Those Wasted Drops .........

So, Coleridge's  ""Ancient Mariner" rightly said "Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink"! We live in the "blue planet", the unique one, with its most congenial atmosphere and the abundant water resources. But, in reality, we are left with only 0.01%  fresh water resources, which is usable for us, the "obnoxious" human beings; the remaining portions are available as either the saline oceanic waters or trapped in those polar ice caps and glaciers.

This makes, water a very scarce resource for the ever increasing human population across the world; more so because, there is disparity in water availability. These disparities are either geographical, climatic or anthropogenic. The last one is quite sad because, while on one side, we see people dying because of lack of safe drinking water, on the other hand, there are people who are blessed enough to waste water for anything or everything.

A statistics available from WHO says, about 663 million people of this blue planet lack access to safe drinking water. Also, around 1000 children die every day in the world due to inadequate availability of water, before they reach an age of 5 years. In India, the number is 1.2 lakh  children, who due to diarrhea, which is a water borne disease.

The contradiction lies in the fact that, India is also an water rich nation, with all its 7 major rivers and the complex network of their tributaries, wetlands, lakes, glaciers, ponds and so on. But, the major problem is related to lack of water management and unequal distribution of this precious resource. excessive and indiscriminate exploitation of the available water resources have resulted in gradual depletion of the same, apart from severe contamination. These disparities are quite disturbing, because that not only violates the basic principle of equal access to natural resources, but also put a question mark on humanity. While some die out of thirst, there are people, who can afford entertainment that causes severe wastage of water!

We use the rivers for anything and everything. We worship them as our god or goddess. We call them holy, we assign so many significance to each and every river. But, sadly, we also through garbage, industrial effluents, agricultural chemical, all idols packed with harmful chemicals to these rivers. We don't think twice before littering the river sides with plastics, degradable or non-degradable items. We celebrate the holiness of the river systems; but while doing so, we use those intricate and delicate rivers as our washrooms!

So, at this time, may be, all celebrations of World Water Day have been over. Tomorrow onward, most of us will forget the basic premise of this day i.e. to save and conserve every drop of water available. Because, we have the privilege, the privilege of access to safe water, that too in abundance. So, it will not bother us much to keep all the water taps open, even if  they are not in use. We will not think twice to threw our waste materials in to open area, we will never think while releasing the earthen lamp in to the water as a mark of our gratitude to the river. Because, we will never see those lives, which are counting their days in thirst and dirt due to those wasted drops, drops that are being polluted and unused by us.

Earth Day 2016

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.” - Mahatma Gandhi

Wishes on the Earth day, 2016!

On this earth day, let us realize that we have only one earth to live in and nothing can replace it. Let us be grateful to this earth for sustaining our lives here with all possibilities and potentials, for providing us with everything that we need. Let us pledge, today, to live our lives in a way that is most sustainable, most viable and most eco-friendly. Let us dedicate ourselves to save this earth with its own beauty and bounty. Let us pledge, to utilize our resources in a way most equitable and most suitable; let us work for bringing each and every deprived lives to a life of dignity and peace. 

Let us be EARTH-friendly forever!


Happy Earth Day! 

Climate Deal at Paris, COP 21: Expectations and Reality

A personal note: Well,  I admit being lazy and passive. However, off the blog assignments and responsibilities kept me busy for such a long time that I remain silent for such a long period. While looking for being punctual and organized this year, let me put forward my analysis on the Paris negotiations last year, certainly an issue of utter relevance if we are talking about climate change! 

Happy reading, friends!

          The consensus achieved in Paris, on 12th of December, 2015 is definitely one needed urgently, considering the debacle of climate change. Termed as “ambitious” and “historic” by many of the top class world leaders, Paris climate deal signifies, if not more, a clear cut agreement on the fact that climate change is happening and the world needs some, serious efforts to curb the menace. After the stranded culmination of  Copenhagen climate summit in 2009, international discussions on climate change mitigation  options were quite at stake, thus making Paris climate deal even more relevant for the safety of the planet.

          In Paris, amidst all the speculations and expectations, voices from across the globe, what considered pivotal was the need to arrive at an combined opinion; an opinion that clarifies the maximum limit of temperature that can be allowed to rise, the extent of carbon emission that will not risk our existence any more as well as an opinion on the operating procedures to achieve the both. Apparently, the task was completed as it was decided to keep the global rise of temperature well below the limit of 20C with the benchmark of 1.50 C, as desired by the small island nations. The pact also includes provisions of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) reporting at a gap of five years by every signatory country, with progressive reduction of the same.

