By S S Vasudevan Advocate

the

Gangotri glacier is retreating at a speed of about 30 meters ,a year, and warming is likely to increase the rate of melting?

Did U Know That

The gas responsible for the most warming is carbon dioxide, also called CO2. Other contributors include methane released from landfills and agriculture (especially from the digestive systems of grazing animals), nitrous oxide from fertilizers, gases used for refrigeration and industrial processes, and the loss of forests that would otherwise store CO2.

The only way to explain the pattern of warming is to include

the effect of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted by humans.

The "greenhouse effect" is the warming that happens when certain gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat. These gases let in light but keep heat from escaping, like the glass walls of a greenhouse.
The more greenhouse gases are in the atmosphere, the more heat gets trapped. The rapid rise in greenhouse gases is a problem because it is changing the climate faster than some living things may be able to adapt.

Earth's remaining ice sheets (such as Greenland and Antarctica) are starting to melt too. The extra water could potentially raise sea levels significantly.

On Thursday, Aug 5 2010, scientists discovered that a huge mass of ice four times the size of Manhattan had broken free of Petermann glacier in northwestern Greenland. The "ice island" was the largest calving event on the glacier since 1962, and researchers estimated Petermann lost nearly a quarter of its floating ice tongue in one go.

Giant Glacier Breaks

The major point of the argument is that over the past 30 years the warming trend due to CO2 has been more than countered by a natural cooling.
This compensation cannot long continue both because of the rapid growth of the CO2 effect and because the natural cooling will almost certainly soon bottom out. We may be in for a climatic surprise. The onset of the era of CO2-induced warming may be much more dramatic than in the absence of natural climatic variations.

On August 8,1975, the journal Science published the article entitled "Are We on the Brink of a Pronounced Global Warming?" by Wallace Smith Broecker of Columbia University.

There is enough for mans need

not for his Greed

M. K. Gandhi

DEFINITION & CAUSES

related to greenhouse effect water vapor, CO2, CH4, N2O, and CFCs trap infrared radiation from the Earth's surface natural phenomenon, which helps maintain a stable temperature and climate on Earth.

fossil fuel combustion, deforestation,

and some industrial processes greenhouse gases concentration.

increase in

more infrared radiation captured in the atmosphere,

changes in the air temperature, precipitation patterns, sea-level rise, and melting of glaciers.

THE PROBLEM IN INDIA

DEFORESTATION AIR POLLUTION & ACID RAIN FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION VEHICLE EMISSIONS AIR TRAVEL

FOR MORE INFO...

Centre for Science And Environment Govt booklet

In Chennai the problem is caused by siting of projects in areas covered by trees like the IT corridor and the S E Zs in Chennais ever expanding hinterland

check soil erosion, Help water retention and conservation, regulate water cycle balance the carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmosphere and facilitate reduction of the greenhouse gases

Analysis

Population pressure, poverty weak institutional framework cause forest depletion and degradation in developing countries.

Deforestation- Causes

India has 16 % of the world's population 15 % of world's livestock, only 2.4 percent of the world's land area 1.7 percent of the world's forest stock. Obviously, burden on land and forest resources is excessive

causes for dwindling forest wealth over-exploitation, overgrazing, unsustainable practices forest fires, siting of projects in forests illegal encroachments Illegal felling/smuggling corruption

Deforestation Analysis Contd

factories, power plants, dry cleaners, cars, buses, Trucks windblown dust and wildfires

ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide.

Air Pollution- Facts

Power stations that burn fossil fuels with a high concentration of sulphur - such as some untreated types of coal - are particularly responsible for Acid Rain and ground level Ozone Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2 ) is a toxic, irritating gas that results from all combustion processes. Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is a colorless gas the main cause of acid rain, which can damage crops, forests and whole ecosystems. The main sources of airborne SO2 are coal-fired power generating stations and non-ferrous ore smelters.

Fossil Fuel Consumption

http://airnow.gov/

Ground-level Ozone

Ground-level Ozone
US Environmental Protection Agency graphics

Coal Consumption India

The economic liberalization in the early 1990s in India fuelled the industrial production This resulted in a steady increase of fossil fuels energy consumption

ye ar
Prod ucti on

19 19 19 19 20 20 20 20 20 20 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05
295.56 n/a 273.41 22.15 311.96 n/a 289.32 22.64 358.5 323.63 n/a 300.40 22.23 362.9 319.93 n/a 296.51 23.42 375.4 326.58 n/a 304.10 22.48 406.1 337.94 n/a 313.69 24.25 413.6 352.60 n/a 327.79 24.81 430.6 367.29 n/a 341.27 26.02 430.6 389.20 n/a 361.24 27.96 N/A 412.95 n/a 382.61 24.34 N/A

Con sum ptio n

332.2

Source: Govt of India (in million tons)

Cars release pollutants from the tailpipe as the result of the fuel combustion process. Motor vehicles generate three major pollutants: hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. SUVS on average releases 5,600 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere each year, double the amount of the average car driven the same distance.

Vehicle Emissions

Hydrocarbons react with nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight and elevated temperatures to form ground-level ozone. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) also contribute to the formation of ozone and contribute to the formation of acid rain and to water quality problems. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, deadly gas. Motor vehicles also emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, which has potential to trap the Earth's heat and cause global warning. NOTABLY, IN INDIA,TWO-STROKE ENGINES ACCOUNT FOR 78% OF TOTAL VEHICLE FLEET, AND CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLYTO ORGANIC CARBON EMISSIONS.

