Category: Environment & Biodiversity

The tight relationship between altering weather events and their effects on people’s health was recently documented in depth in a Lancet article.

The News—

The world’s reliance on fossil fuels raises the risk of disease, food insecurity, and other ailments associated to heat, according to the 2022 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: Health at the Mercy of Fossil Fuels.

Impact

(1) Extreme Events

• Heatwaves: According to a Lancet analysis, the number of heatwave days experienced by vulnerable groups (adults over 65 and children under 1) was 3.7 billion more in 2021 than it was in each year from 1986 to 2005.
• Change in patterns: There is no question that climate change is a direct cause of catastrophes like floods, droughts, and repeated cyclones.

(2) Impact on health

• Infectious diseases: The transmission of infectious diseases is being impacted by climate change, increasing the likelihood of emerging diseases and co-epidemics. For instance, Vibrio infections are becoming better suited for transmission in coastal waters.
• More vector-borne diseases: In the highland regions of the Americas and Africa, the number of months conducive to malaria transmission has increased.
• The WHO estimates that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will result in an additional 2,50,000 deaths year from hunger, malaria, diarrhoea, and heat stress.
• Among others: poor air quality and an increase in zoonotic infections.

(3) Food security

• Crop loss: As temperatures rise, crop yields are directly threatened since many cereal crops’ growing seasons are shortened.
• Disruptions to supply chains: Extreme weather conditions compromise food availability, access, stability, and utilisation.
• Malnutrition: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of undernourishment increased, and up to 161 million more people experienced hunger in 2020 than in 2019.

@the-end

• An chance to offer a healthy, low-carbon future exists with a health-centered approach to the converging crises of the environment, energy, and cost of living.
• Identification of the issue: The research emphasises that the governments’ commitment to evaluating and addressing the challenges posed by climate change is encouraging.
• Holistic strategy: A health-centered solution would function in this way; it would lessen the possibility of the worst effects of climate change while enhancing energy security and opening up opportunities for economic recovery.
• Change in eating habits: The research also advocates for an expedited shift to balanced, more plant-based diets, as this would help cut down on emissions from the production of red meat and milk and prevent deaths linked to food.
• Easing healthcare: The report places a strong emphasis on easing the burden on healthcare professionals and fostering the development of stronger healthcare systems.

Private companies were forewarned by the UN Secretary-General to stop using greenwashing techniques and change their ways within a year.

Greenwashing

• It can give the misleading impression that a business or its products are environmentally aware or friendly.
• It is an attempt to profit from the rising demand for environmentally sound items.
• The phrase first appeared in the 1960s when one of the most overt instances of greenwashing was created by the hotel sector.
• Some businesses have been charged with greenwashing in an effort to profit from the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing movement.
• It gives a false picture of the progress being made on the climate change front, so pushing the globe towards disaster and rewarding entities for irresponsible behaviour.
• Genuinely green products or businesses support their statements with facts and specifics.

Examples

• A new shower curtain is packaged in plastic and is marked ‘Biodegradable’.
• It’s unclear whether the shower curtain or the package can be recycled.
• If any portion of the packaging or its contents, except from minor components, cannot be recycled, the label is false in either scenario.
• ‘50% more recycled content than previously’ is written on a room rug.
• In actuality, the manufacturer upped the recycled content from 2% to 3%. Despite being technically accurate, the message gives the impression that the rug contains a lot of recycled fibre.

Offsets & Credits

• Trading carbon is a legal activity. In reality, it is endorsed by the government.
• Carbon credits are given to nations or businesses that cut emissions above their quota; these credits can then be purchased for money by organizations who require them to meet their objectives.
• A carbon market already existed under the Kyoto Protocol, and one is being established under the Paris Agreement.
• Since they were first conceived, carbon markets’ reach has multiplied. There are also unregulated carbon markets.
• Such transactions, particularly in informal, bilateral or voluntary marketplaces, have been identified for lack of integrity and duplicate counting. The credits are frequently certified by unofficial third-party firms and sold to others.

India joined the Mangrove Alliance for Climate, calling for the integration of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) programmes with mangrove conservation (MAC).

takeaways

• India is one of the first five nations to join the MAC at the Conference of the Parties’ (COP27) 27th session in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Australia, Japan, Spain, and Sri Lanka round out the list.

• The move is in line with India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5- 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent, through additional forest and tree cover, by 2030. The MAC initiative brings the world together to advance the global cause of mangroves.

