OZONE SEASON

The ozone season runs from April 1�October 31 each year�with ozone levels reported from May 1�September 30. Most of the Centralina Council of Governments region was included in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designation of non-attainment for 8-hour ozone levels in April, 2004. As a result of this designation we need to be more aware of the actions taken by local government, business and industry and as individuals during this season. Centralina COG staff is available to assist you with developing a plan for your office or business. We can make a difference in the air quality of our region�are you willing to be a part of the solution?

If it's summertime, then it's Ozone time, too.



Ozone is a gas composed of three atoms of oxygen. Ozone occurs both in the Earth's upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be good or bad, depending on where it is found:

• Good Ozone. Ozone occurs naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere -- 6 to 30 miles above the Earth's surface -- where it forms a protective layer that shields us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. This beneficial ozone is gradually being destroyed by manmade chemicals. An area where the protective "ozone layer" has been significantly depleted-for example, over the North or South pole-is sometimes called "the ozone hole."
  
  
• Bad Ozone. In the Earth's lower atmosphere, near ground level, ozone is formed when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources react chemically in the presence of sunlight. Ozone at ground level is a harmful air pollutant.
  

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT OZONE

Q: What exactly is ozone?
A: Ozone is a highly reactive gas that forms in the atmosphere when atoms of oxygen are combined through a chemical reaction. Ozone is not emit- ted directly into the air but, at ground level, is created by a chemical reaction between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic com- pounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight and heat.

Q: Isn�t ozone just an urban area problem?
A: Ozone levels generally are higher in urban areas, which contain more vehicles, industry and other emissions sources. However, winds can carry the threat of ground-level ozone from cities to surrounding rural areas and even to other states.

Q: Why do we need to do something about ozone?
A: High levels of ozone measured by monitors throughout ozone season have caused our non- attainment status. This is bad for business�it acts as an economic development deterrent and increases the cost for many businesses in the area to comply with air quality regulations. It also costs local governments money, in costs that they have to spend to meet additional transpor- tation conformity regulations. And if we don�t meet those regulations, it impacts our federal funding for both highway and transit transpor- tation projects. Finally, and in the long term most importantly, ozone is bad for our health and our children�s health.

Q: What are the health effects of ground-level ozone?
A: Ozone is unhealthy to breathe, particularly among sensitive groups: children, people with asthma and other respiratory ailments and anyone who works or exercises vigorously outdoors. Ground-level ozone can cause acute respiratory problems, aggravate asthma, significantly decreases lung capacity, cause inflammation of lung tissue and impair the immune system. Symptoms of ozone exposure can include coughing, throat, lung, and eye irritation, chest pain, rapid and shallow breathing and asthma attacks.

Q: Are there any non-health related problems associated with ozone?
A: High ozone levels can damage leaves on trees and crops, reducing growth rates and crop yields. Ground-level ozone damages plant life and is responsible for $500 million dollars in reduced crop production in the United States each year.

Q: What is an Ozone Action Day?
A: An Ozone Action Day occurs when ozone levels are forecasted to be a Code Orange, Red or Purple. On these days, ozone concentrations are predicted to exceed the proposed federal standard of 0.08 parts per million averaged over an 8-hour period. When the NCDAQ expects ground-level ozone concentrations to reach or exceed the standard in one of the forecast areas, a forecast for an Ozone Action Day is issued, indicating the expected color code as well as the numerical AQI value.

ADOPT-A-SCHOOL BUS PROGRAM

The Adopt-A-Bus program provides funding to N. C. school districts to purchase emission control devices.
The exhaust from diesel fuel which powers most school buses on the road today has been shown to cause or exacerbate a host of health problems, including asthma and other respiratory ailments. Diesel exhaust has been linked to cancer and premature death.

Children are particularly vulnerable to the harmful impacts of air pollution because they are outdoors for longer periods and breathe at higher rates than adults. As they wait on the curb, play near idling buses or even ride safely inside school buses, children may be exposed to noxious substances every school day.

Older school buses emit clouds of harmful soot and pollution - fumes that can adversely impact the health of our children.

EPA has certified affordable retro-fit devices that help reduce emissions from older school buses.

SCHOOL BUSES AND IDLING

School buses provide our children with safe, convenient transportation. Diesel exhaust from school buses, however, poses a health risk, particularly to children. Diesel exhuast contains small particles as well as smog-forming and toxic air pollutants. Exposure to diesel exhaust can cause lung damage and respiratory problems and can exacerbate asthma and existing allergies. Buses that idle outside schools can pollute the aire inside school buildings as well as outdoors. Fortunately, there are steps that schools can take to reduce diesel exhaust from school buses.
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction recommends the following for all school districts:
1. Buses should not idle longer than five (5) minutes. Additional idling does not help the school bus get warmer.
2. Buses should not park "nose to tail" when it can be avoided.
3. Buses should not idle while loading or unloading on school grounds.
4. Buses should not park on school grounds near building air-intake systems.
5. No bus should run without the driver being within three feet of the bus.

All school systems in the SEQL region have anti-idling policies in place. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction required all systems to develop a policy in reaction to the fuel shortages in the fall of 2005.

How Are Children Affected?

Air pollution from diesel vehicles has health implications for everyone,but children may be more susceptible to this pollution because they breathe 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than do adults.

10 things kids can do

100 Ways to Save The Environment

In Your Home – Conserve Energy

1.Clean or replace air filters on your air conditioning unit at least once a month.
2.If you have central air conditioning, do not close vents in unused rooms.
3.Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120.
4.Wrap your water heater in an insulated blanket.
5.Turn down or shut off your water heater when you will be away for extended periods.
6.Turn off unneeded lights even when leaving a room for a short time.
7.Set your refrigerator temperature at 36 to 38 and your freezer at 0 to 5 .
8.When using an oven, minimize door opening while it is in use; it reduces oven temperature by 25 to 30 every time you open the door.
9.Clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load so that it uses less energy.
10.Unplug seldom used appliances.
11.Use a microwave when- ever you can instead of a conventional oven or stove.
12.Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot.
13.Reverse your indoor ceiling fans for summer and winter operations as recommended.
14.Turn off lights, computers and other appliances when not in use.
15.Purchase appliances and office equipment with the Energy Star Label; old refridgerators, for example, use up to 50 more electricity than newer models.
16.Only use electric appliances when you need them.
17.Use compact fluorescent light bulbs to save money and energy.
18.Keep your thermostat at 68 in winter and 78 in summer.
19.Keep your thermostat higher in summer and lower in winter when you are away
20.Insulate your home as best as you can.
21.Install weather stripping around all doors and windows.
22.Shut off electrical equipment in the evening when you leave work.
23.Plant trees to shade your home.
24.Shade outside air conditioning units by trees or other means.
25.Replace old windows with energy efficient ones.
26.Use cold water instead of warm or hot water when possible.
27.Connect your outdoor lights to a timer.
28.Buy green electricity - electricity produced by low - or even zero-pollution facilities (NC Greenpower for North Carolina - www.ncgreenpower.org). In your home-reduce toxicity.

In Your Home – Reduce Toxicity

29.Eliminate mercury from your home by purchasing items without mercury, and dispose of items containing mercury at an appropriate drop-off facility when necessary (e.g. old thermometers).
30.Learn about alternatives to household cleaning items that do not use hazardous chemicals.
31.Buy the right amount of paint for the job.
32.Review labels of household cleaners you use. Consider alternatives like baking soda, scouring pads, water or a little more elbow grease.
33.When no good alternatives exist to a toxic item, find the least amount required for an effective, sanitary result.
34.If you have an older home, have paint in your home tested for lead. If you have lead-based paint, cover it with wall paper or other material instead of sanding it or burning it off.
35.Use traps instead of rat and mouse poisons and insect killers.
36.Have your home tested for radon.
37.Use cedar chips or aromatic herbs instead of mothballs.

In Your Yard

38.Avoid using leaf blowers and other dust-producing equipment.
39.Use an electric lawn- mower instead of a gas-powered one.
40.Leave grass clippings on the yard-they decompose and return nutrients to the soil.
41.Use recycled wood chips as mulch to keep weeds down, retain moisture and prevent erosion.
42.Use only the required amount of fertilizer.
43.Minimize pesticide use.
44.Create a wildlife habitat in your yard.
45.Water grass early in the morning.
46.Rent or borrow items like ladders, chain saws, party decorations and others that are seldom used.
47.Take actions that use non hazardous components (e.g., to ward off pests, plant marigolds in a garden instead of using pesticide).
48.Put leaves in a compost heap instead of burning them or throwing them away. Yard debris too large for your compost bin should be taken to a yard-debris recycler.

In Your Office

49.Copy and print on both sides of paper.
50.Reuse items like envelopes, folders and paper clips.
51.Use mailer sheets for interoffice mail instead of an envelope.Use mailer sheets for interoffice mail instead of an envelope.
52.Set up a bulletin board for memos instead of sending a copy to each employee.
53.Use e-mail instead of paper correspondence.
54.Use recycled paper.
55.Use discarded paper for scrap paper.
56.Encourage your school and/or company to print documents with soy-based inks, which are less toxic.
57.Use a ceramic coffee mug instead of a disposable cup.

Ways To Protect Our Air

58.Ask your employer to consider flexible work schedules or telecommuting.
59.Recycle printer cartridges.
60.Shut off electrical equipment in the evening when you leave work.
61.Report smoking vehicles to your local air agency.
62.Don't use your wood stove or fireplace when air quality is poor.
63.Avoid slow-burning, smoldering fires. They produce the largest amount of pollution.
64.Burn seasoned wood - it burns cleaner than green wood.
65.Use solar power for home and water heating.
66.Use low-VOC or water-based paints, stains, finishes and paint strippers.
67.Purchase radial tires and keep them properly inflated for your vehicle.
68.Paint with brushes or rollers instead of using spray paints to minimize harmful emissions.
69.Ignite charcoal barbecues with an electric probe or other alternative to lighter fluid.
70.If you use a wood stove, use one sold after 1990. They are required to meet federal emissions standards and are more efficient and cleaner burning.
71.Walk or ride your bike instead of driving, whenever possible.
72.Join a carpool or vanpool to get to work.

