Environment & Ecology: April 2022 Current Affairs | Environment for UPSC CSE PDF Download

1. World Energy Transitions Outlook 2022

Why in News?
Recently, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) launched the World Energy Transitions Outlook 2022 at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue.

• The Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) has become a leading international forum for key stakeholders of the energy sector.

What is Energy Transition?

• Energy transition refers to the global energy sector’s shift from fossil-based systems of energy production and consumption — including oil, natural gas and coal — to renewable energy sources like wind and solar, as well as lithium-ion batteries.

What is the Purpose of the Outlook?

• The Outlook sets out priority areas and actions based on available technologies that must be realised by 2030 to achieve net zero emissions by mid-century.
• It also takes stock of progress across all energy uses to date, which shows that the current pace and scale of the renewables-based transition is inadequate.
• It provides in-depth analysis of two areas particularly relevant for the decarbonisation of end-use sectors: electrification and bioenergy.
• It also explores the socio-economic impacts of the 1.5°C pathway (under Paris Agreement) and suggests ways to speed progress towards universal access to clean energy (renewable energy).

What are the Findings of the Outlook?

• Global annual additions of renewable power will triple by 2030 as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
  At the same time, coal power will have to resolutely be replaced, fossil fuel assets phased out and infrastructure upgraded.
• The Outlook sees electrification and efficiency as key drivers of the energy transition, enabled by renewables, hydrogen, and sustainable biomass.
• End-use decarbonisation will take centre-stage with many solutions available through electrification, green hydrogen, and the direct use of renewables.
• High fossil fuel prices, energy security concerns and the urgency of climate change underscore the pressing need to move faster to a clean energy system

What are the Recommendations?

• Short-term interventions addressing the current energy crisis must be accompanied by a steadfast focus on mid- and long-term goals of the energy transition.
• Renewables will have to scale-up massively across all sectors from 14% of total energy today to around 40% in 2030.
• The largest energy consumers and carbon emitters will have to implement the most ambitious plans and investments by 2030.
• Countries need to set more ambitious targets and implement measures to ramp up energy efficiency and deployment of renewables.
• To fulfill the 1.5°C Scenario, the electricity sector will have to be thoroughly decarbonised by mid-century, with solar and wind leading the transformation.

What is the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)?

• It is an intergovernmental organisation, it was officially founded in Bonn, Germany, in January 2009.
• It has 167 members and India is the 77th Founding Member of IRENA.
• It has its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

What is the State of India’s Energy Transition?

• About:€ The country’s installed Renewable Energy (RE) capacity stands at 150.54 GW (solar: 48.55 GW, wind: 40.03 GW, Small hydro Power: 4.83, Biopower: 10.62, Large Hydro: 46.51 GW) as on 30th Nov. 2021 while its nuclear energy based installed electricity capacity stands at 6.78 GW.
• India has the 4th largest wind power capacity in the world. This brings the total non-fossil based installed energy capacity to 157.32 GW which is 40.1% of the total installed electricity capacity of 392.01 GW. € At COP26, India announced that it will reach carbon neutrality by 2070 as part of a five-point action plan that included reducing emissions to 50% by 2030.
• Rank of India in the Energy Transition Index: € India ranked 87 out of 110 countries in the Global Energy Transition Index (ETI) 2021, a benchmark by the World Economic Forum.
• Related Initiatives/Schemes: € International Solar Alliance One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG).
  • € National Solar Mission.
  • € Pradham Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan
  • Mahabhiyaan (PM KUSUM)
  • € Solar Park Scheme and Grid Connected Solar
  • Rooftop Scheme
  • € National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy 2018.
  • € Hydrogen Based Fuel Cells Vehicles
  • € Green Energy Corridor (GEC)

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2. Lead Poisoning

Why in News?
Recently, high levels of lead were found in the blood of thousands of children living around the Kabwe mine in Zambia.

What is Lead Poisoning?

