Editorial 1: The global way out
Recent Context:
- Recently, The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has noted that the first week of July was the “hottest week on record”.
- Extreme weather conditions have been on the rise across the globe for decades and there is rise in experiencing hotter summers, colder winters, rising sea levels, reductions in sea ice levels, increased storm activity, and more.
- Global warming and climate change are regarded as one the main reasons for the adverse events.
What is climate change?
- Climate change is the long-term increase in the earth's average surface temperature and the large-scale changes in global, regional, and local weather patterns that result from that increase, caused by a significant increase in the levels of greenhouse gases that are produced by the use of fossil fuels.
Causes for Climate Change:
Natural Causes of Climate Change
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- Changes in Solar Radiation - The sun's rays heat the earth regardless of changes in weather patterns that occur below. As such, any change in the sun's radiation - either an increase or decrease - will influence our surface temperatures.
- Greenhouse Gases - As the temperature increases, more greenhouse gases are released into the air. This traps more heat in the earth's atmosphere while thinning out the ozone layer, which means less radiation can escape. It can cause a nasty cycle where the participants feed off each other.
- Drastic Weather Changes - Climate change can also occur through drastic weather changes. Disasters like hurricanes or floods can cause significant damage to the surrounding environment, which in turn can affect the climate.
Man-Made Causes of Climate Change: The most prominent man-made causes of climate change include:
- Industrialization - Increased development has led to greater production and allocation of energy, which releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in greater percentages than in the past.
- Inconsistent Emissions Controls - As technology continues to improve, emissions control standards haven’t kept pace. This means that more harmful greenhouse gases are being released into the air.
- Deforestation - Plants breathe in carbon dioxide, which makes them an essential part of life on this planet. When increasing amounts of trees are cut down without planting new ones, it means a disproportionate amount of carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere and heats up the environment.
- Agribusiness - Contemporary farms send up large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere while meeting the food needs of developed countries.
- Modernization - The concrete used to build roads, and the vehicles that travel upon them, create high levels of carbon dioxide and exhaust fumes that contribute to higher temperatures.
Effects of Climate change? Climate change impacts our world in a wide variety of ways, including:
- Weather: As weather patterns become unpredictable, it affects food production. Also, extreme weather conditions put people at significant risk of disease and injury.
- Plants: As the weather becomes warmer and sea levels rise, plant life moves higher or further inland. This can result in problems for local animal life.
- Wildlife: Changes in the environment cause changes in animal behavior. Many animals are affected by the lack of food sources and new predators that were previously unable to penetrate into their territories. Consequently, animals are forced into a position where they have to migrate or face extinction.
- Businesses: Extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes and tornadoes can destroy vast amounts of property. As such, businesses suffer the losses that these tragedies bring.
- Increasing Sea Levels: As polar ice caps melt, sea levels begin to rise. This can potentially displace millions of people worldwide as well as destroy various ecosystems and natural landmarks.
- Ocean Acidification: As the oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, they become increasingly acidic, which can be dangerous to coral and marine life.
Steps need to be taken to counter Climate change
- Adoption of renewable based source of energy:
- There is need for rapid shift from carbon-based energy to renewable based energy. Alog with it priority should be to increase the share of renewables in the energy basket and to scale up yet-to-be-proven technologies like green hydrogen and carbon capture and storage and utilization
- There is need recommitted financial mechanism by developed nation to support adaptive and mitigative measures to counter climate change.
- Switch to sustainable transport. Petrol and diesel vehicles, planes and ships use fossil fuels. Reducing car use, switching to electric vehicles and minimising plane travel will not only help stop climate change, it will reduce air pollution too.
- Protect forests like the Amazon. Forests are crucial in the fight against climate change, and protecting them is an important climate solution. Cutting down forests on an industrial scale destroys giant trees which could be sucking up huge amounts of carbon.
- Protect the oceans. Oceans also absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which helps to keep our climate stable. But many are overfished, used for oil and gas drilling or threatened by deep sea mining. Protecting oceans and the life in them is ultimately a way to protect from climate change.
- Put the 3 Rs of sustainability into practice
- Reduce: consume less, more efficiently. Reuse products instead of throwing them away. Recycle waste products.
