Notes for Environment

Essay facts:

“ Prakatih Rakshatih Rakshitah ” - ’Nature protects when it is protected'
15 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India. Gurugram tops the list - a study by Greenpeace. An estimated 4.2 million premature deaths globally linked to pollution

(World Air quality report - Greenpeace)
99% cities in South Asia exceed the WHO’s safe standard exposure of PM 2.5 limit.

The lancet claims that 2.5 million deaths occurred in India due to air pollution in 2015
India has 14 of its 15 cities among the worst 15 polluted air cities (WHO)
Children in Delhi have a smaller lung capacity than peers.
London smog. Breaking of Larcen C ice-shelf.
India is among the top 6 vulnerable countries to climate change according to World Risk Assessment by German-watch.
Water:

NITI Aayog’s Composite water management Index (NITI + Min of rural devp + Min of Jal shakti) - 70% of the water resources in this country are polluted. 75% households do not have drinking water and more than 600 minion people in the country face high to extreme water stress.

21 cities will run out of GW by 2020, affecting 100 mn people.

Falkenmark index - Related to GW

6th mass extinction
Historian Ramachandra Guha - India ‘an environmental basket-case'
Bamboonomics - movement to combat desertification and climate change which will involve tribals since they have the expertise in this field. It will also ensure livelihoods to them without causing environmental harm.
Global Climate Risk Index - German-watch . Annually published. India - 5th most vulnerable country to climate change. (From 14th spot in 2017 to 5th in 2018)
COVID and wildlife:
Leopard sited at Almora, no of dophins and gharials sites in ganges increased. On thr shores of Bosphorus, no of dophins sitef increased due to reduced marine traffic.
Study 'the sounds of the city' - it is nice and quiet and hence we hear birds chattering and singing.
A paper by Amanda bates refers to the lockdown as a 'Global human confinement experiment' toinvestigate biodiversity conservation
When two grrat forces- the Indian railways and India's wildlife- crossed paths first in the 1800s, it inspired art. But it also began a face-off between train and beast that continues till today. (Art how? Gave birth to a new genre of lit - set at imtersection of railway lines, its forests and denizens.Writers ranged from big names like rudyard Kipling to lesser known JW Best)

Environment and technology:

Biodiversity:

FrogPhone - World’s first solar powered remote survey device. Receives 3g/4g signal, can be installed at any frog pond. Allows surveillance minus the negative impacts of human presence.

What has India done for Climate Change:

INDC - which became NDC after approval - is one of the most promising among countries. 33-35% carbon intensity of GDP reduction. 40% of totalenergy from non-fossil sources. 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon sequestration through plantatation drives etc
Lead a climate-friendly lifestyle
Recent Brown to Green Report by Climate Transparency partnership:

India has the most ambitious NDCs among G20.
India currently investing the most in renewable energy.
India and China - most progressive energy efficiency policies.
Other pts:

G20 emissions in building sector grew more than in any other (4%)
energy related CO2 emissions in G20 shot up by 1.8%
Share of fossil in g20 energy mx remains high at 82%
Renewables now account for 25% of power gen

Examples of Linkage, cooperation:

MGNREGA to benefit Golden langurs in Assam - Kokoijana reserve forest - workers to plant fruit trees in the forest

About Kokaijana - was once contiguous with Chakrashila wildlife sanctuary (Assam)

Issues

Plastic:

Examples of innovation:
Converting used PET bottles to plastic filament yard - a Maharashtra based firm is doing
Facts:
UN: Around 300 mn tonnes plastic produced every year, roughly the weight of entire human population

25000 tons plastic waste generated every day in India. 40% goes uncollected

Why bad - leach toxins in food, huge carbon footprint, stays for hundreds of years, enters food chain, causes hormone disruption and cancers, pollutes oceans. Choking drains a cause of repeated flooding in Mumbai

11 kg per capita annual plastic use in India in 2014-15. (20 kg by 2020). Much lower than global average of 28 kg.

Initiatives:

India’s resolve to eliminate single use plastic by 2022. (Beat Plastic Pollution, adopted on

World env day, 2018)

More than 20 states and UTs have announced a ban on single use plastic.

Project REPLAN (reducing plastic in nature): launched by KVIC. Make Carry bags by mixing processed and treated plastic with cotton fibre rags in ratio 20:80

Gaps existing:

Waste plastic from packaging of goods delivered online remains unaddressed.
Collect back system by owners under Plastic waste management rules 2016, has not yet been properly adopted
Extended producer responsibility - Small producers facing the ban, while more organized entities continue with business as usual.
Enforcement and implementation poor. UNEP - about 60% countries have some form of regulation - ba or tax, but only 30% reported a drop in consumption.
No clear defn of single use plastic
Almost 60 per cent of all plastic waste in the country is recycled. But most of it is done in informal, home-based industries which produce very low-quality recycled plastic.

Way forward:

Role of local bodies needs to be enhanced
Central legislation with a clear definition of single use plastic.
Waste management systems need upgradation.

Resource efficiency:

Status quo: India’s recycling rate - just 20-25%. 70% in developing countries in Europe.
Need:

Large population, rapid urbanization.
Import dependency nearly 100% for majority of ‘most critical’ material - Li, Co Cu
Massive soil degradation, water becoming scarce, air quality deteriorating.
80% of the crude oil that is processed is imported. 85% coking coal demand.

Initiatives:

NITI Aayog + EU: released Strategy on Resource efficiency. Emphasizes on sustainable public procurement.
Indian Resource Efficiency Programme - Launced in 2017, by MoEFCC and Indian resource panel.
Draft National Resource Efficiency Policy: tax benefits, Material Recovery facilities (MRFs), 6R - reduce, reuse, recycle, re-design, re-manufacture, re-furbish. Zero-landfill appraoch. Double recycling rate of key materials to 50% in next 5 years.
India Cooling Action Plan: India - first country in the world to develop such a plan

Recognize cooling and related areas as thrust areas of research under National S&T programme.
Reduce cooling demand by 20-25%, refrigerant by 25-30%, etc by. 2037-38
Train & certify 1 lakh technicians by 2022-23 in synergy with Skill India Mission.
Benefits: Thermal comfort for all, sustainable cooling, doubling farmers income (cold chain infra) , skill workforce, make in India and push to innovation & R&D.

Responsible disposal:

Ship recycling:

Hong Kong International Convention for Safe and Environmentally sound recycling of Ships, 2009: Adopted by IMO in 2009. Not yet come into force, as needed 15 countries representing 40% of world’s merchant shipping
India: Ratified in Nov 2019. Why needed?

LEader of world’s ship recycling industry, with a 30% market share.
Recycling of Ships Act- Came into force, Dec 2019.

Restricts and prohibits use of hazardous material on ships (ecept warships and non-commercial ships operated by govt)
Ships be recycledin accordance with specified plans, recycling facilities to be authorized

Energy efficiency:

Impact of energy efficiency measures for 2018-19 report- Min of power, and renewable energy. Report prepared by a 3rd prty engaged by BEE, since 2017

Major contributing programmes: PAT (57%), Standards and labellling (20%), UJALA (16%), MUNICIPAL demand side mgmt programme (3%)

GM crops:

Regulation: Illegal cultivation. Recently, GM Brinjal found on a field in Haryana.
Bt Brinjal - GM to resist the fruit and shoot borer (insect).
Problems: Instances of pesticide poisoning death when pests had developed resistance to BT cotton
BT cotton: only GM crop allowed in India. Developed by Monsanto

Insertion of two genes from soilacteria bacillus thurengiensis = > produce protein toxin to pink ballworm. Commercial release - 2002

Farmers recently, in a Satyagraha, planted other variety with gene ‘Cp4-epsps’ from soil bacterium agrobacteium Tumefaciens (Not cleared by GEAC = > Illegal currently). It is a herbicide tolerant variety (can withstand spray of glyphosate herbicide)
Sale, storage, transport etc of unapproved GM seeds - punishable offence under Rules of Env. Protection Act 1989, Seeds Act.

