Fiscal
motivation for urban energy
By this time, most government budgets have almost been made.
But there's still a silver of time, and we should ask for the
critical issue facing India to be addressed: Climate Change.
Let's play hypothetical and unburden ourselves of our inherent
cynicism. Let's ask for something that positively impacts global
greenhouse warming. My request would be for significant fiscal
incentives for medium-scale pilot projects for green energy in
cities. It could be from rooftop solar energy to sourcing
cleaner energy for specific uses.
If we had a pilot project, we would be in a very good place as
far as making a meaningful reduction in green house gas emission
is concerned.
First, energy from coal is one of the topmost contributors in
the case of India. Green energy - solar, wind, micro-hydel -
reduces the dependence on coal based energy. Besides, if we know
how to effectively use it in cities, the impact is significant,
because some of the biggest non-industrial users of energy are
present here. New commercial buildings are some of the biggest
sources of greenhouse emissions. These are where such pilots
should begin. But wait, it should not be a government type plan
where orders are given and inspectors monitor compliance. It has
to be incentivised. Any successful pilot should be able to
reward the partners for showing what works and what doesn't and
why. Then at least even communities, institutions and
micro-enterprises can invest ahead. So why not start now?
The corn-diesel tragedy Here is the latest green
tragedy. It's spelt out in two new studies released last week in
Science magazine. Scientists from the Universities of Minnesota
and Princeton show how corn-based bio-diesel creates more
greenhouse warming than it reduces. To cultivate them, cutting
grasslands and forests is inevitable. We lose carbon sinks. We
already knew corn fuels created food scarcity. So, can any
bio-diesel ever be sustainable? If it competes with over 90
dollar-a-barrel, it will always be lucrative to displace
valuable eco-systems. One option is to create incentives to
preserve such greens, including correlate them with other funds
that are more sought after.
What if preserving the grasslands entities you to improved
sanitation? How would you create incentives, given a chance?
From Sweden, a fast-track pollution
measuring device
The city's total vehicular pollution can be measured in
two-three hours with our new system. From a helicopter, it may
just take 30 minutes to do this," says Bo Galle, an
associate professor in the Department of Radio and Space
Science, Chalmers University, Gothenburg, Sweden.
"Unlike in the traditional methods, where pollution data
is collected from several points, the new method gives a measure
of the total pollution in a city," Galle said in an
exclusive interview with the Hindustan Times.
The other advantages is that this one instrument can provide
the data of different gases like nitrogen dioxide, sulphur
dioxide, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, a departure from
the traditional way, where different methods are used to measure
different gases.
The method, that uses optical physics, is already in use in
Kathmandu, Beijing and Mexico, said Galle.
Explaining the new method, he said, "Gases absorb light
and different gases do it differently, creating a field of
absorption spectroscopy, where we study the changes in the
spectrum of light to know about the content ant type of gas."
Delhi to get world-class air monitors
The capital seems to have woken up to the clear and present
danger posed by rising levels of air-pollution. It plans to put
into place a world-class air pollution measuring mechanism
capable of monitoring even the tiniest harmful particle in the
air.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will soon commission
six new high-tech machines that can measures even the smallest
toxic chines that can measure even the smallest toxic particle
floating in the air known as PM 2.5 (particulate matter only 2.5
microns in the size - about one-seventh the diameter of human
hair).
Known as "fine particles", these can breach the
deepest parts of the lungs and be more harmful than any other
known particulate matter.
Imported from the US, each machine costs Rs.5 lakh and will be
installed at Nizamuddin and Siri Fort in the South, Janakpuri
and Pitampura in the West and Shahdara and Shahajadabagh in the
East, within a fortnight.
This apart, the CPCB is about to start three new automated
air-pollution monitoring stations to take the total number of
such stations in Delhi to seven. "We are looking at areas
like IIT-Delhi, GTB Hospital, Dwarka and Delhi Milk Scheme at
Shadipur, out of which we will select three locations,"
said CPCB director S.D. Makhijani.
Will extensive monitoring lead to cleaner air in Delhi? "Comprehensive
monitoring is the first step towards pollution control,"
said Anumita Roychowdhury, associate director of Centre for
Science and Environment. "Data generated through so many
monitoring points will be more representative of air quality and
help frame stricter policies.
And how does it impact the ongoing diesel debate? "Diesel
vehicles emit more finer toxic particles, so we will now have a
more accurate picture of diesel pollution," she said.
MCD goes all out to make city greenerThe
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is going all out to make
their pastures greener before the commencement of the 2010
Commonwealth Games.
The civic agency has zeroed in on a number of trees and plants,
which it started planting for increasing the green belt and also
for beautification purpose.
The MCD will plant trees and shrubs on 84 roads in the city. "We
will soon start the process. We have already made a list of
trees and shrubs that we will plant. They have been selected
specifically so that they can withstand harsh weather and do not
require much maintenance. The main purpose is to make the city
green and environment friendly," said an official of the
MCD. The civic agency will plant around 5 lakh plants and shrubs
like hibiscus and bougainvillea. The roads where they will be
planted include the roads in Okhla, Patel Nagar and Shakti
Nagar.
All these are a part of the grand plans of the civic agency.
Earlier also the agency had decided to revamp and renovate the
roads in the city.
The new roads might have features like ornamental lamps,
disabled friendly footpaths with inlaid tactile to assist the
visually impaired people and kiosks among other things.
The MCD will also not allow any kind of digging on their roads
by any agency after they are renovated.
Obama or Hillary, who's more green
What happens in the United States affects us all.
As people concerned about the environment, the green track
records of the Predential hopefuls is important to us. After
all, isn't the US the one country that emits the most greenhouse
gases? Their current president has made a mockery of the
environment.
However, the two democratic combatants - Obama and Clinton has
been talking about creating green collar jobs and Obama has been
talking of cutting down petrol consumption. They have near
identical positions on Climate Change - both expect to cut down
US emissions to 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050.
However, Obama promises to invest much more in renewable energy
- a $150 billion over the next decade, compared to Clinton's $50
billion. And he appears to have serious reservations about
Genetically Modified Foods.
But it's also been reported that he is in favour of nuclear
energy, having received funding from the industry. In the US,
however, even the greens are split over nuclear. So, who is a
greener candidate? I can't say for sure, but I am struck by one
thing about Obama.
For many years, it has been the communities of colour that have
been dumped upon-toxic dumps and facilities have been frequently
cited close to their settlements. Obama has been involved in the
issue, campaigning against it. Perhaps then, an environmental
justice regime is more likely under him. All of this is
speculative, because as recent US history tell us, Presidents
are as much about their own ideas as about being able to
convince everyone else with them. With such similarities,
perhaps it is best to hope that the next President, whoever it
is, Democratic or Republican, has a good green agendas that can
be pushed even to non-believer.
Baby Bottle Danger
Most of us here tend to implicitly trust things imported. We
presume they have been through a rigorous procedure before being
allowed to be on the market. But no, the well respected Centre
for Health, Environment and Justice recently co-produced a
report on baby feeding bottles in the USA and shocked the public
with its findings. When you heat the bottles, (which everyone
does), they leach the deadly Bisphenol A. This is a new age
toxin, which cause reproductive harm such as early puberty in
girls, breast cancer and obesity.
