• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Local sources behind high pollution in north, east Delhi

Jai Prakash, north Delhi mayor, said that all efforts of the municipal agencies this winter were focused to control local pollution sources. Road dust, open garbage burning and high vehicular movement on internal roads were the primary culprits that pushed the air quality in east and north Delhi to be the worst this winter season, residents of the area said. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Wednesday had released a winter analysis of air quality in Delhi and NCR this winter compared to the previous years. The analysis highlighted that east and north Delhi recorded the worst levels of PM 2.5 (ultrafine particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micrometres), while air quality monitoring stations in west Delhi were relatively cleaner compared to the rest of the city. Residents and business owners in north Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, which recorded the worst air quality in the city with a seasonal average of 256μg/m3, said that road dust was a primary factor in adding to the pollution levels here. Ramesh Thakral, a shop owner near the Jahangirpuri metro station, said that broken roads and constant movement of vehicles has turned the area into a perpetual dust bowl. The situation worsens during winters, he said. “The roads are so riddled with potholes; how will you even ply mechanical sweepers here? Garbage here lies around for days before it is picked up. Since it is not picked up regularly, some residents and shop owners set it on fire at night. If you come here at night you can see smoke billowing from piles of garbage,” Thakral said. Open burning and abandoned old vehicles have also become a prominent source of pollution in east Delhi. Residents complained that despite strict order by government and municipal agencies, garbage and dried leave are often set on fire in areas around Acharya Niketan, Laxmi Nagar, Pandav Nagar, Patparganj and Krishna Nagar. Since these incidents are often reported from residential neighbourhoods that are away from the main roads, these instances seldom come to the notice of authorities, residents said. Sehmat Alam, general secretary of joint residents’ welfare association of Pandav Nagar lane eight, nine and ten, said that local construction work carried out by residents without following the pollution norms is also a problem. “Every year when construction is stopped you can see piles of cement and construction debris lying around on roads, which are then blown around by vehicles moving,” he said. CSE in its analysis said that wide local variations among monitoring locations indicated higher impact of local pollution and micro-climate. “This analysis has helped us understand the regional patterns as well as the local variations. Even though there is considerable regional variation, peak pollution episodes increased and synchronised within the region. The uneven rise across monitoring locations, even contiguous locations, brings out the impact of local pollution,” said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s urban lab team of the sustainable cities programme. Jai Prakash, north Delhi mayor, said that all efforts of the municipal agencies this winter were focused to control local pollution sources. “We ensured that mechanical sweepers were deployed in all areas under our jurisdiction and a close watch was also kept on controlling garbage burning and dumping cases. We were also deploying water sprinklers to settle local dust,” he said.

• Down To Earth

GJUST Prof panellist at magazine release

Hisar: Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology Vice-Chancellor Tankeshwar Kumar and Registrar Dr Avnesh Verma congratulated Prof R Baskar for being invited as a panellist for the release of the State of India’s Environment report, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)-2021. The annual publication of ‘Down To Earth’ magazine was released online jointly by over 60 environmental thinkers, campaigners, activists, journalists and academics from across the nation. Sunita Narain, Director General, Centre for Science and Environment, and Editor, Down To Earth, while releasing the annual publication said there was need to access the global situation after the pandemic hit the world. Narain said according to overall assessment, air and water quality was under stress and all trends showed that pollution was increasing at alarming levels and this had a massive impact on our health.

• Sustainable Food Systems

Expedite law on front-of-pack labelling with clear timelines: Experts

MNCs know global best practices but dilly-dally as much as possible in India, they say Nutrition experts, public health advocates and civil society organisations on the World Obesity Day on Thursday urged the food regulator to expedite the law on front-of-pack (FoP) labelling with clear timelines for implementation for the industry. The appeal comes at a time the FSSAI is known to be holding consultations with stakeholders on the issue. In 2013, an expert committee set up to look into junk food in schools recommended the need for FoP labelling for calories, sugar, fat, saturated fat and salt. Since then there have been multiple panels, but no final outcome yet. “There is no time for delay. The FSSAI must come up with a law now with clear timelines. The front of pack labelling has been under discussion for seven years. Many affected are multi-national companies who know the global best practices but dilly-dally as much as possible in India,” said Amit Khurana, Programme Director, Food Safety and Toxins Unit, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), during a webinar on the importance of the labelling. There has been much debate over what should be the design — from logos endorsing a product as healthy, numerical indicators, “traffic light” and warning ‘labels’, but nutrition experts vote for mandatory warning labels as the most successful one. “Warning labels are the only approach that have demonstrated a real world change in purchasing and reformulation [of food products],” said Barry Popkin, Professor of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina. “As a public health scholar, the large number of randomised control trials and the Chilean approach have shown me that warning labels are the way forward to reduce obesity, hypertension and many nutrition related non-communicable diseases.” Dr. Rekha Harish, a public health expert, sounded a note of caution and said while formulating rules, it is important that cut-offs for calories, sugar also take into consideration their harmful effect on children who consume junk foods from a very young age.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Delhi is second among 5 worst cities in terms of public transport availability

