEE’s star-rating is your first guess to how customers understand energy efficiency, then the 2020 CAG report might make you take another guess. According to the audit, almost 4 lakh units of nine models of room air conditioners had been marketed until December 2015, yet had failed label verification tests for energy efficiency. In 2017-18, over 23,000 ACs had been marketed without really being as efficient as their labels suggested. “If the energy efficiency that the product vouches for is actually not being met, then it would lead to a loss of consumer trust,” explains Sumedha Malaviya, Manager of the Energy Program at the World Resource Institute-India. “To prevent that from happening, standards-setting bodies like the BEE need to ensure that mislabelled or unlabelled products do not enter local markets’’. Some experts even recommend that the BEE carry out its efficiency tests in multiple higher temperature ranges and declare the results on their product label—all in a bid to improve transparency for the consumer. Additionally, Sumedha gives an example of nudging consumers towards energy efficient decisions. In Bengaluru, TIDE, a grassroots NGO has experimented with home energy reports under a program called VidyutRakshaka, which are usually delivered by email or post to the consumer. “This report splits the household’s electricity usage appliance wise, compares their usage with their neighbours’ to initiate a sense of competition of usage reduction, and even sets goals of managing demand for the upcoming months,” she explains. If by 2030 India does manage to improve the average efficiency of its AC stock by 30% of 2015 levels, it would be a big deal—our CO2 emissions could reduce by as much as 10% of what is expected from India’s Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement. In fact, such reductions would also be in line with the targets of the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP), a 2019 Central government plan that provides a 20 year outline towards sustainable cooling. India is the first country in the world to develop such a plan. But, some aspects are still missing from this conversation. “We are currently focusing a lot on increasing the sale of energy efficient ACs. But a crucial aspect is still lacking—that is, reducing the demand for cooling through affordable retrofits in houses,” says Sumedha. Design Solutions for Heating Problems From construction material to design elements, architecture can make a huge difference in thermal comforts. For instance, in a high temperature city, while large, glass windows may look aesthetically pleasing, they can also trap more heat. Under such circumstances, double-glazed windows can retain the house’s coolness. Integrating these passive cooling techniques into upcoming buildings can tap into a large potential of energy efficiency in India, where 75% of buildings expected to exist by 2030 have not been built yet. “Under the ICAP, coordination with other ministries and departments can be advantageous, especially for low-income housing projects under the government which can integrate passive cooling as well,” says Sumedha. Already constructed buildings can still benefit from cooling techniques. Cool roofs, for example, is a simple and cost-effective solution that involves applying white limewash to rooftops—this reflects sunlight and absorbs less heat. Gujarat’s capital Ahmedabad witnessed such a pilot project in 2018, wherein the Municipal Corporation painted the rooftops of about 2% of the city’s lower income households. It was found that cool roofs could help lower temperatures by 2-5 degrees, as compared to traditional roofs. An exciting new invention of the “whitest white” paint that reflects 98.1% of sunlight also presents a similar opportunity that can work “similar to air conditioner, but without the use of electricity.”

Fly ash utilisation deadline extended for thermal power plants

The new draft notification also gives 10 years to thermal power plants to utilise fly ash or legacy ash which is stored. For the first time, the notification has a provision of imposing fines on thermal power plants that don’t comply with the new timeline The Union environment ministry has extended the deadline for thermal power plants to ensure 100% utilisation of fly ash by 3 to 5 years, according to a new draft notification issued by the ministry on April 22. It also gives 10 years to thermal power plants to utilise the unutilised fly ash, or legacy ash which is stored. For the first time, the notification has a provision of imposing fines on thermal power plants that don’t comply with the new timelines. The previous deadline for 100% fly ash utilisation was December 31, 2017, as per a notification issued by the ministry on January 25, 2016. As per the new draft notification, thermal power plants (TPP) with fly ash utilisation of 60% to 80% will get 4 years while those with fly ash utilisation of less than 60% will get 5 years’ time to ensure 100% fly ash utilisation. Non-compliant power plants will be slapped a fine of ₹1,000 per tonne on unutilised ash during the end of the deadline. Coal or lignite plants which are not able to utilise 100% of ash in the third year of the next three-year cycle, would be liable to pay a fine of ₹1,000 per tonne on the unutilised quantity. The environment ministry had last month issued new norms which give an extension of 1 to 3 years to all thermal power plants to comply with the emission norms. A Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) analysis had found that the penalty charged to companies for not complying with the extended deadline is lower than the cost of complying. CSE’s analysis showed that while installing the equipment for pollution control would cost between ₹40-100 lakh/MW, the penalty that thermal power plants would have to pay to keep running without installing the equipment is only ₹5-11 lakh/MW as per the new amendment.