             India, right from the beginning of Paris Climate Summit exercise was considered as potential hindrances to achieve zero coal limits by the developed nations. In fact, India, quite clearly stated that, the right of development cannot be taken away from the developing nations by pressurizing them to directly jump in to no coal technology. A strong message was also delivered from Indian delegation on the summit that is climate justice has to prevail, the remaining “carbon space” in the global carbon budget must be made available for the developing and least developed nations.

            A critical analysis of the Paris accord reveals the fact that, although jargons like ‘climate justice’, “common but differentiated responsibility” were included in the accord text, these terms were used without any legal meaning. Simultaneously, the clauses of “historic responsibility” as well as “carbon budget” which signifies the contributions made by the developed nations towards global warming during the post-industrial period, has also been removed cleverly from the pact. Thus, in a way this facilitates the developed countries to move away from their responsibility and to continue with their carbon emission. Absence of any legal obligations to stick to the limit of INDCs as well as lack of penalty for non-compliance also makes the deal a weaker one.

             The deal, agreed on Paris also lacks any specific target of emission reduction, both in terms of time scale and amount. Although suggestions have been made to reduce carbon emission ‘as soon as possible’, no time limit has been specified in the deal. Also, INDCs pledged are not legally binding; thus leaving the targets quite voluntary and hardly achievable.

         Another aspect of the deal claiming praise across the first world nations, is the option of “climate finance”, which in texts force developed nations to pull their funds to a minimum level of 100 Billion US$ beyond 2020 for investing in cleaner energy technologies and climate change mitigation options for least developed and developing nations. However, many of the nations, who are at the receiving end of the climate change implications, have hardly found anything to be joyous of in this regard, because if its inclusion in the ‘decision’ part of the deal as well as because of the time scale provided.

           Probably, the strongest point of the Paris Climate Agreement is the declaration that sustainable patterns of production and consumption and sustainable life styles are the requirements of the globe, which is under the severe threat from global warming and changing climate regime. These were the concepts that have been emphasized by India in the global platform of climate change negotiations. Yet another positive angle of the pact is the opportunities that it has opened up for all the countries to discuss on the issue and arrive at a common conclusion; although with some political and ideological reservations. Thus, it also exerts sufficient pressure on the global community to drive itself towards a common, yet most important goal of achieving a climate secured future for the planet. Thus, the onus of saving the planet is now lying on the shoulders of all the parties to the deal, which will be open for ratification from April, 2016 and what the globe needs is their honest commitment in fulfilling the same.

(This article was first published on The Thumprint Magazine, at www.thethumbprintmag.com)

Biodiversity: the Fascinating ones

It was during my secondary schools, when I first came across the term "botanical name" . Well, those days taught me that every organism has at least two names ; first one with which we generally know them and the second is  the one with which the scientists know them ! This was quite interesting for a mediocre student like me at that age! Somehow, gradually I have developed an interest in knowing both the names of everything living around me. Years passed by and I became a student of science; information on species around me went on increasing. As a student of agricultural sciences, gradually I have started learning the importance of all these species, known to identify them (of course with certain degree of failure!). Still, the inner interest developed years ago in secondary level didn't die out in this ocean of knowledge. Every time I encounter a new species, I tried to know its local name, botanical name and at least one use of the same.

