The Kyoto Protocol has put in place three flexibility mechanisms to reduce emission of Green House Gases. Although the Protocol places maximum responsibility of reducing emissions on the developed countries by committing them to specific emission targets, the three mechanisms are based on the premise that reduction of emissions in any part of the globe will have the same desired effect on the atmosphere, and also that some developed countries might find it easier and more cost effective to support emissions reductions in other developed or developing countries rather than at home. These mechanisms thus provide flexibility to the Annexure I countries, helping them to meet their emission reduction obligations. Let us take a look at what these mechanisms are.

What are the three flexibility mechanisms put in place of the Kyoto Protocol for reducing GHG emission?

• The three mechanisms are joint implementation. Emissions Trading and Clean Development

What is Joint Implementation?

• Through the Joint Implementation, any Annex I country can invest in emission reduction projects (referred to as joint Implementation Project) in any other Annex I country as an alternative to reducing emissions domestically.
• Two early examples are change from a wet to a dry process at a Ukraine cement works, reducing energy consumption by 53 percent by 2008-2012; and rehabilitation of a Bulgarian hydropower project, with a 267,000 ton reduction of C02 equivalent during 2008-2012.

What is Clean Development Mechanism?

• The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) allows-‘l developed country with an emission reduction or emission-limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol to implement an emission reduction project in developing countries as an alternative to more expensive emission reductions in their own countries. In exchange for the amount of reduction In emission thus achieved, the investing gets carbon credits which it can offset against its Kyoto targets. The developing country gains a Step towards sustainable development.
• To get a CDM project registered and implemented, the investing country’ has to first take approval from the designated national authority in the host country, establish “Additionally”, define baselines and get the project validated by a third party agency, called a Designated Operational Entity (DOE). The Executive Body of CDM registers the project and issues credits, called Certified Emission Reductions (CERs), or carbon credits, where each unit is equivalent to the reduction of one metric tonne of. C02 or its equivalent. There are more than 4200 CDM projects in the pipeline as on 14.3.2010. The expected CERs till the end of2012 is 2,900,000,000

What is “Additionality” in a CDM project ?

• The feature of “additionality” is a crucial element of a CDM project it means that the industrialized country that is seeking to establish the CDM project in the developing country and earns carbon credits from it has to establish that the planned carbon reductions would not have occurred on its own, in the absence of the CDM project. They have to establish a baseline of the project. Which is the emission level that would have been there in the absence of the project. The difference between this baseline level and the (lower) emission level achieved as a result of the project is the carbon credit due to the investing country

What are some of the concerns regarding CDM ?

• The risk of “false Credits” is a cause for concern with regard to CDM projects. If a project does not actually offer an additionally and the reduction in emission would have happened anyway Even without the project.

 

Soil Pollution is the Contamination of the soil by human and natural activities which may cause harmful effects on living beings.
This may be due to the following factors.

(i) Industrial wastes: Industries are the major causes for soil pollution Textiles, steel, paper, Cement, oil, dyeing and other industries are responsible for soil pollution. Toxic organic compounds and phenol destroy the fertility of the soil.
(ii) Biological agents – Fungi, protozoa, bacteria are important Biological agents for soil pollution. The human and animal wastes, garbage, waste water generates heavy soil pollution.
(iii) Radio active pollutants: Atomic reactor, nuclear radio active devices releases radio active pollutants. These pollutants enter the land and accumulate there by causing soil pollution.
(iv) Pesticides: Pesticides pollute the soil. There are of two types (i) chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide (2) Organic phosphorous pesticides. Common chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides are DDT, BHC.

Organo phosphorous insecticides are synthetic chemicals like Malathion and parathion.

DDT reduces the activity of sex hormones of male and female. The land with fungicides insecticides causes diseases to human beings.

Fertilizers: These discharge N, Na, K, S, Nitrates etc., into the soil. The nitrate causes cancer.

Polymer, Plastics & other water: These materials appear as garbage. Solid wastes and their quantities increase day by day. They pollute the atmospheres, land and also water badly.

