Global Warning!
Jyoti Verma

It took a 9/11 to prove that terrorism is a global threat. Now, hurricanes like Katrina have strengthened the arguments of environment experts, who have been voicing their concern about the changing climatic pattern, a gradual but serious degradation that might cause a great harm to the humankind. "The recent hurricanes across California and floods in Bangladesh hint at the erratic climatic change and it’s time that we approach it seriously to find solutions," said Mohammad Raza Salamat, senior programme officer, Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations. Salamat and other experts were speaking during a two-day International Workshop on Climate Change and Sustainable Development, organized by The Energy Resource Institute (TERI) in the Capital recently. Understandably, the Kyoto Protocol negotiated in December 1997 and applied in February 2005 following ratification by Russia came up for debate. Till date the treaty has been ratified by 163 countries (representing over 61.6% of emissions from Annex 1 countries). Notable exceptions to the treaty include the United States and Australia. Talking about the exceptions, Sunita Narain, director, Centre for Science and Environment, explains, "Most developed countries are finding it difficult to achieve even small cuts in emissions as proposed by them." She is not convinced about the seriousness of India in signing the Kyoto Protocol and wonders whether India played into the hands of US in signing on a joint agreement with it and Australia on climate change. "Besides Kyoto Protocol, the Asia Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate Change has also been signed by India, China, South Korea and Japan – all signatories to the multilateral Kyoto Protocol – with two protocol – renegade nations, Australia and U.S. The partnership is about doing ‘things’ together, so that the world can be saved from future devastating impacts of climate change. But we are also aware that US and Australia rejected Kyoto because it sets legally binding targets for their emissions." Another prime work once again highlighting the erratic climatic change is the third assessment report of intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Launched in 2001, it gave strong evidence that most of the global warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities, which will continue to change atmospheric composition throughout the 21st century. It even presented an increasing body of observations giving a collective picture of the speedily warming world and other changes in the climatic system (global average surface temperature increased over the 20th century by about 0.6°C) due to emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and aerosols owing to human activities. However, Barun Mitra, director, Liberty Institute, refuses to buy the idea. He insists that one of the most fundamental flaws is the belief that commerce is the enemy of conservation and that energy conservation will automatically lead to a cleaner environment. "Green practices alone cannot help stabilize climate. Even pro-Kyoto community admits that meeting the suggested emission targets will hardly lead to sufficient reduction in human-induced GHG emissions. Moreover, the lopsided deal affects mainly poor countries, which will only keep them in perpetual poverty." Experts are coming up with their own sets of solutions which can help tackle the problem to some extent. Jeffrey Sachs, director, Earth Institute and Queteled Professor of Sustainable Development, Columbia University, USA, is for balancing development with environment sustainability. At a recent Confederation of India conference in the Capital, he castigated eco-degradation, "which is leading to increasing temperature in turn affecting the food supply, health condition, habitats, sea level, ocean chemistry, extreme weather conditions and water stress". Laying stress on the need for an effective climate regime, Narain adds, "We need effective action by the industrialized world to curtail emissions, to take on deep cuts. We need funds and technology to leapfrog beyond the inefficiencies of current fossil fuel use, which is crippling our economies. India must also get proactive in climate negotiations. It has to insist that the next round of Kyoto must rein in the world’s biggest renegade polluters, Australia and the US." Well, one thing is clear that even if India’s emissions are not as high as in the West, but it’s time to start getting our act together.
The Financial Express (New Delhi), 30 April 2006

A leading US government storm researcher said the record hurricane season last year can be attributed to global warming. "The hurricanes we are seeing are indeed a direct result of climate change and it’s no longer something we’ll see in the future, it’s happening now," said Greg Hollands, a division director at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. Holland told a packed hall at the American Meteorological Society’s 27^th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology in Monterey, California that the wind and warmer water conditions that fuel storms that form in the Caribbean are "increasingly due to greenhouse gases. There seems to be no other conclusion you can logically draw." His conclusion will be debated throughout the week-long conference, as other researchers present opposing papers that say changing wind and temperature conditions in the tropics are due to natural events, not the accumulation of carbon dioxide emissions clouding the Earth. Many of the experts gathered in the coastal city of Monterey are federal employees working under a Bush administration that contends global warming is an unproven theory. Holland, director of the Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Division of the Federal Research Center, said tropical storm anomalies in the 1940s and 1950s can be explained by natural variability. But he said carbon dioxide started changing traceable patterns in the 1970s and by the early 1990s, the atmospheric results were affecting the storm numbers and intensities. "What we’re seeing right now in global climate temperature is a signature of climate change," said Holland, a native of Australia. "The large bulk of the scientific community say what we are seeing now is linked directly to greenhouse gases." Most major hurricanes develop from African easterly waves and they have been increasing for a decade, Holland said. When they reach the warm water in the tropics, cyclones can form. If the water is warmer than usual, the cyclones can be more intense than usual and are more likely to reach the United States, he said. Hurricane Katrina, which tore onto the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts on  Aug 29, was the deadliest hurricane in 77 years and the costliest ever, with property damages estimated at 75 billion dollars. This year, the weather service’s Tropical Prediction Center expects more hurricanes than usual, but not as many as last year’s record. "It doesn’t look as active as 2005, but I’m not sure we’ll ever see another year like 2005," said Eric Blake, one of the center’s hurricane specialists, adding that 2006 may be more like the hurricane season of 2004.
The Statesman (Kolkata), 27 April 2006

  The Cost of 3°C Global Rise in Temperature
Alok Jha

Global temperatures will rise by an average of 3°C due to climate change and cause catastrophic damage around the world unless governments take urgent action, according to the U.K. Government’s chief scientist. In a stark warning issued on Friday, Sir David King said a rise of this magnitude would cause famine and drought and threaten millions of lives. It would also cause a worldwide drop in cereal crops of between 20 and 400 million tones, put 400 million more people at risk of hunger, and put up to 3 billion people at risk of flooding and without access to fresh water supplies. Few ecosystems could adapt to such a temperature change, equivalent to a level of carbon dioxide of 550 parts per million in the atmosphere, which would result in the destruction of half the world’s nature reserve and a fifth of coastal wetlands. Many of Professor King’s predictions come from a report published by the U.K.’s Hadley Centre, a world leader in climate change modeling, called Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change. Tony Blair wants governments around the world to set a target of a rise of no more than 2°C – equivalent to 450ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere – in global temperatures. This had already been agreed as an upper limit by the European Union, but Prof. King said this agreement would be difficult, given the refusal of the United States to cut emissions and those of China and India rising as they develop. Tony Juniper, director of Friends of the Earth, said despondency was not the answer. "George Bush won’t be in office forever. When he’s gone there will be a change of policy inside the United States. To what degree that change takes place is still an open question. We should be concentrating on working with those elements of U.S. society that see the danger and seeking to change the opinion within the U.S. to a point where that country can embrace a really ambitious programme of de-carbonisation," he said. Prof. King said in an interview that the Government would not go into any future negotiations with its mind already made up. "Our position back in 2003 was that we must aim to get global agreement to keep levels below 550ppm. "The science has moved on since then and we’re now aware that even 550ppm poses the impacts of dangerous climate change. The government’s position now is that we must get negotiation on an agreed upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," he said. "It must be below 550ppm but if we can get international agreement and there’s public agreement around the world behind action required then that can be ratcheted down to, say, 500." Mr. Juniper said that even such limits on CO₂ emissions went against what the Government had previously indicated it would do. "It is surprising in so far as they’ve said that they want a science based approach to this and other environmental issues," he said. "Science says that 550ppm is far too high. We should be aiming for 450ppm and we should have the political strategies to deliver that rather than saying its inevitable we’re going to go way above the thresholds that are likely to deliver devastating global warming." Prof. King’s latest comments are partly designed to raise the profile of the climate change debate among members of the public. Mr. Juniper added that messages from campaigners and scientists to the public needed to stress the opportunities as well as the negatives when discussing climate change. While it was important to face up to danger, it should be done with a sense of optimism. "We can be generating many millions of jobs out of this, we can be helping to end fuel poverty, we can bring electric power to people who have never had it before with renewable energy technologies." He added that perhaps the British could put their own house in order first. "The thing that Dave King and Tony Blair could focus on to underline that message is to start some reductions at home. It’s all very well talking about America and China but the reality is that CO₂ emissions are going up in this country," said Mr. Juniper.
The Hindu (New Delhi), 12 April 2006

