Panel slams govt’s GM crop policy
The Statesman
3rd November, 2012
New Delhi: The parliamentary standing committee on agriculture today criticised the unnecessary haste shown by the government in promoting Genetically Modified (GM) crops and made a strong recommendation for a probe into the issue of Bt Brinjal, saying that adequate tests have not been carried out. In its report tabled in Parliament, the 31-member panel headed by CPI-M veteran Mr Basudeb Acharia claimed that the approval committee was under “tremendous pressure” from the “industry and a minister” to approve it. “The government should stop parroting the promotional lines of the biotechnology and seed industry and their cronies within the technocracy and stand by scientific reasoning and greater public good,” it said. Mr Acharia told at a press conference that “there is a strong connection between farmers’ suicide and imposition of GM Food crops”. He said the committee was not aware of “who the minister was” who had allegedly put pressure. “The issue needs to be probed as the co-chairman of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) Mr Arjula Reddy was under tremendous pressure as he was getting calls from the industry, GEAC and a minister to approve Bt Brinjal,” Mr Acharia said adding the committee was briefed about the ‘pressure’ in his testimony before the panel by Dr P M Bhargava, who was nominated by the Supreme Court to the apex GM regulatory body. The parliamentary panel, which comprises among others Mr Satyavrat Chaturvedi and Mr Deepender Singh Hooda (both Congress) and Mr Hukumdeo Nayaran Yadav (BJP) was unanimous in its report titled “Cultivation of Genetically Modified Food Crops ~ Prospects and Effects”. He countered the pro-GM crop lobbies by saying that targets to meet the concerns over food security can be easily met without GM technology and organic farming should be encouraged. He said the issue of GM crops should be debated in Parliament in detail.
Environmentalists blame clay mining for Madayipara's woes
The Times of India
4th October, 2012
Kanpur: A pristine hillock famous for its biodiversity and scenic beauty, Madayipara near Pazhayangadi is on the verge of a disaster, reportedly owing to mining of China clay for the public sector Kerala Clays and Ceramics. "We had raised the issue with successive governments but no one has taken any serious action," said P P Krishnan Master, chairman of Madayipara Environmental Conservation Group. The group has now submitted memorandums to the chief minister and other ministers. "The entire biodiversity has been affected by the indiscriminate mining; it has also polluted the entire locality, including wells and water bodies," he said and added that no environmental impact study was conducted here before setting up the factory. He said though the factory was set up in 1952, it was in the 1990s that the environmental problems started cropping up after the beginning of mechanised deep mining. Residents said they could not even clean vessels using water from the area but authorities feign ignorance and the factory management never lends an ear to their problems. Azhikkode MLA K M Shaji, who visited the place recently, agrees that Madayipara is a far cry from what it used to be earlier. "The entire water in the locality has been polluted and the wells have high content of iron; people say it is because of the clay mining. The government should conduct a scientific study and close down Kerala Clays and Ceramics if it is found that the problem is owing to clay mining," he said.
Goa plans mechanised cleaning of beaches
The Times of India
4th October, 2012
Panji: Goa's beaches, which attract thousands of tourists annually, will no longer be cleaned manually. Large cleaning machines are being acquired by the state government to clear the beaches, tourism minister Dileep Parulekar told IANS on Thursday. The beaches, once considered pristine, are now lined with litter. The Goa tourism ministry is all set to acquire massive cleaning machines, which could be set to work on the beaches by December, the minister said. Parulekar said that a public demonstration of the cleaning process would be held so that the fears of environmentalists are allayed. Environmentalists had earlier expressed fears that if the beaches are not cleaned manually but with machines, the animal life in the sand could be harmed. "Environmentalists can attend the demonstration, so that they can see that no animal life which lives in the sand on the beaches is disturbed. The machines do not interfere even with sand patterns," Parulekar said. Officials of the state tourism department said that several beaches in the country, including the country's biggest, Chennai's Marina beach, used machines, not manual workers, for cleaning. "By December, when the largest number of tourists arrive, we should be in a position to clean beaches with the machines," Parulekar said.
Courting a GM crisis
The Indian Express
5th October, 2012
With the Supreme Court scheduled to take up a report proposing a ban on field trials of genetically modified (GM) food crops, India’s quest for food security hangs in the balance. Hearing a petition against GM crops, the court had appointed a technical expert committee. Its report is in, and its findings make for a chilling read. Should the committee’s opinions be allowed to prevail, field trials of GM food crops will be barred — therefore putting the benefits of scientific research available elsewhere out of the reach of Indian farmers. But coming as it does soon after a parliamentary standing committee that opposes the uses of genetic engineering in agriculture, it is time that the government urgently made its thinking clear to the people: what are the criteria on which India will facilitate the aspirations of its people, on the basis of reason or on woolly populism? So far, we have only had lonely voices from the agriculture ministry and the prime minister’s Scientific Advisory Committee in support of reason and science. There has been no considered, collective political ownership of the debate by the government — and in failing to articulate the issue thoughtfully, the states have mostly been as evasive as the Centre. Ever since the then environment minister obstructed commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal in February 2010 by airily waving aside the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee’s clearance, the fate of GM crops has been cast at the mercy of ideological, and not scientific, considerations. It needs to be emphasised that the release for field trials and then for wider cultivation must proceed with abundant caution. But the manner in which an established approval regime was undermined in the Bt brinjal case and the subsequent failure to mobilise Parliament to secure the regulatory mechanism have meant that motivated activists and populists have taken control of the debate to their advantage. It has allowed them to cite the need for stricter regulation purely as a means to obstruct GM research. The government has allowed this situation to prevail for dangerously long. The hearings in the apex court should be a wake-up call.
C02 emission by airlines very low: DGCA
The Indian Express
5th October, 2012
To make Indian skies more environment friendly, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has for the first time come up with a detailed aviation carbon footprint report. The report states that Indian and foreign airlines in India account for less than one per cent of the country’s total carbon dioxide emissions. From now on, all airlines and airports will have to submit air turbine fuel consumption, electricity usage and information about the movements of passenger, cargo and aircraft to the DGCA. The report was prepared by DGCA in consultation with the European Union-India Civil Aviation Cooperation Project. The report, titled ‘Carbon Footprint of Indian Aviation 2011’, said the carbon footprint of Indian carriers was 12,704,000 tonnes of CO2.
PM hits out at developed nations over carbon emissions
The Indian Express
5th October, 2012
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today hit out at industrialised countries over the issue of making available additional finance and technology to help developing world reduce carbon emissions, saying there is “little evidence” of support for them. Singh also made a strong plea for finding new pathways for sustainable living since the current consumption patterns in the industrialised world are unsustainable. The Prime Minister's remarks came even as a draft statement finalised at the Summit showed developing countries' failure to get any figures in paragraphs about financing sustainable growth for poorer economies. The Group of 77 and China bloc had demanded USD 30 billion a year. The prime minister enunciated India's stand in his address during the plenary session of the Rio+20 summit, which is officially known as the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Singh made it clear to the summit that for developing countries, inclusive growth and a rapid increase in per capita income levels are development imperatives. “A key area of focus is energy. We have to promote universal access to energy, while at the same time, promoting energy efficiency and a shift to cleaner energy sources by addressing various technological, financial and institutional constraints. In India, we are implementing an ambitious National Solar Mission as a critical option for our energy security,” he said. Observing that environmental sustainability is the third leg of the sustainable development architecture, the prime minister said that economic activity invariably results in negative spinoffs, either by way of local pollution, or by way of global effects such as Greenhouse Gas emissions.