To rank cities on mobility, one of the primary criteria for ascertaining the quality of life, three crucial indicators were assessed —availability of public transport, transport-related fatalities and road infrastructure. When it comes to public transport and mobility, Delhi has fared poorly on Ease of Living Index, 2020, the rankings of which were released by Union ministry of housing and urban affairs on Thursday. In fact, the lack of adequate public transport options put Delhi second on a list of five worst performing cities. To rank cities on mobility, one of the primary criteria for ascertaining the quality of life, three crucial indicators were assessed —availability of public transport, transport-related fatalities and road infrastructure. The findings of the report show that Delhi was among cities that had a low availability of public transport modes per lakh population. Featuring second on a list of five worst performing cities, Delhi’s figures for the ‘availability of public transport’ was 1,688.50 per lakh population (PLP). Ahmedabad, according to the rankings, fared the worst with only 638.63 transportation modes per lakh population. The national capital was followed by Navi Mumbai with 2,037.81 PLP, Pune with 2,585.54 PLP, and finally Bengaluru, which had 4,409.62 PLP. The best performing city in this category was Chennai with a public transport availability rate of 92,017.96 per lakh population, followed by Visakhapatnam with 21,212.92 per lakh population On the worst performing cities, the report said, “Firstly, the public transport system is not efficient enough to support the population of respective cites. Secondly, these cities may be ”automobile dependent” for increased mobility fostered by rapid economic growth that encourages private vehicle ownership.” This worrying trend was also highlighted in a study released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in December last year, which showed that the ridership in public transport modes such as buses and the Delhi Metro was witnessing a decline, while the use of private vehicles was seeing a spike. The CSE analysis also warned of commuters shifting to private vehicles after Covid-19, which could undo years of work in the city to promote public transport, and as a result increase snarls on the road. According to latest government data, Delhi has around 11 million registered private vehicles, while Delhi has a fleet of around 6,000 public buses. This is nowhere near enough to cater to the 20 million-plus population, say transport experts. The capital city needs around 11,000 buses to bridge the gap between passenger requirement and availability. Amit Bhatt, director of integrated urban transport at World Resources Institute (India), said a major area where the city is lagging is the integration of its bus fleet with its extensive Metro system. “There were proposals for increasing the bus fleet of Delhi but probably because of the pandemic, these are yet to be reach the roads. Inadequate availability of buses is a problem being faced by all cities. We had conducted a study, which had showed that India needs around 2.5 lakh buses. In Delhi, along with a shortage of buses, the problem is also that the bus routes are not integrated with the Metro. If that had been done, it could have provided seamless transit options to commuters,” he said. The report said over 60% of the cities participating in this index, including the national capital, have scored below the national average of 28.05. Chennai emerged the only positive outlier with a score of 79.80, followed by, after a significant gap, Thane (48.40), Bengaluru (48.40), Bhopal (48.01), and Guwahati (47.73). However, the report also highlighted that transport-related fatalities were much lower in Delhi. “The incidents of transport-related fatalities were much lower in cities such as Amritsar (4.84), Ahmedabad (5.92), Surat (6.47) Pune (7.12), Bengaluru (7.32), Delhi (12.43) and Hyderabad (12.98) per lakh population,” the report read.

• Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

Public hearing: Delhi waste workers seek right to garbage, access to place to sort dump

A recent public hearing on waste workers, organized by the Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) with the help of several other civil rights groups, highlighting multiple layers of harassment faced by them from the police and municipal officials, has regretted they do not have any identity, hence are unable to access any government benefit which may benefit them or their family. Held at village Tilla Shebazpur, Loni, Bhopura Road (Ghaziabad, UP) with the participation of nearly 100 waste workers and activists, the hearing saw women waste workers complaining about facing double exploitation: They have work as waste workers and even as managing their household. Also, they do not have access to a safe and closed toilet and have to defecate in open fields, said a DASAM note. Text: In 2014, the government declared the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) or the Clean India Campaign, making sanitation one of its key priorities. The move initiated a positive change in the direction of solid waste management in India that led to issuing of a renewed version of Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules in 2016. The rule for the first time recognized the contribution of waste collectors in solid waste management processes. Yet it is a disappointment as the Rule steers clear from any acknowledgment of waste collectors as laborers. The SWM Rules 2016 takes a staunch managerial approach to solid waste without taking cognizance of the workers and their right to a life of dignity; a stance which firmly should be objected to. There are approximately four million waste collectors in India. Half a million waste collectors are indulged in waste management only in the Delhi NCR area and most of them are migrants from different states of the country. It is also a matter of fact that most people who are indulged in waste collecting belong to the Dalit and Adivasi community. They migrate into big cities in search of livelihood and get entangled in the web of extortion and exploitation of civic bodies. This clearly shows that law in the capital is being mocked by the implementers of law and order itself. Waste collectors primarily belong to marginalized communities whose contributions to the environment and society largely remain uncompensated. The failure to recognize them as laborers is not only exclusionary but exacerbates the marginalization encountered by this worker group. As SWM Rules 2016 are formulated by the Ministry of Environment, its perspective is limited to the domain of environment which makes it incapable of addressing the concerns of waste collectors engaged in waste management processes at the lowest level. For the same a public hearing on the waste workers issue was organized where the waste workers themselves shared their testimonies in front of the public and the jury. The jury of the public hearing comprised of Dr Shyamala Mani, consultant, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and former professor National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA); Atin Biswas, programme director at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Dr Jitendra Nagar, department of environmental studies, University of Delhi; Dr Somjita Laha, fellow, Institute for Human Development (IHD), Debendra Kumar Baral, president, Bal Vikasa Dhara; and Ms. Sweta Celine Xess, research scholar, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). All together 20 cases were presented in front of the Jury. hearing highlighted the multiple layers of harassment faced by the workers from the Police, New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) or Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) employees. There is no law concerning waste workers, only their name has been mentioned. The public hearing was attended by more than 150 people. Few cases are mentioned below: Ram Kumar, 77, has been working as a ragpicker for the past 40 years. He migrated from Lucknow but currently resides in New Delhi. He complained of harassment by police. Also, the NDMC forces the waste picker to lie about receiving bounty. He earns for himself as there is no one in the family, earns a minimum of 600-800 approximately per week, depending on the material he sells. Nun Nisa and Bibi Suraiya complained about facing double exploitation. They complained of dual labour as waste workers and as woman managing the household. In addition to the harassment and problems during work, they do not have access to a safe and closed toilet and have to defecate in open fields. Their settlement doesn’t have any provision of electricity and water. Shahida, a seven-year-old girl, also complained that since her parents do not earn enough, she is unable to go to school and receive education. She also added that both her parents leave for work early in morning and do not spend time with her. The jury recommended that the waste workers should be provided with an identity card so they are not harassed by the police. Also, since the workers do not have any identity, they are unable to access any government benefit which may benefit them or their family. Waste workers should have a: Right to garbage, and Right to access to a place to sort dump. The governing agencies such as NDMC, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) etc. should hire waste workers and work as allies instead of working against each other. The public earing was concluded by emphasizing the imhportance of unionization of all the waste workers in Delhi to better articulate their demands.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Severity of smogs lower this winter in Delhi-NCR