  Climate Change Worse than Deforestation
Kimani Chege

Climate change could become as big a threat to the planet’s biodiversity as deforestation by the end of the century, warn researchers. In a study published in Conservation Biology on April 11, they say a doubling in atmospheric carbondioxide could strip biodiversity-rich "hotspots" of thousands, or even tens of thousands, of species. The most vulnerable species are likely to be those living in confined geographical areas, such as mountain ranges, because of the difficulty of dispersing from these areas. "Species will be stranded with nowhere to go," says lead researcher Jay Malcolm of the University of Toronto, Canada. "Although we usually think of the Arctic as being vulnerable, the study shows that other places where species have limited ranges — such as islands, mountains, and continent tips — are also vulnerable." The researchers used computer simulations of future climate and vegetation to estimate the changes in habitat and associated species extinctions that would occur if carbon dioxide levels doubled over the next 100 years. Malcolm told SciDev.Net that some regions could lose up to 75 per cent of their species. The study predicts up to 9,400 extinctions from the tropical Andes, 5,750 from the Mediterranean Basin, 3,395 from the Caribbean, and 3,865 from South Africa’s Cape region. Bob Scholes, an ecologist at South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, says the main cause of biodiversity loss is usually assumed to be habitat loss. But, he explains, what has been missing is the understanding that climate change and habitat loss interact. "It is much harder for species to adapt to climate change by migration if the landscape is fragmented," he says.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 21 April 2006

  No Ducking on the Issue of Climate Change
Vikram S. Mehta

Climate change has been on the policy agenda for over a decade. The UN Framework convention on climate change in Rio in June 1992 stated as its objective the "stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system...and that such a level should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner." This was followed by the Kyoto Protocol, which set a target for the 36 signatory developed countries to reduce emissions by at least 5% below 1990 levels in the period 2008-2012. Not with standing these public declarations, governments, business and indeed the scientific community were initially divided over the impact of greenhouse gases on the climate. The US government did not sign the protocol; business questioned the scientific evidence and developing countries argued that the burden of the adjustment process was being unfairly and disproportionately thrust on them. The underlying tenor was a general reluctance to accept that current models of economic development had fundamentally altered the ecological balance. Change to existing practices was resisted. The divisions have narrowed. There is now a consensus that climate change warrants a worldwide and coordinated response. And many of the early sceptics have publicly affirmed their concerns. President Bush has discovered a newfound interest in renewables. His ‘State of the Union’ address called for the development of alternatives to fossil fuels and the US is now working to rival Brazil as the largest producer of ethanol. The problem is that despite this convergence of views and clarity of intent to contain GCH across the widest range of stakeholders, the results of action so far are falling well short of targets. Tony Blair’s government has had to admit the UK won’t meet its target of reducing emissions of carbon dioxide (the most important of the greenhouse gases) by 20% by 2010. I recently heard one of the world’s most eminent met-eorological scientists, Sir John Houghton, talk about climate change and his message was optimistic but also numbingly anxious. First, he felt the world had accepted the seriousness of the problem. Early concerns that the rise in sea levels might, for instance, swamp Bangladesh and other low lying areas or that the doubling of CO₂ could increase the frequency of extreme events like floods in winter over Northern Europe by a factor of five, or that the intensity of heat waves could devastate cropping patterns, were no longer being disregarded as the exaggerated clarion calls of a minority group of scientists. I recently heard one of the world’s most eminent met-eorological scientists, Sir John Houghton, talk about climate change and his message was optimistic but also numbingly anxious. First, he felt the world had accepted the seriousness of the problem. Early concerns that the rise in sea levels might, for instance, swamp Bangladesh and other low lying areas or that the doubling of CO₂ could increase the frequency of extreme events like floods in winter over Northern Europe by a factor of five, or that the intensity of heat waves could devastate cropping patterns, were no longer being disregarded as the exaggerated clarion calls of a minority group of scientists. Second, he felt the worst effects of global warming could still be arrested if appropriate actions were taken. The answers to what needed to be done were known and the technological solutions existed, or where they did not, tangible progress was being made to create these. Second, he felt the worst effects of global warming could still be arrested if appropriate actions were taken. The answers to what needed to be done were known and the technological solutions existed, or where they did not, tangible progress was being made to create these. Thus, India should stop deforestation—in fact, aggressively afforest; create more efficiencies in energy generation and move to free sources of energy (viz hydro, biomass crops, bio fuels, biomass waste, wind, solar thermal and PV electricity and geothermal). It should incentivise companies to invest in appropriate technologies and disincentivise those that persisted with inappropriate technologies (at least from a ‘green’ perspective). It should consider capping carbon emissions from particular industries like power. Sir John’s forewarning was also clear. He cited specifics to highlight the potentially devastating consequences of doing too little, too late. The challenge ahead is clear. It is not to secure acknowledgement of the problem, nor to create a sense of urgency or, more specifically, to secure the commitment of the scientific and business community. These have been overcome. The challenge is to create the global institutional framework required to tackle a global problem. It is to persuade individuals, corporations and some governments that the problem is not so large that they cannot make a difference. Sir John ended his talk with a quote from Edmund Burke "No one made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do so little." The issue of climate change cannot be ducked. Nor can governments afford to dither over what should be the new targets, post-Kyoto in 2012 or, in other words, on who should do what and what financial and other incentives should be provided to ensure continued research on cleaner energy. The imperative, particularly for the bigger producers of greenhouse gases like US, India and China, must be to spell out explicitly the reduction targets they wish to achieve after 2012. But, one can’t wish away the political hurdles. After all, it took governments five years to negotiate the Kyoto protocol. There is, therefore, an equal imperative to focus on sector-specific measures. India should consider the following: Energy companies should accept a renewable obligation; business should tighten its building regulations and government should create a ‘carbon trust’ to support investment in energy efficiency particularly for SMEs; car manufacturers should accept an obligation to reduce CO₂ emissions from new cars; builders must be incentivised to improve energy efficiency in buildings and the agricultural sector needs a clearer strategy for non-food crops. Today India is the sixth largest emitter of CO₂ in the world. This is because we do not impose stringent enough emission norms. But at the same time, we have a large number of companies working on clean technologies and there is a growing carbon credit market in the country. Our objective should be to harness these technological skills to government policy to create sustainable solutions for industry and economic development—irrespective of what others do.
The Financial Express (New Delhi), 14 April 2006

