Delhi disaster: Felling of trees for urban development is an outdated approach.

                       an example of callous urban planning, around 14,000 to 16,000 trees are being felled in Delhi to make way for government complexes and redevelopment projects. This has sparked outrage among residents, many of whom are protesting the tree felling exercise in the manner of the famous Chipko movement of the 1970s. As things stand the city suffers from poor air quality throughout the year. In summer it suffers from extraordinary heat waves due to the ‘heat island’ effect of dense urban clusters, and it is well known that trees reduce this effect. Delhi’s massive tree felling exercise is thus a classic instance of unsustainable development, which even our schoolbooks warn against these days.

Authorities are supposed to plant ten new saplings for every tree cut. However, no such compensatory plantation has taken place at some of the redevelopment sites with the building authority, NBCC, simply stating that it has transferred the amount for compensatory afforestation. This is becoming a familiar story across the country. In Bengaluru, the proposed construction of a steel flyover – which would have led to the feeling of more than 800 trees – was scrapped last year after residents opposed the project.

A clean, renewable friendship

          some partnerships have the potential to build a better, cleaner, more sustainable world. It’s been my privilege this week to cement one such example, the Britain-India collaboration on mobility. India and Britain are natural partners when it comes to the future of mobility, and the future of technology. Both countries have set ambitious targets for new vehicles to be zero emission. Britain has demonstrated that clean growth is possible, cutting emissions by more than 40% while growing its economy by more than two-thirds. In 2017, Britain was the second-largest market for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) in the EU. It continues to be a global leader in their development and manufacture. One in every eight battery electric cars sold in Europe in 2017 was made in Britain. By 2040, Britain will end the sale of new conventional vehicles completely. It has set up a public fund to accelerate the roll-out of charging infrastructure and are investing over £300 million (about Rs 2,800 crore) in research into ultra-low emission technologies.

Rivers and idol immersions: Stop the pollution

                                 India is a water-stressed country today. Conserving and recharging its water bodies is literally a matter of survival for us. But even as our distressed lakes and rivers cry for medicine we are feeding them poison. This month it was Ganesh Chaturthi, next month there will be Durga Puja, in 2019 the Kumbh Mela will take place. In India the cycle of religious festivals is continuous but citizens must learn to celebrate them in environmentally friendly ways. Authorities also must do a more sincere and rigorous job of stopping polluting activities. Stop the slow killing of India’s rivers.

A clean environment for human empowerment

                                        The United Nations honoured me with the ‘Champions of the Earth Award’. While I was extremely humbled at receiving this honour, I do feel that this award is not for an individual. Instead, it is recognition of the Indian culture and values, which have always placed emphasis on living in harmony with Mother Nature.

                                        It was a proud moment for every Indian to see India’s proactive role in mitigating climate change being acknowledged and appreciated by the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres and Erik Solheim, the executive director of the UNEP.

                                         Human beings and nature have a very special relationship. Mother Nature has nurtured and nourished us. The first civilisations were established on the banks of rivers. Societies that live in harmony with nature flourish and prosper.

‘At the current rate of CO2 emission, the 1.5°C target would be reached between 10 to 30 years from now’

The IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, to give it its official title, is particularly noteworthy because it was in response to a specific request from the parties to the Paris agreement. For the first time in the Paris agreement the limit of 1.5°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels was mentioned as a goal that countries should strive to achieve. Hence a special report from the IPCC was called for. It would also examine the differences between mitigation and adaptation for a 1.5°C and 2°C target for limiting global temperature rise, while keeping the goal of sustainable development.

The report makes it clear that the difficulty of reaching the 2°C target is less steep compared to achieving the 1.5°C target. At the current rate of emissions, of about 42 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, the cumulative emissions permitted for the 1.5°C target would be reached very quickly – between 10 to 30 years from now. For the first time, the report introduces a widespread role for negative emissions arising especially through methods of removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. Some of these methods have been field tested on a limited scale, but by and large the scale on which they are required for a 1.5°C limit is very difficult, some would say impossible, to achieve.