• About: Lead poisoning or chronic intoxication is caused by the absorption of Lead in the system and is characterised especially by fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, anaemia, a dark line along the gums, and muscle paralysis or weakness of limbs.
• Children younger than 6 years are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning, which can severely affect mental and physical development. At very high levels, lead poisoning can be fatal. € Lead exposure also causes anaemia, hypertension, renal impairment, immunotoxicity and toxicity to the reproductive organs.
• More than three quarters of global lead consumption is for the manufacture of lead-acid batteries for motor vehicles.

• Sources of Lead Poisoning:€ People can become exposed to lead through occupational and environmental sources. This mainly results from:
  (i) Inhalation of lead particles generated by burning materials containing lead, for example during smelting, recycling, stripping leaded paint and using leaded aviation fuel; and
  (ii) Ingestion of lead-contaminated dust, water (from leaded pipes) and food (from lead-glazed or lead-soldered containers).

What is Lead?

• Lead is a naturally occurring toxic metal found in the Earth’s crust.
• Lead in the body is distributed to the brain, liver, kidney and bones. It is stored in the teeth and bones, where it accumulates over time.
• Human exposure is usually assessed through the measurement of lead in blood.
• Lead in bone is released into blood during pregnancy and becomes a source of exposure to the developing foetus.
• There is no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects.
• Lead exposure is preventable.

What about the Disease Burden of Lead?

• According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), in 2019, lead exposure accounted for 900 000 deaths and 21.7 million years of healthy life lost (Disability-Adjusted Life Years, or DALYs) worldwide due to long-term effects on health.
• The highest burden was in low- and middle-income countries.

What has been the Response of the World?

• WHO’s Response€ 
  • Lead as one of 10 chemicals of major public health concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO has joined with the United Nations Environment Programme to form the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint.
  • Leaded paint is a continuing source of exposure in many countries.
  • WHO is also a partner in a project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) that aims to support at least 40 countries in enacting legally binding controls on lead paint.
  • The GEF, established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, is a catalyst for action on the environment — and much more.
• India’s Response
  • € The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) has passed a notification as “Regulation on Lead contents in Household and Decorative Paints Rules, 2016” and has prohibited manufacture, trade, import as well as export of household and decorative paints containing lead or lead compounds in excess of 90 Parts Per Million (PPM).

3. State of India’s Solar Capacity

Why in News?
India added a record 10 Gigawatt (GW) of solar energy to its cumulative installed capacity in 2021.

• This has been the highest 12-month capacity addition, recording nearly a 200% year-on-year growth.
• India has now surpassed 50 GW of cumulative installed solar capacity, as on 28th February 2022.
• Of the 50 GW installed solar capacity, an overwhelming 42 GW comes from ground-mountedSolar Photovoltaic (PV) systems, and only 6.48 GW comes from Roof Top Solar (RTS); and 1.48 GW from off-grid solar PV.

What is the Significance of the Achievement?

• This is a milestone in India’s journey towards generating 500 GW from renewable energy by 2030, of which 300 GW is expected to come from solar power.
• India’s capacity additions rank the country fifth in solar power deployment, contributing nearly 6.5% to the global cumulative capacity of 709.68 GW.

Why is India falling short in Roof-top Solar Installations?

• Fails to Exploit the Benefits of Decentralised Renewable Energy:€ The large-scale solar PV focus fails to exploit the many benefits ofDecentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) options, including reduction in Transmission and Distribution (T&D) losses.
• Limited Financing: One of the primary benefits of solar PV technology is that it can be installed at the point of consumption, significantly reducing the need for large capitalintensive transmission infrastructure.
  This is not an either/or situation; India needs to deploy both large and smaller-scale solar PV, and particularly needs to expand RTS efforts.
  However, there is limited financing for residential consumers and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) who want to install RTS.
• Lukewarm Responses from Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOMS): Lukewarm responses from electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOMS) to supporting net metering, RTS continues to see low uptake across the country.

What are the Challenges to India’s Solar Power Capacity Addition?

