Unit 1: Atmosphere, Environment and Climate Change

UNIT 1 Introduction to Port and Shipping
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Unit 1 Atmosphere, Environment and Climate Change

Objectives
After completion of this unit, the students will be aware of the following topics: Environment Global Warming Climate Change Projected Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity Tools and Techniques for Addressing Climate Change Policies and laws related to climate change and environment - A collection
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Introduction
Trace gases of the atmosphere which are the minor components of the atmosphere having concentration on atmosphere in the range of parts per million by volume to parts per trillion by volume are also the greenhouse gases effect and have adverse impact on the atmosphere. The natural greenhouse gases include water vapour, CO2, methane, ozone, and nitrous oxide present in the atmosphere. Earth is warmed with natural greenhouse effect by 330 C from - 180C to + 150C. This effect absorbs long wave radiation emitted by the warm Earths surface and then reemitting it towards the surface of Earth simultaneously towards other directions. This natural effect of greenhouse has made it significant for the Earth to be habitable. Prior to the industrial revolution for 1000 of years, concentration of greenhouse gases in the environment is constant. Though, as population of the world increased, agriculture developed, and industrialisation moved on, the abundance of the greenhouse gases increased outstandingly which causes increased the effect of greenhouse. Such activities of human being are:

industrial activities transportation system
IT Applications in Port and Shipping
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energy production from fossil fuels Construction related activities by using bricks, steel, cement, etc.) change of land use
The gases which can be traced are responsible for worldwide warming. They have a lengthy atmospheric lifespan and are very static in the lower layer of the atmosphere. But some of these gases can be transported upwards by atmospherical procedures to the stratosphere layer which heights approx/ fifteen to Fifty kilometre above the Earths surface and cut off by the interaction with ozone particles and deplete the ozone layer. Both depletion of the ozone layer and global warming are because of the same source gases and they have many negative effects on health of human being and the environment.
1.1 Environment
The environmental protection has to be a central part of any sustainable comprehensive growth strategy. In the 11th Plan, this aspect of development is significant when awareness of the risks of environmental degradation has improved greatly. Growth of population, urbanization, and development of anthropogenic which employs energy-intensive technologies has resulted in injecting a number of pollutants into the environment. Recently, a special focus is given to this, as there are lots of accumulated evidences related to the climate change associated with the global warming. Another significant issue of the environmental strategy is that the objective of the environment needs several actions to be taken in specific areas, which typically consist of the horizon of different ministries. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has the significant role to monitor the process of development and its impact on environment with a view to the sustainable development and to devise the suitable regulatory structures to attain the desired output. Although this role is essential, the objective of the environment can only be accomplished if the concerns related to the environment are focused in policymaking in a multitude of sectors. This would need responsibility sharing at all levels of govt. and across sectors with respect to monitor the pollution, development of programmes for mitigation,
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enforcement of regulations, and suspension. Enforcement of rules and regulations should also be merged with bonuses, including fiscal mechanisms and market which encourages both people as well as the industry in their daily working lives to act in a manner responsive to the concerns of the environmental. Sustainable use of natural resources also needs the participation of the community with a accountability to the role assigned to the communities for conservation.
Impact of Increased Ultraviolet-B Reaching the Surface of the Earth

Depletion of the ozone layer outcomes in increased Ultraviolet-B which reaches the surface of the Earth and has negative impact on the following areas:

human immune system and impact on their eye agriculture skin cancer life of aquatic organism
1.2 Global Warming

Global warming & climate change are projected to have many negative impacts on:

freshwater systems and glaciers polar ice-cap fisheries desertification rising of sea level agricultural sector rainfall distribution and hydrology health of human beings
The UNFCC and Global Climate Change