Agricultural practices: Modern agriculture practices pollute the soil to a large extent. Today huge quantities of fertilizers, pesticides, weedicides are added to increase the crop field. Apart from these farm wastes, manure debris, soil erosion containing inorganic chemicals are causing soil pollution.
Effect of soil pollution
1.Organic wastes enter the soil pores and decompose. Pathogenic bacteria spread infection.
2.Compounds containing As, Hg, Cr, Ni, Zn and Fe are toxic to life.
3.Fluorides affect plant development
4.Water logging and salinity increase the dissolved salt content in the soil. Some plants are very sensitive to soil PH and salinity.
Thus land becomes unfit for irrigation.
Control of soil pollution
1.Treat the sewage before land disposal
2.Rotate the crop pattern to allow the soil replenish the nutrients.
3.Preserve and protect top fertile soil, control soil erosion by tree plantation.
4.Fertilizers may be applied only after estimating the soil and crop measures.
5.Production of natural fertilizers Excessive use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides should be avoided. Bio pesticides should be used instead of toxic chemical pesticides.
6.Proper hygienic condition- People should be trained regarding the sanitary habits.
7.Recycling and reuse of waster – The wastes such as paper, plastic, metals, glasses should be recycled and used.

 

 

Forest ecosystem includes a complex assemblage of different kinds of biotic communities. Optimum conditions such as temperature and ground moisture are responsible for the establishment of forest communities.

Forests may be evergreen or deciduous which are distinguished on the basis of leaf into broad-leafed or needle leafed coniferous forests in the case of temperate areas. classified into three major categories: coniferous forest, temperate forest and tropical forest.

All these forest biomes are generally arranged on a gradient from north to south latitude or from high to lower altitude

 

Coniferous forest (boreal forest):

Cold regions with high rainfall, strong seasonal climates with long winters and short summers

evergreen plant species such as Spruce, fir and pine trees, etc and by animals such as the lynx, wolf, bear, red fox, porcupine, squirrel, and amphibians like Hyla, Rana, etc.

Boreal forest soils are characterized by thin podozols and are rather poor. Both because, the weathering of rocks proceeds slowly in cold environments and because the litter derived from conifer needle (leaf  is decomposed very slowly and is not rich in nutrients.

These soils are acidic and are mineral deficient.

This is due to movement of large amount of water through the soil, without a significant counter-upward movement of evaporation, essential soluble nutrients like calcium, nitrogen and potassium which are leached sometimes beyond the reach of roots. This process leaves no alkaline oriented cations to encounter the organic acids of the accumulating litter.

The productivity and community stability of a boreal forest are lower than those of any other forest ecosystem.

Temperate deciduous forest:

The temperate forests are characterised by a moderate climate and broad-leafed deciduous trees, which shed their leaves in fall, are bare over winter and grow new foliage in the spring.

The precipitation is fairly uniform throughout.

Soils of temperate forests are podozolic and fairly deep.

Temperate evergreen forest:

Parts of the world that have Mediterranean type of Climate are characterised by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. low broad leafed evergreen trees.

Fire is an important hazardous factor in this ecosystem and the adaptation of the plants enable them to regenerate quickly after being burnt.

Temperate rain forests:

seasonality with regard to temperature and rainfall

Rainfall is high, and fog may be very heavy. It is the important source of water than rainfall itself

The biotic diversity of temperate rain forests is high as compared to other temperate forest.

the diversity of plants and animals is much low as compared to the tropical rainforest.

 

Tropical rain forests:

 

Near the equator.

Among the most diverse and rich communities on the earth.

Both temperature and humidity remain high and more or less uniform.

The annual rainfall exceeds 200 cm and is generally distributed throughout the year.

The flora is highly diversified The extreme dense vegetation of the tropical rain  forests remains vertically stratified with tall trees often covered with vines, creepers,   lianas, epiphytic orchids and bromeliads.

The lowest layer is an understory of trees,  shrubs, herbs, like ferns and palms.

Soil of tropical rainforests are red latosols, and they are very thick

Tropical seasonal forests:

also known as monsoon forest occur in regions where total annual rainfall is very high but segregated into pronounced wet and dry periods.

This kind of forest is found in South East Asia, central and south America, northern Australia, western Africa and tropical islands of the pacific as well as in India.

Subtropical rain forests:

Broad-leaved evergreen subtropical rain forests are found in regions of fairly high rainfall but less temperature differences between winter and summer

Epiphytes are common here.

Animal life of subtropical forest is very similar to that of tropical rainforests.

 

INDIAN FOREST TYPES

Forest types in India are classified by Champion and Seth into sixteen types.

 

Tropical Wet evergreen forests

are found along the Western Ghats, the Nicobar and Andaman Islands and all  along the north-eastern region.

