environment nov 13 to nov 27

8/10/2019 Environment Nov 13 to Nov 27

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KIIWEnviron Nov 13 to 27


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Notes by vineetpunnoose on www.kiwipaper.com

Content

Tribunal on trial 1

NGT slams Delhi government for worsening air pollution; sets agenda t 5

NGT bans cutting of trees in forests without requisite clearance 6

NGT asks environment ministry to list asbestos mines; orders health s 6

Text of the Speech delivered by Minister for Environment, Forest and Climat 7

Montreal Protocol: India and others block discussions on HFCs 8

India demands technology transfer for HFCs phase out 9

HFC phase out talks: Lack of consensus over forming contact group 9

Discussions on HFCs at Montreal Protocol: one step forward, two steps 10

River Linking Can Raise the Irrigation Capacity of the Country by 90 Per Ce 10

Naidu favours interlinking of Krishna-Godavari rivers 10

First meeting of Reconstituted Executive Committee on Climate Change held 11

Global Warming 12

China unveils new energy strategy to cut coal usage by 2020 12

US-China climate deal: a lot of hot air 13

Rivals turn the tables on climate 15

Blowin' in the wind 16

Protecting biodiversity with rigour 17


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Content

Big breakthrough in Beijing 18

Modi proposes global centre for clean energy research 20

More crop yields adding more CO2 to atmosphere 20

Early winter puts U.S. in deep freeze 21

Winter 2014 set to be 'coldest of the century'; climate change may be 21

Last call to get climate deal right 21

New robotic study finds dense ice under Antarctic 23

Rising Africa needs to strategise actions for 'inclusive, clean and s 23

Let's go down the ecotourism path 24

T S R Subramanian panel proposes new law, institutions to fast track 25

Making sense of green building rating 26

A smart idea 27

Agartala to be first LED-illuminated city in northeastern India 31

World must meet carbon targets by 2070: UN 32

'Mangroves are nature's shield against cyclones' 32

India tight-lipped on the issue of hydrofluorocarbons 33

'More fresh water needed to save Sunderbans ecosystem' 33

Wildlife trade is thriving on Internet, finds study 34


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Content

Solar installations cross 3,000-MW mark, 734 MW added this year 34

Non-profits organise conference to draw up a national river charter 35

Countries pledge US $9.3 billion to Green Climate Fund 35

Climate Change Adaptation 36

Big step for biocultural rights 39

Mass protests in Mumbai, Dehradun against Centre's attempts to underm 40

Industrial air pollution has high economic cost, finds study 40

Western Ghats face major conservation concerns: IUCN 41

Solar, wind to comprise one-third of world energy output mix by 2040: 41

Mapping of Multi-Hazard Coastal Vulnerability 42

Forecasting of Natural Calamities 42

Letter of Intent Between ESSO-MOES and UNESCO for Cooperation in the Field 43

NASA Aircraft for Prediction of Cyclones 43


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Notes by vineetpunnoose on www.kiwipaper.com Page 1

Tribunal on trial Tue, Nov 25, 2014National Green Tribunal, environment, Down to Earth, NGT,

It has been four years since the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act was passed by

Parliament for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental

protection and conservation of forests, and also for giving compensation to the victims

of environmental damage. NGT has received accolades and appreciation, but has also

been criticised for exceeding its jurisdiction and giving "non-technical" judgements.

They talk about unrealistic judgements given by NGT to the ministry and other

government departments. They also cite the backlog of cases in NGT as another reason

for the institution's failure to address environmental matters.

But does NGT need to be reined in or do we need to give it more powers? How has it

fared on various counts?

NGT was established under the chairpersonship of Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta. Itscreation was a result of years of deliberation to address environmental issues in India

(see ' How NGT came about [2] It sits in five places-Delhi, Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and

Chennai.

A fundamental problem facing the judicial system in India is speedy disposal of cases.

The problem is even more pronounced where environmental issues are concerned.

In the three-and-a-half years since its establishment, NGT has done much better. It had

6,017 cases instituted and 3,458 cases were disposed of--a rate of about 60 per cent

it has been successful in speedy and effective settlement of environmental matters. Thehigh court would normally not earmark more than three hearings in a year for an

environmental matter. NGT, on the other hand, is much more regular in scheduling

hearings, typically with time gaps of two to three weeks between two consecutive

hearings.

HIGH COURTS v NGT Before NGT, high courts in different states used to take up

important environmental cases, including suomotu ones through "green" Benches.

However, conflicts are brewing between NGT and the high courts. As per the NGT

Act, appeals from NGT can only go to the Supreme Court, thus by-passing the high

courts. But the Madras High Court has disagreed with this provision. It has stressed

that the bar imposed on lower courts by the Act, excluding them from deliberating on

environmental cases, does not extend to the high courts. This is because the jurisdiction

of a high court under Article 226/227 of the Indian Constitution is part of the Constitution's

basic structure. In other words, the court stressed that environmental appeals from NGT

had to go to the high court first before going to the apex court.

The number of cases being instituted each year is also increasing phenomenally. The


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number of cases filed has increased from just 548 in 2012 to 3,116 in 2013 to 2,348 in

the first three months of 2014. This has put enormous pressures on NGT. This also

reflects an increasing environmental crisis in the country and a growing trust people

have in NGT.

On sound technical grounds?

NGT is a body composed of judicial and members with expertise in the field of science

and environment. It is so because judicial members were not trained to understand the

complexities involved in environmental cases due to the nature of questions often raised

in the court of law. Lately, questions have been raised about the soundness of judgements

passed by NGT.

NGT'S critics have also questioned the "lack of environmental finesse" of its expert

members. "Usually, the expert members are experts of one particular field and not of

environment as a whole. For instance, an expert member who has been working on

forests for many years would not be able to comprehend the issues arising out of

industrial pollution.

in general, lawyers and petitioners support NGT'S judgements. "NGT is a Constitutional

body created for environmental cases alone, with technical members on every bench.

This allows cases to be heard on environmental merits as opposed to only legal grounds

in any other court,"

Is justice accessible?

NGT may be a fine institution but is its justice available to everybody? This was

discussed when the NGT Act was being debated in Parliament in 2010. Many

parliamentarians expressed the opinion that as NGT would take over the powers of the

lower courts, people would not have local access to justice. This would be most

disadvantageous to economically weaker sections of society as they would not be able

to use the more than 13,000 district and subordinate courts to address environmental

disputes Perhaps the strongest and most simple critique about NGT's inaccessibility

comes from Dayamani Barla, a tribal leader who has led campaigns against displacement

and mining. "I do not know about NGT," she laments. She questions why someone

should travel all the way to Kolkata to fight a legal case. "A green tribunal should have

been based in a place that has the highest forest cover or large mineral deposit. That is

where the dispute is and that is where the extremely poor live," she says.

Overstepping its brief?

NGT has been accused of overstepping its jurisdiction and taking actions for which it

has not been empowered under the NGT Act. Three issues have frequently cropped up.

First, does NGT have powers to take cognisance of a matter on its own and take action

upon it-the power of suomotu. Second, can NGT review and direct change in rules and


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regulations-the power of judicial review. Third, can NGT take up any case which can

be termed as "substantial question of environment".

The NGT Act refers to the scope of NGT's jurisdiction in Sections 14, 15 and 16.

Section 19 states that the tribunal can determine its own procedure and this provision

has been used by NGT to include within its ambit issues that the NGT Act does not

authorise it to adjudicate upon.

Suomotu powers

In the past, NGT has taken up cases on its own motion (suomotu). In Himachal Pradesh,

the tribunal took up issues relating to the adverse impact of heavy and unregulated

tourism in the Rohtang Pass area. In India, suomotu jurisdiction is limited to superior

courts like the Supreme Court and the high courts. According to ministry officials, NGT

in the past has written to them to give it suomotu and contempt power, both of which

were denied.

