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Writer's pictureCivil Services Forum

'Key Environmental Challenges and Some Measures' by Suyash Agrawal

India is amongst the fastest growing economies of the world as it has registered an average growth rate of over 6 percent in past few years. It is facing unprecedented demand for energy. Energy consumption has doubled since 2000 and is expected to grow manifolds in the coming few decades. According to the Energy Outlook provided by a British Oil and gas company, India’s energy consumption is set to grow by 4.2 percent a year by 2035 faster than all other countries. Also, accumulation of green house gases in the atmosphere increases with economic activities and this has an adverse effect on growth and development as well as on global warming and climate change. Moreover, as more people put ever increasing demands on limited supply, the problem of water scarcity is growing significantly. Population increase, rapid urbanization and industrialisation, increasing needs of energy etc., have impacted the availability of natural resources besides denting the quality of environment.

In this context, this article takes a look at the various environmental problems being faced by India. These primarily include air pollution, water pollution, climate change, global warming, solid waste management, forestry, coastal resource management among others. This list is in no way an exhaustive one and there are numerous other challenges that pose a threat to the quality of the environment. I shall discuss climate change and Sustainable Development Goals SDGs in detail besides touching upon other challenges describing their causes, impacts and the policy measures undertaken by the government to reduce, if not completely eliminate them. Air Pollution

Every winter, the National Capital and its adjoining regions suffer from severe air pollution where the concentration of pollutants like particulate matters, oxides of nitrogen, sulphur etc. increase beyond the acceptable levels; throwing normal life out of gear. For a civilised world, it is a major concern as it has a serious toxic impact on human health and the environment. Air pollution not only impacts humans but also damages the ozone layer and causes global warming. Air pollution has grown rapidly in India due to population growth that has in turn led to an increase in number of vehicles. Poor public transport system, poor landfill use pattern, industrialisation, electronic wastes and ineffective environmental regulations are other factors contributing to the air pollution.

Exposure to particular matters for a long time can lead to respiratory and cardio-vascular diseases like asthma, lung cancer and heart attacks. The Global Burden of Disease Report 2013 said that outdoor air pollution is the 5th largest killer in India. According to the WHO report, 14 Indian cities are amongst the World’s most polluted in terms of pm2.5 in the air. The climate change and air pollution is closely related in terms of the source of emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases. Climate change induced by GHGs influences the behaviour of the atmosphere and weather systems over land and sea. More significantly, climate change impacts air flow in the atmosphere changing the way in which pollutants are dispersed. Climate change also affects eco-system. An increase in carbon concentration in air increases the intake of pollutant by plants resulting in stagnation in plant growth.

To handle the air pollution problem, specifically in Delhi, the central government has unveiled an air quality emergency early warning system that can predict expected air quality levels at least two days in advance. Such measures enable the Graded Response Action plan to be implemented in advance. The warning system consists of real time observation of air quality over the national capital region and it will give predictions of air pollutants from two different air quality prediction systems. Along with unveiling the early warning system, a new website has been developed for archiving all the observations and prediction products. The website will be assessed by the officials of Environmental Pollution Authority and Central Pollution Control Board for taking required steps. Under the Graded Response Action plan, stringent actions are implemented based on the air quality of the city especially in the Delhi NCR region. The measures to be used include stopping garbage burning in landfills, enforcing all pollution control regulations, stopping use of diesel generation sets, enhancing parking fees, increased frequency of mechanised cleaning of roads and sprinkling of water on roads among others.