Desertification: degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas. (It is not expansion of deserts)

UNCCD: estb. 1994

Legally binding
COP-14 - will be hosted by India for the first time.

Outcomes: agreed to achieve Land degradation neutrality by 2030(also a SDG)
India took over presidency from China for next 2 yrs
Theme: “Restore land, sustain future"
Delhi Declaration, Peace Forest initiative, recovery of 5 mn ha of degraded land in India
(Peace forest initiative - Korea + UNCCD)
Launch of Internatinal coalition for action on sand and dust storms. SDS affect 77% of UNCCD country parties
Initiative of sustainability, security and stability (3S) - by 14 african countries to address migration driven by land degradation
First official gathering of global Youth Causus on Desertification and LAnd

Main reasons:

Water erosion, wind erosion, salinity, human settlements, vegetation degradation

States:

Increase in desertification levels in 26 or 29 states. (Between 2003-05 to 2011-13) (State of India’s Environment 2019)
Jaisalmer, Raj; Lahaul and Spiti, HP; and Kargil, J&K - highest area under desertification.
30% of India’ total land hit by degradation

Initiatives:

India became a part of Bonn Challenge in Jan. A global effort to bring150 mn hectare of world’s deforested, degraded lands into restoration by 2020, 350 mn hectare by 2030. India joined Bonn challenge during 2015 UNFCCC COP - additional 8 mn hectare to restoration between 2020 and 2030.
At COP 14, PM announced raise in target from 21 mn earlier to 26 mn hectares of restoration of degraded land by 2026.
Wastelands Atlas - published by Dept of land resources in collab with National remote sensing centre (NRSC), Dept of Space. Released by Min of Rural devp. 5th Edition released recently. (Earlier 4 - 2000, 2005, 2010, 2011)

Spatial extent of wastelands decreased from 17.21% of land area in 2008-09 to 16.96% in 2015-16.

land degradation neutrality - UNCCD. 3 global indicators: land cover change trends, net primary productivity, soil organic carbon

Soil pollution: 33% og global soil already degraded. 815 mn people are food insecure and 2 billion are nutrition insecure. Can be mitigated via soil. 95% of our food comes from soil. Dec 5- world soil day by FAO. ’Stop soil erosion, save our future’.
Marine Issues and pollution

Dead zones:

IUCN: Oxygen levels in world oceans declined by 2% between 1960 and 2010. Largely due to climate change. Nitrogen run-off is a major reason
Arabian sea dead zone: 60,000 sq miles - world’s largest. Near the Gulf of Oman. (2nd largest - Baltic sea - 23000 sq miles). Arabian sea dead zone has larger role of natural factors (as opposed to the Gulf of mexico dead zone.) Deeper waters and limited movement (because enclosed) and rising temp due to climate change have a major role to play (rather than surface run-off)
Gulf of Mexico- one of the largest dead zones. (world’s 2nd largest) Nutrient laden water from Mississipi river. Blooms every summer (warming water)
Effects: Production of CO2, Ocean acidification, reduced fisheries catch and hence seafood, affect shell formation in molluscs etc.
What to do:

Improved waste water treatment facilities. Tertiary treatment plants.
Effective Filter ecosystems to remove phosphorus and nitrogen (major culprits). Eg: Photo-purification plants
Source: Reduced phosphorus use in detergents, rationalisation of agri techniques for more efficient use of fertilisers etc
Oxygenation of water
Chemical precipitation of phosphorus - addition of iron/Al salts/CaCO3

Climate change and dead zones:

Warm water has lower capacity to carry oxygen
increased rainfall, floods associated with climate change => greater chemical discharge into oceans

Dead zones and economy:

Dead zones reduces size of shrimp (Gulf of mexico) => affects businesses, profit

Dead zone, characterized by hypoxia means less than 2 parts per mn of Oxygen.

Deep sea mining:

International seabed authority, estb under 1982 UNCLOS - allots area. India - first country to receive status of pioneer investor, in 1987. Given area in Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB). (75000 km^2)
Impacts:

The locations can be home to unique species, which may go extinct even before being known
Noise, light pollution
Sediment plumes may rise to surface and harm
Economic viability

Beaches:

Blue fag certification:

Japan and South Korea - Only countries in South and Southeast Asia to have blue flag beaches. Started in France, 1985 Run by NGO , FEE.
India has selected 13 beaches for the certification. Chandrabhaga (Orissa), Ghoghala Beach (Diu), Shivrajpur beach (Gujarat), Bhogave (Maharashtra), Padubidri and Kasarkod (Karnataka), Kappad beach (Kerala)

Swachh - Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan: Mass cleanliness cum awareness drive by MoEF in 50 identified beaches (10 states/UTs). Implementation: SICOM + Environment education division. 3 best beaches will be awarded.

Climate change:

New IPCC report - Since 1993, rate of ocean warming has more than doubled.

Have taken up more than 90% of excess heat associated with human-induced GHGs in the climate system.
NASA: Thermal expansion has caused a third of the sea level rise

Oceans have absorbed 93% of the

Coral reefs:

Occupy less than 0.1% of surface area, house 25% of marine biodiversity.
Half of world’s shallow water reefs already gone
IPCC - If global warming increases temp to 1.5 degree, 70-90% corals will die. If more than 2 degrees, 99% of corals will perish.
Effects of global warming:

ideal conditions (flowchart) - Temp: 25-30 degree, low sedimentation, shallow waters, low acidification, low disasters, salt water. Thus, global warming - rise in sea levels (shallowness going), increasing acidification, increasing dust storms, cyclones etc =>corals dying, bleaching. Increasing diseases - impact of viruses.
Positive impacts: temperate corals may benefit. Rising CO2 - increased photosynthesis.

Threats: climate change, over-fishing, unsustainable coastal devp, pollution, sedimentation, destructive fishing practises (eg: muro-ami (banging on the reef with sticks), bottom-trawling for cold water corals), coral mining, careless tourism
Snowflake coral: Invasive alien species, around Gulf of mannar.
STAPCOR-2018: Intl COnf on Status an Protection of Coral reefs. Held at Bangaram coral island of Lakshadweep under theme ‘Reef for Life’. Jointly by ZSI, IUCN, MoEFCC, ENVIS. 2018: 3rd decadal intl yr of reefs.
Facts:

zooxanthellae can live as endosymbionts with jellyfish also.
corals belong to same class as jellyfish and anemones. (Cnidaria)

Restoration efforts:

ZSI undertaking restoration efforts in Gulf of Kachchh, using biorock and mineral accretion technology. (electro-accumulation of minerals dissolved in sea-water)
Micro-fragmenting technique - enhances restoration rate by 25-50 timed.

World’s first land based commercial coral farm - Great bahamas.

Initiatives:

Indian Coral reef monitorinng network - MoEF, 1999. Monitor changes and use this knowledge for sustainable mgmt of reefs.
Coral reef rescue initiative - WWF. Focussing on 7 countries holding 70% regeneration capacity globally

Main regions:

Coral triangle: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Timor leste, Papua new Guinea, Soloman islands. 76% of coral diversity of world. 6 of the 7 marine turtle species.
Southeast Asia: global epicentre of marine diversity. It’s 1 lakh km^2 coral reefs (34% of world’s total) home to 600 of 800 reef building species in world.

From 1876-1979 only three bleaching events were recorded, whereas 60 are on record from 1980 until 1993; in 2002 more than 400 events were recorded
Cold water corals

over half of all known corals are in deep, dark waters
Largest cold water reef: off Norway’s Rost island
number of invertebrate species on reefs in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean can be as high as that found in shallow-water tropical reefs
No of fish species is rel low

Ships and pollution:

IMO’s International convention for Prevention of pollution from Ships (MARPOL): adopted in 1973 - prevent and minimize pollution from s
hips - both accidental and from routine operations.
Ship Ballast

Ballast water management convention - IMO. 2004.
London Convention on Marine Pollution
Barcelone Convention - regional, for Mediterranena sea.