"Suomotu jurisdiction has to be an integral feature of NGT for better and effective

functioning. Under the Constitution, high courts also have not been exclusively conferred

suomotu jurisdiction. However, they have been exercising the power.

Rajeev Dhavan, noted Supreme Court lawyer, differs. "A tribunal is a statutory body

whose jurisdiction is circumscribed by statute. NGT does not have powers of the high

courts or the Supreme Court to strike down legislation or to take suomotu actions. A

tribunal cannot enlarge its jurisdiction."

The issue of suomotu jurisdiction, which remained a grey area for quite some time, was

addressed by the Madras High Court in early 2014. The court clipped the wings of NGT

by passing an interim order which stated that it has no suomotu powers. After this order,

NGT has refrained from taking up cases suomoto.

Judicial Review

The ministry has been quite upset with NGT for bestowing upon itself the power of

judicial review. NGT has bestowed upon itself a wide ambit of jurisdiction in the name

of "ancillary and inherent powers necessary in the interest of justice". The tribunal held

that it is a specialised body and has a procedure of its own (Section 19), which gives it

power to adjudicate on issues where judicial review is required.

Jurisdiction

Under Section 14(1) NGT is empowered to address all civil cases where a "substantial

question relating to environment" is involved. It is alleged that this term is very

ambiguous. NGT has, however, construed it very liberally and expanded its jurisdiction.

Even cases which have indirect adverse impact on the environment can be considered


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by the tribunal." Dhavan, however, thinks that although environment is a part of Article

21 of the constitution, NGT cannot use it to strike down any legislation/order.

THE NATIONAL Green Tribunal (NGT) is performing well. Those who can reach it

now believe that their cases will be heard speedily. Today, there is a fear among industry

and environment regulators that some action would be taken if a case is heard by NGT.

But there are many challenges that NGT faces and there are many issues that people

have with NGT.

The biggest challenge that people face is the access to justice. Access to justice is denied

by two means in NGT: firstly, by the provision of limitation period and secondly, by

virtue of NGT being located in only five big cities spread across India.

Once the tribunal started operating, lower courts were barred from taking up environmental

cases. Not that they were doing a great job, but the debarring of lower courts has meant

that poor and disadvantaged communities living in remote parts of the country now

have to go to NGT Benches in their respective zones to get justice.

Similarly, the NGT Act has put an unrealistic time limit in place for filing a case. The

limit of a maximum of three months is akin to a denial of justice. If the right to clean

environment is an integral part of the right to life in our Constitution, can this right be

overlooked simply because someone missed the bus or because someone came to realise

the implications of polluting activities a few years down the line?

There is a strong perception that NGT wants to hog more powers and that it wants to

take on other government institutions. This has created an impression within various

government agencies that NGT is riding roughshod over them. This perception can behighly damaging to the objective of effective delivery of environmental justice. NGT

needs the support of various institutions to achieve this objective. It can't operate in

isolation.

The other perceptional issue that NGT must correct is that it is taking up frivolous and

anti-people cases. For instance, in one case, the tribunal's principal Bench ordered the

closure of 12 eating joints in Delhi's Hauz Khas area for not having applied for consent

to operate. It is a different matter that one needs to question the very basis for restaurants

to take the consent of pollution control boards. But if this judgement of NGT were to

be applied across the country, then we would have to effectively close down most

restaurants.

NGT faces some real challenges as well. First, we must strengthen it by giving it more

powers and by investing in strengthening its infrastructure. Judicial review is an important

power that must be given to NGT since there are a lot of problems with our laws. As

NGT is dealing with these problems on a daily basis, only it can bring changes through

case law. Similarly, we should include other environment-related laws within NGT'S


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ambit. These are required for effective delivery of justice and environmental protection.

NGT also needs to put certain systems in place for transparent decision-making.

It has started putting financial penalties on polluters, but so far, it has not come out

with a guideline on this. NGT needs to establish principles and criteria to estimate fines,

damages and compensation. It should also identify institutions and experts who can

help it to scientifically estimate environmental damages/compensation/fines on a

case-to-case basis. These will bring in objectivity in its judgements.

The bottom line is that NGT has done well so far. But many improvements are still

required to make accessible, speedy and effective resolution of environmental disputes

a practical reality. For this, NGT must be strengthened and not weakened. On its part,

NGT must put internal checks and balances for efficient and transparent delivery of

justice. The reality of justice is important, but so is its perception.

NGT slams Delhi government for worsening air pollution; sets agenda t Thu, Nov 27, 2014National Green Tribunal, environment, Down to Earth, NGT,

The National Green Tribunal has slammed the Delhi government for the worsening air

quality in the capital [2] , and has issued stringent directives to check the pollution.

The green court has ordered all vehicles older than 15 years to be taken off Delhi's

roads. Such vehicles should also not be parked in a public place. This directive applies

to all vehicles, including bikes, scooters, cars, buses and trucks. Another important

directive of the Tribunal is that "no person shall be permitted to burn plastic or any

other material in the open".

He adds that the government has a legal obligation to implement the Tribunal's orders.

A World Health Organization report released earlier this year said that Delhi is the most

polluted city in the world, beating Beijing in China [3] . The national capital was found

to have the highest concentration of PM2.5--particulate matters that cause serious

respiratory problems.

The NGT direction on the 14-point action agenda includes ban on 15-year-old personal

and commercial vehicles; bypass of transit traffic; ban on burning of plastic; community

surveillance of violation of pollution laws; prohibition on parking on carriageway ortar road; only one side of the road in the market places to be used for parking;

implementation of cycle tracks; Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses to be checked

for violation of emissions norms and to be taken off the road if found non-compliant;

checks on overloading of trucks and installation of automatic weighing machines across

the borders; and air purifiers in market places.

Several measures in the action plan, including ban on open burning, ban on 15-year-old


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commercial vehicles and bypassing of transit traffic are already part of Delhi government's

regulations. But these have not been enforced well.

All older and polluting personal vehicles require stringent action. However, polluting

vehicles are distributed across vehicle vintages. This will additionally require very

rigorous inspection.

Some of the proposed measures may have unintended consequences and may even

defeat the purpose pollution reduction. For instance, the proposed ban on parking on

motorised carriageway to cut congestion without additional safeguards and riders can

increase parking pressure on footpaths and cycle tracks. This will undermine zero

pollution walking and cycling and also compromise public transport usage. NGT may

give direction to remove all parking from footpaths and cycle tracks and make this

non-negotiable.

In addition to keeping an eye on the emissions levels of DTC buses, NGT may also

broaden the scope to give direction to the DTC and Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal

Transit System (DIMTS) to improve reliable bus service with adequate route coverage

and frequency of bus service that can be monitored and verified.

More stringent pollution emergency measures may be identified to bring down the peak

pollution levels in the city. Soft options have all been exhausted in Delhi. The city

needs aggressive and time bound action to meet clean air standards and reduce public

health risk.

NGT bans cutting of trees in forests without requisite clearance Wed, Nov 26, 201environment, Down to Earth, NGT, national green tribunal,

The National Green tribunal has banned cutting of trees from forests across the country

without obtaining clearance from the Centre and competent authorities. The order was

given on a complaint of large-scale felling of trees across the country,

The complaint said that catastrophes like landslips, loss of top soil and rising levels of

greenhouse gases was due to cutting of trees for charcoal production in industries,

NGT asks environment ministry to list asbestos mines; orders health s Tue, Nov 25, 2014environment, asbestos, Down to Earth, NGT, national green tribunal,

Despite a ban on mining of the carcinogenic building and fire-resistant material for the

past two decades, NGT's latest order shows that states and ministry of mines bypassed

MoEF&CC to allow its extraction

India stopped issuing fresh licences for asbestos mining way back in 1986 in order to


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phase out the carcinogenic material from the country. However, if one were to go by

a recent order of the National Green Tribunal, mining still continues and the same is

reflected in the latest mineral production data of Ministry of Mines.

