Environmental News February - 2020...Peelikode in Kasaragod district became the first panchayat in...

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Environmental NewsFebruary - 2020

GRASSROOT | NewsletterMar - 2020

KERALA’s BAN ON CFL AND FILAMENT BULBS

Kerala Finance Minister announced that the state will impose a ban on the sale of compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and incandescent (filament) bulbs starting November, 2020 as part of sustainable energy policy.

-He also added that streetlights and bulbs in government offices across the state will be converted to light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs.

-The announcement is in line with the government project of ‘Filament-free Kerala’ envisaged in 2018 as part of the state’s Urja Kerala mission. In 2019,

Peelikode in Kasaragod district became the first panchayat in the country to be completely filament-free.

LED bulbs are energy-efficient than filament or CFL bulbs and will, there-fore, generate less waste. Also, filament bulbs contain the mercury element which, when broken, is polluting in nature.

SWACHH BHARAT MISSION (GRAMEEN) PHASE-II

The Union Cabinet has approved the Phase II of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) [SBM (G)], which will be implemented from 2020-21 to 2024-25.

-It will focus on Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus), which includes ODF sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM). The pro-gram will also work towards ensuring that no one is left behind and everyone uses a toilet.

-The ODF Plus programme will also converge with MGNREGA, especially

for grey water management and will also complement the newly launched Jal Jeevan Mission.

-It will be implemented with a total outlay of Rs. 1,40,881 crores as a central sector scheme.

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BUDDAH NULLAH

The Punjab Cabinet approved ₹650 crore in the first phase for rejuvenation of the highly polluting Buddah Nullah.

-Buddah Nullah is a seasonal tributary of Sutlej River in Ludhiana, which runs through the Malwa region of Punjab and joins the Satluj at Wajipur Kalan in the Ludhiana district.

-The main sources of pollution in the nullah are direct flow of pollutants by industries and dairies.

-Under this plan, an additional sewage treatment plant having a capacity of 275 MLD would be developed to solve the problems of Buddah Nullah and subse-quent pollution of the river Satluj.

and grow quickly.

-This Technology helps corals to count-er the threats posed by global warming.

BIOFUEL FROM MICROORGANISMS

Researchers at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnol-ogy (ICGEB) are developing a method to improve the growth rate and sugar content of a marine microorganism called Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, which could be a source for Biofuel in future.

-A team from ICGEB have successfully engineered a marine cyanobacterium called Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 which showed a higher growth rate and sugar (glycogen) content.

-Biofuel production is dependent on the availability of low-cost and sustainable supply of sugars and a nitrogen source.

-Cyanobacteria: Some bacteria, such as the cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae), too can perform photosyn-thesis and produce sugar by fixing the

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carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Cya-nobacteria are found in both fresh and marine waters.

-The yield of sugars from cyanobacteria could potentially be much higher than that of land-based crops. Further, unlike plant-based sugars, cyanobacterial bio-mass provides a nitrogen source in the form of proteins. This could give a boost to the biofuel sector.

ECOTECHNOLOGY


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KALLAKKADAL

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (Incois), Hyder-abad, has launched three ocean-based specialised products/services — the Small Vessel Advisory and Forecast Ser-vices System (SVAS), the Swell Surge Forecast System (SSFS) and the Algal Bloom Information Service (ABIS).

Swell Surge Forecast System:

-It is designed for the prediction of Kallakkadal/Swell Surge that occurs along the Indian coast, particularly the west coast, which is caused by meteo-rological conditions in the Southern Ocean, south of 30°S.

-These are flash-flood events that take place without any noticeable advance change in local winds or any other apparent signature in the coastal envi-ronment. Such events are intermittent throughout the year.

Small Vessel Advisory and Forecast Ser-vices System (SVAS):

-It is an advisory and forecast service system for small vessels operating in Indian coastal waters, which helps even small vessels of beam width up to 7 m.-The warning system is based on the ‘Boat Safety Index’ (BSI) derived from

wave model forecast outputs such as significant wave height, wave steep-ness, directional spread and the rapid development of wind at sea which is boat-specific.

Algal Bloom Information Service (ABIS):

-INCOIS-ABIS will provide near-real time information on spatio-temporal oc-currence and spread of phytoplankton blooms over the North Indian Ocean.

-In addition, four regions have been identified as bloom hotspots viz. a) North Eastern Arabian Sea b) coastal waters off Kerala c) Gulf of Mannar and d) coastal waters of Gopalpur.

-INCOIS, an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, provides a number of free services for users in the marine realm, including fishermen.

APIARY ON WHEELS

‘Apiary on Wheels’ is a unique concept designed by Khadi and Village Indus-tries Commission (KVIC) for the easy upkeep and migration of Bee Boxes having live Bee colonies.

-Apiary on Wheels is a platform which can carry 20 Bee Boxes from one place to another without any difficulty.

-KVIC launched Honey Mission in 2017 and has been training beekeepers,

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distributing Bee Boxes and helping ru-ral, educated but unemployed youth to earn extra income through beekeeping activities, at their doorstep.


