Environment

Initiatives for sustainable development in the aviation sector and reduce carbon emissions at airports

Context: India's aviation sector has experienced rapid growth in recent years, leading to an increase in carbon emissions from airports. Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken a number of initiatives to promote sustainable development in the aviation sector and reduce carbon emissions at airports.

Emissions from Airports

Airport greenhouse gas emissions fall into three categories: Scope 1 (from sources owned/controlled by airport), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased energy), and Scope 3 (indirect emissions beyond airport's control). Scope 1 accounts for 5% and Scope 2 for 95% of emissions. This has led to increased efforts to make airports more eco-friendly and green.

What is Green Airport?

A green airport refers to an airport that adopts sustainable measures to mitigate its ecological impact and encourage sustainable growth. These airports strive to curtail their carbon footprint, preserve natural resources such as energy and water, and cut down on waste and emissions.

Initiatives by MoCA taken for reduction of Green House Gases(GHG) in airspace

Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA): Due to Flexible Use of Airspace, cumulative reduction in carbon emission of approx. 90,000 tCO2 in addition to cumulative saving of approx.
Implementation of Central Air Traffic Flow Management (C-ATFM): This management technique is helping to manage air traffic flows strategically in the Indian sky. It has helped to ensure reduced delays & holding and optimisation of capacity, leading to reduction in fuel consumption and GHG emissions. India became the 7th country in the world (after USA, Europe, Australia, South Africa, Japan and Brazil) to implement the Air Traffic Flow Control Measures across the country.

Airports Council International - Global Framework

The Airports Council International (ACI) has launched the Airport Carbon Accreditation program, which is a globally recognised carbon management certification program for airports of all sizes, including general aviation and freight-focused airports.

The program helps airports to assess their carbon emissions, develop a carbon management plan, and reduce their carbon footprint. It offers six levels of certification that acknowledge airports' different stages of carbon management and uses internationally recognised methodologies.

The program provides measurable goals, flexibility to account for national or local requirements and helps airports benefit from increased efficiency and lowered energy consumption.

About International Civil Aviation Organization

It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.
Its core function is to maintain an administrative and expert bureaucracy to research new air transport policy and standardization innovations.
It defines the protocols for air accident investigation that are followed by transport safety authorities in countries signatory to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.
Its headquarters are located in the Quartier International of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

ICAO’s CORSIA initiative

It is the first global market-based measure for any sector and represents a cooperative approach that moves away from a “patchwork” of national or regional regulatory initiatives.
It offers a harmonized way to reduce emissions from international aviation, minimizing market distortion, while respecting the special circumstances and respective capabilities of ICAO Member States.
CORSIA complements the other elements of the basket of measures by offsetting the amount of CO2 emissions that cannot be reduced through the use of technological improvements, operational improvements, and sustainable aviation fuels with emissions units from the carbon market.

Steps taken by the MoCA for encouraging usage of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

Airlines can either use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) or offset their emissions by purchasing carbon credits from ICAO approved Emissions Unit Programmes.
To realize the goals of decarbonization of Aviation Sector, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas constituted a Bio-Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) Programme Committee to take forward the Bio-ATF programme in the country to promote use of clean fuels.
SpiceJet, a private Indian carrier, had conducted a demonstration flight with Bombardier Q400 aircraft in August 2018 using bio-fuel blended with ATF (in the ratio of 25:75) in one engine.
As on date, Airbus and Boeing aircraft are capable of flying with up to a 50% blend of SAF. Both the manufacturers aim to enable 100% SAF capability by 2030.
Clean Skies for Tomorrow (CST) is an initiative of World Economic Forum to help the aviation sector move towards net-zero emissions by accelerating the use of sustainable aviation fuels.

Achievements by India

Delhi and Mumbai airports, the top two major airports in the country, have achieved the highest Level 4+ Carbon Accreditation of ACI.
Hyderabad and Bengaluru have also achieved the status of being Carbon Neutral (Level 3+).
Cochin Airport is the first green airport in the world, fully powered by solar energy. (Prelims 2022)
Almost all the major airports have Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) installed at their sites and at remaining airports the STPs are being installed.

Targets

Most of the Airports have given the target of achieving 100% use of Green Energy by 2024 and Net Zero by 2030.
AAI has given targets to achieve 100% Green Energy at its remaining operational airports by 2024.