  Environmental Groups Demand Ban on Mining in Braj Area

Opposing "Illegal mining and stone crushing" in Braj area of Rajasthan, two environmental groups have demanded that such activities be immediately stopped citing the area’s rich flora and fauna. Besides, the area is known for religious and mythological significance. Despite directions from the Central Pollution Control Board to stop mining in the area, the activity was continuing in Deeg and Kama tehsils of Bharatpur, the groups – Braj Rakshak Dal and Braj Foundation – claimed. The groups have organized an indefinite demonstration here with over 100 people chanting devotional songs. "We will continue the demonstration till mining is stopped," Vinit Narain of Braj Rakshak Dal said adding that mining was destroying the "leelasthali" (sites of dalliance of Lord Krishna with gopikas). Besides mythological significance, the area is also believed to have caves where saints like Meera Bai and Surdas meditated, he said. "The area is a traditional pasture land where Lord Krishna used to graze has cattle," Narain said. The mining would also cause advancing of the desert area into Braj. The hills in the area ensure groundwater and rainfall in Braj, Narain said adding that the area is very rich in flora and fauna. "Scores of devotees visit the area. It can be developed into a eco-tourism site," he said. The Archaeological Survey of India has also said the place has heritage sites and thus should not be destroyed, Narain said. A survey by the National Remote Sensing Agency had shown Braj has 72 square kilometers of hills which have 17,800 acres of slopes. The Rajasthan government gets an annual revenue of Rs. 5 crore from mining activity. The environmental groups have submitted an alternate developmental plan to develop the hill slopes into pasture land and which would generate an annual revenue of about Rs. 20 crore, Narain said. A PIL in this regard has been filed in the Supreme Court, Narain said. The CPCB has also directed that connecting roads to all places of religious interests as well as for local community be repaired, he said.
The Times of India (New Delhi), 24 April 2006

  Narmada: States Default on Environment Norms
Naz Asghar

Along with several question marks over the adequacy of relief and rehabilitation for Narmada Dam oustees, the compliance of environmental-related norms in the execution of the project has also been found unsatisfactory. The shortcomings in the implementation of the project came to light during the visit of a team of the Environment and Forest Ministry to some of the affected areas, following which it has recommended a third party assessment of the works, sources in the ministry said. The team found that the two wildlife sanctuaries that were to be developed by the Madhya Pradesh Government in the vicinity of the areas submerged by the dam for migrating animals have not come up. The government has not even announced the decision though the areas where they were to be developed have been identified by the Wildlife Institute of India and State Forest Research Institute. The studies carried out by the two institutes had stressed that submergence of the vast area as a result of the increase in the height of the dam would cause large-scale displacement of wildlife along with human population. There are many flaws in the engineering works which were required as one of the condition for the clearance of the project, the sources said. The state along with Gujarat and Maharashtra has not properly carried out work relating to the felling of trees in more than one lakh hectare area of the Narmada catchment spread across the three states, as per the norms laid down by the ministry. The trees were not uprooted properly and as a result they had started coming up again under the lake formed by the diversion of the river, which would result in the contamination of water, say experts. Madhya Pradesh was also found defaulting on its commitment regarding the conservation of aquatic life. The sources said the team felt that a detailed third party assessment of the implementation of the project was required and it had forwarded its recommendations to the sub-group of the ministry.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 19 April 2006

The alarm has been sounded. The ice on the Arctic and the snow on the mountains are melting. By end of this century, the sea level may rise by 7 feet, inundating the coastal cities where 60% of world’s population lives. What would cause this havoc? The increasing emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) like carbon dioxide (CO2) that would trap the sunlight and raise the average global temperature by 3°-5° C! To reduce GHG emissions, 144 countries have signed the ‘Kyoto Protocol’ recently. The target is cut down GHG emission by 5.2 % — below the 1990 base level — by 2012. But emission levels have, over the past 10 years, been going up, not down! The world, by 1900, was generating 1 billion tonnes of GHGs. This went up 7 billion tonnes by 1995. Although the earth, the oceans and the tree cover absorb 70% or 5 billion tonnes of this, as much as 2 billion tonnes are left out in the atmosphere. This causes global warming. Obviously, we have to do something. Take the energy sector. The power from hydroelectric sources is emission-free. We should use hydel power to the hilt. J&K alone has the potential to generate 25,000 MW of hydroelectric power! We can also produce electricity from wind and tides. That, too, is emission-free. How about sunlight? Nanotechnology allows us to make high-capacity, more efficient photovoltaic cells to make solar energy economically attractive. And why not nuclear energy? France already meets 77% of its requirements from nuclear power while in India it meets a tiny 3% of our requirement. Those are, however, long-term options. For now, we ought to explore more efficient ways of producing power from coal, which produces huge amounts of CO2 and on which we largely depend. Changing over to fluid bed or gassification technology to reduce CO2 emissions could be a step in that direction. The US has launched a ‘Future Gen’ programme, an initiative to build a coal-based ‘zero emission’ power plant. We should seek this technology from it at competitive prices or develop it ourselves. Transport sector is the next big polluter. A European research agency has studied the nature of damages caused by various vehicles. It has developed an index called the Ecoscore where lower the score the better. Electric vehicles score zero, those fuelled by CNG/LPG 80-100, petrol ones 100-150 and those driven by diesel 200-700. Clearly, electric vehicles are ideal, especially in urban areas. In fact, electric trolley buses and trams were plying on Mumbai roads just a few decades ago! We must immediately revive those modes of mass transport. But till we switch over to electric (or hydrogen-fuelled) vehicles, we may have to continue using petrol or diesel as fuel. But we can still reduce the emissions by: a) converting public transport vehicles to run on CNG/LPG (like in Delhi) or on ethanol or biodiesel blends (like in Brazil or the US, EU); b) streamlining traffic flow through one-way streets and synchronised signals (like in New York); c) providing separate lanes for slow-moving traffic (like in China); d) promoting the concept of ‘point-to-point’ shared rickshaw/taxi (like in Surat or some parts of Kolkata); e) developing multistoreyed mechanised parking systems (like in Seoul) to reduce congestion on roads; f) improving fuel quality and tightening emission norms (like in Europe); and g) phasing out old polluting vehicles (like in Singapore). Industry, too, must meet strict emission norms by treating gases before releasing them into the atmosphere. Cooking is another major contributor to carbon dioxide. A rural woman still depends on firewood for her age-old chulha. The fumes she inhales are equivalent to smoking 20 packs of cigarettes a day! A change over to green fuels like gobar gas (methane) or ethanol for cooking would reduce carbon dioxide levels. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce life-giving oxygen. An average tree absorbs about 5 kg of carbon dioxide in one whole year. But a motor car emits about 20 kg of CO2 in just one day! This means we need 1,460 trees per car to absorb all the CO₂ emitted by it in a year. But let us not get daunted by these figures. Bamboo can absorb about 20 kg of CO₂ in a year. So, a fence of 365 bamboos around our house would not only absorb CO₂ generated by our car everyday but also shield us from the noise pollution of passing vehicles. Even the age-old practice of plastering the house with a thick layer of limestone would help to absorb CO₂ to a great extent. Burning of biofuel does give out CO₂ but the biofuel tree keeps absorbing CO₂ during its lifetime. Therefore, it is carbon dioxide-neutral. The government should exempt biofuels from all taxes to promote their use. It should similarly encourage electric/hybrid/solar-powered vehicles, at least in urban areas. Fossil fuels were once a blessing. It’s time we found other options, though.
The EconomicTimes (New Delhi), 15 April 2006

