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Emissions from residential cooking and heating, power generation, and industries together contribute up to 60 per cent of India's PM2.5 pollution, with about 80 per cent of this coming from <keyword id="23824528" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fossil-fuel-combustion" source="keywords">fossil fuel combustion</keyword>, a new study has found. The peer-reviewed study, published in MDPI's "Air" journal, suggests dividing India into 15 airsheds based on regional climate and pollution sources. An airshed is a geographic area where <keyword id="53848" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="air-quality" source="Orion">air quality</keyword> is influenced by common factors such as wind patterns and pollution sources. Since pollution can spread across regions, the <keyword id="22077484" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="airshed-approach" source="keywords">airshed approach</keyword> promotes coordinated action among states. "Residential cooking and heating, power generation, and all other industries together are responsible for 40-60 per cent of the PM2.5 pollution in all the airsheds, and approximately 80 per cent of the pollution comes from fossil fuel burning sources," said Sarath Guttikunda, lead author of the study and founder of UrbanEmissions.info. The study said biomass burning, including post-harvest crop residue burning, contributed less than 3 per cent to annual PM2.5 levels while transport accounted for 5-10 per cent in all airsheds. PM2.5 are fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, about the width of a human hair. These are so small that these can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, posing significant health risks. An analysis of PM2.5 trends from 1998 to 2020, along with state-level data on fuel consumption, energy demand and emissions, revealed that 11 of the 15 airsheds were critical for India's air quality management and required coordinated interventions. The Indo-Gangetic Plains remain the most polluted region, with significant emissions from residential cooking and heating (especially in winter), power plants, brick kilns (driven by construction demand), waste burning, dust and vehicular movement for passengers and freight. The plateau region between the Eastern and Western Ghats, India's second most populated area, has seen the highest rise in annual PM2.5 pollution during this period, the study said. "This is an indication of the growing urbanisation and demand for transport, industrial, and commercial amenities," it said. Coastal areas, vital to India's industrial economy, have also experienced rising pollution despite the moderating effects of land-sea breezes. This increase is attributed to growing shipping emissions and overall industrial growth in cities such as Mundra, Surat, Mumbai, Goa, Mangalore, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Haldia.

Study traces 60% PM2.5 pollution in India to residential cooking, power generation, industries

As exhilarating as urban life may seem, it comes with evident and inescapable drawbacks. While it offers opportunities to meet diverse people and engage in varied experiences, the accompanying high living costs, congested traffic, and polluted air often prompt city dwellers to yearn for retirement in rural villages elsewhere. Another significant issue is the prevalence of <keyword id="150572" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rodents" source="Orion">rodents</keyword>. Rats and other disease-carrying rodents thrive in cities, particularly in bustling ones. Researchers suggest that the conditions in cities were so favourable for rats that thousands, if not millions, of them may have perished due to food shortages during the COVID-19 lockdown. Additionally, as governments worldwide strive to increase urban <keyword id="19921986" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="greenery" source="keywords">greenery</keyword>, these creatures could benefit greatly from such environmental changes, potentially creating a haven for diseases transmitted by animals. The concept of urban greening has gained momentum as a means to mitigate the adverse effects of urbanisation on the environment and human health. However, recent studies have revealed a potential unintended consequence: an increased risk of diseases transmitted by rodents. Zoonotic diseases, which are infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans (such as the coronavirus), present significant public health challenges globally. Wild rodents, in particular, act as reservoirs for various zoonotic pathogens. When these rodents inhabit urban environments, especially those undergoing greening initiatives, the risk of pathogen transmission to humans rises. Although urban greening offers numerous benefits, such as improved <keyword id="53848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="air-quality" source="Orion">air quality</keyword> and biodiversity, it may inadvertently amplify the risk of <keyword id="502114" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zoonotic-disease" source="Orion">zoonotic disease</keyword> transmission, as explained in the study. The research focused on major Dutch cities like <keyword id="19956557" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="amsterdam" source="keywords">Amsterdam</keyword>, Rotterdam, and Eindhoven, revealing that areas with higher levels of urban greenery tended to harbour more wild rodents. Furthermore, these green spaces create favourable conditions for the proliferation of vectors like ticks and fleas, which are essential for transmitting vector-borne zoonotic pathogens. In natural settings, higher predators could help control rodent populations. However, humans, as the primary apex predators in cities, view rats as unclean and refrain from hunting them for food, allowing city rodent populations to proliferate unchecked. The study's author, Marieke de Cock, notes that both the extent of urban greenery and food-related factors are positively correlated with the abundance of wild rats. Moreover, the absence of predators is more critical than the degree of greenery for the abundance of small mammals, including rats and mice. As the number of city rodents increases, so does the prevalence of disease-causing pathogens among them. More infected rodents, ticks, and fleas heighten the risk of such diseases spreading to humans. Although greener spaces facilitate <keyword id="6371876" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rat" source="Orion">rat</keyword> proliferation, further research is needed to understand the impact of human-rat exposure on disease risk. As cities continue to embrace urban greening initiatives, it is essential to adopt a holistic approach that considers both the ecological benefits and potential health risks. By comprehending the complex interplay between environmental factors, rodent populations, and disease transmission dynamics, public health authorities can develop targeted interventions to protect human health. The research findings have been published by Wageningen University.