UP axed 2,000 trees near Taj
More than 2,000 trees have been axed around hotels near the Taj
Mahal for the widening of roads, says a monitoring committee
appointed by the Supreme Court.
The Felling of trees is apparently in violation of an
undertaking Pradesh government before the special environment
bench of the Supreme Court.
Asking where the 2,232 trees had disappeared, the committee said
the government could not have gone ahead with the project in
2006 because its application seeking permission to axe the trees
is still pending with the court.
Committee members, advocate Kishan MAhajan, R.C.Trivedi,
additional director, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and
C.S. Sharma, senior scientist with the CPCB made the revelation
in their recent report.
The members said they had personally visited the area on January
19 and found just 100 trees left on the 14km road. The roads
have been widened from two lanes to four lanes at some points
and to six lanes.
The committee had brought the issue to the court's notice in
October 2006. Objections were raised on the ground that the
project was started without permission from the court for
extensive destruction of the green belt around the Taj. A month
later, after the court was informed about the road-widening
projects, the state government moved an application seeking the
special bench's approval for felling about 2,332 trees.
During the hearing, when advocate Mahajan requested a stay, the
UP government counsel gave an undertaking in the court that no
tree had been felled and that none would be axed till its
application was disposed of.
On January 9, 2008, the special bench directed the UP government
to approach the Central Government and Taj Trapezium Authority
for an environment assessment certificate.
India warms up to green buildings
There has been a steady rise in the number of certified 'green'
buildings in India measured by the rating system called LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environment Design ) developed by the
US Green Building Council. The country's first platinum-rated
green building under the LEED system was the CII-Sohrabji Godrej
Green Business Centre at Hyderabad. Here is a list of green
buildings that have been certified by LEED as green.
A 1,000-km yatra for and along Yamuna
As concerns over the health of River Yamuna continues to take
centre stage, a city based environmental group is organizing a
1000-km 'Yatra' along its banks, in which the cause of saving
the river will be wedded with spirit of adventure and spiritual
pursuit.
Tracing the ancient river from its source in Yamnotri in the
Himalayas to many towns and cities downstream, the 'Yamuna
Yatra' starting from March 19, will conclude in the historic
city of Agra after 12 days.
"The participants can see for themselves the journey of the
river from its sacred birth place to the places where it is
bearing the burnt of industrial and domestic pollution,"
said Supriya Singh of 'Swechha - we for Change Foundation',
which is organizing the event.
The Yatris will learn about the ecology of Yamuna, implication
of government policies on the river and impact of rapid
urbanization and water consumption patterns, she said adding,
the event will work as platform for exchanging and developing
new ideas.
The NGO has been holding Yamuna Yatras since 2004, attracting
students, development professionals, journalists, and
environmental activists. "Most of the participants are in
the age group of 16-30," Singh said. The cause of Yamuna
also turned out to be close to the heart of many people outside
India, with the organisation receiving appeals for participation
from countries such as the UK, USA, Sri Lanka and Sweden.
"In previous year too, a number of foreign nationals took
part in the event," Singh said. This year performers from
the Dreamtime Circus of San Francisco will also join the Yatra.
Apart from holding workshops and discussions, the Yatra will
also involve trekking. Hiking, camping, yoga sessions and visits
to places of pilgrimage, giving participants a chance to fulfill
their craving for adventure and explore their spiritual side.
Disappearing greens of Aravali
The green cover of Aravali hills in Gurgaon and Faridabad is
disappearing with the Haryana Forest Department failing to check
illegal cutting of trees in the region. Officials of the forest
department also admit to the fact that organized jungle mafia
has been active in the region but their department continued to
be mute spectator because of lack of power and adequate
infrastructure.
The European Union had spent crores of rupees for restoring
green cover on the Aravalli Hills under a project called
'Aravalli' Social Forestry' between 1990-99. Digital images
released by the National Remote Sencing Agency (NRSA) had
confirmed thick green forests on Aravalli hills in the region.
But large-scale illegal cutting of trees by organized mafia is
nullifying green cover effect during the last couple of years.
On Thursday, the conservator of forests and his team caught a
gang in Bandwari village near Gurgaon-Faridabad. A truckload of
trunks of green trees was seized from the spot and two persons
were arrested, while one managed to flee.
Conservator of forests R.P.Balwan said, "Those arrested
from Bandwari village by our team were also par of the organized
network. Unfortunately we lack the required manpower to keep a
vigil on the vast region comprising Aravalli Hills and other
types of plantation. We need 300 protection watchers, at least
one for each 300 villages but we do not have a single watcher at
present."
Experts observed that it was during winters that illegal cutting
of trees went up in the Aravalli hills to meet the rising demand
of fuel. "We were forced to remove all over protection
watchers from the region as we failed to release them
remuneration due to lack of funds. We are short of funds as well
as manpower," Balwan added.
Saarc for solution to climate, farm crises
Ministers and bureaucrats from all south Asian countries will
meet here for three days from March 5 to work out how nations in
the region can share knowledge to check the adverse impact of
climate change on agriculture.
The conference, organized by IFFCO Foundation, may be the
world's first regional collation to fight climate change and
agriculture problems.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had
predicted that South Asia would face the worst agriculture
crises because of climate change. "The rainfall pattern
will shift towards winter, meaning countries in the region will
have to look for new crops to suit the changed climate,"
R.K. Pachauri, head of the IPCC, had said.
MP Suresh Prabhu, chairman of the conference's steering
committee, said the region needed knowledge-sharing to fight the
challenge of global warming. "The region has similar
agro-climatic conditions and one successful knowledge
application can be utilized in another country. We want to
discuss the mechanism for achieving this goal," he said.
The government was furious at the eruption of an avian influenza
epidemic in West Bengal, saying the virus had come from in
Bangladesh. "If adjoining countries are not safe, we are
not safe. Virus and hosts don't recognize borders and passports,"
said a senior technocrat with the agriculture ministry.
The region needed a platform, Prabhu said, because over 80
percent of the population was dependant on agriculture.
Agriculture expert M.S. Swaminathan felt the government needed
to relaunch agriculture and once again make it economically
viable to address the country's agrarian crisis. Technology is
necessary to increase farm yields, he said.
Killing our children?
It is no secret that Indian children are terribly malnourished;
in fact their nutrition levels are comparable shamefully to
Ethiopian children. But if the Human Development Report 2007-08
is to believed, things will get worse. According to this report,
children aged five years or less are 36 percent more likely to
be malnourished and 41 percent more likely to be stunted if they
were born during a drought season in Ethiopia. The report also
says that climate change is impacting one in nineteen people in
developing countries but only one in 1500 people in the
developed world. The report is not new but was released almost
three months ago.
One may ask, why a misfortune in Ethiopia has any link with
India? I'd look at it differently. If despite being a democracy,
having a growth rate of over 8 percent and being relatively
peaceful we an still be compared to a country like Ethiopia, a
country that faces several internal conflict and droughts and
poverty, we need to pay heed to the warnings that go out for
Ethiopia children too.
We are likely to see a steep decline in agriculture - up to 40
percent - on account of climate change. This means less food.
