Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
July 2011 National Environmental Appraisal and Monitoring Authority would soon be setup
India UK UK-India Business Climate Leaders Group has been constituted. Comprising of leading CEOs the group will work on synergystic business for carbon reduction and joint work to evolve national emission reduction strategies. FDI could be streamlined into low carbon initiatives.
UNCTAD report says: 1. Transnational corporations must be factored into global efforts to mitigate climate change since these corporations are the major emitters as well as innovators of low carbon technology. 2. Instead of focusing on national targets the performance of individual firms should be evaluated and improved. 3. Create a single global standard for corporate greenhouse gas emission disclosure. This would greatly boost the accuracy of emissions monitoring and correction.
Tianjin Climate change conference: October 3-9, 2010. Developed countries to evolve strategy to start releasing the $30 bn allocated for CC finance fund during COP-15 Major divide between China and US over binding emission cuts issue Divide between developing and developed countries over latters use of trade restrictions to limit the import of goods from the former which do not adhere to carbon emission norms. Convergence on the issue of deforestation which is estimated to produce more carbon emission than transport. (REDD+ : Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation+)
Need for trans-boundary cooperation in climate change At the SAARC summit at Thimpu in 2001, the South Asian nations agreed on a 16-point action plan for climate change, including measures like planting 10 million trees in the next five years and setting up inter-governmental marine, mountain and monsoon initiatives.
India and Bangladesh have decided to set up the Sundarbans Eco-System Forum to protect the 10000 sq. Km. Of mangroves that span both countries India, China and Nepal agreed on a framework, the Kailash Sacred Landscape intitiative, to conserve the ecosystem of Mount Kailash.
Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar 1987. In 2008, Isha Foundation got it. By MoEF. Given to both individuals and organisations. First to Bombay Natural History Society.
National Natural Resources Management System: It is a national level inter-agency system for integrated natural resources management in the country. Supports the optimal utilization of the natural resources of the country by the use of remote sensing data. DoSpace is the nodal agency. Estd. 1983.
India's Forest Cover accounts for 20.6% of the total geographical area of the country as of 2005. In addition, Tree Cover accounts for 2.8% of Indias geographical area2 . Progressive national forestry legislations and policies have transformed India's forests into a significant net sink of CO2, From 1995 to 2005, the carbon stocks stored in our forests and trees have increased from 6,245 million tones (mt) to 6,662 mt, registering an annual increment of 38 mt of carbon or 138 mt of CO2 equivalent.
Estimates show that the annual CO2 removals by India's forest and tree cover is enough to neutralize 11.25% of Indias total GHG emissions (C02 equivalent) at 1994 levels. This is equivalent to offsetting 100% emissions from all energy in residential and transport sectors; or 40% of total emissions from the agriculture sector. Clearly, India's forest and tree cover is serving as a major mode of carbon mitigation for India and the world.
India is one of the few developing countries in the world that is making a net addition to its forest and tree cover over the last two decades. Based on actual and projected trends of investments in the forestry sector, we present three scenarios of the future carbon stocks in the forest and tree cover of India.
In the first scenario, the carbon stocks in India's forest and tree cover decrease at the rate of the world average and the total carbon stored in India's forests in 2015 will decrease to 6,504 mt.
In the second scenario, the carbon stocks continue to increase at the historical rate of the last decade (0.6% p.a.). And the total carbon stored in India's forests in 2015 will increase to 6,998 mt.
In the third scenario, the carbon stocks increase at a rate higher than the historical rate of increase and the total carbon stored in 2015 will increase to 7,283 mt. This is the path that we intend to tread in India.
Computations for the third scenario are based on a series policy initiatives on Sustainable Management of Forests (SMF) and A forestation and Reforestation (A&R), additional resources like Forest Restitution Fund5 with US$ 2.5b , a policy to include forestry related activities in the flagship employment scheme of the country and introducing new forestry related schemes on components such as capacity building in the forestry sector ..
Value of Mitigation
Putting a conservative value of US$ 5 per tonne of CO2 locked in our forests; this huge sink of about 24,000 mt of CO2is worth US$ 120b, or Rs 6, 00,000 crores. Incremental carbon under scenario three will add a value of around US$ 1.2b, or Rs 6,000 cores every year to India's treasury of forest sink, assuming a value of US$ 7 per tonne.
Environment
Wetlands
Government has notified rules for conservation and management of wetlands o Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 o The rules specify activities that are harmful to wetlands and prohibit them. o Other activities such as harvesting and dredging could be carried out with prior permission from the authorities concerned. Despite their immense importance, wetlands are one of the most degraded ecosystems globally. Over-exploitation of fish resources, discharge of industrial effluents, fertilizers and pesticides and uncontrolled siltation and weed infestation have taken the toll on these important water bodies
A new category called areas requiring special consideration has been created which includes CRZ areas of Greater Mumbai, Kerala and Goa Critically vulnerable coastal areas such as Sunderbans The list of exceptions to the rule prohibiting setting up of new industries and expansion of existing industries has been expanded