Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), known for protecting the ozone layer from destruction, may also be responsible for global warming, a recent research has held. The research was conducted by scientists from NOAASHFC earth system research laboratory and theircolleagues, which do not contain ozone-destroying chlorine or bromine atoms, are used as substitutes for ozone-depleting compounds such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in such uses as refrigeration, air conditioning, and the production of insulating foams. The researchers took a fresh look at how the global use of HFCs is expected to grow in coming decades. Using updated usage estimates and looking farther ahead than past projections (to the year 2050), they found that HFCs, especially from developing countries, will become an increasingly larger factor in future climate warming. "HFCs are good for protecting the ozone layer, but they are not climate friendly," said David W. Fahey, a scientist at NOAA and second author of the new study. "Our research shows that their effect on climate could become significantly larger than we expected, if we continue along a business-as-usual path," he added. HFCs currently have a climate change contribution that is small (less than 1 percent) in comparison to the contribution of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The researchers have shown that by 2050, the HFCs contribution could rise to 7 to 12 percent of what CO2 contributes, and if international efforts succeed in stabilizing CO2 emissions, the relative climate contribution from HFCs would increase further.NOAA's Earth System ResearHFCs, which do not contain ozone-destroying chlorine or bromine atoms, are used as substitutes for ozone-depleting compounds such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in such uses as refrigeration, air conditioning, and the production of insulating foams. The researchers took a fresh look at how the global use of HFCs is expected to grow in coming decades. Using updated usage estimates and looking farther ahead than past projections (to the year 2050), they found that HFCs, especially from developing countries, will become an increasingly larger factor in future climate warming. "HFCs are good for protecting the ozone layer, but they are not climate friendly," said David W. Fahey, a scientist at NOAA and second author of the new study. "Our research shows that their effect on climate could become significantly larger than we expected, if we continue along a business-as-usual path," he added. HFCs currently have a climate change contribution that is small (less than 1 percent) in comparison to the contribution of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The researchers have shown that by 2050, the HFCs contribution could rise to 7 to 12 percent of what CO2 contributes, and if international efforts succeed in stabilizing CO2 emissions, the relative climate contribution from HFCs would increase further.
ch Laboratory and their colleagues.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
India has only around 1,500 tigers: govt survey
While the new survey shows a marginal decline in tiger numbers inside sanctuaries and protected areas, the tiger population outside them appears to have fallen drastically
There are only between 1,300-1,500 tigers left in India, according to a new study commissioned by the government. This figure is less than half the reported figure from the last official tiger census conducted in 2001, although many experts had questioned those numbers. The prime minister has promised action to tackle the alarming decline in the country?s tiger population.
The Wildlife Institute of India, which carried out the survey with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), said the tiger population in reserves and protected areas had dropped marginally but had declined sharply in unprotected forest areas.
?Today?s presentation has brought home the fact that we may have made a mistake about wanting to have people co-exist with tigers, and become dinner. And it wasn?t such a good idea for people. The idea was to try and find ways to remove them from those areas and let nature rejuvenate itself,? said conservationist Prahalad Kakkar.
The survey was presented to a National Wildlife Board meeting, chaired by India?s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The new numbers confirm fears expressed when initial results from the study were reported in May. ?The earlier tiger census figures were exaggerated because there was a tendency that if you are a manager of a tiger reserve, if you did a census and showed a lower number, your knuckles were rapped,? added Belinda Wright, director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India.
The last major tiger census relied on estimating the population by examining tiger pugmarks; the current study is far more extensive and accurate, using camera ?traps? triggered by passing animals, as well as hundreds of wildlife officials tracking the animals through droppings and pugmarks.
Listing urgent measures that have been taken to bolster tiger conservation in India, the NTCA said, while releasing the study on November 2, that central assistance is being provided for the creation of a ?tiger protection force? comprising ex-army personnel and local people. This will complement the efforts of field staff and existing protection initiatives.