During the course of the hearing, MoEFCC submitted that it has never given consent

to any mining activity for asbestos in the country nor has it issued any environmental

clearance. However, despite the ban on the mining of asbestos for more than two and

a half decades, the counsel for Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board submitted that

the board had granted consents up to 2007, while Odisha Pollution Control Board had

granted consent up to 2004.

the bench said that it is undisputable that asbestos mining activity is considered hazardous

and causes serious environmental and health hazards, including diseases such as cancer.

" If a decision has been taken to ban asbestos mining, the authority should have ensured

complete prohibition,

Production increased despite ban

However, last year, India opposed the listing of chrysotile asbestos under Annexure III

of the Rotterdam Convention at the sixth meeting of Conference of Parties (COP6) on

May 8 in Geneva. Substances listed under Annex III of the Convention--a global treaty

to promote shared responsibilities in relation to import of hazardous chemicals--require

exporting countries to advise importing countries about the toxicity of the substances

so that importers can give their prior informed consent (PIC) for trade.

Text of the Speech delivered by Minister for Environment, Forest and Climat Fri, Nov 21, 2014HFCs, environment, Montreal Protocol, PIB,

The Montreal protocol on substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer has been recognized

as the most successful Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs) in the history.

India successfully phased out CFCs and other oDS like CTC/CFC/Halon well in time

and its phase out of HCFCs is proceeding with due diligence.

We all know that all is not well with the Montreal Protocol .There are number of

challenges still. We introduced HFCs as substitute for the CFCs and now for HCFCs.

HFCs are Green House Gases ( GHG) and its Global Warming Potentials ( GWP) are

thousands of time greater than CO2-commonly known GHG.

Developing countries were given technologies and financial assistance to adopt the

alternatives which were mainly HFC-dependent.

There are no specific offers of technology transfer, technology demonstrations and


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technology cooperation for the developing countries, except reports and presentations.

IPR, Patents, Confidentiality are the arguments still used by the developed countries

for the issues that would lead us to climate disaster. What is the use of those confidentiality

and IPR issues if all of us are getting drowned together due to global warming?

My suggestions and proposal

Country wise production and consumption of HFCs over last 10 years. India does not

want 'estimates'. We need actual figures. That's what we did in case of CFCs decades

back.

* India needs in every 29 states of India immediate demonstration projects for alternatives

to HFCs in refrigeration and ACs to test the viability, affordability and energy efficiency.

We woud like the developed country industry and research institutes to initiate immediate

collaboration to develop and improve the affordability of HFC alternatives.

The negotiations on HFCs should proceed on the principles of grace period ( CBRD)

, financial assistance including that for research and development, technology transfer

without clauses of confidentiality.

Montreal Protocol: India and others block discussions on HFCs Mon, Nov 24, 201HFCs, environment, Montreal Protocol, Down to Earth,

here was no clarity if discussions of phase-down of HFCs will discussed under Montreal

Protocol after India, Pakistan and other countries did not agree to the formation of acontact group while reiterating old concerns.

India had not initially disclosed whether it was in favour of HFCs (used in refrigerants)

being discussed under [2] Montreal Protocol on ozone depleting substances or wanted

to retain its earlier stand that it should be discussed only under [3] Kyoto Protocol

because of its high global warming potential or GWP (see 'India might agree to discuss

HFCs under Montreal Protocol' [4] ). After staying tight lipped for the first couple of

days, the Indian delegation finally made its position clear through the statement of

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.

Javadekar's list of demands

He requested that the Technological and Scientific Assessment Panel (TEAP) should

submit reports that give conclusive data (not estimates), and a demonstration project

on alternatives to HFCs in every state in India that bears in mind the energy efficiency

aspect of HFCs and their affordability.

In contrast to the popular belief about lack of information on alternatives to HFCs, there


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are many low cost- low GWP alternatives available. A delegate at the meeting said that

information on these alternatives is not reaching the larger audience and there is a failure

to understand the availability of alternatives. Not only are the alternatives available

generally but also sector-specific low-GWP alternatives are rapidly advancing.

India demands technology transfer for HFCs phase out Thu, Nov 20, 2014HFCs, environment, Montreal Protocol, Businessline,

Javadekar, who is the first Indian minister to attend the Montreal Protocol over the last

few years, reiterated India's demands for technology transfer without patent restriction,

financial assistance, and allowing developing countries, including India, more time for

phasing down HFCs.

There are no specific offers of technology transfer, technology demonstration and

technology cooperation. IPR, patents, confidentiality are still the arguments being usedby the (developed) countries.

Clarifying India's now-changed stance, one of cooperation on discussion HFCs and

HCFCs phase-out at the Montreal Protocol, the Minister, once again, referred to the

bilateral joint statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Barack

Obama.

The Minister, however, appears to have made it clear that the India's acquiescence

would depend on the fulfilment of its demands of technology transfer and financial

assistance, among others.

He also emphasised India's need for refrigeration and air-conditioning for the masses

at an affordable cost, besides energy security.

HFC phase out talks: Lack of consensus over forming contact group Fri, Nov 21, 2014HFCs, environment, Montreal Protocol, Businessline,

The US efforts to form a contact group for negotiating on phasing out of hydrofluorocarbons

(HFCs), under the Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting substances, failed on the last

day of talks on Friday.

opposition from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan was able to defer the matter.

Lack of consensus between countries during the informal discussions was another

hurdle for the formation of a contact group.


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Discussions on HFCs at Montreal Protocol: one step forward, two steps Thu, Nov 20, 2014HFCs, environment, Montreal Protocol, Down to Earth,

There was little progress on discussions on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) at the 26thMeeting of Parties (MOP) to the Montreal Protocol under way in Paris. Some countries

continue to stall discussions on the group of gases used as substitutes to ozone depleting

gases in refrigerators and air-conditioners. They insist that since the gases have high

global warming potential they should be discussed under UN Convention on Climate

Change and not Montreal Protocol that deals with ozone depleting substances.

Key states such as the United States, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and India made statements

that added nothing new to help progress in discussions.

After much word-jugglery, the plenary managed to agree on the following text for

convening informal discussions: mechanisms for ensuring a sustainable phase-out ofHCFCs in Article 5 parties, as well as all issues in relation to HFCs management for

all Parties; and how to address HFCs management in 2015.

India made two interventions: one stating that instead of two proposed chairs for the

informal group there was only one chair from a developed nation and that such a move

was not a considered equal representation.

River Linking Can Raise the Irrigation Capacity of the Country by 90 Per Ce Thu, Nov 20, 2014environment, river interlinking, PIB, river,

inter-linking of river will raise the irrigation capacity of the country by 90 percent.

excess rain water in our country flows in to seas through rivers. We need to conserve

this water by inter-linking the rivers.

three flagship schemes

Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme, Repair, Renovation and Restoration of

Water Bodies and Flood Management Programme.

Naidu favours interlinking of Krishna-Godavari rivers Fri, Nov 21, 2014environment, river interlinking, Businessline, river,

N Chandrababau Naidu today said interlinking of the Krishna and Godavari rivers

would be able to address the drought problems in Rayalaseema region of the State.

He said Andhra Pradesh is best suited to embark upon intra-state river linking to provide


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farmers with assured flow of water, keeping in mind annual variability of flood water

flow.

he mentioned that at 75 per cent dependability in all four perennial rivers of Godavari,

Krishna, Penna and Vamsadhara and about 1,460 TMC of water is available which

cater water to over 80 lakh farmers all over the State.

He said out of 199 lakh of cultivable area only 101 lakh acres irrigate area, still a balance

of 97.81 lakh acres area is to be irrigated.

The Centre had announced Polavaram as a national project where more than 50 per

cent of the project works, particularly, canals are completed.

If the right canal of this project is linked with the river Krishna and about 70 TMC of

water could be drawn to from Godavari. It is proposed to complete this work by June

2015, he said.