IMO 2020: IMO’s new regulations effected from Jan 1 2020. Global upper limit on Sulpher content of Ships’ fuel oil reduced to 0.5% from 3.5%. New limit part of MARPOL Convention of IMO. To be monitored and enforced by national authorities of countries that are members of MARPOL Annex IV. Opt for cleaner fuel (MGO, VLSFO) or use scrubbers.

Wetlands:

6% of eaarth’s land surface, 405 of all plants and animal species
30% of land based c stored in petland
23% of world’s population, and 60% of all megacities are located in lowland areas within 100 km of the sea. So coastal and delta wetlands are under increasing pressure.
Yellow sea wetlands of China, Mississipi delta, niger delta mangroves- severely degraded due to reclamation, infra and oil and gas sector respectively
Chilika Lagoon - World’s largest popn of irrawaddy dolphins. Satpata island. Kalijai temple - on an island on Chilika. Asia’s largest and world’s 2nd largest lagoon. 1st from India on Ramsar. Nalabana island
64% OF world’s wetlands have disappeared in the last century.
Ramsar Convention’s CEPA - Programme on Comm, capacity building, edu, participation and awareness.

Mangroves:

ISFR 2019 - 4975 sq km cover
Mangrove ecosystem services - upto US $800 bn per yr.

Absorb upto 4x more CO2 by area than upland terrestrial forests.

. While the rate of loss has since stabilised, between 1980 and 2000 about 35% of mangroves were lost - 3-5 times greater than the overall terrestrial forest loss. 50% mangroves lost in past half a century.
Causes of loss - climate change (abrupt changes in sea level), urbanization (human population density in coastal areas 3 times higher than global average - IUCN website), pollution, aquaculture (mainly shrimp culture), agriculture (paddy cultivation - 88% mangrove loss in Myanmar - IUCN), and logging.

40% mangroves on west coast converted to agri land or housing colonies

Initiatives:

Global Mangrove alliance: IUCN, CI, WI, WWF, The nature conservancy. 2017. Increase global mangrove cover by 20% by 2030.
Save our Mangroves Now: IUCN + WWF + Germany
Mangroves for the Future - IUCN+ UNDP. 2006. Backdrop of 2004 Tsunami in Indian Ocean. promote investment in coastal ecosystem conservation for sustainable development. Mangroves flagship, but all coastal ecosystems - corals, lagoons, seagrass, wetlands etc included. Member countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Viet Nam
Protected under category 1 of CRZ

Conclusion: Increase of 54 sq km in SFR 2019
India has added 10 more wetlands to sites protected by the Ramsar Convention.

The 10 new ones are Nandur Madhameshwar, a first for Maharashtra; Keshopur-Miani, Beas Conservation Reserve and Nangal in Punjab; and Nawabganj, Parvati Agra, Saman, Samaspur, Sandi and Sarsai Nawar in Uttar Pradesh. The other Ramsar sites are in Rajasthan, Kerala, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Tripura.
With this, a total of 37 sites in the country have been recognised under the international treaty

Climate Change:

Small Island developing states (SIDS) - a group of small island countries that tend to share similar sustainable development challenges - small but growing population, limit resources, remoteness, susceptibility to natural disasters, vulnerability to external shocks, excessive dependence on international trade , and fragile environments.

Vunerability to climate change : Tourism impacted, their less than 1/3rd pops lives on land less than 5 m below sea level, agri & ffisheries production declining.

Extreme climate events -

Delhi recently recorded a T of 48 degrees, hottest day in 21 yrs
A number of states have experienced extreme heatwaves in past 3 yrs.
Extreme storms - Odisha this year, Chennai 2015 have become the new norms.
HSBC 2018 - India most vulnerable to climate change.

World instances:

Australia’s bush fires:

Climate driver: a positive Indian Ocean Dipole, which is the strongest in 60 yrs. (Sea surface temp warmer in western half of IO than east). => draughts in Australia and floods in Africa.
Bushfires can also drive thunderstorm, increase lightning risk, cause further fires.

Heat and moisture from plants released during fire. Warm air being less dense rises causing thunderstorms called pyrocumulonimbus.

Australia today is ground zero for the climate catastrophe. Great barrier reef dying, world heritage rainforests burning, kelp forests have disappeared, towns run out of water.
Confronted with a dystopian vision where ‘Apocalypse becomes the new normal’ in words of Nobel laureate __
(Essay: Writer David Horne once described Australia as a lucky country, with its abundance of natural resources, good weather, relative geo isolation)

Reports & facts:

Recent IPCC report - Total global emissions will need to fall by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. If not, Global South will be most negatively affected because of low altitudes and pre-existing high temperatures.
Lancet report - Climate change damaging health of children.

infectious diseases: Climate suitability for Vibrio bacteria (Cholera) rising 3% a year in India since decades. Diarrhoeal infections
Exacerbate malnutrition

Initiatives:

FridaysForFuture - an international movement of school students who take time off class to demonstrate against climate change. Started by Greta Thunberg.
Leadership Group for Industry transition - Announced at Global Climate Action Summit. Guide world’s heaviset GHG emitting industries towads low carbon economy. Public-pvt partnership. India and Sweden will lead.
Deep Carbon Observatory: Global community of more than 1000 scientists on a 10 yr quest to understand quantities, movement, forms, origin of carbon on earth. Findings -

Less than 1% of planet’s carbon found above surface.
Human emissions of GHGs 100 times greater than all of Earth’s volcanoes.

Mission innovation: Global initiative of 24 countries and EU to accelerate global clean energy innovation. (countries committed to double R&D investments over 5 yrs). Founding nations - India, US and France

Emission Gap Report, recently released before CoP 25:

World will fail to meet 1.5 degree goal unless GHG emissions fall by 7.6% every year
GLobal temperatures set to rise 3.2 degree by 2100
Top 4 emittors - China, US, EU and India (China: 26%, US: 13%, EU: 8.5%, India -7%) contributed 55% of total emissions over past decade. g20 contributed 78%
PEr capita: US > Russia > Japan > China.
If land use change emissions (such as deforestation) are included, Brazil would become top emittor.
India among the few countries on track to achieve self-declared climate targets under Paris agreement. India will over-achieve by more than 15%. Others to over-achieve: China, EU, Mexico, Russia and Turkey.
Report names 5 decisive areas for future -Renewables and efficient energy use, coal phasout, decarbonize transport, decarbonize energy, increased access to electricity.
Total GHG emissions grew 1.5 per cent per year in the last decade (2009 to 2018) without land-use change (LUC) and 1.3 per cent per year with LUC
Biggest contributor - fossil CO2, then methane> land use change > N20 > Fluorinated gases. (Around 66% from fossil CO2)
CO2 emissions from LUC: 7 per cent of total GHGs. Large uncertainty and inter-annual variability, remaining relatively flat over the last decade
Fluorinated gases are growing the fastest. 6.1% in 2018.
18 developed countries where CO2 emissions are declining. US and some EU countries.
OECD countries: Emission declined by 0.4% per year in last decade. non-OECD: growth of 3% per year.
in 2015, production of material caused 11.5 GtCO2e (of total 55 Gt). max: Iron and steel: 3.7 Gt

Forest conservation:

Cover 31% of world’s area, after 38.4% for agri (of hich 68% is permanent pastures)
Facts:

Earth has lost 80% of its native forests since 1960s
India - total forest cover - 24.5% . Lowest - Haryana(6.7% of its area) , followed by Punjab. Highest - Lakshwadeep (97%). Among 6 states with highest forest cover - 4 in NorthEast.
Goa and kerela - more than 50% of geo area under forests
In terms of area, highest forest cover - MP
Deforestation - 11% of carbon emissions globally. Second only to energy, and more than the entire global transport sector.

Good practises:

El Salvador has recognised forests as living entities. (It has lost 85% of its native forests since 1960)
Miyakavi method by Japanese Akira Miyakawi being followed in Kerela. Planting forests in one’s backyard in urban areas - has helped increase urban green cover.