Ways to Use Less Water

73.Check and fix any water leaks.
74.Install water-saving devices on your faucets and toilets.
75.Don't wash dishes with the water running continuously.
76.Wash and dry only full loads of laundry and dishes.
77.Follow your community's water use restrictions or guidelines.
78.Install a low-flow shower head.
79.Replace old toilets with new ones that use a lot less water.
80.Turn off washing machine's water supply to prevent leaks.

Ways to Protect Our Water

81.Revegetate or mulch disturbed soil as soon as possible.
82.Never dump anything down a storm drain.
83.Have your septic tank pumped and system inspected regularly.
84.Check your car for oil or other leaks, and recycle motor oil.
85.Take your car to a car wash instead of washing it in the driveway.
86.Learn about your watershed.

Create Less Trash

87.Buy items in bulk from loose bins when possible to reduce the packaging wasted.
88.Avoid products with several layers of packaging when only one is sufficient. About 33 of what we throw away is packaging.
89.Buy products that you can reuse.
90.Maintain and repair durable products instead of buying new ones.
91.Check reports for products that are easily repaired and have low breakdown rates.
92.Reuse items like bags and containers when possible.
93.Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
94.Use reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones.
95.Use reusable containers to store food instead of aluminum foil and cling wrap.
96.Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags.
97.Buy rechargeable batteries for devices used frequently.
98.Reuse packaging cartons and shipping materials. Old newspapers make great packaging material.
99.Compost your vegetable scraps.
100.Buy used furniture - there is a surplus of it, and it is much cheaper than new furniture.

What is sustainability?

In the environmental community, when we talk about a sustainable world, we mean a world where we do not use more resources than we have, and would never use them at a greater rate than can be restored by Mother Nature. For example, we use fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas to produce electricity in our homes and to make our cars run. However, we know that the Earth does not contain enough fossil fuels to last forever. Burning fossil fuels also causes pollution and leads to global warming. So fossil fuels are not sustainable. However, we can use other sources of fuel that are sustainable! These include wind, water, the sun,and other energy sources that are in unlimited supply and do not pollute the environment. If everybody on the Earth lived a sustainable lifestyle, we would never run out of natural resources! Do you live a sustainable lifestyle? The lesson plans created by Earth Day Network will help you find out. You will also soon be able to take the Ecological Footprint Kids Quiz, which will help you find out
if you make sustainable choices on a daily basis. In this quiz, the bigger your footprint,the more resources you use in your daily life. Find out how to make your footprint smaller by taking the quiz. Each one of us is responsible for keeping our environment clean and healthy.Take an active role!

TERI - The Energy and Resource Institute

Celebrations to mark 25 years of TERI’s presence in New Delhi
commenced in the year 2006–07.It is thus quite an experience that we’ve been given a privileged insight into where this great institution began. This period, since 1982, has been a remarkable
quarter century not only in the life of TERI, but in the history of India as a nation. When TERI began its presence in Delhi, few would have expected that an institute external to the government would be able to move into areas of activity that have such influence on
society. The record, of course, indicates that the activities and achievements of TERI reach far beyond what could have been predictable at that stage. If there has been any success in TERI’s activities,the reason lies entirely within the framework of changes that have taken place in India as a country and Indians as a society. The eagerness to emerge as a society that can make a difference on the global stage has created within Indians an openness of spirit and a hunger for knowledge that has provided
the raison d’etre for an institution like TERI to be at the anguard of change.If there is one single attribute that has propelled TERI forward, it is the ability to focus on the future.
Another important element that has defined TERI’s existence in the last 25 years is its emphasis on young people.Indian society today is dominated by the youth, and there is considerable talent,
knowledge, and the will to succeed among the young. TERI has greatly
benefited by acquiring and nurturing human capital that embodies the youth,and therefore, a vision of India’s tomorrow.This, in a nutshell, is a perspective on TERI’s journey and its performance
since inception.
TERI has had massive impact in shaping climate-change-related policies of the Government of India. At the national level, TERI has provided continuous advice and involvement in the multilateral
negotiations on climate change under the Kyoto Protocol and the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change. A major upshot of policy analysis and advocacy by TERI has been the establishment of an expert committee on climate change under the chairmanship of the principal scientific adviser to the government and another high-level committee chaired by the prime minister,known as the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council on Climate Change.Under the latter Council, TERI has been asked to prepare a roadmap for a sustainable energy path and a plan dealing with climate change policy, which
will be considered by the Council in October 2007.
A major area of progress has been the development and dissemination of technologies ranging from the development and manufacture of customized solar torches and solar lanterns to the installation of various models of biomass gasifiers of different sizes and the
use of several microbial technologies for which markets are being developed worldwide. A major programme titled ‘Lighting a Million Lives’, to promote the use of solar torches and solar lanterns,
is due to be launched too.
TERI has intensified its efforts in bringing about desirable results through the implementation of field activities both at the rural as well as urban levels.Efforts are now being made to expand
technological interventions and to develop local institutions in rural areas for their all round technological upgradation.
This includes establishing IT (information technology) kiosks in selected locations. At another level, over a year ago, TERI initiated a programme of energy efficiency for Delhi through
analysis and advocacy with the chief minister of Delhi. This programme is making substantial headway and can become a forerunner to similar activities in other parts of the country and possibly in other countries as well.

UNEP

Mission
To provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring,informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.


Milestones

• 1972 - UN Conference on the Human Environment recommends
creation of UN environmental organisation
• 1972 - UNEP created by UN General Assembly
• 1973 - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES)
• 1975 - Mediterranean Action Plan first UNEP-brokered Regional
Seas agreement
• 1979 - Bonn Convention on Migratory Species
• 1985 - Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
• 1987 - Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone
Layer
• 1988 - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• 1989 - Basel Convention on the Trans-boundary Movement of
Hazardous Wastes
• 1992 - UN Conference on Environment and Development (Earth
Summit) publishes Agenda 21, a blueprint for sustainable
development
• 1992 - Convention on Biological Diversity
• 1995 - Global Programme of Action (GPA) launched to protect
marine environment from land-based sources of pollution
• 1997 - Nairobi Declaration redefines and strengthens UNEP's
role and mandate
• 1998 - Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent
• 2000 - Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety adopted to address
issue of genetically modified organisms
• 2000 - Malmö Declaration - first Global Ministerial Forum on the
Environment calls for strengthened international environmental
governance
• 2000 - Millennium Declaration - environmental sustainability
included as one of eight Millennium Development Goals
• 2001 - Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
(POPs)
• 2002 - World Summit on Sustainable Development
• 2004 - Bali Strategic Plan for Technology Support and Capacity
Building
• 2005 - Millennium Ecosystem Assessment highlights the
importance of ecosystems to human well-being, and the extent
of ecosystem decline
• 2005 - World Summit outcome document highlights key role of
environment in sustainable development

The UN Environment Programme (or UNEP) coordinates United Nations environmental activities,assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and encourages sustainable development through sound environmental practices. It
was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. UNEP also has six regional offices and various country offices.
UNEP is the designated authority of the United Nations system in environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing merging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. The mandate and objectives of UNEP emanate from United Nations General Assembly resolution 2997 (XXVII) of 15 December 1972 and subsequent amendments adopted at UNCED in 1992, the Nairobi Declaration on the Role and Mandate of UNEP, adopted at the Nineteenth Session of the UNEP Governing Council, and the Malmö Ministerial Declaration of 31 May, 2000.

Its activities cover a wide range of issues regarding the atmosphere,marine and terrestrial ecosystems. It has played a significant role in developing international environmental conventions, promoting environmental science and information and illustrating the way those can work in conjunction with policy, working on the development and implementation of policy with national governments and regional institution and working in conjunction with environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). UNEP has also been active in funding and implementing environmentally related development projects.
UNEP has aided in the development of guidelines and treaties on issues such as the international trade in potentially harmful chemicals, trans-boundary air pollution, and contamination of international waterways.
The World Meteorological Organization and the UNEP
established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) in 1988. UNEP is also one of several Implementing
Agencies for the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The billion tree campaign enters a second wave
Together, let’s plant 7 billion trees by the end of 2009!

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched a major worldwide tree planting campaign. Under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, people, communities, business and industry, civil society organizations and governments are encouraged to enter tree planting pledges online with the objective of planting at least one billion trees worldwide each year. In a call to further individual and collective action, UNEP has set a new goal of planting 7 billion trees by the end of 2009.

Current Status of Tiger in India

India holds over half the world's tiger population. According to the latest tiger census report released on February 12, 2008 by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the current tiger population stands at 1,411 (i.e., ranging between a minimum of 1,165 to a maximum of 1,657). The results include figures from 16 tiger states and are exclusive of Jharkhand and Sunderbans. The state of West Bengal was covered only partially (i.e. North Bengal) during the census.
The Tiger Census 2008 report has classified the tiger occupied forests in India into 6 landscape complexes; namely (a) Shivalik-Gangetic Plains, (b) Central Indian Landscape Complex (c) Eastern Ghats, (d) Western Ghats, (e) North-Eastern Hills and Bhramaputra Plains, and (f) Sunderbans.
Within the Shivalik-Gangetic plain landscape, it is reported that the tiger occupies 5080 km2 of forested habitats with an estimated population size of 297 (259 to 335) in six separate populations. In the Central Indian Landscape, tiger presence is currently reported from 47,122 km2 (11.6 % of forests) with an estimated tiger population of 451 (347 to 564) distributed in 17 populations. The Eastern Ghat landscape complex currently has about 15,000 km2 of potential tiger habitat. Tigers occupy 7,772 km2 of forested habitats with an estimated population size of 53 (49 to 57). Currently tigers occupy 21,435 km2 of forests within the Western Ghat Landscape comprising 21% of the forested area. The current potential tiger habitat in the landscape complex is about 51,000 km2. The population estimate for this landscape was 366 (297-434) tigers. North-Eastern hills and Bhramaputra plains currently reported tiger occupancy in 4230 km2 of forests. Many of the tiger populations, particularly those outside protected reserves, are fragmented, suffer from intense poaching pressure, a dwindling prey base and over-used habitat.