First meeting of Reconstituted Executive Committee on Climate Change held Fri, Nov 14, 2014environment, Climate Change, PIB,

The Committee noted that 29 states had prepared their State Action Plan on Climate

Change (SAPCC), allocation of additional 1500 MW power was made by the Ministry

of Power to Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for bundling scheme and that a

team for quantification of GHG emission reduction through the implementation of

national missions was set up.

The National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency reported emissions reduction by

around 98.55 million tons by 2015 and saving of 23 million tons of oil- equivalent of

fuel savings and distribution of 2.58 million LED bulbs.

The Solar Mission reported the addition of grid solar power of 2870 MW and off -grid

solar applications of 364.27 MW along with solar thermal collectors of 8.42 million

sq. Mtr till 2013-14 and total CO2 reduction of 15.5 million tonnes.

The Committee was apprised of the new projects of solar parks, solar PV power projects

on canal top/canal banks and solar power driven agricultural pump sets and water

pumping station in 2014-15 and implementation of green corridors transmission

infrastructure.

The committee discussed some other initiatives as envisaged in the NAPCC. These are

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) mitigation in power generation; other Renewable Energy

Technologies (RET) programmes; Disaster management links; Protection of coastal

areas; Health sector; and creating capacity at different levels of government on climate

change and suggested that relevant ministries may prepare a work programme on all


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these initiatives.

Global Warming Wed, Nov 26, 201

environment, PIB, Global Warming, climate change,

Monsoon rainfall varies on different spatial and temporal scales. Extreme rainfall events

that occur at some isolated places (viz. heavy rainfall over Mumbai or in Rajasthan)

are highly localized and are part of the natural variability of the Indian monsoon system

itself. Although, some recent studies hint at an increasing frequency and intensity of

extremes in rainfall during the past 40-50 years, their attribution to global warming is

yet to be established. Moreover, the report of the Inter- governmental Panel on Climate

Change and our country's own assessment using regional climate models indicate that

the extremes rainfall events are likely to be more frequent in the later part of the 21st

century all over the world including India.

Although, the monsoon rainfall at all India level does not show any trend but on regional

scale, areas of increasing trend is discerned. It is not clear if this increasing trend in the

heavy rainfall events is attributable to global warming. Summary of the observed long

term changes so far include:

(i) Mean annual surface air temperatures show a significant warming of about 0.5 degree

C/100 years during the last century.

(ii) No significant long-term trends are reported in the frequencies of large-scale droughts

or floods in the summer monsoon season.

(iii) The average seasonal rainfall over India has shown decline in the last five decades,

especially after 1970, that is not found to be statistically significant. Further over core

monsoon zone, the contribution from increasing heavy rain events is offset by decreasing

moderate events and hence on the long term the change is not appreciable.

Global warming has been attributed largely to the increase in concentration of greenhouse

gases mainly from anthropogenic activities. The Government has initiated the National

Action Plan on Climate Change in specific areas for addressing long term and integrated

strategies for achieving key goals of sustainable development in the context of climate

change, so as to reduce its adverse impacts.

China unveils new energy strategy to cut coal usage by 2020 Fri, Nov 21, 2014environment, Down to Earth, coal, climate change, China,

In an attempt to modernise its energy structure and make it "clean and green", China,

on Wednesday, released its comprehensive Energy Development Strategy Action Plan


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per cent of its 2005 levels by 2025 is nothing new but only a modified reiteration of its

commitment announced in Copenhagen in 2009.

In Copenhagen, China had agreed to this order of reduction by 2020 itself. Now, that

deadline has been pushed back by a good five years, that is China seeks to gain more

time to effect the reductions. Therefore, the only concession extended by it is to cap its

emissions at the 2030 level.

China's emissions would continue to grow well up to 2030. Its projected economic

growth would remain at a healthy 6.5 per cent per year, though pared down from the

earlier pursued 8 per cent.

But given the frenetic pace of its development till now and falling exports, it should

not be difficult for China to make a bold commitment to bring down its energy intensity.

As far as the US is concerned, Obama has conceded nothing significantly more than

what he had already done in the past. As early as in 2009, he announced that US wouldreduce its emissions by 17 per cent compared to 2005 levels by the year 2020. This

target has now been revised to 26-28 per cent to be achieved by an extended deadline

of 2025.

This revision, though a shade better than the earlier commitment in terms of emission

reductions, is quite favourable to the US. A simple calculation would show that had

the US become a party to the Kyoto Protocol -- which it has not -- it would have been

asked to reduce its yearly emissions of 4.8 billion tonnes in 1990 by 7 per cent to 4.46

billion tonnes by 2008 to 2012.

Now, even with a seemingly higher commitment of 26 per cent reduction but with 2005

as the base year when the US emissions had risen to 6 billion tonnes, it would be

reducing to the level of 4.46 billion tonnes by 2025 only. Therefore, the US commitment

in Beijing is more of a gain to it than a sacrifice on its part.

Despite the shale oil and gas boom that would help replace coal by oil and enable the

US to emit less of GHGs, Obama will find it an uphill task to carry the US Congress

with him on the emission reduction commitment made by him.

What about India? India made a commitment in Copenhagen (2009) to reduce its GHG

intensity of GDP by 20-25 per cent by 2020 compared to the intensity in 2005.

The low-carbon path

Ramesh places reliance on a report on ushering in a low carbon economy in India

released by the Planning Commission in April, 2014 which contained projections of

India's annual energy demand up to the year 2030-31

Since this committee had arrived at the conclusion that a low carbon economic growth


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Blowin' in the wind Wed, Nov 26, 201environment, US china climate deal, Businessline, climate change,

There is no denying that the US-China climate deal has put the spotlight on India. Theworld's two top emitters of greenhouse gases have set the tone for the climate change

ministerial in Paris next year. China's emissions will peak by 2030 under this arrangement,

whereas US emissions will be down by 26 to 28 per cent by 2025 (over 2005 levels).

India's right to the global atmosphere cannot be curtailed at this stage. China's per

capita income at $7,000 in PPP terms is nearly five times India's. Its poverty level is

5 to 6 per cent against India's 21 per cent. And, almost all Chinese homes have access

to electricity against 75 per cent in India. China was until the other day with India,

speaking for the rights of the emerging economies to grow and develop. Now, with

China having crossed over, it will become that much harder for India to press for the

valid distinction between developed and emerging economies. The challenge before

New Delhi is to insist on 'common but differentiated responsibility' between the OECD

and the rest (the 1997 Kyoto protocol) in any new framework that may emerge in Paris,

without, however, getting isolated in the process.

The fault lines have, however, blurred since the days of the Kyoto protocol. First,

extreme weather occurrences have become frequent. Second, the share of the developing

world in annual emission flows has increased. So, while the industrialised West is

responsible for the stock of greenhouse gases, developing world emissions account for

about 60 per cent of incremental emissions. India's per capita emissions are way below

that of China and the US, but it is the third largest emitter. Finally, rising emerging

country emissions would have to fall for the total stock of GHGs to be frozen; cuts bythe rich countries alone will not suffice. This calls for a nuanced re-positioning of the

Kyoto principle.

Carbon budgeting -- assessing the right of respective countries to the atmosphere, taking

both stock and flows into account -- is a possibility. Instead of reacting to developments

and proposals, India should be proactive. Lessons can be learnt from Germany's rapid

shift to renewables. The willingness to discuss the use of hydrofluorocarbons with the

US, a cooling agent in airconditioning that heats up the atmosphere, is a major step

forward and can lead to technology transfer. The promotion of mass transport over

personal vehicles and rail over road and air is an urgent need. We need a holistic

approach to the issue of climate change.


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Protecting biodiversity with rigour Tue, Nov 25, 2014biodiversity, environment, The Hindu, climate change,

Voluntary action on climate change in India has centered around economic decisions,such as cutting down on carbon intensity and increasing renewable sources of energy.