It is characterized by tall, straight evergreen trees.

The trees in this forest form a tier pattern:

Beautiful fern of various colours and different varieties of orchids grow on the trunks of the trees.

Among the following States, which one has the most suitable climatic conditions for the cultivation of a large variety of orchids with minimum cost of production, and can develop

Tropical Semi-evergreen forests

found in the Western Ghats, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the Eastern

Himalayas.

Such forests have a mixture of the wet evergreen trees and the moist

deciduous trees. The forest is dense

Tropical Moist deciduous forests

found throughout India except in the western and the north -western regions.

The trees are tall, have broad trunks, branching trunks and roots to hold them firmly to the ground.

These forests are dominated by sal and teak, along with mango, bamboo, and rosewood.

Littoral and swamp

found along the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the delta area of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.

They have roots that consist of soft tissue so that the plant can breathe in the water.

Tropical Dry deciduous forest

The northern part of the country except in the North-East. It is also found in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The canopy, of the trees does not normally exceed 25 metres.

The common trees are the sal, a variety of acacia, and bamboo.

Tropical Thorn forests

This type is found in areas with black soil: North, West, Central, and South India. The trees do not grow beyond 10 metres. Spurge, caper, and cactus are typical of this region.

Tropical Dry evergreen forest

Dry evergreens are found along Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka coast. It is mainly hard-leaved evergreen trees with fragrant flowers, along with a few  deciduous trees.

Sub-tropical Broad-leaved forests

Broad-leaved forests are found in the Eastern Himalayas and the Western Ghats, along the Silent Valley.

There is a marked difference in the form of vegetation in the two areas.

In the Silent Valley, the  poonspar, cinnamon, rhododendron, and fragrant grass are predominant.

In the Eastern Himalayas, the flora has been badly affected by the shifting cultivation and forest fires.

There are oak, alder, chestnut, birch, and cherry trees. There are a large variety of orchids, bamboo and creepers.

Sub-tropical Pine forests

found in Shivalik Hills, Western and Central Himalayas, Khasi, Naga, and Manipur Hills.

The trees predominantly found in these areas are the chir, oak, rhododendion, and   pine as well as sal, amla, and laburnum are found in the lower regions.

 

Sub-tropical Dry evergreen forests

hot and dry season and a cold winter. It generally has evergreen trees with shining

leaves that have a varnished look.

found in the Shivalik Hills and foothills of the Himalayas up to a height of 1000 metres.

Montane Wet temperate forests

In the North, found in the region to the east of Nepal into Arunachal Pradesh, receiving a minimum rainfall of 2000 mm. In the North, there are three layers of    forests: the higher layer has mainly coniferous, the middle layer has deciduous trees such as the oak and the lowest layer is covered by rhododendron and champa.

In the South, it is found in parts of the Niligiri Hills, the higher reaches of Kerala.

The forests in  the northern region are denser than in the South. Rhododendrons and a

variety of ground flora can be found here.

Himalayan Moist temperate Forest

This type spreads from the Western Himalayas to the Eastern Himalayas. The trees

found in the western section are broad-leaved oak, brown oak, walnut,

rhododendron,

Eastern Himalayas, the rainfall is much heavier and therefore the vegetation is also more lush and dense. There are a large variety of broad-leaved trees, ferri, and  bamboo.

Himalayan Dry temperate Forest

This type is found in Lahul, Kinnaur, Sikkim, and other parts of the Himalayas.

There are predominantly coniferous trees, along with broad-leaved trees such as the oak, maple, and ash. At higher elevation, fir, juniper, deodar, and chilgoza are found.

 

Sub alpine forest

Sub alpine forests extend from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh between 2900 to 3500 metres.

In the Western Himalayas, the vegetation consists mainly of juniper, hododendron, willow, and black currant.

In the eastern parts, red fir, black juniper, birch, and larch are the common trees.

Due to heavy rainfall and high humidity the timberline in this part is higher than that in the West.

Rhododendron of many species covers the hills in these parts.

Moist Alpine scrub

Moist alpines are found all along the Himalayas and on the higher hills near the Myanmar border. It has a low scrub, dense evergreen forest, consisting

mainly of rhododendron and birch. Mosses and ferns cover the ground in patches. This region receives heavy snowfall.

