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Notes by vineetpunnoose on www.kiwipaper.com
Content
As Hudhud approaches, coastal people move to safer areas 1
From Phailin to Hudhud: a year of extreme weather events 1
World Bank to lend Sri Lanka US $100 million for building climate res 2
Farmers in Burkina Faso give smart answer to climate change 2
May 2015 is deadline for draft climate agreement: UN 3
Chile becomes first South American country to enforce carbon tax 3
The fight for equity 4
Modi forges climate ties with Obama 7
World growth 'unsustainable', warns US-based group of museums 9
Tibetan plateau becomes focus of intense climate study 9
Wrong climate in India 10
Oceans report card: Global ocean health scores 67 out of 100 10
Oceanic turtles face cancer risk due to water pollution, says study 11
Where have all the water bodies gone? 11
World falling behind 2020 plan for nature protection: U.N. report 13
Perspectives on ocean mixing 14
World waking up to wind, solar energy: study 14
Welcome push to solar power 15
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Content
Innovation key to meet Aichi biodiversity targets by 2020 15
An unsustainable course 17
Typhoon Phanfone batters Japan 18
India might agree to discuss HFCs under Montreal Protocol 18
Singapore shrouded in Indonesian haze 19
Earth Overshoot Day 19
Kalam stresses need for carbon-free cities 20
Power Ministry Initiates Several Measures for Promoting Energy Efficiency i 20
Green-rated buildings not keeping their promise, says CSE report 21
Gujarat to host India's first offshore wind power project 22
Air pollution responsible for decline in monsoon rains in last 50 yea 22
Panel invites consultations on review of green laws 23
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As Hudhud approaches, coastal people move to safer areas
Thu, Oct 9, 2014
environment, cyclone, Down to Earth, Hudhud,
A large number of coastal villages in Odisha that were hit by cyclone Phailin last
October [2] are yet to recover from its impact when another cyclone, Hudhud, has
come a knocking.
Many of those affected by Phailin still haven't enough food, safe drinking water and
a means to make a living. They also lack adequate shelter and face a fresh risk of their
homes being washed away in the cyclone,
Heavy casualty was avoided during Phailin because of effective evacuation operations
in the coastal areas of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
From Phailin to Hudhud: a year of extreme weather events
Sat, Oct 11, 2014
environment, cyclone, Down to Earth, Phailin, Hudhud,
Since October 2013, when Phailin hit Odisha's coast and left a trail of destruction,
India has witnessed a series of extreme weather events like cyclonic storms, cloudburst,
floods, droughts and hailstorms.
Though cyclone Phailin did not claim many lives, it left behind a trail of destruction
that severely crippled people's livelihood. The storm was followed by Lehar, a cyclonic
storm initially predicted to be a very severe storm and later transformed into a deep
depression.
Year 2014 began with the occurrence of polar vortex, a phenomenon that brought
unusual chill to North America and Europe. The weather event did not leave India
untouched. The country experienced hailstorms because of the unusual movement of
cold westerly winds that came from the north and caused snowfall over the Himalayan
region in January, putting an end to farmers' dream of a good harvest in Maharashtra.
While many farmers were yet to count the losses, another demon in the form of delayed
and deficit monsoon knocked the doors of farmers across India.
In September, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed one of its worst ever floods. It claimed
about 300 lives and economic losses have been pegged at about Rs 5,000 crore. Along
with Kashmir, northeastern states in the country also battled floods in the same month.
The latest in the series of extreme weather events is the Hudhud cyclone which is
heading towards the east coast of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
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World Bank to lend Sri Lanka US $100 million for building climate res
Mon, Oct 6, 2014
environment, Down to Earth, sri lanka, climate change,
The island nation has also signed an agreement for a loan of up to US $102 million in
case of a natural disaster is declared an emergency
The World Bank has committed a US $90 million loan to Sri Lanka Climate Resilience
Programme to increase its risk resilience. The programme is a four-year project that
aims to address the issue of climate change by building resilience of vulnerable population
to adapt and improve government capacity to disaster response.
Another US $13 million will be pumped in for nine river basins to develop flood and
drought protection methods.
The island nation has also signed an agreement for an emergency loan of up to US $102
million in case of a natural disaster is declared as a national emergency.
According to World Bank estimates, the floods in 2010-2011 caused a damage of a
billion dollars in the country. Moreover, the country risks US $ 380 million a year in
damages from natural disasters. Parts of the country are presently facing a drought
which has resulted in 40 per cent crop losses in the affected areas.
Farmers in Burkina Faso give smart answer to climate change
Fri, Oct 10, 2014
environment, Burkina Faso, Down to Earth, climate change,
The farmers in Burkina Faso have been quietly fighting climate change. Over the past
three decades, the poorest farmers in the West African country produced food for half
a million people by restoring some 300,000 hectares of degraded land with innovative
techniques,
Landlocked Burkina Faso, which ranks 181 out of 187 countries in the United Nations
Human Development Index, remains one of the world's poorest nations. "The reclamation
of unproductive lands in such a climatically vulnerable region by resource-constrained
farmers is an achievement by any standards,
One of the sustainable techniques employed by the farmers includes ditches to collect
water. It is important to ensure that these practices are implemented within communities
instead of just being introduced to individual farmers. There must be discussions with
farmers from the ground level, instead of visiting organisations simply imposing their
ideas
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May 2015 is deadline for draft climate agreement: UN
Fri, Oct 10, 2014
Lima climate summit, environment, Down to Earth, Bonn climate summit, climate
change,
Days after the New York climate summit called by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon
[2] to encourage countries to raise their commitments and pledges for climate change
mitigation, the international agency has set a deadline for a draft climate agreement.
Leading developed countries have already pledged that would submit their national
contributions by March 2015. That means that other countries now have to convey the
national contributions well in advance and then work towards formulating a draft
agreement by May 2015.