NEW DELHI: A new analysis of the winter pollution levels in Delhi-NCR says that while the seasonal average was higher than the previous winter's, the severity and duration of smog episodes were lower. Stations in north and east Delhi recorded the highest PM2.5 levels. Track the pollution level in your city The analysis, by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), has considered Central Pollution Control Board's real-time air quality data, stubble fire data from System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research, and weather data from the Palam station of India Meteorological Department. The number of days with "severe" and "very poor" levels of PM2.5 concentration has been comparatively lower this winter but the number of days in the "poor" category has increased, it says. While the overall city average at 186 micrograms per cubic metre has been 7% higher than the 2019-20 winter, the seasonal peak has been about 8% lower. "Despite the declining annual trend due to action taken over the past few years on clean fuels, the winter PM2.5 concentration has bounced back, unmasking the impacts of local and regional pollution," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy, and head of CSE's sustainable urbanisation, air pollution and mobility programmes. "This demands quicker and more ambitious regional reforms to curb pollution from all sources." According to the analysis, 12 stations witnessed an improvement in seasonal averages, with the maximum improvement at NSIT Dwarka, Wazirpur and Shadipur. The maximum increase in PM2.5 concentration was observed at Patparganj, Vivek Vihar and RK Puram, all residential areas. Stations in north and east Delhi exhibited the highest levels while west Delhi was relatively cleaner. On pollution hotspots, CSE says except Wazirpur and Sahibabad, all such locations saw a spike. Jahangirpuri, with a seasonal average of 256 micrograms per cubic metre, was the dirtiest. Hotspots are places where annual average levels are higher than the mean value of the city, which is much worse than the national ambient air quality standards. This winter, at least 14 more locations registered higher seasonal averages than the mean of recognised hotspots - 197 micrograms per cubic metre. These were Alipur, DTU, ITO, Nehru Nagar, Patparganj, Sonia Vihar and Vivek Vihar in Delhi; sectors 1 and 116 in Noida; Loni, Sanjay Vihar and Indirapuram in Ghaziabad; Knowledge Park V in Greater Noida; and Bulandshahr. North Delhi was the dirtiest place in the region with Jahangirpuri recording the worst seasonal average and Mundka the worst seasonal peak. Ghaziabad was the most polluted among the four major neighbouring towns of Delhi.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Seasonal average of winter pollution in Delhi-NCR higher this winter; smog episodes shorter: CSE

New Delhi: Seasonal average of winter pollution in Delhi-NCR in 2020-2021 was higher than in the previous year but the severity and duration of smog episodes was lower, a new analysis by environment think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said on Wednesday. For the purposes of implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), winter in the region is officially demarcated as the period from October 15 to February 1, the CSE said. This winter, there were 23 days when the city-wide average of PM2.5 concentration was in the 'severe' or 'worse' AQI category — down from 25 such days in the winter of 2019-2020 and 33 in 2018-19, the analysis said. Also Read - Interactions with police have led to a complete breakdown of trust for many Technically, a smog episode is defined for the purpose of implementing emergency action under GRAP, when levels of PM2.5 remain in the 'severe' category for three consecutive days, it said. It also said that Ghaziabad was the most polluted among the four neighbouring towns of Delhi and in the national capital city, north Delhi was the most polluted with Jahangirpuri as the dirtiest hotspot. There is always a special interest in understanding winter pollution trends — given the extraordinary situation due to the pandemic this year, as well as the fact that winter remains the most difficult season in this region due to atmospheric conditions of inversion, calm wind, and cold weather, said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE. Also Read - Pandemic response helped us repair relations with the community, say Delhi Police "The trapped winter air traps local and regional pollution in turn, and gives rise to the deadly winter smog that we, the residents of Delhi-NCR, are so familiar with," said Roychowdhury, who also heads CSE's sustainable urbanisation, air pollution and mobility programmes. The CSE said that while Delhi has been battling a serious challenge of prolonged smoggy days every winter, in the time horizon of 2015-2020, several multi-sector actions have been initiated and these have been a part of the Comprehensive Clean Air Action Plan (CCAAP) as well as GRAP. It said that 12 stations witnessed an improvement in their seasonal averages over last year. Also Read - Two crushed to death by Haryana Roadways bus in north-east Delhi Most improvement was noted at NSIT Dwarka, Wazirpur and Shadipur, the CSE said, adding that the maximum increase was noted at Patparganj, Vivek Vihar and R K Puram (all residential areas). Stations in north and east Delhi continued to exhibit highest PM2.5 levels, while west Delhi was relatively cleaner, it said. Winter season is always a special challenge when inversion, and cool and calm weather traps and spikes daily pollution. But this is also the bar to understand the effectiveness of round-the-year action in reducing long-term pollution in the region," Roychowdhury said. Despite the declining trend (year-on-year basis) due to action taken over the last few years on clean fuels for industry and transport, power plants, trucks, old vehicles etc. the winter PM2.5 concentration has bounced back, unmasking the impacts of local and regional pollution. This demands quicker and more ambitious regional reforms to curb pollution from all sources with scale with speed," she said.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Seasonal average of winter pollution in Delhi NCR higher this winter smog episodes shorter CSE

New Delhi: Seasonal average of winter pollution in Delhi-NCR in 2020-2021 was higher than in the previous year but the severity and duration of smog episodes was lower, a new analysis by environment think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said on Wednesday. "The trapped winter air traps local and regional pollution in turn, and gives rise to the deadly winter smog that we, the residents of Delhi-NCR, are so familiar with," said Roychowdhury, who also heads CSE's sustainable urbanisation, air pollution and mobility programmes. Winter season is always a special challenge when inversion, and cool and calm weather traps and spikes daily pollution. the winter PM2.5 concentration has bounced back, unmasking the impacts of local and regional pollution. This demands quicker and more ambitious regional reforms to curb pollution from all sources with scale with speed," she said.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Winter was more polluted this year, but saw fewer smog days: CSE analysis

