Unit 6:Global Environmental Issues and Policies

• Causes of Climate change, Global warming, Ozone layer depletion,

and Acid rain; Impacts on human communities, biodiversity, global
economy, and agriculture
• International agreements and programmes: Earth Summit,
UNFCCC, Montreal and Kyoto protocols, Convention on
Biological Diversity(CBD), Ramsar convention, The Chemical
Weapons Convention (CWC), UNEP, CITES, etc
• Sustainable Development Goals: India’s National Action Plan on
Climate Change and its major missions
• Environment legislation in India: Wildlife Protection Act, 1972;
Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; Forest
(Conservation) Act 1980; Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution)
Act, 1981; Environment Protection Act, 1986; Scheduled Tribes and
other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights)
Act, 2006
Unit 6:Global Environmental
Issues and Policies

By
Arun kr Yadav
 Introduction
⚫Climate is the pattern of variation in
temperature, humidity, atmospheric
pressure, wind, precipitation, atmospheric
particle count and other meteorological
variables in a given region over long
periods.
⚫ Climate can be contrasted to weather,
which is the present condition of these
variables over shorter periods.
⚫Weather change quickly from hour to hour,
day to day, season to season and year to
year at a given location or region, even
within an unchanging climate.
 Climatic Controls
⚫ There are six major controls of the
climate of any place. They are:
⚫ Latitude
⚫ Altitude
⚫ Pressure and wind system
⚫ Distance from the sea
⚫ Ocean currents
⚫ Relief features
⚫ Relief (characteristics that are related
to the landscape of specific areas e.i.
Valleys, Mountains, mountain heights
and altitude) plays a major and
important role.
 Climate change
• Climate change is a significant change in the
distribution of weather patterns over periods
ranging from decades to millions of years.
• It may be a change in average weather conditions,
or in the distribution of weather around the average
conditions.
• Climate change is caused by factors that include
oceanic processes (such as oceanic circulation),
biotic processes, variations in solar radiation
received by Earth, plate tectonics and volcanic
eruptions, and human-induced alterations of the
natural world.
• "climate change" is often used to describe human-
specific impacts.
 Plate Tectonics

Plate tectonics helps to carry the carbonate rocks into the mantle,
which are then released again by volcanic activities.
– Earth’s lithosphere is broken into pieces (the plates).
– These plates float on top of the mantle, interacting with each
other to produce the geological features we see and feel today.
 Global warming
Human Activities
 Green House Effect
• The greenhouse effect is a naturally
occurring process that aids in heating the
Earth's surface and atmosphere.
• It results from the fact that certain
atmospheric gases, such as carbon
dioxide, water vapor, and methane, are
able to change the energy balance of the
planet by absorbing longwave radiation
emitted from the Earth's surface.
• Without the greenhouse effect life on this
planet would probably not exist as the
average temperature of the Earth would
be a chilly -18° Celsius, rather than the
present 15° Celsius.
Nitrous oxide (N2O)
Major Greenhouse Gases
Carbon Dioxide : Accounting for about 76 % of global human-caused emissions,
carbon dioxide (CO2) sticks around for quite a while. Once it’s emitted into the
atmosphere, 40 percent still remains after 100 years, 20 percent after 1,000 years, and 10
percent as long as 10,000 years later.
Methane: CH4 persists in the atmosphere for far less time than carbon dioxide (about
a decade), it is much more potent in terms of the greenhouse effect. In fact, pound
for pound, its global warming impact is 25 times greater than that of carbon dioxide
over a 100-year period. Globally it accounts for approximately 16 percent of human-
generated greenhouse gas emissions.
Nitrous Oxide: N2O) is a powerful greenhouse gas: It has a GWP 300 times that of
carbon dioxide on a 100-year time scale, and it remains in the atmosphere, on
average, a little more than a century. It accounts for about 6 percent of human-
caused greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
Fluorinated Gases : Emitted from a variety of manufacturing and industrial
processes, fluorinated gases are man-made. There are four main categories:
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6),
and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). Fluorinated gases are emitted in smaller quantities
than other greenhouse gases (2% of man-made global greenhouse gas emissions),
they trap substantially more heat. Indeed, the GWP for these gases can be in the
thousands to tens of thousands, and they have long atmospheric lifetimes, in some
cases lasting tens of thousands of years.
 Climate change
• Climate is average weather of an area
• Control temperature, evaporation rate, seasons,
moisture content.
• Conditions if prevail for 30 years…its said to be the
climate of an area
• Currently Climate is Changing
• Net zero emission: All man-​made greenhouse gas
emissions must be removed from atmosphere by
reduction measures, thus reducing the Earth’s net
climate balance, after removal via natural and artificial
sink, to zero. This way humankind would be carbon
neutral and global temperature would stabilise.
 Climate change Evidence
• Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (United Nations body set up in
1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of
climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.