Odisha: 4 journalists succumbed to Covid in April so far

Last year, four journalists, including a Bhubaneswar TV channel reporter, succumbed to Covid-19 in Odisha. At least four journalists in Odisha succumbed this month to Covid-19, amid the second wave of the disease. Amjad Badshah, 45, died on Sunday afternoon after battling the virus for 18 days after testing positive on April 7. He worked for several TV channels and also wrote for fortnightly news magazine Down to Earth. He was also consulting editor for NFTV Media, a firm established in July last year. Two days earlier on Friday, two journalists from Ganjam district succumbed to the disease. One of them, 25-years old Govinda Behera, a resident of Kukudakhandi block, was employed with news portal News 6; while the second victim, Manoj Sahoo, a resident of Chikiti block, was a reporter for Odia daily ‘Nitidin’. Behera was first quarantined after showing Covid symptoms and then admitted to the Maharaja Krishna Chandra Gajapati (MKCG) Medical College & Hospital in Berhampur town after testing positive. He died later in the day after his oxygen level dropped. Fifteen minutes after his death, his uncle too succumbed to the virus. Manoj Sahoo also died while being treated at the MKCG Covid Hospital. The same day, 46-year-old Jatish Khamari, reporter of Odia daily Sambad in Balangir district, too succumbed to Covid in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. Last year, four journalists, including a Bhubaneswar TV channel reporter, succumbed to Covid. The Naveen Patnaik government later gave ₹15 lakh ex-gratia to the families of three deceased journalists. According to the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), since the beginning of March last year, 585 journalists have died in 57 countries due to Covid. India is the second-most affected with 53 deaths, preceded only by Peru with 93 deaths. On Sunday, Vivek Bendre, The Hindu’s senior Mumbai-based photojournalist, succumbed to Covid. Early this week, Chanchal Pal Chauhan of Economic Times too fell to the disease. In Puducherry, K Dharmaraj alias Bharath (34), a video journalist with Polymer TV died due to Covid-19 on Thursday.

Supreme Court Sends Notice to the Indian Government About 5 Honey Brands

Honey has long become a staple in our daily indulgences, from enhancing the flavor of our morning beverages to teas and sweets, but what if we told you that the honey you're drinking isn't up to snuff and may be tainted? Is Honey safe to consume? In an unexpected turn of events, the Supreme Court of India requested a response from the Centre and states on a petition seeking a permanent ban on all unlicensed honey processing, as well as companies and individuals engaged in illegal adulterated honey industry. The Anti-Corruption Council of India Trust, through advocate Manju Jetley, cited a study from researchers at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), claiming that major Indian honey brands "are mixing honey with a tweaked sugar from China, bypassing certain simple tests used to detect adulteration in honey." After a short hearing, a bench led by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and including Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian gave notice on the plea. "The majority of honey sold in India is adulterated with sugar syrup. As a result, instead of butter, people are consuming more sugar, which is extremely concerning since it would exacerbate health problems during Covid-19 "The plea continued. Analysis and assertions The plea argued that according to the news released, only three samples out of 70 passed the globally approved NMR spectroscopy inspection, and that spokespersons from Dabur, Patanjali, and Zandu declared that their honey brands met the regulatory specifications laid down by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) and denied that their honey products were adulterated. "This is a food hoax more sinister and complex than CSE discovered in its soft drink investigation in 2003 and 2006, more harmful to our health than maybe anything they have discovered to date, particularly given the fact that we are still facing a killer Covid-19 pandemic with our backs against the wall," the plea said. The Case Against the Most Famous Honey Brands The firms were also ordered to send investigative or evaluation reports of various honey brands or goods to the top court, according to the petition. "Research from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has claimed that major brands Dabur, Patanjali, and Zandu are selling honey adulterated with modified sugar from China that can circumvent some of the simple tests used to detect adulterated honey," the petition continued.