Initiatives:

Bonn Challenge: Voluntary, in 2011, Bonn (at an event organised by IUCN and Germany). Bring into restoration 150 hectares of degraded & deforested lands by 2020, 350 by 2030. India also joined during 2015 - 13 mn by 2020

Forest Landscape restoration approach (FLR): restore ecological integrity + human well being

REDD+ : mechanism by UNFCCC Parties - offers incentives to developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands, nvest in low carbon-paths. Result based payment for initiatives.

India has prepared National REDD+ strategy.
REDD+ being carried out in Himalayan states by Indian council for forestry research and edu (ICFRE) . Launched - 2016, in Mizoram.

Forest-Plus/The partnership for land use science:

Forest-PLUS 2.0 launched by USAID and India’s MoEFCC. 5 yr programme. Initiated in dec 2018.
Harnessing ecosystem services in forest management. Tools for ecosystem management
bio-briquettes in Sikkim, solar heating systems in Rampur are some achievements.
2.0 - 3 landscapes for pilot- Gaya (Bihar), Thiruvanathapuram in Kerela, Medak in Telangana

Green Credit Scheme - allows forests to be traded as commodities. Allows the forest dept to outsource its responsiblity of reforesting to non-govt agencies. After 3 yrs, they would be eligible to be considered as compensatory forest land if they met forest dept’s criteria

Need to conserve native species, and ecosystems (Western ghats etc);

Western ghats: Had 16% evergreen forest cover in 1985. Reduced to about 11.3% in 2018
Observed in WGs, that when catchment is dominated by vegetation of native species, streams are perennial, with soils having greater moisture content, higher nutrients, lower bulk density and greater groundwater.

ISFR 2019: 16th report Total area under forest cover - 21.67%. Increase of 0.12%

Champion and seth classification: 16 types of forests.
States/Uts with max species diversity of:

Trees: Karnataka,
Shrubs: Arunachal Pradesh,
Herbs: Jammu & Kashmir.
Max richness considering all three species: Arunachal Pradesh > TN > Ktk

Tree cover also grew by 1212 sq km.

Max tree cover: Mh > MP > Raj > J&K
% wise: Ch > Delhi > kerela > goa

Tree and forest cover together: 25.56% area
Decline in Northeast.
Increase: max for Ktk, followed by AP, Kerela, J&K, HP.
Recorded forest area: decrease of 330 sq km
Area wise forest cover - MP largest, then Aru. P, Chhatisgarh, Orissa, Mh
%age of geo area wise: Mizoram (85.4%), Aru.P, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland
Mangrove cover increased by 54 sq km. Increase max in Guj, then Mh and Orissa. Area of mangrove forests:

WB (2114 sq km) > Guj (1140) > A&N (617) > AP > Mh > Orissa

Mangrove cover: 0.15% of country geo area
% area under mangrove cover: WB > Guj > A&N
Loss of forest cover: Manipur > AP > Mizoram
Wetlands cover 3.8% of the area within the RFA/GW of the country. Guj has max area under wetlands within GW, followed by WB

Among smaller states/UTs: Puducherry > A&N

TOtal forest cover in tribal distts is 37.5% of geo area of distts. decrease of 741 sq km
Decline by 0.45% in NE. Decline in all states except Assam and Tripura. (reason: Slash and burn, infra projects, mining activites)
Increase in states: Ktk, AP, Kerela
Also tells about bamboo. Max - MP, Mh, Aru.P. Also called Green Gold. Restoring degraded land. National Bamboo mission - under Agri ministry (estb of nurseries, rejuvenation of plantation, pest and disease mgmt). Zibook technique for Bamboo conservation
Carbn stock max in Arunachal Pradesh (Carbon in organic form - above ground, below, and soil organic carbon) (Soil organic carbon very imp - water sonservation, temp moderation, nutrient retention, disease control. Factors affecting: Temp, moisture, salinity, acidity, vegetation). (ES: OVerall soil organic carbon increased. carbon stock also increased)
Greenwash - India’s recorded forest areas. Forest cover within Greenwash decreased slightly. increased outside GW.
Forest cover: Hill dists - 40%, tribal - 37.5, NE - 65. Overall increase in cover in tribal distts.
Dependence of fuelwood on forests highest in Mh, while for fodder, small timber, Bamboo - highest in MP

(Forest Survey of India - Dehradun, 1981. First survey -1987. Every 2 yrs. Forests monitored by ResourceSAT-2. National forest policy 1988. Abhi recently draft aaya. Policy nahi aayi)
Forest cover: Canopy density > 10%, area > 1 ha. Area < 1 ha, but density >10% - Tree cover. both < => Srubs.
Open: canopy density 10-40. Moderate: 40-70. >70: very dense. Shrub forest: <10%
Moderate (9.__)> Open (9.__) > very dense (3.02%) > shrubs (1.41%)
Admn: Reserve(53%) - all banned, Protected (29%)- all allowed, until prohibited, classified (18%) - no restriction
Acc to global forest assessment report, India is ranked 10th. Max area - Russia. (max diversity - Brazil)
National Forest Inventory - FSI. Record of stock of trees, bamboo, soil carbon, invasive species.
max forest biodiversity in India - Ktk
trengthening forest fire mgmt in india - WB + MoEF. India shuld bring a national action plan on forest fire. Overally, forest fires in India have been increasing over years. (But 2019 me thoda kam hu). Tera and Aqua satellite of NASA - detect forest fires. (system 2.0) 3.0 - SNPP satellite system of USA
Greenwash - Survey of India’s recorded forest areas.
National Afforestation programme - By national Eco-Devp Board. (Setup in 1992, Nowhere mentioned that it is statutary (…??))
NAEB Also implements Green India mission. But not the nodal agency for implementing the mission. GIM is setup as a society under MoEF, and has own governing council, which is headed by Minister MoEf.

national executive council - chaired by Secy, MoEF - overally responsiblity for the mission , approves plans of states.

TOF (Trees outside forests) refers to all trees growing outside RFA irrespective of patch size which could also be larger than 1 ha.
About 40% of the world's Mangrove Cover is found in South East Asia and South Asia.
Carbon stock:

Aru P > MP > chh > mh
Per hectare: Sikkim > A&N > J&K > HP > Aru P

State wise:

Andhra: Red sanders is endemic. Forest cover: 18%. 2nd largest coastline after Guj. Solanum nigrum - non timber forest produce species.
Aru P:

2 national parks - Mouling, namdapha
Rivers:Kameng, Subansiri, Siang, Lohit and Tirap.
80% forest cover

Assam: 36%

Parks: Dibru-Saikhowa, Kaziranga, Manas, Nameri and Orang
pygmy hog, hispid hare, and great Indian hornbill

Bihar: 8%

Sal, mango, litchi

Chh:

Rihand, Hasdo (a tributary of Mahanadi) and Indravati.
Sal, Teak
3 NPs: Guru Ghasidas, Indravati, Kanger Valley

Delhi: 13%

1 WLS - Asola Bhatti

Goa: 60%

1 NP - Mollem

Guj: 7.5%

4 NPs: Vansda, Velavadar, Gir, Marine- Gulf of Kachchh
Dominant tree species: Neem

Haryana: 3.62%

Poplar, eucalyptus
2 NPs: Kalesar and Sultanpur

HP: 28%

Forest fire sensitive state
5 NPs: Great Himalayan, Inderkilla, Khirganga, Khirganga, Simbalbara
Deodar, Pine, Chir

J&K:

All the 22 districts of UT of Jammu & Kashmir and two districts of UT of Ladakh are hill districts and both UT's do not have any tribal district
NPs: Salim Ali, Dachigam, Hemis, Kishtwar
Grewia Oppositifolia - dominant tree species
Lantana Camara - invasive

Jh: 29.6%

Ganga, Son, South Koel, Baitarani and Damodar.

