Contributors to the rise in expectations are nuclear power’s good and lengthening track record, the persistent growth in global energy needs, new environmental constraints, concerns in some countries about energy supply security, and specific nuclear power expansion plans in countries such as India, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation.

Nuclear power’s good and lengthening track record is reflected in improved capacity factors, lower generating costs and an excellent safety record. There has been one accident with major off-site consequences — at Chernobyl in 1986.

That accident cost lives and caused widespread misery. But it also brought about major changes including the founding of a ‘safety culture’ of constant improvement, thorough analysis of experience and sharing of best practices. This safety culture has been demonstrating its effectiveness for nearly two decades, and this safety record provides the basis for countries considering constructing nuclear power plants.

Persistently growing global energy needs in the century ahead are projected in all independent analyses and forecasts. If the world is to meet even a fraction of the economic aspirations of the developing world, energy supplies must expand significantly. Oil and natural gas prices rose substantially in 2005, reflecting market expectations that demand will grow faster than supply.

Although expectations for nuclear power are rising, a recent global public opinion survey commissioned by the Agency shows a continuing diversity of views. The survey polled 18000 people in 18 countries.

A majority of 62 per cent wished to keep current plants running at the same time that a majority of 59 per cent did not want new plants built. A follow-up question was also asked that included brief information about nuclear power’s very low greenhouse gas emissions, following which the percentage in favour of expanding nuclear power rose from 28 per cent to 38 per cent, and the percentage opposing expansion dropped from 59 per cent to 47 per cent.

The UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) first took up the topic of energy at its ninth session in 2001, and the relationship between nuclear energy and sustainable development was debated thoroughly. The outcome was twofold. First, parties agreed to disagree, with the final text observing that some countries view nuclear energy as an important contributor to sustainable development and others do not. Second, parties agreed that "the choice of nuclear energy rests with countries."

The Kyoto Protocol entered into force in February 2005 and requires most developed countries to limit their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the ‘first commitment period’, 2008–2012.

Different countries have adopted different policies to meet their Kyoto

Protocol limits. Not all benefit nuclear power despite its low GHG emissions, but in the longer run, the limits on GHG emissions should make nuclear power increasingly attractive. In the past its advantage of very low GHG emissions has been invisible to investors, as the lack of restrictions or taxes on such emissions meant there was no economic value to their avoidance.

The 11th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change (CoP-11) in Montreal in December 2005 was the first to take place after entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol ... it formally adopted the rules for implementing the Kyoto Protocol that were preliminarily adopted at CoP-7 as the Marakkesh Accords. With respect to emission reductions after the first commitment period (2008- 2012), it decided to start discussions in an "open-ended ad hoc working group … which… shall aim to complete its work… as early as possible and in time to ensure that there is no gap between the first and second commitment periods".

In these discussions, an important issue for nuclear power will be the fate of the current exclusion, during the first commitment period, of nuclear power projects from two of the three flexible mechanisms in the Kyoto Protocol, specifically the clean development mechanism and joint implementation.
The Telegraph (Calcutta), 28 Aug 2006

According to geo-scientists Mussoorie hills are comparatively younger than Shimla hills as rock decay is more visible in elder sister Shimla’s domain according to a study on rock structure and rock decay in hills. Mussoorie – the queen of hills, developed marks of leucoderma through ruthless limestone quarrying two decades ago is shedding that complexion with afforestation and greenery coming up again.

At one time it had become the most denuded zone with the forest cover almost disappearing.

With blanket ban on construction through Supreme Court Mussoorie recovered it’s eco-balance to some extent despite the ir-repairable damage faced by it through the axe of greedy and ruthless developers.

It is alarming revelation that the hills are warming up with temperature increasing to almost 3 degrees every decade. Resultant effect is visible in New Shimla. Shoghi and several other areas in the winter capital of the Raj days and like-wise in Mussoorie also where use of fans during summer is no more a strange phenomenon. Climatic change in coming time may show some change for worsening the position with urbanization almost covering the far and distant areas in both the hill states.

This leaves enough scope of worry for the environmentalists, nature lovers and also the posterity!
The Himachal Times (Dehradun), 31 Aug 2006

The Marine eco-system, especially the corals in India are being threatened due to global warming, causing concern to the government as well as to environmentalists, according to a senior forest official who has been conducting an extensive study of the corals.

"Global warming is leading to bleaching and mass mortality of the corals which form a very vital part of the marine eco system," said CN Pande a senior forest officer in Gujarat. Global warming is the gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere due to increased levels of Greenhouse gases, including carbon-dioxide, and other pollutants.

Corals are tiny fragile animals which are often mistaken for rocks or plants because of the structures they build up.

Commonly, the world coral refers to the external structure of calcium carbonate. The animal is transparent and without any bones and is known as "polyp".

It has a micro algae called "zooxanthellae" inside the cell which is coloured due to the presence of chlorophyll.

The bleaching of the corals result from the loss of symbiotic zooxanethellac due to the photosynthetic pigment concentrations in zooxanthellac residing within the coral. The coral reef bleaching is caused by a variety of factors, including sea temperature, solar irradiance, sedimentation, dilution of fresh water etc.
The Indian Express (New Delhi), 23 Aug 2006

Global warming is contributing to an unusually harsh typhoon season in China that started around a month early and has left thousands dead or missing, government officials and experts say.

"The natural disasters caused by typhoons in our country have been many this year,"the head of the China Meteorological Administration, Quin Dahe, said in recent comments on his organization website. "Against the backdrop of global warming, more and more strong and unusual climatic and atmospheric events are taking place.

"The strength of typhoons are increasing, the destructiveness of typhoons that have made landfall is greater and the scope in which they are travelling is farther than normal," he added.

The vice-minister for water resources, E. Jingping, commented last week on the unusual ferocity, frequency and early arrival of typhoons in China this year. The typhoon season in China normally starts around July 27, but this year the first typhoon hit the southern province of Guangdong on May 18.

"This is the earliest typhoon to hit Guangdong since 1949," he said in a speech. "The typhoons have come earlier this year, they are strong, the area that they hit is wide and the length of time they last is long."

Natural disasters in China this year have killed 1,699 people and left another 415 missing, the nation's Red Cross Society said last week. More than 1,300 of those died in weather-related incidents from May to the end of July, the government reported earlier.

Those reports came before the arrival on Thursday last week of Saomai, the eighth typhoon of the season and the strongest to hit China in 50 years. Saomai has killed at least 255 has people mostly in the two eastern coastal provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian, according to figures released.

The president of the Washington-based Earth Policy Institute, Lester Brown, said the weather in China over the past few months was reflective of the worldwide extent of the problem of global warming.

"The emerging consensus in the scientific community is that higher temperatures bring more frequent and
more destructive storms," Brown said.
"Our seasons seem to be beginning earlier and ending later."

According to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the Earth's average temperature has risen by 0.8⁰C since 1970, he said.
The Statesman (Kolkata), 16 Aug 2006

The South American ‘Red Devil’ squid found off Alaska and jellyfish plaguing the Mediterranean may point to vast disruptions in the seas due to global warming, pollution or over-fishing, experts say.

Fish such as salmon and mackerel have also been spotted in the Arctic, far north of their normal ranges, in a possible first signal of billion-dollar shifts in fish stocks this century caused by warming oceans.

"There will be some places where ocean productivity will increase," said Ron O’Dor, senior scientist of the Census of Marine Life, a 10-year project in more than 70 nations to map the ocean diversity.

"The story of global warming is going to be good for some people and bad for others," he added.

Many scientists say gases emitted by burning fossil fuels are blanketing the planet and driving up temperatures, threatening to spur more floods, heatwaves, erosion and rising sea levels.

Warmer oceans are likely to add to older threats such as pollution and over-fishing and upset the habitats of everything from crabs and jellyfish to ‘RedDevil’ squid and whales.

As species shift, tropical regions, or almost enclosed seas such as the Mediterranean where fish cannot swim far if the water gets uncomfortably warm, may be among the most vulnerable.
The Financial Express (New Delhi), 22 Aug 2006

What are the meetings and discussions held with different sectors towards the finalisation of the draft EIA (Environment Impact Assessment) notification dated September 15, 2005?