No MoU with US or emission cap: Montek
The Times of India
8th October, 2012
New Delhi: Reacting to a TOI report titled, "MEA, MoEF team up against Montek Ahluwalia on Green Pact with US", appearing on October 5, vice chairman Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said, "Low Carbon Growth is part of the Indo-US MoU to enhance cooperation on Energy, Security, Energy Efficiency, Clean Energy and Climate Change that was signed in November 2009 between the US Secretary of State and the Minister For External Affairs on our side, after approvals at the highest levels. "Subsequently MEA specifically approved the establishment of a Joint Working Group on Low Carbon Growth under the Indo-US Energy Dialogue in March, 2012. A draft ToR and sub-MoU on this subject was received from the US side and was sent by Planning Commission to MEA, in accordance with the prescribed procedure, to obtain its advice. The Planning Commission does not enter into any bilateral MoU except with the explicit clearance of MEA and we are awaiting its advice. "The statement that Planning Commission has recommended acceptance of emissions caps in the Plan is incorrect. The commission has endorsed low carbon strategies for sustainable growth and this is necessary to achieve stated national objective of reducing the emission intensity of our GDP by 20-35%, over the 2005 levels, by 2020. This does not mean the emissions will be capped. They will continue to grow, but they will grow less than GDP. "Establishment of national targets does not in any way amount to a binding emission reduction target for any sector of the economy. On the issue of international commitments, the Twelfth Plan explicitly states that 'Globally, India's policy to achieve sustainable development is guided by the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. India is one of the countries that prefers an 'aspirational' rather than a mandatory or 'prescriptive' approach'." Our correspondent adds: An MoU called the "Statement of Principles" on Collaboration on Low Carbon Growth, was proposed to be signed between Planning Commission and USAID (on behalf of the United States), which the Planning Commission agreed to in principle, but MEA and the environment ministry opposed it.
PM's science panel bats for GM crops
The Hindustan Times
11th October, 2012
India's top science panel that advises the Prime Minister has said agriculture in the country has to rely, in part, on biotechnology. The view boosts genetically modified crops which is still a divisive issue. The Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister, headed by CNR Rao, said, unlike in Europe, India would face growing pressure on food. "This will require a judicious blend of traditional breeding and new technologies, non-transgenic & transgenic. This situation in developed countries such as in Europe; quite in contrast, as there is no dearth of food and a small proportion of people engage in agriculture," the panel said after a meet to assess the situation. It also questioned the ban on genetically modified brinjal. India has proposed a Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, which will be an overarching body to approve such technologies. Till the bill becomes law, the "current regulatory system for recombinant products administered under Rules (1989) of Environment Protection Act, 1986, should be reformed", Rao said. Hordes of farm NGOs resist farm biotechnology but India's farm policy promotes GM crops in view of the country's precarious food situation. The country allowed GM cotton in 2002, after which output surged sharply, making it the second-largest cotton exporter. It, however, clamped an indefinite moratorium on the country's first genetically modified food crop - Bt brinjal.
Regulatory mechanism for GM crops sound: Panel
Indian Express
11th October, 2012
New Delhi : The mechanism to regulate genetic engineering in agriculture is “generally sound”, the Prime Minister’s Scientific Advisory Committee has said. It has, however, lamented the dearth of “science-informed, evidence-based approach” in the debate on the subject. “The members of the SAC are concerned that a science-informed, evidence-based approach is lacking in the current debate on biotechnologies for agriculture,” the government said in a statement. The panel did not specifically refer to Bt Brinjal, which is at the centre of the debate on the ills and benefits of GM foodstuff, but said biotechnology has the potential to transform agriculture and healthcare and that it “is time to evolve a balanced perspective”. The Environment Ministry suspended, indefinitely, release of Bt Brinjal in 2010, saying its safety and efficacy hadn’t been established beyond doubt.
A software to measure CO2 emissions at street levels
The Times of India
11th October, 2012
London: Scientists claim to have developed a new software that can accurately measure greenhouse gas emissions down to individual buildings and streets. The system developed by US researchers could help identify the most effective places to cut emissions as it combines information from public databases with traffic simulations and energy consumption models, the BBC News reported. Scientists from the Arizona State University developed the new measuring system, called Hestia using data from a number of sources including air pollution reports, traffic counts and tax offices. It was then combined with a modelling system for quantifying CO2 emissions down to individual building level. Kevin Gurney, one of the leaders of the project told the BBC that said his team knows the system is working because it is consistent with exisiting information on emissions. "We can go to any city in the US and do the quantification and we know it will be utterly consistent from city to city and consistent from city all the way up to national level," he said.
Biodiversity talks drag as rich nations pinch pennies
Hindustan Times
16th October, 2012
India is set to announce its share of funds to conserve the world’s biodiversity and make other countries commit to targets listed under the Convention for Biological Diversity through a “political statement” at the end of a conference of 193 nations in Hyderabad. “We are working on the countries agreeing to an interim measure,” said MA Farooqui, additional secretary in the environment ministry, who is responsible for coordinating the talks. “The statement will be to achieve Aichi biodiversity targets and set a roadmap,” he added. India is the host of the conference, and also its president for two years. It wants to send a strong statement, showcasing global willingness to protect global biodiversity under 20 Aichi targets. The biggest sticking point in the talks has been funding from the developed world to the developing world for achieving targets to improve marine life, reduce biotic pressure on forests, share benefits of natural resources with locals, and sustainable use of natural resources. The richer nations are refusing to pay on the grounds that making any monetary commitment prior to conducting a baseline survey would not be prudent. India, meanwhile, aims to achieve a balancing act by making countries agree to a roadmap. “The PM will provide an insight into what we are looking at,” an official said. P M Manmohan Singh will be inaugurating the high-level segment of the conference, attended by 90-odd environment ministers. He will also make announcements about India's contribution to global efforts at conserving biodiversity. The first week of the COP witnessed the adoption of four documents — global plant conservation guidelines, taxonomy initiatives, bio-fuels and their impact on biodiversity, and incentive measures.