And less food especially for little girls, because they are
often treated as second-rate citizens, starting with female
foeticide and girls being disallowed education. With less food
available, will India be more like Ethiopia? If not, we have to
start climate proofing our children
Tiger spectacle
Cai Guo Quing is a Chinese artist at the Guggenheim in New York,
with an installation that'll stum every Indian with an interest
in wildlife. Hanging indifferent positions are a series of
stuffed tigers. They are each stuffed with tigers, each tigers
becoming a porcupine of sorts. They are, in Cai Gua Quing's
works, being annihilated completely.
What an irony!
The demand for traditional Chinese medicines is rising, and
tigers in other parts of East Asia have declined. As a result,
you have huge pressure on Indian tigers. Infact, the recent
revelation that India's tiger population has fallen by 50
percent since 2001 is in part due to such demand. What's ironic
about the artwork to me is that a Chinese person, a beneficiary
of the global trade system as a well-funded artist, decides to
use the tiger as a symbol of human conflict with nature. Its
well-matched metaphor for the global tiger crisis. Sometimes,
the arts bring to the surface complex realities.
19 lakh trees to keep city air clean
The Delhi government on Tuesday listed a series of steps it had
taken to combat environmental pollution and maintain ambient air
quality. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixshit said 18.9 lakh
saplings were planted all over the city in one year.
Replying to a question on environment pollution by Congress MLA
Subhash Chopra in the Delhi Assembly, Dikshit said the
government had recently directed 5,000 premises that support
cellphone towers and 600 nursing homes to install generators
that do not create noise.
She said instructions had already been issued to ban generators
of 5KVA and above between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. expect those in
group housing societies.
MCD wings lock horns over green project
One of the most ambitious projects of the Municipal Corporation
of Delhi (MCD) to earn carbon credit through their landfill
sites seems to be hanging in balance.
The executive wing and the Standing Committee of the MCD have
locked horns over the former hiring a particular consultant
company to find out the level of greenhouse gases at MCD's
landfill sites.
The executive wing has categorically said that any delay in
giving clearance to the project by the Standing Committee might
result in the World Bank stepping back from carrying out the
study.
The Standing Committee, on the other hand, is contending that
the executive wing has zeroed in on only one company and hence
chances of fair competition has gone down.
"We have given clearance to one company as it was the only
one which met the eligibility criteria set by World Bank and if
the consultant is not appointed by April, the World Bank may
retract from their decision of carrying out the study,"
said Naresh Kumar, Additional Commissioner (Engineering), MCD.
Citing discrepancy in the process of allotment, the Standing
Committee has referred back the proposal.
It has also asked the MCD Commissioner to look into the matter
personally. Besides, it has asked for a copy of the expression
of interest, a copy of criteria according to which the company
has been selected.
"As per the eligibility criteria, a company should get 75
percent marks to be selected. And the executive wing has given
clearance to a single company. The other company was rejected
simply because it scored 74 percent. We feel that the margin is
really low and hence it should be reconsidered. By including the
other company in the tender bid, it would make the process fair,"
said Vijendra Gupta, Chairman of the Standing Committee of MCD.
According to the project, the civic body would undertake a study
to gauge the gas available in MCD landfill sites that can be
traded for earning carbon credits.
The MCD was hoping to earn a big amount through this exercise.
The Standing Committee has also raised eyebrow over the fact
that the selection has been done solely by MCD officers without
any outside expert's help. The MCD has got a grant of $489,000
from a Japanese firm called Policy and Human Resources
Development (PHRD) to carry out the sduty.
While the process in this regard was initiated in 2005, tenders
were floated and interested parties were asked to apply only by
July 2007.
Waste-to-energy plant to come up at Ghazipur
After giving the green signal for setting up the Capital's first
integrated waste to energy project at Timarpur and Okhla last
year, the Delhi government has paved the way for setting up the
second such facility at Ghazipur.
The East Delhi Waste Processing Company Private Limited
(EDWPCPL) - a subsidiary of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial
Services Limited (IL & FS) - is facilitating and designing
the RS 110-crore project.
The Ghazipur project, officials said, would have the facility to
treat 1,300 tonnes of garbage to generate 10 Mw power. The
government has already identified a six-acre land just next to
the Ghazipur landfill site for setting up the plant.
"Once operational, the plant will take care of a large
quantum of waste of the Trans-Yamuna area," said a Delhi
government official. "Once the approval comes through, IL &
FS will select a private sector company to set up the waste
processing plant," added the official.
IL & FS is in the process of signing an agreement with BYPL
- a private power distribution company that supplies power to
East and South Delhi - to buy power generated from the plant. IL
& FS had applied to the Delhi Electricity Regulatory
Authority (DERA) in November 2007 to fix the traffic of power
generated from the palnt. Officials said once work starts, it
will take about 2 2months to commission the plant.
Work had already started at the Capital's first waste to energy
project in Timarpur. It will process waste to generated 16 MW
power. The Delhi-based Jindal Urban Infrastructure won the bid
in February to set up the turkey project.
The project has, however, raised the heckles of
environmentalists, who say the technology used at the Timarpur
plant is highly polluting. "MCD had set up a similar plant
at Timarpur in 1990 but the project had to be shut after just 21
days as the waste was found unfit for burning because or its low
calorific value. The government is again hell bent on starting
the project which is based on a failed technology," said
Gopal Krishna, member of Global Alliance for Incinerator
Alternatives, Delhi Chapter.
Pollution, neglect killing city's water bodies
It's official. After Yamuna, it is the turn of other surface
water bodies in the Capital to be on the deathbed.
Thanks to excessive pollution, encroachments and sheer neglect,
more than 100 water bodies - lakes, marshlands, and ponds -
cannot be revived. The Delhi government has stated this to a
committee constituted for the revival of water bodies.
Government data also revealed it is mainly man-made reasons- and
not any natural environmental degradation - that are responsible
for this loss to the city once known for its pristine ponds and
lakes.
There are 629 water bodies across Delhi, including Sanjay Lake
in East and Hauz Khas in South Delhi. Of this, 123 owned by the
Revenue Department are beyond revival because most of them
cannot be traced as per the revenue map.
Twenty-one water bodies with the Irrigation and Flood Control
Department are under various disputes and 43 are dead due to
excessive accumulation of sewage.
"This seems like a repeat of what has happened with Yamuna.
Water bodies are being targeted as potential real estate so they
are letting them choke to death," said AGK Menon, convenor
of the Delhi Chapter of Indian National Trust for Art and
Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
The shocking state of surface water has also raised concerns
over the condition of groundwater, which gets recharged through
surface water bodies.
Such is the amount of pollution that the soil around only 49 out
of 215 water bodies was suitable for ornamental plantation, said
a survey by the Environment Department.
"Sewage from residential colonies is responsible for the
pollution. So theortically, if surface water is polluted,
groundwater also gets affected overtime," said
Dr.R.C.Trivedi, expert on water pollution at Central Pollution
Control Board.
"It is not clear why so many water bodies are beyond
revival because all the problems cited can be fixed," said
V.K.Jain, who is fighting a legal battle with the government
over water bodies.
Agreed Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan. "We have seen
the world over that with effort, any water body can be revived.
But it seems in few years, Sanjay Lake will be the only water
body of significance left in Delhi," he said.
How Many?In 2004, a committee under them MCD
commissioner came up with a surveyed figure that there were only
177 water bodies in Delhi.