Vehicle Emissions

On a yearly basis all air travel releases 600 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. A round trip flight from New York to Los Angeles release as much as one automobile does in an entire year.

Air Travel

New Delhi India Greenpeace activists protest outside the Parliament against the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill 2010. Greenpeace has been demanding unlimited liability. Even the increase to 1500 crores in the liability amount by the Government still means that the compensation is capped and therefore unconstitutional.
If countries like Germany, Finland and Japan can have unlimited liability there is no reason why a country likeIndia, with such massive expansion plans, cannot.

Greenpeace Activists hold up banners reading STOP DEEP-SEA DRILLING and called on oil companies to withdraw from deep-sea regions where oil spills cannot be controlled. Greenpeace supports commissioner Oettingers proposal to introduce a de facto moratorium on deep-sea drilling in European waters until investigations into the causes of BP's spill in the Gulf of Mexico have been completed and regulations adapted to take account of risks

Greenpeace activists put up warning signs around contaminated areas after radiation experts found high levels of radiation at Mayapuri, Delhi.

Part IV Directive Principles of State Policy 48A(1) Protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests and wild life. (2)Part IVA Fundamental Duties 51A. Fundamental duties(g) To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures;

II POLLUTION CONTROL LAWS

The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 The Water (Prevention and Control Of Pollution) CESS Act, 1977 Central Water Laboratory The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess (Amendment) Act, 2003 The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules, 1982 and Schedules The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) (Union Territories) Rules, 1983 and Form The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

Pollution Control Laws India

Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board

Collects and analyze trade effluent/sewage samples conducts air quality survey to monitor the compliance of standards. periodical inspection and sampling: important rivers, lakes, coastal regions and water Sources Conducts ambient air surveys in important cities, industrial estates, etc.,. Conducts research and development activities relating to problems of water, land and air pollution Monitors the automobile emissions

Imparts training to staff of Government organizations , Non-Governmental organizations, Personnel from industries, Local bodies etc., Participates in environmental awareness programmes

Carpooling, using public transportation, and planning ahead to combine trips. Composting, biomethanation and pellatisation of municipal waste instead of incineration -Video conferencing instead of conference tourism Fly ash bricks from fossil fuel combustion Switch off lights Celebrate Earth day- switch off for an hour.

Solutions

Navdanya and World Future Council believe that Gandhis philosophy and practice are relevant not just to India but to the entire world. It can inspire solutions to climate chaos and the deepening economic and social divide between countries andpeople due to increasing non sustainable systems of organizing productions andconsumptions. Billion Tree Campaign-organised by UP Forest Dept- world record set by India on 31 July July 2007 10 million trees planted in Uttar Pradesh in a single day by 600,000 volunteers. CSE Campaign- Right to Clean Air- against focus on private vehicles and diesel as fuel

Campaigns

In the 1970s and 1980s the non-violent resistance to the destruction of forests by villagers spread throughout India and became organised and known as the Chipko Movement. The name of the movement comes from a word meaning 'embrace': the villagers hug the trees, saving them by interposing their bodies between them and the contractors' axes..

Leaders: Sunderlal Bahuguna, Chandri Prasad Bhatt, Ghanshyam Rathuri, Indu Tikekar

The Chipko protests in Uttar Pradesh achieved a major victory in 1980 with a 15-year ban on green felling in the Himalayan forests of that state by order of India's then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. Since then the movement has spread to Himachal Pradesh, Kamataka Rajasthan, Bihar and to the Vindhyas.

The movement has stopped clear felling in the Western Ghats and the Vindhyas and generated pressure for a natural resource policy which is more sensitive to people's needs and ecological requirements.

The Narmada Bachao Andolan began as a fight for information about the Narmada Valley Development Projects and continued as a fight for just rehabilitation for the lakhs of people to be ousted by the Sardar Sarovar Dam and other large dams along the Narmada river. Eventually when it became clear that the magnitude of the project precluded accurate assessment of damages and losses, and that rehabilitation was impossible, the movement challenged the very basis of the project and questioned its claim to "development."

Medha Patkar, founder of the Narmada Bachao Andolan and the National Alliance of People's Movements.

Navdanya is an Indian-based non-governmental organization which promotes biodiversity conservation, biodiversity, organic farming. Navdanya is a network of seed keepers and organic producers spread across 16 states in India. Navdanya started as a program of the Research Foundation for science, Technology and Ecology (RFSTE), a participatory research initiative founded by worldrenowned scientist and environmentalist Dr. Vandana Shiva The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is a public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi. Anil Kumar Agarwal was the founder-director . Sunita Narain is the current director

Some Eco NGOs

You must be the change you want to see in the world. Mahatma Gandhi
Indian political and spiritual leader (1869 - 1948)

CSE website Urban Air Quality Management Toolbook UNEP An Energy Summmary of India CSLF Auto Emissions factsheet- Nat. Safety Council Population Pressure & Deforestation In India SG Gulati Suresh Sharma Decadal trends in Fossil Fuel ConsumptionReddy,Venkatraman, Boucher Pollution- Solocom House www.rightlivelihood.org Sawnet

Sources