BY: Gurpreet singh sandhu Roll no.

- 2106

Ozone layer depletion Global warming Loss of biodiversity Desertification Deforestation

Ozone layer in stratosphere (10 to 50 kms area from earths surface) protects earth from harmful UVB rays. Ozone is highly reactive and easily broken down by man-made chlorine and bromine compounds. These compounds are found to be most responsible for most of ozone layer depletion. These elements are found in certain stable organic compounds, especially CFCs, which may find their way to the stratosphere without being destroyed in the troposphere due to their low reactivity. An increase of UV radiation would be expected to affect crops. A number of economically important species of plants, such as rice, depend on cyanobacteria residing on their roots for the retention of nitrogen. Cyanobacteria are sensitive to UV light and would be affected by its increase.

Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans, which began to increase in the late 19th century and is projected to continue rising. Two major anthropogenic sources: the combustion of fossil fuels and changes in land use. Net releases of carbon dioxide from these two sources are believed to be contributing to the rapid rise in atmospheric concentrations since Industrial Revolution. Effects: sea level rise, glaciers meltdown in arctic, extreme wheather events, droughts, changes in crop yields etc.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth, and its biological diversity. The number of species of plants, animals, micro organisms, the enormous diversity of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all a part of a biologically diverse earth. Over the past 150 years, deforestation has contributed an estimated 30 percent of the atmospheric build-up of CO2. It is also a significant driving force behind the loss of genes, species, and critical ecosystem services. Major problems with biodiversity conservation: Low priority for conservation of living natural resources. Exploitation of living natural resources for monetary gain. Values and knowledge about the species and ecosystem inadequately known. Unplanned urbanization and uncontrolled industrialization.

Desertification, resulting in part from deforestation, is a significant Threat to the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions of the World which account for 40 per cent of the Earths land surface. Even though Indias land area is only 2.4 percent of the worlds total land area, it supports 16.67 percent of the worlds population and 18 percent of its livestock. These pressures alone play a major role in promoting desertification. Half the land in India is now affected by desertification and this impairs the ability of land to support life. It is particularly devastating because of its self-reinforcing nature. The causes of desertification are extensive cultivation of one crop, use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, shifting cultivation without adequate period of recovery, industrial and mining activities, overgrazing, logging and illegal felling, forest fires and unsustainable water management.

More than 110 million hectares of forest, about 11 million Hectares a year, disappeared during the 1990s. Most of this loss Was in developing countries. About 45 per cent of the worlds original Forests are gone. Approximately half of the wood harvested in the world is Used as fuel wood and charcoal, mostly in developing countries. In developed countries the main uses are for industrial products. The removal of trees decreases the ability of the soils to absorb And retain water; thus contributing to the depletion of the Groundwater aquifers, which supply about one-third of the worlds Population.

The main greenhouse gases are: Water vapor Carbon dioxide Methane Nitrous oxide ozone

World's top ten emitters of GHGs for 2005.The figure is the country's or region's emissions as a percentage of the global total : China 17% United States 16% European Union 11% Indonesia 6% India 5% Russia 5% Brazil 4% Japan 3% Canada 2% Mexico 2%

The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC ), aimed at fighting global warming. The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty with the goal of achieving the "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. The Protocol was initially adopted on 11 December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, and entered into force on 16 February 2005. Till September 2011, 191 states have signed and ratified the protocol. The only remaining signatory not to have ratified the protocol is the United States. Other United Nations member states which did not ratify the protocol are Afghanistan, Andorra and South Sudan. In December 2011, Canada denounced the Protocol. Annex I countries (including the US) collectively agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% on average for the period 2008-2012. This reduction is relative to their annual emissions in a base year, usually 1990. Since the US has not ratified the treaty, the collective emissions reduction of Annex I Kyoto countries falls from 5.2% to 4.2% below base year.

