GT: Environment for Beginners

Dear Pandit ji,

All I want to say is "WELL done"! The story is extremely interesting and informative. The idea of talking about different states is great.

I didn't know there are so many unique ways of just drawing water from these wells! It's so fascinating! I can imagine the amount of research you have done, but please talk a bit about other states.

Sourabh
Via e-mail

Dear Pandit ji,
I’m Rupesh Shahi. I feel that Gobar Times is a really good magazine for all age groups to know about our environment better.

Rupesh Shahi
Via e-mail

What measures are being taken by the government to stop the monkey menace in Delhi? Why are monkeys coming to our homes? How can westop the monkeys?

Pallav Sehgal
Via e-mail

Dear Pallav Sehgal ji,

Monkey menace is a major problem in Delhi, and people have been struggling with it for many years. As far as the measures are concerned, the state government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) are responsible for keeping the monkey population in check. But in spite of repeated reminders from the High Court and the Supreme Court, the problem has not been solved. The main focus, so far, has been on relocating them outside the city, which again has been a huge failure.

2002: The MCD spent Rs14 lakh on shelters in the outskirts of Delhi (in Rajokri and Bakhtawarpur). Around 400 monkeys were caught (later, all of them escaped!)

2004: The High Court ordered monkeys to be relocated to Madhya Pradesh at a price of about Rs 25 lakh. But, the plan failed as the MP government demanded more money after receiving the first batch of 250 monkeys.

2007: The Court ordered to send monkeys to the Asola Bhati sanctuary.

The MCD also hired langurs to scare away the monkeys.

The task has now been given to a team of monkey catchers from Tamil Nadu, which has been offered Rs 450 for each caught monkey.

Now, the answer to your question as to why monkeys come to our homes... Actually, it is not the monkeys that come to our homes, it is we, humans, who are in their homes! We have destroyed their homes by blindly cutting down trees for urban development. So, where would they go? They will wander to “our” homes.

Moreover, we often invite them ourselves – by offering them open piles of garbage where they can find some food. This makes them return again and again to our homes.

Dear Pandit ji,
I want some information on Green Revolution and its impact on environment.

Devanshi
Via e-mail

Dear Devanshi ji,
The Green Revolution was the worldwide transformation of agriculture that led to significant increases in agricultural production between the 1940s and 1960s. Agricultural research, extension, and infrastructure development brought in a package of improved seeds, farm technology, better irrigation and chemical fertilisers. The Green Revolution in agriculture helped food production to keep pace with worldwide population growth.

In India, there were three basic elements in the method of the Green Revolution:

Continued expansion of farming areas

Double-cropping existing farmland

Using seeds with improved genetics

The Revolution had many environmental impacts, which made many people consider it as bane, not boon. Here are a few:

PESTICIDES: It increased the use of pesticides, which were necessary to limit the high levels of pest damage.

WATER ISSUES: Irrigation projects have created significant problems of arsenic contamination, salinisation, waterlogging, and lowering of water tables in certain areas.

BIODIVERSITY: It affected both agricultural biodiversity and wild biodiversity. It relied on a few high-yield varieties of each crop. This led to concerns about the susceptibility of a food supply to pathogens that cannot be controlled, as well as the permanent loss of many valuable genetic traits bred into traditional varieties over thousands of years.

Dear Gokul Suresh ji,

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is an arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol allowing Annex 1 countries (industrialised) to meet their greenhouse gas emission reduction targets by paying for emission reduction in non-Annex I (developing) countries. In other words, they can invest in projects that reduce emissions in developing countries as an alternative to emission reductions in their own countries.

For example, say a company in Peru (a non-Annex I country) shifts from coal power to biomass. By doing this, the company has reduced Carbon dioxide emissions by 140,000 tonnes per year. So, the CDM Executive Board issues it 140,000 CERs (Certified Emission Reductions). And Canada (an Annex I country) has to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. Now, if it purchases the 140,000 CERs from the Peruvian company, this target reduces from 1 million tonnes per year to 860,000 tonnes per year.

So, what are its benefits?

Annex I countries
CDM is one of the ‘flexibility mechanisms’ of the Kyoto Protocol to help Annex I countries meet their emission reduction targets. Instead of reducing emissions of their own companies – which is often costlier – Annex I countries can invest in projects in non-Annex I countries, and meet their Kyoto reduction targets.

Developing countries
The idea is that developed countries would bring in investment in developing countries for projects and clean technologies that reduce greenhouse gases.

“The purpose of the clean development mechanism shall be to assist Parties not included in Annex I in achieving sustainable development and in contributing to the ultimate objective of the Convention, and to assist Parties included in Annex I in achieving compliance with their quantified emission limitation and reduction commitments” (The Kyoto Protocol; Article 12)

International Buyers of CDM
Apart from these, there are several private players involved in CDM, acting as brokers and intermediaries. Private funds that buy and sell CER’s are also active.

Unfortunately, the global community has failed to do its role. Instead of focussing on technologies and energy-saving devices that could stem the rising temperatures, countries are quibbling with each other to strike the cheapest deal! So, CDM is no real solution to this problem.

For further information, visit :
(http://www.cseindia.org/programme/geg/geg-index.htm)