Answer: A discussion had been convened on May 22, 2006, with apex industry associations namely the CII,
Assocham, FICCI and CREDAI.

Have there been any revised versions of the EIA notification circulated for comments?

Answer: A draft of the final notification has been circulated to apex industry associations and central ministries/departments for obtaining their comments/views.

This is what the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has to say in response to a Right to Information application seeking information on the status of the revision of the EIA notification.

The EIA notification is the principal regulation through which 32 categories of industries need to seek environmental clearance for the construction of a project before proceeding with the same. These projects need to have an investment of above Rs 100 crore. In September 2005, MoEF had sought feedback on a ‘re-engineered’ EIA notification to replace the current environment clearance regime, by uploading a draft on its website. This draft was largely guided by the Committee on Reforming Investment Approval and Implementation Procedures (the Govindarajan Committee) and a World Bank-funded Environment Management Capacity Building Programme. It has the explicit objective of promoting speedy clearance mechanisms to assist investors.

The mandatory 60 days’ time was given to everyone to respond to the notification that could be accessed by citizens essentially through the internet and only in English. There were responses from state governments, industry, central government ministries/departments as well as civil society organisations. Not surprisingly, there were no comments from communities or panchayats or people’s representatives, except from a handful of collectives in Tamil Nadu. But then, how could there be, when the MoEF never created any space for their participation in the process? Ironically, it is they who are the majority of the affected population when it comes to making the sacrifices and bearing the brunt of development goals that materialise through processes like the EIA notification.

A glance at the correspondence of the state governments and the construction and real estate sectors to the MoEF on this matter, point to great disagreement with the content of the draft notification. Most of the grounds for differences, of course, are based only on the self-interest of these constituencies. Civil society groups have also opposed the draft because of its potential environmental and social implications. But let us for a minute keep aside the serious differences that various sectors including state governments, real estate developers and civil society organisations have over the contents of the draft notification and confine ourselves to the process, which is clearly biased and undemocratic. In order to refine the EIA notification, MoEF only seems to find it appropriate to consult apex industry organisations and central government ministries.

Why is there a preferential treatment in organising special discussions with industry and a complete rejection of the validity of discussions with panchayats or communities affected by industrial pollution or other development related damages? If the MoEF or the Centre thinks that they are being revolutionary in only speaking to polluters and asking them about what regulatory mechanisms they want in place, it’s time to question the sham. The real fear is that our government seems to recognise only those who own property, capital or political clout as good enough to speak with. Those who are forcefully and repeatedly being made to give up their aspirations, livelihoods and lives for our GDP figures have ceased to count as citizens.

Concerns over the existing and revised EIA notification have been repeatedly pointed out to the MoEF and the PMO since 2004. This has resulted in a series of Open Letters addressing issues of critical concern such as wildlife conservation, the draft National Environmental Policy, problematic environmental clearance mechanisms, skewed representation of experts on clearance panels and the re-engineering process. Over 100 experts and environmental and social justice groups have endorsed these letters to the Secretary, MoEF.

In February-March 2006, over 2,600 postcards were sent by communities and civil society from across the country to the PMO. These primarily highlighted the total disregard for the involvement of
panchayats, local bodies, civil society and communities as a whole in the drafting and finalisation of both the National Environment Policy and the Draft EIA notification. None on these efforts have received a response.

Today the situation is that the draft EIA notification is in the last stage of finalisation. A revised draft has been shared with apex industrial associations and central government ministries and departments. The people whom these policies and laws will impact have been systematically kept out of its formulation. For these people, our government’s human face is but a mask that did not even stay on long enough.
Hindustan Times (New Delhi), 01 Aug 2006

City Beautiful is all set to witness the Environment and Wildlife Travelling Film Festival. Opening on August 23 at Tagore Theatre here, the three-day festival is being organised by the New Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies (CMS) with the support of the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology and the Department of Environment, Chandigarh. The festival will focus on the screening of films, a symposium and a photo exhibition on issues highlighting diversity in nature.

It offers an opportunity to view the 30 award-winning Vatavaran-2005 films. The topics of the films vary from capturing the beauty of nature to focusing on issues threatening biodiversity.

"This year we are committed to spreading environmental awareness to far-off regions, and the festival in 12 Indian cities and Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates is a step in this direction," says Ms P.N. Vasanti, Director, CMS.

Some of the films to be screened are: "The Policing Langur" by Ajay and Vijay Bedi; "Chasing Butterflies" by Gurmeet Sapal; "Shores of Silence" by Mike Pandey; "A Brush with Death" by Syed Fayaz; "Birds Through My Window" by Rudraksh Mathur; "Indian Leopards — The Killing Fields" by Praveen Singh; "Rainwater Harvesting" by Nandita Das and Saumya Sen; and "The Last Flight" by Nutan Manmohan.

While "Indian Leopards — The Killing Field" won the Best of Vatavaran-2005 Festival award, Nutan Manmohan’s "A Secondhand Life" bagged the Delhi Chief Minister’s Award for the best documentary and Sanjay Barnela’s "River Taming Mantras" received the best film award in the environment category in the Vatavaran Environment and Wildlife Film Festival held in New Delhi.

Two city-based filmmakers, Mr. Jessu Jaskanwar Singh and Mr Manmohan Singh, will be felicitated for their contribution to the field of environment
filmmaking.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 20 Aug 2006

Bison roamed North America from Alaska to Mexico going back 200,000 years. They were the most abundant herbivores following the last ice age until Europeans began to settle the continent.

Because there were so many over such a large territory, bison are an ideal means to study how climate and vegetation fluctuated over thousands of years.

A University of Washington researcher has devised a way to use the fossil teeth of ancient bison as a tool to reconstruct historic climate and vegetation changes in America's breadbasket, the Great Plains.

The teeth hold evidence of the type of vegetation that grew in a particular location at a particular time, and that in turn provides information about climate fluctuations occurring on the plains, said Kathryn Hoppe, a UW acting assistant professor of Earth and space sciences. "Bison eat mostly grass, so they provide a good way to measure grassland productivity," Hoppe said.

Scientists know there have been major periods of climate change on the Great Plains numerous times in the past, typically on a much greater scale than the conditions that created the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.

But questions remain about how sensitive the plains are to climate change, and how much of a change might trigger their conversion to desert.

"Much of the rangeland and farmland in this country was originally native grasslands, so if you want to measure how the productivity of agricultural lands has changed over time, bison seem like a good way to go." Hoppe and colleagues Adina Paytan and Page Chamberlain of Stanford University found climate evidence in the enamel from third molars of bison, the equivalent to human wisdom teeth.

Those teeth form after young bison no longer depend on mother's milk for nutrition, and so carry clearer signals of what types of grass the animals consumed, according to a University of Washington press release.

The researchers used bison teeth collected in Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. They pulverized enamel from tooth surfaces and dissolved samples in acid to release small amounts of carbon dioxide.

Then they used a mass spectrometer to examine the ratio of the isotopes carbon-12 to carbon-13. Different grasses, those that grow in warm and cool seasons for example, have different isotope ratios.

The results provided a means to reconstruct temperature patterns for particular locations at particular times, Hoppe said.

Tooth enamel also carries evidence of changes in carbon dioxide levels, which helps scientists to see how levels of that greenhouse gas changed over time.

"We know from looking at evidence of past climatic conditions that we currently are in a warm period and that climates have changed dramatically.

There have been times in the past, for example, when the climate was so dry that northern Nebraska was a desert with sand dunes. The Sand Hills are a remnant of that time," Hoppe said.

"The better we understand what happened in the past, the better we can predict what will happen in the future," she said. The work also provides a way to test current climate models, she said.

As scientists develop a more precise understanding of past climate, they can add those conditions as variables to see if the models correctly show what happened.