Ktk:

Cauvery, Krishna, Shravathi, Kali
Anshi, Bandipur, Bannerghatta, Kudremukh, Nagarahole

Kerela: 54%

Rivers: Periyar, Kaloda, Attingol
6 NPs: Anamudi Shola, Eravikulam, Mathikettan Shola, Pambadum Shola, Periyar, Silent Valley

MP: 25%

First among states in terms of RFA
10 NPs: Bandhavgarh, Dinosaur Fossils, Fossil, Pench, Kanha, Madhav, Panna, Sanjay, Satpura, Van Vihar)
6 tiger reserves.

Mh: 16.5%

6 NPs: Chandoli, Gugamal, Nawegaon, Pench, Borivilli, Tadoba

Manipur: 75%

Rivers: Imphal, Bara
1 NP: keibul Lamjao
2 WLS
Siroi Lily - rare species endemic

Meghalaya: 76%

Rivers: Sanda, Simsang Umngot and Myntdu
NPs: Balphakram, Nokrek Ridge

Mizoram: 85%

NPs: Murlen, Phawngpui Blue Mountain

Nagaland: 75%

Barak river
Intangki NP

Orissa: 33%

Mangifera Indica

Punjab: 3.67%

Eucalyptus, Melia Azadirachta
Community reserves: Lalwan, Keshopur Champ

Raj: 4.86%

Banas, Chambal, Luni, Mahi
NPs: Desert, Keoladeo, Mukundra Hills, Ranthambhore, Sariska
Project tiger sites: Ranthambhore, Sariska and Mukundra Hills

Sikkim: 47%

Teesta, Rangit, Rangpo, Lachen
1 NP: Khandchenzonga

TN: 20%

Cauvery, Bhawani, Palar, Vaigai
Mukurthi NP (Nilgiri Tahr), Guindy, Gulf of Mannar Marine, Annamalai and Mudumalai

Telangana: 18.36%
Tripura: 74%

1/3rd popn ST
Clouded leopard and Bison

UP: 6.15%

Dudhwa

Uk: 45%

Corbett, Gangotri, Govind, Nanda Devi, Rajaji and Valley of Flowers

WB: 19%

Teesta, Torsa, Jaldhaka - tri of Brahmaputra
Buxa, Jaldapara, Gorumara, Neora Valley, Singalila and Sunderban

A&N: 81%

Kalpong river - drains Diglipur island
9 NPs: Campbell Bay, Galathea Bay, Marine Wandoor, Middle Button Island, Mount Harriett, North Button Island, Rani Jhansi Marine, Saddle Peak, South Button Island

Chandigarh: 19.3%

Sukhna, City Bird WLS

Dadra and nagar: 42%

Damanganga
Tribes: Dhodia, Kokna and Varli

Daman & Diu: 18%

Fudam Bird Sanctuary
Birds: Great white egret, Black winged stilt

Lakshwadeep: 90%

1 WLS - Pitti Bird Island

Puducherry: 10.7%

Oussudu Lake WLS

Global forest resource assessment 2020: By FAO, every 5 yrs. Forests have declined all across world in past 3 gains. But rate of decline has decreased, due to sustainable mgmt.

Naturally regenerating forest area decreased. Plantation increased
Africa (highest rate of net loss), then S. America
Asia (highest net gain in 2010-20) > Oceania > Eurupe
Tropical (45) > boreal > temperate > sub-tropical
Russia, BRazil, Canada, US , China : 54% area
S. America: highest % plantaiton forest. Europe: lowest.
South asia reported net forest loss during 1990-2020
India:

0.38% annual gain during decade. FRA credited govt’s Joint Forest mgmt programme.
Forest area managed by local, tribal and indigenous increased from ZERO in 1990, to 25 mn ha in 2015.
But naturally regenerating forest rate is disappointing
India reported max employment in forestry sector in world. Globally 12.5 mn employed. India accounted for nearly 50% .

Countries that recorded max average annual net gain:

CHina > Australia > India > Chile > Vietnam > Turkey > US > France > Italy > Romania

Wildlife conservation:

Concept of ’One health'
Import of exotic species - covered undr Customs Act of India. Includes animals listed in appendix 1,2, 3 of CITES, DOES NOT include those in Appendices of WPA 1972.

New guidelines: Registration, licence from DGFT , NOC from chief wildlife warden of state.

WPA -

Sch 6 has 6 plant species:

Beddomes cycad/Kondaitha/perita: Eastern peninsular india. Fire resistant property, cure for rhumatoid arthritis
Blue Vanda/Autumn lady orchid - Assam,AP,Meghalaya, Manipur, nagaland

blue flowers
Extensively cultivated in countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia

Kuth/kushta/Pooshkarmoola: Kashmir, HP

Anti-inflammatory drug, Tibetan medicine, scented roots, contain alkaloid ’saussurine’ which is medicinally imp

Ladies slipper orchid: anxiety, insomnia, muscular pain
Red Vanda: Manipur, assam, Andhra pradesh
Pitcher plant - insectivorous

Nepenthes khasiana - India’s only known pitcher plant species. Endangered. Evergreen shrub. Endemic to Meghalaya. In 2016, reported in Dima Hasao distt, Assam

Biodiversity: Effects of climate change:

Marine habitats:

Kelps expanding to Arctic and shrinking in other regions

Kelps - Brown algae seaweeds. Cool water species. Special strategies to survive freezing conditions and long periods of darkness => even grow under sea-ice.
Regions with cold , nutrient rich water - They can attain some of the highest primary production rates on earth
Concern - Lowered salinity and turbidity due to glacial melting, sediment dumping due to receding permafrost soils - can hamper growth.

Species extinction:

Woolly rhino, Mammoth - herbivores, that lived along with wild yak (endangered) in upper Himalayas, Tibetan plateau, parts of North Russia. Went extinct due to climate changes associated with end of Pleistocene posh and beginning of holocene (when humans were introduced).

EDGE species: Ecologically Distinct and globally endangered speices. Eg -Elephant

Air pollution:

Facts:
NCAP - first ever national framework for air quality mgmt with time bound reduction target.

Notified under EPA.
2019-2024. Base year - 2017
20-30% redn. In PM2.5 and 10 by between 2017 and 2024
CPCB will exexute
102 non-attainment cities, across 23 states and UTs (identified by CPCB)

SAFAR: System of Air quality and weather forecasting n research. Min of Earth sciences. Devp by IITM, Pune, IMD etc. Location specific info on air quality in near real time.

Monitors: PM1, 2.5, 10, Ozone, CO, NOx, SOx, Black Carbon, CH4, VOCs, HCs, Benzene, Mercury
Meteorological parameters like UV, Rainfall, Temp, humidity, Wind speed, direction, solar radiation

India- largest anthropogenic SO2 emitter in world. Has over 15% of all anthropogenic SO2 hotspots in world- a Greenpeace report. Norilsk in Russia - largest hotspot. Deadline for installation of flu-gas desulfurization in power plants extended to 2022.
Nitrogen:

Colombo Declaration: Technical support of International nitrogen management system, a Joint activity of UNEP, International Nitrogen initiative, supported by GEF. Halve Nitrogen waste by 2030.
Sustainable Nitrogen Management resolution, at UNEP 4th session in Kenya, 2019.
Sources:

NOx emissions grew at 52% from 1991 to 2001 and 69% from 2001 to 2011 in India.
agri is largest contributor. within agri, cereals pollute the most.
Among non agri, sewage and fossil fuel burning lead the trend

2017 - a team of Indian scientists - Indian Nitrogen Assessment (INA) initiative.
South Asia nitrogen Hub: established with funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under its Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). 18 indian insttns are part of a gp of 50. it will look at nitrogen in agriculture in eight countries – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives
Challenge:

Burning of fuels: air becomes so hot that N molecules break apart
Tropospheric ozone
Nitrous oxide: GHG
Nitrous oxide. - reaches stratosphere - breaks into Nitric acid in sunlight, which Damages ozone
Acidification of soil, water bodies.

Pre facts:

Primary pollutants
Secondary: Ground level ozone, Persistent organic pollutants.
PM 2.5 sources - Road dust(38%)> Vehicular pollution > domestic >industrial etc
NOx sources: Industrial point sources (52%) > vehicles (36%)
Black C

Second largest contributor to climate change after CO2. Absorb light, and a milion times more energy than CO2.
India is 2nd largest emitter in world. Indo-gangetic plains largest contributor.