What is an endangered species?

Endangered means danger of the species becoming extinct or dying out.

Tigers are facing major population losses & extinction. Tigers are killed for sport, skins & body parts. The 1950S saw extinction of the Caspian tiger. The Bali and Java tiger are also extinct. The last Bali tiger was killed in 1937; the last Javan tiger was seen in 1972. India today has the largest number of tigers, with between 3,600 to 4,000. The South China tiger (20-30 are remaining), is nearly extinct in the wild.

Reasons for the Endangered Status

The Bengal tiger is endangered because it is poached for its body parts to cater to an illegal market. Another reason is habitat loss due to depletion of forest cover, interference of humans, and encroachment of forest land by people causing fragmentation. At the turn of the century, there were almost reportedly 40,000 tigers in India, but now only around 4,000 remain in the wild.

Why save tigers?

Tigers are symbols of wilderness and symptomatic of the well-being of the ecosystem. By conserving and saving tigers the entire wilderness ecosystem is conserved. In nature, barring human beings, the rest of the ecosystem is wild. Hence conserving wilderness is important and crucial to maintain our life support system. So saving the tiger amounts to saving the ecosystem which is crucial for man's own survival.

Tigers vs. tribals

Tigers or tribals? Tribals versus tigers. This is how the discussion on' the tribal forest rights act is being framed. The law, which was enacted by parliament a while ago, is aimed at conferring land rights on people who already live in forested regions. The government says it wants to correct a historical wrong against people on whom rights were never settled when forest areas were earmarked for conservation. Quite right. But these homes of the poorest also house the country's magnificent wild animals, like tigers. It is critical that their habitat should be protected and future safeguarded. This is also quite right.
Is it possible to reconcile the interests of what seems to be two competing groups?
A few years ago the debate was stormy. The draft forest rights bill was being worked upon by a government just sworn into power. Around this time, it was discovered-to everyone's horror-that all tigers from what was supposed to be a protected area, the Sariska National Park, had been poached. Opposition to the draft bill mounted; conservationists argued that this "populist" measure would be the last nail in the tiger's coffin.
I was asked to head a task force to suggest how tigers could be safeguarded. Over three months the specialists we met believed that it was important to reserve areas for wildlife. These would need to be inviolate areas-exclusively earmarked for animals where human interference would have to be kept at its minimum. Otherwise, they said, the tiger would not survive. They believed that if the forest rights bill gave people ownership over these lands it would be disastrous.
I approached the issue from different perspectives. I had for long understood that the future of people and forests is entwined. I also knew from experience that regeneration of forests is not possible unless local people benefit. But I was willing to listen to the experience of those who believed in the tiger. If co-xistence was not possible, we needed to find strategies to relocate people who lived in the tiger's territory.The issue seemed simple, but the replies shocked me. After 30 years of wildlife conservation efforts, fronted by the country's most powerful, we had forgotten people. In these 30 years we had managed to relocate 80-odd villages from protected reserves. We estimated that another 1,500 villages existed in just 28 tiger reserves. Worse, relocation was done in the most ham-handed and inhuman manner. We met families who had decided to return to the harassment and poverty of their homes within the sanctuary as their resettled parcel of land was full of stones. The authorities had done just about everything to make people trespassers in their own land; everything to turn them against the tiger we want to protect. This would not work we concluded.

Our answer was two-pronged. One, we agreed that inviolate space was important for wild animals. But the people who were making space for the tiger needed to be given a good ideal-not marginal forestland which would make them more destitute. Two, we said that me needed to be realistic. We suggested the need to identify and prioritize relocation of those villages that were in the most critical of wildlife habitats. This had to be done within a time-bound schedule.In the remaining villages,which would have to live in the reserves, we suggested a new bargain-sharing benefits of conservation with local communities-from preferential shares in tourism to collaborative management of our re-serves.
This led to some developments. The government agreed to enhance the package for relocated families from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh it agreed to conduct a census of tigers in the country, which would pinpoint their presence in different habitats. The tiger census is the first step to identify the critical habitats that need to be protected and to list the human settlements that need to be relocated. With this done, the agenda of co-existence will need to kick in.
But unfortunately, the tribal versus tiger paradigm will keep the fires burning. It would seem that the two lobbies are bent on scoring points, not building consensus. First, the tiger lobby blocked the bill. Then, an uneasy truce was brokered to provide for relocation of people and maintain their rights. In late 2005, the bill presented to parliament included a provision that temporary pattas (land deeds) would be given to people who were to be. relocated from sanctuaries and national parks. This would ensure that their rights were protected, but also it would ensure that government would undertake their relocation within a time-bound schedule.
Then the tribal lobby, which has the upper hand in parliament upped the ante. In late 2006, the act, finalized by a joint parliamentary committee, dropped this clause. Inside, it inserted an altogether new term, critical wildlife habitats, which would need to be established as areas to be kept inviolate for wildlife. In the rules for the act to go into force, they have rubbed in this point. They want ministries to issue guidelines regarding the nature, process, validation and interpretation of data to be collected and roles of expert committees who will now designate critical wildlife habitats, virtually questioning the legality of all protected areas.
This has led conservationists to react. They want all wildlife areas (some 600-odd) to be re-designated as critical wildlife habitats and removed from the ambit of the act. Now they have the upper hand. For now the act is stalled.

The next round belongs to the tribal lobby. It is after all a wrestling match.
In all this, let us be clear, the losers are tribals and tigers. It is not tigers versus tribals. It is everyone against them.

Sunita Narain has been with the Centre for Science and Environment from 1982. She is currently the director of the Centre and the direc¬tor of the Society for Environ¬mental Communications and publisher of the fortnightly magazine, Down to Earth.Under her stewardship,CSE was the recipient of the prestigious Stockholm water Prize for 2005. In the same year she was bestowed the Padma Shree by the GOVI. of India.

What individuals can do?

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
• Protest against deforestation, Protect, plant and nurture trees in urban areas. Monocultures do not combat climate change, plant for diversity.
• Use solar energy as much as possible - for heating water,it works brilliantly. If you have a terrace, try cooking with solar cookers, the food is tastier. Switch to energy-saving appliances.
• Turn computers off when not in use. Ditto for all other electricity items, including the TV Switch off from the mains, not just on the appliance.
• Save water. Don't let taps run, install showers and toilets that use less water.
• Recycle - newspapers, bottles,everything, anything.
• Use public transport, switch to cleaner, and alternate fuels.Walk to nearby places, instead of using the car.
• Is taking the flight really necessary? If a train will do, make the choice.
• If building your dream home, think green. There are specialised architects that design houses and buildings that optimise the use of energy.
• Educate others. Say no to plastics-urge neighbourhood-wide and city-wide bans on plastic bags. Turning vegetarian is a green choice, too. And halt mindless consumerism-buying "green" products still contributes to global warming.

What can India do?

• Voluntarily announce carbon reduction targets and demand no-cost technology transfers from the industrial north.
• Prevent deforestation, which contributes to over 20 per cent of the greenhouse gasses worldwide. Natural infrastructures that help moderate the climate and act as carbon sinks such as forests, wetlands,coasts, estuaries and grasslands must be zealously protected and not sacrificed for dams, mines, coal-fired thermal plants or surface transport systems.
• Develop new and alternate energy-efficient technologies (wind, solar and tidal), and alter policies - fiscal, regulatory, environmental- so that they are geared to combat global warming. We need to learn how to profit from low-carbon energy
options and services.
• Gain efficiency in power generation and distribution, emphasising clean energies, pollution control and conservation of water.
• Develop sophisticated scientific projects of the impact of climate
change so as to understand its extent and intensity, and also the regional variations to develop regional-specific solutions.
• Reduce human population and invest in education, health and sustainable transport options.
• Create financial incentive structures to encourage carbon storage.
• Play a greater role in the international community in demanding that all industrial nations tow the line and cut back sharply on. their carbon emissions.

Some Facts

• Himalayan glaciers are melting at a rate of 33 to 49 ft. (10 to 15 m.) annually, and could be completely gone by 2035. The melting will initially cause the glacier-fed rivers of northern India, the Indus, Ganges and others, to swell and flood and then shrink to dangerouslv low levels. water levels are expected to drop by two-thirds and this will affect up to 500 million people living downstream.
• If greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, by 2080, India will experience a rise in temperature of up to 70C, a decline in precipitation of up to three millimetres per day, and reduction in annual river runoff of up to 75 per cent.
• The per capita availability of water is expected to decline by over 30 per cent in the next four decades.
• India could lose 125 million tonnes of cereal crops, with a drop of over 25 per cent in wheat, particularly affecting north India. Rice yields could fall by 40 per cent and sowing seasons will be affected.
• Incidence of vector-borne diseases such as malaria and cholera will rise.
• Sea levels are expected to rise by 40 cm. by the turn of the century, flooding the homes of millions living in low-lying areas. In the event of a one metre sea-level rise, 5/764 sq. km. of/and in coastal areas of India is projected to be lost/ displacing approximately 7.1 million people by the end of the 21st century.
• India could lose 30 per cent of her flora and fauna including the
snow leopard/ Himalayan brown bear, lynx, Gangetic dolphin, and dugong among many others. Coral reefs will be wiped out. The deficit in soil moisture in deciduous forests such as Kanha and Pench will lead to a shift towards tropical dry forests and will affect the last remaining tigers. The flooding of mangrove forests such as the Sundarbans will also affect the royal Bengal tiger. Altered migratory patterns and increased forest fires would affect hundreds of species.
• The economic costs of global warming will be monumental- by some estimates India's GDP could drop by nine per cent/ largely due to submergence of low-lying coastal areas.
• Economic loss in urban areas such as Mumbai and Chennai would be phenomenal. Mumbai alone could lose up to 48 billion U.S. dollars due to potential submergence. Floods and droughts could spark unprecedented human migration towards cities, leading to greater pressure on the infrastructure and more urban sprawl.
• India is expected to have shorter monsoons and more intense downpours/ further increasing the likelihood of damaging floods especially as the intensity and frequency of cyclones in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal will increase.

