Climate Change

How to rewrite the Durban script

It’s that time of the year again. Climate change talks are heating up, with the next conference of parties scheduled in Durban in end-November. There is heat but no light. The negotiations are stuck despite the clear signs of climate change: dangerous and potentially catastrophic extreme weather events. Not much is expected in Durban, except the usual shadow-boxing. The European Union is leading the pack of climate champions. It wants the world to fast track negotiations for a single, legally binding treaty on cutting emissions.

Publication Date: 
01/11/2011
Sunita Narain
20
12
3
Tags:
Climate Change, Climate Economics, Developing Countries, India, Kyoto Protocol, COP 17 (Durban Summit), Conference Of Parties, Sunita Narain, European Union (EU)

 ‘Forest department is the encroacher’

Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act was enacted 15 years ago. Do you feel helpless because it has not yet been implemented?


As the minister of panchayati raj, my first job is to remind people about the existence of PESA. If need arises I can go for further legislation to ensure that states comply with the provisions of PESA. For this, I will talk to chief ministers and ministers in charge of panchayati raj activities.

Publication Date: 
15/10/2011
Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava, Richard Mahapatra
Down to Earth
Oct 15, 2011
Tags:
India, Mining, Minor Forest Produce, Benefit Sharing, Compensation, Public Sector, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Panchayats, Legislation, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Land Acquisition, Joint Forest Management (JFM), Forest Rights Act 2006, Minerals

 20 years to…where?

Next year, in June, world leaders will get together in the joyful city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to mark 20 years of UNCED—the Earth Summit (see Down to Earth, May 15, 1992).

Publication Date: 
15/10/2011
Sunita Narain
Down to Earth
Oct 15, 2011
Tags:
Environment, Sunita Narain, Energy, Global Environmental Agreements, Low Carbon Economy, Poverty, Sustainable Development, Developing Countries, Consumption Patterns, Rio Summit, Economic Development, Development, Benefit Sharing
Energy

Debate on Koodankulam Nuke plant, Tamil Nadu

Publication Date: 
22/09/2011
Tags:
Nuclear Power Plants, Tamil Nadu, Conflicts, Sunita Narain, Nuclear Power, Nuclear Safety, Nuclear Accidents, Nuclear Power Corporation Of India (NPCIL), Koodunkulam APS
Health

Time to wake up to threat of NCDs

As the UN begins its meeting to devise strategies to tackle NCDs, Indian public health activists say it was a wake-up call for the health authorities in India. Some of them expressed concern that the meeting may be used to push industry agenda.

Publication Date: 
19/09/2011
Tags:
Non Communicable Diseases, India, Cancer, Health Care, Tobacco, Alcoholism, Smoking, Lifestyles, NGO, Drug Industry

 'Poor nations need Codex education'

On his focus areas as chairperson of Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)


I would like to focus on building capacity in developing and least developed countries. Most of them do not understand the Codex document, what it contains and what is there between the lines. So, they do not know how they are going to be affected by a decision of the Commission. These countries need to be supported and trained. A lot of hand-holding will have to be done if CAC is to be of use to these countries. The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organisation are already engaged in a lot of capacity building and this effort needs to be further enhanced.

Publication Date: 
30/09/2011
Savvy Soumya Misra
Down to Earth
Sep 30, 2011
Tags:
Food Policy, India, Food Standards, Agriculture, Organic Foods, Developing Countries, Food Safety, CODEX, Trade, WTO

 A monsoon warning

Publication Date: 
30/09/2011
Sunita Narain
Down to Earth
Sep 30, 2011
Tags:
Delhi, Water Harvesting, Sunita Narain, India, Floods, Monsoons, Extreme Weather Events, Drainage, Himachal Pradesh, Climate Impacts, Climate Change, Urban Waterlogging, Hirakund, Rainfall Pattern, Natural Disasters, Orissa, Dams, Climate Mitigation

 ‘Predictions wrong, but give indications’

On many occasions monsoons have failed leading to droughts, but IMD did not predict them. Why?

Publication Date: 
15/09/2011
Down to Earth
Sep 15, 2011
Tags:
Atmosphere And Ozone Layer, India, Indian Ocean, Weather Predictions, Monsoons, Rainfall, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), United States Of America (US)

 Lessons from Kakarapalli

We were standing at the edge of what looked like a swamp—grass and pools and streams. On one side was heavily barricaded land with high walls, barbed wires and armed security. A board read: East Coast Energy, Kakarapalli. This was where a bloody battle had taken place a few months ago. People protesting the takeover of their wetland were shot at and three lost their lives. Now the site of the 2,640 MW thermal power plant is under siege—locked and in court.

Publication Date: 
15/09/2011
Sunita Narain
Down to Earth
Sep 15, 2011
Tags:
Water Conservation, Wetlands, Sunita Narain, Ecosystem Services, Forest Conservation, Andhra Pradesh, Thermal Power Plants, Common Property Resources, Srikakulam (D), Wastelands, Industry, Water Resources, Land Acquisition, Conflicts, Farmers, Fisherfolk

 A civilisational loss

One of your more quoted statements is that the Bagmati is dirty because there is too much money flowing in it.


Bagmati is nature. She needs to be honoured and feared like nature. Feared like a teacher. She does not like money. Hindus believe when they die, they will be reclaimed by the five elements or panchatatva—jal (water), prithvi (land), vayu (wind), agni (fire) and aakash (space or void). I’m almost 90 and very sensitive to the need to protect nature. It will then care for us. If you start handling nature in a bad way, it will not honour you. If we concentrate our science on these five elements, we may be able to revive the Bagmati. Maybe it will take a long time. The easiest way to revive the Bagmati now is by not thinking big projects.

Publication Date: 
31/08/2011
Aditya Batra
Down to Earth
Aug 31, 2011
Tags:
Bagmati, Sewage Pollution, Sewage Treatment Plants (STP), River Action Plan, Nepal, Water Pollution, Water Pollution Control, South Asia, River Pollution

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