A new survey refutes the figure and says there are 697 lakes,
ponds and marshes. Government finally agreed to 629. Notable
among them are Sanjay Lake, Jangirpuri marshlands, Hauz Khas.
What ails them?
Survey has shown that many water bodies marked on Delhi's
Revenue map does not exists anymore. Several have been victims
of encroachment. Some of them now have petrol pumps, community
centres and offices. Delhi Jal Board will provide sewer lines to
189 urban villages so water bodies are not dirtied.
Rs 1,400 crore down Stinking drain 15 years after
vowing to help clean up the Yamuna, SC admits it has failed
This must be the most expensive bit of housekeeping anywhere in
the world, and pointless. Over Rs. 1,400 crore has been spent on
cleaning up 22 km of Yamuna River cutting through Delhi. And it
remains just as dirty.
Supreme Court judge Markandeya Katju called it a "stinking
drain" on Tuesday. "I went there to perform the last
rites of my mother and the smell at the ghat was unbearable."
This observation came at a hearing by a bench comprising Katju
and justice H.K. Sema of a public interest litigation seeking
the court's intervention in the implementation of safety
measures on national highways.
Katju raised the Yamuna clean-up issue to explain why the
Supreme Court cannot and should not get into areas marked out
for the executives (the government). It didn't work in the case
of Yamuna.
"For the past 25 years (15 years actually) the Supreme
Court is trying to clean the Yamuna. Under the garb of judicial
orders, the government has spent about Rs 1,400 crore,"
said the judge, adding, "But the condition of the river has
worsened and it has become a stinking drain."
There couldn't have been a starker acknowledgement of the
failure to clean up the Yamuna, which was once a great river,
but is now a stream - or a drain as justice Katju prefers to
call it - and a very dirty one at that.
While the bench mentioned Rs 1,400 crore as the total clean-up
bill so far, another estimate puts the figure at Rs 1,700 crore.
And add to this Rs 4,643 crore more, the cost of a new scheme on
the board.
The Supreme Court took up the Yamuna issue following a report in
Hindustan Times in 1994 and has since then monitored the
progress of the project very closely and keenly.
The first big plan was to treat the waste generated by the city
before it was emptied into the river. Using the Thames as a
model, a network of sewage treatment plants was to be installed.
Of the 143 specific projects including setting up of Sewage
Treatment Plant (STPs), only 34 made it. And of the 15 Common
Effluent Treatment Plants that were to be set up, only four have
gone operational yet.
This was not working. So, there was midstream course correction.
And a new animal entered - grandly called the Interceptor Sewage
Treatment Project. This again is work-in-progress, with 2010 an
unrealistic target.
Despite all these efforts and money, half of the city sewage -
384 of 719 million gallons a day - drains into the hapless river
untreated.
And this is how clean Yamuna is. The prescribed standard of Coli
form- which also determines the water quality - should not be
more than 500 per 100 ml. Coli form at Okhla barrage was
5,72,500 ml, it stood at 7,00,33,333 ml in 2006.
"The problem is that Yamuna does not have enough fresh
water left. It is a dead river. Over the years the different
agencies just sat and watch as the river's condition
deteriorated," said Ravi Agarwal of Toxic Link, an
environmental NGO.
Future DVDs may thwart global Warming
Carbon dioxide removed from smokestack emissions to slow global
warming may soon find application in the production of DVDs,
beverage bottles, and other products in the near future, says a
pair of researchers. Dr Thomas E. Muller and Dr Toshiyasu
Sakakura said that polycarbonate plastics, which are used in
such products, can be made slow from CO2 removed from smokestack
emissions to slow global warming.
While making a presentation at the 235th annual meeting of the
American Chemical Society, the researchers said that such
processes offered consumers the potential for less expensive,
safer and greener products compared to current production
methods.
"Carbon dioxide is so readily available, especially from
the smokestack of industries that burn coal and other fossil
fuels," said Muller of the new research centre for
catalysis CAT, a joint five-year project of RWTH Aachen and
industries gaint Bayer Material Science AG and Bayer Technology
Services GmbH. "And it's very cheap starting material. If
we can replace more expensive starting materials with CO2 then
you'll have an economic driving force," he added.
Sakakura, who led a research team in japan, also described CO2
as an alternative feedstock to change carbonates and urethanes
into plastics and also battery components.
Muller envisions the use of polycarbonates made from CO2 in
eyeglass lenes, automotive headlamp lenses, DVDs and CDs,
beverage bottles, and a spectrum of other consumer products.
MCD to implement Yamuna Action plan
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been designated as
the Project Implementation Agency (PIA) for the People's
Participation and Awareness Programme in Delhi under Yamuna
Action Plan-II.
The project is being funded by Japan Bank for International
Co-operation through the National River Conservation Directorate
of Ministry of Environment and Forest. The programme will be
launched on Tuesday.
Delhi Mayor Arti Mehra said, "It aims to create awareness
amongst different segments of the population about the pollution
levels of river Yamuna. And also various causes and preventive
measures which should be taken to save the river. The programme
will aim at mobilizing people towards active participation in
various core and non-core activities being undertaken in Yamuna
Action Plan-II.
Mehra added that the programme would also create a general sense
of consciousness among target groups for effective operation of
hardware equipment such as sewage treatment plants and pumps.
All these measures are aimed to ensure their optimum utilization
in pollution abatement.
According to the civic agency, the action plan will enhance the
utilization level of various facilities created under the Yamuna
Action Plan-I.
They will also increase the institutional capacity of Community
Based Organisations (CBO) and also improve environment and
sanitation in order to ensure sustainable and long-term impacts.
The programme is also seen as a key component in the action
plan. The civic agency claims that by involving people and
various communities, the project has been made a great success.
The action plan has been developed on the lines of Ganga Action
Plan, which was in force for many years, but the project
objectives could not be achieved to the expected levels due to
various reasons. The main reason was lack of public
participation.
Treasure in Navi Mumbai junkyard
First-ever deal with UK firm to produce electricity from waste
In a first-of-its-kind project by a municipal corporation in the
country, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and a
British firm, EcoMethene , have signed an agreement to capture
landfill gas to produce electricity.
As per this project, garbage at the dumping ground will be
scientifically developed as per the apex court's order to the
civic body to manage solid waste. The project will also generate
for NMMC.
The agreement has been facilitated by the UK Trade and
Investment.
The agreement was signed at Turbhe landfill site in Navi Mumbai
on Tuesday by Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nahata and Ecomethane
Senior Project Manager Julio Castillo in the presence of Vicki
Treadell, Colin Drummond, chairman UK Trade and Investment and
members of UK environment mission.
Speaking on the occasion, Castillo said, "The project will
help destroy methane gas and eventually generate electricity."
Dumped garbage gives out methane gas which causes harm to the
greenhouse effect. The project will help contain emission of
methane. Methane given out by the garbage will be used to
generate electricity. Castillo said work would begin in a month.
Said NMMC Commissioner Nahata, "It is a milestone for the
corporation, which is the first in the country to obtain carbon
credits from landfills gas. This planned city of 1.2 million
people can now look forward to a better and pollution free
environment. We are glad that we are putting garbage to good use
by generating power and reducing the greenhouse effect,"
British Deputy High Commissioner Traedell said, "We will be
taking more like-minded people to the UK to show them our
projects there just like we have done with the Navi Mumbai civic
body."