The earth has a fever

Wile the business-as-usual brigade, led by respec­tiv presidents of the United States, remained in deep denial for three decades since the 1970s, events such as melting glaciers, coral bleaching, and storm surges presented a virtual discotheque of flashing, warning lights to suggest that the earth's climate was wob­bling and was on the verge of going into a tailspin. There is scarcely anyone now, save for incorrigible flat-earthers, who seriously deny the deadly reality and of climate change. Yet, even as weather extremes become the order of the day, Indian planners are doing all they can to destroy the self­regulating mechanisms of the subcontinent - glaciers, forests, rivers, wetlands and coasts - that helped all life forms overcome the cyclic atmospheric changes that have taken place over mil­lions of years.
The accelerated rate at which we are destroying natural ecosystems by turn­ing them into cities, dams, mines, roads and commer­cial plantations is nothing short of suicidal. Such irra­tional actions on the part of powerful leaders, including Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, can be likened to a seriously ill patient (in this case India) ripping off vital life-support systems in an Intensive Care Unit. Lack of common sense on the part of Indian planners defies all logic. The destruction of every eco­system we sacrifice for short-term gains (the port at Dhamra, Orissa, the dam in the Lower Subansiri Valley in Arunachal Pradesh, the proposed Vedanta mines in Lanjigarh, Orissa, World Bank-financed coal mining in Hazaribagh) accelerates climate change and degrades the availability of freshwater and/or wild foods upon which human beings will always depend.
If the leaders of the world were to magically wake from their stupor, they might realise that future generations will hold them responsible for the environmental crimes they commit today.
But for the moment, like latter day Neros, they fiddle while the planet burns.In his path-breaking book,Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, Jared Diamond, a professor of geography, writes: "The history of the Arctic, including that of Greenland, is a history of people arriving, occupying large areas for many centuries, and then declining or disappearing or having to change their life­style over large areas (because of) climate change." He goes on to draw a parallel between the collapse of past civilizations and their abuse of their life-support systems, suggesting darkly that humans today are poised to follow in the footsteps of the Easter Islanders, Maya, Aztecs and the Greenland Norse. But Indians might prefer to take their lessons from events closer to home.
Divine (as opposed to scientific) evidence of global warm­ing presented itself dramatically when the Himalingam, a naturally-formed ice stalagmite in the Amarnath cave shrine that draws thousands of worshipers and inspires millions more, melted this summer. TV channels and newspapers splashed the news across the nation on June 19, 2006, and showed priests screaming "Sacrilege! Sacrilege!" when a man-made ice lingam was erected in place of the natural (holy) one. But, of course, much more than a shrine was desecrated. Located at a height of 3,888 metres, the Amarnath glacier, which feeds mineral-rich water to the cave holding the stalagmite wor­shipped by many Hindus, has been vanishing at a rate of more than 15 metres per year. Ice caps at the North and South Poles, and the snows cov­ering the slopes of Mount Kiliman­jaro in Africa, the Andes in South America, and the Alps of Europe are suffering the same fate. Glaciers are in sharp retreat everywhere.
I recently reviewed two books on global warming. In The Weather Mak­ers, Tim Flannery calls climate change the "Last Act of God": "Some time this century the day will arrive when the human influence on the climate will overwhelm all natural factors. Then the insurance industry and the courts will no longer be able to talk of Acts of God."
The second book, The Revenge of Gaia, was written by James Lovelock. Three decades ago, Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis made me revere the earth even more than I thought possible. With sermonic fatalism he writes: "We are like the smoker who enjoys a cigarette and imagines giving up smoking when the harm becomes tangible. Most of all we hope for a good life in the immediate future and would rather put aside unpleasant thoughts of doom to come." Resigned to the fate of the Earth he goes on to add morosely that a proper gift for our children might be: "... a guidebook for survivors to help them rebuild civili­zation without repeating too many of our mistakes."
I recall writing with anger but with optimism in the seventies of how the Earth would somehow manage to contain its errant wards by sending hard messages to bring them in line. But today, like Lovelock and Flannery, I must confess my optimism has van­ished. Homo sapiens is not a learning animal.

Flannery says it all when he points an accusing finger at policy-makers: "The Australian government's chief eco­nomic adviser on climate change, Dr. Bri­-an Fisher, told a London conference that it would be 'more efficient' to evacuate small Pacific Island states than to require Australian industries to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide." II
Evidence of Gaia's revenge stares us in the face. Not in some distant rain forest, but in urban centres of the world. The Mithi River disaster in Mumbai and the destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina were only tiny warnings. If humans refuse to be shaken from their stupor, if they al­low politicians to continue to determine their fate, the hu­man race itself will be at risk.
As of now, in my country, I see little evidence that climate change is being taken seriously. On the contrary, almost all the developmental investments we are making fall into the business as usual category and will, therefore aggravate cli­mate change.



The author is the founder-Editor of Sanctuary Asia,
India's leading wildlife, conservation and environment
magazine. He also edits and publishes Sanctuary Kids
and The Ecologist Asia. The latter is the Indian edition
of The Ecologist, U.K. Mr Sahgal has made an indelible
impact on the conservation movement worldwide
through his writings and syndicated features. Devoted
to children, he organizes various edutainment prgrammes for school children across India. Sanctuary
Asia's website is a treasure trove of resources for those interested in eco­conservation. He has also produced a serial and a film on conservation.

Rain Water Harvesting-Saving water for the 'rainy day'

Rainwater harvesting is the process of collecting, filtering and storing water from roof tops, paved and unpaved areas for multiple uses. The harvested water can also be used for potable purposes after testing and treatment. The sur­plus water after usage can be used for recharging ground water aquifer through artificial recharge techniques. This can also result in improving the quality of the ground water e.g. lower fluoride content in ground water. Rainwater harvesting mechanisms are designed after assessing the site conditions such as incident rain­fall, subsurface strata and their storage characteristics, infiltra­tion test and by building suitable structures to collect and store rainwater.
Rainwater harvesting system provides a source of soft, high quality water, reduces dependence on wells and other sources, and, in many contexts, is cost effective. Rainwater harvesting system can range in size from a simple PVC tank to a contractor designed and built sump - costing thousand of rupees. Rainwater systems are inherently simple in form. Harvesting rainwater is not only water conserving, it is also energy saving since the energy input required to operate a centralized water system can be by­passed.
A range of filters for different filtration rates have also been designed using different filter media.

Benifit

· To harness good quality water resource now being wasted · To prevent groundwater depletion
. To augment the expensive piped water supply
To save expenditure on water
To prevent soil erosion and urban flooding
Inexpensive and simple technology
· Aids ecological conservation

Components Of Rainwater Harvesting System

. Catchment area
· Conveyance system
· First rain separator · Filter unit
· Storage
·Delivery system Usage
· Recharge

Biomass-renewable energy from plant and animal matter

Biomass is organic material made from plants and animals. Biomass contains stored energy from the sun. Plants ab­sorb the sun's energy in a process called photosynthesis. The chemical energy in plants gets passed on to animals and peo­ple that eat them. Biomass is a renewable energy source because we can always grow more trees and crops, and waste will always exist.
When burned, the chemical energy in biomass is released as heat. If you have a fireplace, the wood you burn in it is a biomass fuel. Wood waste or garbage can be burned to produce steam for making electricity, or to provide heat to industries and homes.
Biomass can be converted to other usable forms of energy like methane gas or transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. Methane gas is the main ingredient of natural gas. Smelly stuff, like rotting garbage, and agricultural and human waste, release methane gas - also called 'landfill gas' or 'biogas.' Crops like corn and sugar cane can be fermented to produce the transportation fuel, ethanol. Biodiesel, another transportation fuel, can be pro­duced from left-over food products like vegetable oils and animal fats.
The most common form of biomass is wood. Biomass contin­ues to be a major source of energy in much of the developing world. Many manufacturing plants use wood waste to produce their own steam and electricity. This saves these companies mon­ey because they don't have to dispose of their waste products and they don't have to buy as much electricity.

Municipal Solid Waste,Landfill Gas,And Biogas

Another source of biomass is our garbage, also called municipal solid waste (MSW). Trash that comes from plant or animal prod­ucts is biomass. Food scraps, lawn Clippings, and leaves are all ex­amples of biomass trash. MSW can be a source of energy by either burning MSW in waste-to-energy plants, or by capturing biogas. In waste-to-energy plants, trash is burned to produce steam that can be used either to heat buildings or to generate electricity.

biofuels-Ethanol and Biodiesel

Biofuels are transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel that are made from biomass materials. Ethanol is an alcohol fuel made from the sugars found in various plants.
Biodiesel is a fuel made with vegetable oils, fats, or gre'ases ­such as recycled restaurant grease. Biodiesel fuels can be used in diesel engines without changing them. It is the fastest growing alternative fuel in the United States. Biodiesel, a renewable fuel, is safe, biodegradable, and reduces the emissions of most air pol­lutants.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

The word geothermal comes from the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat). So, geothermal en­ergy is heat from within the earth. We can use the steam and hot water produced inside the earth to heat buildings or gen­erate electricity. Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source because the wa­ter is replenished by rainfall and the heat is continuously produced inside the earth.