The UN has called upon the nations to "reach out and build bridges and move towards
common goals" and in this regard has hailed October as a crucial month. Post May
2015, this draft agreement would be translated into all official languages. This draft
would then be assessed ahead of the Paris climate talks, which is scheduled to take
place in December 2015. The UN officials urge and reiterate that time is running out
and "we must get our act together".
Bonn climate summit
In the run-up to Lima climate summit to be held in December 2014, Bonn will hold a
week long talks on climate finance later this month. It is expected that the purpose of
the meeting would also be to comprehend what should come under "national contributions"
towards a climate deal. Apart from mitigation pledges, finance to developing countries,
adaptation measures could also be discussed as part of the "contributions".
Chile becomes first South American country to enforce carbon tax
Wed, Oct 1, 2014
environment, Down to Earth, Chile, climate change, carbon tax,
Chile has set a major precedent by becoming the first country in South America to
introduce a tax on carbon emissions.
Tax will now be imposed on all fossil fuel-based power plants with an installed capacity
of at least 50 megawatts. At $5 per tonne of carbon emitted,
Smaller facilities as well as renewably powered plants will be exempt from the tax.
Around 80 per cent of Chile's energy needs are met by fossil fuels like imported oil
and coal, the government hopes power producers will move to renewable sources of
energy, helping the country meet its voluntary target of cutting 20 per cent of its
greenhouse gas emissions of 2007, by 2020.
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The fight for equity
Sat, Oct 11, 2014
Copenhagen , BRICS, environment, Frontline, climate change,
IN December 2015, the world will know which way it is headed in terms of climate
change and what the fate of the earth will be, particularly humanity, in the years beyond
2050. The year marks the deadline that was set in 2011 at the 17th climate summit in
Durban, under what is known as the Durban Platform, for the world community to
arrive at a binding international agreement on limiting carbon emissions so that the
average global surface temperature does not overshoot the "guard rail" of 2deg Celsius--or
even a more ambitious limit of 1.5deg C--above pre-industrial levels. The annual climate
summits are called the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was negotiated in 1992 at the Earth
Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The convention's stated objective (Article 2) is "stabilisation
of greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would stop
dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system".
Equity is an important principle, indeed the cornerstone, of the UNFCCC, which is
articulated (Article 3.1) as: "The parties should protect the climate system for the benefit
of present and future generations of humankind, on the basis of equity and in accordance
with their common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) and respective capabilities"
(emphasis added).
Every country has an additional common climate obligation towards emission reductions
individually, but these responsibilities would be differentiated according to their historical
actions, respective current capacities and capabilities.
According to the latest (Fifth) Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC), the increase in temperature between 1880 and 2012 is
already 0.85deg C
At COP-15 in Copenhagen in 2009, the participating countries, after failing to conclude
a legally binding treaty in accordance with the UNFCCC principles, pledged to work
towards an agreement that would prevent global warming from exceeding 2deg C. The
crucial COP-21, expected to herald the making or breaking of a climate resilient world,
will be held in Paris. At COP-20, to be held in Lima in December 2014, it is widely
expected that the nature of the emergent universal agreement should become clear. A
draft text is expected to be tabled for discussions at the summit.
The nature of the legal agreement was left pretty much vague at the Durban summit.
The Durban decision was that it could be a protocol, another legal instrument or "an
agreed outcome with legal force". The phrase "an agreed outcome with legal force",
whose meaning is not quite clear, was incorporated after prolonged wrangling as a
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compromise to India for which the use of the words "legally binding" in the earlier
formulation was anathema to its negotiating position. In the past 22 years of climate
negotiations, two approaches to address the impending climate crisis have emerged.
The first was the Kyoto Protocol of 2005, a top-down (prescriptive) solution whose
architecture reflected the CBDR. The Kyoto Protocol now stands virtually dismantled.
In accordance with the respective historical responsibilities, it required only the developed
or Annex 1 countries to take on assigned targets for emission reductions over their 1990
levels based on the simple "polluter pays" principle. Their carbon emissions since
industrialisation began in the mid-19th century account for about 70 per cent of the
accumulated carbon in the atmosphere (stock), constituting the major cause for the
current global warming and climate change.
The First Commitment Period (FCP) of the Kyoto Protocol ended in December 2012.
After much acrimonious negotiations at Durban, the Second Commitment Period (SCP)
was agreed upon. This will expire in December 2020, when the new globally binding
post-2015 agreement will take effect. During the FCP, industrialised countries committed
to reducing GHG emissions by an average of 5 per cent below 1990 levels. During the
SCP, the commitment is to reduce emissions relative to 1990 levels by 18 per cent.
On the other hand, the non-Annex 1 countries, which account for about 80 per cent of
the world population, are not required to meet any assigned targets. This premise has
not been acceptable to some developed countries. The United States, for instance, opted
out of the Kyoto Protocol right from the start even though until recently it was the
biggest carbon emitter in the world. These countries want emerging economies such
as India and China, whose emissions are increasing as a result of the ongoing development
and economic growth, to take on binding commitments as well. Post-2012, Canada,
too, withdrew from the Kyoto process. Russia, Japan and New Zealand have not accepted
any reduction commitments for the SCP for the same reason. Effectively, therefore,
the SCP puts reduction targets only on 15 per cent of world emissions.
Thus, the Kyoto process today stands greatly undermined. The U.S. has all along
favoured a single framework ( Frontline , December 18, 2009) on the basis of a bottom-up
approach premised on unilateral emission reduction commitments by all countries which
would include India and China as well--commitments that are measurable, reportable
and verifiable (MRV)
quasi-formalisation of this process occurred at COP-16 in Cancun, Mexico, in 2010
when the Cancun agreements included a list of pledges by individual countries, with
nothing said about the "review" process that should go with it. "All countries must
accept binding commitments in some appropriate legal form," the then Indian Minister
of Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh, famously said at Cancun.
Arguing that India must be seen to be part of the solution and not part of the problem,
Ramesh overruled the negotiators and declared at Cancun that India would reduce its
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emission intensity by 20-25 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020 from
the 2005 levels as the Indian pledge in the new globally binding bottom-up approach.