Significance of Mangroves

• The most productive ecosystems on earth are mangrove forests.

• A variety of organisms use this tidal forest as a nursery.

• It guards against coastal erosion.

• It captures carbon.

• It gives millions of people a means of subsistence.

• Mangroves can operate as a buffer against ocean acidification and as a sink for microplastics. They can also absorb four to five times more carbon emissions than planted tropical forests.

Mangroves distribution according to the State of the World’s Mangroves Report 2022

• Mangroves are found in tropical and subtropical areas. The loss caused by humans accounts for 62% of the total losses of more than 600 square kilometres or 60,000 hectares between 2010 and 2020.
• 6.4% of the world’s mangroves are found in South Asia.
• Over 50% of South Asia’s total mangrove cover is found in India.
• Southeast Asia has the largest area of mangroves, with Indonesia accounting for a fifth of the total worldwide.
• Nearly half of the world’s mangroves are found in Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, and Nigeria combined.
• 4,992 km2 of the nation’s total land area, or 0.15 percent, is covered with mangroves, according to the Forest Survey report 2021.
• Odisha (8 km2), Maharashtra (4 km2), and Karnataka are the top three states with an increase in mangrove cover (3 km2).
• The Sundarbans, one of the world’s largest remaining mangrove ecosystems, sustain a high level of biodiversity in both the terrestrial and marine settings.
• In India’s Andamans, Sundarbans, and Gujarat regions, there has been a noticeable rise in the mangrove cover.

Proactive measures taken by Maharashtra to preserve Mangroves

• Creating a Mangrove Cell.

• The Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation was established in order to foster research and livelihood initiatives while also increasing mangrove cover.

The diversion of 130 sq km of forest on Great Nicobar Island for the major project has received preliminary approval from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

The Great Nicobar

• The Great Nicobar Island is the archipelago’s southernmost island. The Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve is there.

• About 200 members of the mongoloid Shompen Tribe dwell in the biosphere reserve’s woodlands, especially near rivers and streams.

About Great Nicobar Project

• A transhipment port, an airport, a power plant, and a greenfield township are all part of the Great Nicobar Island Mega Project, which is being carried out by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation in accordance with a vision plan developed by the NITI Aayog.
• The submission of a comprehensive plan for compensating afforestation on Haryana’s “non-notified forest land” is a crucial need for the project’s approval.

Ecological impact

• To begin with, the project’s area is about 15% of the 900 sq km of the heavily forested Great Nicobar Island. One of the largest such forest diversions in recent memory is this one.
• It accounts for 65% of the 203 sq km of forest area diverted in the three years between 2015 and 2018 and over a quarter of all the forest land diverted in the past three years nationwide.
• Secondly, according to the ministry’s own calculations, this project will need the removal of 8.5 lakh trees in Great Nicobar.
• Third, the project region is home to unique flora and animals, which is doubly significant given that they are main evergreen tropical forests with great biological diversity and high endemism. These include saltwater crocodiles, the Nicobar megapode (a flightless bird native to the Nicobar islands), and leatherback sea turtles.

In India, groundwater extraction has decreased over 18 years, according to a Central Ground Water Board review (CGWB).

Declining trend of Groundwater Extraction

• In 2022, the nation’s total annual groundwater recharge will be 437.6 billion cubic metres (bcm).
• However, the 2022 CGWB report states that the total country’s extraction is just 239,16 bcm.
• The annual groundwater recharge was 436 bcm while the annual groundwater extraction was 245 bcm, according to a 2020 assessment.
• According to the 2022 assessment, groundwater extraction is at its lowest level since 2004, when it reached 231 bcm.

Effects of the CGWB report

• The assessment’s in-depth study reveals an increase in ground water recharge.
• This is primarily due to:
  1. An increase in canal seepage recharge,
  2. Recharge from water bodies, tanks, and water conservation structures, as well as irrigation water return flow.

Impact of Groundwater Depletion

• Water table lowering: Groundwater depletion may cause the water table to drop, making it more challenging to remove groundwater for use.
• Reduction of water in streams and lakes: Groundwater seepage into streambeds is a major source of the water that flows through rivers. Water flow in these streams may be reduced by groundwater depletion.
• Land subsidence: The soil is frequently supported by groundwater. When the water is removed, this equilibrium is disrupted, causing the soil to contract, descend, and collapse, resulting in land subsidence.
• Extraction of water is more expensive since it must be done at greater depths due to the declining groundwater levels that are lowering the water table. This will make getting water more expensive.