Meanwhile, renowned conservationist Valmik Thapar said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had promised prompt action to deal with the dwindling tiger population. ?Yesterday?s National Wildlife Board meeting headed by the prime minister was excellent. He came up with three solutions -- one, a sub-committee should be formed to look into tiger conservation; second, a tiger population force must be formed which should be headed by various state governments to check the number of tigers in every state; and third, a senior policeman should head a wildlife crime bureau that has been headless for quite some time now. These three ways will affect the tigers in a positive way. This could be the beginning of a new era in wildlife conservation. Government, NGOs and individuals can partner much better. The prime minister was very much in tune with the problem and is doing what needs to be done. So we are keeping our fingers crossed,? Thapar concluded.
A century ago, India?s tiger population was believed to number in the tens of thousands. But unchecked development, rampant poaching and population pressure on tiger habitats have rapidly depleted their
There are only between 1,300-1,500 tigers left in India, according to a new study commissioned by the government. This figure is less than half the reported figure from the last official tiger census conducted in 2001, although many experts had questioned those numbers. The prime minister has promised action to tackle the alarming decline in the country?s tiger population.
The Wildlife Institute of India, which carried out the survey with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), said the tiger population in reserves and protected areas had dropped marginally but had declined sharply in unprotected forest areas.
?Today?s presentation has brought home the fact that we may have made a mistake about wanting to have people co-exist with tigers, and become dinner. And it wasn?t such a good idea for people. The idea was to try and find ways to remove them from those areas and let nature rejuvenate itself,? said conservationist Prahalad Kakkar.
The survey was presented to a National Wildlife Board meeting, chaired by India?s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The new numbers confirm fears expressed when initial results from the study were reported in May. ?The earlier tiger census figures were exaggerated because there was a tendency that if you are a manager of a tiger reserve, if you did a census and showed a lower number, your knuckles were rapped,? added Belinda Wright, director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India.
The last major tiger census relied on estimating the population by examining tiger pugmarks; the current study is far more extensive and accurate, using camera ?traps? triggered by passing animals, as well as hundreds of wildlife officials tracking the animals through droppings and pugmarks.
Listing urgent measures that have been taken to bolster tiger conservation in India, the NTCA said, while releasing the study on November 2, that central assistance is being provided for the creation of a ?tiger protection force? comprising ex-army personnel and local people. This will complement the efforts of field staff and existing protection initiatives.
Meanwhile, renowned conservationist Valmik Thapar said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had promised prompt action to deal with the dwindling tiger population. ?Yesterday?s National Wildlife Board meeting headed by the prime minister was excellent. He came up with three solutions -- one, a sub-committee should be formed to look into tiger conservation; second, a tiger population force must be formed which should be headed by various state governments to check the number of tigers in every state; and third, a senior policeman should head a wildlife crime bureau that has been headless for quite some time now. These three ways will affect the tigers in a positive way. This could be the beginning of a new era in wildlife conservation. Government, NGOs and individuals can partner much better. The prime minister was very much in tune with the problem and is doing what needs to be done. So we are keeping our fingers crossed,? Thapar concluded.
A century ago, India?s tiger population was believed to number in the tens of thousands. But unchecked development, rampant poaching and population pressure on tiger habitats have rapidly depleted their
India will not take on emission reduction targets: Ramesh
India will not sign any treaty that legally binds it to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh reiterated here Tuesday, attacking a proposed US legislation that seeks to financially punish countries that refuse to take on such targets.
At a time when climate change - along with terrorism and the economic downturn - is dominating the international agenda, Ramesh told the media that India 'must stop looking at climate change purely as an international issue'.
'It is most fundamentally a domestic and local issue, as it impacts water security, land productivity, agricultural yields and energy consumption.'
All countries are now negotiating an agreement to tackle climate change. They are scheduled to do so by this December, when the next climate summit will be held in Copenhagen.
Industrialised countries, which are already committed to reducing their GHG emissions by 5.2 percent from 1990 levels by 2012, are putting immense pressure on India, China and other emerging economies to commit to GHG emissions reductions or at least caps.
These emissions - 75 percent of them of carbon dioxide - are warming the atmosphere and leading to climate change.