10

Energy inside the earth
Geothermal energy is generated in the earth's core, about 4,000 miles below the surface. Temperatures hotter than the sun's surface are continuously produced inside the earth by the slow decay of ra­dioactive particles, a process that happens in all rocks. The earth has a number of dif­ferent layers:
The core itself has two layers: a solid iron core and an outer core made of very hot melted rock, called magma.
The mantle which surrounds the core and is about 1,800 miles thick. It is made up of magma and rock.
The crust is the outermost layer of the earth, the land that forms the continents and ocean floors. It can be three to five miles thick under the oceans and 15 to 35 miles thick on the continents.
The earth's crust is broken into pieces called plates. Magma comes close to the earth's surface near the edges of these plates. This is where volcanoes occur. The lava..that erupts from volcanoes is partly magma. Deep underground, the rocks and water absorb the heat from this magma. The temperature of the rocks and water get hotter and hotter as you go deeper underground.
People around the world use geother­mal Where is geothermal
energy found?
Most geothermal reservoirs are deep un­derground with no visible clues showing above ground.
Geothermal energy can sometimes find its way to the surface in the form of:
. volcanoes and fumaroles (holes where
volcanic gases and steam are released) . hot springs and
· geysers
are usually found along major plate bound­aries where earthquakes and volcanoes are concentrated.When magma comes close to the sur­face it heats ground water found trapped in porous rock or water running along frac­tured rock surfaces and faults. Naturally occurring large areas of hydrothermal re­sources are called geothermal reservoirs. Geologists use different methods to look for geothermal reservoirs. Drilling a well and testing the temperature deep under­
Uses of geothermal energy
Some applications of geothermal energy use the earth's temperatures near the surface, while others require drilling miles into the earth. The three main uses of geo­thermal energy are:
1) Direct Use and District Heating Systems which use hot water from springs or reservoirs near the surface.
2) Electricity generation in a power part requires water or steam at very high temperature (300 to 700 degrees Farr­enheit). Geothermal power plants are generally built where geothermal reser­voirs are located within a mile or two Of the surface.
3) Geothermal heat pumps use stable ground or water temperatures near the earth's surface to control building tem­peratures above ground.

Photovoltaic energy

Photovoltaic energy is the conversion of sunlight into electricity. A photovoltaic cell, commonly called a solar cell or PV, is the technology used to convert solar en­ergy directly into electrical power. A pho­tovoltaic cell is a non-mechanical device usually made from silicon alloys.
Sunlight is composed of photons, or particles of solar energy. These photons contain various amounts of energy corre­sponding to the different wavelengths of the solar spectrum. When photons strike a photovoltaic cell, they may be reflected,pass right through, or be ab­sorbed. Only the absorbed photons provide energy to generate electricity. When enough sunlight (energy) is absorbed by the material (a semiconductor), electrons are dislodged from the material's atoms. Special treatment of the material surface during manufacturing makes the front surface of the cell more receptive to free electrons, so the electrons naturally mi­grate to the surface.
When the electrons leave their position, holes are formed. When many electrons each carrying a negative charge , travel toward the front surface of the cell, the resulting imbalance of charge between the cell's front and back surfaces creates a volt­age potential like the nega­tive and positive terminals of a battery. When the two surfaces are connected throughan external load, electricityflows.Some advantages of photovoltaic systems are:

1. Conversion from sunlight to electricity is direct, so that bulky mechanical gen­erator systems are unnecessary.

2. PV arrays can be installed quickly and in any size required or allowed.
3. The environmental impact is minimal,requiring no water for system cooling and generating no by-products.Photovoltaic cells, like batteries, gen­erate direct current (Dc) which is gener­ally used for small loads (electronic equip­ment). When DC from photovoltaic cells is used for commercial applications or sold to electric utilities using the electric grid, it must be converted to alternating current (AC) using invert­ers, solid state devices that convert DC power to AC.
Historically, PV has been used at remote sites to provide electricity. In the future PV arrays may be locat­ed at sites that are also connected to the electric grid enhfncing the reli­ability of the distribution system.

Solar thermal heat

Solar thermal (heat) energy is often used for heating swimming pools, heating water used in homes, and space heating of buildings. Solar space heating systems can be classi­fied as passive or active.
Passive space heating is what happens to your car on a hot sum­mer day. In buildings, the air is cir­culated past a solar heat surface(s) and through the building by convec­tion (i.e. less dense warm air tends to rise while more dense cooler air moves downward). No mechanical equipment is needed for passive so­lar heating.
Active heating systems require a collec­tor to absorb and collect solar radiation. Fans or pumps are used to circulate the heated air or heat absorbing fluid. Active systems often include some type of ener­gy storage system.

Energy from the sun

The sun has produced energy for billions of years. Solar energy is the sun's rays (solar radiation) that reach the earth. Solar energy can be converted into other forms of energy, such as heat and electricity. In the 183os, the British astronomer John Her-schel used a solar thermal collector box (a device that absorbs sunlight to collect heat) to cook food during an expedition to Africa. Today, people use the sun's energy for lots of things.
Solar energy can be converted to thermal (or heat) energy and used to:
· Heat water - for use in homes, build­ings, or swimming pools
· Heat spaces - inside greenhouses,homes, and other buildings
Solar energy can be converted to electricity in two ways:
Photovoltaic (PV devices) or "solar cells" - change sunlight directly into electricity. PV systems are often used in remote locations that are not con­nected to the electric grid. They are also used to power watches, calcula­tors, and lighted road signs.
· Solar Power Plants - indirectly gener­ate electricity when the heat from so­lar thermal collectors is used to heat a fluid which produces steam that is used to power a generator.
The major disadvantages of solar energy are:
· The amount of sunlight that arrives at the earth's surface is not constant. It depends on location, time of day, time of year, and weather conditions.
·Because the sun doesn't deliver that much energy to anyone place at any one time, a large surface area is re­quired to collect the energy at a useful rate.

Energy from Wind

Since ancient times, people have har¬nessed the winds energy. Over 5,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians used wind to sail ships on the Nile River. Later, people built windmills to grind wheat and other grains. The earliest known windmills were in Persia (Iran). These early windmills looked like large paddle wheels. Centuries later, the people of Holland improved the basic design of the windmill. They gave it propeller-type blades, still made with sails. Holland is famous for its windmills.
American colonists used windmills to grind wheat and corn, to pump water, and to cut wood at sawmills. As late as the 192os, Americans used small windmills to generate electricity in rural areas without electric service. When power lines began to transport electricity to rural areas in the 1930s, local windmills were used less and less, though they can still be seen on some Western ranches.
The oil shortages of the 1970S changed the energy picture for world. It created an interest in alternative energy sources, paving the way for the re-entry of the windmill to generate electricity. In the early 1980s
. wind energy really took off in California, partly because of state policies that en¬couraged renewable energy sources. Cali¬fornia still produces more than twice as much wind energy as any other state in the USA.

How wind machines work

Like old fashioned windmills, today's wind machines use blades to collect the wind's kinetic energy. Windmills work because they slow down the speed of the wind. The wind flows over the airfoil shaped blades causing lift, like the effect on airplane wings, causing them to turn. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator to produce electricity.
With the new wind machines, there is still the problem of what to do when the wind isn't blowing. At those times, other types of power plants must be used to make electricity. The largest wind machines in the world have blades longer than a football field! Wind machines stand tall and wide to capture more wind.

Alternative Energy Sources

There is now growing awareness on the imperatives for a global energy future which marks a distinct departure from past trends and patterns of energy production and use. These imperatives emerge as much from the need to ensure energy security/ as they do from the urgency of controlling local pollution from combustion of different fuels and/ of course/ the growing challenge of climate change/ which requires reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases (GHSs)/ particularly carbon dioxide.
- Dr. R. K. Pachauri/ Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

8Many important events have occurred during the history of using renewable sources even though the use of renewable energy is not new. Five generations (125 years) ago, wood supplied up to 90 percent of our energy needs. Due to the convenience and low prices of fossil fuels, wood use has fallen. Now, some biomass that would normally be taken to the dump is converted into electricity (e.g., manufacturing wastes, rice hulls, and black liquor from paper production).
Renewable energy effectively uses natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat, which may be naturally replenished. Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity/ micro hydro, biomass and biofuels for transportation. Renewable energy sources can be replenished in a short period of time. The five renewable sources used most often are:

• wind
• solar
• geothermal
• biomass energy
• water harvesting
In 2006, about 18 percent of global final energy consumption came from renewables, with 13% coming from traditional biomass, like wood-burning. Hydropower was the next largest renewable source, providing 3%, followed by hot water/heating which contributed 1.3%. Modern technologies, such as geothermal, wind, solar, and ocean energy together provided some 0.8% of final energy consumption. The technical potential for their use is very large, exceeding all other readily available sources.
Renewable energy technologies are sometimes criticised for being intermittent or unsightly, yet the market is growing for many forms of renewable energy. Wind power has a worldwide installed capacity of over 100 GW and is widely used in several European countries and the USA. The manufacturing output of the photovoltaics industry reached more than 2,000 MW per year in 2006, and PV power plants are particularly popular in Germany. Solar thermal power stations operate in the USA and Spain, and the largest of these is the 354 MW SEGS power plant in the Mojave Desert. The world's largest geothermal power installation is The Geysers in California, with a rated capacity of 750 MW Brazil has one of the largest renewable energy programs in the world, involving production of ethanol fuel from sugar cane, and ethanol now provides 18 percent of the country's automotive fuel. Ethanol fuel is also widely available in the USA.
While there are many large-scale renewable energy projects, renewable technologies are also suited to small off-grid applications, sometimes in rural and remote areas, where energy is often crucial in human development. Kenya has the world's highest household solar ownership rate with roughly 30,000 small (20-100 watt) solar power systems sold per year.
Climate change concerns coupled with high oil prices, peak oil and increasing government support are driving increasing renewable energy legislation, incentives and commercialization. European Union leaders reached an agreement in principle in March 2007 that 20 percent of their nations' energy should be produced from renewable fuels by 2020, as part of its drive to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, blamed in part for global warming. Investment capital flowing into renewable energy climbed from $80 billion in 2005 to a record $100 billion in 2006. This level of investment combined with continuing double digit percentage increases each year has moved what once was considered alternative energy to mainstream. Wind was the first to provide 1 % of electricity, but solar is not far behind. Some very large corporations such as BP, General Electric, Sharp, and Royal Dutch Shell are investing in the renewable energy sector.