Citing an example, Drummond noted, "In the UK 30 million
tonnes of waste is generated every year. Right now, we source
700 MW of energy from it and plans are afoot to source 10,000 MW
of power. Since India generates 40 million tonnes of garbage,
the potential here is much more than 10,000 MW, which is huge.
The 1.5 MW that will be generated from this project is the first
step."
Sewage workers air grievances
With an aim to give platform to the unheard sewage workers, an
NGO held a public hearing on "safety concerns of sewage
workers' here on Sunday. The hearing was meant to be a platform
to share problems and views related to the hazardous working
conditions.
National Campaign for Dignity & Rights of Sewerage and
Allied Workers, the NGO, claimed that despite several guidelines
and recommendations, the workers continue to live and work in
situations that violate basic human and fundamental rights to
life, dignified livelihood and health and safety. The NGO had
filed a PIL in Delhi High Court in 2007 after the death of three
sewage workers in 2006 in Dabri. "The Delhi Jal Board has
submitted to the high court that 36 sewage workers died 'in
sewer' during last two years. In fact, it is more than 100
deaths per year," NGO coordinator Hemlata Kansotia said.
The authorities count the death of the worker only when it is
'in sewer' but many of the workers die otherwise due to constant
inhaling of toxic fumes, infections and other health hazards,
she added.
"There is this historic decision of Gujarat High Court in
February 2006 in favour of sewage/manhole workers, and then
there are the NHRC directives and also the DDA and the DJB
recommendations. It's a question of implementation," said
MD Amjad Hassan, general secretary of Delhi Asanghatit Nirman
Mazdoor Union.
"Our demands for safety of these workers include filling up
of posts vacant as there is a ban on recruitment since 1999;
making available safety equipment to sewer workers and
compensation to the family members of those who died an untimely
death," he said. He added, "In absence of these, more
than 90 per cent of the sewage workers die before retirement."
Despite attempts, DJB CEO Arun Mathur was unavailable for
comments.
Solid waste management draws MNCs into Punjab
Several Multinational companies are coming up with lucrative
offers to secure deals for solid waste management in Punjab.
Companies are offering to invest thousands of crores of rupees
for handling solid waste with a profit share of nearly 30
percent annually. Companies from Switzerland, the Netherlands,
UK and Swaden have made presentations before the state
government and various municipal bodies. UK-based Waste2Energy
Holdings Ltd, in a presentation before Chief Minister Prakash
Singh Badal, has promised to make an initial investment of Rs
3,000 crore for setting up a plant with a capacity to convert
1,500 tonnes of waste per day into thermal energy and
electricity. The company has sought a 100-acre land in a
centrally located place in Punjab for setting up the plant. It
has also promised to give 75 percent of bottled water
manufactured by it to the state government for onward sale.
Another UK-based company, Brind International, has offered to
handle solid waste with an investment to Rs 220 crore for
Amritsar. The company has promised to give 30 percent share from
the revenue generated from solid waste management. A
Sweden-based company, Swedish Environment Tech, recently made a
presentation here on converting solid waste into energy. It is
the fifth major multinational company which is vying for the
solid waste management project in the city. Similar
presentations by various companies have been made in Jalandhar
and Ludhiana. Experts said the companies were making lucrative
offers to the Punjab Government as the World Bank and the
Government of India were giving 70 percent subsidy for
investment in solid waste management. Besides, solid waste in
Punjab is rich in biological elements and other substances which
can be easily converted into biogas, biofertilisers and
electricity which the state needs badly. They opined that the
solid waste burnt with stubbles of wheat and paddy could
generated electricity of 250 MW, which could generate income to
the tune of several crores of rupees. "Sweden had started
solid waste management way back in 1970. Due to advancement in
technology, energy produced from solid waste is being used
entirely by some small cities. Punjab has almost similar solid
waste, full of biological material of ate good amount of energy,"
said Jonas Lindblom, an expert in solid waste management.
Earth day: Here's what we can do for our planetTomorrow
is Earth Day. What are we seeing, 38 years this day was started?
By all accounts, average people across the world are looking
inwards to make change. Don't use 'plastics bags', someone
reminds you. 'Switch off the light'. All of us should de even
the smallest things we can. But we should also be humble enough
to realize that these are not necessarily the most effective
ways to combat environment degradation, because they don't
strike at the root problems - lack of control by the poor over
natural resources, the issue of inequitable access to clean
water and air, to the annihilation of these resources
themselves. We have more poor people than Sub-Saharan Africa.
Most of them are rural, and are the worst hit by food prices,
climate change and even economics policies that privilege
infrastructure over assets of the poor. If we really want to see
becoming a greener country, we have to gather our wits and put
the poor at the centre of our policies. An imaginative
interpretation of this was by the Centre and Science and
Environment. Their recent report about the NREGS suggested it
could build environmental assets, ushering in a new kind of
stability, if implemented well. Another is to re-visit how
infrastructure is sited, and the democratic stakes of the local
people. A third, not so policy driven and much more simplistic,
is for us in urban areas to simply consume less energy and
water. Earth Day is not a reminder to put in a cloth bag in the
car. It is about using the school bus not the car and stop
putting a dozen dishes on the table when guests come over.
Canadian babies now safer
If you have or will have a baby, you'd be interested in a brand
new Canadian government policy. They've banned baby feeding
plastic bottles that have the additive bisphenol A .The point
is, most polycarbonate plastic contain the chemical, which is
understood to leach out in specific circumstance, such as when
hot water is poured into the bottle. Bisphenol A is a
reproductive poison, estrogen mimic and may cause cancer.
Three out of four Indian kids think green
It may pleasantly surprise parents worried about brats brought
up on a daily diet of violent cartoons. Not only are the
majority of children in urban India politically correct, they
are also extremely environmentally sensitive.
The 2008 results of New Generations- Cartoon Network's kid's
lifestyle research - say that every second Indian child is
concerned over global warming. Three out of four children are
pre-disposed to buying environment-friendly products and that
given the power to change the world; one of three kids would
want to stop violence. Twenty five per cent want to save
endangered species and help reduce environmental problems.
Conducted across 14 cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore,
Chennai, Kolkatta, Lunknow, Ludhiana, Jaipur and Nasik, the
study quizzed 3,020 children aged 7 to 14 and an equal number of
parents to arrive at the results.
Despite the popularity of the idiot box - with 98 percent of
those surveyed watching TV every day - newspaper readership
among Indian kids is double their counterparts in Australian,
the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan. One out of four said that
they read a newspaper on a daily basic. And in case you had any
doubt over where their loyalties rested, rest assured; 74 per
cent of Indian children chose their country as the favourite,
followed by the united state, which found favour with just 9 per
cent.
Losing Hair? Blame it the polluted air
Experience hair loss? Now, you can blame it on air pollution,
instead of only your genes, for a study has revealed that men
living in contaminated areas are more likely to go bald that
those breathing cleaner air.
Male pattern baldness, which develops gradually, typically
starting with the appearance of a bald spot in the crown and
thinning at the temples, is known to be hereditary.