During this entire process, what I have felt as a learner was that, many of our local species are still not properly known to the world. Sometimes if we have the local name and use, may be we fail to identify them botanically. Sometimes, non listing of all local names in all languages across the widely used resources in internet, we fail to match the botanical names and the common or local names. Those experiences led to a particular affinity within me to observe and gather as much as information possible on local species available in and around me.
With the global spread of environmental awareness and information, we have come across various terms related to bio-diversity, which naturally includes information on depletion of biodiversity. But, for many of us, this term "bio-diversity" has very restricted perception. Normally, for any common people, conserving biodiversity means focusing on those species which are aesthetically important or centre of attraction for Eco-tourism. But, what we normally forget is that each and every species, be it the smallest microbe or the biggest animal or tallest tree of the world, every species has their own role in the natural ecosystem, each of them form the part of the greater food web, completes material cycling across the biosphere and thus helps in our survival. That is why, we need to be more and more careful while handling all these species.
The exponential rise of population has sharpen the demand of increasing food production across the world. This growing demand has resulted in development of hybrid crop species all over the world. Due to higher yield and resistance traits against adversities of drought, flood, pest and disease attack, these varieties are widely accepted by the farmers. Further, introduction of new, highly productive species also occurred to newer environments with the aim of larger economic gain. Similarly, replacement of age old natural environments for plantation and cash crops, non-judicious application of chemicals in agricultural ecosystems have also caused different stresses for bio-diversity of an area. But, what  most important to know is that, under the qualitative impact of all these factors, local diversities have started depleting. Farmers have stopped growing local varieties, which where less yielding, but definitely are store house of many desirable traits.Not only crops, local plants (not to forget many of them have medicinal properties), local predators and beneficial organisms have also moved to the path of extinction. And not to forget about species, which we don't even see or realize the existence of!!
I belong to a place, which is one of the richest in Biodiversity. We have myriads of species in our natural environment, which are yet to be properly known. Assam, being a centre of origin of 'rice' , the most cultivated staple cereal of the state, had many different local varieties of the crop. To name a few, "Kolajoha"," Manikimadhuri", "konjoha" - all belong to scented rice varieties, "Rongabora", "Kolabora" - sticky or glutinous rice variety, "Amona bao", "Chakoa bao"- varieties with enormous capacity to withstand flood are among the  popular varieties cultivated in the state. But, now a days, a gradual decline is observed in cultivation of all these varieties due to the wide scale adoption of hybrid and high yielding varieties by farmers. This erosion of rice genetic resources from farmers filed is not a very good sign. And, I am sure, the scenario is same all over the world.
Local diversity depletion is quite serious, because, these varieties are adapted to their local environment. This means, they are the repositories of genetic information on how to adapt to a particular environmental conditions. And, what we should know is that these information have generated over a time-tested series of evolution. So, once a species is lost, all these valuable information developed over a long period of time is lost from the environment. Certainly, that is not at all good for us. Not only that, as already mentioned, many times, we don't even know a species fully. So, under those circumstances, losing a species means losing all the probabilities of its use. Particularly, when changing climatic patterns have caused a overall strenuous situation for all the organisms, It may so happen that these species may provide us some ways of sustenance.
So, that makes it relevant. We need to focus on our local bio-resources; let us accept them as bio-resources. So, decline of any of these resources means loss of profit in either way. Let us keep the fact in mind that species belonging to our locality are integral part of our own eco-system, the system to which we all belong. Once, they are lost, a vital component of the system goes missing, which cause the system to dysfunction. Let us not forget that, since we don't know how many individuals of a particular species are there, we should not kill or pluck or cut or remove any of them; because, who knows that may be the last individual of that species !! Let us develop an interest in what is around us, let us try knowing them or at least recognizing their importance in the earth, which definitely is also their home !! Let us admire all these local species, the fascinating species around us ......

(Re-post from my another blog www.greeningthought.wordpress.com)

World Environment Day: A Retrospective

It was an important day in my newly started schedule of life; just two days before I have joined a new assignment which had given me the opportunity to be a part of the state’s WED celebration. The theme as you know is THINK EAT SAVE. That was interesting because right from my childhood I have learnt only not to waste food. It was my parents, and my grand mom who always said that Laxmi (Hindu Goddess of Wealth) lies in food so we should not disgrace her by wasting food. Sometimes, when we had left a considerable quantity of food on the plate because it didn’t tasted that good as always, mom used to scold us by saying that there were many people around who are lying hungry. Gradually, when we grew up and experienced lives out of our mom-shielded homes, we have started realizing the facts of hunger, starvation and inequality in food distribution. Again, it was Rathaya Yella sir, who in our college days, always told us about the pain of a farmer in producing a single grain of rice; which was an another teaching on reducing food wastage! With all these background and hailing from a lower middle class family, the theme obviously was a matter of interest.

What I am going to write here is not particularly about the celebration of world environment day, but about how we feel about the theme. With deep pain, I have noticed that some people along with one of our state ministry of Assam celebrated it in some posh locations, far away from people, far away from the needy. Those celebrations, ornamented with high quality food that too in abundant quantity is nothing but a mockery to the theme itself. At the time when such celebrations were laden with intellectual lectures on saving food and reducing hunger, there may have been lots of hungry people outside searching for food! So, what is the use of such lectures which does not have any action in reality? May be that is the case with many such events across the world.