CO2:

93% in oceans, then land. Least in atmosphere
COean atom exchange:

Colder regions are capable of absorbing more CO2 than warm regions, so the polar regions tend to be sinks of CO2
when released in atm, 50% remaisn in atm, 25% absorbed by land and 25% oceans.
Oceans absorbing CO2 - negative flux. Releasing - positive. Prior to the Industrial Revolution and the burning of fossil fuels, the net global ocean flux was slightly positive. Today, negative

Climate funds:

Climate Investment Funds (CIF) - Estb in 2008. African Devp Bank is implementing agency. fund low carbon and climate-resilient devp in developing countries. One of the world’s largest. Consists of Clean tech Fund (middle income countries) and Strategic Climate Fund (finances new approaches or scales up activities through the Forest Investment Program, the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience and the Scaling Up Renewable Energy low income countries)

Delhi Pollution:

Stubble burning:

Alternatives: promoting paddy-straw based power plants, incorporating crop residue in the soil, composting to convert residues to manure, new opportunities for industrial use.
SC suggestions - incentives and disincentives, eg through incorporating in MSP regime
Chhatisgarh model: ‘Gauthans’- dedicated 5 acre plots held in common by each village, where all the unused stubble is collected using parali-daan (stubble donation) and converted to organic fertilizer by rural youth. (Here, MGNREGA workers could be employed)c
Swedish torrefaction technology - rcently tested by India. Produce high-grade solid fuel from various streams of agri residue. Far greater energy density => logistics, handling, storage benefits.

Heating biomass to temp between 250-300 C at low oxygen. Moisture, low-calorific volatiles evaporate.

Kapurthala's' zero stubble burning villages: first harvested with combine harvester equipped with ' super SMS (straw management system)' and then sowing wheat using happy seeder. Farmers also rents a mulcher machine and a rotavator that mixes stubble with soil.

Led to increased yields.

Bio-decomposer- successful trials in Delhi. Pusa Decomposer is a mix of seven fungi that produce enzymes to digest cellulose, lignin and pectin in paddy straw.

Graded Response action plan prepared by SC mandated EPCA. Coordination among 13 different agencies in Delhi, UP, Haryana, Rajasthan.
Solutions:

Bus rapid transit ssytem, as in Mexico, Istanbul, Johannesburg.
Delhi govt’s policy - 25% of new vehicles regd in the capital by 2024 to be EVs.

Smog:

Sulphurous smog?london smog and Photochemical smog
Sulfurous smog, also known as London smog, develops due to high concentration of sulfur oxides in the air.
Photochemical smog is produced when sunlight reacts with oxides of nitrogen and at least one volatile organic compound (VOC) in the atmosphere.
causes inflamed lungs, and inflamed lungs, in turn, secrete interleukin-6 which can cause blood clots in people, cardiac and respiratory disorders, leading to heart attacks or strokes.Govt initiatives:

Indian railways replacing all Linke Hoffman Busch coaches with Head on gen (HoG) tech. HoG - train’s 'hotel load’ run by drawing electricity from overhead electric lines. in End on Gen (EoG) , hotel load provided by two-diesel gen sets

International:
Facts to use:

2018 Environment performance Index - India among 177 of 180 countries.
By the world bank’s calculations, health care fees and productivity losses from pollution cost India as much as 8.5% of GDP
Rise of lung cancer cases among non-smokers.
National ambient air quality standards - set by CPCB, mandate under air act, 1981. Pollutants - SO2, NOx, PM10, PM 2.5, Ozone, Pb, As, Ni, NH4, CO, Benzene, and Benzopyrene
National air quality index - based n 8 pollutants - PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, CO, Ozone, NH4, and Pb
N2O is GHG. NO and NO2 are not GHGs. They contribute indirectly through tropospheric ozone formation
World air quality report: By Greenpeace and IQAir AirVisual:

In South Asia alone, 99% cities exceeded WHO’s safe standard exposure of 10 ug/m3 annually.
Of the 10 cities with highest pollution, 7 are in India, one in China and 2 in Pakistan
Delhi 11th, also most polluted capital in world

BS-VI:

BS-IV fuels contain 50 parts per million (ppm) sulphur, the BS-VI grade fuel only has 10 ppm sulphur. BS VI can bring PM in diesel cars down by 80 per cent . The new norms will bring down nitrogen oxides for diesel cars by 70 per cent and in petrol cars by 25 per cent.
PM in diesel cars down by 80%
Real driving Emission (RDE) introduced in India first time. Emission in real time conditions
Diesel particulate filter and selective catalytic reduction being introduced.
BS-VI norms for L7 category vehicles (quadricycles) notified. This completes BS-VI for all categories. On lines of EU’s World’s motorcycle test cycle. (Part of global tech regulations established undr UN world forum for harmonization of vehicle regulations, called WP 29)
BS standards - set by CPCB. Introduced in 2000. India 2000, followed by BS 2 in 2001, BS 3 in 2005.

Info on pollutants:

Carbon:

Constitutes 49% of dry weight of organisms. Is next only to water.
Of total global carbon, 71% is found dissolved in oceans.

HCFCs:

India successfully phased out completely HCFC - 141b, as under Montreal protocol. CHEMICal used in foam manufactures
Was not manufactured in India. requirements met through import
One of the most potent ozone depleting chemicals after CFCs
Chemically similar to HBFCs, CFCs and halons, but are much less stable and less persistent.
Part of VOCs (so involved in reactions to produce ozone)
Have high GWP
Article 5 parties under montreal protocol - developing countries.

Black-carbon:

Household-industry(51%)>transport26%)>Agri(8%)

Methane:

Human-activities:2/3rd

Agri-42%,fossil-36%,waste-18%
Alternate-wetting-and-drying-cultivation-of-rice-could-reduce-emission-by-30%

40%-of-warming-since-industrial-revolution
Human sources: Fossil fuels (33%) > livestock farming (27%) > Landfills (16%) > biomass (11%) > rice farming (9) > biofuels (4)
Globally, increased methane emissions are responsible for half of the observed rise in tropospheric ozone levels.

Fly ash: contains radioactive substances like Uranium, thorium.

Radioactive substances are in minute amounts in coal. When it burns, they are concentrated by upto 10 times.
Uses:

Stabilize soft soils
Concrete production
Agri uses - soil amendment, fertilizer, cattle feeders, stabilization in stock field yards.
Cosmetics, toothpaste, kitchen countertops

Smog:

Photochemical:ozone, nitric acid, aldehydes,peroxyacyl nitrates (PANs) and other secondary pollutants.VOCs.NO2

SO2-is-a-component-of-London-smog

Sulphurous/London:

Environmental movements:

A lot of them have Gandhian overtones - Civil disobedience, Jal satyagraha, long walks, hunger strikes, involvement of political and community leaders, convening all party meetings to build consensus, petititoning to officials
Chipko - led by local community, women, local activists.
Narmada - led by tribal people with help of local, national, international non-profits. baba Amte, Medha Patkar
Silent valley protests
Plachimada agitation, kerela - to close down a coca-cola factory - Gandhian

Environmental governance in India:

Post the1972 Stockholm Conference, a constitutional amendment in 1976 inserted A48A- ‘protect and improve the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife'
Dept of Environment formed (later ministry)
Judiciary playing active role. Concept of PIL. NGT
PCBs- very poor job of enforcing a plethora of laws.

Statutarily set up as independent regulatory bodies, retain the worst of both worlds - rules and regulations of govt departments, and uncertainty of funding of an autonomous body
Filled with bureaucrats and industry representatives.