The need for renewable energy use and current global warming trends

Carbon dioxide emissions are causing the Earth's climate to change and warm, which will have catastrophic results if we do not act to reduce them. Carbon dioxide emissions in our atmosphere are at their highest levels in recorded history, spanning over 650,000 years.
The effects of climate change can be seen now. Temperatures are increasing, glaciers are receding at unprecedented speeds, storms are becoming more frequent and severe, and chunks of ice the size of Connecticut are breaking off the Antarctic ice shelf.

National Indicators

At the national level, our local green projects started through green teachers' initiatives will assist the overall community and business leaders with development of local and regional indicators that measure progress. These green teachers will be given every kind of support to enrich their work at the school level, the community level, the national level. Tie up with CEE at the city level to train yourself as a green teacher endorsing a green movement.
There are many simple ways to reduce the footprint you leave on the planet. Learn how to reduce your footprint in each consumption category-carbon, food, housing, and goods and services-but don't stop there. Amplify your impact by encouraging others to follow your lead. Engage your friends and community with local and global movements for social change, or start your own movement today!

Reduce your Carbon Footprint

Use Cleaner Transport

• Walk, bike, or take public transport whenever possible.
• Avoid allowing your car to idle. If you'll be waiting for more than 30 seconds, turn off the engine, except in traffic. Park your car and walk to the utility instead of driving up and waiting in a car queue.
• Have your vehicle serviced regularly to keep the emission control systems operating at peak efficiency. Check your car's air filter monthly, and keep the tyres adequately inflated to maximize fuel mileage.
• Avoid short airplane trips-take a bus or train instead.

Add Energy-Saving features To Your Home

• Install compact fluorescent bulbs in all your home light fixtures-but remember, compact fluorescents contain mercury, so look for low-mercury models and be sure to dispose of old bulbs safely through your local hazardous waste program.
• Develop indigenous waste management programmes through the creative ideas generated by our school children
• Develop rain-water harvesting management techniques at the individual home level to store rainwater
• Weatherproof your home. Eliminate energy stealers like leaving the AC on to cool a room with windows or doors ajar.
• Insulate your water heater. Install
and use solar heaters in winter.
• Switch to a tank-less water heater,so your water will be heated only as you use it.
• Choose energy efficient appliances.

Adopt energy-Saving Habits

• Keep the thermostat relatively low and ease up on the air conditioning in summer. Clean or replace dirty air conditioner filters as recommended to keep the NC operating at peak efficiency.
• Unplug your electronics when not in use. To make it easier, use a power strip. Even when turned off, items like your television, computer, and cell phone charger still sip power.
• Dry your clothes outside whenever possible instead of using dryers.
• Make minimal use of power equipment when landscaping.
• Defrost your refrigerator and freezer regularly.
• Choose green electricity options: choose the option of digital inverters rather than fuel-powered gen-sets to combat power cuts - however to avoid lead contamination switch to solar cell technology
• Better still use solar power as alternative energy.
• Explore the option of carbon offsets in your community to make up for the energy use you can't eliminateask the neighbourhood people to donate generously for tree plantation drives
• Tree plantation can only be effective if every tree is adopted just as a child is - a member in the community agrees to water the tree, fence it and protect it from pests and tree cutters.

Reduce Your food footprint

• Eat more local,organic,in-season foods.
• Plant a garden-it doesn't get more local than that.
• Shop at your local farmer's market or natural foods store. Look for local, in-season food that hasn't traveled long distances to reach you.
• Choose food with less packaging to reduce waste.
• Eat lower on the food chain-go without meat for a month to make a difference. Globally, it has been estimated that 18% of all greenhouse gas emissions are associated with meat consumption.

Reduce Your Housing Footprint

• Choose sustainable building materials, furnishings, and cleaning products.
• Explore green design features for your building, like passive solar heating, rainwater harvesting or catchments or grey water ecycling system, and recycled materials.
• Choose efficient appliances, including low flow shower heads, faucets, and toilets.
• Choose furnishings that are secondhand, recycled, or sustainably produced.
• Plant drought tolerant plants in your garden and yard.
• Use biodegradable, non-toxic cleaning products.

Adopt Water-Saving Habits

• Take shorter, less frequent showers this not only saves water, but the energy necessary to heat it in winter months.Don't use the garbage disposal. Compost instead.
• Ban the use of non-recyclable plastics - at the personal level refuse to use it
• Run the dishwasher and the washing machine only when full.
• Wash cars rarely, or better yet, if you live in a metro like Mumbai, Pune, and Delhi etc. take them to a carwash. Commercial carwashes use less water per wash than home washers, and they are also required to drain used water into the sewage system, rather than storm drains, which protects aquatic life.
• Avoid hosing down or power-washing your walkways or driveway.
• Regularly look for and fix leaks In plumbing.

Reduce Your Goods And Services Footprint

• Buy less! Replace items only when you really need to.
• Recycle all your paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic. Don't forget electronics!
• Compost food waste for the garden.
• Separate non-biodegradable garbage - garbage that is not contaminated with degradable wasti can be more easily recycled and sorted, and doesn't produce methane gas (a significant greenhouse gas contributor) when stored in a landfill.
• Buy recycled products, particularly those labeled "post-consumer waste."

LETS TAKE A GREEN VOW.... NOW!

NOBODY MADE A GREATER MISTAKE THAN HE WHO DID NOTHING BECAUSE HE COULD ONLY DO A LITTLE.
*Edmund Burke

Hence the need for a green pledge... and The need to redefine progress... Just recollecting a snatch of Country singer Jim Reeves' song "This world is not my home I'm just a passerby..." stirs a deep nostalgia for a bygone era... so poignantly portrayed in Richard Llewellyn's saga of a Welsh coal-mining town in How Greens My Valley. For me the story always struck a deep chord jogging my school-girl memories of the serene and verdant Chotanagpur valley of small-town-Ranchi, which has over the course of the last three decades transmogrified from a lush dell to a loud and discordant icon of industrial progress. Christened the capital city of Jharkhand, a state carved out from the parent state of Bihar, Ranchi presents a microcosmic bird's eye view of what we have done to our environment.
My childhood reminiscence is not merely a school-girlish nostalgic trip down memory lane nor is our envi-ronment merely limited to the natural world of oceans and forests. It extends to where we live, work, play, and wor¬ship. It includes the air that we breathe and the resources available to our com¬munities, as well as the health hazards caused by environmental toxins and degradation. What we have done to the world around us will come back to us. It is the law of nature: as you sow so shall you reap.
However, I do believe persistence pays. "Drops of water hollow out a stone; a ring is worn away by use." So said Ovid, a Roman poet who lived between 43 BC-17 AD. The world of nature gifts us the quintessence of life itself. A million dollars stashed away in a bank are redundant if I as a human being am forced to breathe in foul air or am forced to drink filthy water. Cli¬ched though it may sound the truth of the statement that the best things in life are free cannot be refuted. William Blake (1757-1827) British poet, painter, engraver, and mystic in 1803 perhaps may have wondered deeply about natures gifts when he wrote in Auguries of Innocence",

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hourOur loss of a green and clean, environment is a 'logical' corollary to our failure to fathom beauty, of our capacity to wonder, to dream and to marvel at the manifold gifts of nature whicb we debase and devalue daily. The quetion each one of us must ask ourselves is: Quo Vadis? Where are we heading?
A few days ago I read the news that in the busy suburbs of London flower fragrances are on the wane due to air pollution and a high SPM factor in the air. The result is that bees which were earlier attracted by flower fragrances leading to pollination are unable to one find nectar and two cross-pollinate. Over a period of time one can visualize the further consequence-dwindling bee populations and loss of bio-diversi¬ty as certain species of flowering plants die away. Neither does the daily news bulletin bombarding us with depressive capsules of man-made disasters offer any reprieve. Sample this:

Huge Texas sinkhole's appetite
decreasing, officials say .
By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press Writer Thu May 8, 8:21 PM ET
DAISETTA, Texas - Geologists said a 260-foot-deep sinkhole that grew to the length of three football fields over just two days seemed to be slowing down Thursday, but that it could take months before it's clear whether surrounding areas are stable.
The 900-foot-long sinkhole, with crumbling dirt around its edges resembling sharp teeth, has swallowed up oil tanks and barrels, tires, telephone poles and several vehicles in Daisetta, a once¬booming oil town of about 1,000 residents about 60 miles northeast of Houston.