- There is need for national and international collective effort to fight against climate:
- National level effort such as The US Inflation Reduction Act, Europe’s Carbon Border Adjustment mechanism (CBAM) helps in GHGs emission but blocks on technology trade and rising tariff barriers reflect this towards economic nationalism.
- Therefore, the national effort should be in line with international efforts for better outcomes.
Conclusion:
- World have suffered the experience of Covid19 but it overcame it through collaboration and coordination. Therefore, Geocivics and geoscience overrode geopolitics and geoeconomics and we have done it once; Hence it can be done again.
Editorial 2: Forest Conservation Bill: An encompassing green
Recent Context:
- Recently, Parliament passed the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023 with the aim of and inclusive development.
- It also works as an enabler to secure India’s borders by easy environmental clearance for infrastructure along international borders.
India’s forest status
- As per the latest India State of Forest Report 2021, India’s total forest cover is 7,13,789 sq km 21.71 per cent of the country’s geographical area.
- The forest cover of the country has increased by 1,540 sq km and the tree cover has increased by 721 sq km compared to the assessment in 2019.
The amendment of bill provides social, economic and ecological justice to common citizens
- Government with the vision of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas ensures that people living in deep forests, can join the mainstream of India’s sustainable development journey. It ensures that tribal people have access to basic amenities that enhance their ease of living.
- It also responds to the aspirations of a New India and lays the ground for enhancing green areas outside forests and making forests more productive.
Amendments in the bill bring reform in Forest Conservation Act, 1980
- The Bill does not give any blanket permission for the diversion of forest land but only allows minor exemptions by taking care of all conservation concerns, including compensating the affected trees.
- As, The Forest (Conservation) Act ,1980 regulates the use of forestland for various other non-forest purposes. It stipulated that the de-reservation of reserved forests, use of forest land for non-forest purposes and assigning forest land by way of lease or otherwise to private entities.
- A paradigm shift in the applicability of the FCA was observed after the Supreme Court’s orders in the Godavarman case (1996).
- The SC clarified that the Act will apply not only on notified forest land forest lands recorded in government records but also in the areas resembling forests as per dictionary meaning. Each state government had to constitute an expert committee to identify such lands, plantations and private forests.
- After the order, the Act was made applicable to revenue forest land or in lands which were recorded as forest in government records and to areas which resembled forests as per their dictionary meaning
- The Bill exempts an area up to 0.10 ha in forests to provide access to the public for habitation and road/rail, side amenities.
- This small exemption will pave the way for tribal children, especially the girl child, to get access to education. It will allow to access hospitals and It will weaken the hold of extremism as forest dwellers will join the developmental mainstream.
It will ensure the border security by developing infrastructure projects along international borders
- As, warfare has undergone a paradigm shift and border areas need to be developed to ensure swift deployment of forces.
- India stands committed to extending to her soldiers, guarding the country in sub-zero temperatures, the road infrastructure needed for the transportation of weapons, protective gear and ration
- The exemption is only for forest areas in border areas. Since most of India’s forest areas are landlocked, they are protected completely. There are checks and balances for all exemptions.
The bill leads to Elimination of ambiguities under FCA:
- As elimination of ambiguities will facilitate decision-making on proposals involving non-forestry use of forestland by the authorities.
- For want of enabling provisions in the Act, it is difficult to create basic infrastructure in the forests. This affects forestry operations, regeneration activities, monitoring and supervision and prevention of forest fires.
- These provisions will pave the way for better management of forests and add to the efforts towards mitigating the impact of climate change and the conservation of forests.
Ensure the forest and biodiversity conservation
- Activities like the establishment of zoos and safaris as well as ecotourism, besides sensitising and generating awareness about the importance of protection and conservation of forest land and wildlife, will add to livelihood sources of local communities, providing them opportunities to connect with the mainstream of development. These are regarded as one of the major causes for the success of success of Project Tiger and Project Elephant
Conclusion:
- Forest plays a significant role in social-cultural and economic life of forest communities along with it forest conservation is prerequisite to fight against the global warming and climate change.
- Therefore, the recent amendments aim to raise standard of living of tribal people along and ensuring the infrastructure development along the border to strengthen India’s border security.
- However, while converting the forest land for non-forest purpose in the form of business or development activities or for mining purpose, it must keep in mind that the rights of forest communities are not compromised. As a development without the sustainability cannot be regarded as development in inclusive way.