Expanding citywide green cover could also lead to an increase in zoonotic diseases: study

Sprawling with lush trees and a constant freshening breeze, <keyword id="6354321" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bengaluru" source="Orion">Bengaluru</keyword> certainly lived up to its title as the '<keyword id="64660" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="garden-city" source="Orion">Garden City</keyword> of <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>' at one point. But with a rampant boom in urbanisation, conditions gradually began to take a turn for the sour some 2-3 decades ago. While Bengaluru boasts some of the most impressive modern infrastructure found anywhere in the country, 'Garden City' almost feels like a misnomer for India's start-up capital now. Being one of the fastest-growing cities in India, the city continues to battle a host of problems, ranging from stupendously heavy traffic, growing air pollution, surface flooding and recurring groundwater shortages. In addition, Bengaluru is a major victim of the 'urban <keyword id="4517390" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="heat-island" source="Orion">heat island</keyword>' effect, a problem created when the built-up environment replaces crucial green cover. This leads to a significant increase in temperatures in the urban regions compared to its neighbouring rural sectors. According to a <a href="https://wgbis.ces.iisc.ac.in/energy/paper/Bangalore_heatisland/index.htm" data-type="tilCustomLink">2010 IISc study</a>, Bengaluru lost nearly 80% of its vegetative cover and water bodies in a mere decade, leading to a spike in temperatures by 2-2.5°C. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Bengaluru receives its own net-zero plan" comment="subhead" text="Bengaluru receives its own net-zero plan">Bengaluru receives its own net-zero plan</cmsannotation> With COP28 currently underway, nearly 200 nations are gathered to come to a consensus around how they plan to cut off emissions to save the dying planet. In the run up to the summit, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (<keyword id="6354322" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bbmp" source="Orion">BBMP</keyword>) — Bengaluru's main civic administrative body — has launched their own roadmap towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Termed the <keyword id="19784891" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bengaluru-climate-action-and-resilience-plan" source="Orion">Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan</keyword> (BCAP), the city-level action plan tackles the problem of keeping the city liveable, despite the unprecedented growth it continues to experience. For context, Bengaluru's built footprint has nearly doubled in the mere 25 years between 1990 and 2015. This urban expansion has also invariably spiked the amount of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions the city spews into the atmosphere. According to the report, Bapuji Nagar, Jayanagar 5th Block and Peenya cross the daily CPCB permissible limits for PM2.5 (the most dangerous type of air pollutant) for more than a third of year. By 2050, PM2.5 levels are further projected to climb to levels exceeding nine times what WHO considers safe. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What can we expect from the action plan?" comment="subhead" text="What can we expect from the action plan?">What can we expect from the action plan?</cmsannotation> BCAP seeks to reduce <keyword id="171507" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ghg" source="Orion">GHG</keyword> emissions by 16% by 2030, 26% by 2040, and finally by 56% by 2050, compared to 2019 levels. These will be achieved by pertinent climate action in seven sectors, namely Energy and Buildings; Transportation; Solid Waste; Air Quality; Water, Wastewater and Stormwater; Urban Planning, Greening and Biodiversity and Disaster Management. Fortunately, rather than serving as unscientific greenwashing gift-wrapped around empty climate promises, the report also lays down research-backed specific numbers to tangibly accomplish the goals, courtesy of their collaboration with the World Resources Institute and a host of other organisations. For example, it notes that the city will work towards achieving an ambitious 100% transition from solid fuels to clean cooking fuels by 2030. And the figures don't end there, either. Among a slew of targets, the report promises to power 90% of cars and motorcycles and 75% of the city's buses with cleaner fuels by 2050, achieve 100% waste segregation by 2025, accomplish a 30% reduction in PM2.5 concentration by 2026, and change 75% of city's footpaths to be of water permeable materials by 2040. The list goes on, and all that's left to see is how exactly these become implemented in the real world. Additionally, BBMP also launched the #BluGreenUru initiative on November 27. The campaign calls upon citizens, organisations, welfare associations, private sector and government authorities to help conserve, restore and integrate the city's green spaces and water networks. As mentioned earlier, these are links of Bengaluru's ecosystem that have continued to suffer tremendously over the past few decades. The fact that Bengaluru's civic body has seemed to reinvigorate science-based policy decision-making into the forefront of their climate action plans is promising. However, the elephant in the room still remains that the action plan has still set 2050 as its net-zero target year, two decades after what most climate experts deem acceptable. Whether we will be able to accelerate progress on these fronts over the next few crucial years will, no doubt, be instrumental in determining how liveable Bengaluru fares in the next decade or so. The BCAP report can be accessed from this <a href="https://www.nbs4india.org/summary-of-the-bengaluru-climate-action-and-resilience-plan-bcap/" data-type="tilCustomLink">link</a>.