But what is lacking in the discourse is an understanding of keeping the natural natural,

or conserving biodiversity. Two important events have taken place in the past few

months in the country, which are tied to climate change and the pressing issue of how

we deal with it. First, the Convention on Biological Diversity, a Convention under the

United Nations which seeks to regulate our use of the natural world, has reached

important funding decisions. Second, a high-level committee set up to propose amendments

in environmental laws in India has submitted its recommendations to the MoEF. Both

developments set the tone for changing the character of growth.

Biodiversity and wildlife protection is often termed as a 'co-benefit' of mitigatingclimate change. Other co-benefits, usually understood as secondary to economic

decision-making, are clean air, potable water, ecosystem services and a stable microclimate.

At the just-concluded conference of parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity

held in Pyeongchang, Korea, many stressed that biodiversity targets cannot just be

'stand alone' targets. In the framework of the post-2015 development agenda, stand

alone targets on biodiversity would not be useful. The principle of universality and

integration must define the nature of sustainable development goals, At the meeting,

an important commitment for resource mobilisation was made. Parties have agreed to

double biodiversity-related financial flow to developing countries, small island developing

states, least developed countries, and economies in transition.

For instance, climate change action in India is currently focussed on a lowering of

carbon intensity in growth. But we are also seeking to peak emissions by a certain

period, allowing growth to optimise by then, and then allow a tapering off of emissions.

But this carbon space can also be consistently at odds with biodiversity protection

efforts. For example, the concept of 'peaking' emissions holds no value for biodiversity,

and may actively threaten it. A habitat once destroyed takes decades to be restored as

we set up man-made infrastructure. So the question is: are we going to dismantle natural

infrastructure and then restore it? If the answer is no, then this will mean taking hard

decisions, such as identifying critical, inviolate areas in forests which cannot be mined

or dammed, and setting thresholds for environmental regulation and pollution.

The government has made moves to lift the moratorium for projects (and thus allowing

more emissions) in critically polluted areas, such as Vapi in Gujarat. Further changes

in these regulations will set the tone for levels of industrial effluents in seas, rivers, and

the sky, and how much clustering of infrastructure and projects can be allowed in an

area.


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The second question is one of environmental and forest clearances for projects. In public

statements, including the one made when Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar

accepted the environmental act review, the government says it wants the environmental

clearance process made "speedier" and "more transparent." This sentiment is echoed

in States too: for instance, Himachal Pradesh has a committee on 'Speedy development

of small hydro projects.'

Decision-making on environment should not be a question of time; rather it should be

one of rigour. While developers want to believe that problems in environmental

decision-making lie in time spent around getting a clearance, the issue really is one of

technocratic discretion. The MoEF needs to have the forthright discretion to say 'no'

to projects with deleterious impacts on biodiversity and climate action.

The final question then is: in our development efforts, and in climate change mitigation

and adaptation efforts, what rigour will the Indian government put in for capturing our

hard-won climate quota, while simultaneously guarding a healthy environment? While

conventional sources of energy will stay for a while, environmental regulation and

post-project monitoring have to be strengthened and upheld because the country is a

constituency wider than just developers who clamour for hasty clearances. Further, in

creating a different scenario -- that is new forms of energy and low carbon development

pathways such as biogas, solar and marine, wind mill energy and energy efficiency --

there is a real chance for new job creation.

Finally, keeping biodiversity and nature protection at the centre of climate action, and

thus our growth strategy, is a pressing requirement. The World Bank estimates that

India loses more than 5 per cent of its GDP each year to environmental degradation. Arobust and growing biodiversity protected area framework will save money spent on

pollution-related illnesses and buoy climate change mitigation work.

Big breakthrough in Beijing Thu, Nov 13, 2014USA, environment, The Hindu, China, climate change,

signed a historic bilateral accord on climate change and clean energy cooperation in

Beijing. This accord will have impacts in the run-up to the Paris Conference in December

2015 when the world community is expected to clinch a new agreement to combat

global warming. Another agreement on trade in technology-intensive industries has

been signed and this has great relevance for the World Trade Organization (WTO).

First, China has publicly announced that its emissions of carbon dioxide will peak by

2030 and that the intention is to have the peak year earlier. Second, China will increase

the non-fossil fuel share (mainly nuclear, solar and wind) of all energy to around 20

per cent by 2030. Third, the U.S. will cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 26-28 per


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cent below 2005 levels by 2025 with an aspirational goal of an 80 per cent reduction

by 2050. Fourth, the two countries will vastly expand cooperation in clean energy,

phasing down of the use of hydrofluorocarbons in refrigerators and air-conditioners,

demonstration of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies and climate-smart

urbanisation.

China's peaking year of 2030 means that it would peak at about 10 tonnes per capita

(compared to the present level of around 7 tonnes per capita) while the U.S.'s per capita

emissions then would probably be in the region of 15 tonnes.

The recent commitments of the 28-member European Union to deep cuts in their

emissions by 2025 and 2030 has undoubtedly put a little extra pressure on China and

the U.S. not to lag behind in demonstrating to the world that they recognise the onus

is on them to do something dramatic.

Significance for India o be sure, India with about 6 per cent of global greenhouse gas

emissions is simply not in the same league as China, the U.S. or the EU. Even with 8

per cent economic growth over the next decade and a half, its share will not cross 10

per cent at most. it would be extremely unwise to dismiss the significance of this

agreement on the grounds that India is "different" because of the per capita argument.

The international community will now expect India to make some firm commitments

for 2025 and 2030. It has already committed itself to a 20-25 per cent reduction in

emissions intensity (tonnes of carbon dioxide divided by dollars of GDP) below 2005

levels by 2020 and there should really be no problem to unveil plans for 2025 and 2030

as well. This would be in keeping with domestic imperatives as well.

contribution of solar, wind and biomass to electricity supply can realistically increasefrom the present 6 per cent to 18 per cent by 2030. Similarly, it had projected that

nuclear energy (which does not entail emissions of carbon dioxide) could increase its

share in our electricity supply portfolio from the current level of around 8 per cent by

2030.

India has to start thinking creatively. It has long been a champion of equity in any

international agreement but it has been opposing a concrete proposal put forward by

the Africa Group in this regard. This has been a most unwise stance. In any case, equity

gets reflected in the nature of mitigation responsibilities a country takes on -- the fact

that India is allowed to pledge reductions not in absolute levels of emissions but in

relative levels measures of emission intensity is itself a reflection of equity considerations.

India's continued insistence on the Annex I (industrialised countries)/non-Annex I

distinction that forms the bedrock of all climate change negotiations also needs to be

relooked.

The current ruling dispensation seems to think that environmental and forest regulations

and laws are a drag on economic growth. This is a profound misreading of the situation.


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In fact, in some cases, like in the case of emissions of sulphur dioxide and mercury,

new concentration standards are required.

Modi proposes global centre for clean energy research Sun, Nov 16, 2014clean energy, environment, The Hindu, climate change,

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday proposed to G20 nations that a global virtual

centre be set up for clean energy research and development.

He also pushed for rapid expansion of renewable energy in rural areas.

For this, I would propose that we set up a global virtual centre for clean energy research

and development, with adequate public funding, which will fund collaborative projects

in diverse sources of clean energy, smart grids, energy efficiency

Mr. Modi said energy efficiency is the best source of clean energy.

He said building energy efficiency and efficiency in areas such as buildings, household

appliances and industrial goods in India is receiving strong attention.

More crop yields adding more CO2 to atmosphere Thu, Nov 20, 2014environment, crop yields, The Hindu, agriculture, climate change,

A sharp rise in food production to meet the demands for rising population accounts for

as much as 25 per cent of the seasonal increase in carbon dioxide (CO2), finds new

research.

The carbon dioxide absorbed by plants during spring and summer as they convert solar

energy into food is released back to the atmosphere in autumn and winter.

It is not that crops are adding more CO 2 to the atmosphere; rather, if crops are like a

sponge for CO 2 , the sponge has simply gotten bigger and can hold and release more

of the gas,

With global food productivity expected to double over the next 50 years, the findings

should be used to improve climate models and better understand the atmospheric CO

2 buffering capacity of ecosystems, the researchers pointed out.