The government has also taken several measures to deal with the rising level of air pollution in the country. From a ban on burning crop stubble and ways to revise the emission norms for the thermal power plants and incentivising hybrid vehicles, the government is working on a comprehensive plan to tackle the menace. The environment ministry released a draft of National Clean Air Program with a goal to meet the prescribed annual average ambient air quality standards at all locations in the country in a stipulated time frame. With NCAP, the government aims to bring down the pollution in around 100 cities by 35 percent in 3 years and 50 percent in 5 years. NCAP will ensure comprehensive management plans for prevention, control and abetment of air pollution. It also focuses on collaborative and participatory approach by coordination among relevant central ministries, state government, local government and other stakeholders. The government has also made BS6 norms mandatory for all vehicles in the national capital. Across the country, the Bharat Stage 6 norms are scheduled to be enforced from April 2020. The BS6 fuel is expected to bring down sulphur in the air by 5 times than the current BS4 levels and would make fuel extremely clean. The government has also announced new emission norms for thermal power plants across the country which aims at reducing emission of pm10, sulphur dioxide and oxide of nitrogen to improve ambient air quality in and around thermal power plants. Water Pollution

Water connects every aspect of life on our planet. It is crucial for human survival, healthy ecosystem, socio economic development, energy and food production. However, millions of people worldwide are living with less water than they need. According to United Nations, nearly 1 billion people lack access to clean drinking water. Nearly 163 million people in India are living without safe water, a resource which is vital for human existence. Although 70 percent of earth’s surface consists of water, only 2.5 percent of it is available in the form of fresh water. As more people put ever increasing demands on limited supply, the problem of water scarcity grows significantly. One third of the total population of the world, (nearly 2 billion people) live under condition of severe water scarcity for at least one month in a year. Scarcity of clean water is also a health crisis, as statistics indicate that a child dies every two minutes from a water related disease. In India, over 21 percent of diseases are water related. Industrial waste disposal, sewage disposal, human activities, over exploitation among others are some of the factors that cause water pollution. The surface water has been severely contaminated in several parts of the country. According to a NITI Aayog report, 20 Indian cities would see their ground water levels decline to near negligible amount in the next couple of years.

The government has undertaken several policy actions to mitigate the problem of water pollution. The current dispensation at the centre has set up a separate ministry i.e Ministry of Jal Shakti. This was formed by merging of two ministries; Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. A special project 'Namami Ganga' project has been launched to clean Ganga and its tributaries to provide safe drinking water to people of the country.

The government also launched the National Water Mission (NWM), whose main objective is conservation of water, minimizing wastage and ensuring a more equitable distribution both across and within states through integrated water resources development and management. It also focuses on monitoring of ground water, aquifer mapping, capacity building, water quality monitoring and other baseline studies. There are 1071 assessment units categorized as 'over exploited' as per 2011 assessment of Central Ground Water Authority. Under the Clean India Campaign, nearly 8 crore toilets have been constructed to provide basic sanitation facilities to the people which has led to a reduction of open defecation near river banks. The mismatch between the present availability and the projected demand, uneven distribution of water resources, regular water scarcity and flooding, deteriorating water quality and excessive dependence on groundwater call for cohesive and scientific approach to manage available water resources.


Forest and Bio-Diversity The importance and significance of forests cannot be overstated in maintaining a healthy ecosystem and sustaining a rich bio-diversity. The government has committed itself to increase the area under forest alongside keeping the pace of developmental activities. The National Forest Policy, 1988 aims to increase the area under forests in the country to 33% through massive afforestation programmes, protection of the existing forest cover, regulating management of forest based industries and building on the symbiotic relationship between forests and the forest dwellers. As per current assessment 2019 is 7,12,249 sq. km which is 21.67 per cent of the total geographic area of the country. There has been an increase of 3,976 sq. km (0.56 per cent) of forest cover as compared to the previous assessment of 2017. Forests play a crucial role in adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. Forests help to store more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem. Renewable Energy Front

India’s total power generation capacity is just over 3.5 lakhs mega watt. Thermal power accounts for over 73 percent of the total power generation. Thermal plants run either on coal or gas, both of which are not environmentally friendly or cannot be sustained overtime. Hence, the government has embarked upon an ambitious effort to increase its renewable energy production.