Dry alpine scrub

Dry alpines are found from about 3000 metres to about 4900 metres. Dwarf plants predominate, mainly the black juniper, the drooping juniper, honeysuckle, and willow.

 

1. Natural Ecosystem-

Terrestrial- Forests, Grasslands, Deserts

Aquatic- Fresh Waters, Saline Waters, Marine Waters

Ecotone :- a zone of junction between two or more diverse ecosystems. For e.g. the mangrove forests represent an ecotone between marine and terrestrial ecosystem.

Characteristics of Ecotone

It may be very narrow or quite wide. It has the conditions intermediate to the adjacent ecosystems. Hence it is a zone of tension.

It is linear as it shows progressive increase in species composition of one in coming community and a simultaneous decrease in species of the other out going adjoining community.

A well developed ecotones contain some organisms which are entirely different from that of the adjoining communities.

Sometimes the number of species and the population density of some of the species is much greater in this zone than either community. This is called edge effect For example the density of birds is greater in the mixed habitat of the ecotone between the forest and the desert.

Biome

The terrestrial part of the biosphere is divisible into enormous regions called biomes, which are characterized, by climate, vegetation, animal life and general soil type.

No two biomes are alike.

The most important climatic factors are temperature and precipitation.

1. Tundra- Northern most region  adjoining the ice bound  poles. Devoid of trees except stunted shrubs in the southern part of tundra biome, ground flora includes lichen, mosses and sedges.

The typical animals are reindeer, arctic fox polar bear, snowy owl, lemming, arctic hare,  ptarmigan. Reptiles and amphibians are almost absent

 

2. Taiga- Northern Europe, Asia and North America. Moderate temperature than tundra. Also known as boreal forest.

The dominating vegetation is coniferous evergreen mostly spruce, with some pine and firs. The fauna consists of small seed eating birds, hawks, fur bearing carnivores, little mink, elks, puma, Siberian tiger, wolverine, wolves etc.

 

3. Temperate Deciduous Forest- Extends over Central and Southern Europe, Eastern North America, Western China, Japan, New Zealand etc.

Moderate average temperature and abundant  rainfall. These are generally the  most  productive agricultural areas of the earth The flora includes trees like beech, oak, maple and cherry. Most animals are the familiar vertebrates and invertebrates.

4. Tropical rain forest- Tropical areas  in  the equatorial regions, which is  a bound  with  life.  Temperature and rainfall high.

Tropical rainforest covers about 7% of the earth’s surface & 40% of the world’s plant and animal species.

Multiple storey of broad-leafed evergreen tree species are in abundance.

Most animals and epiphytic plants(An epiphyte is a plant that grows harmlessly upon another plant)  are concentrated in the canopy or tree top zones

5. Savannah- Tropical region: Savannah is most extensive in Africa

Grasses with scattered trees and fire resisting thorny shrubs.

The fauna include a great diversity of grazers and browsers such as antelopes, buffaloes, zebras, elephants and rhinoceros;  the carnivores include lion, cheetah, hyena; and mongoose, and many rodents

 

6. Grassland- North America, Ukraine, etc . Dominated by grasses. Temperate conditions with rather low rainfall. Grasses dominate the vegetation. The fauna include large herbivores like bison, antelope, cattle, rodents, prairie dog, wolves, and a rich and diverse array of ground nesting bird

 

7. Desert- Continental interiors with very low and sporadic rainfall with low humidity. The days are very hot but nights are cold. The flora is drought resistance vegetation such as cactus, euphorbias, sagebrush. Fauna : Reptiles, Mammals and birds.