If the models are successful in correctly showing past climate, there is much greater confidence that they are accurate in showing what future climate is likely to be.
The Hindu (New Delhi), 17 Aug 2006

Chief scientist of the ambitious climateprediction.net project, David Stainforth teaches atmospheric, oceanic and planetary physics at Oxford.

A glitch in the computing model which caused temperatures in past climates to rise quicker than seen in real observations has since been rectified. Stainforth tells Narayani Ganesh that the project has a range of possibilities:

It's distributed computing. Good climate models need to take into account a wide range of possibilities including multi-decadal simulations to assess both chaotic climate variability and model response uncertainty.

To be able to do this, we need a lot of computing power. Climateprediction.net is the first multi-thousand member grand ensemble of simulations using a general circulation model that can help resolve regional details.

Such models are critical to make possible the study of the full range of possible responses of the climate system to rising greenhouse gas levels, and for assessing the risks associated with specific targets for stabilising these levels.

Climateprediction.net could tap your computer's power with your consent, of course to process and analyse the huge volumes of data that can tell us more about climate change, its previous and future patterns.

This kind of information would be invaluable in planning strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. It could tell us what minimum change we can expect or even how bad it can get.

Yes, they are complicated because we need to crunch voluminous data. The model grid must be global because weather and climate change anywhere affect people everywhere. Of course, even the best models are only projections.

They only present the possibilities. They might get the past OK, but the future could be different variations, because simulations of models are different.

Well, climate models are not absolutely certain but they are necessary. Climate change is a long-term problem, so we need to have far greater public awareness. By the middle of this century, the CO2 in the atmosphere is expected to double. So we must try and be climate-sensitive.

The IPCC represents a huge number of scientists, so always there are bound to be disagreements. Having said that, the fact remains that very few scientists disagree on anthropogenic climate change.

The 2001 report said that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activity.

This has caused changes in terrestrial eco-systems: the advent of spring, earlier breeding, shift of animals, the rising density of population is all happening.

This is accelerated by the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide that is heating the planet.
The Times of India (New Delhi), 17 Aug 2006

India Incled by NTPC, SAIL, TATA, BHEL and ACC is all set to participate in public-private sector green projects under a six nation Asia-Pacific Partnership (APP) for clean development and climate. Through APP the governments of both USA and India plan to provide industry with access to funds and tax incentives for commercially viable clean technologies.

"APP complements the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, complete with the Kyoto Protocol, and is a forum for interaction between the government and private sectors where the stakeholders can access technology for reducing green house gas emissions. "said deputy chairman of the planning commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia at an interactive session organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Speaking at the forum, industry representatives supported APP’s establishment of eight public-private sector task forces for cement, steel, cleaner fossil energy, renewable energy, power generation, aluminium, coal mining, building and appliances. These task forces will formulate a detailed action plan outlining details of status and scope of their sector with regard to clean development and climate.

These will be submitted to the policy and implementation Committee for consideration possibly by mid-2006. "APP is a practical attempt to bring the corporate sector on board" said Prodipto Ghosh, secretary, ministry of environment and forests.
The Economic Times (New Delhi), 27 Aug 2006

The new phenomenon of incessant rains in the cold desert stretching between Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir and Lahaul-Spiti of the neighbouring Himachal Pradesh is worrying residents of these areas.

Heavy rains and cloud-bursts have triggered floods in Ladakh and caused widespread damage to buildings and crops. Many lives have also been lost. Residents of the cold desert have never before seen so much rain. These areas had, so far, mostly remained dry and the people were dependant on the water sources fed by the glaciers.

An elderly Tsring Dorje, resident of the Nubra valley near Leh, said that rain was a rare sight in the area, "but now we have had enough of it." He attributed the unprecedented phenomenon to the cold desert being converted into greenery. He blamed the desert development programme for the change in climatic conditions of the area.

Dorje said that the traditional clay houses in Ladakh will not withstand the rains and now the people will have to go in for cement structures. Floods have washed away several houses, roads and bridges in the Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh.

The clay houses in Lahaul-Spiti area were also threatened due to rains. Monks in the Tabo Monastery, which is more than 1000 years old, were worried that the wall paintings were getting damaged due to seepage of rain water. The Archaeological Survey of India was taking special measures to protect these paintings from further damage.

Mr. P. Namgial, a former MP and a sitting MLC, said that never before had he seen continuous rain for about one week in Ladakh. Cloud-bursts, like those in Himachal Pradesh, were a new phenomenon here.

Much damage has also been caused due to climatic variations that have led to melting of the high altitude glaciers. The only two power projects Stakna and Marchelang in Leh, have been badly damaged due to flash-floods.

Mr. Namgial said that Ladakh used to register a below freezing temperature of -30 degrees c during winters till the past few years, but now the temperature during the peak winter hovers around -18 degrees c.

He said that the snow line of the Stok glacier just opposite the Leh town has receded upwards and many smaller glaciers have vanished. The situation has become alarming with the Gompa locality within the Leh town littered with boulders that were carried by a flash flood. All bridges and culverts in the nearby Phyang village have been washed away.

Mr. Pinto Nurboo, a MLA and hotelier, attributed the change in the climate of the cold desert to the global warming.

Pilots of the army and IAF point out that a number of artificial lakes have developed on the mountain tops in the far-flung areas due to melting of glaciers. The Shyok river that crosses through Ladakh and later joins the Indus, was overflowing this summer mainly because of melting of the Chong Kamdan, Gasherbrum and Nubra glaciers. Scientific data points out that almost all 335 glaciers in the Sutlej, Beas and Spiti basins were receding.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 18 Aug 2006

The earth's ozone layer is finally on the mend after decades of damage, two UN agencies reported.

But the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) said the protective layer, which filters dangerous solar radiation, was recovering more slowly than experts had originally hoped.

Over huge areas of Europe, North America and Asia in the northern hemisphere and over southern Australasia, Latin America and Africa, the layer would be back to pre-1980 levels by 2049, the agencies said.

This was five years later than forecast in the last major scientific report in 2002.

The agencies' message came in an official summary of a report by 250 scientists to be issued next year on the effects of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which committed signatory nations progressively to ban the use of ozone-harmful products.

"The early signs that the atmosphere is healing demonstrate that the Montreal Protocol is working," said Achim Steiner, executive director of UNEP.

"But the delayed recovery is a warning that we cannot take the ozone layer for granted and must maintain and accelerate our efforts to phase out harmful chemicals," he said in a statement issued in Geneva and Nairobi.

Over Antarctica, where so-called "ozone holes" have grown over the past 30 years, recovery was likely to be delayed until 2065, 15 years later than earlier hoped.

"While these latest projections of ozone recovery are disappointing, the good news is that the level of ozone-depleting substances continues to decline from its 1992-94 peak in the troposphere and the 1990s peak in the stratosphere," said WMO secretary-general Michel Jarraud.

The ozone layer blocks harmful ultra-violet rays and holes in it have been blamed for increased risk of skin cancer and cataracts in humans. It may also harm crop yields and sea life, according to researchers.

Its depletion is caused by the chemical action of chlorine and bromine released by man-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were used in aerosol sprays and cooling equipment, like refrigerators and some air-conditioning systems.

WMO and UNEP said the revision of the ozone recovery dates over parts of the northern and southern hemispheres was mainly due to signs that increased amounts of some types of CFCs not immediately banned under the Protocol were being used.

Another reason for the change in the forecast was that estimates had been increased of future production levels of HFCF-22, a CFC substitute, which although much safer, still causes some ozone depletion.

The later projected recovery of the Antarctic ozone layer is primarily due to what the agencies called "the greater age of air in that region". This meant that "a return to pre-1980 levels of ozone depleting substances will take longer".
The Statesman (Kolkata), 20 Aug 2006

What is carbon trading, and can it save the world from global warming? British Prime Minister Tony Blair recently joined with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor of California, to announce a transatlantic market in carbon-dioxide emissions. The scheme creates financial incentives for cutting emissions and rewards enterprises that do so.

The deal is in a way a snub to President George Bush’s decision to renounce the Kyoto treaty which set targets for reducing emissions of the gases that are blamed for global warming. Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, is also set to announce an agreement between the United Kingdom’s capital and Los Angeles. The agreements would, in effect, bring a significant portion of the United States into the European carbon trading market.