  Predator Protection
Ritu Gupta

A Recent study on the role of predators in keeping the earth green can well be likened to a fruit of development. Scientists have long wondered how plants have survived despite the constant onslaught from herbivores. Opinion has been divided — one camp believing the physical and chemical defence mechanism of plants is responsible for their survival, the other arguing that predators play a key role by keeping a check on herbivore populations. Now a team of researchers has found proof favouring the latter theory, called the green world hypothesis. "Ecologists have been debating whether herbivores are limited by plant defences or by predators. The matter is trivially simple in principle, but in practice the challenge of experimentally creating predator-free environments in which herbivores can increase without constraint has proven almost insurmountable," says John Terborgh of Duke University, USA, who is the lead author of the study published in the March 2006 issue of the Journal of Ecology. It was a rare stroke of luck for Terborgh and his team when the ideal conditions to test the green world hypothesis were created in the late 1980s. The chance came in the form of a vast hydroelectric scheme in Venezuela’s Caroni Valley. Project developers had to flood 4,300 square kilometres in the valley and a large lake was created. But the parts at higher altitude stuck out of the water, creating hundreds of islands. What was interesting to Terborgh and his team was that some of these islands had no predators at all. The scientists identified nine small, predator-free islands and five sites on larger islands and the mainland where predators such as pumas and ant-eating armadillos roamed. They monitored the vegetation on the islands and sites over a 12-year period starting 1991. By 1997, the researchers found that sapling densities on small islands were only 37 per cent (about one-third) of those on large landmasses. Populations of herbivores such as iguanas, howler monkeys and leaf-cutter ants had exploded on the predator-free islands, devastating the forest undergrowth and the trees. Even the chemical defences (for instance, producing toxins) of the plants were overwhelmed in the onslaught. By 2002, sapling densities on the small islands had plummeted to 25 per cent of those at the sites with predators. "When predators control the numbers of herbivores, plant-eaters select only the choicest plant material," Terborgh explains. "But as herbivore populations escalate, food resources become scarce, and they feed indiscriminately." In their research paper, the scientists note that a parallel situation exists in the eastern USA where the absence of predators such as cougars, wolves and bobcats has allowed deer to proliferate — with a disastrous impact on forests. Information reported in the Journal of Ecology is a five-year update of results published by Terborgh and 10 other scientists in the 30 November 2001, issue of Science. "The Science article reported on the first plant census we did, involving 15,000 plants, but it only gave us a snapshot in time," says Terborgh. "We could see that there were huge differences between the little islands that didn’t have any predators on them, and larger islands that did have predators. But we couldn’t say much about where that was going to go in the future." The re-census was conducted to see if the earlier findings stood the test of time. "Indeed, during that five-year interval the populations of small, sapling-level plants continued to decline quite radically. And there’s no question that the vegetation on these islands is just in a state of collapse," says Terborgh. The study has important implications for the debate raging in many countries over the reintroduction of predators such as wolves. "The take-home message is clear: the presence of a viable carnivore guild is fundamental to maintaining biodiversity," the authors say. According to ecologist Egbert Leigh of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, "Terborgh is very likely right about neotropical forest, and his conclusions merit further testing and close attention from researchers in other types of forest."
The Statesman (Kolkata), 24 April 2006

  पर्यावरण के सवाल अंतर्राष्ट्रीय : स्वामी

When it comes to pollution, India’s small towns are not lagging behind the big ones, reveal the findings of a major 10-year study on air pollution conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). In fact, says the CSE study, while the big cities are showing some decline, relatively smaller towns like Raipur, Jalandhar and Jharia (in Bihar) are in the top three. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad are the big cities that have actually shown improvement. On both fronts there is cause for worry. Any decline is marginal, and air is still nowhere as clean as it should be in places like Delhi and Mumbai. While Delhi would have had 38 per cent more particulate matter but for the CNG intervention, SPM (suspended particulate matter) is only one index of pollution. Carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen are responsible for poisoning air, and much of this comes from vehicular emission as well as burning of fossil fuels in factories and thermal power plants. While the awareness and intervention levels in some big cities are high, resulting a little decline, other major cities and small towns are suffering from rapid growth unsupported by infrastructure. Rising income means more vehicles clogging the same insufficient road networks. Certain unregulated vehicles like the "autos" of Chandigarh, Pune or Bangalore are responsible for the bulk of air and noise pollution. The pollution of ground water and rivers are another serious problem. The CSE study is an important wake-up call for central and state governments to get cracking on infrastructure, including public transport, connectivity to big cities and regulatory enforcement, in growing towns. Apart from resulting in healthier air, these measures will reduce population pressure on the big cities.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 25 April 2006

Taking cognizance of industrial pollution from the adjoining state of Haryana, Delhi Jal Board has given consent to a construction of a drain near Palla to avoid industrial sewage from getting dispersed in the Yamuna. To be constructed by Haryana, 15 kms from Wazirabad barrage in Palla village, the cost of the drain has been estimated to be around Rs 6.7 crore. DJB officials have stated that the agency would fund construction of the drain. The drain would channel out polluting waste released by industries as well as domestic households. According to the CPCB, sewage treatment is being carried out by sewage treatment plant approved by the Haryana Pollution Board, but the channel has been recommended as it will maintain the quality of the raw water which is lifted from Wazirabad for the treatment plants at Wazirabad and Chandrawal. In a letter to the Central Water Commission and the Central Pollution Control Board, Haryana Irrigation Department had written that the pollutions from the industries is resulting in deterioration of quality of water in Yamuna. "The raw water from the Yamuna acts as a source for the water treatment plants and therefore it should not be allowed to deteriorate," stated the letter. "As there is no treatment method available for contaminants like ammonia and the only solution available is to shut down the treatment plant to avoid the contaminants from reaching the taps of the residents," said a senior DJB official. He added that the segregation of the polluting industrial sewage should occur at the Wazirabad where the lifting of water takes place. "The drain should be constructed as soon as possible as the level of the ammonia in Yamuna is very high," said a senior official.
The Statesman (Kolkata), 25 April 2006

