Climate change is a change in the pattern of weather, and related changes in oceans, land surfaces and ice sheets, occurring over time scales of decades or longer. Weather is influenced by the oceans, land surfaces and ice sheets, which together with the atmosphere form what is called the ‘climate system’.
Climate change is a change in the statistical properties of the climate system that persists for several decades or longer—usually at least 30 years. These statistical properties include averages, variability and extremes. Climate change may be due to natural processes, such as changes in the Sun’s radiation, volcanoes or internal variability in the climate system, or due to human influences such as changes in the composition of the atmosphere or land use. Source: Australian Academy of Science
India’s National Environmental Policy (NEP) was adopted in 2006 and was built upon on the existing policies ( e.g. National Forest Policy, 1988; National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and Development, 1992; and the Policy Statement on Abatement of Pollution,1992; National Agriculture Policy, 2000; National Population Policy, 2000; National Water Policy, 2002 etc). The dominant theme of this policy was that while conservation of environmental resources is necessary to secure livelihoods and well-being of all, the most secure basis for conservation is to ensure that people dependent on particular resources obtain better livelihoods from the fact of conservation, than from degradation of the resource.
The policy also desired to stimulate partnerships of different stakeholders, i.e. public agencies, local communities, academic and scientific institutions, the investment community, and international development partners, in harnessing their respective resources and strengths for environmental management.
Web link for downloading document http://www.indg.in/rural-energy/environment/national-environment_policy-2006.pdf
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There are Eight National Missions which form the core of the National Action Plan.
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INDIA’S INTENDED NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION “Om dyauh śāntir antariksam śāntih prithvi śāntih āpah śāntih osadhayah śāntih”
{{Unto Heaven be Peace, Unto the Sky and the Earth be Peace, Peace be unto the
INTRODUCTION
India has a long history and tradition of harmonious co-existence between man and nature. Human beings here have regarded fauna and flora as part of their family. This is part of our heritage and manifest in our lifestyle and traditional practices. We represent a culture that calls our planet Mother Earth. As our ancient text says; "Keep pure! For the Earth is our mother! And we are her children!" The ancient Indian practice of Yoga, for example, is a system that is aimed at balancing contentment and worldly desires, that helps pursue a path of moderation and a sustainable lifestyle. Environmental sustainability,which involves both intra-generational and inter-generational equity, has been the approach of Indians for very long. Much before the climate change debate began, Mahatma Gandhi, regarded as the father of our nation had said that we should act as ‘trustees’ and use natural resources wisely as it is our moral responsibility to ensure that we bequeath to the future generations a healthy planet. more…
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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was set up in 1988 as the international body mandated for assessing the science related to climate change. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) established the IPCC to aid decision making supplemented with regular assessments of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. Assessment reports of IPCC provide science backed evidences for governments at all levels to develop climate action policies, under the aegis of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). These assessments provide projections of future climate change based on various climate associated risk scenarios and establish a platform for decision makers to take action without implying any direct action.
Read the IPCC 5th Assessment Report here: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/
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The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) facilitates analysis and prediction of Earth system change for use in a range of practical applications of direct relevance, benefit and value to society. WCRP aims to determine the predictability of climate and the effect of human activities on climate. Read more at https://www.wcrp-climate.org |
Source: Dainik Jagaran, 20 July, 2017
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June 2017 was fourth-warmest on record (Source: climate.nasa.gov)
June 2017 was the fourth warmest June in 137 years of modern record-keeping, according to a monthly analysis of global temperatures by scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York.
Last month was 0.69 degrees Celsius warmer than the mean June temperature from 1951-1980. It is surpassed by June 2016 (+0.79 °C) and June 2015 and 1998 (+0.78 °C) and only insignificantly warmer than June 2005 (+0.68 °C). Except for June 1998, the 10 warmest months of June occurred between 2005 and 2017.
The monthly analysis by the GISS team is assembled from publicly available data acquired by about 6,300 meteorological stations around the world, ship- and buoy-based instruments measuring sea surface temperature, and Antarctic research stations.
The modern global temperature record begins around 1880 because previous observations didn't cover enough of the planet. Monthly analyses are sometimes updated when additional data becomes available, and the results are subject to change. more…
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Climate change may make it too hot to fly, study says (Source: latimes.com/)
A spike in summer temperatures in Phoenix last month forced American Airlines to cancel dozens of flights because some planes used by the carrier’s regional airline could not operate in such extreme heat.
Airlines can expect to face such problems more often because of extreme temperatures caused by global climate change, according to a study from Columbia University.
The study, which appeared Thursday in the journal Climatic Change, estimated that 10% to 30% of fully loaded planes may have to remove fuel, cargo or passengers to fly during the hottest parts of the day or wait for temperatures to drop.
As temperatures rise, air becomes less dense, which means that aircraft wings generate less lift as a plane gains speed along a runway, experts say.
The study said average global temperatures have increased nearly 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since about 1980 and will rise by as much as 5.4 degrees by 2100. Heat waves will become more prevalent, causing more problems for airlines, according to the study by Columbia University doctoral student Ethan Coffel and climatologist Radley Horton.
American Airlines canceled 60 flights from June 19 through June 21 when temperatures at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport rose as high as 119 degrees. The planes, Bombardier CRJ aircraft operated by regional carriers working with American Airlines, are designed to operate at temperatures no higher than 117.8 degrees.
American Airlines said it rebooked the passengers from the canceled flights without charging any extra fees. The Fort Worth-based carrier also contacted passengers on flights scheduled to take off during the hottest times of the day to warn them about the likelihood of cancellations. more…
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Fungi can be used as biomonitors for assessing radioactivity in our environment (Source: phys.org)
Radioactive contamination is the unwanted presence of radioactive substances in the environment. The environment is contaminated by naturally occurring and anthropogenic radionuclides, unstable isotopes of an element that releases radiation as it decomposes and becomes more stable These radionuclides can be transferred throughout the food chain until reaching humans, comprising a potential health risk.
To study the presence of radionuclides in different products for human consumption and their subsequent transfer, research has been based fundamentally on foods such as meats, fish or milk, without considering foodstuffs like fungi, which are well known for accumulating concentrations of some radionuclides in their fruiting bodies.
As a result, the Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory of the University of Extremadura (LARUEX) has carried out a study to quantify radioactive presence in fungi. Thus, the author of the study, Javier Guillén, says, "This quantification is made using transfer coefficients that compare the radioactive content in the receptor compartment of the radioactive contamination, that is to say, in the fungi, to that existing in the soil."
To conduct this research, the authors considered the base level of radionuclides established in ecosystems with low radioactive content, and then used the software called the ERICA Tool. "This allows us to enter the transfer coefficient from the soil to the organism—in this case the fungus—thus calculating the dose of radionuclides a non-human organism receives."
From the study, we may conclude that the estimated dose rates for fungi in Spain are similar to those determined for other animals and plants and therefore, this species can be used when assessing the presence or absence of radioactive contamination in the soil. "Even though it is not strictly necessary to include fungi amongst the existing instruments and frameworks of assessment, they can be used in ecosystems that may require them based on criteria such as biodiversity."
The fungi in the study are concentrated in the Mediterranean area, and they do not contain a high dose of radionuclides, meaning there is no environmental contamination, and they are therefore perfectly suitable for consumption by humans. more… |
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