What is carbon trading anyway? In today’s globalised world, anything can be bought and sold. Companies can sell the rights to the future profits; food companies can buy up their orange juice needs a year in advance. The idea is to apply that market-based system of valuation to pollution. If countries can be persuaded to agree to limits on pollution then the right to exceed that has a price. "Good" organisations can reap the benefits of cutting their emissions while "bad" ones pay a financial penalty. Economists believe it is more efficient and more effective because, unlike a tax, it rewards and punishes particular patterns of behaviour.

How does it affect climate change? As each country signs up to the Kyoto treaty, it submits to a legally-binding agreement to meet a pledged emissions target by 2012. Industrialised countries have committed to cut their combined CO2 emissions to 5 per cent below 1990 levels, but each country that signed the protocol agreed to its own target. When the Kyoto trading scheme gets underway in 2008, companies in the signatory countries will have to buy permits from each other if they breach their limits.

Currently, the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is the only game in town. It applies to industrial activities but leaves households, motorists and airlines unscathed.

How is the system working so far? The EU scheme has certainly created a market for permits. Some seven million tons’ worth of permits changed hands in the first five weeks of operation. But the EU’s success in curbing emissions turned out to be a false dawn. Analysts swiftly spotted that member states had been too generous in allotting permits to "national champion" industries such as carmakers and power generators.

The revelation that the EU was operating well within its self-imposed limits sparked a crash in the price of tradable carbon permits, as analysts realised big business would have less need to buy and sell. This reduced the incentive for companies to cut back on their emissions or spend money finding ways to offset it, and undermined the economics of businesses investing in renewable energy.

The EU is already looking at one of the big holes in the current coverage –airlines. The union is hoping to bring aviation within the ETS net by 2010.

What does the future hold? With the US resolutely standing outside the Kyoto treaty, along with Australia among the advanced nations and China in the developing world, the future looks bleak.

However the volume of anger and concern among citizens of all countries of
the world is starting to change the minds of politicians — as witnessed in Los Angeles recently.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 04 Aug 2006

A total of 222 industries were found polluting the Ganga by the Central Pollution Control Board, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Friday.

With a bio-chemical oxygen demand load of more than 100 kg a day, they were found discharging the effluent into the Ganga and its major tributaries, Union minister of state for environment and forest Namo Narain Meena said in reply.

Out of them, 143 industries have installed effluent treatment plants while 43 have been closed down and 36 others are facing legal action under environment laws, the minister said. The government has signed a loan agreement with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation for anti-pollution work in the Ganga at Varanasi, he said in another reply. Assistance has also been sought from the same bank for similar projects at Allahabad and Kanpur for the Ganga, for the Gomti at Lucknow and for the Yamuna in Delhi, UP and Haryana, he added.
The Times of India (New Delhi), 19 Aug. 2006

One-third of China’s vast landmass is suffering from acid rain caused by its rapid industrial growth, while local leaders are failing to enforce environmental standards for fear of hurting business, said officials quoted Sunday by state media.

China’s factories spewed out 25.5 million tons of sulphur dioxide – the chemical that causes acid rain – last year, up 27 per cent from 2000, said Sheng Huaren, deputy chairman of the Standing Committee of Parliament.

Sheng released a report Saturday that found pollution from factories and power plants was raising by 9 per cent a year – an embarrassment for a government that promised this year to clean up China’s air. The report said sulphur dioxide emissions were double safe levels.

"Increased sulphur dioxide emissions meant that one-third of China’s territory was affected by acid rain, posing a major threat to soil and food safety," Sheng said, according to the Xinhua News Agency and newspapers.

Environmental protection has become a prominent issue in China following a string of industrial accidents that poisoned major rivers, forcing several cities to shut down their water systems.
Hindustan Times (New Delhi), 28 Aug. 2006

The European Union told carmakers including Volkswagen, AG, Toyota Motor Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. to step up voluntary reductions in carbon-dioxide emissions or face possible mandatory targets.

The EU said European, Japanese and South Koreanau to manufacturers risk missing their goal of cutting carbon-dioxide pollution in Western Europe by 25 percent in 2008-09 compared with 1995. The bloc said emissions from new cars in 2004 were about 13 percent below the 1995 level.

"New efforts are needed by the industry," Gregor Kreuzhuber, a spokesman for the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm in Brussels, told reporters today. "We won’t hesitate to replace the carrot with the stick."

Cars account for more than a tenth of the EU’s emissions of carbon dioxide, the main gas blamed for global warming. The EU relies on accords with European, Japanese and Korean automakers to cut emissions in Western Europe to 140 grams of carbon dioxide a kilometer in 2008-09.

In Western Europe in 2004, emissions from new cars averaged 161 grams of carbon dioxide a kilometer for European automakers, 168 grams for
Korean manufacturers and 170 grams for Japanese companies, the commission said in an annual report on the subject.

Under the EU agreements, the 140-gram target is supposed to be reached by European manufacturers in 2008 and Japanese and Korean producers the following year.

The latest figures "are to a certain extent worrying," Kreuzhuber said. "The efforts which have been made so far are not satisfactory".

The EU is aiming to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions 8 percent in 2008-2012 compared with 1990 under the global Kyoto Protocol.

As part of that goal, the 25 nation bloc plans to extend to airlines a system of caps on factory and power-plant emissions and says car makers should aim to cut carbon-dioxide releases to 120 grams a kilometer in 2012.
The Financial Express (New Delhi), 30 Aug. 2006

The Sustainable House, which Michael Mobbs and his lawyer wife Heather built near Sydney's business district, rallies Greens around the world and gives red faces to urban planners who said it just couldn't be built: each year, it collects 1,00,000 liters of drinking water from rain and stops 1,00,000 liters of sewage from polluting the Sydney Harbour. It has also been stopping 8 tones of carbon dioxide from polluting the skies while saving 4 tones of coal as it is uses solar power and renewable technology.

That's about $1,120 of clean energy a year — worth about $3.06 a day. "It actually gives power back to the main electricity grid," enthuses New South Wales former premier Bob Carr, who opened what became Sydney's first self-sufficient house in December 1996.

"If even a small percentage of houses in the Sydney basin were to use this technology, we would see a massive cut in pollution." As he mulled over a mug of hot tea brewed from rainwater from the roof — "Never use lead, tar or asbestos; slate is good, as is ceramic"—Mobbs told ET that his decision to do the house was as much a childish reaction to being told 'No' as it was an antidote to the quiet 'scream' building up inside him. Having succeeded, he's lost that anger and feels no desire to compel governments and other people. "It's enough to stand under the shower and know that t he water is not running down the sewer befoul the Pacific Ocean," he says. "The project liberated me from negative emotions. Now I can observe pollution news with detachment." Earlier, his water and energy bills were $ 1,600 a year, and rising. Now they cost less than $200 a year. Mobbs says, "The house has taught me that the technology and ways to live cheaply using sun, rain and natural ventilation is available to all of us at a low price. The only barrier to using them is money and, generally, you will live cheaper once you've got sustainability in your project. Ultimately, the rewards are greater than the savings. And the deep sense of peace incomparable, for having done what you can when everywhere the governments seem to do so little."

He said he felt depressed reading the pollution stories in the dailies and felt increasing hostility towards governments—after working with environmental laws for about 18 years as a solicitor and for a time as a local councillor. "The more I worked with the governments, the less I was able to cope with their lack of will to reverse the widespread environmental damage. That's when Heather and I embarked on our sustainable house project, to at least stop our own pollution over which we had some control," he explained. He was told by Sydney's best qualified engineers it couldn't be done, that they couldn't drink rainwater in the city as it was too dirty, that sewage couldn't be managed on small sites, that it cost too much, and that it was too complicated.

So how did they pull off their sustainable stunt? "Two basic premises dominated our thinking: we had to be able to sell the house to anyone and we had to have a house that could be lived in the same way as any other house," Mobbs said. "We installed three major systems to use the rainwater and the sunlight which fell naturally on the site and to stop our house's sewage on the site. Perhaps the main tool we used was something intangible: we believed we could do it, and we wanted to, so we did."