Choking, smarting, coughing Delhiites had resigned themselves to the deathly burden of foul air as an expected cost of development and mobility. It was only when the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) started a people’s movement against dirty transport that the courts and the government got galvanized into instituting strict regulation to ensure vehicular emissions control. With Euro-II emissions standards for cars and the conversion of buses and auto rickshaws from diesel to compressed natural gas (CNG), an asphyxiated Delhi began to breathe freely once again, becoming a role model city. However, one swallow does not make a summer. A CSE study on the quality of air in our cities released recently reveals that the current mobility paradigm that hard sells cars as a "lifestyle of wealth and freedom" is providing to be expensive for the environment and public health in upcoming small towns of India. In fact, even Delhi’s air quality seems to have deteriorated in recent weeks as revealed by the pollution-watch graph that is telecast daily. Aspiring small-town India and the big metros are faced with increasing numbers of personal cars on the roads. In fact, if the Supreme Court had not intervened to introduce cleaner fuels and emissions technology in Delhi, the city’s air pollution load would have been 38 times more than what it is today. Not surprising, since Delhi has 17 per cent of cars in India – "more than the total number of cars in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and West Bengal" individually. Worse, diesel-run cars are gaining in popularity as a way to cut running costs. Expanding towns should "leapfrog" to clean vehicle technology and fuels – this is now both feasible and affordable – instead of going the way today’s cities did earlier for lack of awareness and choice. It is not enough to enforce newer emissions standards in new vehicles; retrofitting of old vehicles should be done to bring them on par with the latest. Hiking the price of diesel is one way to discourage diesel-run personal vehicles – the monetary cost would be negligible when compared to health costs, otherwise. To make mobility more affordable, and to ease traffic congestion and pollution, car pools should be encouraged. An adequate and green bus service system is a must for every growing town or city.
The Times of India (New Delhi), 24 April 2006

The much touted Joint Forest Management (JFM), whose success story was scripted in West Bengal in the 1980s, needs urgent reforms if it has to evolve further to meet the twin objective of conservation and livelihood issues, the World Bank has said in a report. Policy makers in India, says the report titled ‘Unlocking opportunities for forest-dependent people’, are faced with the challenge of further evolution of JFM towards a model where communities are more empowered with stronger forest rights, clear and consistent rules and access to favourable markets. The World Bank study, drawing heavily on detailed background studies in Assam, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, three states that represent a good cross-section of JFM history, scale and implementation progress, indicates that forests offer vast potential for poverty reduction and rural economic growth in India while also supporting critical national conservation goals. "Production of solid knowledge on both issues – livelihood and conservation – is important," said Mr. Grant Milne, the task manager who supervised the project, while launching the report here. With an estimated 275 million people in rural areas dependent on forests for at least part of their livelihood, government had adopted the JFM as a principal approach for community-based forestry. As a supporting strategy, West Bengal and a few other progressive states experimented with allocating a specific area of forest along with limited management responsibilities to communities in return for a share of forest revenues from timber and better access to non-timber forest products. The programme now, covers 27 per cent of the national forest area across 27 states and emcompasses 85,000 villages communities. Over the past decade, the JFM model has been evolving from an approach heavily oriented towards commercial timber managed by state forest departments, with communities providing labour, to an approach more supportive of forest conservation with communities sharing benefits in return for assisting with limited management activities. Although this transition has been successful by some measures, Mr. Milne said, most communities still fail to utilize the full potential of forests to improve local livelihoods. Forests are mainly used as a safety net during difficult economic periods, or for seasonal subsistence products like fuel wood and fodder. For communities to benefit from the untapped potential of forests, the World Bank study stresses, wide ranging and carefully phased reforms are required at both the national and state levels addressing: stronger forest rights and responsibilities for forest communities; more effective management systems targeted at communities involved with forestry; improved access to more efficient market systems for major and minor products; and more effective and flexible institutions and capacities. Talking about the income benefits from such a reform programme at the community level, Mr. Milne said forestry accounted for a mere 1.1 per cent of GDP in 2001. This could easily double with reforms in place, he added. According to the study, a simple analysis showed that total forest income from commercial timber, bamboo and non-timber products on improved forests could rise from an estimated $222 million in 2004 to approximately $2 billion per annum in 2020. Further, with modest value addition and quality enhancements, annual commercial incomes could increase by $220 million in 2020, the report contends. Many communities could earn up to Rs. 1 million or more in cash income each year, using existing technology and management options without compromising forest sustainability and the multiple values associated with forest resources. Communities would continue to enjoy subsistence benefits from the forests while the net value of domestic fuel wood and fodder could be worth another $1.1 billion a year. Ecological and eco-tourism values from current JFM forests could be as high as $1.7 billion as formerly degraded forests mature and begin to generate important conservation benefits, the study noted.
The Ststesman (Kolkata), 11 April 2006

Imagine a world inhabited only by cockroaches, rats, crows and mosquitoes, the few hardy creatures that have learned to survive in Man’s world. Weak ones are getting extinct – at the rate of one species every hour. It took one lakh years for nature to create one species. How strong is Man? He can survive only if helped by friends like snakes, who eat rats, or frogs who eat mosquito eggs. If snakes and frogs become extinct, plague and malaria epidemics will threaten the existence of human race. To avoid this, we need to preserve biodiversity. Biodiversity implies preservation of all plants and creatures – from algae to tall trees, viruses to whales and amoeba to elephants. To this end, we have created national parks and sanctuaries. But human beings encroach on them, defeating the very purpose for which they are created. It is essential to resettle them else where and reserve parks for birds, bees and wildlife. The Olympic National Park in the US, spread over 3,734 sq. km, is a fine example we can follow. We also need to create new biodiversity parks on hilltops, around lakes, and reclaim wastelands which were teeming forests in the past. Preserving biodiversity also mass discouraging monoculture, like mass plantation of a single variety of hybrid wheat in a region. Monoculture gives rise to inbreeding, reduced productivity and eventual extinction. An entire crop can be wiped out in the event of an epidemic. A multinational company (MNC) producing genetically modified (GM) seeds creates monoculture. It subsidise GM seeds in the first few years, to induce farmers to switch from traditional local seeds. The MNC then aggressively promotes its terminator seeds which are useful just for a single sowing, farmers have to buy a fresh batch the next year. These GM seeds are programmed to respond only to fertilizers and pesticides made by the same MNC. Farmer’s dependence on the MNC becomes total. With input costs rising and output prices not under their control, farmers find the going tough and are often driven to suicides. Six MNCs like Monsanto and Cargill control 70 per cent of the world’s seed market. France and Germany have banned GM crops, GM crops need not be banned. Rather, our agriculture universities and research laboratories should develop new varieties of GM crops that are productive, drought-resistant and can be recycled next season. These crops must promote biodiversity, which is a great asset that our country possesses. We should become world leaders in organic farming, bio-fertilizers, and energy farming. Partha Dasgupta and Amartya Sen are ardent advocates of using biodiversity for economic progress. We should not blindly follow rich countries. Labour cost being high, their farmers spray chemicals (herbicides) to kill weeds instead of manually uprooting them. They have developed crops that are resistant to such herbicides. So, while weeds get killed, crops could stay intact. The trouble begins when even weeds develop resistance to herbicides. Farmers then increase the dose. This cycle continues till weeds become superweeds and occupy the entire farmland. Rich countries have also developed cotton that excreates pesticides. But butterflies may die as well. Who will perform the job of pollination? Genetic engineering is not restricted to plants alone. Scientists are able to create new animal species, too, by transplanting genes from one animal to another. One day they may create a Narasimha or a Ganesh. But can we survive a fight with such powerful and intelligent creatures? Only the super rich can afford the fruits of genetic engineering. They may want to clone themselves and be born every generation. Do we want that? What about the virus that is used for transplanting genes? It may suddenly become active and cause havoc. This is not to say that genetic engineering has no benefits to offer. It could eliminate hereditary diseases like diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Stem cells can strengthen heart muscles. Cancer cells could be deactivated by gene therapy. But research programmes of private sector genetic engineering companies must be kept under strict supervision to ensure that we do not create a Bhasmasura who will threaten our very existence.
The Times of India (New Delhi), 24 April 2006