 March 17, 2016 admin 0 Comments

Treaty		Signed/Into force	Major Points
Aarhus Convention on Access to information for public participation in decision making and access to justice in environmental matters	1998		Aarhus is a Danish city Adopted at the fourth ministerial conference in the ‘Environment for Europe’ process Links environmental rights and human rights   India – No
Vienna Convention for the protection of Ozone layer	1985/1988		Does not include legally binding reduction goals for the use of CFCs   At Vienna Conference
Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the Ozone layer	1987/1989		It is a protocol to the Vienna Convention   “perhaps the single most successful international agreement” – Kofi Annan 196 states ratified Includes CFCs, HCFCs
Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their disposal	1989/1992		Particularly to prevent waste transfer from Developed to LDCs   175 parties Signed but not ratified: Afghanistan, Haiti, US
Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in international trade	1998/2004		Rotterdam is a city in Netherlands   Endosulfan is proposed to be added to the list
Stockholm Convention on persistence organic pollutants	2001/2004		173 parties
Bamako Convention	1991/1998		On the ban on the import into Africa and the Control of movement of Hazardous waste within Africa Negotiated by 12 nations of Organisation of African Unity at Bamako, Mali
The CBD Framework
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety			Seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern technology. The Protocol applies to the transboundary movement, transit, handling and use of all living modified organisms that may have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health
Nagoya Protocol
For Conservation
CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. AkaWashington Convention	1973/1975		Under IUCN. Trade in specimen should not threaten the survival of plants and animals. Only one species under it ‘Spix Macaw’ has become extinct in the wild.
Convention on Migratory Species aka Bonn Convention	1979/1983		To conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species
Antarctic Treaty System	1959/1961		12 original members. HQ: Buenos Aires. India joined in 1983. Sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and bans military activity there. First arms control treaty during the cold war.
International Whaling Commission	1946		Signed in Washington. Moratorium on whaling adopted in 1986. Following countries havnt adopted the moratorium: Norway, Iceland, Japan.
UN Convention to Combat Desertification	1994 (on the basis of Agenda 21)/1996		First and only internationally legally binding framework set up to address the problem of desertification. 194 2006: Int. Year of Deserts and Desertification. Non-parties: Iraq, Montenegro, Vatican Secretariat: Rome Meetings: 1st – Rome 1997, 9th – Buenos Aires, 2009

 

Sustainable Development

• Bruntland Report (1983) was the first publication and recognition of the term ‘Sustainable Development’
  • “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of the future generation”
• Three pillarsof sustainable development (Bruntland)
  • Care and respect for People, Planet and Prosperity (Commercial Activities) <hence poverty alleviation, conservation and business development>
  • These three pillars are of equal importance
• SD is about avalue system. It is not a scientific formula.
• Thinking beyond pure self-gratification to awareness that harm to one will eventually be harm to all.
• Interconnectednessand interdependence of all things
• All three pillars have equal importance. Focus on only one of them will unbalance the whole
• SD is a necessity, not a luxury that we can afford to miss.

Questioning Development <too detailed; at times peripheral. Be choosy>

• Current practices must change
• Should shatter the ‘development’ myth. Simply economic growth will not create more jobs and more wealth for all.
• Steady-state economics. Economic growth is measured in terms of how much we produce and consume, and what we destroy in the process need not be included in the calculations.
• 20% of the world consumes 80% of its resources
• According to UNDP, consumption of goods and services in 1997 was twice that in 1975 and six times more than in 1950.
• An estimated 1 billion people still do not have the means to meet their basic needs.
• Inequalities are increasing. The assets of world’s three richest men are greater than the combined national product of 48 poorest countries.
• Higher crime rates are associated with wider income gaps
• Jobless growth.
• Under-nutrition is still a huge problem among children

Economic Growth and Sustainability

• Over-consumption has led to depletion of resources
• Main environmental threats
  • Depletion of resources
  • Global warming
  • Expansion of waste arising from production and consumption
  • Population pressure
  • Pollution
  • Loss of biodiversity and extinction of species.
• Green National Income Account
  • Conventional national income accounting does not capture the environmental degradation due to production and consumption
  • This omission leads to misrepresentation of improvements in social welfare
  • Since there is no market for many environmental resources, it is difficult to place monetary values on them
  • Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare: adjusts the national income to make an allowance for defensive spending (i.e. that incurred in cleaning up for pollution and other forms of environmental damage)
• Economic Sustainability
  • Calls for reforms in the manner that we conduct our economic activity
  • Removing unfair trade barriers and subsidies that harm the environment
  • Upholding the polluter pays principle
  • Tax not on labour but on consumption <already there in the form of indirect taxes>
  • Pricing products in terms of value they have deducted from the common natural base
  • Increase resource productivity
• Sustainable agriculture
  • Use of practices and methods to maintain/enhance the economic viability of agricultural production, natural resource base, and other ecosystems which are influenced by agricultural activities
  • Minimizing the adverse impact on the natural resources base
  • Flexible farming systems to manage the risks associated with climate and markets