Could BBMP’s new climate action plan for Bengaluru restore India's ‘Garden City’ to its former glory?

In a remarkable global initiative, over 200 <keyword id="6354750" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="health" source="Orion">health</keyword> journals worldwide have joined forces to publish a groundbreaking editorial. Their collective message is clear: it's time to declare a state of health emergency due to the <keyword id="1484485" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-crisis" source="Orion">climate crisis</keyword> and the loss of nature. These health journals are urging world leaders and health professionals to recognise that the climate crisis and biodiversity loss are interconnected crises, both of which pose a severe threat to <keyword id="645690" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="human-health" source="Orion">human health</keyword>, even insisting that the <keyword id="6356311" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="world-health-organisation" source="Orion">World Health Organisation</keyword> (WHO) officially declare a global health emergency. As <keyword id="6361617" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="Orion">climate change</keyword> exacerbates extreme weather, pollution and <keyword id="6361612" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="disease" source="Orion">disease</keyword>, humans — particularly those from marginalised communities — continue to face its weighty interlinked consequences. In addition to harming ocean life, deteriorating water quality continues to worsen water-borne disease spread and the seafood crisis. Further, rapid changes in land use and climbing temperatures are breeding the perfect conditions for more pathogens to make the deadly jump to humans, leading to worrisome new diseases and pandemics. Many studies have shown that access to green spaces is crucial for healthier communities as they help filter air pollution, reduce temperatures, and provide opportunities for physical activity. Nature has a positive impact on mental health, while also reducing stress, loneliness and depression, but these benefits are under threat due to increasing urbanisation. Despite official goals to conserve 30% of the world's land, coastal areas and oceans by 2030, many ecosystems are at the brink of their breaking points. Tipping over could lead to catastrophic harm to health, even if global warming is kept below a 1.5°C increase over pre-industrial levels. Therefore, it is imperative that national climate plans be integrated with biodiversity goals. Health professionals, who command a ton of influence and trust in the public domain, have been urged to advocate for both restoring biodiversity and addressing climate change. Political leaders have also been called upon to recognisze the severe threats to health from this planetary crisis and the health benefits that can arise from taking action. The editors of these prestigious journals have also backed a petition calling for WHO to declare a global <keyword id="2463836" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="public-health-emergency" source="Orion">public health emergency</keyword> in May 2024. This united effort underscores the urgency of recognising and addressing the intertwined climate and nature crisis as a global health emergency. The editorial can be accessed <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.p2355" data-type="tilCustomLink">here</a>.