There are lot of pressured faced by the Earths surface it is natural as well as human oriented which totally results to the global change. These pressures are:
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raised demand for natural resources like water and so on selective exploitation or destruction of species of the biodiversity through enhanced activities of human being land use & land use change water and air pollution urbanisation and industrialisation Depletion of the ozone layer of the Earth and increased Ultraviolet-B radiation on the surface of the Earth which causes the negative impact on food production, health of the human being, forestry and aquatic life. increased emissions of greenhouse gases like carbondioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), perflourocarbon (PFCs), nitrous oxide (N2O), and hydroflurocarbon (HFCs) from activities of human being into the Earths atmosphere which leads to global warming and climate change. These situation stresses out the ecosystems of Earth and their biodiversity.
1.3 Climate Change

Global Climate Change due to increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is one of the most critical concern of the environment of our time. In 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was formed by the World Meteorological Organization. The UN Environment Programme has acted upon extensively by evaluating the trends of the past and the prospective future of climate change. The report of IPCC presents a gloomy picture. It can be estimated that the Surface of the Earth temperature has risen by 0.60.2C over the 20th century. In the last fifty years, the rise has been 0.13 + 0.07C per 10 years and the recent years have been the strongest since 1860, the year from which regular instrumental track records are available. The Panel has resolved that the concept of global warming is unambiguous and there is sufficient proof which indicates that this is because of anthropogenic reasons. However some
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of these conclusions are in complex situation, the judgment of the IPCC presents a broad and growing consensus in the scientific community worldwide. The current level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is estimated as 379 parts per million (ppm) compared with the pre-industrial level of only 280 ppm. The annual growth rate of Carbon Dioxide concentration has been more in the last decade compared to the last 40 years). Last decade it was 1.9 ppm per year in comparison to last 40 years as 1.4 ppm per year. In the atmosphere, although, halocarbons are noticed to be diminishing because of their phase out under the Montreal Protocol. Since global warming depends upon the total stock of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, proceeded emissions outside the absorptive capacity of the earth necessarily imply a rise in temperature. If at present emissions continue to increase, a warming of about 0.2C per decade is proposed by IPCC. If emissions are steadied at the two thousand levels, the warming could be about 0.1C per ten years. The Special Report on Emission Scenarios figures that temperatures of the surface air could rise by between 1.1 and 6.4C over the twenty-first century. In most of the cases, the temperature rise can be 24C. The sea level rise is proposed to be 18 to 59 cm.
1.4 Projected Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity

IPCC 2002 reports that activities of human being lead to the changes in ecosystems and attendant loss of biodiversity in few regions. Available observational evidence which is available represents that regional changes in climate, specifically temperature arisen have a diverse impact on the set of biological and physical systems in few parts of the world. Some instances of observed changes involves earlier break up of ice on rivers and lakes, shrinkage of glaciers, declines of some plant and animal population, lengthening of mid to high latitude poleward, growing seasons, and altitudinal shifts of animal and plants,, and earlier, emergence of insects & egg-laying of birds and flowering of trees. As a matter of fact, from the collective evidence, there is high assurance that recent regional changes in
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temperature have had observable impacts of few biological and physical systems.
Mangroves
Mangrove forests are those tropical trees which have unique ecosystems. They offer substantial and different habitat to mammals, birds, and fish populations by setting up a complex marine food chain, which creates an upbringing habitat for the aquatic system. You can see this in the following figure. Moreover, the grounding root system of mangroves lead to improved water quality by filtering out and absorbing the pollutants, stabilizing bottomland deposits, and protecting the boundary from eroding. During the October 1999, Orissa Super Cyclone, studies disclosed that mangroves also gives protection against violent storm and protecting the life of people, their habitat, and agricultural lands and acted as wind breakers, etc.
Water Resources
The population approx. 1.7 billion, 1/3rd of the population of the world, live presently in those nations that are stressed with water. It can be described as the country using twenty percent more than supply of their renewable water shows that it is in a water stressed situation. Generally water demand is rising because of growth in the population and development of the economy. Climate change may considerably impact the withdrawals of irrigation, which depend on how increases increment is set off by the changes in precipitation. Thus it further leads to higher crop evaporative demand with high temperatures. It means that the general tendency would be towards an increase in demands for irrigation. With the increase in temperature, the quality of water generally would be degraded. The combined effects of changes to watersheds, For example, precipitation and temperature and climate change are proposed to impact the hydrological processes of few ecosystems of the freshwater. The biggest impacts of changes in hydrological processes on productiveness in streams and rivers will effect from reduction of flows of the stream proposed in some regions, and water quality could decline with expanded oxygen deficit. Climate change will have its most marked
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impact on wetlands affecting the biodiversity and seasonal migration of birds.
Coastal and Marine Systems