• net-zero by 2050: the minimum required to keep the temperature

rise to 1.5 degree Celsius.
• CO2 concentrations are highest at least 2 million years, humans
have emitted 2,400 billion tonnes of CO2 since the late 1800s.
• Sea-level rise has tripled compared with 1901-1971. The Arctic Sea
ice is the lowest it has been in 1,000 years.
• Its not uniform in all places. Poles will be more warmer
• Every additional 0.5 °C of warming will increase hot extremes,
extreme precipitation and drought.
• Retreating snowlines & melting glaciers: alarm can cause a change
water cycle, precipitation patterns, increased floods & increased
water scarcity
 Global warming
⦿ Over the 20th Century, the
global average Surface
Temperature has increased
by 0.6 + 0.2°C (IPCC, 2001)
(Where most of the warming has
occurred between 1976 and 2000)

⦿ Further it is projected to
increase by 1.4 to 5.8 °C
over the period of 1990 -
2100.
 GLOBAL WARMING
• Overall increase in temperature by a
few degrees.
• It happens when greenhouse gases
(carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous
oxide, and methane) trap heat and
light from the sun in the earth’s
atmosphere, which increases the
temperature.
• This hurts many people, animals, and
plants.
• Many cannot take the change, so
they die.
 Effects
• Change in Wind current patterns
• Ocean currents will change
• Hydrological cycle will intensify
• Sea level rise: submergence of areas.
• Changed agricultural production
• Cases of flood, droughts, cyclones on a
rise.
 Solutions
• Renewable energy
• Biofuels
• Afforestation
• Reduce the current rate of CFCs use
• Trap methane for fuel
• Potential of algae in Carbon dioxide
utilization
• Sustainable agriculture
⦿ Conservation
› Reduce energy needs
› Recycling
⦿ Alternate energy sources
› Nuclear
› Wind
› Geothermal
› Hydroelectric
› Solar
› Fusion?
1. Depleted oil and gas reservoirs
2. CO 2 in enhanced oil and gas recovery
3. Deep saline formations – (a) offshore (b) onshore
4. CO 2 in enhanced coal bed methane recovery
1 4
3b
3a
2

Adapted from IPCC SRCCS Figure TS-7

Yes, it is possible. Houses have already gone to
solar power. They put solar panels on their roof
to collect sunlight and have batteries in their
basement to store the reserve power. Some
have even put up solar panels in their yards.
Solar lantern

Each solar lantern:

 Saves about 40-60 litres of
kerosene per year
 Mitigates 145 kg CO 2
emissions per year

Alternately:
 Saves about 182.5 kWhr of
electricity per year
 Mitigates 157 kg CO2
emissions per year
Reduction of
Plastics
Products
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
IPCC was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organisation
(WMO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
IPCC is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to
climate change.
IPCC does not itself engage in scientific research. Instead, it asks
scientists from around the world to go through all the relevant scientific
literature related to climate change and prepare Assessment Reports,
special reports, and methodology reports assessing the state of
knowledge of climate change. Estimate CC impacts, present strategies
for how to respond and to provide an authoritative source of up-to-date
interdisciplinary knowledge on climate change.
IPCC’s Assessment Reports (ARs) produced every few years, are the
most comprehensive and widely accepted scientific evaluations of the
state of the Earth’s climate.
Six Assessment Reports have been published so far, the sixth report
(AR6) coming in three parts — the first in August 2021, the second in
February 2022, and third on June 2022.
 International agreements and programmes:
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also
known as the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 3 to 14 June 1992.
Rio Summit 1992 – Important Outcomes
Rio Declaration on Environment and Development:
Agenda 21:Agenda 21 is an action plan concerning sustainable development, but it
is non-binding.
Forest Principles: The Forest Principles is formally called ‘Non-Legally Binding
Authoritative. Contained 27 principles that were supposed to guide countries in
future sustainable development. Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on
the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of All Types of
Forests’. It makes many recommendations for conservation and sustainable
development forestry and is non-binding.