This target was the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) that it had
communicated to the UNFCCC in 2009 under the Bali Action Plan of COP-13 as a
voluntary measure and not as a binding target.
: "Towards 2015 COP at Paris, India has decided to strengthen its negotiating team, its
negotiating efforts, taking other countries along with us... we have eight missions; we
may add one or two more.... The issue is that the world must recognise that India needs
to grow.... So we will seek a window up to say 2050. Then our scenario may plateau
and then come down...."
This is a throwback to the pre-Ramesh negotiating stance of India not being prepared
to undertake any binding emission cuts. Indeed, this was the burden of India's submission
to the UNFCCC on the work plan for the Durban Platform. It said: "The
responsibilities/obligations of developing countries in a post-2020 arrangement will
clearly need to be built on the principles of equity and CBDR. Irrespective of the legal
form of the final arrangements, the developing country targets under such arrangements
cannot be binding until the principle of differentiation based on equity is defined and
the conditions implicit in such definition of equity are met
One of the reasons for domestic policies not being predicated upon climate change
imperatives is a lack of detailed State or regional level impact assessments and
vulnerability maps on factors such as agricultural productivity, monsoon variability
and sea-level rise, to appropriately tailor the State-level policies and the State Action
Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs).
The Indian approach to equity in climate negotiations has always been premised on the
basis of per capita emissions (PCE) per year, which is about 1.7 tonnes (ranked 127th)
as compared to China's 6.2 tonnes (ranked 55th) and the U.S.' 16.4 tonnes (ranked
eighth). In terms of gross emissions, they account respectively for 6.41 per cent (the
fourth biggest emitter), 26.43 per cent (the biggest emitter) and 17.33 per cent (the
second biggest). The scientific basis for this approach is that atmosphere is a global
commons. But global warming restricts the available carbon space (the amount of GHG
that can be emitted without breaching the 2deg C ceiling or the "carbon budget") for
humanity as a whole. Equity in a climate change agreement implies right of equitable
access to this carbon space and operationalisation of these rights (at a national level).
The per capita approach means that this available carbon space be apportioned equally
across all individuals of the world. This implies equity between nations as part of an
international agreement and equity within nations through domestic actions. The thrust
of the UNFCCC equity principle and the Indian approach to equity is that "historical
emissions" of industrialised nations have greatly shrunk the available sink capacity of
the atmosphere for future carbon emissions necessary for the growth of developing
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countries. Thus, these historically accumulated stocks, and not flows, of carbon emissions
must form the basis for assigning equitable access to available carbon space. It is the
relative contribution of GHG emission stocks that would determine the used up carbon
space by various nations and how much of it remains for use by all nations in the future.
India used equity as a defensive mechanism in negotiations. While agreeing that equity
was being used as a negotiating tactic, Raghunandan favoured the per capita approach
but with the caveat that it would be more effective internationally if India were to
address this issue domestically in its developmental policies, in terms of energy and
resources access, linked with environment and sustainability issues, which unfortunately
was not happening.
With available carbon space becoming highly constrained, from the perspective of
developing countries, equity should be non-negotiable and should form the basis of
any global agreement post-2015. However, the equity principle is yet to become central
to the negotiations despite there being several formulations of it. The problem is, as
Jayaraman pointed out, which among these different formulations, which appear similar
and comparable, should be picked.
The Indian negotiating team should, therefore, engage with as many countries as possible
to evolve a common strategy for advancing the idea of equity and arrive at a formulation
of equity that would be acceptable to as many countries as possible. It is becoming
increasingly clear that a "pledge-and-review" kind of agreement is likely to be the
outcome at Paris. The question then is: What kind of a structure should it have so that
equity could become an integral part of it?
Besides the BASIC group, India has also used the forum of Like-Minded Developing
Countries (LMDCs) to formulate a common stand on climate change. But, as Raghunandan
pointed out, India should try and win over countries of the Africa Group, the LDCs and
SISs as well to create a much larger common front to address questions such as "What
are the overarching terms that an agreement should have?",
Modi forges climate ties with Obama
Thu, Oct 9, 2014
environment, Down to Earth, climate change,
During his US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed support for new global
climate pact to be signed in Paris by end of 2015; two countries to cooperate on various
climate protection and energy security measures
A highlight of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US last week was
the joint declaration with US president Barack Obama to address the threat of climate
change and energy issues. Keeping in view India's rising energy demands, energy
access problems and need to enhance adaptation and loss and damage framework, the
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two leaders launched a partnership on clean energy, energy security and climate change.
Modi-Obama also reaffirmed efforts to strengthen the US-India Partnership to Advance
Clean Energy (PACE). A set of priority areas identified under PACE will help India
expand its renewable energy capacity within its electricity grid, and pursue alternative
energy sources.
Yet another venture under this set of agreements is the extension of the Promoting
Energy Access through Clean Energy (PEACE). The PEACE programme is set to
provide increased levels of private sector investment and fast track the implementation
of cost effective, super energy-efficient appliances to provide a million more people
access to modern sources of energy. In order to enhance private sector investment, the
governments also agreed to form a new Clean Energy Finance Forum.
The joint statement also addressed the highly debated issue of hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCS). It called upon the governments to form a bilateral task force to analyse the
financial, technological and policy implications of including HFCs under the Montreal
Protocol while leaving their emissions to be accounted for under United Nations
Framework Convention for Climate Change mechanism (UNFCCC). The two countries
had been in a state of logjam over this issue in the past, however, it appears that the
countries have taken positive steps to address the challenge posed by HFCs which cause
global warming several times more than carbon dioxide.
The two sides also plan to set-up a new US- India Climate Fellowship Programme that
aims to build long-term infrastructure and improve capacities for responding to climate
change. Other agreed measures aim at improvement in air quality in India and improve
India's resilience against extreme weather events that have been hitting the country
with alarming frequency.
Modi and Obama directed their officials to use the US-India Energy Dialogue and Joint
Working Group on Combating Climate Change as germane platforms to advance
cooperation of these climate and energy initiatives.