Four in the block of 20 or so houses near the Sustainable House now have rain tanks, and 10 have solar water heaters. Most of the neighbours feel proud of our house, Mobbs said, they came for barbecues and supported what he was doing, which was "effectively holding up two fingers in the air to the authors of our dying, unsustainable city infrastructure!
The Economic Times (New Delhi), 30 Aug. 2006

The cancer-fighting properties of tulsi, which is grown in many Indian homes, and pudina have been discovered by a team of 10 students at the University of Rajasthan.

"We arrived at our conclusion after conducting a six-month research on rats," said Ashok Sharma, who heads the research project.

"Our research came up with unbelievable results," Sharma told IANS. The rats were first divided into two groups and then applied with a chemical paste. One group was administered a mixture of tulsi and pudina regularly.

After a month, the rats not given the herb concoction were found to have developed severe wounds and sores. Similar wounds took about 11 months to appear in the rats given the herbs.

The team first studied the efficacy of the herbs on skin cancer, said Sharma. "We afterwards conducted more experiments on the intestines and lungs of the rats.

"We concluded that the rats given a regular dose of mint-tulsi mixture were more resistant to cancer," he said.

According to Sharma, cancer begins when free radicals in the body after a cell’s genetic makeup, causing the cell to divide more frequently than it should.

Mint and tulsi have large amounts of enzymes that have the ability to destroy these free radicals.

Although every plant contains some enzyme or the other, some Indian herbs and plants like mint, tulsi, the thorny babul (Acaci Arabica) and gokhru (Tribullus terristris) have sufficient amounts of anti-cancer enzymes, Sharma said.

"We are already through with our research and results. We are now working on an anti-cancer herbal formula using mint, tulsi and babul," said Sharma.
The Himachal Times (Dehradun), 04 Aug 2006

With the upsurge in economic activities, India is consuming over a whopping 127 million tonnes of crude oil a year and is forced to import about 70 per cent of its needs. The current yearly consumption of diesel alone is approximately 40 million tonnes in India constituting about 40 per cent of all petro-products. In the current scenario, exploring energy alternatives in the form of bio-fuels, namely, ethanol and biodiesel assumes top priority. Biodiesel, derived from the plants (bearing oils) like sunflower, rapeseed, canola or Jatropha curcas, can be used as a substitute or an additive to diesel.

Biodiesel can provide power similar to conventional diesel and thus can be used in diesel engines. Biodiesel is non-toxic and environment friendly as it produces substantially less carbon monoxide and the combustion gasescontain no sulphur dioxide and unburnt hydrocarbons.

Because of these properties cancer risks and neonatal defects are reduced. Biodiesel mixed (5-20 per cent) with conventional diesel can extend engine life. It has good potential for rural employment generation.

Considering all the options in India, Jatropha curcas has been identified as the most suitable source due to its lower gestation period. While the seeds are used for oil extraction, other parts of the plant, that is, leaves, bark and the like, can be used for organic dyes, medicines, biogas and the like.

Originating in the Caribbean islands, jatropha has spread as a valuable hedge plant to Africa, Asia and India. It grows in a variety of agro-climatic conditions. Thus it ensures a reasonable production of seeds with little inputs.

Intercropping of Jatropha with lemon grass, turmeric, ashwagandha and the like has been found to be an economically viable option when compared with monocropping. Since Jatropha is not suitable for forage, fence farming is also an attractive option. Plantation of saplings from the seeds rather than vegetative propagation is a better option for the dry areas.

The plantation of saplings (4 months old) should be carried out before the rains. As the growth and canopy coverage are more in fertile soil, the plants occupy more area when compared with dry land cultivation.

While the plantation pitch for jatropha could be 1.5 x 1.5m in lighter/dry lands, a spacing of 2.0 x 2.0m would be required in fertile soil resulting in 2,500 plants/hectare.

For intercropping, a spacing of 3m should be maintained between the rows for inter-cultivation and ploughing required for vegetables and flowers. For better growth, the plants require irrigation for the first two years. The plants require pruning after they grow over 1.0 m in height.

The Jatropha plant bears fruits from the 2nd year after its plantation and the economic yield stabilises from the 4th or 5th year onwards. The plant may live for more than 50 years with an average effective yielding time of 50 years.

The economic yield can be considered as 0.75-2.00kg/plant and 4.00-6.00 tonnes per hectare per year depending on the agro-climatic zone and agricultural practices. The cost of plantation has been estimated as Rs.20,000 a hectare, inclusive of plant material, maintenance for one year, training, overheads and the like.

A selling price of Jatropha seeds at Rs.12 a kg would be an economically attractive proposition for farmers. Oil from jatropha seeds (oil content: 35 per cent on average) can be extracted by using a screw press for further processing into biodiesel by the transesterification route. Transesterification is the process of converting the raw vegetable oil into biodiesel. The process involves displacement of alcohol from an ester by another alcohol (methanol is used commonly).

For an optimal capacity of 10,000 TPA of biodiesel, the capital cost for oil extraction and transesterification would be Rs.20,000/tonne capacity. The return on investment (ROI) has been arrived at 15 per cent pre tax on the capital cost.

The efficient storage of biodiesel resources can provide energy security to the country. Biodiesel can safely be stored for up to 6 months. The existing storage facilities and infrastructure for petrol and diesel can be used for the biodiesel with minor alterations.

12 million jobs India has vast stretches of degraded land, mostly in areas with adverse agro-climatic conditions, where species of jatropha can be grown easily. Considering 10 million plantation on both sides along the railway tracks, 1,26,000 hectares can be cultivated with Jatropha.

Use of 11 million hectares of wasteland for jatropha cultivation can lead to generation of a minimum of 12 million jobs. Production of bio-fuel from plant materials is a major step toward harnessing one of the world's most-prevalent, yet least-utilised renewable energy resources.

India, with its huge waste/non-fertile lands, has taken a well-noted lead in jatropha cultivation and commercial production is what the industries have to focus on for sustainable development.
The Hindu (New Delhi), 03 Aug 2006

The Centre should grant a 10-year exemption of excise and customs duties as well as central and state levies on bio-diesel or Jatropha oil to encourage large-scale corporate plantation and reduce India’s massive crude oil import Bill, industry chamber FICCI said on Sunday.

To give further encouragement to FDI for Jatropha cultivation and production of bio-diesel, the chamber suggested combining the cultivation with National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) Scheme.

Substitution of bio-fuel for oil will help reduce imports and improve environment, a FICCI release said. These plantations would help India tap the opportunities under clean development mechanism, it added.
The Financial Express (New Delhi), 07 Aug 2006

The bio-diesel policy recently announced by the government is attractive to the bio-diesel industry for several reasons, now that bio-diesel has got government acceptance and approval.

While the policy mentions that oil companies can buy bio-diesel at Rs. 25 per litre from bio-diesel producers, it is not mentioned whether this is inclusive of taxes. If the price is inclusive, nowhere is
it mentioned what the tax component is.

In the policy, the government arrived at the price Rs. 25 per litre of bio-diesel, whereas it announced Rs. 6 per kg of Pongamia/Jatropha seeds as support price to the growers. With this price support, the price of one kg seed oil would be Rs 24. In addition to that, the production cost of bio-diesel per litre would be Rs 7-9 per kg, subject to production technology. In such circumstances, how can bio-diesel producers sell bio-diesel at Rs. 25 per litre?

No wonder, it came as a big surprise to the industry when the price policy was announced first without and guidelines for commercial scale production. An example of the prevailing confusion: The oil companies called for tenders to buy produce from bio-diesel production companies for as high as Rs. 60 per litre, which is no where near the government’s price. This clearly indicates that the business model is yet unclear to the industry.