Our Story
A long, long time ago and a very long time ago that must have been-the Homo sapiens race had no notion or ownership of land or property, ,no sense of comunity, no tool for buying and selling, no socially binding fabric of either kinship, fellowship, neighbourhood, or nationhood. Man led a nomad's existence wandering in search of food and shelter. Men roamed free. Fear and insecurity guided human instinct. Survival must have been tough-a daily struggle in fact. From hunter-gatherer to agriculturist to technocrat-we have come a long, long way. Let us plunge further back on this imaginary journey back in time.. .
Stretch your imagination. Leave hu¬man civilization behind. Close your eyes and imagine a unified land mass, a single super continent, Pangaeia. All the continents of the world united into a single huge landmass called Pangaeia, here in the Permian Period, 260 million years distant from the world you know now. The convergence of the continents has changed ocean currents, reduced coastline area, and resulted in endless stretches of inland desert. Welcome to the beginning of a journey through past eternities.

Now voyage back further. Welcome to the coal swamps of the Carbonifer- I
ous age, 350 million years in the past. Some day in the unimaginably distant future, their remains will fuel the insatiable greed of humankind, but right now these tree-fern forests are still whole and pure, inhabited by amphibians and giant dragonflies. To visit the amphibians ancestors, we will have to reverse in time... further

You fall into the depths of the warm oceans, because here is where you will find the prevaiiing life of the planet in this day and age-the Devonian Period, the Age of Fishes, 380 million years back. These oceans are ruled by Dinich¬thys, the "terrible fish"-and by immense primitive sharks. One day only their relics-their teeth will remain. But life is already out on land too, and to witness its emergence, let us go still farther back in time... to its very beginning... imagine the spectacle

Back to the Future Now

Open your eyes now. Look around you again. Surprise of surprises... you are back in the Holocene, in the modern world. What survives and what does not, is at least in part up to you now. The Holocene Epoch, the present epoch on the geologic time scale, which began 10,000 years ago is the most recent period in geologic time. The HoloceneGreek for "wholly recent"-Epoch began 11,500 years ago and continues into the present. It is also called the Recent Epoch.
Geologists roughly mark the bound¬ary between the earlier Pleistocene Epoch and the Holocene Epoch with a climatic moderation that accompanied the melting of huge ice sheets that cov¬ered more than one-fourth of the earth's land area during the Pleistocene. The ice sheets retreated at different times in different places, so their disappearance is only an approximate boundary. The universal boundary for the Holocene is 11,500 years before the present, as mea¬sured in calendar years.
The earth has experienced radical natural changes throughout its history. Even during the last 20,000 years, climate and sea levels have changed dramatically. However, human activity has had an appreciable effect on the earth only in the last few centuries. People have modified the earth's vege¬tation patterns, created conditions that led to the loss of soil in many parts of the world, and devastated entire ecosystems.
Signs of human alteration of the planet's atmosphere are evident in car¬bon dioxide levels recorded in ice cores over the past 250,000 years. During ice ages natural carbon dioxide levels were 200 parts per million (ppm) by volume. During warm stages, such as the Holocene Epoch, the carbon dioxide levels were 280 ppm. When humans began to use vast quantities of fossil fuels to power machines, the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere began to rise. The atmospheric level of carbon dioxide is now 379 ppm, a rise that equals the full natural fluctuation between an ice age and a warm period. According to one theory, the buildup of carbon dioxide and other gases released from fossil fuels into the atmosphere has caused a warming of the planet. If warming continues, it could lead to a rise in sea level, melting of permafrost (perma¬nently frozen earth) and glaciers at high altitudes, changes in temperature and precipitation extremes, and new animal migration patterns and habitat changes.

Progress has taken its toll. Everyday we are bombarded with facts-global warming, ozone depletion, silting of water bodies, Holocene extinction, coral bleaching, loss of bio-diversity and so much more. I confess with absolute honesty that I have a superficial knowledge at most about facts. However I do know that as a child my play area was green whereas my children who have more of gadgets and gizmos are living a straitened poverty-stricken life without open spaces to wander in and explore a life of wonder.
Today as we totter and teeter on the brink of a dangerous precipice threatening our very survival - just like that Texas sinkhole - forecasts of doom have acquired urgency as never before. We may croon "One Earth One Heart let's get together and feel alright but pay lip service respect to Mother Gaiea. I do agree love of one's family, community or country is an excellent thing - but why should that love stop at the margins? Why can't we think of love as an emotion encompassing all of us on planet Earth? Why can't science and scripture be wedded in our daily life? We must take robust action or choose to fade away like the dino dons of the Jurassic Age for those who can more easily adapt to changing conditions, of course, have a bit of an edge in the survival game.
Deep contemplation brings me to a reflection on the oldest literature of the Rig Vedic Scriptures, as also to the much latter-day story of Biblical Genesis. Questioning of theology leads to an understanding: "God's book is never closed". Let us redeem our pledge and promise to live a green life.

Green Life

Ponder over these questions-What is a green life? What is a sacrifice? It means giving up something we like. Sometimes we do this with the idea of getting something better for it; that is a sort of bargain. Sometimes we do it with a better motive-because we love God, or another person, and want to make him happy and occasionally we even feel like giving up all we have. The entire history of Hindu religion can be seen in this way. It began in a bargaining spirit, with the early people offering into the fire in hope of reward. In later centuries God himself was born to us in several forms, and, as in the Gita, taught us to work unselfishly, sacrificing self¬ish hopes and interests and to love God for His own sake. Many centuries later we learned further, from Vivekananda and Gandhi, a new kind of sacrifice¬sacrifice for the sake of the nation.

The Seers of Truth
Among the Vedic Aryans a tradition of nature worship arose when prosperity also bred fear-the fear of the loss of it all. However, here and there, in pockets, dissension grew. A few people grew tired of the everyday round of fires and chants offered in the hope of propitiating the Gods to bless them with a hundred sons and healthy head of cattle. They went off alone into the forests skirting the valley of the Ganges. Fear-less seekers of truth, bold questioners of rituals, they gave up their secure settled existence to embrace a life of indefatigable struggle.
Living on nature's bounty they thought deep within themselves about life, the world, God and man. Who made the universe and how? What makes us breathe and hear and think? These were India's first philosophers. Slowly answers came, schools of thought grew, and certain men and women were recognized whose meditation had been long and deep.
Rishis they were called-seers, because they claimed they had seen the truth, and that they were eternal truths, revealed to men anew in every cycle of creation. Then Gurukul ashra¬mas or forest schools grew where the people of the great valley could have their children taught, by living with the seer, serving him and sitting beside him for instruction.

Embracing a green life means a thorough overhaul in the way we think and act and achieve. It means taking onus. It implies a sacrifice. It involves a deeper loving. It entails a painful choice. It necessitates uncompromising action. Are we ready to give up our cocoon of comfort to espouse a green life?

What can we do? Let's assess. . .
Equipped with the knowledge that a clean environment for all is a human right we must combat environmental injustice effectively and environmental equity must become a guiding principle in measuring human progress.
What could we do if we were forti¬fied with a knowledge that it is impossible to fail in our mission to go green? Building a diverse, consensus-based group of students, teachers and parents at the local school level is something we can all surely do. While hi falutin stuff on environmental justice, climate justice, religious policy, and advocacy are movements we could show solidarity for it is at the personal and family level that we really need to bring in change before we decide on a green agenda to represent hundreds of communities across the country or even the world. That reminds me of another song-we are the world/we are the children/we are the ones who wil/lllake a brighter day/So let's start givillglit's a choice we're making of
saving our OWl! lives... Music never fails to stir the depths of my being. Even as we sing the Takshila song at every as¬sembly let us also pledge to honour in letter and spirit the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutulllbakalll.. .
To educate our young people about the science of climate change, and train them to become activists in their communities will be a life-long agenda in our schools. While we affirm a green agenda we know that going green is not going to be an overnight change. It requires a deeper reflection, a redefinition of progress, a refining of our lifestyle. While we have become familiar with the symbol of the three chasing arrows denoting the idea Recycle, Re¬use and Recharge our real aim in school must be to teach ourselves to think Reflect, Redefine, Refine. Real progress develops creative men and women capable of developing economic policies that strengthen the community and the world while protecting the environment and promoting social equity.
Global warming impacts human lives-particularly low-income communities. It compromises their health, causes unjust financial burdens and social and cultural disruptions. Moreover, those who are most affected are least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions that cause the problem both globally and within our country.

Practice Sustainable Economics

Sustainability indicators provide a road-map for sanity. The choice of indicators reflects how a given community defines progress. Traditional indicators, like gross domestic product (GDP) or corporate profits, reflect a faith in growth and efficiency as the primary mechanisms for improving public welfare.
However, we believe that progress is not measured by the quantity of goods we consume, how fast our market is growing, or how much wealth is being amassed. We believe progress is measured by how well we:
• Equitably distribute wealth, income,and access to cultural amenities-Ninad, Rang Veethi, Prasallg, Jashn-e-Bachpall, Dharohar-the cultural initiatives TES endorses as also by doing volunteer teaching.

• Protect and restore local or native ecosystems-take care of your local water bodies-ponds, lakes, rivers-spread the word on eco-friendly religious worship
• Advance social, economic, and environmental sustainability issues and projects- Project Sajag -sow the seeds of change and be aware how you do it

In and through our schools let us work at the local, state, and national levels to define indicators of genuine progress in these areas.


What are Genuine Progress Indicators?

At the national level, NGO fora such as CEE, CSE, TERl and CPREEC highlight and publish periodic updates on genuine progress indicators, an alternative to GDP that takes inequality, environmental degradation, and natural debt into account as well as the benefits associated with housework, parenting, volunteering, and higher education. As aware adults let us keep ourselves abreast with updates on the environment and spread the green word in the community.

Community Indicators

Our three schools in Patna, Pune and Ludhiana provide us a platform not just to talk about the environment but build a partnership with the local community to design change in small ways... after all little drops of water make the mighty ocean.