Climate change may soon be considered a public health emergency worldwide, if doctors get their way

<ul><li>Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor <keyword id="6359111" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shaktikanta-Das">Shaktikanta Das</keyword> outlined five areas he believes will determine the Indian economy’s growth in the post-COVID world. </li><li>This includes human capital, productivity, exports, tourism, and food processing associated productivity areas. </li><li>According to him, the economy is showing signs of stability, but recovery will be “gradual.” </li></ul>Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das highlighted that India’s economy is showing signs of stability; however, recovery hereafter will be “gradual,” during a webinar organised by industry body FICCI. He cited that current government security borrowing rates are at a 10-year low, bond yields have softened, and the market is bouncing back. Nonetheless, India’s apex banking solution has not ruled out the possibility of taking more measures to help the economy recover as it carefully monitors the markets. “There are five key areas that I propose to focus on that I think will determine stability and step India’s growth in the medium term,” said Das. Here are the five areas that the <keyword id="64190" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="RBI-Governor">RBI Governor</keyword> highlighted: 1. Human capital with specific emphasis on education and health “Investing in people adds to the stock of skills, expertise and knowledge available in a country and that is critical to maximise its future potential growth,” said Das. He added that the goal to increase public investment in the education sector to 6% of the GDP can be met with help of public-private partnerships (PPPs) to develop the necessary infrastructure, without jeopardising financial viability of private investment while ensuring quality education at affordable costs. 2. Productivity Das cited a World Bank study which showed how past pandemics like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SARS, Ebola and Zika hit productivity by nearly 4% over three years. “The COVID impact on productivity could be expected to be much higher,” he said. Das called on the industry to step up R&amp;D investment with the government focusing on creating an enabling environment. 3. Exports to boost India’s role in the global value chain The RBI Governor pointed out that India’s participation in global value chains (GVCs) has been lower than many emerging and developing countries. “Among the sunrise sectors that offer potential for higher exports in the post-COVID period are drugs and pharmaceuticals where India enjoys certain competitive advantages,” he said. According to Das, the government’s “sharp policy focus” on GVC intensive “network products” — IT hardware, electrical appliances, automobiles and others — will also boost India’s export strategy with scope for higher value addition. 4. Tourism Tourism has been one of the most heavily impacted sectors during the coronavirus pandemic. However, Das believes that it’s also the sector where pent up demand could drive a V-shaped recovery once the world normalises. “The multi-pronged supportive policy interventions in the sector may have to be reviewed and revamped, if tourism has to contribute more to the economy matching its potential,” he said. 5. Food processing associated productivity areas Das believes that like drugs and pharmaceuticals, food processing is another sunrise industry in India. “ Its importance in the consumer basket has increased over time, led by rising per capita incomes, urbanisation, and change in consumer perceptions regarding quality and safety,” he said. But, there is a need for the sector to move up the value chain, according to the RBI Governor. . “India can move up in the global agricultural value chain by increasing its share of processed food exports, for which quality standards will be a critical factor,” explained Das. These five areas along with the five factors he had highlighted in July will help India rebuild its economy, according to him. “They [the five factors] may escape our attention in this all-consuming engrossment with the pandemic, but they could be nursing the potential to repair, to rebuild and renew our tryst with developmental aspirations,” Das said at a webinar, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). These are the five ‘dynamic’ shifts the RBI Governor had highlighted earlier: <ol><li>Fortunes shifting in favour of the farm sector </li><li>Changing energy mix in favour of renewable energy </li><li>Leveraging information, information communication technology (ICT) and start-ups </li><li>Strengthening supply and value chains </li><li>Focusing on infrastructure as a growth multiplier </li></ol>SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/apple-watch-series-6-ipad-air-ipad-8-and-apple-one-will-be-available-in-india/slidelist/78141813.cms">Apple Watch Series 6, iPad Air, iPad 8, and Apple One will be available in India — here’s how much they cost</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/amid-india-china-standoff-tencent-is-back-with-an-investment-in-flipkart/articleshow/78140794.cms">Amid India-China standoff, Tencent is back with an investment in Flipkart</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/-indias-surging-covid-19-infections-is-testing-the-health-infra-once-again/articleshow/78143000.cms">India’s surging COVID-19 infections is testing the health infra once again — beds added during lockdown aren’t enough</a>