What I am trying to say is that in most of the issues, we just concentrate on speaking, not on action. On issues particularly like this, action should be more than the words. Our parents may not have any recognition for being intellectuals, but what they have taught us in our childhood is relevant not only to the home but to the world as well. Now when I look back to my parent’s advice, I find that there may not be goddess Laxmi in the food as appeared to a science believer like me, but those were the keys for a better future. But as we have ignored those golden sayings, sufferings have begun. Another interesting fact about those old goodies was that my grand parents and their fore parents believed in keeping food for the birds and animals, for the hungry who may come in suddenly; a thought that is of high environmental importance now a days. So that is the fact, what we celebrate and focus as environmental concern and environmental activism, was there in our parents and their fore fathers in a much more inherent way; but they never boasted about it, nor there was any public recognition!

So, before making artificial and so called intellectuality laden celebration on food conservation, we must stick to the basics of our lives; reducing food wastage at home and workplace, saving food for ourselves and for the others lying hungry in and around us and making an honest and sincere effort on our part. Unless we do that, nothing is going to save our food, wherever we celebrate, whatever we celebrate and whoever we heard of!

Elevated Atmospheric Carbon-Di-Oxide Level in the atmosphere: The Hidden Challenges

A recent report on global atmospheric carbon-di-oxide level has created a concern among the scientific community associated with global warming and climate change research. The report released by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on 9^th of this month has stated that the daily average carbon-di-oxide concentration has surpassed the level of 400 ppm as observed in the Mauna Loa Observatory at Hawaii Islands. As stated by NOAA, such a higher level has been reached for the first time in the last 800,000 years. The same has also been reported by another climate research group ‘Scripps Institute of Oceanography’ who has also added that similar concentration of the green house gas was present during  the Pilocene Age, 3-5 million years ago.

The most significant aspect of this finding is that it depicts two important facts; firstly, the possible menace of global warming and associated climate change is on an increasing trend and secondly the global emission reduction is yet a long distance goal. Without a doubt, the continuous and ever increasing burning of fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and natural gas across the world is the largest contributor towards increased carbon-di-oxide in earth’s gaseous blanket. NOAA report also includes that the decadal growth rate of carbon-di-oxide concentration has risen to 2.1 ppm from a mere 0.7 ppm reported during the 1950s. Being a green house gas, the elevated level of carbon-di-oxide is necessarily a cause of concern if we talk in terms of global warming. Simultaneously, we can also expect more and more climatic anomalies in terms of altered pattern of rainfall, wind, higher numbers of cyclones, cloud burst, hailstorms, drought, flood etc. Similarly, warming will also have an impact on our sea level through the melting of glaciers and polar ice caps thereby affecting the low lying areas. Such anomalies in the weather pattern are feared to increase the challenge lying ahead of the world community with respect to food security. That is because, the sole food producing activity, agriculture is largely dependant on climate. This is more than a reality for a country like India, where more than seventy percent of the agriculture is rainfed or climate dependant. Not only that, the same will also have a negative impact on allied activities like fish rearing, marine food industries and so on. So, a probable increase of climate change events will directly put a question on the equation of feeding the 7 billion stomach of the world. Another worth mentionable concern related to these issues is that of environmental migration. It has been discussed in different climate change talks that submergence of low lying nations may lead to international conflicts as it will increase the number of environmental refugees migrating from one nation to another. This particular challenge has made emission reduction a much aspired goal for the global community in this 21^st century.

Latest climate negotiations, ranged from Kyoto Protocol, 1997 to the latest Doha agreement, 2012 are the representations of notably failed attempts on the part of the nations towards global carbon-di-oxide emission reduction in reality. While Kyoto Protocol has failed to bind the countries into a legal agreement towards emission reduction, its success lied in identifying the contribution of industrialized countries towards global warming. On the other hand, the latest Doha conference was also unable to suggest some kind of solid, legally binding solutions to cut off the emission from the countries. It significantly brought out two real facts of the scenario - the developed countries are unwilling to curtail their emission and the developing or under developed countries lack sufficient fund to invest in emission reduction technologies. However, Doha’s success lies in the fact that it opened a ‘gateway’ to investments by the richer countries on poorer ones to reduce the emission.