Climate change: 490 million Children in Africa most Vulnerable

Chad, Somalia, Central African Republic, Eritrea and Democratic Republic of the Congo are the least capable of adapting to the impact of climate change. Somalilandsun: Around 490 million children under the age of 18 in 35 African countries are at the highest risk of suffering the impact of climate change, warned Save the Children International, a child rights non-profit. Sub-Saharan Africa has 35 of the 45 countries globally at highest climate risk, found the global NGO in an analysis. Chad, Somalia, Central African Republic, Eritrea and Democratic Republic of the Congo are the least capable of adapting to the impact of climate change. Of the 750 million children in 45 countries likely to be most affected by climate risk, 210 million are in three South Asian nations — Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. In an analysis based on the most recent Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) index.the countries have been ranked by their vulnerability to climate disruptions and their readiness or capacity to adapt to climate chang HERE https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/africa/climate-change-490-million-children-in-africa-most-vulnerable-76595

Raise your domestic ambition: CSE asks US President as global climate summit begins

As the world gears up for the global leaders’ summit on climate change, called by US president Joe Biden, it is heartening that climate change is back on the agenda. But the world is back to discussing all the wrong things; as we are in danger of once again losing the opportunity to drive home the need for ambition and equity in climate change action,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), at an online webinar and media briefing ahead of climate summit. ‘What’s new in Climate Change’, the online event was organised by CSE to demystify all the current, relevant and key concerns and issues of climate change, as well as to understand what would be on the table for discussions during Biden’s summit. CSE released its latest publication – Climate Change: Science and Politics – during the webinar. “There is no question that climate change is real. With the Covid-19 pandemic showing no signs of abating, climate change and its impacts could not have happened at a worse time. Human actions and mismanagement is compounding the problem – floods and the recent dam-burst in the Himalayas was the result of mismanagement of fragile ecology, exacerbated by climate change. In all this, our poor are the most vulnerable and the most severely hit,” said Sunita Narain. “Biden’s global summit is a welcome step but will it yield any meaningful results, or will it simply degenerate into another meaningless discussion on net zero, is to be seen, said Narain. CSE has interpreted net zero as nothing but “zero zero”. Says Narain: “It is nothing but a grand distraction, a so-called badge of honor – an example of science misinterpreted by the biggest polluters.” CSE’s interpretation bases itself on the argument that net-zero is merely aspirational. Almost all the countries that have made declarations, have no plans on how they will achieve net zero status by 2050. Moreover, as an idea, it is intrinsically flawed, claims CSE. “Net zero will allow countries to emit, with the presumption that the emissions will get mopped up, either by planting more trees in the hope that they will sequester the carbon that is emitted, or by using carbon capture and storage technologies. The problem is, none of this is proven yet. These technologies are not yet in existence, and the science of carbon sequestration by trees is still uncertain and unproven," Samrat Sengupta, programme director of CSE’s climate change unit said. Says Narain: “It would be logical then to say that if the world needs to be net zero by 2050, the developed countries needed to have already turned net zero or do so by 2030. Only then would it provide the space for countries like India -- way below in the historical emissions and current emissions rankings -- to declare a net zero goal by 2050.” CSE points out that real action is possible -- the US can walk the talk today if it wants. While its GHG emissions had dipped during the pandemic-induced lockdowns, they are on the upswing once again. Says Sengupta: “As per 2019 estimates, the US will not be able to meet its Paris commitments (a 25-26 per cent cut in emissions below the 2005 level by 2025).” CSE ask Biden to raise domestic ambition. Set a domestic target for 2030 which is ambitious and equitable, proportional to the US’s contribution to the stock of emissions in the atmosphere. According to Climate Action Tracker estimates, to be ambitious and fair, the US needs a humungous 57-63 per cent cut below the 2005 level by 2030. CSE researchers say that the US must accept that countries need their right to development. “Climate justice is a pre-requisite for ambition and action,” Narain said. It asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi Call for real action by 2030 from the big and historical polluters, including China. Ask for actions that will set the reduction targets – including net zero – to be based on climate justice. The country needs to cut its GHG emissions for its own benefit. “We must be climate-smart and do development differently,” Narain said. CSE says the big nations must make every effort to meet the 450 GW renewable energy target by 2030. Do not derail implementation of the coal thermal power emission standards. Do not stall the move towards cleaner coal.