The analysis also shows that north Delhi recorded the worst pollution levels in the city this winter, with Jahagirpuri emerging as the hot spot with the worst air. The seasonal average pollution levels in Delhi this winter was higher than previous years, but the severity and smog episodes this year was lower, an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has shown. The analysis also shows that north Delhi recorded the worst pollution levels in the city this winter, with Jahagirpuri emerging as the hot spot with the worst air. There were two continuous smog episodes during this year’s winter. The first episode was of longer duration as it started on November 3 and lasted seven days. The second started on December 22 and lasted three days. Thus, the continuous smog episodes were fewer and shorter compared to previous winters. The 2019-20 winter had three smog episodes of eight, six and five-days durations respectively; the 2018-19 winter had four smog episodes of 10 days, two episodes of six days, and one of three-days duration. Among the four neighbouring satellite towns of Delhi, Ghaziabad was the most polluted, the CSE’s winter air quality analysis — which was made based on the air quality recordings of the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management (CAQM) between October 15 and February 1— further read. “There is always a special interest in understanding winter pollution trends, given the extraordinary situation we faced due to the pandemic this year, as well as the fact that winter remains the most difficult season in this region due to atmospheric conditions of inversion, calm wind, and cold weather,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), CSE. She added, “The winter air traps local and regional pollutants and gives rise to the deadly winter smog that we, the residents of Delhi-NCR, are so familiar with.” The trends show that the number of days with ”severe” and “very poor” levels of PM 2.5 (particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micrometres) concentration was comparatively lower this winter. According to the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), which is a set of emergency measures that kick in as the PM levels reach a certain mark, air quality is considered to be in the ‘severe’ zone when the PM 2.5 levels are above 250ug/m3 or the PM 10 levels (particulate matter with diameter less than 10 micrometres) are above 430ug/m3. It is categorised as ‘poor’ when the PM 2.5 levels are between 91ug/m3 and 120ug/m3 or the PM 10 levels are between 251ug/m3 and 350ug/m3. However, the number of days in the “poor” pollution category has increased. At the same time, the overall city-wide average for the season was comparatively higher this year, the analysis found. For Delhi, this average stood at 186μg/m3, which is 7% higher than the seasonal average of 2019-20 winters. Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE’s urban lab team of the sustainable cities programme, said, “On a year-on-year basis, the annual average PM2.5 levels are declining in Delhi. Is this also moderating the impact on the pollution build-up and severe peaks during winter? This analysis of winter pollution trends since 2018 helps understand the patterns of change.” He said,“Overall, higher seasonal average but lower peak can be attributed to meteorology and changes in farm stubble burning patterns. But considerable variation has been noted among individual stations in the city. This also indicates the dominance of local pollution sources.” At a more hyper-local level, except at Wazirpur and Sahibabad, all the locations in the Delhi-NCR pollution hot spots list saw a spike in the seasonal PM2.5 levels, compared to last winter. Jahangirpuri, with a seasonal average of 256μg/m3, was the dirtiest among the hot spots. Bahadurgarh — that recorded an almost 50% spike in its PM2.5 level — was the cleanest.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Seasonal average of winter pollution in Delhi-NCR higher this winter; smog episodes shorter: CSE

NEW DELHI: Seasonal average of winter pollution in Delhi-NCR in 2020-2021 was higher than in the previous year but the severity and duration of smog episodes was lower, a new analysis by environment think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said on Wednesday. For the purposes of implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), winter in the region is officially demarcated as the period from October 15 to February 1, the CSE said. This winter, there were 23 days when the city-wide average of PM2.5 concentration was in the 'severe' or 'worse' AQI category -- down from 25 such days in the winter of 2019-2020 and 33 in 2018-19, the analysis said. "Technically, a smog episode is defined for the purpose of implementing emergency action under GRAP, when levels of PM2.5 remain in the 'severe' category for three consecutive days," it said. It also said that Ghaziabad was the most polluted among the four neighbouring towns of Delhi and in the national capital city, north Delhi was the most polluted with Jahangirpuri as the dirtiest hotspot. "There is always a special interest in understanding winter pollution trends -- given the extraordinary situation due to the pandemic this year, as well as the fact that winter remains the most difficult season in this region due to atmospheric conditions of inversion, calm wind, and cold weather," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE. The trapped winter air traps local and regional pollution in turn, and gives rise to the deadly winter smog that we, the residents of Delhi-NCR, are so familiar with," said Roychowdhury, who also heads CSE's sustainable urbanisation, air pollution and mobility programmes. The CSE said that while Delhi has been battling a serious challenge of prolonged smoggy days every winter, in the time horizon of 2015-2020, several multi-sector actions have been initiated and these have been a part of the Comprehensive Clean Air Action Plan (CCAAP) as well as GRAP. It said that 12 stations witnessed an improvement in their seasonal averages over last year. Most improvement was noted at NSIT Dwarka, Wazirpur and Shadipur, the CSE said, adding that the maximum increase was noted at Patparganj, Vivek Vihar and R K Puram (all residential areas). Stations in north and east Delhi continued to exhibit highest PM2.5 levels, while west Delhi was relatively cleaner, it said. “Winter season is always a special challenge when inversion, and cool and calm weather traps and spikes daily pollution. But this is also the bar to understand the effectiveness of round-the-year action in reducing long-term pollution in the region," Roychowdhury said. "Despite the declining trend (year-on-year basis) due to action taken over the last few years on clean fuels for industry and transport, power plants, trucks, old vehicles etc. the winter PM2.5 concentration has bounced back, unmasking the impacts of local and regional pollution. This demands quicker and more ambitious regional reforms to curb pollution from all sources with scale with speed," she said. According to Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager in CSE's urban lab team of the sustainable cities programme, on an year-on-year basis, annual average PM2.5 levels are declining in Delhi. "Is this also moderating the impact on the pollution build-up and severe peaks during winter? This analysis of winter pollution trends since 2018 helps understand the patterns of change," Somvanshi said. The think tank said that the analysis is based on publicly available data from various government agencies. "Most granular data (15-minute averages) has been sourced from the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. This has analysed the data recorded by 81 air quality monitoring stations (or 100 per cent of the current NCR network) under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) of the CPCB," it said.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