In this fractious atmosphere, Ramesh reiterated India's 'eight non-negotiable basic principles':
* India's per capita emission levels will never exceed the per capita emission levels of developed countries.
* India cannot and will not take on emission reduction targets because poverty eradication and social and economic development are the first and over-riding priorities; each human being has equal right to global atmospheric resources; 'common but differentiated responsibility' is the basis for all climate change actions.
* India will continue to be a low-carbon economy.
* India's primary focus is on adaptation (to climate change), with specific niches for mitigation (of GHG emissions).
* India has already unveiled a comprehensive National Action Plan on Climate Change, whose activities are in the public domain. Work on the action plan has been initiated.
* Only those 'nationally appropriate mitigation actions' can be subject to international monitoring, reporting and verification that are enabled and supported by international finance and technology transfer.
* India wants a comprehensive approach to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) and advocates REDD+ that includes conservation, afforestation and sustainable management of forests.
* India advocates collaborative research and future low-carbon technology and access to intellectual property rights as global public goods.
Ramesh said industrialised countries that were responsible for almost all GHG in the atmosphere today should be far more proactive in reducing emissions. He described the bill passed by the US House of Representatives Monday as 'anaemic. The targets are very unambitious. And the most pernicious part of it is the climate tax.'
He welcomed US President Barack Obama's call to the US Senate to reject this part of the bill and said: 'India rejects the use of climate as a non-tariff barrier and will oppose the introduction of climate change talks in World Trade Organisation negotiations. We want barriers to trade environmental goods and services to be removed.'
At Bonn earlier this month, during the most recent preparatory talks for the Copenhagen summit, India, China and 36 other countries had submitted a proposal that industrialised countries be legally obliged to reduce their GHG emissions by at least 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.
Referring to this proposal, Ramesh told IANS: 'We don't want the developed countries to push back their commitments to 2050, when none of us here will be around. We want them to reduce their emissions by 2020, and to do it from 1990 levels, instead of pushing the baseline to 2005 as some of them are trying to do.'
At a time when climate change - along with terrorism and the economic downturn - is dominating the international agenda, Ramesh told the media that India 'must stop looking at climate change purely as an international issue'.
'It is most fundamentally a domestic and local issue, as it impacts water security, land productivity, agricultural yields and energy consumption.'
All countries are now negotiating an agreement to tackle climate change. They are scheduled to do so by this December, when the next climate summit will be held in Copenhagen.
Industrialised countries, which are already committed to reducing their GHG emissions by 5.2 percent from 1990 levels by 2012, are putting immense pressure on India, China and other emerging economies to commit to GHG emissions reductions or at least caps.
These emissions - 75 percent of them of carbon dioxide - are warming the atmosphere and leading to climate change.
In this fractious atmosphere, Ramesh reiterated India's 'eight non-negotiable basic principles':
* India's per capita emission levels will never exceed the per capita emission levels of developed countries.
* India cannot and will not take on emission reduction targets because poverty eradication and social and economic development are the first and over-riding priorities; each human being has equal right to global atmospheric resources; 'common but differentiated responsibility' is the basis for all climate change actions.
* India will continue to be a low-carbon economy.
* India's primary focus is on adaptation (to climate change), with specific niches for mitigation (of GHG emissions).
* India has already unveiled a comprehensive National Action Plan on Climate Change, whose activities are in the public domain. Work on the action plan has been initiated.
* Only those 'nationally appropriate mitigation actions' can be subject to international monitoring, reporting and verification that are enabled and supported by international finance and technology transfer.
* India wants a comprehensive approach to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) and advocates REDD+ that includes conservation, afforestation and sustainable management of forests.
* India advocates collaborative research and future low-carbon technology and access to intellectual property rights as global public goods.
Ramesh said industrialised countries that were responsible for almost all GHG in the atmosphere today should be far more proactive in reducing emissions. He described the bill passed by the US House of Representatives Monday as 'anaemic. The targets are very unambitious. And the most pernicious part of it is the climate tax.'