Coastal and marine systems are impacted by the few activities of human being, For example, it includes: coastal development, tourism, land clearance mangroves, seagrass, pollution leading particularly to the degradation of coral reefs, coastal wetlands and beach ecosystems.
Climate will affect the, biological, physical and the characteristics of biogeochemical of the oceans and coasts at dissimilar space scales and time, which modify their ecological functions and their structures.. With the help of this feedback in climate systems can be identified. By the year 2100, coral bleaching is probably become far-flung because the surface temperature of the sea is figured with a raise by at least 1-20 C. By the year 2030 globally about twenty percent of coastal wetlands could be lost due to sea level rise, with significant regional variation. Such losses would reinforce other contrary trends of wetland loss which results primarily from other activities of human being.
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Microbial decomposers and herbivores 1. Leaves 2. Algae 3. Fungi, protozoa, bacteria 4. Sesarmid and graspid crabs Detrivores 5. Shrimp 6. Insect larvae 7. Mullet 8. Fiddler crabs 9. Worms 10. Amphipods 11. Bivalve molluscs Small carnivores 12. Crunters 13. Emperors 14. Pony fishes Large carnivores 15. Sawlish 16. Trevallies 17. Sea eagle
FIGURE 1.1: RICH AND FRAGILE: THE MANGROVE ECOSYSTEM
Implications of climate change