RBI Governor highlights five key areas that will determine India's growth in the post-COVID world

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>Policies to slow down warming may be more attractive if framed as ways of speeding up growth
FOR years, people who worry about climate change have tried to persuade, cajole or scare governments into doing more to stop it. Nothing has made much difference. Carbon-dioxide emissions have risen relentlessly; in 2013 the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased at its fastest rate for 30 years.
Now, a team of the great and the good has a cannier pitch. In the lead-up to the New York climate-change summit they have issued a report arguing not that global warming will destroy the Earth, but that much of what is needed to reduce its risks would be a good idea anyway.
The group is chaired by Felipe Calderón, a former president of Mexico, and Nicholas Stern, author of an early review of the economics of climate change which played up the costs of inaction more than benefits of action.
Its members are a Who's Who of global influence: four former presidents or prime ministers; two Nobel economics laureates (Michael Spence of New York University and Daniel Kahneman of Princeton); and a bevy of people from all the main multilateral financial institutions (such as the World Bank, IMF and Asian Development Bank). They are people who know what presidents and finance ministers think is important, which is getting and keeping economies going.
"<a href="http://newclimateeconomy.report/">Better Growth, Better Climate</a>" starts not with threats to the environment but with weak global demand and dangers to jobs and income. Productivity and job growth in rich countries is feeble; middle-income countries are only rarely graduating into the rich club; poor countries fear they will not catch up. The solution, say the authors, is structural reform in urban infrastructure, in farmland and forests and in energy markets. Not by coincidence, these areas between them account for the lion's share of greenhouse-gas emissions.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>
Cities and their inhabitants' consumption account for about 70% of global emissions. They are also where almost all the world's net population growth will occur in the next 20 years. For leaders of middle-income and poor countries getting urbanisation right is already critical. The report says "getting it right" means encouraging cities that are dense, not spread out, with good public transport, not clogged highways. Sprawl wastes money.
It ends up subsidised through the provision of more extensive systems of roads, sewers and the like; it reduces the gains in productivity that agglomeration provides. The report reckons that sprawl costs America $400 billion a year and quotes research from China that says labour productivity would rise 9% if its cities were denser.
The authors reckon better infrastructure policies would lower the capital requirements of urbanisation by $3 trillion over the next 15 years and be popular, too (riots in Brazil this summer were partly over the poor quality of urban services). Happily, they would also cut greenhouse-gas emissions by the equivalent of 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, mainly because commuters would switch from cars to public transport (or bicycles).
The report also pays a lot of attention to agriculture and forests, which are economically important in low- and middle-income countries and account for a quarter of the world's emissions. At the moment, governments spend about $16 billion a year on agricultural research and development in developing countries; this, the report says, should be doubled.
It also calls for drastic changes to farm subsidies. Subsidies for fertilisers lead to their overuse in many places, which brings with it environmental problems including the emission of nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas. Where this happens, fertiliser subsidies should be cut back. If all this were done, the authors calculate, greenhouse-gas emissions could be the equivalent of 4.2 billion to 10.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide less per year than they would otherwise be by 2030.
Lastly, the report proposes a combination of subsidy cuts and new investment in energy. Subsidies on fossil fuels (mainly in oil-exporting countries) run at $540 billion a year, a massive encouragement to burn carbon that should be done away with. So, to the extent practicable, should the use of coal.
Over the past decade increased electricity demand has been mostly met by coal-fired power plants, especially in China and India. If they continue in this way both countries will soon be importing huge amounts of coal, which would lead to higher, more volatile prices. And coal also kills a lot of people. Outdoor air pollution, largely from coal though also from cars and other industry, kills 4m people a year, more than any infectious disease, and in so doing has huge economic effects (see chart).
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>
The authors argue therefore that some of the $45 trillion of infrastructure spending needed to keep up with energy demand in emerging markets over the next 15 years should go on encouraging low-carbon renewable forms of energy. Add that strategy to greater energy efficiency and reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry and you save greenhouse-gas emissions equivalent to another 5 billion-7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.
The authors thus think their prescriptions could reduce annual greenhouse-gas emissions by as much as the equivalent 24 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030. At the moment emissions are equivalent to 50 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year; at current rates that will rise to 68 billion tonnes by 2030. Models based on a need to keep warming at or below 2°C, compared to the pre-industrial climate, suggest they need to drop to 42 billion tonnes by then. So at best the report's measures could deliver 90% of that; a lower limit might be 50%. And there would be a lot more cuts to make post-2030. But if such reforms deliver growth, too, they will not just endear themselves to politicians. They will make at least some of the world better able to pay the costs of adapting to the climate change it has failed to avert.
Click <a href="http://www.store.eiu.com">here</a> to subscribe to The Economist