The two heads of state also inked a Memorandum of Understanding between the
Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank) and the Indian Renewable Energy Development
Agency (IREDA). The agreement provides finance of upto $1 billion for a transition
to a low-carbon economy that gives climate and energy benefits, while boosting US
renewable energy exports to India. A part of this finance will be used for expanding
the new phase of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) to 3,000 MW.
The joint communique also added, "Both leaders are committed to working towards a
successful outcome in Paris in 2015 of the conference of the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC), including the creation of a new global agreement on
climate change." There are still major differences over their positions in climate talks,
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but these commitments reflect the willingness of the nations to deliver on commitments
to combat climate change.
World growth 'unsustainable', warns US-based group of museums
Tue, Oct 7, 2014
environment, Down to Earth, climate change,
, the Smithsonian Institution, a renowned group of US museums and research centres,
has published its first official statement on climate change. [2] The release warns "the
world of its unsustainable course" as "the situation is becoming critical for wild species
and for the preservation of human civilization".
The statement is based on the findings of 500 Smithsonian scientists who have been
working around the world to see the impact of a warming planet.
The institution has also started an initiative "Living in the Anthropocene" to "expand
climate change outside of just science and take Smithsonian resources to look at what
other scholars and professionals are doing in various areas with regard to climate
change."
Tibetan plateau becomes focus of intense climate study
Wed, Oct 1, 2014
environment, The Hindu, tibet, climate change,
The Tibetan plateau has become the focus of intense meteorological study in a never-before
attempt to understand its effect on climate locally as well as globally,
This development follows close on the heels of the massive floods which hit Kashmir
and Pakistan recently.
The $49-million Chinese effort, in which the plateau is being flooded with sensors, is
aimed to help predict extreme weather -- both in Asia and as far away as North America
-- and give scientists knowledge on how climate change affects these events.
Having a high altitude, the plateau receives more sunlight, gets hotter than land at sea
level. Acting like a giant heating plate it pumps air upwards which disperses in the
upper troposphere, influencing atmospheric circulation and thereby, climate.
Being the biggest and highest plateau in the world, it disturbs the troposphere unlike
any other structure on earth. However, there are little data on the impact on climate.
The plateau's remoteness, altitude and harsh conditions -- it is often called the third
pole because it hosts the world's third-largest stock of ice -- meaning that even basic
weather stations are few.
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"The data should help determine the extent to which different types of land surface heat
up the overlying air, and how this might vary in response to factors such as snow cover
and vegetation changes,"
Wrong climate in India
Wed, Oct 1, 2014
environment, Businessline, climate change,
The meet was meant to set the tone for the big bang conclave in Paris in December
2015. Paris is expected to draw up another pact on emission cuts to replace the Kyoto
Protocol, which lapsed in December 2012. China and India should have played a bigger
role in New York, being two of the top emerging economies and, yes, among the top
five emitters of greenhouse gases as well.
As a developing country, can India brush aside emission reduction? Scientists have
claimed that in 2013, India's carbon emissions grew by 5.1 per cent, the highest for
any country, even though its emissions make up just 6.5 per cent of the world's total,
against 28 per cent in the case of China and 14 per cent in the case of the US. While it
is true that some 400 million Indians do not have access to electricity it does not imply
that the sky is the limit for India's greenhouse emissions. India's per capita statistics
conceal inequalities in access to energy -- between the rural and the urban, and between
income groups. For instance, about 70 per cent of rural households have access to
electricity, and within that only 40 per cent among socially and economically backward
groups.
Oceans report card: Global ocean health scores 67 out of 100
Wed, Oct 1, 2014
environment, Down to Earth, oceans, water pollution,
Global ocean health has scored 67 out of 100 in the Ocean Health Index for 2014, based
on its performance on a number of goals and factors.
The index which includes people as part of the ocean ecosystem assesses the ocean
based on 10 widely-held public goals such as food provision, coastal livelihoods and
economies, carbon storage, coastal protection, clean waters, biodiversity and tourism.
While global ocean health scored well on biodiversity and livelihood goals, it fared
badly on food production and natural products.
"Antarctica and the southern ocean are protected by distance from many of the threats
caused by human populations such as chemicals, excessive nutrients, pathogens and
trash - that's why we see a very high score in a goal like clean water," "Fishing is still
having an impact in this region, despite improved monitoring, successful efforts to
reduce by-catch and new management of krill fisheries. This is also a region where
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illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries (IUUs) still persist," he added.
Oceanic turtles face cancer risk due to water pollution, says study
Wed, Oct 1, 2014
environment, Down to Earth, pollution, water pollution,
Polluted urban and farm runoff causes cancer in sea turtles,
The runoff from urban and farm areas contains nitrogen which enters the algae that
turtles eat. This causes the formation of tumours in the eyes, flippers and other internal
organs of green turtles. The disease is called fibropapillomatosis and is the major cause
of death among these already endangered turtles.
In the study published in PeerJ, it was found that algae store excess nitrogen in the form
of arginine, a type of amino acid. Arginine was present in large quantities in algae found
in highly polluted waters and diseased turtles. Invasive algae called Hypnea musciformis,
which can form as much as 90 per cent of the turtles' diet, was found to have high
levels of this amino acid.
Arginine is thought to promote a virus that leads to the disease that forms the tumours.
Other than arginine, the researchers also found elevated levels of amino acids that are
common in human cancer tumours, such as proline and glycine.
Where have all the water bodies gone?
Mon, Oct 6, 2014
environment, drinking water, water pollution, Businessline,
On September 6, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court gave a landmark ruling
directing the Government not to grant layout approval or building plan permission on
lands located on water bodies. It was responding to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL)
on the subject.
The judgment comes close on the heels of the Delhi High Court's grave remark that
the depleting water level will lead to water wars soon.
Traditional water bodies (mainly tanks) generate innumerable benefits to the farmers
and society. It is a low cost source of irrigation and also predominantly managed by
the farmers themselves. The command area of most tanks is small and therefore, the
problems associated with irrigation management are less. Being a less capital-intensive
source of irrigation, tank irrigation is considered to be user-friendly with fewer
environmental problems.