But a team of researchers at the University of London has
linked the onset of male pattern baldness to environmental
factors such as air pollution and smoking, British newspaper the
Daily Mail reported on Monday. According to the study, the
toxins and carcinogens which are found in polluted air can
actually stop hair growing by blocking mechanisms that produce
the protein hair is made. "We think any pollutant that can
get into the bloodstream or into the skin and into the hair
follicle could cause some stress to it and impair the ability of
the hair to make a fibre. "There are a whole host of
carcinogens and toxins in the environment that could trigger
this. It suggests that if you stop smoking or live in an area
with less air pollution, you may be less predisposed to hair
loss. "There is an inherited basis to hair loss, but we
have now identified environmental factors that are important
too," lead researcher Mike Philpott from the university's
School of medicine at Queen Mary was quoted as staying. The
researchers came to the conclusion after analyzing hair
follicles from balding men and subsequently studying the samples
in laboratories. The study, published in the latest edition of
the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, raises the hope that
yet more treatments could be developed to combat hair loss in
men.
Expedition to introduce bio-degradable toilets in Mount
Everest
A deadly peril lurks on Mount Everest, the highest summit in the
world, which is far more dangerous than the freezing cold, gale
winds and recently posted security forces who are empowered to
shoot at the sight of political activities. The new hazard comes
from human waste scattered along the mountain slopes, which
could run into hundreds of tonnes. "Toilet paper and human
excreta litter the Everest base camp, the slopes, and even the
summit itself," says Ang Tshering Shepra, chief of the
Nepal Mountaineering Association, which is entrusted with
promoting mountaineering in this country. "In summer, when
the snow melts, the frozen human waste comes into sight and
starts raising a stink. The grave health and environmental
hazard the untreated excreta pose is a matter of great concern,"
Shepra added. While conscious mountaineers have been trying to
clear the garbage left on the mountains, nothing has been done
so far to treat the human waste lying there. In the past,
expeditions have collected used oxygen cans, tents, food tins
and other brought much of it down but the human waste remains. "As
it remains frozen during the expeditions, it is very difficult
to remove it and bring it down," Shepra told IANS. In a bid
to prevent the world's tallest mountain from turning into the
highest cesspool, an expedition is now introducing, for the
first time in the history of the Everest, bio-degradable
toilets. Shepra's son Dawa Steven Shepra is leading the 24
member Eco Everest 2008expetidion to the summit in memory of the
peak's greatest benefactor, Edmund Hillary, to try and clean the
garbage. The team is carrying three "Clean Mountain Cans"
with them, a portable toilet manufactured by an American
company. The bins are lined with bio-degradable bags that
decompose the human waste deposited in them. The expedition is
armed with 200 such bags. Besides using them, the team members
will also try to remove the frozen waste on the summit, put it
in the bags and bring it down to the base camp.
The cans, which can be bought for $75 a piece in the US, cost a
thumping $150 when brought to Nepal, one of the poorest
countries in the world.
An eco-friendly nation
Indians top the list of environment-friendly people, survey
says
Last week, a survey published by the National Geographic found
Indians to be among the most environment-friendly people. There
is more good news. A well-informed network of young people in
India is making sure we reach higher goals. Part of a training
programmer conducted by Nobel Prize winners Al Gore and R.K.
Pachauri in March, founder members of the Indian Youth Climate
Network (IYCN), have very quickly created a coalition that cuts
across universities, youth organizations, environment groups and
cities. The first major event since their launch - IYCN's Delhi
Youth Summit on Climate (DYSoC) - will be held on May 28 and 29,
in Teen Murti Bhawan. Eighty young people will come together to
set the agenda on climate change for Delhi. The DYSoC is in
association with UK based Lead International's India Chapter,
Fountain of Development, Researcher and Action, the UNESCO and
the Youth Parliament Foundation. Registration forms can be
downloaded at iycn.in. "There has been no real 'Indain
Youth movement on the issue of climate change. When Kartikeya, a
key member of IYCN, attended the UN Climate Change Conference in
Bali in December as part of a US youth delegation he was shocked
that there was no representation of the Indian Youth at such an
important conference," says Govind Singh, a Ph.d scholat at
Delhi University's School of Environment Studies. And so
Kartikeya Singh, a Compton Mentor fellow (a US fellowship) who
is working on renewable energy resources in India, and Govind
envisioned this youth coalition. "We want to create a
platform for youth on the issue of climate change and make IYCN
a national movement with a presence in every city. We want to
generate ideas and solutions, and ultimately influence
government policy," says Kartikeya. "The idea is also
create s strong presence of youth in India at international
conferences. This is especially significant given, India's
growing importance on the economic front," added Kartikeya.
IYCN's members include Mumbai based Delta Climate - a movement
for green IIT alumnis, Banglore-based Global Citizens for
Sustainable Development and Udaipur-based Rajputana Society for
Natural History. Their partners are Department of Environment
and Water Management, Anugrah Narayan College, in Patna, and
Action for Food Production. Delta climate with IYCN has started
the first campus sustainability initiative toward reducing
carbon emissions. "Bringing about behavioral changes in
students and the among the staff is vital. If you see a running
tap, close it - it's as basic as that. We have been looking at
how Harvard and MIT are doing in terms of developing green
technology," said Abhijit Parashar, an active member of
Delta Climate, which is currently looking 'green' alternatives
to light IIT campuses. In Delhi, the IYCN works with 20
committed members - most of them pursuing environment
programmes.
Rainwater harvesting a must
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to pass
building plans only after inspecting the under construction
buildings for rainwater harvesting system. The move was made by
the civic agency's Standing Committee to make sure all future
buildings have rainwater harvesting facilities.
The rainwater harvesting has, however, been a component in the
completion certificate required to get building plans sanctioned
since 2001, but now the MCD will conduct surprise inspection of
properties and only then pass the plans. The whole process has
to be completed in three months. After the stipulated time frame
the civic agency will consider the construction as unauthorised.
Because of the depleting ground water levels the MCD has now
decided to take steps to conserve rainwater. Vijender Gupta,
chairman Standing Committee said, "We want to make sure
people do their bit to save water. We are ready to help anyone
harvesting." The MCD has decided to include water
harvesting wells in their future road estimates. Naresh Kumar,
Additional Commissioner engineering as well as any building be
it schools, hospitals will have an inbuilt component. We will
also use perforated tiles on the footpaths." "If they
do use concrete then the department has to give an explanation
as to why they did so. Also there should not be any tilling on
central verges," added Gupta.
'It is a sign of things to come'
You don't have to wait long to witness climate change impacting
your life. Two climate events in the last fortnight - Cyclone
Nargis that claimed 20,000 lives in Myanmar, and torrential
rains and thunderstorms in Delhi - indicate the impact of
climate change is becoming visible.