The government should initiate steps and announce guidelines for existence of the bio-diesel industry so that it can integrate the bio-diesel plantation programme with the wasteland development scheme for revenue generation and employment of poor farmers. The farmer cannot take a risk by going for the plantation imagining that the bio-diesel industry will come forward and buy the produce unless industries are in existence. However, the bio-diesel industry can survive with alternate feed-stock. Hence, both bio-diesel industries and the plantation programme will be given equal priority so that sustainable growth can be achieved by integration.

Also, the government should encourage and give top priority for R&D so as to find the right species and get guaranteed yield. As matter of fact, a lot of R&D on plantation is being done, but so far, no organization or body is guaranteeing yield from the particular tree/plant. Once this is achieved, India can bring a whole new chapter on bio-diesel programmes as a whole.

To start with, the government should bring a policy that mandates that B-5(5per cent blend of bio-diesel) be used in heavy polluting machines/in densely populated areas. For instance, all diesel generators, old vehicles, all government heavy vehicles, etc, should be considered in this model. Once availability increases, it should apply to all heavy and commercial machines.

Similarly, the government should encourage the usage of bio-diesel by reducing the tax component on the all vehicles/machines running on bio-diesel. This will especially help the large fleet owners to go in for the usage of bio-diesel, which helps in reduction of carbon emissions polluting the precious air.

The important factor is that when other countries are looking to sell bio-diesel at a higher price than regular diesel considering multiple benefits of the product, it is high time the government put in place a comprehensive bio-diesel policy. Moreover, the price of bio-diesel should be considered looking into various factors, or else, the producers may export bio-diesel at a premium. Internationally, the market price is significantly high and there is good demand as well.
The Financial Express (New Delhi), 21 Aug 2006

To add to the green cover of the capital before the start of the Commonwealth Games 2010, Northern Railway has begun a massive plantation

drive along its tracks in the city. Besides planting saplings of bio-diesel plant - jatropha - for future use, it is also developing a dense green cover around the

proposed Commonwealth Games Village behind Akshardham Temple in East Delhi to reduce noise pollution in the area.

The massive plantation drive with the target of planting 13-lakh saplings has already seen around six-lakh saplings being planted in the past one year, while the remaining seven-lakh saplings will be planted in another year's time. Of the
saplings being planted, 90 per cent are of jatropha from whose seeds bio-diesel is produced.

"Jatropha is very precious plant for us as it produces bio-diesel that can be mixed with bio-fuels, trials on which are at an advanced stage. The plant grows very fast, does not need any care and starts producing seeds within a few years.

So by 2010, it will not only provide thick green cover to the city but also produce enough seeds to help us in bio-diesel production.
The Hindu (New Delhi), 06 Aug 2006

Coming out in defence of its ambitious Bio-Diversity Park Project, Delhi University has maintained that the venture "is not aimed at just creating an artificial park in the conventional sense but at restoring and building a self-sustaining eco-system".

Environmentalist in the Capital had earlier questioned and written to the Vice-Chancellor asking him about the feasibility of building the Bio-Diversity Park.

A joint venture of Delhi University and Delhi Development Authority, the project according to experts is aimed at establishing an "Aravalli Bio-Diversity Park" where the original forest eco-systems that used to exist about 100 years ago on the Ridge can be recreated and sustained.

Speaking about the Bio-Diversity Park and the importance of establishing the same in the Capital, Project Director C.R. Babu said: "The eco-system that we hope to create does not consume resources and will be self-sustaining. It will also provide ecological goods and services to the urban human population. These newly recreated eco-systems will not only bring back the pristine glory of the Ridge but also provide all ecological services. Once fully developed, the eco-system will not require continuous human support."

Giving details of the present condition of the Ridge and work done by Delhi University in the area, Prof. Babu said: "The Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University was asked how the project would save the Ridge. I would like to point to the fact that often hard scientific facts are overlooked, which is why people are questioning the feasibility of the project."

"We at the University," he added, "have been working on different facets of both the northern and southern Ridge for more than 35 years. With our vast experience in forest ecology, natural eco-systems and flora, we have observed that the Ridge is predominantly composed of an exotic invasive species (Prosopis juliflora) that has not only wiped out the native vegetation of the Ridge but is also rapidly depleting ground water resources and scarce nutrients. Consequently the Ridge in its present form is not providing the ecological services and goods. The Aravalli Bio-Diversity Park containing newly recreated eco-systems will be self-sustaining and provide to the human population all the benefits associated with a green lung."
The Hindu (New Delhi), 02 Aug 2006

The Haryana Forest Department has decided to involve village forest committees (VFCs) for better monitoring and ensuring higher survival rate of saplings planted during the on-going afforestation drive across the state.

Over 700 VFCs ( 336 under the Haryana Community Forestry Project and 400 in the Japan Bank for International Cooperation) will now maintain records of all the saplings planted in the area near their respective villages. These committees will also check that the saplings planted as part of the afforestation drive are not uprooted. In return, these committees will get a share in the harvesting of trees once they mature.

Talking to TNS, Mr J.P.L Srivastava, Chief Conservator of Forests, Haryana, said the decision to involve the village forest committees had been taken last week to keep tabs on the actual tree plantation by monitoring distribution of saplings, besides ensuring higher survival rate.

"Generally, 20 per cent of the saplings planted in a year die in the first year, and there is another 10 per cent mortality in the second year. In many areas, the villagers often let out their cattle for grazing in areas where the tree plantation has been done. By making them accountable and offering them incentive in terms of share in harvesting, we hope to bring down the mortality rate significantly," he said.

It may be noted that as of now, it was only in the Shivalik areas (districts of Panchkula, Ambala and Yamunanagar) that the VFCs had a share in the harvesting of trees. Seeing the successful involvement of these VFCs here, it has been decided to extend this public-private partnership model in all districts of the state.

This year 4.50 crore saplings are being planted across the state. Of these 2.50 crore will be distributed to NGOs, social clubs, resident organisations, educational institutes et all while the remaining two crore will be given to the VFCs by the Forest Department for plantation. Though the majority of saplings will be Eucalyptus(2 crore) and fruit trees (60 lakh), others like sheesham, poplar, Jatropha and bakain (in arid areas) will also be planted.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 08 Aug 2006

Cutting across party lines, leaders on Wednesday extended support for the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 2005. The issue came up in the Lok Sabha where Ramjilal Suman (SP) sought to know why the Bill had not been introduced in the current session of Parliament.Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said it would be passed this year. Issues between tribal and non-tribal forest-dwellers would be resolved shortly.

Addressing a Campaign for Survival and Dignity's dharna here, the former Prime Minister, V.P. Singh, said forest rights were the most basic element of livelihood for tribals. If forest management were
democratised people and the forests would benefit. Brinda Karat, MP and CPI (M) Polit Bureau member, said the Government refused to come out openly on why the JPC report was being rejected and the Bill delayed. She said the Government accused the Left of blocking the Bill when, in fact, it were they who most strongly supported a genuine bill. Ajit Jogi (Congress) said that he had discussed the matter with the Prime Minister. D. Raja (CPI) said that his party constantly stood by the forest rights struggle both inside and outside Parliament.
The Hindu (New Delhi), 24 Aug 2006

The forests existed in adivasi areas. The government used any excuse to deny rights to the adivasis, the dalits and other rural people, while handing over land and resources to private companies. She called on the demonstrators to continue their fight for jal, jangal and jamin — their only sources of livelihood — and not to surrender before the government and private companies.

Three CPI MPs, C.K. Chandrappan, Sudhakar Reddy and Azeez Pasha, also addressed the dharna.

Mr. Chandrappan, a member of the joint parliamentary committee, said the 30-member committee's recommendations were unanimous, yet the government refused to agree.

Mr. Reddy said the government must recognise the rights of genuine non-tribals and the 1980 date must be changed, as it would imply denying the rights of the natural citizens of the forest.

Mr. Pasha said the CPI was committed to the JPC and the forest rights Bill and to a genuine solution to the historical injustice done to forest dwellers. The party would fight for their cause inside Parliament.

Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Pandey said companies had annexed the country's resources with the collusion of the government. The ultimate victims of these policies were the poor, the adivasis and the Dalits, he added.
The Hindu (New Delhi), 22 Aug 2006

Samajwadi Jan Parishad, a voluntary action group working among tribals, would announce its agitation plan for tribals' right over forest land, during a series of protests to be organised in Betul and Harda districts between Friday and Independence Day.

The National Executive member of Samajwadi Jan Parishad, Anurag Modi, said in a statement here on Thursday that the tribals would be celebrating 150 years of their struggle on Independence Day.

He said the tribals' struggle for their rights started with the battle between the British and the Korku Chieftain Bhaboot Singh at Mahadeo Hills (Pachmarhi) in 1857.

This year's Independence Day would mark the beginning of a year-long celebration starting from Friday, he said.

The Parishad leader further stated that they would be organising "Jangal Satyagrah" under the banner of Shramik Adivasi Sanghathan at various tribal forts spread over the forests of Betul and Harda districts. "From these forts, the tribals will make a declaration and announce their resolve to fight for their rights over forest land," he added.

The tribals would be raising the slogan "Purkhon se nata jodenge jungle nahi chodenge" (the tribals would protect the legacy of their ancestors and shall not leave the forest).

The Jangal Satyagrah will be organised in Betul district on August 11, Dularagadh Fort on August 12, Jamgarh, Bhawargadh and Sawaligadh on August 13, Asirgadh and Bazarbarra fort on August 14. On August 15, they propose to organise a big rally at the tribal village Banjaridhal.

Mr. Modi said that a battle fought between Bhaboot Singh, the tribal Chieftain of Harrakot, and the British in 1857 had paved the way for the creation of the first ever reserve forest in this country.

He said that the "Bori forest of Bhaboot Singh" was declared the first reserve forest in 1862. Prior to this, Bhaboot Singh was hanged at Jabalpur Jail in 1861.
The Hindu (New Delhi), 11 Aug 2006

The tribal, affairs ministry and environmental ministry have finally come to an understanding, at least on one point – the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Tribal Rights Bill can’t be accepted in complete.

The JPC in its report had made two major recommendations – rights of all
forest dwellers, irrespective of whether they are tribes or not should be recognized, and the deadline for recognizing the rights should be December 2005 and not 1980 – which have been rejected by both the ministries. The reason: It will lead to large-scale destruction of forests and wildlife and will make conservation task difficult.

The unanimity, however, ends here. While the environment ministry wants to stick to the bill introduced in the last winter session of Parliament the tribal ministry is ready with some changes – by accepting some of the recommendations of the JPC. A draft bill has been prepared by the tribal ministry and forwarded to the group of ministers constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to find a way out. The ministry has also drafted the reasons for rejecting the major recommendations of the JPC.

The JPC, had submitted its report to Parliament in May 2006 after
deliberating on the draft bill for several months. The report was flayed by conservationists, who termed the recommendations as the "death of Indian forests and green cover".

They sought rejection of the recommendations by the government. However, tribal rights activists hailed the report as a step towards the uplift of forest dwellers and urged the government to accept all the recommendations. Fearing changes in the recommendations, Campaign for Survival and Dignity, a group of NGOs fighting for tribal rights, organized a demonstration on Monday at Jantar Mantar, demanding that the JPC recommendations be accepted and the bill tabled in the present session of Parliament. The Left also joined them.

Finding itself caught in-between contrary demands, the government is expected to present its case in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday where the issue will be discussed.
Hindustan Times (New Delhi), 23 Aug 2006

"Sikhism is not only one of the most modern and scientific religions but is also environment friendly," says Mr Damanbir Singh Jaspal, an IAS officer of the 1976 batch, who has just completed his research, documenting 48 historic Sikh shrines that are commemorated by the names of 17 native species of trees.

This uniqueness of identifying its most sacred places of worship with common trees is unprecedented. Perhaps no other religion has given importance to vegetation the way Sikhism has.

If trees and forests were the centre for meditation and communion with the creator for the first five Sikh Gurus, they provided security, shelter and sustenance for the last five Gurus who spent most of their time in the jungles, fighting the Muslims.

Says Mr Jaspal: "The profusion of allusions and references to trees, nature and environment in Guru Granth Sahib and the commemoration of scared shrines by popular species of trees can be explained by the vigorous outdoor life and travels of the Sikh Gurus, who were probably the most mobile among all
religious preachers of the world."

Even the Gurbani refers to various species of trees, eulogising species, which are useful to mankind. The gurus inferred that it is not the girth, size, or beautiful flowers that determine the significance of a tree but it is its usefulness that makes it important for mankind. That may perhaps be the reason that "Simbal", a huge tree with big attractive colourful flowers, did not find favour with them.

Development is possible if there is not only an active participation by the people but also a community ownership of natural resources. Community ownership ensures a unique type of development, which is sustainable in the long run.

Comparatively, the results have shown that corporate control of natural resources leads to lopsided development, with employment opportunities to few and fast depletion of natural resources. The government control over natural resources, too, is not the right remedy. The government should act as a facilitator and allow local communities to manage the resources.

Local communities as a network of agricultural co-operatives with its apex body Ja Zenchu have been successful in protecting Japanese farm sector from the onslaught of globalisation. This was discussed earlier in detail in this column. It is now time to discuss how community management has conserved valuable resources and utilised them for the betterment of the people.

Realising the importance of community participation in forestry India has recently has launched the scheme of joint forest management (JFM). This scheme suffers from unnecessary government controls. The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in one of its report remarked, "India has 98 per cent of its forests in government hands and absolutely no forests owned by communities." However, with some leverage under JFM, there are some stray success stories.

Countries which have restored rights to local communities over much of the forest areas are Papua New Guinea, Mexico, China, Columbia and Peru. Guatemala, Bolivia, Brazil and Indonesia are slowly following the suit.

Papua New Guinea has restored the rights of local communities over more than 80 per cent of its forest area. Next comes Mexico with 80 per cent. This was the result of a Mexican Revolution, which was later strengthened by reforms in 1992 and after.

The Mexican experiment began with the forest co-operatives in 1940s, leading to corruption and mismanagement by agrarian authorities rather than forest dwellers, and then switching over state control of forests and concessions on logging in community lands, with the communities receiving only a tiny stumpage fee. Even the new laws enacted in 1992 was not without flaws. It led to a dramatic rise in clandestine logging. In 1997, the law was amended, giving thrusts to management and regulation of natural forests, providing more support to community forest programmes and new incentives for plantations. In 2003, another forest law was passed clearly recognising the role of the community forests sector, and having provisions for payment of forest environmental services and the role of certification in promoting sustainable forest management. The National Forestry Commission, Conafor, was set up for making new investments in the community forest sector.

However, the community forest enterprises (CFEs) stood the test of time before the enactment of the new law in 2003. Despite Mexico joining the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993, many CFEs responded to the challenge by modernising their sawmills, as community products came under increased competition from Chile and the US.

Today over 2,400 local communities in Mexico successfully produce timber. The costs for CFEs in Sierra Juarez are much lower than private enterprises as they use traditional community services for administration. The CFEs have created increased employment, and also made investments in community infrastructure and social welfare programmes and also improved profit-sharing. The CFEs are also vigourously moving towards acquiring
global certification for good forest management.Despite all these endeavours for timber trade, the Mexican community forestry programme has resulted in a sharp decline in deforestation rate from 4.3 per cent to 0.32 per cent. Today, Mexico is in a position to claim payments for environmental services like carbon sequestration and watershed development. However there has been some reported cases of outside agents to bribe community leaders to sell their logging rights. Many CFEs have so far resisted this challenge.
The Financial Express (New Delhi), 07 Aug 2006

Senna (Cassia angustifolia) is a medicinal plant variety grown predominantly in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. The pods and leaves of the plants are used in confectionery and herbal preparations. It is also popular in western countries for making `herbal tea.' Nearly 75 per cent of senna produced in India is exported to western countries.

Senna is known as Sonamukhi in Hindi, Nilavaka in Malayalam, Nilavagai in Tamil, Nelaponna in Telugu and Nelavare in Kannada. Senna crop can be grown both as a rainfed and an irrigated crop. In Tamil Nadu it is grown in the rainfed tracts of Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram and Madurai districts.