India ready to chip in with biodiversity awareness
Indian Express
12th October, 2012
India, which recently took over as President of the Conference of Parties (CoP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, is ready to help other developing countries in building capacity and raising awareness of biodiversity conservation. This was stated by M.F. Farooqui, Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, at a press conference on Thursday, on the sidelines of the ongoing 11 CoP here. Replying to a question, he said that on the one hand India was facing biotic pressure and surge for growth and, on the other, was maintaining the status of a mega biodiverse country. Referring to the Science Express-Biodiversity Special Train launched to raise awareness, he said as many as 1.4 million people had so far visited it, while the target was five million. “We want to share this experience with other developing countries,” he said, pointing out that lack awareness was one of the biggest issues. India’s other priority area would be to establish a close linkage between issues of biodiversity and livelihood as also mainstreaming it with development. To a query on establishment of a contact group due to a lack of consensus among nations on resource mobilisation to achieve the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets, Mr. Farooqui admitted that it was a “difficult and challenging issue.” He, however, expressed confidence that consensus would be arrived at and India would play a constructive role in ensuring that there was a satisfactory outcome at CoP 11, being attended by delegates from 193 countries. Mr. Farooqui said India was spending about Rs. 11, 000-crore annually on biodiversity related activities. “We have about 4.7 per cent of land area of the world, 18 per cent of the world’s population and 8.5 per cent of biodiversity. The government would like to ensure that awareness levels are increased further and capacity building [is] broad-based. “The country has a tradition of protecting biodiversity. Besides initiatives of government at various levels, the local people themselves protect forests.” Asked if India raised any objection on any issue during the current negotiations, he said its stand in many ways was close to that of the developing countries. “We will not compromise on our national interests.”
Biodiversity in danger zone
The Statesman
12th October, 2012
Hyderabad: India has put biodiversity along its coasts at risk through “aggressive and insensitive development," environmentalists told the UN Convention on Biological Diversity here yesterday. The Bombay Natural History Society’s Mr Probir Banerjee told an event entitled “The Challenged Coast of India” last night that, "The coast of India is in dire straits. All upcoming development projects coming along the coast, when plotted on the map look like a complete necklace. No place is left untouched." He presented a map, which made the 7,500 km Indian coastline look exactly like a necklace. Within 500 metres of the coast, it showed 1,262 settlements, 1,023 structures, 143 existing ports and another 76 proposed ports. Within 10 km, there are 27 power plants and another 59 proposed power plants. At another event on development projects threatening coastal biodiversity, Mr Banerjee's organisation, the National Coastal Protection Programme (NCPC), Kalpavriksh, Greenpeace India and other groups released a joint statement. "Marine biodiversity conservation remains seriously under-represented in India’s conservation efforts even though the Indian Ocean has amongst the world’s richest biodiversity," it said. "This is especially significant given that the entire marine stretch of the country is coming under unprecedented threats from ‘development’ projects." They took the coasts of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh as examples. Fifteen power projects with a combined 25 gigawatts of generating capacity, six captive ports and six mega-shipyards are coming up in a stretch of just 150 km in Maharashtra. Andhra Pradesh is planning five million acres of coastal corridor including airports, sea ports, ship-breaking, pharmaceutical, IT, apparel units and captive power stations. Kalpavriksh’s Mr Ashish Kothari said: "What is happening on our coasts is the manifestation of the economic development model we have adopted. The notion is that 8-10 per cent economic growth should happen at any cost." NCPC’s Mr V Vivekanandan said: “The post-91 paradigm shifts happening for years are showing their impact now. It is a cancer along the coast. The coastal management zone has been replacing the coastal regulation zone to enable changing of rules. Nothing can be done to show the way ahead, when a man is pretending to be blind."
70 p.c. of CO2 emissions are from cities
The Hindu
14th October, 2012
Cities represent two per cent of earth’s land mass, but are responsible for 70 per cent of CO2 emissions, every person in industrialised nations wastes 100 kg of food per year and 50 per cent of great apes were lost in the last 50 years. These are not answers at a general knowledge quiz competition for college students, but hard facts presented to delegates attending the global biodiversity meet here on Saturday by Ibrahim Thiaw, Director of the Division of Environment Policy Implementation (DEPI), UNEP. He was among the experts who spoke at a day-long session on “20/20 Talks: 20 Presentations on 20 Targets” (the Aichi Biodiversity Targets). Stressing that every single individual could do his bit for biodiversity conservation, he said that
110-130 million tonnes of marine fish were caught per year and only 70 million tonnes were consumed by humans. While 30 million tonnes were discarded another 30 million tonnes were used for fish feed. The situation could be improved as half the fish were not used. Stating that agriculture was the major driver of biodiversity erosion, he said one billion hectares of agriculture land has been degraded. Observing that only 43 per cent of cereals produced were used for human consumption and up to 50 per cent went for animal feed, Mr. Thiaw called for increasing productivity rather than expanding the acreage of crops. He said biodiversity was about all life on earth and all stakeholders needed to be mobilised for conserving it. Referring to collapse of eco-systems and adverse events caused by climate change, he called for an integrated approach to forests, agriculture, fisheries and other sectors.
Surface tension
The Statesman
15th October, 2012
There is now ample evidence that genetically-modified GM crops do not produce more food and that small-holder and family farmers often have higher productivity than industrial farms on a per hectare basis without using transgenic crops but by using a sustainable agroecological practices. It needs to be noted that today, farmers around the world are producing 4,600 calory per person, roughly double the amount needed. The challenge therefore cannot be to grow more. The challenge is to grow the needed quality and diverse nutrition where it is needed, by the people that need it and in a manner that is regenerative to soils and landscapes. To keep in tune with local ecological conditions and cultures, the food system need to be brought back to the people and communities, rather than follow the trend of industrialised countries, where the disconnect between rural and urban communities and people is growing apart, with all the consequences on human and environmental health. We all are exposed to these consequences already in form of epidemics of obesity and diabetes type 2, to name only a few of the emerging health issues, that will bankrupt the social and health services in most countries.
There is space and need for some global trade in food, but this is more for specialty crops, and food aid in case of emergency. It remains the exception and not be the rule. The challenge of growing sustainably sufficient quality and diverse food for an increasing and more demanding world population lies in improving soil fertility with organic farming principles. This will, in turn, help close the yield gap between low-productivity and high-productivity farmers, improving water access and conservation, reducing finite external inputs and protecting biodiversity. To close the main staple crop yield gap by only 50 per cent would provide the needed nutrition for most countries now having a food deficit. This can be done, as it has been demonstrated under different conditions in many parts of the developing and developed world. How much evidence do we need to get these practices mainstreamed? To get them supported by the local governments and the international development community, all of whom are still blindly following the bankrupt path of the green revolution, under the disguise of a doubly green and ever green revolution? Even climate smart and other new forms of sustainable agriculture as they are being invented on a daily bases by the deniers of true green revolution alternatives and others with huge vested interests in the status quo, are only sand in the eyes. Climate change is bound to impact on the food production, as some advance notices have already been served in a number of countries in the past 10 years. These issues can be addressed with agronomic practices that improve climate-change adaption on the one hand, while also providing much needed climate-change mitigation. Today, we do know that simple and, above all, reductionist solutions, such as embodied in the genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) and also the use of agrochemicals such as synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and herbicies are a dead end. They rely on either a technology that is not mastered and will be self destructive, as it addresses the symptoms of a system that is not in balance and needs constant adjustments, an eternal run forward with no arrival line. In order to change the way food is produced, there will be a need to change the ways food is being processed, marketed and consumed. In particular, consumption patterns will have to change drastically, as in no way can the planet sustainably produce food at the rate it is being consumed and wasted in the western world today. Consumers have the ultimate decision power over their preferences, and information needs to be given to them in order that they can make informed choices. This is not the case today in most instances. But there is also a trend in the right direction on the horizon, despite the fact that agri business is trying hard to thwart any effort in that direction. Scare tactics such as the specter of additional costs, or the “impossibility “ to label foods that contain GMOs for example are being widely circulated.