EIAs - sloppy, bogus. Public hearings often a sham. Statutarily backed by Environment Protection Act
Inadequately framed standards - heavy metal pollution water, groundwater
Need: environmentalism be seen not as apart from development, but a way of life.
Ideal examples:

Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection agency - Dahanu region at border of Gujarat and mh
Mobilization around lakes of Bengaluru for clean-up

began as a middle class campaign for a nice place to have a morning walk
Has now diversified into broader water mgmt campaign.
Sewage treatment plants (STPs) being set up on lake shores. Citizen-groups monitoring their functioning.
Research groups continuously sampling lake quality, studying addiditonal role of reef beds in purifying the w………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..ater.

EPI 2020 (binnial index, since 2002. 12th ed). India ranked 168 (177 last yr). Score unchanged. Among south asian countries, only Afghanistan behind India. Denmark 1st. US 24th.

Conservation and issues:

SC recently ruked that the govt has no right to transfer ‘invaluable’ community resources like village ponds to industrialists for commercialization. A21

Sustainable Development:

1987 - UN-backed Brundtland commission - gave report Our Common Future - which became the basis of sustainable development. World Commission on env and development.

UNFCCC:

Annex-1 countries: industrialised countries that were members of OECD in 1992 + Economies in transition (Russia, baltic states etc)

Small grants programme - GEF, implemented by UNDP on behalf of GEF. 1992. Funds extended to local communities, civil society organisations, for efforts towards environment conservation.

CITES:

March 3, 1973 (Celebrated as World wildlife day). COP - meets every 2/3 yrs. COP 18 - Geneva, Switzerland, August 2019. (CoP17: 2016, Johannesberg). India - once, CoP3 in 1981, New Delhi.
Administered by UNEP. Secretariat - Geneva. Legally binding on parties. Was drafted as a result of resolution at meeting of IUCN
3 appendices - 1: species In danger of extinction - commercial trade prohibited except scientific, edu purposes. 2: not threatened, but might suffer serious decline of not protected.trade regulated. 3: protected in at least one country, country has requested cooperation.
Smooth-coated otter and Asian small-clawed otter included in Appendix 1 recently. (Vulnerable, IUCN). Were accepted by vote with more than the required 2/3rd majority.

Smooth coated - Indian otter. Apex predators in Cauvery river system. (eat diseased and invasive fish species). Found in Tungabhadra, Cauvery, Kabini

Reports:

Global environment outlook. 6th report released. 5th was released in 2012. First published in 1997. UN Environment’s flagship environment assessment
Climat Change performance index - Germanwatch + CAN. India 9th
GLobal Climate risk Index - Germanwatch. India 5th most vulnerable to climate change. Japan most vulnerable.
Environment perfomance index - WEF + Columbia + Yale. India 177
Global Env Outlook - UNEP (Nairobi - HQ. Formed during Stockholm conference). 3 tr $ health impact
Emission gap report - UNEP.
Global Greenhouse gas bulletin - WMO.(HQ - Geneva) (Also releases Status of World climate report)
Frontier report - UNEP. - 5 major energy issues world is facing
Global Energy and CO2 status report - IEA. (also World energy outlook.) Per capita CO2 emission of India is 40% less than the average developed countries
Energy Transition Index - WEF. Part of Fostering Effective Energy transition Initiative. 3 parameters: economic development and growth, sustainability, energy access and security.

India - consistent yr on year progress since 2015. 2020 rank - 74
US not in top 25% this yr

GLobal Energy Architecture performance index - WEF
Global Chemical Outlook - UNEP. aims at soud mgmt of chemical pollution for ensuring sustainable devp.
Climate vulnerability Index - Min of Sc and Tech. Vulnerability of 12 Himalayan states to climate change. Assam and Mizoram most vulnerable.
Climate vulnerability assessment map - pan india assessment being developed (already developed for 12 states in IHR), joint project of DST and a swiss agency. Part of National Missionfor sustaining Himalayan ecosystem, and National Mission on Strategic knowledge for climate change.
Decarbonizing development: WB.
State of World Forest - FAO (also releases Global Forest Resource Assessment report)
State of the World water report - by WaterGate. India - country with max GW depletion. Released on World Water day (22 march).India exports about 12% of water. Highest in world
Central GW Authority - Under Environment protection act. Has authority to levy fines. (Policy CGWB banata hai, implement CGWA karta hai). Both under Min of Jal Shakti
Composite water mgmt index - 60 cr people are facing water crisis in India
Living Planet report - WWF. (Logo - Giant panda, vulnerable. India - ____ panda, endangered)
Global Assessment of FOrest diversity - WWF (GLobal resource assessment - FAO)
Earth Overshoot day - WWF + Global footprint network
TX2 programme - WWF. St Petersburg declaration. Nepal first country to double its popn.
IEA - formed in 1973 after oil crisis
IRENA - HQ: Abu Dhabi
SARAL Index (State of rooftop solar attractiveness index) - ranks state govts wrt solar. MNRE, Assocham and E&Y. Ktk ranked top. >Telangana > Guj >AP
Gobal Assessment report on biodiversity and Ecosystem services - Intergovt Sciency Policy Platform on biodiversity (IPBES, HQ - Bonn, germany)
IPCC - WMO+ UNEP
World wildlife crime report- UN Office on Drugs and Crime. (also runs Global program o wildlife and forest conservation). 1st in 2016. 2nd ed in 2020
HinduKush assessment report. - Intl Centre for Integrated Mountain devp (HQ - Lalitpur, Nepal)- 90% of Himalayan glaciers will vanish by end of 21st century
IPCC 6th assessment report - will study link between consumption and climate change, and availability of new tech to tackle climate change
Blue Carbon initiative - IUCN, CI, IOC-UNESCO
State of India’s environment 2019: Down to earth magazine

Air pollution: 12.5% of all deaths in India. 1 lakh children below age 5.
86 water bodis are critically polluted. bulk in Ktk, telangana, Kerela. Groundwater - running 95% of all minor irrigation schemes in country.
Insured cropped area - 26%
Kerela does not have a single 24*7 public health centre. Countrywide, 26% positions for meical officers vacant. no of new doctors qualifyinf has decreased by 60% b/w 2013 and 2017.
World’s largest absolute burden of atleast 11 Neglected tropical diseases, including Dengue
While India claims to process 96% of its bio-med waste, 11 states/UTs have defaulting hospitals.
Gas-based plants running at just 24% of capacity due to domestic gas shortage. Hydropower projects - 19% of capacity, their share in total installed capacity has consistently declined since 1962.
Energy sector- 73% of total GHG emision.
Recently shifted to SNPP-VIIRS forest fire monitoring alert system. Detected 70,000 in april, 9.5 times more than prev technology.

Conferences:

Intl conf on augmenting nature - by ANGAN. energy efficiency in building sector. Organized by BEE, under Indo-German tech cooperation initiative

Polar stratospheric warming: sudden warming of olar regions due to early breakdown of polar vortex (which generally breaks when sunlight reaches poles)due to waves from troposphere going upwards. Reversal of wind happens and westerlies become easterly.

Although we have seen plenty of weak or moderate variations in the polar vortex in southern pole over the past 60 yrs, the only other true sudden stratospheric warming event in the Southern Hemisphere was in September 2002.In contrast, their northern counterpart occurs every other year or so during late winter of the Northern Hemisphere because of stronger and more variable tropospheric wave activity.

PRe:

World env day 2020 - Columbia and Germany host. Theme: ‘Biodiversity: a concern both urgent and existential’

Conservation reserves- under WPA

Lakshwadweep. -world’s first conservation area for sea cucumbers announced. Endangered, Sch 1 of WPA. Protected under CITES. Invertebrates. Total ban on hrvesting since 2001

Bodies:

UN environment assembly: Cleared during 2012, during UN conference on sustainable development. (Rio +20)

World’s highest decision making body. Meets biennially
4th session-2019 - Nairobi, Kenya. Theme: ‘innovative solutions for env challenges ...'

UNEP launched Global env outlook report
Nations unanimously agreed to cut down single use plastic by 2030

International whaling commissions:

International convention for regulation of whaling, signed in US, 1946
1982 - moratorium on commercial whaling. Not accepted by all countries. Eg Japan.
Indian Ocean whaling sanctuary, southern ocean whale sanctuary - only two sanctuaries where commercial whaling completely banned.