Climate changes may affect floriculture and biodiversity, says Dr. R.K. Pachauri, a known forestry expert and Director-General, the Energy and Resources Institute. Asserting that the forestry research and development should be given prime importance, he also stressed that economic development should not be at the cost of ecological security. Delivering the keynote address at the inauguration of the three-day Asia Pacific Forestry meet in Dehra Dun today, he emphasized the need for reform in the forest sector to meet the recent global development challenges for sustainable development and poverty alleviation. Earlier, in his inaugural address, Mr. Namo Narian Meena, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests, held that poverty and food insecurity were the greatest challenge that could be reduced by making regional networking for dissemination of knowledge and by evolving effective mechanism for supporting research, education and technical cooperation on topical issues in forestry. He appreciated the developmental processes initiated by the FAO for the Asia Pacific region where the forestry sector contributed to the livelihood of people residing in and around forests. Mr. Narayanan Datt Tiwari, Chief Minister of Uttaranchal, in his presidential address pointed out that Uttaranchal was a hilly state with major area under forests that provide livelihood to a large section of the population. He said the state had a unique feature in the form of van panchayats or community forests for which separate rules have been framed under the Indian Forest Act 1927. This system of community forest management has taken the shape of a mass movement with over 12,000 such panchayats being established in the state so far. Mr. J.C. Kala, Director General of Forests and Special Secretary to the Government of India, said this conference intend to discuss opportunities, developments and challenges in the forestry sector for the Asia-Pacific region. The knowledge shared between the countries would help in evolving strategies for future global negotiations. Mr. G.K. Prasad Director-General, ICFRE and Additional Director General, Ministry of Environment and Forests, said the forests had emerged as one of the major international concern today. Mr. Wulf Killmann, Director, FAO Forestry Department, Rome, appreciated the effort in improving the forest cover in Asia Pacific region. Meanwhile, Mr. J.C. Kala (India) has been elected Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Committee. Mr. Liu Hong Cun (China), Mr. Adam Gerrand (Australia) and Mr. Bam Bang Murdiano (Indonesia) were elected vice-chairmen of the committee, respectively, Mr. Marcial Amgro Jr. (Philippines) was elected Rapporteur.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 17 April 2006

The increasing impetus on research has led to the exploration of several new avenues of social science and science disciplines that contribute substantially to a holistic knowledge of our surroundings. The study of phytoliths is one such discipline. It helps to revel an amazing amalgamation of information pertaining to the biodiversity of a region, especially reconstruction of the past. Sanjay Eksambkar’s Phytolith Research Institute in Pune, Maharashtra, aims at just that. Concentrating solely on the study and research of phytoliths, it’s aim is to bring this discipline to the fore-front. It is the first institute in India that concentrates on the hitherto lesser-known discipline in the sub-continent that undertakes a better understanding of past environment. It all began with Eksmbekar attempting to explore the field more closely. "Established in January 2006, this is the first institute of its kind in Asia. PRI aims to grow and promote the best of interdisciplinary science. It also undertakes private services such as phytolith analysis from various sample types such as soil, ash, pottery and stone tools and even provides special services like soil and water analysis for archaeologist, geologists and agricultural scientists, guidance on sampling strategy, interpretations and statistical analysis. It also provide sampling techniques and analysis and know-how for young scientists interested in bio-archaeology, botany and other related sciences. PRI also aims to develop a global database of various phytolith morphotypes," says Eksambekar. Having done his docroral studies from the Deccan College Post-graduate and Research Instittute, Pune – "Contribution of the study of Phytoliths to Bioarchaeology" – he explains, "It is so far the only thesis of its kind in India, highlighting various applications of phytolith research with reference to archaeology. It helped me understand the stratigraphic difference of phytolith types from various layers of archaeological sites like late-chalcolithic to early-histomc that cover a span of over 1,400 years. Research gave me insight into how vegetation changes, the types of plants that dominated the sites over time and also an understanding of the types of plants that were specifically exploited by the inhabitants of the late and early-chalcotithic era. The other ideas that helped my research was an understanding of the activity areas of various archaeological sites. I wanted to further explore the discipline on a larger scale which made the take up the idea of the institute." Having presented papers at several conferences abroad on the subject, he recently returned from an eight-month visit to the Paleo Research Institute in Golden Colorado, USA, and says it "was an enriching experience. It is the only private institute in the world that involves advanced research of pollens, phytoliths, spores and protein residue analysis from archaeological samples. It deals with analysis of samples from all top Institutes within the USA. This has given me wide exposure to handle phytolith samples from various geological and archaeological settings in the USA. I was also able to exchange ideas pertaining to laboratory techniques and phytolith nomenclature and I look forward to share the database in the future. "The application of phytoliths in Indian archaeology has great potential, mainly in those areas where other botanical remains are not that well preserved or reported as absent. The lacuna in information often results in several archaeological reports in India having inadequate information about past flora. Although extraction and identification is a complex process it is worth pursuit." Eksambekar is already busy with a humongous project. "The current project concentrates on the ‘Investigation of phytoliths of select species from the Western Ghats’. The aim is to generate a database that can be readily used to interpret and compare complex archaeological phytolith morphotypes. The institute plans to produce a digital database on a CD-ROM over a couple of months. This will be useful to fellow scientist interested in field research and is the first of its kind from the Indian tropics. As this is a new science in India such information will be of value in a wide perspective. At present about four CDs are in circulation worldwide, developed by American and Spanish scientists, which are regional specific but useful as a guide worldwide. Our project will have over 200 select samples grouped under three categories – Panicoid, Chloridoid and Festucoid types of glasses. Although this will generate a complex database, only characteristic types will be highlighted," he explains. Speaking of biodiversity, Eksambekar also feels India has the maximum range to offer. "Besides the Western Ghats, the North-east and the West Bengal region have great potential for such research as they are rich in flora and fauna biodiversity." A private institute, the PRI is equipped with all the necessities. ‘It is equipped with a high-end research microscope, and a basic laboratory useful for phytolith analysis. It also houses a reference library with up to date information on phytoliths and other interdisciplinary subjects worldwide. There is also a growing collection of herbarium (collection of herbs) for ready reference," says Eksambekar. It’s a self-financing institute for the moment but he welcomes financial help. "I hope to have more interaction with NGOs involved with biodiversity conservation. This will also help spread knowledge about phytoliths." Microscopic in nature and ranging from two to 250 microns in size, phytoliths are silica plant bodies found within cells. They take the shape and size of these cells and are deposited in the soil when the plant dies. The shapes are unique and diagnostic – for example, oblong, cross, dumb-bell and more. Their analysis aids to under-standing plant types, lik, dicotyledonous or monocotyledonous. The application of this research is mainly in the areas of archaeology, geology, botany and other interdisciplinary sciences. Phytoliths plays a major role in botany as well in understanding the anatomy and morphology of plants. For example, a dumb-bell shape in general indicates the Panicoid species, while a fan-shaped type is characteristic of the Oryza species in general. Interested? Contact Sanjay Eksambekar (Monday to Friday) at 3, Pragati, near Kakade Park, Talera Hospital Road, Chinchwad, Pune – 411033, Maharashtra, call 0-9890440388 or email eksamberkar@rediffmail.com.
The Statesman (Kolkata), 27 April 2006