Environment concerns increasingly becoming a development agenda

Global leaders are getting together on World Earth Day, April 22 for the two-day Global Leadership Summit. While leaders brainstorm to way to reduce emission in this decade while also getting the public and private sector involvement, the need to show how climate action can have economic and social benefits is gaining prominence. As the world battles the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is increasingly veering towards ways to protect lives and livelihoods while adapting to climate change and net-zero emissions by 2050. Automobiles are no doubt one of the biggest sources of pollution. Ground vehicles together contribute to more than 75 percent of transport emission and that in itself contributes nearly 17 percent of the world’s energy-related greenhouse gas emission. In this context, it is interesting to understand what are the top priorities for the automotive industry to make mobility solutions greener. Top priorities for automobile industry Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director - Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment considers, “this is emerging as a challenge for India and globally as well- We are currently at a crossroad- 2021 and the new decade. The whole environment issue is no longer a soft, fringe issue, it is a serious, global development and market issue today. The moment you start setting target for net zero and completely phasing out IC engine, it will surely have a transformative impact.” She considers that it is important for Indian industry to realise and understand the opportunity there in the new generation regulations. She feels it is important to take a proactive view and be a strong partner in the rapidly changing competition scenario globally. According to her, “The focus therefore has to be on- Real world performance of the IC engines a key priority agenda. There is need for lot more transparency in vehicle performance and more consumer information. Understand the value of combining emission and fuel economy standards. Need to look at emission management and carbon management and agree to focus on maximising fuel efficiency gains across all vehicle segments. Need ambition and policy vision in the overall electrification exercise. All of it has to be part of a central industrial policy. Zero emission transition and trajectory for electrification- needs to be part of a focussed industrial policy. Government needs to be a prime mover in terms of enabling the mechanism.” She surmised the need for proactive all-inclusive and comprehensive policies that combine market requirements with developmental agenda as she signed off, “an Industrial agenda can no longer be delinked from the broad agenda for the future.”