No of ‘severe’ pollution days in Delhi-NCR lower this winter

The number of days with severe and very poor levels of PM 2.5 concentration have been comparatively lower this winter but the number of days with concentration level in the poor category have registered an increase. According to the latest Center for Science and Environment (CSE) report on Delhi- NCR winter pollution, the overall city-wide average for the season has been comparatively higher this year. However, citywide average pollution for the winters was seven percent higher than the seasonal average of 2019-20 winters. Except Wazirpur and Sahibabad, all the locations on Delhi-NCR pollution hotspots list saw a spike in the seasonal PM2.5 level compared to last winter. Jahangirpuri with a seasonal average of 256 µg/m3 was the dirtiest among the recognized hotspots. Bahadurgarh that recorded almost 50 per cent jump in PM2.5 level was cleaner than other hotspots. As per the report, except Wazirpur and Sahibabad, all the locations on Delhi-NCR pollution hotspot list saw spike in the seasonal PM2.5 level compared to last winter. Jahangirpuri with a seasonal average of 256 µg/m3 was the dirtiest among the recognized hotspots. Bahadurgarh that recorded almost 50 per cent jump in PM2.5 level was cleaner than other hotspots. “There is always a special interest in understanding winter pollution trends -- given the extraordinary situation due to the pandemic this year, as well as the fact that winter remains the most difficult season in this region due to atmospheric conditions of inversion, calm wind, and cold weather,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE, and the head of its sustainable urbanisation, air pollution and mobility programmes. “The trapped winter air traps local and regional pollution in turn, and gives rise to the deadly winter smog that we, the residents of Delhi-NCR, are so familiar with,” she added. CSE in its report, further said number of days with severe concentration of PM2.5 declined and smog episodes were of shorter duration. “This winter 23 days had citywide average of PM2.5 concentration in “severe’ or worse AQI category, this is down from 25 such days in pervious winter and 33 days in 2018-19 winters,” the report said. Illustrating the pollution patterns, the CSE report highlighted that there was a decline in number of severe and worse air days. “Technically, a smog episode is defined for the purpose of implementing emergency action under the Graded Response Action Plan when the levels of PM2.5 remain in “severe” category for three consecutive days. From this perspective, this winter there were two continuous smog episodes. The first episode was of longer duration as it started on 3rd Nov and lasted 7 days. The second started on 22nd December and lasted for 3 days Thus the continuous smog episodes are fewer and shorter compared to previous winters. 2019-20 winter had three smog episodes of 8 days, 6 days and 5 days durations. 2018-19 winter had four smog episodes of 10 days, couple of 6 days and a 3 days durations.” However, during the winter months, at least 14 more locations registered higher seasonal average than the mean of recognized hotspots, i.e. 197 µg/m3 These were Alipur, DTU, ITO, Nehru Nagar, Patparganj, Sonia Vihar and Vivek Vihar in Delhi, Sector 1 and 116 inNoida, Loni, Sanjay Vihar and Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, Knowledge Park V in Greater Noida and Bulandshahr. This again points towards impact of local pollution. Eight towns show improvement in seasonal average from last year with Bhiwani and Palwal in Haryana showing the most improvement (exceeding 60 per cent). But Sonipat (69 per cent) and Bahadurgarh (49 per cent) lead the pack of towns with maximum detoriation in seasonal average. It is noteworthy that Hapur and Bulandshahr are neighbours but Hapur saw 24 per cent improvement while Bulandshahr deteriorated by 32 per cent. In fact, the seasonal average of Bulandshahr is three times that of Hapur.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

दिल्ली-एनसीआरः इस बार सर्दियों में रहा गंभीर प्रदूषण, गाजियाबाद के हालात रहे सबसे खराब

पिछले साल की तुलना में दिल्ली-एनसीआर में इस बार सर्दियों के मौसम में प्रदूषण गंभीर स्तर पर रहा। अनलॉक की शुरुआत होने पर मिली रियायतों से प्रदूषण में बढ़ोतरी हुई। इस दौरान दिल्ली-एनसीआर में गाजियाबाद में प्रदूषण का स्तर सर्वाधिक दर्ज किया गया। राजधानी में उत्तरी दिल्ली सर्वाधिक प्रदूषित रही, हालांकि हॉटस्पॉट (जहांगरपुरी) में पीएम-2.5 का स्तर पर पिछले वर्ष की तुलना में कम रिकॉर्ड किया गया। धुंध भी इस सर्दी में पिछले वर्ष के लिहाज से कम दिनों के लिए रही। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवॉयरमेंट(सीएसई)के अध्ययन में किए गए विश्लेषण पर कहा गया है कि 15 अक्तूबर से एक फरवरी के दौरान ग्रेडेड एक्शन प्लान (ग्रेप) लागू होने के बाद पर्यावरण और प्रदूषण स्तर में बदलाव देखने में आया। सीएसई की कार्यकारी निदेशक(शोध एवं परामर्श)अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी के मुताबिक सर्दियों में अनलॉक की शुरुआत होने पर परिवहन सेवाओं की शुरुआत, लोगों के आवागमन बढ़ने का भी असर रहा। शांत हवा और ठंड जैसे मौसमी कारणों की वजह से प्रदूषण स्तर पर गंभीर हालत रही। उन्होंने कहा कि लगातार हो रहे शहरीकरण, वायु प्रदूषण और मोबिलिटी प्रोग्राम के कारण प्रदूषण स्तर को नियंत्रित नहीं किया जा सका। इस दौरान स्थानीय और क्षेत्रीय कारणों की वजह से सर्दियों के दौरान दिल्लीवासियों को कुछ दिनों के लिए धुंध का सामना करना पड़ा। 2015-20 के दौरान लंबे समय के लिए धुंध और प्रदूषण को कम करने के लिए स्वच्छ हवा के लिए एक्शन प्लान के तहत कई क्षेत्रों में इस दिशा में कदम भी बढ़ाए गए। सीएसई के विशेषज्ञ अविकल सोमवंशी का कहना है कि पीएम-2.5 का स्तर धीरे धीरे कम हो रहा है। उन्होंने कहा कि सर्दियों के दौरान मौसम में होने वाले परिवर्तन की बदौलत प्रदूषण नियंत्रण एक समस्या बनी हुई है। लेकिन लंबे समय पर प्रदूषण पर शिकंजा कसने के लिए उठाए जा रहे कदमों के दीर्घकालीक परिणाम भी धीरे धीरे सामने आने लगे हैं। सोमवंशी के मुताबिक इस दौरान स्थानीय कारणों में बदलाव का असर प्रदूषण स्तर पर पड़ने लगा है। केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड(सीबीसीबी), सफर और मौसम विभाग के आंकड़ों के आधार पर मौसम में बदलाव को अध्ययन में शामिल किया गया है। 81 एयर क्वालिटी मॉनिटरिंग स्टेशन के आंकड़ों से यह बात सामने आई कि सर्दियों में धुंध की अवधि कम रही, लेकिन सर्दियों के दौरान होने वाले प्रदूषण में पिछले साल की अपेक्षा बढ़ोतरी दर्ज की गई है। पारे के तेवर कड़े दिल्ली में दो दिन से सुबह शाम चल रही ठंडी हवाओं केकारण तापमान में हुई गिरावट केबाद एक बार फिर से तापमान ने अपने तेवर कड़े कर लिए हैं। बीते सप्ताह 30 केपार चल रहा तापमान एक बार फिर से बुधवार को तीस के पार चला गया। अधिकतम तापमान 30.8 डिग्री और न्यूनतम तापमान 13.2 डिग्री सेल्सियस दर्ज किया गया। सबसे अधिक अधिकतम तापमान स्पोट्र्स कॉम्पलेक्स में 33 डिग्री सेल्सियस दर्ज किया गया, जबकि न्यूनतम तापमान भी 18.3 दर्ज हुआ। वहीं नजफगढ़ में तापमान 32 डिग्री और न्यूनतम तापमान 13.4 डिग्री सेल्सियस दर्ज हुआ। लोदी रोड, आया नगर, रिज में तापमान 31 के पार दर्ज हुआ। पश्चिमी विक्षोभ के कारण पहाड़ी इलाकों में हुई बर्फबार का असर मैदानी इलाकों में देखने को मिला है। इसी कारण से हवाएं चल रही थी। इसे विदाई लेती हुई सर्दी का आखिरी पड़ाव माना जा रहा है। बीते 24 घंटों में राजधानी की हवा में नमी का स्तर अधिकतम 80 प्रतिशत और न्यूनतम 39 फीसदी रहा।