The Himachal Government will formulate a herbal policy in order to save the aromatic and medicinal plants, a majority of which are facing the threat of extinction due to over-exploitation. Interestingly, the state government is also considering bringing the herbs and aromatic plants having medicinal value under the market intervention scheme (MIS) so that farmers can be encouraged to grow and market these plants. The main objective is to conserve the 150 aromatic and medicinal plants, 100 of which are on the verge of extinction. With the villagers having recorded rights for extracting these valuable herbs and medicinal plants from the forests, the government cannot deviate from this policy and cannot impose restrictions on their extraction. Over-exploitation of some of the herbs has made certain varieties of herbs almost extinct. "One of the very important component of the mid-Himalayan watershed project is conservation and preservation of the precious herbs and aromatic plants, some of which are found only in Himachal forests," informed Mr Ram Lal Thakur, Forest Minister. He said the Forest Department would educate the farmers how to undertake cultivation of these herbs under controlled conditions in the fields. The farmers who are keen to plant these herbs and aromatic plants in their fields will be provided plants from the nurseries owned by the Ayurveda Department. The department has a number of nurseries and herbal farms in the state. It has been witnessed that traders, dealing in these herbs and medicinal plants, purchase the stock from the villagers and sell it at a higher price in the markets of Amritsar and Delhi. "Despite their hard work and labour, which involves spending days together in the forests, the villagers get a pittance, while the traders make huge profits," said an official. It is being felt that the only way to conserve and propagate these valuable herbs and medicinal plants is to bring about a policy and encourage farmers to take to their commercial cultivation. Besides the herbs, there are about 35 aromatic plants which are fast vanishing due to over-exploitation. The most important medicinal herbs which are in great demand include chilgoza, chikari, singhi-ninghi, dhoop, patish and karoo. Some of the herbs are used by pharmaceutical companies making ayurvedic medicines. The state government is exporting some of these medicinal plants which are mainly used in making ayurvedic medicines while the aromatic plants are used in the Indian perfume industry.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 17 April 2006

The forest cover is growing in India but the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has sounded the alarm on the loss of natural forests. India is also among the 10 countries in the world with large plantation forestry. The six countries of Asia-Pacific region identified in the report are China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. China has the world’s largest forest plantation area of 31.3 million hectare and has posted an overall increase in forest area of over four million hectare per year between 2000-05. According to an estimate by the Indian government, between 2001 and 2003, the area under natural (dense) forests decreased by 26,000 sq.km, while that under open forest (plantation) increased by 29,000 sq.km. Hence, there is a net gain of forest cover by 3,000 sq.km. At present, 22 per cent of the geographical area is covered by forests; the target is 33 per cent. But, FAO’s senior forestry officer for Asia-Pacific Patrick Durust pointed out: "The region still has just 0.2 hectare of forest per person—the lowest amount per capita in the world—compared to 1.1 hectare per person outside the region." What is more alarming is during the past five years, the region lost more than six million hectare of natural forests, mainly converted to agricultural land for crops and oil palm cultivation. There is a loss of over one million hectare of natural forest each year, the FAO assessment said. In the past 15 years, more than 2 per cent of primary forests were lost each year in Southeast Asia. However, the Asia-Pacific region recorded the highest rate of forest plantation over the past five years. This has helped the region reverse the 1990s’ trend of net loss of forest cover to net gain during 2000-05. The latest data on forest cover in the region would be discussed at a five-day meeting of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC) in Dehra Dun, beginning April 17, 2006. The other issues to be discussed include the role of forests in providing livelihood opportunities to the people living in and around forests through non-timber forest products management and international cooperation on fire management.
The Indian Express (New Delhi), 15 April 2006

Despite a complete moratorium on green felling for the past two decades, the degradation of forests has been continuing at an alarming rate. A comprehensive exercise to evaluate the impact of degradation on productivity of forests carried out for the first time by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) has brought out a disturbing picture. The forest productivity coefficient for the hill state which should be over 0.5 had come down to 0.31 in 1995 and to 0.28 in 2003. The impact of degradation was also reflected in the declining growing stock of important species. The total standing volume of the stock declined from 1,025 lakh cubic metre in 1995 to 952 lakh cubic metre in 2000. The maximum decline from 410 lakh cubic metre to 387 lakh cubic metre was observed in case fir and spruce which grows in the ecologically sensitive high areas. In case of kail, another alpine species, the standing volume decreased from 136 to 129 lakh cubic metre. The standing volume of deodar and pine increased by 10 lakh cubic metre and 20 lakh cubic metre, respectively, over the period, while the growing stock of other species declined by 73 lakh cubic metre. It is a paradoxical situation where the overall area under forest is increasing but the productivity is declining. Dr. Hemant Gupta, Regional Director, FSI, who conducted the study, explains that the severe degradation of dense forests due to heavy removals is the main reason for the declining productivity. The dense forest (with density of 40 per cent or more) declined from 10,429 sq km in 2001 to 8,976 sq km in 2003, a huge loss of 1,453 sq km. Over the same period, the open forest (with density ranging between 10 and 40 per cent) increased by 1,446 sq km. The overall forest cover has shrunk by just 7 sq km but 1,453 sq km of dense forest has degraded into open forest. A dense forest has a productivity coefficient of 0.6 to 0.9, whereas it ranged from 0.1 to 0.4 in case of open forests.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 24 April 2006