A Global Warming Report from Down Under

Diet and the Atmosphere by Bruce Poon, Melbourne, Australia

Summary

The world is now full of advice about how to cut your greenhouse emissions. Most of it is grossly misleading.

Re-examining the data published by the Australian Greenhouse Office and CSIRO, it can be seen that energy generation contributes a large amount to our emissions. But what do we do with that Energy? If you take a deeper look at the uses of that energy, it emerges that over 30% of our emissions are caused by animal industries!

Without any other expensive changes to our infrastructure, by the simple expedient of becoming vegetarian, we could reduce our overall greenhouse gas emissions by 30%. What is more, with the land freed up being returned to native forest, we could extract carbon from the atmosphere equal to the other 70%!

That is a 100% reduction with no financial cost.

Even more importantly, recent evidence is that it is Methane, not Carbon, that is responsible for a lot of the warming currently happening. And Methane is up to 63 times more damaging than CO2 over a 20 year period, by which time Methane will be dispersed.

Australia's cattle and sheep produce about 3 megatonnes of methane per annum. 3 megatonnes times 62 is 186. Hence the 3 megatonnes of methane is equivalent to 186 megatonnes of carbon dioxide which shows that our cattle and sheep will have a bigger impact on climate during the next 20 years than all our coal fired power stations which together produce only about 180 megatonnes of carbon dioxide.

None of which means we don't have to worry about CO2, we must reduce CO2 emissions, but while this is happening we must reduce methane to stabilise temperature while we wait for the effects of any reductions to kick in.

Changing diet is easy and can be done by a person every day, unlike major changes such as buying a new efficient car or better electrical appliances.

The bottom line is that there is a simple and financially affordable mechanism for Australia to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by up to 100%. While global climate change is an impending environmental catastrophe, its worst effects could be reduced or stopped by a simple change in diet.

For an individual that wishes to minimise their greenhouse gas footprint, and prevent global climate change, the most important, urgent and first step should be to reduce their consumption of animal products, preferably adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet.

EarthSave Report:

A New Global Warming Strategy:
How Environmentalists are Overlooking Vegetarianism as the Most Effective Tool Against Climate Change in Our Lifetimes by Noam Mohr

Summary
Global warming poses one of the most serious threats to the global environment ever faced in human history. Yet by focusing entirely on carbon dioxide emissions, major environmental organizations have failed to account for published data showing that other gases are the main culprits behind the global warming we see today. As a result, they are neglecting what might be the most effective strategy for reducing global warming in our lifetimes: advocating a vegetarian diet.

Global Warming and Carbon Dioxide
The environmental community rightly recognizes global warming as one of the gravest threats to the planet. Global temperatures are already higher than they’ve ever been in at least the past millennium, and the increase is accelerating even faster than scientists had predicted. The expected consequences include coastal flooding, increases in extreme weather, spreading disease, and mass extinctions.

Unfortunately, the environmental community has focused its efforts almost exclusively on abating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Domestic legislative efforts concentrate on raising fuel economy standards, capping CO2 emissions from power plants, and investing in alternative energy sources. Recommendations to consumers also focus on CO2: buy fuel-efficient cars and appliances, and minimize their use. ,

This is a serious miscalculation. Data published by Dr. James Hansen and others show that CO2 emissions are not the main cause of observed atmospheric warming. Though this may sound like the work of global warming skeptics, it isn’t: Hansen is Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies who has been called “a grandfather of the global warming theory.” He is a longtime supporter of action against global warming, cited by Al Gore and often quoted by environmental organizations, who has argued against skeptics for subverting the scientific process. His results are generally accepted by global warming experts, including bigwigs like Dr. James McCarthy, co-chair of the International Panel on Climate Change’s Working Group II.

The focus solely on CO2 is fueled in part by misconceptions. It’s true that human activity produces vastly more CO2 than all other greenhouse gases put together. However, this does not mean it is responsible for most of the earth’s warming. Many other greenhouse gases trap heat far more powerfully than CO2, some of them tens of thousands of times more powerfully. When taking into account various gases’ global warming potential—defined as the amount of actual warming a gas will produce over the next one hundred years—it turns out that gases other than CO2 make up most of the global warming problem.

Even this overstates the effect of CO2, because the primary sources of these emissions—cars and power plants—also produce aerosols. Aerosols actually have a cooling effect on global temperatures, and the magnitude of this cooling approximately cancels out the warming effect of CO2. The surprising result is that sources of CO2 emissions are having roughly zero effect on global temperatures in the near-term!

This result is not widely known in the environmental community, due to a fear that polluting industries will use it to excuse their greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the Union of Concerned Scientists had the data reviewed by other climate experts, who affirmed Hansen’s conclusions. However, the organization also cited climate contrarians’ misuse of the data to argue against curbs in CO2. This contrarian spin cannot be justified.

While CO2 may have little influence in the near-term, reductions remains critical for containing climate change in the long run. Aerosols are short-lived, settling out of the air after a few months, while CO2 continues to heat the atmosphere for decades to centuries. Moreover, we cannot assume that aerosol emissions will keep pace with increases in CO2 emissions. If we fail start dealing with CO2 today, it will be too late down the road when the emissions catch up with us.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that sources of non-CO2 greenhouse gases are responsible for virtually all the global warming we’re seeing, and all the global warming we are going to see for the next fifty years. If we wish to curb global warming over the coming half century, we must look at strategies to address non-CO2 emissions. The strategy with the most impact is vegetarianism.

Methane and Vegetarianism
By far the most important non-CO2 greenhouse gas is methane, and the number one source of methane worldwide is animal agriculture.

Methane is responsible for nearly as much global warming as all other non-CO2 greenhouse gases put together. Methane is 21 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than CO2. While atmospheric concentrations of CO2 have risen by about 31% since pre-industrial times, methane concentrations have more than doubled. Whereas human sources of CO2 amount to just 3% of natural emissions, human sources produce one and a half times as much methane as all natural sources. In fact, the effect of our methane emissions may be compounded as methane-induced warming in turn stimulates microbial decay of organic matter in wetlands—the primary natural source of methane.

With methane emissions causing nearly half of the planet’s human-induced warming, methane reduction must be a priority. Methane is produced by a number of sources, including coal mining and landfills—but the number one source worldwide is animal agriculture. Animal agriculture produces more than 100 million tons of methane a year. And this source is on the rise: global meat consumption has increased fivefold in the past fifty years, and shows little sign of abating. About 85% of this methane is produced in the digestive processes of livestock, and while a single cow releases a relatively small amount of methane, the collective effect on the environment of the hundreds of millions of livestock animals worldwide is enormous. An additional 15% of animal agricultural methane emissions are released from the massive “lagoons” used to store untreated farm animal waste, and already a target of environmentalists’ for their role as the number one source of water pollution in the U.S.

The conclusion is simple: arguably the best way to reduce global warming in our lifetimes is to reduce or eliminate our consumption of animal products. Simply by going vegetarian (or, strictly speaking, vegan), , , we can eliminate one of the major sources of emissions of methane, the greenhouse gas responsible for almost half of the global warming impacting the planet today.

Advantages of Vegetarianism over CO2 Reduction
In addition to having the advantage of immediately reducing global warming, a shift away from methane-emitting food sources is much easier than cutting carbon dioxide.

First, there is no limit to reductions in this source of greenhouse gas that can be achieved through vegetarian diet. In principle, even 100% reduction could be achieved with little negative impact. In contrast, similar cuts in carbon dioxide are impossible without devastating effects on the economy. Even the most ambitious carbon dioxide reduction strategies fall short of cutting emissions by half.

Second, shifts in diet lower greenhouse gas emissions much more quickly than shifts away from the fossil fuel burning technologies that emit carbon dioxide. The turnover rate for most ruminant farm animals is one or two years, so that decreases in meat consumption would result in almost immediate drops in methane emissions. The turnover rate for cars and power plants, on the other hand, can be decades. Even if cheap, zero-emission fuel sources were available today, they would take many years to build and slowly replace the massive infrastructure our economy depends upon today.

Similarly, unlike carbon dioxide which can remain in the air for more than a century, methane cycles out of the atmosphere in just eight years, so that lower methane emissions quickly translate to cooling of the earth.

Third, efforts to cut carbon dioxide involve fighting powerful and wealthy business interests like the auto and oil industries. Environmental groups have been lobbying for years to make fuel-efficient SUVs available or phase out power plants that don’t meet modern environmental standards without success. At the same time, vegetarian foods are readily available, and cuts in agricultural methane emissions are achievable at every meal.

Also, polls show that concern about global warming is widespread, and environmental activists often feel helpless to do anything about it. Unless they happen to be buying a car or major appliance, most people wanting to make a difference are given little to do aside from writing their legislators and turning off their lights. Reducing or eliminating meat consumption is something concerned citizens can do every day to help the planet.

Finally, it is worth noting that reductions in this source of greenhouse gas have many beneficial side effects for the environment. Less methane results in less tropospheric ozone, a pollutant damaging to human health and agriculture. Moreover, the same factory farms responsible for these methane emissions also use up most of the country’s water supply, and denude most of its wilderness for rangeland and growing feed. Creating rangeland to feed western nations’ growing appetite for meat has been a major source of deforestation and desertification in third world countries. Factory farm waste lagoons are a leading source of water pollution in the U.S. Indeed, because of animal agriculture’s high demand for fossil fuels, the average American diet is far more CO2-polluting than a plant-based one.

Recommendations


Organizations should consider making advocating vegetarianism a major part of their global warming campaigns. At a minimum, environmental advocates should mention vegetarianism in any information about actions individuals can take to address global warming.
Government policy should encourage vegetarian diets. Possible mechanisms include an environmental tax on meat similar to one already recommended on gasoline, a shift in farm subsidies to encourage plant agriculture over animal agriculture, or an increased emphasis on vegetarian foods in government-run programs like the school lunch program or food stamps.