Researchers at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore have released a high yielding senna variety called KKM- 1which is suited for growing in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts of Tamil Nadu and is ideal for rainfed cultivation.

"The variety records a leaf yield of about 920 kg per hectare and pod yield of about 350 kg per hectare. About 5 kg of seeds are required for sowing under irrigated conditions and about 12 kg of seeds are required for sowing under rainfed conditions," said Prof. K. Rajamani, Professor & Head, Medicinal Plants Unit, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore.

The ideal time for sowing is during the month of February. Before sowing, a fertilizer dose of about 250 kg of super phosphate and 70 kg of potash must be applied in the field and ploughed well. About 175 kg of urea must be applied in three split doses on the 45th, 90th and 135th day after sowing.

For irrigated crops, the field should be ploughed into furrows and the seeds must be planted at 45x35 cm on the furrows. For growing under rainfed conditions the seeds must be sown by broadcasting, according to Prof. Rajamani.

The field must be irrigated immediately after sowing and irrigation continued once every week. The seeds germinate in a week's time. The crop comes to harvest in about four months after sowing. Harvesting is done manually by plucking the matured leaves.

The leaves are graded according to their size and colour. Large and bold leaves and pods having a yellowish green colour are placed in first grade. Brown coloured leaves and smaller pods are placed in the second grade. There is a general practice of drying the harvested leaves by spreading them on the floor, which results in contamination and affects quality. If the leaves are spread thickly and dried, it results in improper drying.

The appearance and leaf quality deteriorate due to the heat developed inside the thick layer, explained Prof. Rajamani. Improper and delayed drying changes the leaf colour to black, which results in a lower price in the market. Farmers have to take care to store the harvested produce in a cool and dry environment. The quality of the harvested leaves and pods deteriorates due to high temperature, humidity and poor ventilation in the godowns
The Hindu (New Delhi), 31 Aug 2006

Terming the withdrawal of the notification issued by the state forest department to include an area of 17.55 square metres in the Majathal Sanctuary as illegal, the Biodiversity Conservation Trust of India(BCTI) has pleaded with the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), constituted by the apex court, to initiate action against the officials concerned.

In a representation to the CEC, the BCTI has taken strong exception to the non-compliance of conditions imposed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) while setting up a cement plant. It said various stipulations imposed by the MOEF to de-reserve the Darlaghat Sanctuary in 1991-1992 for non-forestry purposes have not been complied with. They include setting up of a new sanctuary in the state and addition of 20 square kilometres to the existing 40 square kilometres of Majathal sanctuary.

Though in compliance of the first condition, Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary was set up in 1999, the second condition remained unfulfilled despite a lapse of more than a decade. The government, however, notified its intention to include 17.55 square kilometres in the Majathal Sanctuary as late as in 2002 under Section 18 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. This notification was, however, rescinded on December 5, 2005, and a proposal to add a similar area to Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary was notified. This was done to facilitate another cement plant coming up in the area, stated the trust.

Asserting that this change was a violation of the conditions imposed by the MOEF, the trust said the habitat of cheer pheasants among other species, including koklas, red jungle fowl, khaleej, Himalayan black bear, ghoral, leopard, etc. thriving in the area would be affected. The exclusion of this vital 20 square kilometres from the Majathal Wildlife Sanctuary threatens their survival.

The trust has demanded withdrawal of this notification and has sought a reply as to why the 20 square kilometres were not added to the Majathal sanctuary. Action against the concerned official for wilful and deliberate violations of the conditions imposed under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 has been sought. Submission of an action taken report about the compliance of laid conditions and the area of forest land diverted to user agencies in the past along with the number of trees felled in the area have been sought.

The DFO concerned, Mr R.S. Chauhan, when contacted said since no eco-sensitive zone within a periphery of 10 km had been notified by the Central Government it could be given for any commercial activity. When asked about the withdrawal of the notification, he said it was done following a report submitted by the Deputy Commissioner, Solan, where local villagers had objected to this expansion. He declined comment when asked about the natural habitat of animals being disrupted due to non-expansion and passed the buck on to the Chief Wildlife Warden.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 08 Aug 2006

With the Central empowered committee directing the Himachal government to provide exact data about the availability of private timber, exact assessment of the tree cover outside forests will be made for the first time in the hill state.

So far the Forest Survey of India
(FSI) has only been providing reports on the status of forests on government land every two years. Massive felling of trees on private land has taken place over the years but no steps could be taken to check it for want of authentic data.

The state forest department has now sought the services of the FSI for the purpose.

It has requested the FSI, which has been compiling reports about the forest cover every two years, to assess the status of tree cover on private land on the basis of satellite images.

Unlike Uttaranchal, Gujarat and some other states the government had not made any effort to assess the tree cover on private land and compile data necessary to ascertain the capacity to sustain forest-based industry. The committee had sought the data in connection with the matter pertaining to the closure of 450 unregistered saw-mills in the state on the order of the Supreme Court.

Sawmills had been set up in areas where hardly any private timber is available and it is common knowledge that they mostly saw trees felled illegally from government forests.

For instance, the Hamirpur district has the maximum number of 319 unregistered saw mills.

The department has urged the FSI to give a detailed report in six months.

However, sources said that it would take much time as data regarding the growing tree stock had to be evaluated species-wise and district-wise.

The Forest Department had supported the case of the sawmill owners before the committee and stated that they worked private timber and the trees allotted to right holders under the TD (timber distribution) rules.

However, the state already has over 3,000 registered sawmills and with a complete ban on green felling there is little justification for such a large number of units.

It was for this reason that the empowered committee asked the government to provide detailed data about the growing tree stock outside the forest area.
The Tribune (Chandigarh), 17 Aug 2006

"Blooming Highways", the popular roadside eco-tourism project of tree plantation has started showing considerable results in an otherwise dull and barren valley of tribal Lahaul and Spiti these days. The swift growth of trees has pleasantly surprised the visitors crossing the area. Endless rows of plants have cropped up on all the highways covering the entire landscape of the tribal district.

An official spokesman here said that the roadsides plantation in Lahaul Valley primarily envisages maintaining the ecological balance by planting locally adapted indigenous plants. The massive plantation drive, under which more than 11,500 "posts" of Poplar, Willow and Deodar were planted, is one of the most successful campaigns with a survival rate of more than 70 percent.

While undertaking this drive, the growth habit, climatic and topographical conditions were also taken care of. Initially, the roadside plantations proposed to raise the species of Poplar, Willow, Deodar, Rubunia and some Rose bushes.

However, to begin with, the district administration thought it proper to lay stress on the plantation of Poplar and Willow only. Both these varieties are fast growing with a high rate of survival in the cold desert area.

The plantation drive was taken up on all the three highways of Lahaul Valley, said the spokesman.

The plantation drive extends from Khoksar to Keylong, Keylong to Darcha and from Tandi to mini-Manali near Udaypur.

The DM of the district has shown a keen interest in the highway blooming project and has involved all the implementing agencies and the NGOs of the area.
The Hindu (New Delhi), 10 Aug 2006

What is the values of our forests? For the first time, it has been estimated "conservatively" at Rs 88,60,259 crore as on 2003. And we are fast losing this asset. The decrease in stock of timber alone in just two years (2001-2003) makes for a wealth depletion of over Rs 38,000 crore.

A unique study-Green Accounting for Indian States and Union Territories Project (GAISP)-launched by Green Indian States Trust (GIST) in July 2004 has come up with startling numbers.

Rajiv Sinha (Arizona State University), Haripriya Gundimeda (Madras School of Economics), Pushpam Kumar (Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi) and Pavan Sukhdev (Deutsche Bank, London) are among the authors of these reports, based on the System of Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA) formulated by the United Nations.

And the Planning Commission is taking notice. "We cannot ignore these factors while developing out strategies for sustainable growth. It’s a great initiative," said Srikant Panigrahi, director of Environment and Forest in the Planning Commission.
The Indian Express (New Delhi), 06 Aug 2006