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11 RENEWABLE ENERGY MANAGEMENT CENTERS (REMCs)The Renewable Energy Management Centers (REMCs) are equipped with Artificial Intelligence based RE forecast-ing and scheduling tools and provide greater visualization and enhanced situational awareness to the grid oper-ators.

-GoI had approved the implementa-tion of the REMCs as a Central Scheme and had mandated POWERGRID, a Maharatna CPSE under the Ministry of Power as Implementing Agency.

WORLD AIR QUALITY REPORT 2019Indian cities account for two-thirds of the world’s most polluted cities i.e. 21 out of the top 30 most polluted cities.

-It ranks by comparing PM 2.5 levels of various cities.

-While cities in India, on average, exceed the WHO target for annual PM2.5 exposure by 500%, national airpollution decreased by 20% from 2018 to 2019, with 98% of cities experiencing-improvements.

According to it, around 90% of the glob-al population is breathing unsafe air.

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-These REMCs are being managed by 1.Power System Operation Corporation of India Ltd. (POSOCO) at Regional and National level and

2.State Load Despatch Centres (SLDCs) at State level.

-Presently, 55 GW of Renewable Energy (Solar and Wind) is being monitored through the eleven REMCs.

REPORTS ON POLLUTION

FOSSIL FUEL AIR POLLUTION COST REPORTA new Greenpeace report has estimat-ed the global cost of air pollution from fossil fuels at around $2.9 trillion per year, or $8 billion per day — 3.3% of the world’s GDP.

-Globally, air pollution is estimated to cause 4.5 million premature deaths each year. This includes 3 million deaths at-tributable globally to PM2.5, which is one of the principal pollutants in north-ern Indian cities including Delhi.

-Globally, PM2.5 is also estimated to cause the loss of 62.7 million years of

life, 2.7 million emergency room visits due to asthma, 2 million preterm births and 1.75 billion work absences. The 2 million preterm births include 981,000 in India and over 350,000 in China.

In India, exposure to fossil fuels also leads to a loss of around 490 million workdays.


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THE FUTURE OF EARTH, 2020 REPORT

‘The Future of Earth 2020’ report was jointly released by the South Asia Fu-ture Earth Regional Office, Divecha Centre for Climate Change and the In-dian Institute of Science.

-The report lists five global risks that have the potential to impact and ampli-fy one another in ways that may cascade to create global systemic crisis.The five global risks are: 1.failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation 2.extreme weather events3.major biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse4.food crises and 5.water crises.

-Future Earth is an international sus-tainability research network. The report was prepared with the aim of reducing carbon footprint and halting global warming below 2 degree Celsius by 2050.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate crisis: Antarctic continent posts record temperature reading of 18.3°C:

-The Argentine research base, which is called Esperanza, it’s on the northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula; it set a new record temperature 18.3°C, This beat the former record of 17.5°C.

-The amount of ice lost annually from the Antarctic ice sheet increased at least six-fold between 1979 and 2017.

-Most of this ice loss happens when ice shelves melt from below, as they come into contact with relatively warm ocean water.

-Main glacier tributaries to the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, in particular the Pine Island glacier, where two large rifts that were first spotted in early 2019 have each grown to some 20 kilometres long.

-Roughly twice the size of Australia, the Antarctic is cold, windy and dry. The average annual temperature ranges from about minus 10C on the Antarctic coast to minus 60C at the highest points of the interior.

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actionMobile game aims to bridge gap between citizens and leaders on climate

The Mission 1.5 campaign is built around an internet and mobile video game that educates people about cli-mate policy and allows them to vote on possible solutions.

-The campaign was developed by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), alongside experts in game de-velopment, climate science and public polling.

-Players will take on the role of climate policymakers who make decisions to meet the 1.5 degree goal.

-Afterwards, they will vote on key cli-mate actions that they would like to see adopted. The data will be analyzed and delivered to Governments.

-The hope is that the game will bridge the gap between citizens and govern-ments on climate action.

-“People often feel disconnected from the leaders that must make urgent de-cisions on the climate crisis”

-“Mission 1.5 is a way to help people understand climate solutions and make their voices heard. In many ways, it is the People’s Climate Vote.”

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India has four biodiversity hotspots – Eastern Himalayas, Western Ghats, Indo Myanmar landscape and Anda-man and Nicobar Islands and home to as many as 500 species of migratory birds from across the globe.

-India shall also look at strengthening cooperation with ASEAN countries for Indo-Pacific activities and conserva-tion of marine biodiversity. India has launched the Marine Turtle Policy and Marine Standing Policy to address pol-lution caused by micro-plastics in the marine ecosystem.

-Other areas that will be under focus include transboundary cooperation, establishment of eco-development com-mittees etc.

-India assumed COP Presidency for the next three years with a focus on Collab-orative Approach to tackle Issues.

-Migratory birds, mammals and aquatic species are increasingly in danger on their migration routes and countries need to work together to protect them. For India, caring about these species is part of our ethos to protect all animals and natural life on earth.