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

CSE Director Bid Coal Plant Apply Pollution Standards By 2022 – CSE की डायरेक्टर बोलीं

सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट (सीएसई) की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी ने कहा कि सरकार 2022 तक कोयला संयंत्रों पर प्रदूषण मानकों का क्रियान्वयन सुनिश्चित करे। क्योंकि कोयला संयंत्र प्रदूषण के प्रमुख स्रोत हैं और यदि प्रदूषण में कमी लानी है तो हर संयंत्र में प्रदूषण मानकों का सख्ती से पालन होना जरूरी है। उन्होंने वर्चुअल तरीके से आयोजित टाउनहाल कार्यक्रम को संबोधित करते हुए यह बात कही। उन्होंने कहा कि बिजली संयंत्रों के अलावा परिवहन के क्षेत्र में इलेक्ट्रिक व बैटरी चालित वाहनों को प्रोत्साहित करना होगा। साथ ही प्रदूषण के स्रोतों को चिह्नित कर योजनाएं बनानी होंगी। कार्यक्रम क्लाइमेट वॉयसेस ने आयोजित किया है जो परपज, असर और क्लाइमेट ट्रेंड्स का संयुक्त उपक्रम है। इसमें महाराष्ट्र के पर्यावरण एवं जलवायु परिवर्तन विभाग द्वारा शुरू की गई पहल माझी वसुंधरा का भी योगदान है। वातावरण फाउंडेशन और सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट ने इसकी मेजबानी की। कार्यक्रम में पर्यावरण पर सबसे ज्यादा प्रभाव डालने वाले पहलुओं पर समावेशी और सार्थक विचार-विमर्श किया गया। इसका उद्देश्य केंद्रित सिफारिशों के जरिए एक सतत कार्य योजना तैयार कर जलवायु के प्रति विमर्श को और मजबूत करना भी है। क्लाईमेट ट्रेंड की निदेशक आरती खोसला ने कहा कि वायु प्रदूषण को कम करने के दिल्ली, मुंबई समेत बड़े शहरों के लिए प्रदूषण नियंत्रण की अलग योजनाएं बननी चाहिए। जिन क्षेत्रों में प्रदूषण की मार ज्यादा है, उनकी भी पहचान होनी चाहिए तथा उन पर केंद्रीत योजनाएं बनाए जाने की जरूरत है। उन्होंने कहा कि कृषि, पर्यटन एवं आतिथ्य क्षेत्रों में भी इसके लिए संवाद कायम किया जान चाहिए। कूड़ा प्रबंधन के लिए आधुनिक तकनीकों का सहारा लिया जाना चाहिए। प्रदूषण की समस्या से निपटने के लिए बहुस्तरीय रणनीति अपनानी होगी। पलमोकेयर रिसर्च एंड एजुकेशन फाउंडेशन के निदेशक डॉ. संदीप साल्वी ने महाराष्ट्र की जनता की सेहत पर वायु प्रदूषण के प्रभाव का जिक्र करते हुए कहा कि वायु प्रदूषण पर पिछले कुछ वर्षों के दौरान ध्यान दिया जाना शुरू किया गया है। द ग्लोबल बर्डन ऑफ़ डिजीज स्टडी 2017 में इस बात को बहुत शिद्दत से महसूस किया गया कि वायु प्रदूषण के कारण हमारी सेहत पर क्या असर पड़ता है। कुछ बीमारियां वायु प्रदूषण के साथ बहुत गहरे से जुड़ी हैं। फेफड़ों में संक्रमण और क्रॉनिक ऑब्स्ट्रक्टिव पलमोनरी डिजीज (सीओपीडी) वायु प्रदूषण का नतीजा है। डॉ. साल्वी ने कहा कि ग्लोबल बर्डन ऑफ़ डिजीज स्टडी 2019 के मुताबिक वायु प्रदूषण से संबंधित असामयिक मौतों के कारण होने वाला आर्थिक नुकसान प्रतिवर्ष 280000 करोड रुपए है, जबकि महाराष्ट्र में यह 33000 करोड़ है।

• Industrial Pollution

Rajasthan Govt Data Reveals 639 Mining Cases Last Year, Over 3,000 FIRs Since 2018-19