A Group Of Experts Has Changed The Entire Climate Change Debate For The Better

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>Policies to slow down warming may be more attractive if framed as ways of speeding up growth
FOR years, people who worry about climate change have tried to persuade, cajole or scare governments into doing more to stop it. Nothing has made much difference. Carbon-dioxide emissions have risen relentlessly; in 2013 the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased at its fastest rate for 30 years.
Now, a team of the great and the good has a cannier pitch. In the lead-up to the New York climate-change summit they have issued a report arguing not that global warming will destroy the Earth, but that much of what is needed to reduce its risks would be a good idea anyway.
The group is chaired by Felipe Calderón, a former president of Mexico, and Nicholas Stern, author of an early review of the economics of climate change which played up the costs of inaction more than benefits of action.
Its members are a Who's Who of global influence: four former presidents or prime ministers; two Nobel economics laureates (Michael Spence of New York University and Daniel Kahneman of Princeton); and a bevy of people from all the main multilateral financial institutions (such as the World Bank, IMF and Asian Development Bank). They are people who know what presidents and finance ministers think is important, which is getting and keeping economies going.
"<a href="http://newclimateeconomy.report/">Better Growth, Better Climate</a>" starts not with threats to the environment but with weak global demand and dangers to jobs and income. Productivity and job growth in rich countries is feeble; middle-income countries are only rarely graduating into the rich club; poor countries fear they will not catch up. The solution, say the authors, is structural reform in urban infrastructure, in farmland and forests and in energy markets. Not by coincidence, these areas between them account for the lion's share of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Cities and their inhabitants' consumption account for about 70% of global emissions. They are also where almost all the world's net population growth will occur in the next 20 years. For leaders of middle-income and poor countries getting urbanisation right is already critical. The report says "getting it right" means encouraging cities that are dense, not spread out, with good public transport, not clogged highways. Sprawl wastes money.
It ends up subsidised through the provision of more extensive systems of roads, sewers and the like; it reduces the gains in productivity that agglomeration provides. The report reckons that sprawl costs America $400 billion a year and quotes research from China that says labour productivity would rise 9% if its cities were denser.
The authors reckon better infrastructure policies would lower the capital requirements of urbanisation by $3 trillion over the next 15 years and be popular, too (riots in Brazil this summer were partly over the poor quality of urban services). Happily, they would also cut greenhouse-gas emissions by the equivalent of 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, mainly because commuters would switch from cars to public transport (or bicycles).
The report also pays a lot of attention to agriculture and forests, which are economically important in low- and middle-income countries and account for a quarter of the world's emissions. At the moment, governments spend about $16 billion a year on agricultural research and development in developing countries; this, the report says, should be doubled.
It also calls for drastic changes to farm subsidies. Subsidies for fertilisers lead to their overuse in many places, which brings with it environmental problems including the emission of nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas. Where this happens, fertiliser subsidies should be cut back. If all this were done, the authors calculate, greenhouse-gas emissions could be the equivalent of 4.2 billion to 10.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide less per year than they would otherwise be by 2030.
Lastly, the report proposes a combination of subsidy cuts and new investment in energy. Subsidies on fossil fuels (mainly in oil-exporting countries) run at $540 billion a year, a massive encouragement to burn carbon that should be done away with. So, to the extent practicable, should the use of coal.
Over the past decade increased electricity demand has been mostly met by coal-fired power plants, especially in China and India. If they continue in this way both countries will soon be importing huge amounts of coal, which would lead to higher, more volatile prices. And coal also kills a lot of people. Outdoor air pollution, largely from coal though also from cars and other industry, kills 4m people a year, more than any infectious disease, and in so doing has huge economic effects (see chart).
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>
The authors argue therefore that some of the $45 trillion of infrastructure spending needed to keep up with energy demand in emerging markets over the next 15 years should go on encouraging low-carbon renewable forms of energy. Add that strategy to greater energy efficiency and reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry and you save greenhouse-gas emissions equivalent to another 5 billion-7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.
The authors thus think their prescriptions could reduce annual greenhouse-gas emissions by as much as the equivalent 24 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030. At the moment emissions are equivalent to 50 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year; at current rates that will rise to 68 billion tonnes by 2030. Models based on a need to keep warming at or below 2°C, compared to the pre-industrial climate, suggest they need to drop to 42 billion tonnes by then. So at best the report's measures could deliver 90% of that; a lower limit might be 50%. And there would be a lot more cuts to make post-2030. But if such reforms deliver growth, too, they will not just endear themselves to politicians. They will make at least some of the world better able to pay the costs of adapting to the climate change it has failed to avert.
Click <a href="http://www.store.eiu.com">here</a> to subscribe to The Economist