Tanks help capture, conserve and store what little rainfall the region receives. They
help recharge groundwater aquifers which are stable and reliable source of irrigation
for millions of farmers. In years of high rainfall tanks do provide some protection against
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risk of floods by allowing surplus rainwater flow into it. In years of low rainfall, the
stored water in tanks provides some protective irrigation as well. Should we sit back
and watch the alarming destruction of these natural reservoirs?
The Ministry of Environment and Forests has been implementing the centrally sponsored
scheme of National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) since June 2001. This scheme
also received substantial funds during the Eleventh Plan. The Twelfth Plan, too, accorded
high priority to watershed restoration, groundwater recharge and groundwater law to
tackle groundwater related problems.
But urbanisation over the years has turned these community resources to dumping
grounds. most of the water bodies in the country were encroached upon by municipalities
and panchayats.
The Standing Committee on Water Resources (2012-13) also highlighted that out of
5.56 lakh tanks in the country, only 4.71 lakh tanks are in use. This effectively implies
a loss of about one million hectares of irrigation potential. Tanks irrigated more than
50 per cent of the agriculture lands in many States in India until 1950s.
However, with the introduction of Green Revolution during the sixties, the area irrigated
by tanks fell from 4.63 million hectares (mha) in 1960-61 to 2.04 mha in 2010-11.
The scenario in water starved Tamil Nadu which is home to about 41,127 tanks is just
as gloomy; its area under tank irrigation declined gradually from about 9.36 lakh hectares
in 1960-61 to 5.28 lakh hectares in 2011-12. Are water users aware that if tanks continue
to be neglected, the recharge mechanism will come to a halt? Even wells will cease to
have water and diesel and electric powered pumps will be rendered useless.
Recently, farmers across the country are bemoaning the escalatiWon in overall cost of
cultivation brought about mechanised pumping. While the Central Groundwater Board
estimated that out of the total 5,824 blocks in India, 1494 are either semi-critical or
over-exploited; most wells in certain parts of the country have reportedly gone bone
dry.
It is high time that the government realises the gravity of the situation by setting up a
separate ministry for small water bodies with adequate funding to conduct periodic
repairs. A new legislation should be urgently enacted to make encroachment on water
bodies a cognisable offence.
As suggested by the Nobel Laureate Ellinor Ostrom, to avoid a tragedy of depletion,
individuals should be entitled to use and run the common property resource, and set
clear boundaries to keep out those who aren't entitled. Farmers voluntarily must come
forward to organise themselves into tank users' organisations which will enable them
to undertake repairing of tanks under State sponsored programmes.
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This can lead to the revival of the traditional method of community maintenance namely
Kudimaramathu. In order to rekindle the sense of responsibility towards preserving the
common property resource, the State can also reward the best managed tanks in a
locality.
World falling behind 2020 plan for nature protection: U.N. report
Tue, Oct 7, 2014
environment, biodiversity outlook, The Hindu,
The Global Biodiversity Outlook 4 , published as nearly 200 countries meet on Monday
in South Korea in a bid to tackle biodiversity loss, paints a damning picture of
governments' efforts to meet a set of targets agreed upon in 2010 to mitigate the
destruction of species' habitats, cut pollution and stop overfishing by the end of the
decade.
Conservationists said the lack of progress, nearly halfway to the 2020 deadline for the
Aichi Biodiversity Targets (ABT), was a troubling sign and a reality check.
the situation is worsening for the planet's most threatened species, which include 90
per cent of all lemurs and species such as the blue-tongued forest giraffe and the
spoon-billed sandpiper:
Only five of the 20 targets, which are broken down into 56 elements, are on track for
2020. Thirty-three show progress albeit at an insufficient rate, 10 show no progress,
five show deterioration and three have not been evaluated.
One small ray of light is progress toward a target of gaining protected status for 17 per
cent of ecosystems on land, which is on track. A similar target for the oceans is, however,
likely to be missed.
If the 2020 targets are missed, it will not be the first time efforts to halt the decline in
the richness and abundance of wildlife and the natural world have fallen short.
An assessment of goals set in 2002 to cut the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010 showed
governments had failed to deliver on the commitments they made.
"We're in serious danger of being in the same position as we were back in 2010, of
not having made the progress we need to make to lead to a better society and a better
world.
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Perspectives on ocean mixing
Fri, Oct 3, 2014
environment, The Hindu, ocean,
While it is a well-known fact that dense ocean waters in the high latitudes sink to the
bottom carrying dissolved atmospheric carbon with them it is not quite clear even now
how and where these waters return to the surface and exhale the dissolved carbon back
into the atmosphere.
The most recent perception is that mixing brings bottom waters up to about 2000 m
and then they flow at that depth all the way to the southern ocean, where the roaring
forties lift them to the surface. In this new scenario the potential energy needed from
mixing is only half of the earlier estimate.
Mixing is strong where the bottom topography of the ocean is rough and weak where
it is smooth. This heterogeneity must be mapped on a global scale to determine the
amount of mixing. It has been shown that 70 per cent of the waves break at the ocean
bottom while the remaining 30 per cent propagate away from their generation sites and
break against continental slopes where mixing is strong and make their way along the
slopes of continents and ridges to the surface.
World waking up to wind, solar energy: study
Wed, Oct 8, 2014
environment, Down to Earth, solar energy,
It looks like the global campaigns to promote renewable energy are helping. A recent
analysis has found that solar and wind energy's share in global power production is
steadily at the expense of nuclear power.
nuclear's surging growth of the 70s and 80s has actively fallen as solar and wind have
taken up the "alternative" mantle.
From a peak of 17.6 per cent in 1996, nuclear's share of global power production
capacity has fallen to 10.8 per cent. In contrast, the cumulative share of the two renewable
energy sources in global power production has gone from 18.7 per cent in 2000 to 22.7
per cent in 2012. The figure is likely to reach 25 per cent by 2014.
