28-Jan-2023: Forest and Tree cover in India
Definitions
- Tree cover: area of land covered by trees, regardless of ecosystem
- Forest cover: area of land covered by forest ecosystem (tree canopy density > 10%, >1 hectare)
National Mission for a Green India (GIM):
- One of 8 Missions under National Action Plan on Climate Change
- Aims to protect, restore, enhance forest cover and respond to climate change
- Target under Mission is 10 Mha for forest/tree cover increase and quality improvement
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change supports afforestation activities
- Improving tree cover critical for sequestering carbon and meeting international commitments to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions
Forest status in India:
- Forest and tree cover increased by 2,261 sq km since 2019
- Total forest and tree cover: 80.9 Mha (24.62% of geographical area)
- 17 states/UTs had >33% area under forest cover
- Top 5 states in terms of forest cover as % of total geographical area: Mizoram (84.53%), Arunachal Pradesh (79.33%), Meghalaya (76%), Manipur (74.34%), Nagaland (73.90%)
Issues associated with forests in India:
- Shrinking forest cover: ideal percentage of forest cover is 33%, currently 24.62% and decreasing
- Resource access conflict: local communities vs commercial interests
- Climate change: forest disturbances reduce productivity and change species distribution, 45-64% of forests will experience effects by 2030.
Government Initiatives for Forest Conservation:
- National Afforestation Programme
- Environment Protection Act of 1986
- Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006
More ways to grow forest cover?
- Utilising Technology for Conservation
- Remote sensing for monitoring and tracking
- Potential resource mapping
- Dedicated Forest Corridors
- Promoting Agroforestry
- Integration of trees and forest-based products into farming systems.
25-Jan-2023: India may lose on the journey towards clean energy
A study published in the Global Environmental Change journal states that, India’s financial sector is highly exposed to the risks of the economy transitioning from being largely dependent on fossil fuel to clean energy.
Negative Impact on Financial Sector
- India's financial sector heavily exposed to fossil fuel activities
- Transition to clean energy will have negative impact on financial sector
Shortage of Experts
- Lack of expertise in financial institutions for advising on transition
- Only 4 of 10 major financial institutions collect ESG risk information
Less Capacity to Respond to Shocks and Stresses
- High-carbon industries have 10% of outstanding debt
- Heavily indebted industries have less financial capacity to respond to shocks
More Polluting and More Expensive Energy Supply
- Financial decisions locking India into more polluting, expensive energy supply
- Only 17.5% of bank lending to power sector for pure-play renewables
- Coal accounts for 44% of India's primary energy sources and 70% of its power
- 91,000 MW of proposed coal capacity in works, second only to China
Potential
- Heavy exposure to potential transition risks
- Tremendous opportunity to move finance towards sustainable assets
- India committed to reach net-zero emissions by 2070
- Plans to source 50% of electricity needs from non-fossil fuels by 2030
- At least a trillion dollars financing needed to meet commitments
14-Jan-2023: Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) 2023
What is Asian Waterbird Census?
- Citizen-science programme
- Supports conservation and management of wetlands and waterbirds worldwide
- Part of the global International Waterbird Census (IWC) coordinated by Wetlands International
- Runs in parallel with other regional programmes of the IWC in Africa, Europe, West Asia, the Neotropics and the Caribbean
- Initiated in the Indian subcontinent in 1987
- Jointly coordinated by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Wetlands International
Survey Highlights:
- Populations of some migratory waterbirds visiting the Alappuzha region of Kerala are falling
- Missing duck species like Northern Shoveler, Common teal and Eurasian wigeon
- Climate change has affected the number of birds visiting the region
- Precise impact of climate change on bird migration requires more detailed studies
Significance of the Asian Waterbird Census
- Gives an idea of the birds at the wetland and the health of the wetland
- The more the waterbirds, the more suitable the wetland is
- Helps in better implementation of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Convention on Biological Diversity‘s (CBD)