Regulation of Groundwater in India

• Authority for Central Ground Water (CGWA): Its task is to oversee the nation’s ground water management and development. It was established in accordance with the 1986 Environment (Protection) Act. For ground water withdrawal, CGWA publishes advisories, public notifications, and grants No Objection Certificates (NOC).

• Program for the National Aquifer Mapping and Management (NAQUIM): The Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched an effort called NAQUIM to map and manage the nation’s extensive aquifer systems. It updates India’s hydrological map.

• Atal Bhujal Yojana: It is a Central Sector Scheme for the community-based sustainable management of groundwater resources in water-stressed blocks.

@the-end

• Regular survey: It is important to regularly assess groundwater levels in order to have sufficient information for developing new strategies and policies.

• Assessment of land use: Research should be done to determine how much agricultural land is used and how much of it is occupied by overtly exploited units.

• Modifications to farming practices: On-farm water management strategies and improved irrigation techniques should be employed in order to improve the water table in places where it is being overused.

• Changes to power supply subsidies are required because the flat rate of electricity negatively impacts how much groundwater is used in agriculture.

• Monitoring extraction: In order to ensure long-term sustainability, a policy should be in place to keep an eye on the overuse of groundwater resources.

Here is a look at the history of the issue and what actions the elected governments of Delhi and the Centre have implemented throughout time to reduce air pollution as it has become a yearly occurrence in New Delhi and the NCR.

Causes of Poor Air Quality

1. One of the factors contributing to poor air quality are motor vehicle emissions.
2. The coal-fired power station Badarpur Thermal Power Station was another significant contributor to Delhi’s air pollution.
3. Wet cooling towers are used extensively in industry and other industries to dissipate heat in cooling systems, and as a result, their drift/mist emissions are also a source of particulate matter.
4. Despite the fact that Delhi is kerosene-free and 90% of households use LPG, the other 10% cook with wood, crop waste, cow dung, and coal. (Indian Census, 2011)
5. In Delhi, airborne particulates are primarily caused by fires in the Bhalswa dump.
6. Left-wing activists frequently blame Delhi’s bad air quality on the burning of effigies during Vijayadashami and the setting off of firecrackers during Diwali.
7. Since the 1980s, when crops are being harvested, agricultural stubble burning in Haryana and Punjab, together with north-westerly winds, also has an impact on Delhi’s air quality.

Revised Air Quality standards

• The Central Pollution Control Board (CPB) set the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) (CPCB).
• It assessed pollutants like Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and PM10 (particulate matter with a diameter greater than 10 microns).
• Twelve categories of pollutants, including PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter under 2.5 microns), were added to the NAAQS in a 2009 revision.
• The main source of particle matter (PM) emissions is the combustion of fuels used in the transportation, energy, residential, commercial, and agricultural sectors.

Finally arriving @ Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)

• The permissible yearly limit for PM2.5 is 40 ug/m3, and for PM10 it is 60 ug/m3, according to the amended NAAQS.
• In the winter of 2016, Delhi had one of the worst cases of smog brought on by pollution, with PM2.5 and PM10 levels in some areas of Delhi reaching a staggering 999 ug/m3 on November 1.
• The Supreme Court subsequently instructed Delhi and NCR authorities to create a plan to address the air pollution in November 2016.
• The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was released by the MoEFCC at the beginning of 2017.

The first-ever snow leopard sighting from the Baltal-Zojila region has given the high-altitude regions of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh new hope for the elusive animal.

The number of snow leopards in J&K and Ladakh is unknown.

In Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI) has already been completed.

In these two States, there are 50 and 100 great cats, respectively, according to estimates.

Snow Leopard

The hilly areas of Central and Southern Asia are home to snow leopards.

Their geographic range in India includes the UTs of J&K and Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas, as well as a significant portion of the western Himalayas.

In 2009, Project Snow Leopard was established to improve the protection of animals in the high altitudes of the Himalayas.

It seeks to provide a framework for conservation that is knowledge-based, flexible, and fully engages the local populations that share the snow leopard’s range.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List categorises the snow leopard as Vulnerable.

Additionally, the snow leopard is classified in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species along with all other big cats (CITES).

The Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 in India places the snow leopard on Schedule I, providing it the greatest level of protection possible.