Mercury mop
Down to Earth
15th October, 2012
Mercury, when dumped in water bodies, accumulates in fish and ends up on our plates. It can affect the brain and the nervous system and causes several ailments like Minamata disease. But current techniques to monitor the level of mercury in water are too expensive and complex. Researchers have now devised a simple, inexpensive nanoparticles-based system to detect toxic pollutants. It consists of a strip of glass covered in hairy nanoparticles that can grab onto toxic heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium when dipped in water. A voltage-measuring device is then used to measure the level of pollutants in the water sample. More the ions trapped in the nano-velcro, higher the voltage. By varying the length of the nano-hairs, the scientists can target different kinds of pollutant. Nature Materials, September 9
Taking stock of biodiversity
Down to Earth
15th October, 2012
Mention biodiversity and almost reflexively we think green. We visualise the green of forest and grassland, the verdant stretches of farmland and the myriad hues of plant and animal life. But we also need to be fixed upon blue because the oceans and seas that cover more than two-thirds of our planet are home to critical ecosystems, the biggest of our global commons. And the blue biodiversity is the one we have devastated more than any other. Persistent pollution from chemicals, overfishing—80 per cent of fish stocks are said to be fully or overexploited—and higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have degraded coastal and marine biodiversity to unprecedented levels, threatening the livelihoods of 500 million people who depend on the seas and the health of over a billion people who get their main source of protein from the oceans and seas. This vast expanse of blue also harbours ecosystems such as coral reefs that nourish as much life as our richest rainforests. But it’s not as if the world does not understand the importance of biodiversity for human well-being. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which grew out of the epochal Rio Earth Summit of 1992, was established as a legally binding pact to arrest a precipitous decline in biodiversity. CBD brings together 193 signatories or Parties as they are called (192 nations and the European Union) and in 2002 it undertook to “significantly reduce” biodiversity loss in a decade. However, a 2010 review tracking progress on this target showed the deterioration was accelerating. The study published in Science in May 2010 reported that most indicators of the state of biodiversity (covering trends in species population, extinction risk, habitat extent and condition) showed decline while indicators of pressures on biodiversity (resource consumption, invasive alien species, nitrogen pollution, overexploitation) had risen. As a response, the last Conference of Parties—it meets biannually—in Nagoya, Japan, decided on a set of new targets, known as the Aichi Targets (see ‘Mission sustainability’) framed under the Strategic Goals (2011-2020), to arrest further decline. There are five such goals, the primary one being to “address the underlying causes of loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society”. But none of these targets are binding. Countries are allowed wide latitude to frame their own policies and options under “flexible frameworks”. CBD does not have the power to pull up countries much less impose penalties for not complying with their commitments. Although CoP is expected to review implementation of the Convention, analysts point out that any breach of it is never brought up.
For the parties, the stock-taking this month will underscore yet again the urgency of meeting their commitments. There isn’t much time left. Three of the Aichi Targets kick in 2015 and at least one of these on reducing the anthropogenic pressure on coral reefs is intended to meet in part the strategic goal of reducing the direct pressures on biodiversity. The slogan for the Hyderabad meetings—Prakruthi: Rakshathi Rakshitha which is Sanskrit for “nature protects if she is protected”— is a reinforcing message that governments have to shake off their policy paralysis which was clearly evident at the Rio+20 UN conference on sustainable development in June this year.
Double whammy
Down to Earth
15th October, 2012
After killing its lifeline, the Bagmati, Kathmandu valley is extracting its groundwater to the last drop. But the quality of groundwater here is fast deteriorating due to lack of proper sewage disposal system and years of overexploitation, warn analysts. This is dangerous. In the absence of adequate water supply, almost every household in Kathmandu has either a borewell, a hand pump or a dug well. Some also depend on hittis, a traditional shallow groundwater source. Even the water supply authority, Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Ltd (KUKL), depends on groundwater for up to 35 per cent of the water it supplies. Lately, increasing cases of water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, typhoid, Hepatitis A and E are being reported from areas where people depend on supply water or groundwater, says Razni Malla, associate professor at the microbiology department of Tri Chandra University in Kathmandu. “This indicates microbial contamination in supply and groundwater,” says Shova Srestha, head of the department. The diseases are common among slum-dwellers who depend on shallow hand pumps situated close to drains or dump yards. A study by non-profit Environment and Public Health Organisation (ENPHO) corroborates the observations. The study, which analysed groundwater across the valley, found over 80 per cent of the samples contaminated with E coli. Worse, the study found high concentrations of ammonia and iron in the groundwater of central valley. About 85 per cent of the samples had ammonia content above the WHO limit of 1.5 ppb (parts per billion) in the pre-monsoon period. Iron concentration in 97 per cent of the samples was above the WHO limit, says Narayan Prasad Upadhyay, technical advisor of ENPHO.
BJP accuses Sheila of doing nothing to clean Yamuna
15th October, 2012
The Statesman
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra, today said that the Supreme Court asking for details of the expenditure incurred on the cleaning of Yamuna River speaks volumes about the insensitiveness and criminal negligence on the part of Congress governments of Delhi and Haryana as well as the UP government towards Yamuna River.
“During the 13 years of Congress rule in Delhi, the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court had passed strictures against the government more than 13 times and expressed their concern. However, the Delhi government has taken not any effective step and instead the Yamuna River is polluted 13 times more than what it was. The Supreme Court has already mentioned that it would be wrong to call Yamuna as River as it has turned into a dirty canal,” said Prof Malhotra.
He further said that the Delhi government had announced more than hundred times about the cleaning drive of Yamuna River, made several foreign trips, spent thousands of crores of rupees on making new projects but Yamuna water remained dirty that forget about drinking the same, it is not even fit to take bath or even touch it else it would invite several diseases.
Even fish and other creatures are unable to survive in the Yamuna water. No effective steps have been taken to stop drainage and sewer water going into the Yamuna. The proposal to provide water treatment plant for all drainage and sewer lines and diverting it towards the agriculture field also remained a non-starter.
“Due to the criminal negligence of the Delhi government it is not only playing with the health and life of more than 175 million people but is also defaming Delhi world over.