Climate changes noted in the according to the report of IPCC Assessment climate change is due to the following reasons including: lengthening of mid- to high-latitude growing seasons, recession of glaciers,
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pole-ward and altitudinal shifts of plant and animal ranges, thawing of permafrost, early flowering of trees, decline in some plant and animal populations, and changes in insect populations and egg-laying in birds.
Affiliations between changes in regional temperatures and the changes observed in biological and physical systems have been authenticated in few terrestrial, aquatic and marine environments.
The water cycle is entirely depending on the regime of the temperature. Enhancing the worldwide temperature and incidental quicker retreat of most glaciers is required to impact the snow fed repeated water regimes. Accordingly, the vegetation status of structures, order of magnitude and relative frequency of floods, downfall, overflow and groundwater recharge may all be involved. These changes may considerably impact the hydroelectric power generation, and may also demand for an increase in irrigation because of higher crop evaporative demand.
Through the 20th century, the average rate of worldwide sea level rise has been 1.7 + 0.5 mm per year. Since 1992 the upper limit rise has been remarked in the Eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean. . This trend could lead to the loss of land because of the following causes: o inundation, o erosion, o floods, and salt-water intrusion, o negative impact on coastal agriculture, tourism, fisheries and o aquaculture, human settlements, and health. o Estimated crop yield responses to climate change vary widely, depending upon following points: o cultivation practices , species, and soil properties;
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o pests, and pathogens; o the direct effects of CO2 on plants; o and interactions between carbon dioxide, air temperature, water stress, mineral nutrition, air quality,
o and adaptive responses. Although increased carbon dioxide concentration can stimulate crop growth and yield, this benefit may not always overcome the adverse effects of excessive heat and drought.
Changing the attributes of the environment are certainly to impact the species spectrum and the composition and profile of forests is also probably to change. The degree to which terrestrial ecosystems will go forward to be net sinks for carbon is unsure. In arid or semi-arid areas, productivity is expected to decrease. Trends of drying up of wetlands and degradation of ecosystems have been remarked. Changes in the severeness and relative frequency of utmost heat and cold, and of droughts and floods, paired with local air pollution and aero allergens substances may lead to:
changes in infectious disease occurrence,
o in local food production o and also cause under nutrition which leads to impaired child development.
There will also be health effects of population displacement reaction and disruption in economy. for India, there are lot of risks projected in the IPCC report like:
o risks of protozoal infection o Heat stress related death rate. o Increase in flooding and droughts o Associated with increased risk of drowning, diarrhea and respiratory diseases, and hunger and malnutrition. Adaptive alternatives related to income level can be like:
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o health-oriented management of the environment which includes water and air quality, urban and housing design, food safety, , and surface water management, o and appropriate medical interventions Consequently, the poor are weaker. Human colonies are also required to be struck by the changes in resource productivity or market demand for goods and services which causes functional and structural adaptations contributing to migration, which successively would lead to changes in their living conditions. Global warming will affect all the countries severely. For South Asia, warming has been proposed to be over the worldwide mean and in South East Asia, adequate to the world-wide mean. The affect projects for Republic of India signal a rise of 0.68C in the 20th century with a raising trend in the yearly mean temperature. Precipitation is probably increase and extreme rainfall and other climatic events might happen more often. Extreme rains in the South West rainy season and more a few in monsoon period along the East Coast have been projected. In India, an increase in temperatures of 0.5C to 1.5C could give rise to a decline of between 2.5percent in maize and wheat production. Based on formal modelling, existing research indicates that a scenario of global warming between 2 to 3C would contribute to a permanent loss of up to three percent in the globally output. In nations with predominantly agricultural economies, the proposed increase in temperature and diminution in downfall could, in the absence of adaptive responses like increased irrigation, related to research and innovations on agriculture and infrastructure field, weaken growth of economy by cutting down agricultural productivity. These impacts can be moderated by efforts at adaptation but these are expected to be costly and will enforce a load on both producers and consumers. Climate change would however result in decrement in the incomes of the threatened populations which results in increasing the number of people which are at hunger risk unless these consequences can be anticipated through the growth of cost efficient technologies.
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1.5 Tools and Techniques for Addressing Climate Change

Broadly, the two tools to address to climate change are: - Mitigation and - Adaptation
Responses to climate change