The latest international summary for policy makers on environment, the Pilot 2006 Environment Performance Index, has ranked India almost at the bottom among 133 countries in the world as far as its environmental policy making and performance are concerned. Discussing the report with The Tribune here on Thursday Director of the Center for Environmental Law and Policy Daniel C. Esty said India was "under-performing in many indicators related to environmental performance and protection of natural ecosystem". Dr. Esty, who is in India in connection with the Yale World Fellows Programme, said reasons for India’s poor performance, among others, were "the tradition of bureaucracy inherited from the British and corruption". The international report has ranked India a lowly 118 among 133 countries in terms of the EPI. In fact, the report puts immediate neighbours Sri Lanka at 67 and Nepal at 81, far above India’s dismal ranking. With a score of 47.7, based on evaluation of policy categories like air quality, water resources, natural resources, sustainable energy, bio-diversity and habitat, India has just about managed to scrape past 15 countries like Ethiopia, Chad, Sudan Bangladesh, Yemen and Pakistan. In comparison, China ranks 94 with an EPI score of 56.2 and Sri Lanka has managed a score of 64.6. Pakistan with a ranking of 127 is below India, according to the report. The USA has been ranked 28 and Australia 20. Countries like Thailand (61), Rwanda (89) and Kenya (93) fall above India. Dr. Esty, who is professor of environmental law and policy at Yale, said India appeared to be prioritising economic growth without giving parallel attention to environment. "While India had a dynamic private sector, its public sector is not performing well," he said, blaming the country’s governance for its environmental woes. "India is under-performing on all issues, whether it is protection of nature and ecosystems, air quality, water resources or sustainable energy. While it is true that India’s problems, like population and poverty alleviation, are unique to it, there are other countries in the same peer group with similar problems, which seem to be doing much better," he said. Dr. Esty said India could gain maximum by prioritising public health issues like providing potable water and indoor air. "If India has $ 100 million to spend on environment, it should begin with making the quality of drinking water and indoor air better," he said. The document has been formulated as a summary for policy makers of countries of the world by the Yale Center of Environmental Law and Policy, Yale University, and the Centre for International Earth Science Information Network, Columbia University. It has been compiled in association with the World Economic Forum in Geneva and the Joint Research Centre of the European Countries in Italy. The top five ranking countries in the list of 133 nations are New Zealand with a score of 88.0, Sweden 87.8, Finland 87.0, Czech Republic 86.0 and the UK 85.0, which, Dr Esty said was due to a commitment of significant resources and effort to environment protection, resulting in strong performance across most policy categories. The five lowest-ranking countries — Ethiopia (36.7), Mali (33.9), Mauritania (32.0), Chad (30.5) and Niger (25.7) — are underdeveloped with little capacity to invest in environmental infrastructure such as drinking water and sanitation systems or aggressive pollution control and systematic natural resources management.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 17 April 2006

The Forest Minister, Punjab, Mr. Hans Raj Joshan, here today inaugurated a two- day national seminar on "Trees outside Forest". The seminar is being organised by the Department of Forest and Wildlife Preservation. Mr. Joshan said there was a need to grow trees outside the forest areas also to maintain environmental balance. He said there were problems in increasing the forest cover in predominantly agricultural states such as Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. There is a national policy to have 33 per cent forest cover in a state. However, Punjab's forest cover is only 6.33 per cent of its total land area. In the country, 23.68 per cent area is under the forest cover. However, the Planning Commission wanted it to be increased to 33 per cent till 2012. At the seminar, Dr. G.K. Prasad, Additional Director-General of Forest, delivered the keynote address.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 26 April 2006

Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Namo Narain Meena on Monday called for greater cooperation among the countries of the Asia Pacific region to develop a consensus to tackle various problems facing the forestry sector. Inaugurating the five-day 21st Asia Pacific Forestry Commission Meeting here, Mr. Meena while lauding the efforts of the Commission and member-countries in improving the forest cover felt that much needed to be done in areas such as finance, transfer of technology, traditional knowledge, Intellectual Property Rights and trade. Uttaranchal Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari urged the delegates to ensure a greater flow of funds to India as the Himalayas and rich forests in the country were a major tool to sustain the ozone levels of earth. He underlined the efforts made by the State in the field of forest management and the system of van panchayats.
The Hindu (New Delhi), 18 April 2006

In an order that will have a far-reaching effect on the cultivation of coffee and cardamom in the Western Ghats, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests R.M. Ray has said ecology should take precedence over the felling of trees done for the cultivation of coffee and other commercial crops on the hilly terrain of the Western Ghats. This order comes at a time when non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are expressing concern over the decreasing forest cover in the Kodagu region. NGOs in the region have been protesting against the alleged indiscriminate use of discretionary powers under the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976 by Forest Department officials to give permission to coffee growers to fell trees. In a recent memo to department officials, especially those in the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats region, Mr. Ray said preserving the ecosystem and conservation would supersede the right of landowners to fell evergreen trees to make space for cultivating crops. He has asked Territorial Conservators of Forests and Deputy Conservators of Forests to keep the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in mind while deciding on applications seeking permission to fell trees for shade manipulation.
Call for complete ban The Supreme Court, in its December 1996 judgment on forests in the north-eastern States, highlighted the importance of evergreen forests. The court called for a complete ban on felling trees in such forests. "Tree felling permission, therefore, should be an exception rather than a rule in forest areas," Mr. Ray's order said. Mr. Ray passed the order on an application filed by K.M. Nazeer seeking permission to fell 339 trees at Munorte village of Madikeri taluk. He cultivates coffee, along with pepper and cardamom, in an area of about 16 hectares. This land is part of virgin forests in the Western Ghats. The Deputy Conservator of Forests of Virajpet division gave Mr. Nazeer permission in June 2000 to fell and remove 485 trees for shade manipulation for growing coffee in June 2000. This permission was subject to the approval of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests for using the forest road to transport the timber. When Mr. Nazeer approached the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests at that time, he was given permission to transport some cut and prepared material. As he could not transport the material within the allotted time, he was given a further seven days to do so. Despite this the timber was not lifted and further time was denied. Aggrieved by the decision, Tarikutty Haji, who had general power of attorney on behalf of Mr. Nazeer, approached the Karnataka High Court. The High Court directed the Deputy Conservator of Forests of Virajpet to consider the application.
Trees preserve ecosystem Denying permission to fell the trees, Mr. Ray observed that the trees were part of a natural evergreen forest, which receives annual rainfall of 3,500 to 4,000 mm. "It is the natural tree growth that has preserved the ecosystem here. Any removal of trees would result in serious soil erosion, landslides, etc.," the order said. Referring to the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court, Mr. Ray pointed out that no permission could be given for shade manipulation in areas that are not under "active" coffee cultivation. Talking to The Hindu, Mr. Ray said the order would go a long way in stopping the indiscriminate felling of trees in the Western Ghats.
The Hindu (New Delhi), 11 April 2006

Invasive species, that cause damage and impose enormous costs on the forests of Asia-Pacific region in terms of ecological destruction, economic losses and detrimental social effects, would be one of the major subjects of discussion at the 21st Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission meeting to be held at Dehra Dun from April 17 to 21. According to Mr H.S. Sohal, Assistant Director-General (EIA) of the Indian Council of Forest Research and Education (ICFRE) , forestry experts from 30 nations besides those from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO), the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), the Regional Community Forestry Training Centre (RECOFTC) and the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) will put their brains together to discuss issues like sustainable forestry, its financing, payment for environmental services and role of global, local and regional mechanisms in promoting sustainable forest management. The Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission has been facilitating policy discussions and negotiations at the regional level besides translating the outcome of these discussions into practical, field-based activities. It also accelerates progress in closing the gap between the present situation and long-term vision. It holds its meet every two years. Experts would dwell upon, among other things, as to how new strategies be developed to minimise the adverse effect of invasive species like parthenium and lantana . Their recommendations would go a long way in guiding the Asia-Pacific Forestry Invasive Species network. Besides invasive species, other important issues to be deliberated upon at the meet would include the need to improve partnership for poverty alleviation programmes. Poverty alleviation, by integrating it with sustainable forest management programme, would be a key area for discussion. Another subject of considerable interest to the general public living on forest wealth would be newer practices for forest harvesting for sustainable management that contributes to the benefit of the community as a whole and reducing environmental and social impact. The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) will hold a special session on forest genetic resources as forests are the single most important repository of terrestrial biological diversity. These provide a wide range of raw material and services to people throughout the world and have a complex mechanism to maintain high levels of genetic diversity.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 17 April 2006