• Despite significant growth in the installed solar capacity, the contribution of solar energy to the country’s power generation has not grown at the same pace.
• In 2019-20, for instance, solar power contributed only 3.6% (50 billion units) of India’s total power generation of 1390 BU.
• The utility-scale solar PV sector continues to face challenges like land costs, high T&D losses and other inefficiencies, and grid integration challenges.
• There have also been conflicts with local communities and biodiversity protection norms. Also, while India has achieved record low tariffs for solar power generation in the utility-scale segment, this has not translated into cheaper power for end-consumers.
• The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that the global value of recoverable materials from solar PV waste could exceed USD15 billion.
• Currently, only the European Union has taken decisive steps in managing solar PV waste.
• India could look at developing appropriate guidelines around Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which means holding manufacturers accountable for the entire life cycle of solar PV products and creating standards for waste recycling.
  This could give domestic manufacturers a competitive edge and go a long way in addressing waste management and supply side constraints.

What is the state of India’s Domestic Solar Module Manufacturing Capacity?

• Domestic manufacturing capacities in the solar sector do not match up to the present potential demand for solar power in the country.
  India had 3 GW capacity for solar cell production and 8 GW for solar panel production capacity. Moreover, backward integration in the solar value chain is absent as India has no capacity for manufacturing solar wafers and polysilicon. In 2021-22, India imported nearly USD 76.62 billion worth of solar cells and modules from China alone, accounting for 78.6% of India’s total imports that year.
  Low manufacturing capacities, coupled with cheaper imports from China have rendered Indian products uncompetitive in the domestic market.
• This situation can, however, be corrected if India embraces a circular economy model for solar systems.€ This would allow solar PV waste to be recycled and reused in the solar PV supply chain. By the end of 2030, India will likely produce nearly 34,600 metric tonnes of solar PV waste.

4. World Meteorological Day

Why in News?
Every year, World Meteorological Day is celebrated globally on 23rd March.

• Earlier in October, 2021, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released the State of Climate Services report 2021.

What is the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)?

• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 192 Member States and Territories. India is a member of WMO.
• It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was established after the 1873 Vienna International Meteorological Congress.
• Established by the ratification of the WMO Convention on 23rd March 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the United Nations for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences.’
• WMO is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. What are the Key Highlights of the

World Meteorological Day?

• About:€ The day is celebrated to commemorate the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which was created in 1950. € Being celebrated since 1961, the day is also observed to make people aware of their role in protecting Earth’s atmosphere.
• Theme for 2022: Early warning and early action - it emphasises the critical necessity of hydrometeorological and climate information for disaster risk reduction.
• State of Disasters:
  World:
  (i) A disaster related to a weather, climate or water hazard occurred every day on average over the past 50 years – killing 115 people and causing USD 202 million in losses daily. According to the WMO Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes (1970 – 2019), there were more than 11, 000 reported disasters attributed to these hazards globally.
  (ii) The number of disasters has increased by a factor of five over the 50-year period, driven by climate change, more extreme weather and improved reporting.
  (iii) The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events is set to rise due to more and more greenhouse gases being added to the atmosphere every year, resulting in warming.€
  India:
  (i) The number of severe cyclones over the Arabian Sea has risen by 1 per decade and maximum temperature has increased by 0.99 degree C since 1901 in India - small numbers that are big when it comes to weather.
  (ii) There is a significant rise in heavy rainfall events also over India.

What are the Initiatives taken to tackle Disaster on WMO Day?

• Action Plan on Early Warning Systems: €
  WMO will present an action plan on early warning systems at the 27th Conference of Parties (CoP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in November 2022 in Egypt.
  (i) An early warning system for floods, droughts, heatwaves or storms, is an integrated system which alerts people to hazardous weather. It also informs how governments, communities and individuals can act to minimise the possible impacts of the weather event.
  (ii) The aim is to understand what risks the foreseeable storms could bring to an area that will be affected — which may differ if it is a city or rural area, polar, coastal or mountainous regions.
• Need:
  A third of the world’s people, mainly in Least Developed Countries (LDC) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), are still not covered by early warning systems.
• In Africa, it is even worse: 60%of people lack coverage.

What is the State of Early Warning System in India?