The study found that, while the area of farmed land has not significantly increased, the

production efficiency of that land has. Intensive agricultural management over the last

50 years has had a profound impact.


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Early winter puts U.S. in deep freeze Wed, Nov 19, 201environment, The Hindu, climate change,

A huge lake-effect snow storm dumped four feet of snow around the city of Buffalo inupstate New York on Tuesday, forcing State police on snowmobiles to deliver blankets

to stranded motorists on the main highway across New York State on a wintry day

when temperatures fell to freezing or below in all 50 States.

The National Weather Service warned that the snow, generated by cold air blowing

over the warmer Great Lakes, would continue through Wednesday and could eventually

total 6 feet in places.

Winter 2014 set to be 'coldest of the century'; climate change may be Fri, Nov 21, 2014environment, Down to Earth, climate change,

While the US and the UK brace for unprecedented snow, climate change experts have

been trying to understand if the phenomenon can be associated with Arctic warming

and if Arctic freeze or polar vortex will now become regular phenomena [3] .

as the Arctic warms (and it is warming extraordinarily quickly), the jet stream that

regulates weather over the northern hemisphere will weaken and narrow.

Al Jazeera states that according to experts, climate change-induced ocean warming in

the Pacific turned Typhoon Nuri (that nearly missed hitting Japan) into a "super typhoon"

that punched the jet stream off its course, bringing the North Pole's weather down overthe eastern US.

However, it has not been officially ascertained yet that the recent chill is related to the

polar vortex that left most parts of US and Europe frozen last winter.

Last call to get climate deal right Tue, Nov 25, 2014environment, Down to Earth, climate change,

The Indian government must not use "equity" to block climate change negotiations. It

must be proactive on equity and put forward a position on how to operationalise thesharing of the carbon budget--accounting for countries' contribution to past emissions

and allocating future space--in climate talks.

Equity is a pre-requisite for an effective agreement on climate change. since the

atmosphere is a global common, we need equal entitlements to the space. We argued

the only way countries would commit to reducing emissions--connected to economic


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growth--would be if there were limits for all, based on contribution to the creation of

the problem.

The 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is built on this premise--the

group of countries (Annex 1) responsible for creating the problem must create space

for the rest to grow. But since the objective is to have a different growth pattern to avoid

emissions of long-life carbon dioxide, developing countries would get money and

technology.

The current situation is very different. Countries which were required to cut emissions

did not do so at the scale or pace needed. The US "peaked" its emissions in 2012. The

situation is worse if the accounting for emissions is done on the basis of consumption

and not production. In that case developed countries increased their emissions in this

period because all they did was to export manufacturing to other parts of the world.

So the rich did not reduce emissions, while the rest of the world increased. While in

1992, Annex 1 countries contributed some 70 per cent of the emissions, by 2014, they

are down to 40 per cent. The space is filled and now there is little left for future growth

of all. This is where climate change negotiations are stuck.

The old rich want the differentiation between the past polluters and the current and

future ones to go. They say we should forget the historical contribution and divide the

carbon cake afresh. They remind developing countries that the present is different--China,

for instance, has overtaken the US as the world's largest contributor on an annual basis.

The "firewall" between Annex 1 and the rest, as called by US negotiators, was first

breached at the 2009 Copenhagen conference when countries like India agreed not todiscuss the historical contribution of the already rich and put their own emission reduction

targets on the table. In 2011, this arrangement was cemented. The Durban CoP agreed

that the world would work to finalise a new agreement by 2015. This deal would require

the "highest possible mitigation efforts by all Parties". The only sweetener was the hard

fought phrase that the agreement would be under the "Convention", which, in turn, is

based on the principle of equity.

But in the 2013 CoP at Warsaw it was agreed that "all" countries would submit their

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) by early 2015. In other words,

now there is no agreement which specifies the target for each country based on its past

contribution. Countries do not put forward their emissions reduction targets based oncommon but differentiated responsibility.

It is, however, argued (by top US negotiators) that the deal is based on equity. This is

because each country is free to decide domestic targets, keeping in mind its contribution

to the problem and its capacity to act. Ingenious indeed. The game is, however, not

over. The next step is to put INDC together and to see how the aggregate of "all" adds


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to the magic number needed to keep the temperature rise below 2degC, the guardrail of

devastating change. It is taken for granted that the sum of all will be way below what

is needed. Now the real question kicks in: how to estimate the past, present and future

emissions contribution of each country to decide who will reduce how much emissions?

In Warsaw 2013, the African Group proposed an equity reference framework, which

has different indicators of development and capability to assess what each country

should do. India stridently opposed this. No doubt, the African proposal has flaws, but

our government has to put forward a counter-proposal on how to operationalise equity.

Otherwise, equity is only for blocking consensus; empty word being banged in noisy

pans.

New robotic study finds dense ice under Antarctic Tue, Nov 25, 2014Antarctica, environment, Down to Earth,

Sea ice underneath the Antarctic is thicker than previously thought.

The robot, named SeaBed, mapped an area of ice spanning 500,000 square metre (m)

at an underwater depth of 20 to 30 m. The average ice thickness was found to be between

1.4 m and 5.5 m, with a maximum thickness of 16 m,

Rising Africa needs to strategise actions for 'inclusive, clean and s Fri, Nov 21, 2014environment, Down to Earth, Africa,

Appreciating this year's theme for Africa Industrialisation Day (November 21, 2014),United Nations Secretary-General called for green [2] , and clean industrialisation that

leapfrogs outdated, polluting processes and platforms and benefits from new technologies.

The theme for this year is 'Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (ISID):

African Agro Industry for Food Security".

The UN chief also informed that agriculture still accounts for the major share of rural

household income and employs over 60 per cent of Africa's labour force, particularly

women.

The UN chief also assured that the UN is committed to promoting inclusive and

sustainable industrial development in Africa and to contribute for an economicallyprosperous and socially integrated continent.


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Let's go down the ecotourism path Tue, Nov 25, 2014environment, ecotourism, Businessline,

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report reiterates that naturalresources depletion and changing climate patterns can put a question mark on the

survival of the human race, if natural resources are consumed at the current rate.

developing countries such as India need to maximise economic outcomes from natural

resources to lift its population out of poverty.

The tourism sector has a significant direct impact on our natural resources and

environmentally sustainable tourism, or ecotourism, could be a pertinent tool in achieving

a fine balance between creating economic growth and preserving natural capital.

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) has defined ecotourism as "responsible

travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of

local people". The key goal of ecotourism is to maximise economic outcomes while

maintaining, if not enhancing, the natural resources of the area. However, a closer

analysis reveals that achieving this balance is not without its share of challenges.

One of the key challenges is putting an accurate value on natural resources. Traditional

economics values an industry on the economic value generated by its operations.

However, for sustainable development, we need to go beyond conventional economics.

Taking the example of the same forest, apart from timber, it does provide indirect

services like soil sequestration, clean air, climate regulation and maintenance ofbio-diversity among others, apart from the aesthetic value. The value of these indirect

services is not 'captured' in commercial markets and is often ignored in policy decisions.

One of the ways in which the aesthetic value of forests can be viewed is through the

appeal that national parks and wildlife sanctuaries have for tourists. The revenue

generated from such tourism could be seen as the value of the natural capital and can

be further used by agencies to develop models of natural capital valuation.

Another key challenge in achieving the balance between preserving natural capital and

maximising human output is involving the local population in the process. Experience

has shown that no effort to preserve natural capital can be successful without the

participation of the local community. Ecotourism leads to direct interactions betweenthe hosts, that is, local communities, and tourists, that is, guests.

How to infuse values

By involving the local community, ecotourism ventures can ensure that the common

pool of resources and peripheral infrastructure such as roads and electricity cater to the

needs of the local population along with the needs of tourists. It also empowers the


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indigenous community as guardians of local natural capital which in itself can lay

effective control on the consumption patterns, ensuring long-term sustainability of the

area.