International Solar Alliance can prove to be very instrumental in this direction. It is a group of sunshine countries lying between Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn. All these countries have agreed to work together in the field of solar energy. ISA aims to provide clean, green, affordable and renewable energy to the member countries. At an ISA summit that was held in Delhi, India’s Prime Minister announced plans for a Solar Technology Mission for research and development in the solar energy sector. The group is working to reach a goal of producing 1000 GW of solar power by 2030 for which it will need an investment of near 65 lakh crores. Hence, it has entered into an agreement with global banks like World Bank and European Investment Banks among others.

The year 2019 has seen a significant leap forward for renewable energy with India undertaking one of the world’s largest renewable energy expansion programmes in the world. India had announced 175 Gigawatt (GW) targets for renewables by 2022 and has already achieved 83 Gw. National Solar Mission was launched whose aim is to increase the share of solar energy in the total energy mix. The cumulative targets under the mission for Grid Connected Solar Power Projects consists of 40 GW Grid connected Rooftop projects and 60 GW large and medium size land based solar power projects.

Climate Change

Climate change is the most pressing issue of not only India but across the world as evident by the recent events like Bush Fire in Australia, the massive forest fire in Amazon forest, landslides in Indonesia etc. Climate change affects humans differently and in a less direct way through weather disasters, wind storms, floods, droughts and rising sea levels.

India has also borne the brunt of the climate change. The country’s ecological and socio-economic systems that are already under tremendous pressure due to rapid urbanisation, industrialisation and economic development now face additional stresses due to climate change. According to the IMD data, 2018 was the 6th warmest year in India since the office started maintain records in early 20th century. A World Bank report said climate change could cost India 2.8 percent of the GDP and lower living standards of half of its population by 2050. Another report concludes that climate change will widen the inequality in the country. The UN IPCC has also warned that global warming is taking place faster than anticipated. If steps are not taken to cut down the emissions, it will continue to have devastating effects. For India, climate change is not just an environmental concern, but also the biggest developmental challenge. Extreme weather is impacting the economic performance and lives of millions of people worldwide. Given the population and poverty rate, India in particular and the world in general is vulnerable to the threats of the climate change.

India has been in the forefront of this intense battle to protect the environment by reducing its carbon footprint. It has invested heavily in low carbon intensive technologies, successfully switched to renewable energy and stepped up its effort to conserve forests. Two agreements namely the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement were signed by the country. The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty adopted in Japan in 1997 which came into force in 2005. It implemented the objectives of the UNFCCC to reduce the onset of the global warming by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations. Emission Trading System forms an integral part of the protocol. Under this system, the country having more emission can purchase the 'Right to Emit' more, while countries having lower emission can sell these rights. Carbon emission trading works by setting a quantitative limit on the emissions produced by the countries. Across the world, cap and trade system is being used for effective carbon trading at regional, national and international levels. Cap and trade allow the market to determine a price on carbon, which in turn drives investment decisions. It ensures that emissions remain at or below the specified emission caps across covered sectors. It makes economic sense as it delivers cost effective abetment. A recent study found that compared to other instruments, ETS incurred the lowest cost per ton of abetted emissions. In this process, India has earned millions of carbon credits or emission reduction certificates also called CERS.

The Paris agreement binds together previous pledges by individual nations to cut or limit emissions from fossil fuel burning within a framework of rules that provide for monitoring and verification as well as financial and technical assistance for developing countries. The overarching goal is to bring down pollution level so that the rise in global temperature is limited to no more than 2 degree above pre-industrial averages. India submitted its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement on a 'best effort basis' keeping in mind the developmental imperatives of the country. In its NDC, India promised to reduce its emission intensity of GDP by 33 to 35 per cent below 2005 levels by the year 2030; 40 per cent of cumulative electric power installed capacity would be from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 and increase its forest cover and additional carbon sink equivalent to 2.5 to 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide by 2030. Globally climate action has involved mitigation centric programs aimed at slowing down future global warming.