He welcomed US President Barack Obama's call to the US Senate to reject this part of the bill and said: 'India rejects the use of climate as a non-tariff barrier and will oppose the introduction of climate change talks in World Trade Organisation negotiations. We want barriers to trade environmental goods and services to be removed.'
At Bonn earlier this month, during the most recent preparatory talks for the Copenhagen summit, India, China and 36 other countries had submitted a proposal that industrialised countries be legally obliged to reduce their GHG emissions by at least 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.
Referring to this proposal, Ramesh told IANS: 'We don't want the developed countries to push back their commitments to 2050, when none of us here will be around. We want them to reduce their emissions by 2020, and to do it from 1990 levels, instead of pushing the baseline to 2005 as some of them are trying to do.'
Nano to rule cities as green norms push M800 off road
THE world’s cheapest car, Nano, is likely to wrest the leadership position in the small car segment within a year as the ruling market leaders — Maruti 800 and Omni — will no longer be sold in 11 of India’s biggest cities from January 2010 because of failure to meet current emission norms. These cities account for one out of two cars sold in the country. “This (absence of Maruti 800 and Omni) would mean no direct competition to Nano. The important question is whether Tata Motors would be able to manufacture enough units of Nano that would meet the demand.” said Kapil Arora, Partner (Automobile), Ernst & Young. Although Nano could become the highest selling car in its segment, it would take some time to contribute to Tata Motors’ sagging bottomline. Mr Arora said Tata Motors, which suffered a Rs 2,500-crore loss last year largely due the tribulations of its UK subsidiary Jaguar and Land Rover, needs to sell at least 2.5 lakh units of the Nano to make money from the world’s cheapest car. The company may be in a position to produce the Nano in these numbers only by the end of 2010 once its plant at Sanand, Gujarat becomes operational. The entry-level Maruti 800, the flagship product of Maruti Suzuki India, is priced at Rs 2.15 lakh. The basic version of the Nano is pegged at Rs 1.35 lakh though other version with more more features cost more. “The pricing strategy of the product is not decided yet. The price of the Nano could go up. The margin at the moment is wafer thin, “ he added. The company spokesperson said: “The first one lakh allotments (of the Nano) are price-protected as prices were declared at the launch. For others, should circumstances require any pricing decision, it will be intimated to them (customers who have booked the car) at the time of delivery.” The company is also planning to launch the diesel version of the Nano. There has been speculation that the diesel Nano could cost around Rs 2 lakh, making it the cheapest car in the category.
Pollution control board officials collect samples from Sewree mudflats to check toxicity
Following the case of a flamingo’s collapse in the swamps of the highly polluted suburb of Sewri last week “due to toxicity in the water”, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has collected water samples from the mudflats for thorough chemical analysis.
BD Wadde, MPCB regional officer in Mumbai, said that on May 19, immediately after the incident, his officials visited the spot where the migratory bird was found, and collected about two-and-a half litre of water to carry out detailed tests. The samples have now been forwarded to the MPCB labs and results will be out in a month.
“We have to ensure that dissolved oxygen (DO) has not fallen below 5 mg per litre. If that happens, the aquatic animals may die due to suffocation,” Wadde said.
The pH level, DO levels, turbidity, total dissolved solid, ammonical nitrogen content, nitrate, phosphate, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) as well as the total and faecal coliform contents in the water will also be checked.
A separate micro pollutant test will also be carried out to rule out pesticide content in the water. This test will check for DDT, endosulphan, aldrin, diedrin, methyl parathion, chloropyriphos etc in the water. Existence of toxic metals like arsenic, cadmium, mercury, zinc, chromium, lead, nickel and iron will also be checked.
However, pollution control board officials suspected that high effluent contents in the water may not have caused the bird’s collapse. “There are very few industries within the city and there is a stringent check on waste disposal. It is not possible that the mudflats are so polluted. This seems like a one off case and it is possible that the bird could have had a bad health condition,” he explained.