Encouraging Climate Action: Try Jam Today

‘Save thy <keyword id="6356826" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="environment">environment</keyword>’ is a cause that is not new in any way. The battle started long ago with scientists, researchers and technology experts highlighting the varied <keyword id="74957" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="climatic-changes">climatic changes</keyword> and their ecological impacts occurring across the world, most often with disastrous results. There are several on-the-face environmental scenarios that also pinpoint how the imbalance created by rapid urbanisation is accelerating the depletion of <keyword id="6368742" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="natural-resources">natural resources</keyword>. But this <keyword id="2034087" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ecological-disparity">ecological disparity</keyword> is man-made and it is our responsibility to try and control it. And there can be no better way to act than starting it from your home. 
 
On the macro level, green buildings or eco-friendly homes as a concept are at a nascent stage in India. As of now, it constitutes a very small percentage of the booming Indian real-estate market. But there is optimism among developers, governments and experts indicating, as a tremendous opportunity exists for expanding energy-efficient construction in India. 
 Also, the ‘green construction technology’ is a wide category, covering everything from energy-efficient appliances to <keyword id="1226286" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="geothermal-heating">geothermal heating</keyword> to <keyword id="70990" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Solar-power">solar power</keyword> to bio-degradable paints and many more. Given the breadth of this category, this article will narrow down the theme to three key product categories – <keyword id="2034096" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Water-closets">water closets</keyword>, <keyword id="1609750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Faucets">faucets</keyword> and tiles, elements that a home cannot do without. As every act counts, every micro step is a step towards a macro initiative and ultimately, the objective is to build a greener environment in and out of home. 
 Clean and <keyword id="95422" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Green-Technology">green technology</keyword> is more advanced than ever before, and can be as beneficial for your wallet as it is for the Earth. What’s more, adopting or rather installing those products is not at all cumbersome. Plus, they are well-designed to match your taste. A variety of products are already there in the market and that will make designing your <keyword id="2034084" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Green-home">green home</keyword> even easier. Here are some simple choices to look at when you build your home or renovate it. 
 