One needs to understand that mitigation is more important to developed countries and for countries like India, focus should be on adaptation. Launched in 2008, India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) identifies a number of measures that simultaneously advance the country’s development and climate change related objectives of adaptation and mitigation through focused National Missions. It was also meant to focus on key adaptation requirements and creation of scientific knowledge and preparedness, as climate change is a 'risk multiplier' for the vulnerable groups and worsening of existing social, economic and environmental stresses. India has decided to revise the NAPCC in line with the NDCs under the Paris Agreement to make it more comprehensive in terms of priority areas. The government’s Ujwala Yojana is also a big step in the fight against climate change as it has replaced the conventional wood burning stove with more efficient gas stoves. Another major initiative is launching of Climate Change Action Program (CCAP) in 2014, a central sector scheme, with a total cost of 290 crores for five years, to build and support capacity at central and state levels, strengthening scientific and analytical capacity for climate change assessment, establishing appropriate institutional framework and implementing climate actions. India accounts for just 4.5 percent of the World’s green house gas emission but is at a greater risk of flooding and high temperatures, hence there’s a greater incentive to slow down the global warming. Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) constitute a befitting framework to answer the developmental challenges to achieve a sustainable future, free from social, economic, and environmental inequalities and thereby ensuring a greener and healthy planet for future generations.

India is striving to combine the element of ‘sustainability’ with economic development through well- designed initiatives for inclusive development enshrined in its policies: electrify rural households, augment the usage of renewable sources, eliminate malnutrition, eradicate poverty, access to primary education to all girls, provide sanitation and housing for all among others. The NITI Aayog launched an index called SDG index to analyse the state performance in achieving the targeted goals under the SDGs. While the first edition measured progress of the States/ Union Territories (UTs) on a set of 62 indicators across 13 goals, the 2019 Index is more comprehensive and highlights the progress being made by the States/UTs on a wider set of 100 indicators spread across 16 goals. The Index also includes a qualitative assessment on SDG goal. The States/UTs are ranked based on their aggregate performance across the 16 SDGs. The SDG score varies from 0 to 100.

There exist interlinkages among SDGs and targets. Target-based approach can help reinforcement of policies and its implementation. With the adoption of SDGs, the aim of the government is to reinforce its development priorities with SDG indicators. There are linkages among the various SDGs and have strong impacts on reinforcement of policies. India launched the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) on the sidelines of the UN Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit in September, 2019. This international partnership of national governments, UN agencies, multilateral development banks, private sector, and knowledge institutions will promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development. Developed through consultations with more than 35 countries, CDRI envisions enabling measurable reduction in infrastructure losses from disasters, including extreme climate events.

Conclusion

According to Global Climate Risk Index, India is the 14th most climate change affected country in the world. A study published in Journal of Energy and Environment Science revealed that climate change can leave India without enough water to cool power plants in the near future. Extreme weather events caused by climate change have triggered warnings from scientists that severe rainfall hailstorm heat waves, cyclones, droughts etc. are only going to increase in frequency and intensity in the coming years.

India, despite not being the most carbon emitting nation has been an active player in fighting against this global issue which is likely to show its devastating impacts in next few decades. The United Nations Environment Program Global trends in Renewable Energies Investment 2016 report ranks India among the top 10 countries in the world investing in renewable energy. India’s mitigation strategies have emphasized on clean and efficient energy system, enhanced energy efficiency, resilient urban infrastructure, safe, smart and sustainable green transportation network, planned afforestation, as well as holistic participation across all sectors. India’s sustained actions on addressing climate change have helped her to achieve great strides which are reflected in reduction in the emission intensity of India’s GDP by 21 per cent during 2005-2014. Consequently, India has improved its ranking and is placed at the 9th Spot in the latest Climate Change Performance Index.


While India is on the path of sustained progress, global agenda of delivering sustainable development and addressing climate change can be delivered only if all nations exhibit the requisite momentum to act upon their fair share of responsibilities, which also include the fulfillment of financial obligations by the developed world to the developing countries.



Sources


1. Economic Survey 2019-2020 Volume II

2. Economic Survey 2017-2018

3. State of the Environment Report

4. Wikipedia

5. Website{ Ministry of Jal Shakti and Ministry of environment, Forestry and Climate Change}

6. RSTV programs and Discussions{ In Depth and The Big Picture


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