Flamingo still not wellThe flamingo found at the mudflats two weeks ago is still battling to recover at the SPCA Hospital. The bird, which had diarrhea and was vomiting blood, when it was hospitalised, is now finding it difficult to walk or fly. “The flamingo has been put on a treatment of vitamin tonics and supplements. The toxins seem to have damaged its nerves. It is lying prostrate and not standing up, said Dr Y Kaginkar of the SPCA Hospital. The toxins in the bird’s system cannot be checked as the veins of the bird are delicate now. “When the bird becomes strong, I shall conduct further tests,” adds Kaginkar
BD Wadde, MPCB regional officer in Mumbai, said that on May 19, immediately after the incident, his officials visited the spot where the migratory bird was found, and collected about two-and-a half litre of water to carry out detailed tests. The samples have now been forwarded to the MPCB labs and results will be out in a month.
“We have to ensure that dissolved oxygen (DO) has not fallen below 5 mg per litre. If that happens, the aquatic animals may die due to suffocation,” Wadde said.
The pH level, DO levels, turbidity, total dissolved solid, ammonical nitrogen content, nitrate, phosphate, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) as well as the total and faecal coliform contents in the water will also be checked.
A separate micro pollutant test will also be carried out to rule out pesticide content in the water. This test will check for DDT, endosulphan, aldrin, diedrin, methyl parathion, chloropyriphos etc in the water. Existence of toxic metals like arsenic, cadmium, mercury, zinc, chromium, lead, nickel and iron will also be checked.
However, pollution control board officials suspected that high effluent contents in the water may not have caused the bird’s collapse. “There are very few industries within the city and there is a stringent check on waste disposal. It is not possible that the mudflats are so polluted. This seems like a one off case and it is possible that the bird could have had a bad health condition,” he explained.
Flamingo still not wellThe flamingo found at the mudflats two weeks ago is still battling to recover at the SPCA Hospital. The bird, which had diarrhea and was vomiting blood, when it was hospitalised, is now finding it difficult to walk or fly. “The flamingo has been put on a treatment of vitamin tonics and supplements. The toxins seem to have damaged its nerves. It is lying prostrate and not standing up, said Dr Y Kaginkar of the SPCA Hospital. The toxins in the bird’s system cannot be checked as the veins of the bird are delicate now. “When the bird becomes strong, I shall conduct further tests,” adds Kaginkar
Green lobby split on climate plan
ENVIRONMENTALISTS can't agree on whether the proposed emissions trading scheme is green enough to get the go-ahead.
High-profile climate scientist Tim Flannery says it is, and has called on the Greens to pass it in the Senate.
"A first step is better than nothing,'' Prof Flannery, a former Australian of the year, told ABC Television last night.
But Greens leader Bob Brown has rejected what he described as "the Tim Flannery compromise''. "I think from politics, from much greater political experience than Tim Flannery, that you don't allow a process which is of itself going to fail,'' Senator Brown said.
He says the target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as little as 5 per cent by 2020 is not good enough, and the ETS gives too much support to big polluters.
Senator Brown pointed out that even with the Greens' support, Labor can't pass the ETS because Family First's Steve Fielding will vote against it.
The Greens are not optimistic that an adequate ETS will proceed in Australia.
"I think the Rudd Government is about to fail on that score,'' Senator Brown said.
There has already been a falling out between green groups over whether the ETS should be passed.
The Australian Conservation Foundation supports it passing, while Greenpeace says the scheme is not good enough.
High-profile climate scientist Tim Flannery says it is, and has called on the Greens to pass it in the Senate.
"A first step is better than nothing,'' Prof Flannery, a former Australian of the year, told ABC Television last night.
But Greens leader Bob Brown has rejected what he described as "the Tim Flannery compromise''. "I think from politics, from much greater political experience than Tim Flannery, that you don't allow a process which is of itself going to fail,'' Senator Brown said.
He says the target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as little as 5 per cent by 2020 is not good enough, and the ETS gives too much support to big polluters.
Senator Brown pointed out that even with the Greens' support, Labor can't pass the ETS because Family First's Steve Fielding will vote against it.