The first document called the Rio Declaration, in short,.

 UNFCCC
The UNFCCC, signed in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development also known as the Earth Summit, the Rio Summit or the Rio
Conference
The UNFCCC entered into force on March 21, 1994, and has been ratified by
197 countries.
.
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD):
At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, world leaders agreed on a comprehensive strategy
for “sustainable development” — meeting our needs while ensuring that we leave a healthy and
viable world for future generations.
One of the key agreements adopted at Rio was : Convention on Biological Diversity.

CBD is the international legal instrument for “the conservation of biological diversity, the
sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out
of the utilization of genetic resources” that has been ratified by 196 nations.

CBD, a legally binding treaty come in force since 1993. It has 3 main objectives:
1. Conservation of biological diversity.
2. Sustainable use of the components of biological diversity.
3. Fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.
Nearly all countries have ratified it (notably, the US has signed but not ratified).
The CBD Secretariat is based in Montreal, Canada and it operates under the United Nations
Environment Programme.
The Parties (Countries) under Convention of Biodiversity (CBD), meet at regular intervals and
these meetings are called Conference of Parties (COP).
In 2000, a supplementary agreement to the Convention known as the Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety was adopted. It came into force on 11th September 2003.
The Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living
modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.
 The Kyoto Protocol
Dec 1-11, 1997: representatives from 160 countries agreed to enter into binding limits on
emissions of greenhouse gases

TARGETS:
Total: reduce developed nation emissions to 5% below 1990 levels during
“commitment period” 2008-2012
(most countries need -18% reduction in BAU by 2008)

37 industrialized nations and the EU subject to binding emissions targets Greenhouse gases:

CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF6

PENALTY:
Non-compliant countries will have to reduce emissions by 1.3 units for every unit of
emissions “overshoot” in subsequent commitment period.
Ex: if your emissions target is 7Gtons per year by 2012, and you end up at 10Gtons/yr, in
the next commitment period (2013-2020) you
will have to reduce by 4Gtons/yr (in addition to any new targets) to be
 The Kyoto Protocol - background
1992: UN Framework Convention on Climate Change http://unfccc.int/

- recognized there is a problem: CO2 emissions are warming the planet

- stabilize CO2 at "at a level that would prevent dangerous

anthropogenic (human induced) interference with the climate system.“
goals: 1) ensure that ecosystems can adapt to climate change
2) make sure that food production not threatened
3) allow sustainable economic development

- requires precise and regularly updated inventories of greenhouse gas emissions from
industrialized countries

-"Parties to the Convention“ agree to develop national programs to slow climate change;
meet at “Conference of Parties” (COP’s); where binding international treaties (i.e. Kyoto) can
be made

- establishes a "framework" document -- something to be amended or augmented over time

 The Kyoto Protocol - background
1992: UN Framework Convention on Climate Change http://unfccc.int/

- places the heaviest burden for fighting climate change on industrialized natio
Annex 1: industrialized economies and economies in transition
Annex 2: the richest Annex 1 countries
(aka the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (O

- general target: collectively reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2000

(but no mechanisms, enforcement proposed)

- support developing countries’ climate change activities (granting body)

- developing countries’ emissions will grow before they shrink

- developing countries will have largest climate change impacts; work to mitiga
Montreal protocol
Natural sunscreen: Ozone layer
• The production and emission of
CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, is by far
the leading cause.
• CFCs in the stratosphere. There, the
chlorine atom is removed from the
CFC and attracts one of the three
oxygen atoms in the ozone
molecule. The process continues,
and a single chlorine atom can
destroy over 100,000 molecules of
ozone.
• In 1984, ozone layer hole was
discovered over Antarctica
 HAZARDS OF OZONE DEPLETION

 Human - Skin cancer & premature aging, cataracts, and

weakened immune systems
 Plants developmental processes of plants are affected
which reduce crop yield.
 Marine Ecosystems - affect both orientation mechanisms
and motility in phytoplankton.
 Change the atmospheric life times of gases such as
methane
 Production of particulates as cloud condensation nuclei
from the oxidation and subsequent nucleation of sulphur
 Increased level of solar UV radiation produce adverse
effects on synthetic polymers, naturally occurring
biopolymers and other materials of commercial interest
 Global warming
• MONTREAL PROTOCOL
• Phase out the use of CFC’s
• Increase risk of Skin cancer
• Loss of phytoplankton: they are
sensitive to UV.
• Fair people at higher risk
 ACID RAIN
• Rainwater typically has a below pH value of 5.6, due to the presence
of dissolved carbon dioxide (forming carbonic acid).