Although R.K. Pachauri, head of Nobel Prize winning organisation
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said to blame
the intensity of Cyclone Nargis on Climate Change, Mark Lander,
a meteorology professor at University of Guam, UK, found the
link. Sea surface temperature in Bay of Bengal was over one
degree Celsius above average when Cyclone Nargis intensified
before landfill, Lander said. He was quoting National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's global satellite
map
In a 2007 report, IPCC had said the rise in sea surface
temperatures causes increase in intensity of cyclones. It had
quoted evidence suggesting tropical cyclones in North Atlantic
had intensified because of rise in tropical sea surface
temperatures. Even Pachauri admitted climate change has resulted
in increase in cyclones and may have contributed to its
intensity. Sunita Narain of Centre for Science and Environment
said, "What happened in Myanmar was a clear indication that
climate change is showing its impact in the region. It is a sign
of things to come. Last year, Bangladesh was devastated by a
tropical cyclone. It will continue if rich countries fail to cut
greenhouse emissions." G.B.Pant, former director of Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology, said there were enough
indications that the recent extreme climate conditions in the
region are result of climate change. But that came with a rider
- the evidence for the link is conclusive, he said. "We
need long duration data to confirm the link. If such changes
persists for a long time the impact of climate changes on
weather can be confirmed," he said. India does not have
data backing over 100 years to link the sudden weather changes
to climate change. Weather department officials term the heavy
May rainfall and powerful thunderstorm in Delhi and its
neighbouring areas, that have claimed several lives in the past
week, as an unprecedented phenomenon. Although they blame
western disturbances for it, they also admit global warming may
have some role in increasing the intensity of disturbances.
Wildlife, environment already hit by climate change
90 percent of environmental damage around explained by
rising temperatures driven by human activity
Global warming is disrupting wildlife and the environment on
every continent, according to an unprecedented study that
reveals the extent to which climate change is already affecting
the world's ecosystems. Scientists examined published reports
dating back to 1970 and found that at least 90 percent of
environmental damage and disruption around the world could be
explained by rising temperatures driven by human activity. Big
falls in Antarctic penguin populations, fewer fish in African
lakes, shifts in American river flows and earlier flowering and
bird migrations in Europe are all likely to be driven by global
warming. The team of experts, including members of the UN's
intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) from America,
Europe, Australia and China, is the first to formally link some
of the most dramatic changes to the world's wildlife and
habitats with human-induced climate change. In the study,
researchers analysed reports highlighting changes in populations
or behavior of 28,800 animal and plant species. They examined a
further 829 reports that focused on different environmental
effects, including surging rivers, retreating glacier and
shifting forests, across the seven continents. To work out how
much - or if at all - global warming played a role, the
scientists next checked historical records to see what impact
natural variations in local climate, deforestation and changes
in land use might have on the ecosystems and species that live
there. In 90 percent of cases the shifts in wildlife behaviour
and populations could only be explained by global warming, while
95 percent of environmental changes, such as melting permafrost,
retreating glaciers and changes in river flows were consistent
with rising temperatures. "When we look at all these
impacts together, it is clear they are across continents and
endemic. We're getting a sense that climate change is already
changing the way the world works," said lead author Cynthia
Rosenzweig, head of the climate impacts group at Nasa's Goddard
Institute for Space Studies in New York. Most of the reports
examined by the team were published between 1970 and 2004,
during which time global average temperatures rose by around
0.6C. The latest report from the IPCC suggests the world is
likely to warm between 2C and 6C by the end of the century.
In 2006 Steven Amstrup, a world expert in polar bears at the US
Geological Society, investigated three cases of the animals
preying on one another in the southern Beaufort sea. A lack of
their usual prey may have prompted the bears to turn on each
other.
Govt panel says 'yes' to popular plastic bags, opposes
call for ban
A Delhi Government panel has opposed the demand for a blanket
ban on plastics bags in the city, saying it is 'highly
economical and popular' among citizens worldwide. The committee
consisting of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi
Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) officials - it recently
submitted its report to the High Court -has also put a question
mark on the Delhi Government's decision to promote biodegradable
plastics bags. "Degradable plastics do not decompose
naturally on account of action of microorganism. Mere
disintegration of molecular structure cannot be taken as
degradation," the committee said in response to a petition
filed by a Non Governmental Organisation Tapas on the plastic "menace"
in the national capital. Environment activist V.K. Jain of Tapas
had sought a total ban on plastics bags, pointing out that they
were choking drains and leading to accumulation of dirty water
and, consequently, creating breeding grounds for several
diseases. He also cited the example of Germany, Singapore and,
nearer home, Bangladesh that have successfully banned plastic
bags. The committee, however, said, "Plastic is used
worldwide for packaging of medicines, life-saving drugs and a
wide range of personal care products. It can, therefore, be
concluded that a blanket ban on the use of plastic is not called
for." The committee led by CPCB Chairman J.M. Mauskar, DPCC
Chairman J.K.Dadoo and former Delhi High Court judge R.C.
Chopra, however, grading degradable plastics which incidentally
are being promoted by the Delhi Government. The activist had
questioned the viability of clause(3) of the Delhi Degradable
Plastic Bag (manufacture, sale and usage) and garbage (control)
Act 2000 which prohibits manufacture, sale and use of plastic
bags other than degradable has been fixed regarding their
degradability and there is no research even in regard to the
time taken for degradation the clause should be done away with,"
jain said. The panel recommended increase in the thickness of
the plastic bags to 40 microns to make it more costly and
discourage its indiscriminate use among vendors. "It will
also improve retrieval and recycling as rag-pickers would find
it more remunerative," the panel said.
'Go green, go solar' campaign a hit
The Delhi government's 'go green, go solar' campaign is fast
catching to with schools and colleges switching to renewable
energy to meet water needs. Around 50 prominent schools and
colleges including Miranda House, Sri Ram College of Commerce,
St Stephens, Modern School, Delhi Public School at RK Puram and
Air Force Bal Bharti School have installed solar water system at
their hostels. "Thus, they are saving on money as well as
energy. In view of the worsening power situation coupled with
climate change threats, it is increasing rate of energy
consumption in the capital," J.K. Dadoo, Delhi environment
secretary said. Partly funded by the Delhi government, Delhi
Transco Ltd. as well as the institutions, the 1,000 litre
capacity solar water system costing Rs 1.30 lakh each have been
installed at the hostels of the schools and colleges. "The
idea is to encourage consumers to rely on solar heating, which
in turn will result in twin saving of money and power,"
Dadoo said. In 2006, the Delhi government made use of solar
water heater mandatory in all government hospitals, hotels and
jails as well as residential buildings built on an area of 500
sq.m. Or more Energy Efficient and Renewable Energy Management
Centre have been set up to co-ordinate the efforts of energy
conservation.
'UN wastes climate funds'
Offset fund routinely abused by gas, wind, hydro and chemical
companies, watchdog groups and experts say
Billions of pounds are being wasted by paying industries in
developing countries to reduce climate change emissions,
according to two analyses of the UN's carbon offsetting
programme. Leading academics and watchdog groups allege that the
UN's main offset fund is being routinely abused by chemical,
wind, gas and hydro companies who are claiming emission
reduction credits for projects that should not qualify. The
result is that no genuine pollution cuts are being made,
undermining assurances by the UK government and others that
carbon markets are dramatically reducing greenhouse gases, the
researchers say. The criticism centres on the UN's clean
development mechanism (CDM), an international system established
by the Kyoto process that allows rich countries to meet
emissions targets by funding clean energy projects in developing
nations. Credits from the project are being bought by European
companies and governments who are unable to meet their carbon
reduction targets. The markets for CDM credits is growing fast.