In terms of actual capacity, the peak for nuclear power was 2010, when the sector
boasted 375.3 gigawatts (GW). By last year, that total had declined to 371.8 GW,
according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. For solar energy, the total
installed capacity globally stands at slightly more than 140 GW, but the industry's
growth trajectory is steep and rising daily.
The analysis found that just 31 countries globally operate nuclear reactors on their
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territories, compared to 85 countries that have commercial wind turbines installed, and
more than 100 nations that have solar PV arrays installed at capacity. The report
concludes by calling the chances of a nuclear revival "slim", adding that "practical,
affordable" renewable energy's will likely to grow at the expense of nuclear power.
Welcome push to solar power
Wed, Oct 8, 2014
environment, Businessline, solar energy,
For a price sensitive market like India anything that reduces bills attracts attention.
With fuel costs going up and cheap electricity a thing of the past, the challenge before
electricity regulators in the country is to offer a package that ensures continued supply,
with the user saving (or making) money as well. After subsidies on solar panels did
little to popularise them, over a dozen state electricity regulators have framed guidelines
for net metering -- a method that would allow consumers to generate electricity using
rooftop solar panels and sell it back to the grid, thereby reducing one's electricity bills.
The concept of net metering is coming to India long after it was introduced in the US
-- in 1983. It took 21 years for US to fully embrace the practice but already 14 out of
the 29 Indian States have issued net metering guidelines.
At present, 4-5 kW solar panels sell for [?] 4-5 lakh. On an average, a 4 kW panel will
generate 3,400 kWh (units) of electricity a year. Assuming an average middle-class
household consumes 500 units of electricity a month or 6,000 units annually, it would
take nearly 15 years of power generation just to make up the cost of the solar panels.
But given that electricity distribution utilities would need to invest in upgrading all
power distribution systems, actual implementation may still be some way off. The
neighbourhood transformers and electricity distribution equipment are currently tuned
to feeding power, not tapping it.
Without the incentive of large-scale generation, distribution utilities may not find it
feasible to implement net metering for individual households by spending large sums
to upgrade the distribution infrastructure.
Innovation key to meet Aichi biodiversity targets by 2020
Tue, Oct 7, 2014
environment, Down to Earth, Aichi biodiversity targets,
The United Nations (UN) has called for "bold and innovative" action to meet the goals
of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity by 2020. The fourth edition of the Global
Biodiversity Outlook (GBO4) says there has been significant progress in meeting some
components of the Aichi biodiversity targets, but additional action is required to keep
the plan on course.
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In 2002, the Parties to the Convention on Biological Biodiversity (CBD) committed to
a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. The effort was successful
only partially and hence, a renewed commitment was made in 2010 in the form of the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 for urgent action in this decade. It comprised
of 20 new targets, called the Aichi biodiversity targets.
"This watershed moment was a recognition that biodiversity is not a problem to be
solved, but essential for sustainable development, and the foundation for human
well-being," Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, UN assistant-Secretary-General and CBD
executive secretary, writes in GBO4.
"The factors prompting policymakers to safeguard biodiversity are increasingly economic
in nature. Without healthy biodiversity, livelihoods, ecosystem services, habitats and
food security will be compromised, Reducing deforestation rates have been estimated
to result in an annual benefit of US $183 billion in the form of ecosystem services."
Key points of the Global Development Outlook report: Meeting the Aichi biodiversity
targets will contribute to global priorities on the post-2015 development agenda. There
are opportunities to support implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity
2011-2020 through enhanced technical and scientific cooperation among parties to the
Conference on Biological Diversity. For success of the strategic plan, all levels of
government and stakeholders across society need to be aware of the multiple values of
biodiversity and related ecosystems. There is need for an overall substantial increase
in total biodiversity-related funding.
Some of the areas that have witnessed progress include increase in protected areas,
access and benefit-sharing of resources, promotion of sustainable use, slowing down
of loss of forest habitats like the Brazilian Amazon, restoration efforts of degraded
ecosystems, especially forests and wetlands, among others. Belgium, Belarus, Brazil,
Japan, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland are some of the countries that have
set targets to restore at least 15 per cent of degraded lands.
For the majority of the targets, however, additional efforts are required to meet the 2020
deadline - reduction of pollution and pressures on the ecosystem from land-based and
marine activities and preventing the extinction of known threatened species. What is
needed is a package of actions, such as legal or policy framework, socio-economic
incentive and public and stakeholder engagement.
"Since the agreement on the Strategic Plan on Biodiversity in 2010, encouraging steps
have been taken around the world to tackle biodiversity loss at many levels. This plan
and the Aichi biodiversity targets remain a solid framework on which to concentrate
action that will lead us towards a world in harmony with nature," the report concludes.
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An unsustainable course
Fri, Oct 10, 2014
environment, The Hindu, wildlife, aichi targets,
The precipitous decline in the population of wild animals should serve as a clear warning
to humanity that it is living beyond its means. The Worldwide Fund for Nature and the
Zoological Society of London recently reported that the number of wild creatures on
earth has plunged to half of what it was four decades ago; in the case of some classes
of animals, the loss is staggeringly high. Turtle populations, for instance, are estimated
to have declined by 80 per cent. It is the developing world that should be particularly
concerned at the data on animal populations: habitat degradation, pollution, and
unsustainable extraction of natural resources in the emerging economies are robbing
them of biodiversity that is essential for human well-being. Impacts of climate change
pose a new threat to flora and fauna in these countries. Significantly, some of these
nations are also the biodiversity hotspots that harbour an extraordinarily large number
of species -- new ones continue to be discovered every year even as old ones disappear.
These trends show that vital needs such as fresh water, clean air and benign climate
patterns are threatened, and there is a need for urgent action.