• About:€ Early warning systems in India such as the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) regular cyclone alerts, combined with brisk action taken by state and district administrations, have already saved hundreds or even thousands of lives in the past few years.
  But still more needs to be done in this regard, especially in the field of district and even village level weather prediction and early warning.
• Initiatives for Early Warning:€ In June 2020, the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, in collaboration with the disaster management department, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, launched the Integrated Flood Warning system for Mumbai, referred to as iFLOWSMUMBAI.
  Uttarakhand launched the ‘Uttarakhand Earthquake Alert’ app to provide early warning of earthquakes in the state.
• The Indian Tsunami Early Warning System (ITEWS) was established in 2007 and is based at & operated by INCOIS, Hyderabad.
• The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI) has launched an ‘Environmental Seismology’ group to develop a ‘Landslide and Flood Early Warning System’ for the Himalayan region.
• ‘Ocean Services, Modelling, Application, Resources and Technology (O-SMART)’ Scheme is a government scheme that aims at promoting ocean research and setting up early warning weather systems.

5. India’s Arctic Policy

Why in News?
Recently, the Ministry of Earth Science has unveiled India’s Arctic Policy, titled ‘India and the Arctic: building a partnership for sustainable development’.

• India holds one of the 13 positions as the Observer in the Arctic Council.
• The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental body that promotes research and facilitates cooperation among Arctic countries on issues related to the environmental protection and sustainable development of the Arctic region.

What is the Background?

• India’s engagement with the Arctic began when it signed the Svalbard Treaty in 1920 in Paris between Norway, the US, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Ireland, and the British overseas Dominions and Sweden concerning Spitsbergen.
• Spitsbergen is the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago, part of Norway, in the Arctic Ocean. € Spitsbergen is the only permanently inhabited part of Svalbard. More than 50% of the land is covered in ice year-round. Together with the glaciers, it is mountains and fjords that define the landscape.
• Ever since then, India has been closely monitoring all the developments in the Arctic region.
• India initiated its Arctic research program in 2007 with a focus on climate change in the region. The objectives included studying tele-connections between Arctic climate and Indian monsoon, to characterise sea ice in the Arctic using satellite data, to estimate the effect on global warming.
• India also focuses on conducting research on the dynamics and mass budget of Arctic glaciers and sea-level changes, carrying out an assessment of the flora and fauna of the Arctic.

What are the Major Provisions of India’s Arctic Policy?

• Six Central Pillars:
  (i) Science and research.
  (ii) € Environmental protection.
  (iii)€ Economic and human development.
  (iv) Transportation and connectivity.
  (v) Governance and international cooperation.
  (vi) National capacity building.
• Objectives:€
  (i) It aims to strengthen national capabilities and competencies in science and exploration, climate and environmental protection, maritime and economic cooperation with the Arctic region.
  (ii) It seeks to strengthen institutional and human resource capacities within the government and academic, research and business institutions through inter-ministerial coordination in pursuit of India’s interests in the Arctic.
  (iii) It seeks to enhance understanding of the impact of climate change in the Arctic region on India’s climate, economic and energy security. € It aims to promote better analysis, prediction and coordinated policy making on the implications of ice melting in the Arctic on India’s economic, military and strategic interests related to global shipping routes, energy security and exploitation of mineral wealth.
  (iv) It seeks to study the linkages between polar regions and the Himalayas and deepen the cooperation between India and the countries of the Arctic region under various Arctic forums, drawing expertise from scientific and traditional knowledge.
  The policy also seeks to increase India’s participation in the Arctic Council and improve understanding of the complex governance structures in the Arctic, relevant international laws and geopolitics of the region.
• Relevance of Arctic for India?
  The Arctic region is significant due to the shipping routes that run through it. € According to an analysis published by the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, the adverse effects of the Arctic are not just impacting the availability of mineral and hydrocarbon resources, but also transforming global shipping routes.
• According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India can play a constructive role in securing a stable Arctic.
• The region holds immense geopolitical importance as the Arctic is projected to be ice-free by 2050 and world powers making a beeline to exploit the region rich in natural resources

What is the Arctic?

• The Arctic is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth.
• Land within the Arctic region has seasonally varying snow and ice cover.
• It consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Alaska (United States), Canada, Finland, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.

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