Biodiversity talks drag as rich nations pinch pennies
Hindustan Times
16th October, 2012
India is set to announce its share of funds to conserve the world’s biodiversity and make other countries commit to targets listed under the Convention for Biological Diversity through a “political statement” at the end of a conference of 193 nations in Hyderabad. “We are working on the countries agreeing to an interim measure,” said MA Farooqui, additional secretary in the environment ministry, who is responsible for coordinating the talks. “The statement will be to achieve Aichi biodiversity targets and set a roadmap,” he added. India is the host of the conference, and also its president for two years. It wants to send a strong statement, showcasing global willingness to protect global biodiversity under 20 Aichi targets. The biggest sticking point in the talks has been funding from the developed world to the developing world for achieving targets to improve marine life, reduce biotic pressure on forests, share benefits of natural resources with locals, and sustainable use of natural resources. The richer nations are refusing to pay on the grounds that making any monetary commitment prior to conducting a baseline survey would not be prudent. India, meanwhile, aims to achieve a balancing act by making countries agree to a roadmap. “The PM will provide an insight into what we are looking at,” an official said. P M Manmohan Singh will be inaugurating the high-level segment of the conference, attended by 90-odd environment ministers. He will also make announcements about India's contribution to global efforts at conserving biodiversity. The first week of the COP witnessed the adoption of four documents — global plant conservation guidelines, taxonomy initiatives, bio-fuels and their impact on biodiversity, and incentive measures.
Ganga is now a deadly source of cancer, study says
The Times of India
17th October, 2012
Kolkata: The holy Ganga is a poison river today. It's so full of killer pollutants that those living along its banks in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal are more prone to cancer than anywhere else in the country, says a recent study. Conducted by the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) under the Indian Council of Medical Research, the national study throws up shocking findings. The river is thick with heavy metals and lethal chemicals that cause cancer, it says. "We know that the incidence of cancer was highest in the country in areas drained by the Ganga. We also know why. Now, we are going deeper into the problem. Hopefully, we'll be able to present a report to the Union health ministry in a month or two," NCRP head A Nandkumar said. The worst-hit stretches are east Uttar Pradesh, the flood plains of Bengal and Bihar. Cancer of the gallbladder, kidneys, food pipe, prostate, liver, kidneys, urinary bladder and skin are common in these parts. These cases are far more common and frequently found here than elsewhere in the country, the study says. Even more frightening is the finding that gallbladder cancer cases along the river course are the second highest in the world and prostate cancer highest in the country. The survey throws up more scary findings: Of every 10,000 people surveyed, 450 men and 1,000 women were gallbladder cancer patients. Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar's Vaishali and rural Patna and the extensive tract between Murshidabad and South 24-Parganas in West Bengal are the hot zones. In these parts, of every 1 lakh people surveyed, 20-25 were cancer patients. This is a national high. Relentless discharge of pollutants into the riverbed is responsible. Biswas, a senior oncologist, said Ganga water is now laced with toxic industrial discharge such as arsenic, choride, fluoride and other heavy metals. Dipankar Chakarabarty, director, Jadavpur University School of Environmental Studies, concurs. "We've been extremely careless. Indiscriminate release of industrial effluents is to blame for this." "The arsenic that's gets into the river doesn't flow down. Iron and oxygen present in the water form ferroso ferric oxide, which in turn bonds with arsenic. This noxious mix settles on the riverbed. Lead and cadmium are equally heavy and naturally sink in the river. This killer then leeches back into the groundwater, making it poisonous," Chakrabarty explains. Surface water, Chakrabarty explains, is treated before use. But that's clearly not the case with groundwater and it's mostly consumed raw, often straight from source. The impact is devastating. "The consequences of using or drinking this poison can manifest earliest in two years and latest in 20. But by then, it's way too late." Those who've been bathing in this poison river are equally at danger, says Biswas. The need of the hour is to strictly implement laws regulating discharge of industrial waste into the river.
House panel concern at Paradip pollution
Indian Express
17th October, 2012
A standing committee of the Assembly on Tuesday expressed concern at the growing pollution level in Paradip and called for a comprehensive environment management plan in and around the town. Led by committee chairman Prafulla Kumar Mallick, the members went around the Paradip Port and interacted with officials concerned about the impact of pollution on various projects being taken up in the Port. They visited the water treatment, coal handling and mechanised coal handling plants at the Port. They also reviewed the anti-pollution measures and corporate social responsibility activities being taken up by the Paradip Port Trust (PPT). After visiting these areas, the committee members held a meeting with the District Collector and PPT authorities. PPT Chairman S Anantha Bose told the Committee that various measures were being taken to check air and water pollution. “We have installed ultraviolet net barricades to stop emission of harmful gases from the Port’s restricted area,” Bose added.The Committee Chairman said: “The PPT should take the lead in maintaining environmental standards. Growing industrialisation and expansion of the Port Town are bound to result in more air and water pollution. This is why, there is an immediate need of a comprehensive environment management plan in this region.” District Collector Satya Kumar Mallick, SP Satyabrat Bhoi, ADM Surjit Das, Special Land Acquisition Officer Nrusingh Swain and officials from line departments were present.
Ganga pollution: Akhilesh forjoint plan by affected states
Times of India
18th October, 2012
LUCKNOW: Acknowledging the need for immediate action to curb pollution in the Ganga, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said it was a big challenge to all states the river passes through. An environment engineer by qualification, Yadav said the rising pollution and falling level of dissolved oxygen in the water was not only making the water unfit for consumption but also affecting its aquatic life. On Wednesday, TOI reported findings of a survey conducted by the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) under the Indian Council of Medical Research, which showed the river is laden with heavy metals and lethal chemicals that cause cancer. Reacting to the findings of the survey, Akhilesh said: "There are many government organisations and NGOs already working on cleaning the Ganga. It is true, however, that there is a need for a concerted plan. As chief ministers of all the states concerned-Bihar, West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh- we need to build a strategy to take on this work on a war footing.''According to the NCRP survey, east Uttar Pradesh, the plains of Bengal and Bihar are among the worst-hit regions from where the highest incidence of cancer has been reported. The report suggests that in these parts, of every 1 lakh persons, 20 to 25 were cancer patients, a national high. Holding the continuous and unchecked discharge of pollutants into the riverbed responsible for this phenomenon, the report also said cancer of the gall bladder, kidneys, food pipe, prostate, liver, kidneys, urinary bladder and skin were found more frequently in these parts than anywhere else in India. Gall bladder cancer cases along the course of the Ganga are the second highest in the world and prostate cancer highest in the country. The NCRP survey also shows that of every 10,000 persons surveyed, 450 men and 1,000 women were patients of cancer of gall bladder, while Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Vaishali in Bihar, rural Patna and the extensive tract between Murshidabad and South 24-Parganas in West Bengal were the most susceptible.