-COP13 comes at a critical time for wildlife conservation, with continued downward trends of habitat loss and species decline.-The Convention on Migratory Species is the only multilateral treaty dedicated to addressing the needs of migratory species and their habitats on a global scale.-India is home to several migratory spe-cies of wildlife including snow leopard, Amur falcons, bar headed Geese, black necked cranes, marine turtles, dugongs, humpbacked whales, etc.

India assumes presidency of UN body on Migratory Species for 3 years

SPECIES CONSERVATION


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International protection for Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican and Asian Elephant:

India’s proposal to include Great Indi-an Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican in Appendix I of UN Conven-tion on migratory species was unani-mously accepted today at the ongoing thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on MigratorySpecies (CMS)

Asian Elephant-The Government of India has declared Indian elephants as National Heritage Animal. Indian elephants are also pro-vided the highest degree of legal pro-tection by listing it in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

-Intermixing of smaller subpopulations in Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar and widen the gene base of these populations. It will also help to re-duce human elephant conflicts in many parts of its migratory routes.

-Mainland Asian elephants/Indian el-ephants migrate over long distances in search of food and shelter, across States and Countries. Some elephants are res-ident while others migrate regularly in annual migration cycles; proportion of resident and migratory populations depends upon, size of regional popula-tions, as well as on extent, degradation and fragmentation of their habitats.

-The challenges confronting Asian el-ephant conservation in most elephant Range States are habitat loss and frag-mentation, human elephant conflict, and poaching and illegal trade of ele-phants.

Bengal Florican -The population of the species has de-clined greatly due to habitat loss.

-The Bengal Florican does not breed outside the protected areas.

-It is listed as the critically endangered species under the IUCN list and is of the topmost conservation priority.

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Great Indian Bustard-The Great Indian Bustard, an icon-ic, critically endangered and conser-vation dependent species, exhibits transboundary movements, and its migration exposes it to threats such as hunting in the boundary area of Paki-stan-India and power-line collisions in India.

-Inclusion of the species in Appendix I of CMS will aid in transboundary con-servation efforts facilitated by Interna-tional conservation bodies and existing international laws and agreement.


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First United Nations Biodiversity Summit CMS COP-13 in India: 3 Migra-tory Mammals Targeted:

Gobi Bear

The Gobi Bear is a subspecies of Brown Bear. It is found in Gobi-desert of Mon-golia. As far 2009, there were only 30 adult Gobi Bears in the desert. The IUCN Red List categorizes Gobi Bear under Critically Endangered.

Persian Leopard

The Persian Leopards are found in Iran, Afghanistan and central Asia. The IUCN Red List categorizes them as En-dangered. As of 2008, only 871 mature Persian Leopards were recorded. They are threatened by poaching and illegal hunting.

Urial

Urials are wild sheep. They are found in western and Central Asia, that is, in Ka-zakhstan, Pakistan and India. The IUCN Red List categorizes them as vulnerable.

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Dolphins of Odisha’s Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary has halved:

The Forest Department of the Odisha State Government conducted a census at Chilika lake to count the number of dolphins at Gahirmatha Marine Sanctu-ary in Odisha.

-The Sanctuary is a part of Bhitarkanika National Park of Odisha.

-Dolphin count came down to 233 in 2020 from 259 in 2019.

-At the census, 60 Irrawaddy Dolphins and only two bottlenose dolphins were spotted. In 2019, the officials had spot-ted 14 Irrawaddy Dolphins and 14 bot-tlenose dolphins.

-Chilika lake is a Ramsar Site. This year as the prawn gherries were dismantled,

the dolphins were spread all over the lake.

-Dolphins are listed in Schedule I of In-dian Wildlife (Protection) act 1972.

-The IUCN red list categorizes Dolphins as Endangered.


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Environment News prepared by Nivetha.P , Horticulture graduate. Believes in change! Freetime shares with yoga and music. [email protected]; Abaraajitha Loganathan, B.S (AgriBusiness Management), an agri-learner and reader. [email protected]; Abhina Shri, graduate in English Literature interested in learning and reading. [email protected]

February 15: World Pangolin Day; GoI radio tagged Pangolins first time to learn their Ecology

The numbers of Pangolin are rapidly declining in Asia and Africa.

-This is mainly because Pangolin scales are rich in medicinal properties.

- Recently, China has found that Pango-lin scales can be used to treat CoronaVi-rus infections.

-As Pangolins numbers are declining greatly, Madhya Pradesh for the first time is learning their ecology.

-The World Pangolin Day is marked by several organizations all over the world including the United Nations.

-They are hunted for their medicinal benefits and culinary delicacy.

-The pangolins use their scales to pro-tect themselves from big carnivores such as tigers and lions. They curl into a ball when they are being attacked. These scales are now in huge demand in China as they are used in traditional medicines.

-Pangolins are protected under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). In India they are protected under WildLife (Protection) Act, 1972. They are listed under Sched-ule I of the act. The IUCN Red List puts the Indian Pangolin under the Endan-gered category.

-For the first time, the Madhya Pradesh Forest department radio-tagged Indian Pangolin in order to learn its ecology. It is a joint operation of the forest depart-ment and the NGO Wildlife Conserva-tion Trust.




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