• Acid rain results from the emission into the atmosphere of various
pollutant gases, in particular sulphur dioxide and various oxides of
nitrogen, which originate from the burning of fossil fuels and from
car exhaust fumes, respectively.

• These gases dissolve in atmospheric water to form sulphuric and

nitric acids in rain, snow, or hail (wet deposition). Alternatively, the
pollutants are deposited as gases or minute particles (dry
deposition).
• Both types of acid deposition affect plant growth – by damaging the
leaves and impairing photosynthesis and by increasing the acidity
of the soil, which results in the leaching of essential nutrients.
• "Acid rain" is a broad term referring to a
mixture of wet and dry deposition
(deposited material) from the
atmosphere containing higher than
normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric
acids.
• Acid rain occurs when these gases react
in the atmosphere with water, oxygen,
and other chemicals to form various
acidic compounds. The result is a mild
solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid.
• When sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides
are released from power plants and
other sources, prevailing winds blow
these compounds across state and
national borders, sometimes over
hundreds of miles. pH less than 5.6
• If The acid chemicals in the air are blown into
areas where the weather is wet, the acids
can fall to the ground in the form of rain,
snow, fog, or mist.
• As this acidic water flows over and through
the ground, it affects a variety of plants and
animals.
• The strength of the effects depends on
several factors, including how acidic the
water is.
• In areas where the weather is dry, the acid
chemicals may become incorporated into
dust or smoke and fall to the ground through
dry deposition, sticking to the ground,
buildings, homes, cars, and trees.
• Taj Mahal in Agra
 ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
• India first country to have made provisions for environment
protection in its constitution
• Article 48- A : Directive Principal of State Policy: The state shall
endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard
forests and wildlife of the country.

• Fundamental duties Article 51 A (g): (Part IV A) - It shall be the

duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural
environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have
compasion for living creatures.

• After Stockholm Conference , 1972, Many laws and rules have been made
 Environmental Legislation
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
• Water (Prevention and Control) Act, 1974
• Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
• Air (Prevention and Control of Air Pollution) Act, 1981
• Environment (Protection ) Act 1986
 The Wildlife Protection Act (1972)
• The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 is
an Act of the Parliament of
India enacted for protection of plants
and animal species.
• the Act established schedules of
protected plant and animal species -
hunting or harvesting these species
was largely outlawed.
• It extends to the whole of India,
except the State of Jammu and
Kashmir which has its own wildlife
act.
• It has six schedules which give
varying degrees of protection
 The Wildlife Protection Act (1972)
• Schedule I and part II of Schedule
II provide absolute protection - offences
under these are prescribed the highest
penalties.
• Species listed in Schedule III and
Schedule IV are also protected, but the
penalties are much lower.
• Schedule V includes the animals which
may be hunted. The plants in Schedule
VI are prohibited from cultivation and
planting.
• Up to April 2010 there have been 16
convictions under this act relating to the
death of tigers.
⦿ Aims and objectives:
1. Prevention and control of water pollution
2. Maintaining and restoring the wholesomeness of water
3. Establishment of Boards of prevention and control of
water pollution
⦿ Penaltyis imprisonment for a period of
three months or a fine up to Rs. 10,000
or both
 The Forest Conservation Act 1980
• The Forest Conservation Act 1980 was
enacted to help conserve the country's
forests.
• It strictly restricts and regulates the de-
reservation of forests or use of forest
land for non-forest purposes without the
prior approval of Central Government.
• The Act lays down the pre-requisites for
the diversion of forest land for non-forest
purposes.
• It extends to the whole of India except
the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Based on the Section 2, offender shall
be punishable with simple imprisonment
for a period which may extend to fifteen
days.
⦿ Aims and objectives:
1. Prevention, control of air pollution
2. Maintaining the quality of air
3. Establishing of the Boards to prevent and to
control the air pollution