Clear the smog around climate change information
The Hindu
19th October, 2012
The threat of climate change has galvanised the Indian government and industry into action. Every corporate worth its salt is proclaiming that it is doing something to fight climate change. A cursory glance at corporate web pages gives us an idea of its importance. The Tata page says: “The Tata group is facing up to the challenge of climate change and making it integral to its processes,” while Infosys claims that it is “one of the top 25 performers in Caring for Climate Initiative.” On the sustainability review page of Mahindra, climate change is linked to productivity and competitiveness. The Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change created the National Action Plan on Climate Change which has eight missions, everything from energy to agriculture to water and Himalayan ecosystems. Besides the initiatives of the private sector and the government are those undertaken by non-governmental organisations. Can the fight against climate change be successful without involving or informing the larger public? The challenge that lies before us is manifold; first is understanding the predicament of being in the same boat, then appreciating the fact that many hands make light work and, finally, finding ways to involve everyone. Putting out more information in the public domain gives more people an opportunity to act collectively to save themselves — a fact that the government should recognise.
UB beer unit working without clearance
The Times of India
20th October, 2012
Bangalore: The Karnataka government today said it has instructed the State Pollution Control Board to take “suitable action” against United Breweries which was found running its beer production unit at Nanjanagud in Mysore district without operational clearance by the Board.
Ecology and environment minister Sogadu Shivanna, who visited the unit three weeks ago, told reporters here today that it is confirmed from records of the Excise Department and water and electricity bills that the factory is operating “unofficially” in the past few months.
It was noted that sewage and effluent treatment plant was established at the unit without the prior clearance of the Board, he said. As per the environment clearance, the unit should have created green zone in 33 per cent land of its premises but the management had not taken such a step. “Instructions have been issued to the industry (United Breweries) and the State Pollution Control Board officials to take suitable action”. The Board has been instructed to take action against its officials who recommended to give CFO (fire clearance) despite non-completion of effluent treatment plant and other drawbacks and short-comings, the minister said. Mr Shivanna said during his visit to Harihar Polyfibres (a division of Aditya Birla Group), it was noticed that it was letting out effluents after being treated at the plant to the Tungabhadra river. But the “colour” is more in the treated water because of lignin content, and the company has been strictly instructed to cut the colour part substantially. The minister said CIPSA RIC India Ltd at Hirehalli in Tumkur taluk and Gramox Paper and Board Ltd at Nanjanagud were found to operate without clearance of the Board.
Mercury pollution in Sonbhadra6 times the permissible limit: CSE
Times of India
20th October, 2012
Lucknow: The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Friday demanded imposition of moratorium on new industrial or power projects in Sonbhadra district considering the alarming levels of mercury pollution in the region. The New Delhi-based non-government organisation raised the demand following its recent study in the district where it found toxic levels of mercury, a heavy metal causing neurological disorder, touching as high as six times the permissible limits at some places.The organisation conducted a preliminary study based on a sample population size of 57 residents living around the Singrauli coal belt area. For this, blood, hair and nail samples were taken from 19 people while soil samples were collected from seven places. Likewise, 23 samples of water (a mix of groundwater, surface water and effluent), five samples of rice, wheat and pulses and three samples of fish (from different places in the Gobind Ballabh Pant Sagar reservoir) were collected. According to CSE director general Sunita Narain, the study showed mercury's presence in 84% of the blood sample at a very high level. The average level of mercury in the blood samples, according to CSE's head of laboratory, Chandra Bhushan, was to the tune of 34.3 parts per billion. This was six times of what is considered safe by US Environment Protection Agency, which prescribes a limit of 5.8 ppb. Similarly, 58% of hair samples had mercury concentration at an average of 7.39 parts per million. This was higher than the limit of 6 ppm set by the Canada government. Bhushan said that since India did not had a standard set for presence of Mercury for blood, hair and soil samples they went for standards set by other countries. Mercury content in groundwater of Sonbhadra was found to be 0.026 ppm, which was 26 times higher than the limit of 0.001 ppm set by Bureau of Indian Standards. The fish collected from Dongiya nullah, too had a concentration of methyl mercury in the spectrum of 0.447 ppm, which was twice the permissible limit set by Food Safety and Standards Authority Of India.
Woodland stores to go carbon neutral by 2015
Indian Express
22nd October, 2012
To woo environment conscious customers, footwear and apparel brand Woodland said that it will convert all its stores carbon neutral by 2015 as a part of the company's corporate social responsibility. "We have initiated a process under which we will convert all our (retail) stores to become carbon neutral by 2015. The initiative also includes accurate accounting of the carbon footprint of each store," Harkirat Singh, managing director, Woodland Worldwide, told IANS. The term "carbon neutral" implies negation of carbon emissions emitted through any operations, by either offsetting the carbon released by buying carbon credits which are in the form of certificates or planting tress and using eco-friendly power sources like solar energy. Changes in the transportation, energy consumption and operations process are also used by companies to go carbon neutral. According to Singh, the new initiative which is a part of the company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) was activated in July when the company started converting 80 of its stores in the national capital region and Karnataka into carbon neutral. "The campaign is called Proplanet, through which we intend to negate the carbon footprint of our retail operations. We have also started campaign for planting of saplings," Singh said. The company has set aside around Rs.10 crore for the project per annum. The company added that apart from reducing the retail carbon footprint, it intends to encouraged customers to use green products across all categories by providing incentives for every carbon credit earned by the customer. One carbon credit is equal to a tonne of carbon dioxide emission. There are two kinds of carbon credits, namely carbon offset credits that are earned by using environment friendly forms of energy like solar lighting, and carbon reduction credits. Carbon reduction credits are earned by initiating measures like reforestation, planting of tress, maintaining soil erosion among others.
India, China team up with developing nations at climate talks
The Times of India
23rd October, 2012
New Delhi: In what could change the contours of climate change negotiations, India and China have successfully brought together a disparate group of developing countries to take on the EU and its new-found friends — small and least developed countries. Its an odd set — Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Thailand, Malaysia, Argentina and about three dozen other developing countries — but they have been stitched into a new climate alliance by India and China to help define the new global climate regime. In a just concluded meeting of the new formation called the 'Like Minded Developing Countries on Climate Change' in Beijing, the group came out with a strong statement backing India's demand for integrating equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibility into any new regime. The group came together at the Durban climate meet in 2011, when emerging economies found the least developed countries and the association of small island countries more closely allied with the EU. India's initiative at Durban ensured that the EU did not get away with an outright decision to have a new global deal that India and China believed would have broken the existing climate convention's rules. Though the BASIC formation of four countries - India, China, South Africa and Brazil — along with the G77 group remains intact, the like-minded countries' group has already stirred feverish buzz at the climate talks. After the decision at Durban by all countries to negotiate a new deal for post-2020 global climate regime, the year saw strong attempts to push a higher level of commitment from developing countries to reduce emissions in the run-up to 2020, delinking it from financial and technological flows from the rich countries. The developing countries fought back to ensure that all future decisions, whether for the pre-2020 period or post-2020 era, are taken under the existing convention's principles which maintain the firewall between rich and poor countries. While EU's alliance of small island states and least developed countries was seen in favour of the latter set, which would not have to undertake mitigation action considering their small economies, several developing countries expressed reservations against moving only on the issue of emissions reduction while stalling negotiations on the associated finance and technology transfer issues.