The serious outcomes of climate change, includes especially the consequences for India, lead naturally to the question of what should be the response. Two types of responses required to be looked at. 1. The first is related with the adaptation, that is, steps have to be taken given the very high probability that climate change will occur and will have negative effects. 2. The second is related with the mitigation, that is, steps to be taken that might minimise the level of climate change. Recognising the importance of climate change issues, in June 2007, the Prime Minister formed a Council on Climate Change under his chairmanship to co-ordinate national action for the assessment, mitigation and adaptation, of climate change. Earlier, the govt. had established an expert committee to focus on the impact of climate change. National Action Plan is one of the important decisions taken by the Council of Prime Minister.
Adaptation
As a significant negative change in climate seems to be unavoidable even with the optimal response for mitigation, the adaptation process to climate change must have priority. The most significant adaptation measure is development itself. A more substantial economy is more capable to adjust both in terms of the cost of and technological capability and adaptation. Achieving rapid economic growth as targeted in the 11th Plan is therefore a key element in adaptation. As mentioned earlier, the Prime Ministers Council on Climate Change has decided that a National Action Plan on Change of climate compiling action taken by India for addressing the
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challenge of climate change and the action that it proposes to take, should be prepared as National Report of India on Change of climate. The Action Plan will deal with key vulnerabilities of India to Change of climate and, in particular, the impact on water resources, forests, coastal areas, agriculture, and health. An action plan for adaptation to change of climate would require action to cope with likely increases in water stress, action in the area of agricultural research to evolve varieties that can cope with likely climate changes, Action to be able to cope with a higher frequency in natural disasters.
The institutional network created at the time of preparation of Indias initial National Communication to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) exists and is currently engaged in the preparation of information on Indias second National Communication. In the changing temperature and water regimes, improvement of productivity potential and water use efficiency of agricultural crops, specifically in regimes of water shortage and extreme variations of temperature, will be priority areas of research. The adaptation response needs to be incorporated in the relevant programmes, including those relating to watershed management, coastal zone planning and regulation, forestry management, agricultural technologies and practices, and health. Work on the potential impact, forecasting systems and adaptations in response to Climate Change will be the key concerns for future development. For projections and early warning systems, understanding of the processes which could show discernible changes well before the actual impact starts is essential.
Mitigation
Recognising the need for international co-operation in devising an effective mitigation strategy, in 1992, the international community formed the UNFCCC which formed the principle of common but differentiated responsibility
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between the industrialized nations (Annex 1 nations) and the developing nations (non-Annex 1 nations), taking account of the respective capacities. The Annex 1 nations were required to bring down their greenhouse gases emissions to 1990 levels by 2000. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol under the UNFCCC was adopted, which set legally binding targets for greenhouse gases reduction by individual industrialized nations totalling 5.2% below their aggregate 1990 emissions during the first commitment period, 200812. Under the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol, non Annex I Parties (India is in this category) are not obliged to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. So far, 176 nations, including India (and the regional economic organization EEC), have ratified the Protocol. The US and some other nations have not ratified the Protocol till now. Most of the industrialized nations thus far have not achieved significant progress in reducing their greenhouse gases emissions in the manner required in the first commitment period. An optimum strategy to mitigation from a worldwide view is only possible if all the nations co-operate to help with their collective action. Due to this mitigation actions are featured by the classic problem of outwardnessthe benefits of the action of any one country do not fall only to the country itself but to the entire worldwide community, although the monetary value of mitigation are fully interiorized. Without co-operative action, all nations taken unitedly will do mitigation to a lesser extent than is collectively optimal. The challenge lies in setting a ground for collective action which is reasonable, renders equitable entitlement to the worldwide environment space with load of sharing in a manner which recognises the very different phases of development and also the very dissimilar degrees of historic responsibility for inducing the problem in the first place. Such differentiation among the nations of the world has been taken over by the Kyoto Protocol and the UNFCCC. This must be effectively executed to make an environment of faith and co-operation. The 1st commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol is 2008 2012 and at the 13th Conference of Parties at Bali in December 2007, as per the discussions and provisions of the Kyoto Protocol Bali Action Plan was started which aims at enabling the full, effective, efficient, and sustained execution
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of the Convention through long-term co-operative action, now, up to and beyond 2012. Under the Kyoto Protocol, beyond 2012, as part of the Bali Action Plan, a procedure has also been started to find out the greenhouse gases reducing commitments of industrialised nations as per Annex 1 nations. The accurate type of the results of this process would be ascertained in a 2 year negotiating time table which ends in 2009. No doubt, that there is the collection of greenhouse gases, which is the cause of climate change, has happened irresistibly on account of the emissions of industrial nations and it is thus altogether true that the load of mitigation must accrue on them. It is for this reason that the first commitment period in the Kyoto Protocol implicated commitment for diminution only by the industrialised nations. India by having a share of just 4 percent of worldwide emissions, any amount of mitigation will not affect climate change. A significant commitment to minimise emissions by the major industrialised nations will be needed. However, as contribution to the worldwide emissions reduction effort, the 11th Plan would concentrate on efforts to ensure that the emissions intensity of Indias greenhouse gases keeps on at declining. The optimal strategy in mitigation is to determine the responsibilities of different parties on the basis of common but distinguished responsibility and differences in various capabilities. By the opinion of India, burden sharing is based on this strategy. Our National Environmental Policy of 2006 needs equal per capita entitlements of worldwide environmental resources to all nations. In July 2007, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the meeting of the G 8 +5 in Heiligendamm, signalled that: we are determined to see that Indias per capita emissions never exceed the per capita emissions of the industrialized countries. This conceptualization focuses on per capita emissions instead of total emissions as the relevant variable, and also renders the industrial nations with an incentive to minimise their level of emissions as quickly as possible. Though optimal strategies for mitigation will no doubt develop in time from the on-going international level
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negotiations, India is already taking a number of initiatives in clean energy which includes renewable energy and action to increase energy conservation and efficiency. One of the aims of the 11th Plan is to cut down the energy intensity per unit of greenhouse gases by 20 percent from the period 200708 to 201617. an action will be initiated to increase the approach to cleaner and renewable energy by fully tapping the existing resources (For Example, hydropower and wind power) developing nuclear power, and also supporting research in newer areas like bio fuels from solar energy, agro-waste, etc. The CDM is a flexible system under the Kyoto Protocol which modifies industrialised nations to meet their emission reduction obligations by supporting adoption of sustainable and environmental friendly technologies in developing nations. Indias CDM potential is a important element of the world-wide CDM market. Till 14 Feb 2008, out of a total of 871 projects accorded Host Country Approval, in India, three hundred fourteen projects have been recorded by the CDM Executive Board, so far the highest in any country. Though, in terms of the corresponding Certified Emission Reduction (CERs), China is first and then number comes for India.
Mitigation Options in India