Water closets: Bathrooms happen to be the primary source of water and its usage. So the products used here are designed around eco-friendly technologies. The modern-day water closet is an intelligent toilet. The 3/6 litres per flush has become the norm and products like NANO, which uses 1.5 litre per flush, waterless urinals and star-rated, WEP-certified closets usher in a contemporary outlook to the concept of water-saving. 
 In India, we have already switched to energy-efficient appliances, ranging across various products, even the light bulbs. But when it comes to a stamp of approval for water-saving products, both awareness and a trusted certification seem to be missing. But things are now getting better, with the <keyword id="2034080" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="International-Association-of-Plumbing">International Association of Plumbing</keyword> and Mechanical Officials (<keyword id="2034102" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="IAPMO">IAPMO</keyword>) issuing its <keyword id="524544" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="WEP">WEP</keyword> certification. A safe and sustainable environment is everyone’s responsibility and IAPMO has taken the initiative to blend experienced leadership and broad resources, necessary to ensure a focused code development and produce model codes to help the industry and the consumer go green. 
 And the result? The WEP – 1 star-rated certification designed to provide information through labelling at the point of sale to consumers buying products that use water. A natural choice for authentication across the world with its 80 years of experience, IAPMO is equipped with the tools to build a better, more sustainable co-existence with the planet. So, if you have set your mind on being a wholehearted person looking to save our precious natural resources, choose from India’s first <keyword id="2034103" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Water-star-rated-product">water star-rated product</keyword> and you can save over 50,000 litres of water per year. Over 10 models of <keyword id="2034105" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Star-rated-water-closets">star-rated water closets</keyword> are available under the Hindware Italian Collection, all in different shapes and designs. The choice lies with you. 
 
Faucets: After water closets, faucets are probably the most used in a house! Be it your washroom or kitchen, faucets are in use every two minutes or so as you wash your hands or clean vegetables or rinse your crockery. So is it possible to do without water and a faucet? The answer is – no. 
 However, what you surely can do is to choose the right faucet to lessen <keyword id="66392" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="water-wastage">water wastage</keyword>. Several ranges are available in the market, which are technologically smart, in tune with consumers’ diverse styles and requirements, of superior quality and offer best value for money. The single-lever faucet mixes hot and cold water smoothly, made possible by the new cartridge technology incorporated in the faucets. Then there is the quarter-turn faucet, a traditional two-handle faucet with the ability to turn from full turn to half turn to quarter turn, as per usage. Not only does it make the entire experience better, but it also helps reduce water consumption without compromising on the water pressure. 
 Modern faucets use a technology called the <keyword id="2034111" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Faucet-aerator">faucet aerator</keyword>. It adds air to the stream of water coming out of the faucet by breaking the water into fine droplets. Finally, there are the sensor-operated, <keyword id="2034113" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Pressmatic-faucets">pressmatic faucets</keyword>. They have a standard, <keyword id="2034114" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Predetermined-water-flow">predetermined water flow</keyword> timer, which controls <keyword id="2034112" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Water-flow">water flow</keyword> for every usage. 
 
Flooring: The main purpose of floor tiles is protection. But technological advancements such as digital-printed, <keyword id="1064949" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="glazed-vitrified-tiles">glazed vitrified tiles</keyword> and stain-free, multi-charged vitrified tiles offer plenty of designs and surface finish options like marble, wood, stone, rustic, metallic, satin and matt. High-definition, <keyword id="2034118" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Multi-colour-digital-printing">multi-colour digital printing</keyword> technology offers the perfect replacement of natural marble and wooden flooring. These are technically superior and reduce the consumption of precious natural resources. GRIHA-certified tiles are easily available in the market today, and the product range reaffirms the commitment towards our environment. Once you install them, you become a part of the go-green community as well. 
 In short, the best way to design a green home is to make the most of the space and elements around you. This includes using <keyword id="790505" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="natural-light">natural light</keyword> and environment-friendly materials &amp; products. Your home can run on the beauty and wonders of nature, with a <keyword id="2034127" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Minimal-carbon-footprint">minimal carbon footprint</keyword>. 
 
About the author: Sandip Somany is the JMD of HSIL Ltd. 
 
Image: Wikipedia

You Searched For "urbanisation and air quality" and got 8 results

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