Experts suggest particular trees to combat pollution
The Statesman
25th October, 2012
Kolkata: Besides providing more oxygen in polluted urban areas and reducing noise pollution, municipal bodies should plant more trees in Kolkata to reduce overheating in urbanised areas, say environmental experts. Due to rapid urban growth in cities like Kolkata, a great deal of ‘convergence’ heat is being produced from the ground, heading upwards. Combine this with high levels of pollution caused by carbon emissions, and the city’s temperature will rise with its development, said Dr Debashis Das, assistant professor in the Department of Architecture at Jadavpur University. New buildings on already-crowded streets, a growing population in certain areas of the city, rising pollution levels and rapid development is creating what Dr Das called “urban heat island” out of Kolkata. But there are ways to mitigate this overheating effect, and one of these is simply to plant more trees, said horticultural expert Anupama Mitra, deputy secretary of the Agri-horticultural Society of India. Mango, Mahogany, Banyan and Asoke trees are particularly resistant to pollution, having high Air Pollution Tolerance indexes (APTI), and survive well in industrial areas. Trees like these can be planted along streets, which would reduce all types of pollution without being substantially affected by them. The importance of trees and plants in the reduction or mitigation of the greenhouse effect has long been propagated by scientists, and Kolkata authorities should take this into consideration in their urban planning, said Ms Mitra.
Don’t block GM research, Pawar tells states
Indian Express
26th October, 2012
New Delhi : Almost three years after a genetically-engineered variety of brinjal (Bt brinjal) was put on indefinite hold — putting a question mark on the fate of genetically-modified crops in India — the government is making efforts make up for the time lost and put research in GM science back on track. In a fervent appeal to all chief ministers, some of whom have taken a public position against GM crops, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has said opposition to GM crops must not be based on “unfounded apprehensions”. “Conventional agricultural technologies may be inadequate” to meet India’s food security challenges, Pawar has said, and asked all states to ensure that “adequate and fair opportunity is given to scientific efforts to develop GM crops” by allowing “field trials”. “Any hasty decision to block the progress of science will have long-term implications for our country which will have to be borne by the next generation,” he said. Pawar’s letter coincides with a renewed effort by the scientific community to ensure biotechnology research is not stalled by concerted campaigns by activists, many of whom are “ideologically” opposed to GM crops. At a meeting earlier this month, the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister (SAC-PM) lamented the lack of “science-informed, evidence-based approach” in the debate on genetic engineering in agriculture. Dr M K Bhan, secretary, Department of Biotechnology, said, “There is a scientific way to address the concerns of everyone. What, unfortunately, is happening now is that a debate which is solely scientific... is getting hijacked by peripheral issues.”
Pollution control board spares local bodies
The Hindu
27th October, 2012
PCB has asked Kochi Corporation not to carry out windrow composting at its solid waste treatment plant in Brahmapuram to stem foul smell reported in nearby areas. Nixes plan to initiate action against local bodies for not renewing authorisation to handle solid waste. The Kerala State Pollution Control Board has shelved its plan to take legal action against 10 local bodies in the district, including Kochi Corporation, for failing to renew their authorisation under the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000, for collection, segregation, transportation and disposal of municipal waste. The board had earlier planned to file reports on non-compliance of municipal rules in courts within the jurisdiction of the local bodies. Ten local bodies that failed to renew the authorisation in the district include Kochi Corporation, Aluva, Perumbavoor, North Paravur, Tripunithura, Angamaly, Kothamangalam, Kalamassery, Maradu and Thrikkakara municipalities. This renders waste management systems followed by all these local bodies illegal and in violation of existing rules. Reliable board sources pointed out that the decision not to invoke legal action was taken considering the efforts being made by the government to resolve various issues related to solid waste management across the State. Any action at this point will be detrimental to the interests of the government, they said. According to official records, the authorisation given to Kochi Corporation had expired in December, 2010. The board should have issued legal notice to the secretary of the local body asking them to explain why legal action should not be taken under the provisions of the Environment Protection Act. But no action was taken against Kochi Corporation and nine other local bodies in the district.
Climate change adding sting to mosquito bite, says WHO report
The Times of India
30th October, 2012
New Delhi: The warning is ominous — climate change and global warming will make vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria - already causing havoc in the country more lethal.
A landmark report on climate change and health, published by the World Health Organization on Monday, said that in the last 100 years, the world has warmed by approximately 0.75 degree Celsius. Over the last 25 years, the rate of global warming has accelerated, at over 0.18 degree Celsius per decade. Global health will suffer a loss of $2 billion-$4 billion per year by 2030 due to climate change. Global warming, which has occurred since the 1970s, caused over 1.4 lakh excess deaths annually by 2004. "Many of the major killers such as diarrhoeal diseases, malnutrition, malaria and dengue are highly climate-sensitive and are expected to worsen as the climate changes," said WHO. It added, "Malaria is strongly influenced by climate. Transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes, malaria kills almost one million people every year. The Aedes mosquito vector of dengue is also highly sensitive to climate conditions. Studies suggest that climate change could expose an additional 2 billion people to dengue transmission by the 2080s."
WHO said over the last century, the surface area on which malaria remains a risk has been reduced from half to a quarter of the earth's landmass, but due to demographic changes the number of people exposed to malaria has increased substantially over the same period. Dengue has become the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease in the world. Extreme high air temperatures contribute directly to deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory disease, particularly among senior citizens. High temperatures also raise the levels of ozone and other pollutants in the air that exacerbate cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Urban air pollution causes about 1.2 million deaths every year. Pollen and other aeroallergen levels are also higher in extreme heat. These can trigger asthma, which affects around 300 million people. Ongoing temperature increases are expected to increase this burden.
Supreme Court: why is Yamuna still highly polluted despite spending crores?
The Hindu
31st October, 2012
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought an explanation from the Central, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments on the Yamuna continuing to be highly polluted despite a spending of around Rs. 4,400 crore over the last 18 years on cleaning the river. Hearing a petition, the Bench of Justices Swatanter Kumar and Madan B. Lokur expressed concern over the enormous spending: “All the agencies have spent crores of rupees. What is the purpose? What work has been done ultimately?” Despite the existence of as many as 18 sewage plants to treat effluents, the treated water had “a high rate of pollution”. The court said ways should be found to prevent direct discharging of untreated water into the river. It appointed a committee to go into all issues and directed it to submit a report in two weeks. The Centre should inform the court of the action the Yamuna Development Authority had taken so far to clean the river under the Yamuna Action Plan. The Bench asked the Central Pollution Control Board to submit a report explaining whether the treatment plants were working and how untreated waste could be stopped from being drained into the Yamuna. In its October 10 order, the court said it had been brought to its notice that “despite heavy expenditure, [running into] thousands of crores, having been incurred by the Centre, the States of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and local authorities in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, pollution was increasing by the day. A report was filed on behalf of the Central Pollution Control Board, “wherein it has been reflected that the samples collected from the Yamuna show flagrant violation of the prescribed standards.” The Bench said: “The Yamuna should be converted into a wholesome and clean river and its water in the entire region, i.e., from Hathini Kund in Haryana to the Monitoring Station at Taj Mahal, Agra, has to be pollution-free. The statistics on record show that this object is far form being achieved.”