Governments in the global north and south must commit themselves to the full
implementation of treaties and conventions on protection of wild animals and habitats
if the erosion is to be stemmed. They can achieve this partly by strengthening the
Convention on Biological Diversity which has, under the Aichi targets, resolved to
increase the protected areas of the world from 13 per cent to 17 per cent of land by
2020 and to prevent the further loss of known threatened species. At the same time,
restraints would have to be placed on commercial extraction of marine resources such
as fish, to give depleted stocks time to regenerate. It is evident that with every passing
decade, the capacity to trawl the seas on an industrial scale and harvest a wide variety
of species is outpacing the natural cycle for rebuilding their stocks. More sustainable
methods to grow food on land and in captive areas have to replace the unbridled
exploitation of nature. There is hope that good conservation strategies will stem or even
reverse the 40 per cent declines witnessed in key wild animal populations. The challenge
is very real for India as it struggles with habitat loss and rising demand for energy and
natural resources. It must resist the temptation to open up its last remaining forests and
wetlands to commercial exploitation and encroachment if it is to safeguard ecosystem
services such as water and food. The emphasis should be on restoration of habitat and
an end to pollution through strict enforcement of environmental and forest laws.
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Typhoon Phanfone batters Japan
Mon, Oct 6, 2014
Typhoon Phanfone, japan, environment, Down to Earth,
Most of Japan was brought to a standstill as Typhoon Phanfone lashed the country,
resulting in high waves, heavy rains and disruption of power lines and flights on Sunday.
According to BBC, three US airmen, who the police claim were taking photographs of
the sea in Okinawa, were washed away in the storm. One of them has been confirmed
dead, while the other two remain missing. Okinawa is home to about half of the 50,000
US troops stationed in Japan, The Guardian reports.
India might agree to discuss HFCs under Montreal Protocol
Thu, Oct 9, 2014
HFCs, environment, Montreal Protocol, Down to Earth,
India and US have embarked on a "new and enhanced strategic partnership on energy
security, clean energy and climate change"
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on clean energy according to which the US
will provide up to US $1 billion as loan to help India shift to renewables US tried to
link the energy pact with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) - a coolant that causes global
warming - so that India agrees to discuss HFCs under the Montreal Protocol. The
international treaty regulates substances that deplete the ozone layer like aerosols,
refrigerants and solvents.
after intense back channel negotiations leading to the joint statement, it seems that the
logjam over HFCs may soon be lifted and India might agree to form a "contact group"
at the meeting of parties to the Montreal Protocol in November this year. Such a move
will be a departure from India's earlier stated stand which insisted on discussing it
under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). HFCs and other
greenhouse gases are already covered under the UNFCCC
"the need to use the institutions and expertise of the Montreal Protocol to reduce
consumption and production of HFCs, while continuing to report and account for the
quantities reduced under the UNFCCC".
India has been blocking efforts to set up a "contact group" under the Montreal Protocol
that will discuss how HFCs can be tackled. This is because alternative technologies
that will replace HFCs are expensive and the proprietary rights to these alternatives lie
with US multinationals which hold patents to hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) and are pushing
them as a replacement to HFCs.
Though HFCs were introduced as ozone-friendly gases, they are greenhouse gases with
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high global warming potential. The US and several other developed countries have
long been pushing to replace HFCs with alternative technologies, such as HFOs, and
want the matter to be discussed under the Montreal Protocol.
Coolant heats up climate debate The global warming potential of HFCs is several
thousand times that of CO2. 80% of HFCs are currently being used in the developed
countries but their demand is rapidly increasing in developing countries as well. In
India, the cooling sector, which uses HFCs, is set to grow at the rate of 20 per cent a
year. India needs to leapfrog from global warming HFCs to low-global warming
alternatives. An Indian company has already made the transition to climate-friendly
alternative-propane. Many HFC alternatives have energy efficiency benefits apart from
climate benefits. This will reduce India's dependence on fossil fuel imports.
Singapore shrouded in Indonesian haze
Wed, Oct 8, 2014
forest fire, environment, Down to Earth, Singapore,
Air pollution levels in Singapore reached the highest levels this year on October 7 due
to a haze caused by fires in forests in Indonesia.
The fires are an annual feature and a major irritant in relations between the two countries.
Most of the times, they are lighted illegally for clearing land to grow crops.
Indonesia has been trying to deal with the problem for some time. On September 16,
the parliament of Indonesia ratified the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze
Pollution [5] it had signed 12 years ago. The agreement requires the country to dedicate
more resources to deal with the problem and make its policies on forest fires more
stringent.
Earth Overshoot Day
Sat, Oct 11, 2014
Earth Overshoot Day, environment, Frontline,
AUGUST 19 was Earth Overshoot Day: an estimate of the moment in a 12-month
period when humans have consumed more natural resources than the biosphere can
replace and created more waste than it can absorb. This means that humanity is already
living off next year's supplies, which in turn means that next year's supplies will end
even sooner than this year's. No wonder Earth Overshoot Day is also called Ecological
Debt Day.
Earth Overshoot Day does not follow the standard practice of having a fixed commemorative
day and is more of a countdown. It was first commemorated on December 19, 1987,
when humanity was 11 days in debt. Since then, the ecological debt has been accelerating.
In 2000, Earth Overshoot Day occurred in October. In 2014, it has advanced by two
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months.
Conceived in 1990 by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees at the University of
British Columbia, the Ecological Footprint is now in wide use by groups as diverse as
scientists, businesses, governments, agencies and institutions. The website explains the
Footprint as representing "two sides of a balance sheet. On the asset side, biocapacity
represents the planet's biologically productive land areas, including our forests, pastures,
cropland and fisheries. These areas, especially if left unharvested, can also absorb much
of the waste we generate, especially our carbon emissions. Biocapacity can then be
compared with humanity's demand on nature: our Ecological Footprint. The Ecological
Footprint represents the productive area required to provide the renewable resources
humanity is using and to absorb its waste. The productive area currently occupied by
human infrastructure is also included in this calculation, since built-up land is not
available for resource regeneration." In simple terms, the Footprint "addresses whether
the planet is large enough to keep up [with] the demands of humanity".
The obvious conclusion is that the planet certainly does not have the capacity to keep
on satisfying the current rate of human demand. Using the Footprint to explain the
extent of humanity's "overshoot", the GFN draws the attention of governments, investors
and opinion leaders and demonstrates to "the advantages of making ecological limits
central to decision-making".