At present it is worth nearly $20bn a year, but this is expected
to grow to over $100bn within four years. More than 1,000
projects have so far been approved, and 2,000 more are making
their way through the process. A working paper from two senior
Standard University academics examined more than 3,000 projects
applying for or already granted up to $10bn of credits from the
UN's CDM funds over the next four years, and concluded that the
majority should not be considered for assistance. "They
would be built anyway," says David Victor, law professor at
the Californian University. "It looks like between one and
two thirds of all the total CDM offsets do not represent actual
emission cuts." Governments considered that CDM is vital to
reducing global emissions under the terms of the Kyoto treaty.
To earn credits under the mechanism, emission reduction must be
in addition to those that would have taken argue this "additionality"
is impossible to prove and open to abuse. The Stanford paper, by
Victor and his colleague Michael Wara, found that nearly every
new hydro, wind and natural gas-fired plant expected to be built
in China in the next four years is applying for CDM credits,
even though it is Chinese policy to encourage these industries.
"Traders are finding ways of graining credits that they
would never have had before. You will never know accurately, but
rich countries are clearly overpaying by a massive amount,"
said Victor. A separate study published this week by US watchdog
group International Rivers argues that nearly three quarters of
all registered CDM projects were complete at the time of
approval, suggesting that CDM money was not needed to finance
them.
MCD launches website to help Yamuna clean-up
Even after spending Rs 674 crore on Yamuna Action Plan I, the
level of pollution in the river Yamuna has remained the same.
However, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is confident
that, by 2012, it would have cleaned the Yamuna by 80 percent.
To make sure that the Yamuna action plan II (YAPII) is
implemented in a better manner, the MCD has launched an
interactive website to create awareness about the project and to
involve the people too. Under YAP-II, the civic agency will
spend Rs 34.6 crore out of the total budget of Rs 624 crore. MCD
Commissioner K.S. Mehra launched the website for YAP II on
Thursday to ensure greater public participation in cleaning
Yamuna. "The focus of this website is on YAP-II being
implemented by the MCD in partnership with several NGOs. Through
it we hope for a more responsible approach by Delhiities for
cleaning the 22-Km-stretch between Wazirabad Barrage and Okhla,
which is the most polluted part of river Yamuna," said
Mehra.
The MCD hopes to generate participation of people in
decision-making. This is part of the 'Clean Yamuna Manch'
programme.
Going green for better accounts
India INC is waking up to the fact that going green can benefit
not just the environment but their balance sheets as well. An
increasing number of companies are seeking the approval of
United Nations to trade in carbon credit and, in order to do so,
are making their workplaces greener and more cost-effective.
Trading in carbon credits is an international measure to combat
global warming. The UN sets a limit to the volume of carbon
dioxide a company can emit. The company gains credits is an
international measure to combat global warming. The UN sets a
limit to the volume of carbon dioxide a company can emit. The
company gains credits if its emissions fall below the UN limit.
These credits can then be sold at an international rate to other
companies. Desiccant Rotors International, suppliers of
eco-friendly air-conditioners estimated that companies can earn
up to Rs 20 crore a year by trading in carbon credits. ONGC
hopes to gain UN approval fro carbon trading in the next eights
months. The approval will help the corporation earn RS 13 crore
to Rs 15 crore a year and will make it the only public sector
organization in India to opt for carbon trading. "We are
waiting for our projects to be verified by the UN to begin
trading in carbon credits. We already have several UN-approved
projects that have cut carbon dioxide emissions by 1.2 lakh tons
a year, for the next 10 years," said A.B. Chakraborty, head
of Carbon Management Group, ONGC.
Other Indian companies to apply for UN approval are Olympia
Technological Park, Chennai, and Technopolis, Calcutta. One of
the eco-friendly steps taken by ONGC is the use of energy
efficient cooling systems developed by Desiccant Rotors
International
Warming Pacific Ocean is leading to growth to Mount
Shasta glaciers
Global Warming is shrinking glaciers all over the world, but the
seven tongues of ice creeping down Mount Shasta's flanks are a
rare exception: they are the only long-established glaciers in
the lower 48 states that are growing. Reaching more than 3,000
metres above sea level, Mount Shasta is one of the state's
tallest peaks, dominating the landscape of high plains and
conifer forests in the far Northern California. Nearby Indian
tribes referred to its glaciers as the footsteps made by the
creator when he descended to Earth. Hikers flock to Shasta every
summer to scale them. "When people look at glaciers around
the world, the majority of them are shrinking," said Slawek
Tulaczyk, an assistant professor of earth sciences at the
University of California, Santa Cruz, who led a team studying
Shasta's glaciers. "These glaciers seem to be benefiting
from the warming ocean." Climate change has cut the number
of glaciers at Montana's Glacier National Park from 150 to 26
since 1850, and some scientist's project there will be none left
within a generation. But for Shasta, about 450 km north of San
Francisco, scientists say a warming Pacific Ocean means more
moist air. On the mountain, precipitation falls as snow, adding
to the glaciers enough to overcome a 16 degree Celsius rise in
temperature in the last century, scientists say. "It's a
bit of an anomaly that they are growing, but it's not to be
unexpected," said Ed Josberger, a glaciologist at the US
Geological Survey in Tacoma. By comparison, the glaciers in the
Sierra Nevada, more than 800 km south of Mount Shasta, are
exposed to warmer summer temperatures and are retreating. The
Sierra's 498 ice formations - glaciers and ice fields - have
shrunk by about half their size over the past 100 years, said
Andrew Fountain, a geology professor at Portland State
University. He said Shasta's seven glaciers are the only ones
scientists have identified as getting larger, with the exception
of a small glacier in the shaded crater of Washington State's
Mount St. Helens. Although Mount Shasta's glaciers are growing,
researchers say the 4.7 billion cubic feet of ice on its flanks
could be gone by 2100. For the glaciers to remain their current
size, Shasta would have to receive 20 percent more snowfall for
every 16-degree Celsius increase in temperature, Tulaczky said.
The Shasta glaciers have been advancing since the end of a
drought in the early 20th century. The mountain's smallest
glaciers - named Konwakiton, Watkins and Mud Creek - have more
than doubled in length since 1950.
Hikers seeking to cross Shasta's glaciers marked with crevasses
as deep as 100 feet - say they are much larger than the
boundaries drawn on geological maps.
Harvesting raindrops For 70 year old Munni lal of himmatpura
village in uttar Pradesh's jalaun district, the term 'climate
change' does not mean thing. But mention the mansoon and he will
tall you how it has become ercraitc in the Bundelkhand region,
which comprises six districts of Madhya Pradesh. And sevan of
Uttar Pradesh . Pointing to the azure yet cloudy sky,Lal speaks
like an expert: "the monsoon usually hits this region in
the second week of July; this year it has come on june 15,almost
a month ahead of the scheduled date . But We have no reason to
celebrate as the over all volume of rain has gone down, from 100
days of rain fall two decades ago to an average of 40 days today
, Even the little rain we get now is not well spaced out.'' The
erratic rainfull has led to drought in the region' both signs of
climate change. This bleak scenario, however, has had a positive
spin-off: it has given birth to a dedicated tribe of wather
warriors .
Instead of waiting for the government to provide water or the
rain gods to have mercy on them some villages in the bundelkhand
region are fighting the crisis on their own, developing
adaptation techniques to master the changed environment.