Frankenstorms can get worse as global warming intensify
The Times of India
31st October, 2012
Hurricane Sandy could be an answer to many who've wondered when America would smell the climate change. Hitting the USA's northeastern coast with incredible force - ironically, one week before the country votes for its next president - Sandy is no ordinary storm. Data suggests this is the largest hurricane on record, its extraordinary width and velocity resulting from an unusually undulating Arctic jet stream combining with a southern tropical storm. The result of this super-storm has been to shut down large parts of America from Virginia to Maine - including closing New York's financial centre, storm waters flooding the city's subway and auto tunnels - whilst killing several people, leaving millions without electricity, damaging property and triggering a warning about a New Jersey nuclear plant facing rising water levels. In Sandy's trail, when they pick up the pieces, Americans should start seriously considering climate change, one reason being studies that find with the Arctic ice-cap melting, darker waters are absorbing more heat, causing jet streams to become slower and wavier - like the jet stream driving Sandy. Such concerns have mostly fallen on deaf ears within the American establishment. It has skirted the science of global warming, its main concern being maintaining the economic status quo over incurring losses from environmental regulation. However, the financial misery caused by Hurricane Sandy should open more than a few American eyes to the economic perils of rampant climate change. Considering how studies find almost a five-fold increase in the number of damaging weather disturbances in North America over the last three decades, 'Frankenstorms' can get worse as global warming intensifies. While there can be a debate over whether Sandy itself was caused by global warming such an increase, occurring at a time when global greenhouse emissions have also shot up, can hardly be a statistical blip.
Scientists look at climate change, the superstorm
The Economic Times
31st October, 2012
Washington: Climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer stood along the Hudson River and watched his research come to life as Hurricane Sandy blew through New York. Just eight months earlier, the Princeton University professor reported that what used to be once-in-a-century devastating floods in New York City would soon happen every three to 20 years. He blamed global warming for pushing up sea levels and changing hurricane patterns. New York "is now highly vulnerable to extreme hurricane-surge flooding," he wrote. For more than a dozen years, Oppenheimer and other climate scientists have been warning about the risk for big storms and serious flooding in New York. A 2000 federal report about global warming's effect on the United States warned specifically of that possibility. Still, they say it's unfair to blame climate change for Sandy and the destruction it left behind. They cautioned that they cannot yet conclusively link a single storm to global warming, and any connection is not as clear and simple as environmental activists might contend. "The ingredients of this storm seem a little bit cooked by climate change, but the overall storm is difficult to attribute to global warming," Canada's University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver said. Some individual parts of Sandy and its wrath seem to be influenced by climate change, several climate scientists said. First, there's sea level rise. Water levels around New York are a nearly a foot (0.3 meters) higher than they were 100 years ago, said Penn State University climate scientist Michael Mann. Add to that the temperature of the Atlantic Ocean, which is about 2 degrees Fahrenheit (.8 degrees Celsius) warmer on average than a century ago, said Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University. Warm water fuels hurricanes. Meteorologists are also noticing more hurricanes late in the season and even after the season. A 2008 study said the Atlantic hurricane season seems to be starting earlier and lasting longer but found no explicit link to global warming. Normally there are 11 named Atlantic storms. The past two years have seen 19 and 18 named storms. This year, with one month to go, there are 19. For his published research, Oppenheimer looked at New York City's record flood of 1821. Sandy flooded even higher. This week's damage was augmented by the past century's sea level rise, which was higher than the world average because of unusual coastal geography and ocean currents. Oppenheimer walked from his Manhattan home to the river Monday evening to watch the storm.
Emission tracker
Down to Earth
31st October, 2012
Carbon dioxide levels continue to rise across the globe despite several emission reduction policies. Researchers have now developed a software system, Hestia, which can estimate greenhouse gas emissions all the way down to roads and individual buildings. Currently, scientists can quantify emissions at a much broader level. The software combines public databases with traffic simulation and building-by-building energy-consumption models to provide a complete picture of where, when and how emissions are occurring. This information can help develop cost-effective ways to cut emissions. Salt marshes are ecologically important and provide storm protection.
Marsh malady
Down to Earth
31st October, 2012
Excess is bad. Even of a nutrient. A study has found that nutrient enrichment in coastal areas, due to extensive use of fertilisers having nitrogen, is killing the salt marshes. These marshes are ecologically important and provide storm protection to coastal cities. High concentration of nitrogen, a plant nutrient, makes the soil water level go up and decreases the density of bank-stabilising roots. This alters the marsh ecosystems, making them slump into the sea. Increasing use of fertilisers can reduce the capacity of salt marshes to offer ecological and economic services. Nature, October 18
Ground reality
Down to Earth
31st October, 2012
A study by the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR), Lucknow, has validated what activists have alleged for long: groundwater in the vicinity of the Union Carbide’s pesticide plant in Bhopal is replete with contaminants. The report says groundwater in the area contains high levels of toxins like chlorides, nitrates, lead and alpha-nephthol, a raw material used to make pesticides. Although the levels of the contaminants are not alarming, the report states that the water is not safe for drinking. This is the first time an official study has confirmed what the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has consistently denied. The study was commissioned by the board itself under pressure due to public opposition and Supreme Court orders to validate a contentious and inconclusive 2010 study by Nagpur-based National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). The apex court is hearing a petition filed in 1995 by activists concerned about the drinking water quality in the area. “The report vindicates our stand to secure clean drinking water in areas affected by abandoned toxic waste from Union Carbide,” says Rachna Dhingra, one of the petitioners from non-profit Bhopal Group for Information and Action. But she cautions that the study is problematic as it also follows the methodology used in the NEERI report. Experts from IITR collected 30 samples of groundwater from near the factory premises. They found that the chloride levels were within the permissible limit of 1,000 mg per litre, set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). But this is misleading. Permissible limit is not an indicator of potability; it is the desirable limit that indicates whether the water is fit for drinking or not. Nineteen samples had chloride levels way above the desirable limit of 250 mg per litre. The chloride level in a sample from Garibganj locality was 261 per cent of the desirable limit. Same is the case with nitrate levels. In 15 samples, nitrate levels were much above the desirable limit of 45 mg per litre. The concentration of lead was also much higher than the permissible limit in 24 samples. Nineteen samples tested positive for alpha-nephthol, used to prepare the pesticides aldicarb and carbyl. Mercury analysis was not complete at the time of the report submission. CPCB has repeatedly denied that the factory is responsible for water contamination, saying the soil on which it is built is clayey and contaminants cannot leach through it. Vinod Babu, head of the hazardous waste division at the board, says, “The report shows the basic contaminants are nitrates and chlorides. This indicates sewage seepage into the groundwater and not necessarily chemicals from the Union Carbide factory.” He adds that the high amount of lead in the samples is also not from the factory but is a regular geological feature of the area.