India, US announce clean energy initiative

According to a White House statement, Biden’s move to upgrade the country’s NDCs on Thursday will steer the world towards achieving the Paris agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced the launch of a joint climate and clean energy initiative with the United States to “mobilise investments, demonstrate clean technologies and enable green collaborations” in India that could also “create templates of sustainable development” for other developing countries. PM Modi, speaking at the Leaders Summit on Climate convened by US President Joe Biden on Thursday, did not announce any changes or upgrades to commitments under the Paris Agreement but underlined that India was already doing its part and that the country’s per capita carbon emissions are 60% lower than the global average. President Biden opened the summit with an ambitious pledge to cut the US’s greenhouse gases in half by the year 2030 and called upon other nations to “set higher climate ambitions” that will create jobs at home, advance innovative technologies and help countries vulnerable to the impact of climate change”. “We in India are doing our part. Our ambitious renewable energy target of 450 GW by 2030 shows our commitment. Despite our development challenges, we have taken many bold steps on clean energy, energy efficiency, afforestation and biodiversity. We are among few countries whose NDCs (nationally determined contribution, under the Paris climate deal) are 2 degree C compatible,” PM Modi said in an address to over 40 other world leaders who participated in the two-day summit called by Biden. President Biden and I are launching the India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 partnership. We will help mobilise investment, demonstrate clean technologies and enable green collaborations,” Modi added. No details were available yet on the India-US initiative, but on a visit to India last month, Biden’s special envoy on climate, John Kerry, said that “huge investments” will be forthcoming in India by the US and other countries in return for “some changes by India”. Earlier this month, Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar underscored India’s prerogative to balance development goals with obligations on climate change, saying that the country will attempt to keep its climate commitments but will not act at the behest or under pressure from developed countries. According to a White House statement, Biden’s move to upgrade the country’s NDCs on Thursday will steer the world towards achieving the Paris agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Climate Action Tracker, however, said that the US will need to do even more. Instead of the revised aim to to cut 50-52% in national emissions, it will need to shave off at least 57-63% emissions below 2005 levels by 2030 and provide support to other countries to meet the Paris climate goals. Following the US’s announcement, independent experts said it is time for all countries, including India, to scale up action against climate crisis. “President Biden’s upgraded NDC is a game changer. For too long the US has not put out an aggressive emissions reduction target. All countries could benchmark their lack of progress against the US... We think its time for all countries including India to upgrade action. As per the Climate Action Tracker, India’s NDC is 2 degree C compliant but not 1.5 degree C target compliant. We should ramp up action for our own good,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment. “The new US climate target is a step in the right direction: all major economies should be shifting towards cutting their emissions at least 50% by 2030,” tweeted Laurence Tubiana, CEO European Climate Foundation and one of the architects of the Paris agreement. “The new NDC target that the US submitted today aims to reduce its GHG emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels. Since the US’ emissions grew between 1990 and 2005, this new target roughly amounts to a 43-45% reduction below its 1990 emissions or its 2020 emissions. This is a step in the right direction, particularly when combined with its commitment to net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. Unlike the UK and EU, however, the US's pledge is not yet enshrined in law. But it has the potential to spur technological innovation,” said Ulka Kelkar, director, climate programme, World Resources Institute. In its Biennial Update Report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) submitted in February, India said it has progressively decoupled economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions and it was on track to meet its voluntary declaration to reduce emission intensity of GDP by 20-25% from 2005 levels by 2020. The report, however, also noted that India’s reliance on coal will continue to meet the country’s energy needs. On Thursday, President Xi Jinping reiterated that China’s carbon emissions will peak before 2030 and the country will achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Xi also emphasised on “the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities”, which argues for long-time polluters such as developed countries to do more to fight climate crisis. Some experts agree. "Biden administration's new climate target goes further than its previous commitment yet remains far from its 'fair share' of action. As the world’s biggest historical emitter, the US has a huge responsibility to the communities most affected by a crisis they did the least to cause," said Harjeet Singh, ActionAid’s global lead on climate. Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga too announced that Japan aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and that it will cut its emissions by 46% over 2013 levels by 2030. The United Kingdom too led with a target of cutting emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. At the summit meant to signal the US’s return to the high chair after the Trump administration pulled out of the Paris agreement, Prime Minister Modi cited India as an example and called for more attention to “lifestyle changes” as a way to combat global warming. “India’s per capita carbon footprint is 60% lower than the global average. It is because our lifestyle is still rooted in sustainable traditional practices,” he said, adding that “back-to-basics” must be an important pillar of economic strategy for the post-Covid era. The summit, termed by Biden as a milestone leading up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2021 in Glasgow this November, was also attended by UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, Germany’s Angela Merkel, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