Mitigation is termed as a human interference to minimise the net GHG emissions or increase segregation of carbon dioxide, with the help of sinks like forestries that would diminish the atmospheric pressure on natural and human being systems from global climate change. India imparted a analysis under an ADB programme to emerge with a least price greenhouse gas suspension strategy (ALGAS-India) and disclosed possible sectors for greenhouse gases suspension. The stress of the suspension strategy is carbon dioxide gas emissions diminutions in the Energy Department and forestry sectors and methane emissions diminutions in the sector of agriculture. Mitigation alternatives in the energy sector discovered are: betterments in energy efficiency currently employed technologies, through upgrading
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innovation of advanced technologies that are more efficient, and usage of sources of renewable energy wherever feasible to reduce carbon content of the grid.
The recent announced Energy Policy of the Indian Government objects at a minimum 10 % share from renewable energy (at least 10,000 megawatts) by 2012 in the national grid. India has renewable energy potential and much of it is to be exploited yet as depicted in the Table below. TABLE 1.1: RENEWABLE ENERGY POTENTIAL IN INDIA Source/Technology Biogas Plants Biomass Based Power Efficient Woodstoves Solar Energy Small Hydro Wind Energy Ocean Thermal Sea Wave Power Tidal Power Potential 12 million 17,000 MW 120 million 5 x 1015 Whr/yr 10,000 MW 20,000 MW 50,000 MW 20,000 MW 9,000 MW
Source: Ministry of non-conventional energy resources (mnes).
Initiatives Taken in IndiaGovernment, Business Sector, and NGOsfor Making CDM Operational in the Country
The designated national authority on CDM has already been set up by the Indian Government for validating CDM approval processes, and as required by the Marrakesh Accord (COP7). In addition, industrial associations and NGOs like CII, Development Alternatives and other institutions like TERI, Winrock and IIM-Ahmedabad, are taking eager interest and during the last two years, a number of CDM projects have been formulated in close collaboration with the business sector of India.
Adaptation as a Tool to Supplement Mitigation Measures
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The IPCC Third Assessment Report on Climate Change has evidently disclosed that adaptation is a strategy which is required at all scales to balance the efforts to the mitigation of the climate change mitigation. To strengthen the model of adaptation, the world community has to work together to eliminate poverty as formulated in the UN Millennium Development Goals which is underlying in growing coping capacity and resilience among the threatened communities in the developing nations.
Various Tools for Adaptation to Climate Change