Ecological Sustainability

• Sustainable forest management
  • ‘Forest Principle’ adopted at the 1992 Rio Summit
  • In 2007, GA adopted the Non Legally Binding Instrument on All Types of Forests. The instrument is the first of its kind and is committed to promote SFM by bringing all stakeholders together
  • Ministerial Conference on Protection of Forests in Europe defined SFM as the attainment of balance between society’s increasing demands for forest products and benefits, and the preservation of forest health and diversity.
  • Forest managers must assess and integrate a wide array of sometimes conflicting factors to produce sound forest plans
  • Ecosystems approachhas been adopted by the CBD. The CBD definition of Ecosystems Approach is known as the Malawi Principles.
  • Ecosystems Approach is a strategy of management of land, water and living resources in a way that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. Focused on use of scientific methodologies for each level of biological organisation and their interaction.
  • SFM was recognised by the parties to CBD in 2004 to be a concrete means of applying the Ecosystems Approach to forest ecosystems
• Objectives of SFM
  • Maintain environmental stability through preservation of ecological balance that has been adversely affected due to the depletion of forest cover
  • Preserve the natural heritage of the country
  • Improve productivity of forests
  • Protecting through cooperation with local communities on the principle of Joint Forest Management
• India
  • One of the 12 mega biodiversity countries of the world
  • National Forest Policy 1988emphasizes environmental stability and maintenance of ecological balance
  • Existing infrastructure for forest protection is inadequate
  • Surveys not carried out in many areas. Question of tribal rights
  • Protect from forest fires
• Integrated Forest Protection Scheme
  • 10^thFYP. In all States and UTs
  • Formed by merger of two 9^thFYP schemes: ‘Forest Fire Control and Management’ and ‘Bridging of Infrastructure Gaps in the Forestry Sector in the North Eastern Region and Sikkim’
  • Components
    • Infrastructure development: survey and demarcation, strengthening the infrastructure for Forest Protection Division
    • Forest fire control and management
  • Implementing agencies
    • Central Component: Forest Protection Division, MoEF; Forest Survey of India, Dehradun; Central institutions like Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (Dehradun), IIFM (Bhopal) etc shall be involved
    • State Component: Forest dept of the concerned state/UT

Social Sustainability

• Fairness in the access to and benefits from the Earth’s resources
• Impact of poverty on environment/Environment and poverty are related issues
• Diverting resources to non-productive areas
• Health and SD
  • Environment and public health are inter-related
• Agenda 21was adopted at the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) [Earth Summit] in 1992
  • It also places particular emphasis on the need to take health considerations into account in planning for SD
• Urbanisation
• Need for holistic approach

Water and SD

• Agriculture consumes nearly 70 pc of water consumption worldwide, industry -22 pc and household activities – 8 pc [WDR, 2010]
• Geographical distribution of water: just nine countries account for 60 pc of all available freshwater supplies
• Industrial use takes about 60 pc of water in rich countries and 10 pc in the rest.
• Suggestions
  • Use of sea water
  • Judicial use of freshwater
  • Development of salt-resistant crops

SD in a globalising world

• Globalisation is increasing the gap between the rich and the poor
• It has to be steered so that it serves not only the commercial interests but social needs of development
• Mechanisms to safeguard trade and livelihoods, especially in developing countries, must be evolved and negotiated to make globalisation an effective vehicle of SD
• Industrialised countries must continue to assist the developing countries as well as promote trade
• Environment and social causes must not be used selectively to erect trade barriers against developing countries

 

• An increase in the average temperature of Earth’s near surface air and oceans since the mid-20^th century
• 4^th assessment report of IPCC: global temperature increased 74+0.18 degree C during the 20^th century.
• Caused by greenhouse gases
  • Water vapour, Co2, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, Ozone, CFCs (in order of abundance)
• Since the industrial revolution, the burning of fossil fuels has increased the levels of Co2 in the atmosphere from 280 ppm to 390 ppm.

Waste minimization is an appropriate strategy to address the problems of industrial pollution. The objective of the scheme is to assist the small and medium scale industries in adoption of cleaner production processes.

• A scheme on adoption of clean technology and promotion and establishment of waste minimization circles in small and medium scale industries is being implemented at the initiative of Ministry of Environment & Forests.
• So far, 118 waste Minimisation Circles have been established in 41 sectors in 17 geographic locations in the country.
• A “Waste Minimization Circle (WMC)” is a small group (5 to 7 units) of entrepreneurs in the small scale sector, whose units manufacture similar products and employ the same processes voluntarily meeting periodically and regularly in the premises of each member unit, one after another, to analyze the current operations of the host unit.