The benefits of ecotourism are essentially two-fold -- on the one hand it provides a

notional value to the unrecognised natural capital, while on the other it provides an

effective way of utilising the same resources in a more sustainable manner with the

involvement of local communities.

Tourism development is one of the five major priorities of the Centre . The challenge

before policymakers and financial experts is to facilitate its growth, albeit in a manner

that is mutually advantageous for the local population, tourists and the environment.

This is a step in the direction in keeping with the Prime Minister's vision of cleanliness

and resource conservation for the economic development and propagation of tourism.

T S R Subramanian panel proposes new law, institutions to fast track Thu, Nov 20, 2014environment, Down to Earth, subramanian panel,

The high level committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests

and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to review the environment laws in the country has

recommended formulating a new "umbrella" law to streamline the process of environment

clearances for development projects in the country.

Under the new proposed Environment Loss Management Act (ELMA), full-time expert

bodies--National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and State EnvironmentManagement Authority (SEMA)--are to be constituted at the Central and state levels

respectively to evaluate project clearance (using technology and expertise), in a time

bound manner, providing for single window clearance.

The committee, headed by the former cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian, was

constituted in August this year to review the key environment laws-- Environment

Protection Act (EPA) of 1986, Forest Conservation Act (FCA) of 1980, Wildlife

Protection Act (WPA) of 1972, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act

of 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981 Later, the Indian

Forest Act (IFA) of 1927, the colonial law which governs the forest administration in

the country, was also added to the list of laws for the committee to review.

The Subramanian committee has not recommended any change in IFA and FCA but

has proposed to club the Air Act and the Water Act with EPA. The existing Central

Pollution Control Board and the State Pollution Control Boards, which monitor and

regulate the conditions imposed on the industries to safeguard environment, are proposed

to be "subsumed" by NEMA and SEMA once the new bodies come into existence.


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while the country "has a strong environmental policy and legislative framework, much

of the problem relates to weak implementation of various Acts and rules."

Under the new project clearance mechanism, the report says, GIS reference maps,

combined with use of multilayer data captured through satellite imagery for relief andtopography, hydrology, including underground water resources, soil characteristics and

settlement patterns would be used for preliminary screening and speedy process of

project clearance applications."

The report also recommends that an "environmental reconstruction cost" should be

assessed for each project on the basis of the damage caused by it to the environment

and should be dovetailed with the cost of the project. This cost has to be recovered as

a cess or duty from the project proponent during the life of the project

Indian Environment Service proposed

The report also proposes a National Environment Research institute "on the lines of

the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education" to bring in the application of

high-end technology in environment governance. To bring qualified and skilled human

resource in the environment sector, the committee has recommended creation of a new

all India service-- Indian Environment Service.

The executive summary of the report recommends a "fast track" procedure for "linear

projects" which provide benefit to community at large, as well as power/mining projects,

as also projects of national importance. Changes in afforestation policy

The committee has not suggested any major changes in the forest laws but hasrecommended revision of the compensatory afforestation policy. It has suggested that

the area for compensatory afforestation in the revenue land should be doubled from the

current one hectare for each hectare of forestland diverted to non-forest use for

development projects. The compensatory afforestation in degraded forest land should

be increased to three times the forestland diverted to non-forest use from the current

rate of two times the diverted land. The committee also recommends identification of

"no go" forest areas - primarily with over 70 per cent canopy cover and "protected

areas"-- which shall not be disturbed "except in exceptional circumstances, and that too

only with the prior approval of the Union Cabinet". I

Making sense of green building rating Tue, Nov 25, 2014environment, leed, Down to Earth, green building rating, energy efficiency,

The building sector is set to grow exponentially. It already has a huge environmental

footprint, with the domestic and commercial sectors consuming some 30 per cent of

India's electricity. So, the imperative to go green is clear.


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The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has issued the Energy Conservation Building

Code (ECBC) to improve the energy performance of buildings by 40-60 per cent.

What BEE has in addition is a voluntary star-rating scheme for operational buildings

which sets the energy performance index (EPI) of four categories of buildings: day useoffice, IT/BPO, hospital and retail malls. EPI is calculated differently for different

climatic zones.

There are two other green building certifying agencies in the country. The Indian Green

Building Council (IGBC) started out as a US initiative but is now wholly Indian and

is promoted by CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre. It runs a certification

programme that rates buildings platinum, gold or silver, based on different criteria.

Delhi-based TERI has its Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA).

Many state governments provide fiscal incentives and even bonus floor area ratio (FAR)

to builders who produce green certificates from these agencies.

The actual proof will, however, be in the actual use of energy and water in a commissioned

building. But there is little data on this. In other words, governments are giving away

largesse without any verification.

we found that many reputed companies that had been given platinum rating were actually

energy and water guzzlers. Obviously, this is not easy for companies to accept.

regulators need to get their act together on this issue. CSE analysis is based on

self-disclosure by companies, which is not verified or audited. Government needs to

build a credible system of assurance so that it can really push what is green in performance.

It is time, as we say, to go beyond the green facade.

A smart idea Tue, Nov 25, 2014Energy efficiency, environment, BEE, Down to Earth,

Today, the 400-million-strong Indian middle class, with growing disposable incomes,

has made consumer electronics and appliances a Rs 45,000-crore industry, according

to the Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association. A report

prepared by the association this year shows the Indian consumer electronics market

grew at a compound annual rate of 13 per cent during 2003-13.

Even though the appliance penetration of India is lower than the global standard, its

energy consumption is already high and will increase. Indian appliance ownership is

at a stage where China was two decades ago (see 'Much ahead').

domestic energy consumption in India has increased from 80 terawatt hour (TWh, or

a million megawatt hour) in 2000 to 186 TWh in 2012, and constitutes 22 per cent of


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the total energy consumption, f the commercial sector, which includes offices, malls

and shops is added, then the total energy consumption by domestic and commercial

sector goes up to 257 TWh-or 30 per cent of total electricity consumed in India. At this

rate, with rising incomes and urbanisation, the domestic consumption may increase to

1,600 TWh in 2050 if nothing is done to improve the energy efficiency of the appliances,

About 40 per cent of the energy expenditure and a third of CO2 emissions in the world,

as per the United Nations Environment Programme, are attributed to operation and

maintenance of buildings, with home appliances contributing a major share.

Prayas' 2008 calculations show just nine appliances account for almost all the electricity

used in Indian houses (see 'Hungry nine'). Of these four kinds of appliances--lighting

fixtures, ceiling fans, TV sets and refrigerators--account for 80 per cent of the electricity

consumption. Another estimate in 2010 by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a

statutory body under the power ministry, shows that fans use about 34 per cent of the

electricity, lighting 28 per cent and refrigerators 13 per cent in a typical house.Air-conditioner (AC) is the biggest energy guzzler but this is not reflected in national

averages because very few houses have one (see 'Slay the guzzler').

The government took the first step towards energy efficiency by notifying the Energy

Conservation Act in 2002. The Act sought efficiency measures and a legal framework

to implement them throughout the country. In 2006, BEE introduced star rating of

appliances to influence consumer choice and push the market towards improving the

energy efficiency of products. BEE defined the minimum efficiency performance

benchmark for various appliances and decided the bandwidth to award five-star ratings

to products. It also made it mandatory for all manufacturers of ACs, refrigerators and

tube lights to put BEE ratings on the product, which meant that products with efficiency

lower than BEE's minimum benchmark could not be sold in the market.

The sale of five-star ACs has not picked up because they are substantially more expensive

than ordinary ACs and are not easily available in the market. In contrast, the average

efficiency of refrigerators sold in India before the Standards and Labeling programme

was already three-star by standards, which meant the higher efficiency-refrigerators

were marginally more expensive.

we cannot push the minimum standards drastically higher overnight as it will make the

products unaffordable and force many local manufacturers to shut shop,

Cost sensitivity of the Indian market and stiff competition have a way of making

manufacturers adjust and innovate to keep prices low, he adds.