The Greens are not optimistic that an adequate ETS will proceed in Australia.
"I think the Rudd Government is about to fail on that score,'' Senator Brown said.
There has already been a falling out between green groups over whether the ETS should be passed.
The Australian Conservation Foundation supports it passing, while Greenpeace says the scheme is not good enough.
Global ban on commercial chemicals
Experts and officials from some 150 countries started talks on Monday on banning production of nine chemicals considered potentially dangerous but still used in farming and for other commercial purposes.
If agreement is reached at the week-long meeting, under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the nine will join a list of 12 other so-called persistent organic pollutants, or POPS, long targeted for elimination.
"The risks posed by such chemicals are profound, and these toxic substances leave chemical footprints around the globe," said UNEP executive director Achim Steiner, who will be watching over the Geneva gathering.
The newly-targeted chemicals include products - known normally under their scientific names - that are widely used for pesticides and are also used in the manufacture of flame retardants and similar items.
The original 12 POPS - dubbed the "dirty dozen" and widely blamed for damaging human nervous systems, causing cancer and disrupting the development of young children - were listed under a 2001 international pact called the Stockholm Convention.
But as these have been removed from production lines, focus has switched to extending the banned list to other highly toxic chemicals that take many years, often decades, to degrade into less dangerous forms.
SPECIAL RISKS
Among the new ones to be considered this week are Alpha hexachlorocyclohexane, Hexabromidyphenyl ether, Chlordecone, Hexabromobiphenyl, Lindane, Pentachlorobenzene and Perfluorooctane, according to UNEP.
UNEP says these, like the "dirty dozen", pose special risks to young people, farmers, pregnant women and the unborn, and to remote communities like those in the Arctic where Inuit women and polar bears have been found to have large POP doses in their own bodies.
The pollutant chemicals can evaporate and travel long distances through air and water to regions far from their original source and accumulate in the fatty tissues of both humans and animals.
A thaw in the Arctic linked to global warming may allow some of the chemicals, long-trapped under sea ice, to evaporate into the atmosphere and spread further around the polar region, an expert said on Monday.
Agreement at the Geneva meeting, which ends on May 8, could mark a major step toward creating a healthier and more sustainable green economy for the world, said Steiner, while lifting a health threat to millions of people.
If agreement is reached at the week-long meeting, under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the nine will join a list of 12 other so-called persistent organic pollutants, or POPS, long targeted for elimination.
"The risks posed by such chemicals are profound, and these toxic substances leave chemical footprints around the globe," said UNEP executive director Achim Steiner, who will be watching over the Geneva gathering.
The newly-targeted chemicals include products - known normally under their scientific names - that are widely used for pesticides and are also used in the manufacture of flame retardants and similar items.
The original 12 POPS - dubbed the "dirty dozen" and widely blamed for damaging human nervous systems, causing cancer and disrupting the development of young children - were listed under a 2001 international pact called the Stockholm Convention.
But as these have been removed from production lines, focus has switched to extending the banned list to other highly toxic chemicals that take many years, often decades, to degrade into less dangerous forms.
SPECIAL RISKS
Among the new ones to be considered this week are Alpha hexachlorocyclohexane, Hexabromidyphenyl ether, Chlordecone, Hexabromobiphenyl, Lindane, Pentachlorobenzene and Perfluorooctane, according to UNEP.
UNEP says these, like the "dirty dozen", pose special risks to young people, farmers, pregnant women and the unborn, and to remote communities like those in the Arctic where Inuit women and polar bears have been found to have large POP doses in their own bodies.
The pollutant chemicals can evaporate and travel long distances through air and water to regions far from their original source and accumulate in the fatty tissues of both humans and animals.
A thaw in the Arctic linked to global warming may allow some of the chemicals, long-trapped under sea ice, to evaporate into the atmosphere and spread further around the polar region, an expert said on Monday.
Agreement at the Geneva meeting, which ends on May 8, could mark a major step toward creating a healthier and more sustainable green economy for the world, said Steiner, while lifting a health threat to millions of people.
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