So, the new report of NOAA will certainly increase the pressure on the global community to achieve a modest reduction in their green house gas emission rate, either individually i.e. country wise or internationally.  But, till date all these international climate discussions and negotiations have come under the scanner due to the differences among the countries in terms of their ideologies and policies, be it a political or economic one. However, the latest findings have emphasized one particular point. The point is that we need a global cooperative and cumulative effort to reduce atmospheric carbon-di-oxide level irrespective of our political and economic ideology, if at all we are interested in keeping the increment of global temperature below 2⁰ Celsius. Other wise, not much time is left for the globe to be a heart-wracked witness of an impending doom symbolized with its degenerated biodiversity, degraded ecological systems, reduced food availability, increased disease incidence and a dead environment.

The Green Miracle

Northeast India being situated in the transition zone of Indian, Indo-Malayan and Indo-Chinese biogeographic regions harbour a rich biological diversity, which is a well known fact. This is also a transition zone between the low lying Indian Peninsula and highlands of Himalayan Mountain which also makes it an abode of diverse flora and fauna. Wide range of physiographic and ecoclimatic conditions have contributed to the region being recognized as an integral part of the Indo-Myanmar biodiversity hotspot.

Bamboo is a dominant species among the spectacular floral diversity of the region and also is a part and parcel of the region’s culture. Out of 136 species of bamboos found in India, 63 species in 22 genera are found in Northeast India of which 25 species of bamboo are considered to be rare. The different species of bamboo available in the region are mainly from the genera Bambusa, Dendrocalamus, Dinocloa, Phyllostachys, Schizostachyum etc. The most familiar species includes – Bhaluka, Jati, Kolia, Mokal, Nol, Dolo, Bijuli, Deo, Betua, Nangal, Bhaluki Mokal, Betua, Beji, Kako, Rupahi, Bajal, Lota and many others.

Bamboo is known to have an unrivaled utility with its use in more than hundreds of different purposes. People in the region heavily depend on bamboos for various domestic and agricultural purposes.  A range of handicraft materials are prepared from specific bamboos usually cultivated by the people In recent times bamboos have been identified as a valuable industrial raw material substituting wood products and having potential for augmenting the economy. Their utility as edible shoots is also being exploited for setting up of industrial ventures. But, what is most important about this species is its environmental benignness, being a potentially renewable resource. This species can rightly be termed as ‘green gold’ owing to some tremendous potential of this species which is yet to be discovered completely and used.

Being one of the most productive and fastest growing species, Bamboo can grow sometimes up to 1.2 m a day and thus is a good storage of carbon dioxide. Its biomass production and carbon assimilation may be 7-30% higher than that of fast growing woody species according to researches conducted. This fast growing character can also be exploited to a large extent by using the species for re-greening of degradable lands. The typical root system of the plant also makes it an agent of erosion control and watershed protection. It also reduces heavy run off of rain water via its high litter fall and thus add to recharge of ground water table. Extensive use of bamboo for construction purposes may result in saving our gradually declining forest resources which is of utmost importance.

Climate change being the most talked over subject of the present century across the world, certainly needs particular attention for its mitigation. One of the basic causes of increasing atmospheric temperature of the globe is the ever rising concentration of green house gases of which carbon dioxide is an important one. A world-wide campaign has been started off late after the ‘Kyoto Protocol’ to reduce the emission of this gas in order to reduce the global warming and associated climate change. And the astonishing and yet less discussed fact is that bamboo is a good sink of this gas. It can also release 35% more oxygen than equivalent stands of trees. Reports have also been there that bamboo can sequester up to 12 tons of carbon from air per hectare which is definitely a huge potential. Again, more than 90% of Bamboo carbon can be sequestered in a range of durable products which are obviously long lasting and can store carbon for a long term. It can also be used as an alternative of fossil fuel which is another ‘green factor’ associated with this miracle plant.

With the concept of ‘Carbon Credit’ getting importance across the world day by day, it has become important that we discover newer means of reducing carbon dioxide emission. And in this case, north east has a good potential to earn carbon credit, if at all we can utilize the underlying ability of species like bamboo in order to sequester carbon. However, research is yet to gain momentum to discover ways of using the species for the same. So, a great responsibility lies on the part of the scientific community of the region as well as the government in this regard so that our green gold can be converted to a more golden resource for the region.