It is no secret that the planet has a finite quantity of resources that are being used up
faster than they are being replaced. Fifty years ago, most areas of the globe had more
resources than were consumed. But now, 86 per cent of the people in the world live in
countries with a huge ecological footprint, where the demands literally strip the country
of its resources at a rate faster than they can be replenished.
Kalam stresses need for carbon-free cities
Tue, Oct 7, 2014
environment, urban areas, The Hindu,
"To have carbon-neutral cities is my dream. Whether smart cities or over-smart cities,
the urban areas should be places for healthy living,"
The growing migration to urban areas poses challenge in creation of clean environment
Power Ministry Initiates Several Measures for Promoting Energy Efficiency i
Wed, Oct 8, 2014
environment, PIB, Energy Efficiency,
Light Emitting Diode (LED ) are emerging as the most energy-efficient source of
lighting, with a LED bulb using 1/10th as much energy as a normal incandescent bulb
and half as much energy as a Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) to produce the same
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amount of light. However, the major challenge has been its high cost. The first LED
lamp made in India, in 2010 was sold for Rs.1200.
Consequently, a roadmap was prepared, in close cooperation with the lighting industry,
which sought to: (a) ensure the quality and reliability of LED lamps; (b) reduce the
price of LED lamps, initially through large scale public procurement and then through
a labelling programme; and (c) facilitate awareness and demonstration of this lighting
through its technology.
in order to enhance demand for LED bulbs , the Ministry of Power, decided that
henceforth all bulbs provided to below-poverty line households at the time of connection,
estimated to be about 3.4 million, under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyuthikaran
Yojana (RGGVY) would use LED technology.
BEE together with EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Limited, a joint venture of 4
power sector central PSUs) have worked with electricity distribution companies to
develop a business model under which EESL procures LED bulbs in bulk and sells
them to households at Rs.10 instead of the market price of Rs.400. The electricity
distribution companies then repays EESL, over a period of 5 to 8 years from the savings
that accrue due to use of this energy efficient lighting technology.
At a price of Rs.204, LED are just 30-40% costlier than CFLs. As compared to CFLs,
LEDs are 50% more energy efficient apart from not using mercury as is the case with
CFL. Also, LEDs have life that is 4-5 times more than CFLs and therefore are cheaper
option on life cycle cost basis. A barrier of use of LEDs in household sector is the lack
of standardisation and awareness. BEE will now be launching a labelling programme,
coupled with an outreach and awareness campaign, to drive the LED demand significantly.
The present demand of ICLs and CFLs is more than 1.1 billion units every year.
Green-rated buildings not keeping their promise, says CSE report
Sat, Oct 11, 2014
bureau of energy efficiency, environment, The Hindu,
Data put out by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) on energy consumption of
large commercial buildings that were rated and awarded silver, gold and platinum
ratings, under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green-rating
programme, show they are grossly underperforming, the report says.
India started to mirror the global trends in green rating when the United States Green
Building Council (USGBC) began rating buildings in India.
In 2007, LEED India (Leadership in Energy and environmental Design-India) was
adapted from the USGBC LEED programme. This is a private initiative run by the
IGBC.
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India adopted the Green-rated Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) as the national
rating system for buildings in 2007
Several State governments were giving fiscal incentives and allowance of extra built-up
area to developers to promote private green-rating programmes. The report points to a
lack of stringent and transparent monitoring of actual energy and resource use during
building operation, and questions the need for a few green-rated buildings which were
given sops for meeting the minimum green standards that all buildings must ideally
implement.
Gujarat to host India's first offshore wind power project
Thu, Oct 9, 2014
environment, Down to Earth, offshore wind power,
The project will be of about 100 MW capacity. The JVC will undertake detailed
feasibility study based on the inputs received from pre-feasibility studies and necessary
steps for implementing the project.
The government has proposed a subsidy for setting up of evacuation and transmission
infrastructure of the offshore wind power to the main land, which includes financial
support for carrying out studies such as wind resource assessment, environment impact
assessment (EIA), oceanographic survey and Bathymetric studies.
The project is expected to provide lessons for future rapid growth of off-shore wind
power. India has around 7,600 km of coastline which offers great potential for offshore
wind power development.
In the early 1990s, MNRE had taken up onshore demonstration projects in various
states. A total of 71 MW of demonstration projects in seven states had had attracted
interest and has led to deployment of about 22,000 MW of on-shore wind with private
sector investment. Going by the success of demonstration on-shore wind power project,
MNRE has decided to go for a demonstration offshore wind power project.
Air pollution responsible for decline in monsoon rains in last 50 yea
Fri, Oct 10, 2014
Air pollution, environment, monsoon, Down to Earth,
The scientists of the study found that "emissions of tiny air particles from man-made
sources--known as anthropogenic aerosols was responsible for the reduction of rainfall
in the second half of the 20th century".
"This study shows for the first time that the drying of the monsoon over the last 50
years cannot be explained by natural climate variability and that human activity has
played a significant role in altering the seasonal monsoon rainfall on which billions of
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people depend,
high levels of aerosols in the atmosphere cause heat from the sun to be reflected back
into space, lowering temperatures on the Earth's surface and reducing rainfall. And, it
adds that levels of aerosol emissions have increased considerably since the 1950s, with
the most common sources being power stations and cars.
changes to global rainfall patterns can have consequences for human health and
agriculture, as summer monsoons are "an integral component of Earth's hydrological
cycle and affect the lives of billions of people",
Panel invites consultations on review of green laws
Tue, Oct 7, 2014
environment, The Hindu, green laws,
On August 29, the Environment Ministry had constituted the HLC to review the Air
(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,1981, the Water (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Act, 1974, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the Environment (Protection)
Act, 1986 and the Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972 with four terms of reference aimed
at recommending "specific amendments to bring them in line with current objectives
to meet requirements," among other things.
Environmental groups say that the whole attempt by the MoEF is to dismantle regulation
of any kind.