Global coalition to protect pollinators:

Formed in 2016 at CoP to CBD, in Mexico. Initiative of Netherlands.
India is not a member. 28 members.
75% food crops in the world and 90% wild flowering plants emend on animal pollination.

Climate and Clean air coalition:

Voluntary partnership of govts, inter-govt orgns, businesses etc. Focussed against short-lived pollutants like Methane, Black C, HFCs. India is not a partner.

Climate change peformance index, Germanwatch: First published 2005. Enhance transparency in international climate politics. Indicators - GHG emissions (40%), Renewable energy (20%), energy use (20%) and climate policy (20%)

India among top 10 countries (Rank 9)
US - worst performing country. China - 30th
Only two G20 ranked high - UK (7) and India
Emissions decreasing in 31 of 57 high emitting countries.

Climate tech centre and network (CTCN) - operational arm of UNFCCC tech mechanism, hosted by UNEP and UNIDO. Outcome of Cancun CoP 16.(GCF, Adaptation fund also outcome of Cancun)
Climate Ambition Alliance: achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Launched at Climate Action summit, New york in 2019. India not a member. Led by Chile.
NTCA: statutary body, under MoEF. Mandate within ambit of Wildlife act. Minister of Env chairs. Accords approvals to new tiger reserves.
National Ganga Council: Chaired by the PM.

Pollution prevention and rejuvenation of Ganga river basin.
National Mission on Clean ganga is its implementation arm. Has a 2-tier mgmt structure - Governing council and Executive committee, both headed by Director General, NMCG. Aim of NMCG: min ecological flow, and effective abetment of pollution through inter-sectoral coordination.
Set up in 2016, replacing NGRBA. FIrst meeting: Dec 2019, Kanpur
formed via the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016

IUCN:

IUCN + UNEP + WWF - published the World Conservation Strategy, 1980 - defined concepts of ‘Sustaniable development’. follow up - ‘Caring for the earth’ - 1992

Indian Himalayan region: Importance:

Context: Himalayan states recently met to demand a green bonus. (A kind of Payment for Ecosystem services (PES)). Mussorie resolution passed.
The 11 himalayan states: J&K, Uk, HP and 8 NE states. 2 districts of WB also.
Why green bonus:

Most of the rivers originate in Himalayas. Hence, higher role in PM's water conservation initiative.
More than 41.5% of IHR IHR under forests - 1/3rd of country’s total forest cover, & nearly half of ‘very good’ forest cover. By preserving forest cover, these states ensure larger life saving services to nation, major carbon sink, averts soil erosion. Forego revenue and development activities.
Strategic: share border with 6 neighbouring countries.
18% of country’s land, only 3% of population.

14th FC - 7.5% weight to forest cover. 12th and 13th FCs earmarked funds to be allocated based on forest cover.
What forward?Farmers should also be warded for their ecological services. Most farmers in these states practise traditional farming. Would both bring down poverty and make agri climate resilient.

Hindu-Kush Himalayas:

Source of 10 major asian river systems
4 Global biodiversity hotspots
High biodiversity
Largest reserve of ice outside polar regions
Diverse cultures, languages, religions, traditional knowledge systems
DIrect livelhood for 210 mn people living here

Red list index - one of the indicators under CBD

Concepts:

Biocentrism v/s Anthropocentrism:

Natural environment has it's own set of rights, independent of it's ability to be useful to humans.
MK Ranjitsinh v/s UoI: install bird diverters in power project cases, for GIBs

GIBs - lack frontal vision

'Snail darter' case, US: Govt went ahead with a reservoir project threatening an endangered fish species.

Global best practises:

Ecuador - 1st country to recognise Rights of Nature in 2008

Climate change is real:

2001-19: 52% increase in frequency of cyclones over Arabian Sea. 8% decrease over BoB. (Compared to 1982-2002)

Forests:

Economic value - expert committee - 300 heritage trees fell in W. Bengal (fr construction of railway over-bridges) will cost India 2.2 bn rupees
Conservation:

Heritage Tree tag - Maharashtra

For trees age 50/>
If cut, plant no of trees equal to the age of tree, under Compensatory afforestation.

State of Environment report 2021, CSE:

Of 88 major industrial clusters, 35 showed overall environmental degradation. Tarapur in Mh most polluted cluster.

Desertification:

Project BOLD - Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought. KVIC

create Bamboo-based green patches in arid and semi-arid zones

Bodies:

CITES:

Signed on 3rd March 1975. World Wildlife Day
Appendix I prohibits trade in species classified as highly endangered.
Appendix II allows trade under very specific conditions. This requires exporting countries obtain a permit, but not the importing country.
Appendix III species require only a certificate of origin to be traded.

Air pollution:

World Air quality Report 2020 - 22 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities including Delhi are in India.

Ghaziabad - 2nd most polluted in world after Xinjiang
Delhi - world’s most polluted capital
8 Indian cities in top 10. Delhi 10th
India 3rd most polluted in 2020, after Pak and Bangla. 5th last yr

Waste:

E-waste:

10 lakh tonnes generated - CPCB, 2019-20 (7 lakh tonne 2017-18)
E-wste mgmt rules 2016
Globally, only 17% e-waste formally processed in recycling
WHO's CHildren and digital dumpsites report:

Mns of Children, adoloscents, pregnant women - working in dumpsites

Plastic:

Micro-plastic:

An average person eats 50000 pieces of microplastic a year. 2019 study

Global partnership on marine litter: UN-CSD (Rio+20)
Plastic waste Mgmt (Amendment) Rules 2021:

Prohibit single use plastic with 'low utility and high littering' potential. WEF 1st July 2022'
Not apply to compostable plastic
Permitted thickness: 75 microns from Sept 2021. 120 microns from Dec 2022
CPCB, State PCBs will monitor
OTHER PLASTIC BE MANAGED THROUGH Extended producer responsibility
Consumption per Capita:

India: 11 kg/yr
Global: 28 kg/yr

26k tonne generated everyday in India, only 10k processed

Bio-medical:

CPCB:615-tonnes-a-day
WHO:Improper-waste-mgmt-major-cause-of-increase-in-infectious-diseases.AMR
Biomedical-waste-mgmt-rules:

Pre-treatment:On-site-sterelization
Segregation:4-categories
Maintenance:Mgmt-register,records
Disposal-precedure:Segregation-in-colored-bags

IPCC-AR6:

1.07℃ out of the 1.09℃ warming is due to GHG associated with human activities.
Thus, almost 100% of global warming has been caused by humans.
To keep within 1.5 rise:

Global emission be reduced by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, on way to net zero by 2050

Net zero?

India:7% of global emissions

Green initiatives:

EV adoption:

GLobal EV Outlook 2021- 3 mn new EVs registered in 2020. 41% higher than 2021.
In India, more than 30% of the new vehicle sales in India will be electric by 2030.

GM:

HtBt cotton - 'Cp4-Epsps' gene from agrobacterium tumafaciens

Acts:

Forest Conservation Act:

Prohibits felling of forests for any ’non-forestry’ use without prior clearance by central govt
Clearance needs consent from local forest right holders and wildlife authorities.

EIA:

Espoo (EIA) Convention: obligations of Parties to assess the environmental impact of certain activities at an early stage of planning (UNECE)

Western ghats:

MAdhav gadgil committee:

Calls them Kalidasa's charming maiden
"backbone of the ecology and economy of south India”.
WMO:

Kerela-2018-floods:included-amng-5-major-flooding-events-b/w-2015-2019-worldwide

GSI-study:

faulty cultivation patterns and defective main tenance of drainage systems in landslide vulnerable areas

Conclusions:

UN: cultural model of devp/governance as the ideal way forward - involves communities
UNEP - at present rate, there will be more plastic than fish in ocean by 2050

Class Notes 4 You

Notes for Environment

Post a Comment

UPSC CSE 2023 Mains -Starts on 15 Sep 2023 (Friday)