Room for super efficiency

Industry is already ready with several super-efficient products, which use much less

power than even the five- star-rated ones. These products, which can easily be called


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seven- or eight-star, can go a long way in improving the energy security of the country.

To get the measure of what super-efficient products can do take the government's rural

electrification scheme. Under this, the government is providing families with solar

panels of 40 Watt capacity and a regular electric bulb which pretty much uses up the

entire 40 Watt of power. "Today we can operate an LED colour TV, a table fan, twoLED light fixtures, a phone charger and a digital radio-cum-watch with 40 Watt of

electricity, which is the same power a single incandescent bulb consumes

This can also be achieved with the cross subsidy mechanism, under which lower

efficiency products can be charged higher and the differential utilised to subsidise higher

efficiency products, suggests Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment

(CSE).

The bulk of the 25 million ceiling fans sold in the country in a year remains inefficient.

Since fans are rarely replaced, this "locks" in options and may drain energy for decades.

The opportunity, then, lies in phasing out inefficient fans and ensuring that new fans

are even more efficient than the five-star-rated.

The aim is not to simply introduce the most efficient ceiling fan, but to strike the best

balance between cost and efficiency,

LED is projected to be the future of lighting but faces challenges

Lighting provides the biggest scope for saving energy as it accounts for nearly a third

of the electricity consumed by appliances in Indian houses. Today, tube lights and

incandescent bulbs dominate Indian homes, with CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps)

slowly gaining a foothold, thanks to a government scheme.

In February, 2009, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) launched Bachat Lamp

Yojana for replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs. It raised consumer awareness of

energy savings from CFLs through an aggressive campaign, spurring sales to cross 340

million units in 2011.

It is already witnessing an influx of energy-efficient products like LED (light emitting

diode). There are 400 million lamps in Indian houses, mostly incandescent bulbs,

consuming 70 million MWh annually.

The penetration of super-efficient lights in this sector can reduce household electricitydemand for lighting by 30 per cent, according to BEE.

Incandescent bulbs produce 10-17 lumen per Watt, which is much less than what other

technologies that are now readily available give. However, technologies are evolving

both in terms of efficiency and cost. The lumen-per-Watt range for linear fluorescent

lamps is 30-110 lm/W, but as one goes towards the higher end of the range the cost


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rises. CFLs and LEDs both begin at 40 lm/W and go up to 70 lm/W and 100 lm/W

respectively The more specialised companies, which offer LED bulbs in the Indian

market, run lighting directly on DC power to give better life and quality.

The Ministry of Urban Development has sent an advisory to all state governments to

replace all street lights with LED bulbs. This follows a survey by BEE that showed

about 80 per cent of street lights in India are haphazardly installed.

Overcoming barriers to LED

high initial cost; absence of national technical standards for LEDs, leading to the import

of substandard devices; lack of testing protocols and laboratories; and lack of incentives

for major LED firms to make them in India.

Design challenge

"We have estimated that there will be a demand worth Rs 5,442 crore for LED in theretrofitting sector in 2013-16, But simply retrofitting current lighting fixtures with

LEDs might not give the desired visual comfort.

LED light is focused and does not spread like light from other sources. It is best suited

for task lighting, such as spotlights, to produce concentrated light. It is not a good choice

for general or ambient light as was Sullivan's requirement.

LED, like CFL, requires careful handling. While CFL contains mercury, researchers

at the University of California have found the presence of heavy metals like lead, arsenic

and nickel in LEDs.

An air-conditioner is the most energy-intensive appliance a family can own. When all

devices--two ceiling fans, two incandescent bulbs, four tube lights, one TV and one

refrigerator--are switched on in a house, a one-tonne AC alone will consume twice as

much electricity as all the others put together use

The only estimation of the number of ACs in the country comes from India's official

submission to the Montreal Protocol that provides financial assistance to phase out

coolants in the machine. According to this, there were some 17 million AC units of

below-3-tonne capacity in the country

the current stock of ACs consumes 75 TWh of power. In 2013, the total electricityconsumed in the domestic and commercial sectors (offices, malls, shops and institutions)

was 257 TWh, excluding private generators. Based on this estimation, ACs already

consume 25-30 per cent of the electricity used in these two sectors.

Electricity consumption is only going to grow--and exponentially. Even at the current

growth rate, the number of ACs sold in 2030 will be 40 million units. By then electricity

consumed by ACs alone would double to 450 TWh in the domestic and commercial


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sectors. This is equal to the electricity produced by 65 power plants of 1,000 MW each.

there is a 40 per cent difference in the afternoon peak and 60 per cent difference in the

evening peak in cities like Delhi because of electricity demand by ACs. In other words,

these cities would use 40-60 per cent less power if they did not have ACs. There is,

therefore, no question that improvement in efficiency standards for this sector will be

a game changer for the country.

What is an inverter AC? The standard fixed-speed AC has a single-speed compressor

motor that switches off when the desired temperature is reached and on again when the

temperature rises to a set level. Inverter technology uses a variable-speed compressor

motor that slows down and speeds up as needed. This provides a more precise room

temperature and is, therefore, about 30 per cent more energy efficient than fixed-speed

ACs.

The inverter AC technology costs more but the Indian star rating system does not

recognise the extra edge it provides. It awards five stars to all ACs with efficiency

higher than 3.5 EER, so there is no way to differentiate that the inverter technology

AC, with EER of 4 and above, is better than most others.

Agartala to be first LED-illuminated city in northeastern India Fri, Nov 21, 2014environment, Down to Earth, LED,

Tripura government has approved a proposal to change the existing 30,000 street lights

in Agartala to Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights. The proposal was put forward by

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL)

EESL will install LED lights in a phased manner by next year, with zero capital

investment by the state.

EESL estimates that the AMC will not have to spend anything on capital investment,

operation and maintenance of the LED-based lighting system in Agartala for the first

seven years.

AMC will pay back EESL's investment from the savings on its power bill. In seven

years, power savings will cover the liabilities of capital investment.

India aims to reduce 20 to 25 per cent of emissions per unit of GDP (excluding the

agriculture sector) from the 2005 level, by 2020.

EESL says Agartala will be the first city in northeastern India and second city in eastern

India (after Kolkata) to install an LED-based street lighting system.

All 30,000 LED bulbs will be switched on in the evening. After 9 pm, when movement


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on the city's roads has reduced, we will gradually switch off some of the lights according

to necessity.

World must meet carbon targets by 2070: UN Fri, Nov 21, 2014carbon targets, environment, Down to Earth,

The world must meet its carbon targets by mid-to-late century to limit global temperature

rise to 2degC and avoid the worst impacts of climate change

UNEP's Emissions Gap Report 2014 [2] warns that exceeding an estimated budget of

just 1,000 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (Gt CO2) would increase the risk of severe,

pervasive, and in some cases irreversible climate change impacts.

It says to avoid exceeding the budget, global carbon neutrality should be reached between

2055 and 2070, meaning that annual anthropogenic CO2 emissions should hit net zero

by then on the global scale.

In a business-as-usual scenario, where little progress is made in the development and

implementation of global climate policies, global greenhouse gas emissions could rise

to up to 87 Gt CO2 by 2050, way beyond safe limits

The Sustainable Development Goals underscore the many synergies between development

and climate change mitigation goals. Linking development policies with climate

mitigation will help countries build the energy-efficient, low-carbon infrastructures of

the future and achieve transformational change that echoes the true meaning of sustainable

development

'Mangroves are nature's shield against cyclones' Fri, Nov 14, 2014mangroves, environment, cyclones, Businessline,

Mangroves, with their rich flora and fauna, are the natural wind-breakers and barriers

and in a bid for industrialisation they have been destroyed.

even now belated efforts should be made "to conserve whatever mangroves are still

left and efforts should be made for their regeneration''.

"Traditional species which take deep root and can withstand heavy gales should be

chosen. Th

environment nov 13 to nov 27

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