The considerable tools for adaptation to climate change that are suitable for the developing nations like India are:

education, training and public awareness empowering communities to reduce their vulnerability sustainable livelihood practices
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providing electricity through renewable technologies using local resources need of rural development
energy
cooperative/participatory effects like Cooperative Banks operational research on adaptation to increase resilience and coping capacity of the vulnerable communities transfer of latest environmentally friendly technologies insurance against damages, etc. floods, drought, cyclone, crop
Measuring Success of the Adaptation Tools Measuring success of the various tools developed can be supervised by the indicators like:
(i) percentage
improvement in public awareness like introducing curriculum on climate change in the middle and high school
(ii) percentage of poverty reduction (iii) per capita emission of Carbon Dioxide per year (iv) yearly incidences of malaria/dengue fever (v) GDP per unit of energy use
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(vi) percentage of people having access to clean water and

sanitation.
1.6 Policies and laws related to climate change and environment - A collection
India Water Portal has recently uploaded a set of important policies and laws. This collection pertains to climate change, environment, disaster management and more.
National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) - Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change (2008)
This policy explained by the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change targets at making the awareness among the:

representatives of the public, different agencies of the government, scientists, industry and the community as a whole, on the threat posed by climate change and The steps proposed at the level of India to counter these changes. This policy discusses the principles and the 8th National Missions that establish the core of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which constitutes a multi-pronged, long-term and integrated approach to achieve the key goals concern with the climate change. further this policy explains that India's willingness and desire, as a responsible member of the worldwide community to cooperate in all efforts at climate change mitigation and indicates that future international cooperation on climate change should aim at:
Common, but differentiated responsibilities in actions to be taken. to minimise the adverse impacts of climate change through suitable adaptation methods Fairness and equity in action and measures
National Environment Policy (NEP) - Ministry of Environment and Forests (2006)
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The National Environment Policy (NEP) by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) purports at mainstreaming environmental the concerns of the environment into all activities for the development. It : Gives emphasis on the resources conservation, focus on the best alternative to assist the conservation indicates that environmental degradation often leads to poverty and poor health outcomes among populations. also ensure that people dependent on resources obtain better livelihoods from conservation, than from degradation of the resources.
The Environment Protection Rules - Ministry of Environment and Forests (1986)

This policy explains the information on the protection of the environmental rules by exercising the powers bestowed by sections 25 and 6 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1906. The policy goes on to discuss with the mechanism for the execution of the rules of the Act.
Coastal Zone Management - Department of Ecology and Environment (Government of Karnataka) (1991)
This document describes the Karnataka coastal zone management plan and the details of the authorities involved in the implementation of the plan. This policy explains the:
Details of the Karnataka state coastal zone management authority Karnataka state coastal zone management plan District Coastal zone management committees
The National Environment Tribunal Act - Ministry of Environment and Forests (1995) This policy explains the provisions of the Act devised to give
details for:
strict financial obligation for damages moving up of any accident which occurs at the time of handling any hazardous substance and
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for the administration of a National Environment Tribunal for effective and expeditious disposal of cases arising from such accident, with a view to giving relief and compensation for damages to persons, property and the environment and for matters connected therewith.
This policy explains the details of the Act in terms of:

Definitions of terms in the Act Jurisdiction and proceedings of the tribunal Head under which compensation for damages can be claimed The issue of compensation for the death of or injury to a person and damage to property and environment Establishment of the National Environment Tribunal
The National Environment Appellate Authority Act - Ministry of Environment and Forests (1997)
This document provides the details of the Act made to provide for the establishment of a National Environment Appellate Authority that will hear appeals with respect to restriction of areas in which any industries, operations or processes or class of industries, operations or processes shall not be carried out or shall be carried out subject to certain safeguards under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and for other matters concerned therewith.
Kerala State Disaster Management Policy Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (2009)
This document spotlights the dangerous status of the state concern with natural disasters and highlights the urgent requirement for a disaster management strategy for the state. The policy supports the appropriate balance and interrelation with the National Policy on Disaster Management and Disaster Management Act, 2005. It also assures the coordination amongst all the agencies
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related to Disaster Management. The policy moves on with describing the aims and objectives of the policy and also provides the details of the stakeholders that will be required in the process of the policy implementation and the steps involved while managing the disasters.
The National Green Tribunal Bill - Ministry of Environment and Forests (2009)
This policy explains the details of the implementation procedure of the bill which includes:
Details of the penalty for failure to comply with the orders of the Tribunal Short title and commencement o f the bill Jurisdiction, powers and proceedings of the Tribunal Details of the establishment of a Tribunal known as the National Green Tribunal to exercise the jurisdiction, powers and authority conferred on the Tribunal by the bill Definitions of the terms used in the bill
The Environment Protection Act - Ministry of Environment and Forests (1986, 2001, 2005)
This policy explains the details of the Environment Protection Act (1986) and includes:
Information on the short commencement of the Act
title,
extend
and
Power of central government to give directions Definitions of terms included in the Act Appointment of officers and their powers and functions Details of rules for prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution Rules to regulate environmental pollution General powers of implementing the Act the central government in
Policy statement on environmental protection and conservation of resources - Department of Environment (Government of West Bengal) (1995)
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In the light of the environmental concerns, the details of the policy statement on environmental protection and conservation of resources by the Government of West Bengal can be studied in this policy statement. It emerges as a large number of developmental projects starting in the state in the near future. Further this policy statement explains the features of the policy that involves the steps to prevent the environmental destruction in the context of the activities for the development in the state.
1.7 Student Activity

Give a brief summary of the National Environment Policy (NEP) - Ministry of Environment and Forests (2006).
1.8 Summary
Trace gases of the atmosphere which are the minor components of the atmosphere having concentration on atmosphere in the range of parts per million by volume to parts per trillion by volume are also the greenhouse gases effect and have adverse impact on the atmosphere. The natural greenhouse gases include water vapor, CO 2, methane, ozone, and nitrous oxide present in the atmosphere. Earth is warmed with natural greenhouse effect by 330 C from - 180C to + 150C. This effect absorbs long wave radiation emitted by the warm Earths surface and then reemitting it towards the surface of Earth simultaneously towards other directions. This natural effect of greenhouse has made it significant for the Earth to be habitable. Prior to the industrial revolution for 1000 of years, concentration of greenhouse gases in the environment is constant. Though, as population of the world increased, agriculture developed, and industrialization moved on, the abundance of the greenhouse gases increased outstandingly which causes increased the effect of greenhouse.
1.9 Keywords
Mitigation: A human interference to minimise the net GHG emissions or increase segregation of carbon dioxide.
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Notes ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________
National Environment Policy: It purports mainstreaming environmental the concerns of enviroment into all activities for the development.
at the
The Environment Protection Rules: This policy explains the information on the protection of the environmental rules by excersing the powers bestowed by sections 25 and 6 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1906.
1.10 Review Questions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Explain the concept of Environment. Describe Global Warming. What do you understand by Climate Change? What are the projected impacts of climate change on biodiversity? Discuss about the tools and techniques for addressing climate change. Discuss the policies and laws related to climate change and environment.
1.11 Further Readings

Books
Handbook on International Environmental Agreements: An Indian Perspective, World Wide Fund for Nature--India. Ministry of Environment and Forests, Publisher, Centre for Environmental Law, WWF--India, 2006
Web Readings
http://www.indiawaterportal.org/post/13362 http://awsassets.wwfindia.org/downloads/mea_handbook_cel. pdf http://unfccc.int/press/fact_sheets/items/4985.php-adaptation add matter from this site. http://unfccc.int/files/essential_background/background_publi cations_htmlpdf/application/txt/pub_07_impacts.pdf

Unit 1: Atmosphere, Environment and Climate Change

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