ACCORDING to data from the state’s mining department, 639 cases of illegal mining of various minerals have been registered in various districts of Rajasthan last year. According to data given by the mining department in response to a query in the Assembly, the highest number of cases— 86— is registered from Bhilwara district, followed by Jodhpur and Nagaur with 58 and 49 cases, respectively. According to a report by The Indian Express, Rajasthan’s M-sand policy, which controls the manufacture of sand from mining waste, was implemented in January this year. The programme, to increase the availability of legal sand was dubbed a “game-changer” by the government. However, illegal sand mining has recently emerged as one of the most pressing issues facing the Rajasthan administration, with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot himself admitting the issue on many occasions. According to data, the mines department reported 38,335 cases and collected Rs 252.85 crore as fines in the last three financial years(2018-19,2019-20, and up to January 31, this year). The police have filed FIRs in 3,375 of these incidents, according to the report. On November 16, 2017, the Supreme Court barred all 82 sand mining leases in Rajasthan from working due to a lack of environmental clearance and scientific replenishment studies. Illegal sand mining has resulted in fatalities, law and order incidents, and growing allegations of complicity between government authorities and illegal miners since that ban. A central empowered committee of the Supreme Court recently had said in its report that the state tacitly participated in ‘the free-for-all loot of this valuable natural resource’. According to a Centre for Science and Environment report, Rajasthan has the highest number of mine leases in the country – 1,324 leases for major minerals, 10,851 for minor minerals and 19,251 quarry licenses for mining stones. The state earned about Rs 590 crore in royalty from major minerals like lead, zinc and limestone in 2004-2005. But the sector contributes only three percent of the state’s revenue. Rajasthan holds reserves for 44 major and 22 minor minerals and is the only producer of garnet, jasper, selenite, wollastonite and zinc concentrates. It is also the leading producer of calcite, lead concentrate, ball clay, fireclay, ochre, phosphorite, silver and steatite. But it is best known for its production of marble, sandstone, marble and other stones. It produces 10 percent of the world’s and 70 percent of India’s output of sandstone. Ajmer, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Dungarpur, Jaipur, Pali, Rajsamand, and Udaipur are its main mining districts. The report also states that the state government has failed to regulate illegal mining in forest areas. Udaipur, the most forested district of Rajasthan is the most mined. The government has issued leases for hundreds of mines in Sariska National Park. Despite repeated Supreme Court orders to close them down, mining continues unabated in Sariska and Jamwa Ramgarh sanctuary. This has had a devastating impact on the forest cover of the state. In the Bijola area, there were 23,800 hectares of dense forests in 1971; by 1991, only 12,800 hectares remained, and only 2,700 hectares were dense. The National Centre for Advocacy Studies reports that about 4,996 hectares of this forest land have been converted for mining since 1980. Further, Rajasthan continues to dabble with asbestos despite a worldwide ban on the mineral. Rajasthan, which has 54 percent of India’s asbestos resources, still has five to six operational mines. According to the World Health Organisation, all forms of asbestos causes cancer, with chrysotile asbestos increasing the risk of cancer. This is a major health risk for workers, especially since these illegal mines do not provide safety equipment or compensation in case of accidents or deaths.

• Down To Earth

India faces an environmental crisis, but this season’s election coverage is set to ignore it

Until the impending Assembly elections are over, we can expect little else in news coverage apart from the political circus. Once again, election season is upon us. In fact, in India, it never seems to end. And for some political parties, it's perennial. From now until the results are declared for the Assembly elections in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry on May 2, we can expect little else in media coverage apart from the political circus. For the news media, the electoral battlefield provides endless possibilities and a chance to increase readership and viewership. Elections are guaranteed to be entertaining with every politician extracting the maximum advantage from media attention. Yet, increasingly, elections have been reduced to a few personalities; the issues that matter to the majority of voters slip into the background. No doubt, despite the election frenzy, the coronavirus pandemic and the effort to vaccinate a large section of India's population will continue to be a part of the news cycle for some time to come as this crisis shows few signs of abating at present. Yet, the political tamasha unleashed with the announcement of elections should not let us forget the perennials, the stories that are either told in passing, or only when there is a tragedy of such overwhelming proportions that they cannot be ignored. Issues like hunger, poverty, unemployment, caste discrimination, inequality, atrocities against women, human rights, and persecution of minorities – the list is long. We remember, and the media addresses these, when there are atrocities, like the disturbing number of incidents involving Dalit girls being killed in Uttar Pradesh, or reports that remind us that almost a third of Indian children continue to be stunted and malnourished. When a natural disaster occurs, such as in Uttarakhand on February 7, we are reminded that global warming and climate change are not academic issues but a living reality for people in fragile ecological zones as this interview with Ravi Chopra of the People's Science Institute in Dehradun spells out. We remember then that these very areas have suffered in the past, that we in the media investigated and reported about those disasters and that the government appointed committees to investigate and recommend policies that kept in mind ecological factors. And that after all that, the developmental plans put in place, such as building hydroelectric projects in this fragile ecosystem, continued as if nothing had happened. Until it did again. Even if governments have short memories and choose to forget lessons from previous disasters, the job of the media to continue to focus on some of these issues cannot be overemphasised. These issues slip from popular consciousness if our focus shifts, or disappears altogether, making it virtually impossible for the people living in such perennial disaster zones to be heard by those who make policy. The same argument can be applied to industrial pollution and neglect of safety measures by industries using hazardous materials. On May 7, 2020, poisonous styrene gas leaked out of the LG Polymer chemical plant at R R Venkatapuram in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Eleven people died and hundreds were affected by the gas in the villages around the plant. The reason was malfunction in the cooling system in two chemical tanks that had been left unattended. In the wake of the accident, the media woke up. Stories were written. We were also reminded that this accident was smaller in scale but similar in several ways to what is still called the world's worst industrial disaster: the Bhopal gas tragedy where 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate escaped from a Union Carbide plant in December 1984. Thousands of people were killed that night and many more in subsequent months and years. The health of those who survived was permanently impaired. And till today these victims of the Bhopal tragedy feel they never got justice. But the point about remembering Bhopal was that it brought up the issue of location of industries using hazardous chemicals. The people most affected that night in Bhopal were those living in a dense settlement literally outside the gates of Union Carbide. Thirty six years later, those who suffered in Visakhapatnam were those living in close proximity to the LG Polymers plant. What has changed? This unchanging scenario of industrial location is replicated in the way industries continue to pollute air, water and land despite environmental laws, and the existence of institutions that are tasked to ensure their implementation. This is one of the more distressing facts to emerge from the latest State of India's Environment 2021 report released by the Centre for Science and Environment, or CSE. The Central Pollution Control Board set up a Comprehensive Environment Pollution Index, or CEPI, in 2009 with a view to monitor industrial clusters and the pollution levels around them. Between 2009 and 2018, reports the CSE, rather than an improvement in these levels, there has been a sharp deterioration. Of the 88 industrial clusters that were monitored in this period, air quality had deteriorated in 33, water quality in 45, and land pollution had increased in 17. In other words, despite a system that kept track of whether the industries located in these places were following pollution control norms, the environmental parameters had become worse. Surely, this is a statement not just about the inefficiency of pollution control boards, or rather their inability to enforce environmental regulation, but also the attitude of those owning industries that continue to pollute and stop only if caught and/or penalised. We also need to investigate how badly the health of people living near these polluted industrial clusters has been affected. Going back to Uttarakhand, in 2010 the National Green Tribunal Act was passed. This was done expressly so that people affected by developmental projects, such as thermal power plants, or mining, could have a say before these projects were cleared under provisions of the Environment Protection Act 1986. However, often poor communities do not hear about a project, or that it has been cleared, until the process is almost complete. By the time they can get organised and summon up the resources to file an appeal against such a project before the National Green Tribunal, it is often too late because a time limit has been set. This story by Jay Mazoomdaar in the Indian Express points out how the NGT continues to dismiss appeals on minor technical grounds rather than being sympathetic to the people who turn to it. It had replaced the earlier National Environmental Appellate Authority precisely because an independent and fair system was needed to hear the complaints of project-affected communities that are often also the most marginalised. In this instance too, there is a story still waiting to be told about the groups that turned to the NGT, who they are, and how they see the future. Environmental journalism is at the cross-section of politics, policies and people. It is challenging precisely for that reason as it asks of journalists an understanding of all this as well as technical aspects. Gone are the days when newspapers had environmental correspondents tasked to investigate and write such stories. Now it is left to dedicated organisations like CSE and its journal, Down to Earth, Mongabay India, a portal specialising in environmental and conservation related stories, or the Third Pole. The deterioration in our natural environment, and the continuing and willful pollution of our water, air and land, takes the heaviest toll on the poor, but ultimately affects everyone. Despite this, environmental concerns have hardly ever featured in election talk or on the agenda of political parties. It is highly doubtful that the election season we have entered will see a change in this.