India's 'Solar Man' lights path out of poverty with clean power

Santipada Gon Chaudhuri began pioneering solar power after visiting a Himalayan village in the 1980s. Since then, he has dedicated his career to bringing energy to people in impoverished, remote communities. His work has propelled India's push for clean energy from the sun, earning him the title of of India's "Solar Man". India has about 40GW of solar capacity and is aiming for 100GW by 2022. Since he was a child, Santipada Gon Chaudhuri had sought ways to help India's rural poor, so when the electrical engineer was invited to visit a co-worker's home in the Himalayan village of Herma in the early 1980s, he saw his chance. "I was appalled to see how local communities were living in darkness after sunset," remembered Chaudhuri, 71, who then worked for the government in the northeastern state of Tripura. Some used kerosene lamps, but even kerosene was not always easy to get. Since I had both the skill and position to try and provide power to them, it made me act," he said. The villages of Tripura are located on tough, hilly terrain, where Chaudhuri realised it would be hard to put up power lines. "But they had solar energy in abundance," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview. In 1983, he used government funding to install solar panels for 70 homes, as well as running a community television and water pump - the first time anyone in the hamlet had seen electric light. That small project sparked a career dedicated to bringing energy to people in impoverished, remote communities, a mission that earned Chaudhuri the moniker of India's "Solar Man". Today, more than 100 homes and businesses in Herma are lit by an updated solar energy system, allowing villagers to be more productive while reducing their use of expensive, polluting fuels like kerosene. "Life in the village would come to a complete standstill after sunset. But with light in our homes now, our children are studying until night," said villager Sumoti Riyang, 33. "Shops and business establishments remain open in the evening. We can work more. All this is generating more income for us," she said. In his Kolkata office, adorned with awards he has won since his first project nearly 40 years ago, Chaudhuri said he gets "great satisfaction" from seeing how solar power has changed lives in Herma, connecting residents to the modern world. Career of firsts Herma was the first tribal village in the country to gain access to solar power, and by 1989 Chaudhuri had led the installation of solar technology in nearly 40 villages across India's northeastern states. Four years later, he developed India's first centralised solar power station with a distribution network on Sagar Island in the Sundarbans, home to one of the world's largest mangrove forests, supplying 100 households through power lines. The project was considered a breakthrough at a time when solar technology "was largely confined to laboratories and prototypes", said Samrat Sengupta of the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a nonprofit think-tank. By 2000, more than 400,000 people in villages around the Sundarbans national park were using solar power, through a mix of mini-grids and domestic solar-power systems. At the time, the area had the highest per-capita consumption of solar power in the world, Chaudhuri noted. The project earned him an Ashden Award, known as the "Green Oscars", and the Euro Solar Award from Germany. In 2006, it also inspired India's then-President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to invite Chaudhuri to design a captive solar unit for the presidential palace. "Chaudhuri's work is a classic example of empowerment of indigenous communities through solar power," said Arun Tripathi, director general of the National Institute of Solar Energy, an autonomous body under the renewable energy ministry. In 2009, Chaudhuri installed the country's first grid-connected solar plant in West Bengal's Jamuria village, a 2-megawatt (MW) project serving 5,000 families. This was lauded as an "environmental breakthrough" because, until then, solar power had been limited to remote areas without access to electricity, said CSE's Sengupta. Jamuria was the first location to use solar to replace coal power in the grid, bringing clean energy into the mainstream, he said, noting it cut the amount of coal burned locally by 2,000 kg (4,400 pounds) per hour and decreased carbon emissions. Floating solar Sengupta and others said Chaudhuri's work helped pave the way for India's National Solar Mission, launched in 2010. The initiative, on which Chaudhuri consulted, had an initial target of producing 20 gigawatts (GW) of solar power by 2022. Having already nearly doubled that ahead of time, India has set a new goal of 100GW. But as its solar power expansion has gained pace, a growing population and increasing urbanisation have made finding enough land for big projects more difficult. In response, Chaudhuri came up with India's first floating solar power station. In 2014, after joining the nonprofit NB Institute for Rural Technology, which he now heads, he led construction of an experimental 10-kilowatt government-funded floating solar panel on a lake in Kolkata's New Town. "Designing the floating structure of the panel and anchoring it in the water body were major challenges," he said. That project grew into a national programme that now generates more than 1,700MW of solar power from floating panels in various coastal states around the country. Despite its progress, India's solar push has some limitations including high capital costs, scarcity of land and the need for sunny weather, said Partha S. Bhattacharyya, former chairman of Coal India Limited, the world's largest coal producer which is also investing in solar energy projects. "Thermal (coal) power is reliable and consistent, due to greater grid stability," he added. Chaudhuri and his team are currently experimenting with solar-powered pumps that push water up to a higher storage reservoir that can then generate hydro-electricity using micro turbines, supplying villages when needed. "The very concept of solar power has changed from simply providing lights to controlling carbon emissions," Chaudhuri said. "It is time that we seriously think about how to leave behind a more livable world for future generations."

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.