The Protocol allows for several "flexible mechanisms", such as emissions trading, the clean development mechanism(CDM) and joint implementation to allow Annex I countries to meet their GHG emission limitations by purchasing GHG emission reductions credits from elsewhere, through financial exchanges, projects that reduce emissions in non-Annex I countries, from other Annex I countries, or from annex I countries with excess allowances. Each Annex I country is required to submit an annual report of inventories of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions from sources and removals from sinks under UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. Virtually all of the non-Annex I countries have also established a designated national authority to manage its Kyoto obligations, specifically the "CDM process" that determines which GHG projects they wish to propose for accreditation by the CDM Executive Board.

Sustainable development is a pattern of growth in which resource use aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come. It is the development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The field of sustainable development can be conceptually broken into three constituent parts: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and sociopolitical sustainability.

You have to decide whether development means affluence or whether development means peace, prosperity and happiness.

A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person. A measure of the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions of a defined population, system or activity, considering all relevant sources, sinks and storage within the spatial and temporal boundary of the population, system or activity of interest. Calculated as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Greenhouse gases can be emitted through transport, land clearance, and the production and consumption of food, fuels, manufactured goods, materials, wood, roads, buildings, and services.

An individual's, nation's, or organizations carbon footprint can be measured by undertaking a GHG emissions assessment. Once the size of a carbon footprint is known, a strategy can be devised to reduce it. The main influences on carbon footprints include population, economic output, and energy and carbon intensity of the economy. These factors are the main targets of individuals and businesses in order to decrease carbon footprints. Scholars suggest the most effective way to decrease a carbon footprint is to either decrease the amount of energy needed for production or to decrease the dependence on carbon emitting fuels.

Environmental management system (EMS) refers to the management of an organization's environmental programs in a comprehensive, systematic, planned and documented manner. The term can also refer to software systems for organizational environmental management. It is statutory requirement and the firms want to avoid prosecution. In case of non-compliance(NC), not only the company has to pay penalties but also would invite adverse publicity. It would depend how far a company is committed , concerned or even proactive in regard to environment issues.

PLAN: Establish objectives and processes required. DO: Implement the process. CHECK: Measure and monitor the processes and report result. ACT: Take action to improve performance.

ISO 14000 refers to a family of voluntary standards and guidance documents to help organizations address environmental issues. Included in the family are standards for Environmental Management Systems, environmental and EMS auditing, environmental labeling, performance evaluation and life-cycle assessment. In 1992, SAGEs recommendations created a new technical committee, T.C 207, for international environmental management standards. India is a member of T.C 207, BIS ( bureau of Indian standards) represents India in this committee The ISO 14000 series emerged primarily as a result of Uruguay round of the GATT (general agreement on trade and tariff) negotiations and the RIO summit held on environment held in 1992. While GATT concentrates on the need to reduce non tariff barriers to trade. The RIO summit generates a commitment to protection of the environment across the world.

Before ISO 14000 the bureau of Indian standards (BIS), formerly known as Indian standard institution, developed some sort of standard but did not implement it because it become known that ISO is creating an international standard for EMS. Likewise a south African standard for EMS, based on BS 7750, was developed in 1993, before ISO 14000. ISO 14000 became operative in 1996. ISO14001 is the dominant environmental management system in the world

The ISO 14000 standards reflect different aspects of environmental management. The following list outlines the broad coverage of each: Environmental Management Systems: 14001-2004, 14002, 14004 Environmental Auditing: 14011 Environmental Labeling: 14020, 14021, 14022, 14023, 14024, 14025 Life Cycle Assessment: 14040, 14041, 14042, 14043

DQS(delhi quality services) Certification India appoints a competent & suitable auditor or team of auditors to audit the organization against the standard & scope requested by the clients. Client has to file an application seeking standard for which to be certified. Gap analysis may be performed first to check readiness for the auditee organization which help organization to improve upon. Routine surveillance audits are carried out to evaluate continual improvement in the validity period. Are certification audit is performed after every three years to maintain continuity of the certification.