• Director General Office

A fresh outlook

When we mark the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Stockholm conference, we need to discuss consumption and production in a globalised world It's been a generation since global leaders met in Stockholm in 1972 to discuss environmental challenges. Then the concerns were for the local environment; there was no talk of climate change or even the depletion of the ozone layer. All that came later. In 1972, the discussion was on the toxification of the environment as water and air were foul. Anil Agarwal, Centre for Science and Environment's founder-director, was in Stockholm for this first-ever UN Conference on the Human Environment and he spoke about how the lakes of this city were so polluted with industrial effluents that you could develop a camera film in the waters. These lakes are now pristine. Also Read - Formalising the informal So you could argue that much has changed in the past 50 years. But it hasn't really. The toxification of the environment is still a pressing concern; countries have indeed cleaned up locally but added to the emissions in the global atmosphere. Now, we are out of time as climate change impacts are spiralling out of control. This is why as we approach 50 plus years of Stockholm conference, we are looking at an increasingly inequitable world; where poverty and marginalisation are growing and where climate change risks are reaching not just the homes of the poor but also of the rich. We need, therefore, to change paths; to re-configure, not just our language but also our approach to, what we can call, our common future. Also Read - Austerity and reforms This is why next year when the world marks the 50th anniversary of the Stockholm Conference, it must stand differently — not to state the problem but to show the way ahead. This is also why we need to discuss consumption and production. We cannot sidestep this anymore. This is the most inconvenient of all discussions. The fact is when we stitched up the global ecological framework in terms of the many agreements — from ozone, climate and biodiversity to desertification and hazardous waste — the world realised that the actions of one country exceeded its boundaries. We have to act globally and cooperatively as we live in an interdependent world. Also Read - Caution or consequences! During this time, we also signed another agreement on free trade — the economic globalisation agreement. But we never really understood how these two frameworks — ecological and economic globalisation — would counteract each other. As a result, we have worked to build an economic model based on discounting the price of labour and of the environment. We have pushed production where these costs are cheaper; we have built for overproduction as goods have become cheaper and more disposable. But we have also made sure that all countries are now vested in this model of growth. All countries want to have global factories that produce goods as cheaply as possible. This comes then at the cost of environmental safeguards and labour conditions. The poor in the world are on the aspirational ladder to get richer with more goods and more consumption and more waste. Also Read - Shining figures Today, COVID-19 has disrupted this out-of-control journey to produce as cheaply as possible and to consume as much as possible. As the world builds back, it has the choice to do things differently. This is also because COVID-19 has taught us lessons that we must not forget. One, we have understood the value of labour — migrant labour — that was invisible and unwanted; today it has become important for the industry. We have seen how labour returned home — not just in India but across the world. And how has this impacted production. We can see already that the industry is working hard to bring back its workers; it is offering them better pay and better working conditions. This will increase the cost of production. Two, we understand today the value of blue skies and clear lungs — we know that the lockdown resulted in lowered pollution and we value this now. This investment in the environment will increase the cost of production as well. Three, we understand the value of investing in land-agriculture-water systems. People who went back to their villages are rebuilding their livelihoods. It is time to secure a resilient future there with food production systems that are sustainable, nature-friendly and good for health. Four, we are now in the era of work-from-home; even when the new normal comes, we will want to have hybrid systems that will allow us to work remotely, reduce travel stress, and also have interactions and collaborations that enrich our world. This will change consumption patterns as well. And five, governments are financially strapped. So they have to spend much more and therefore, cannot waste. This is where they will want to invest in circular economies — find ways of making resources out of waste; do more with less. All this has the potential to change the way we consume and the way we produce. So as the world meets again next year to mark 50 years of when the conversation started on human beings and their impact on the environment, we have an opportunity to do it right by nature this time. This time, we have the existential crisis of climate change staring us in the face. We cannot waste more time talking the talk anymore. It's not an option. Not anymore. The writer is the Director-General of CSE and editor of Down To Earth. Views expressed are personal