Conclusion

Tackling carbon emissions from airports requires a coordinated and collaborative effort from all stakeholders, including technological innovation, policy and regulatory frameworks.

With concerted efforts, it is possible to mitigate the environmental impact of air travel while continuing to enjoy its many benefits.

IPCC Synthesis report

Climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and planetary health and there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in a report.

The current report synthesises findings from three working groups. It also integrates evidence from three special reports during the sixth assessment cycle.

Key observations:

Human activities, principally through emissions of greenhouse gases, have unequivocally caused global warming, with global surface temperature reaching 1.1°C above 1850–1900 in 2011–2020.
Global greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase.
Adaptation planning and implementation has progressed across all sectors and regions, with documented benefits and varying effectiveness. Despite progress, adaptation gaps exist, and will continue to grow at current rates of implementation
Global GHG emissions in 2030 implied by nationally determined contributions (NDCs) announced by October 2021 make it likely that warming will exceed 1.5°C during the 21st century and make it harder to limit warming below 2°C.
Climatic and non-climatic risks will increasingly interact, creating compound and cascading risks that are more complex and difficult to manage.
The report, brings in to sharp focus the losses and damages we are already experiencing and will continue into the future, hitting the most vulnerable people and ecosystems especially hard.

About the IPCC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.
It was established by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide political leaders with periodic scientific assessments about climate change.
The IPCC has 195 member states that are members of the UN or WMO.
The IPCC has three working groups:
- Working Group I, which addresses with the physical science of climate change;
- Working Group II, which focuses on the impact, adaptation and vulnerability associated with climate change; and
- Working Group III, which deals with the mitigation of climate change.
It also has a Task Force on Greenhouse Gas Inventories that develops methodologies for measuring emissions and removals.
IPCC assessments provide governments, at all levels, with scientific information they can use to develop climate policies.
The UN panel does not itself undertake scientific assessments but only evaluates the state of scientific evidence on various aspects of climate change.

About the Sixth Assessment Cycle

The IPCC publishes comprehensive scientific assessments every six to seven years. The previous one, the Fifth Assessment Report, was completed in 2014 and provided the main scientific input to The Paris Agreement.

At its 41nd Session in February 2015, the IPCC decided to produce a Sixth Assessment Report (AR6).

World sparrow day

Context - National Zoological Park, New Delhi (Delhi Zoo) celebrated World Sparrow Day today.

Key Facts:

Theme – ‘I love sparrows.’
Emphasis - The role of individuals and communities in sparrow conservation.
Six sparrow species found in India:

Theme – ‘I love sparrows.’
Emphasis - The role of individuals and communities in sparrow conservation.

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Ecological significance of Sparrows:

Seed dispersion: Sparrows spread seeds to places away from the fruit tree. This is important for germination of the seeds, because if the seeds fall close to the parent plant, they would have to compete for nutrition with the mature plant. This would reduce the chance of germination of the seed as well as growth of the plant.
Biodiversity: Although primarily seed-eaters, sparrows also feed on small insects and worms such as caterpillars, beetles and aphids. Some of these creatures destroy certain plants. Sparrows keep their population in check; otherwise, the insects would have eaten certain plant species to extinction. Here also sparrows play an important role in preserving the ecosystem.
Food chain: Most birds of prey, such as eagles and falcons, eat other smaller birds. Snakes, which are also secondary consumers, are known to eat sparrows. For example, sharp-shinned hawks prefer sparrows for food. Hence they provide food for the secondary consumers.

Protection of the ecology of western ghats

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Environment Ministry to file its counter-affidavit to a petition filed by a minor, M. Kaviya, a resident of Nilgiris, seeking judicial intervention to protect the Western Ghats from destruction.

Several environmental activists and NGOs such as the Goa Foundation and Peaceful Society, Bandora, from across six Western Ghats States have joined hands with Ms Kaviya to seek judicial intervention to reinstate the recommendations of the Dr Madhav Gadgil led Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel’s report.

Intergenerational Inequality

Ms Kaviya and seven other children have sought “justice in terms of intergenerational equity”, saying that unbridled “development” in the ancient mountain system would leave their generation without a future or a livelihood.

They have sought an “effective, sustainable and credible conservation regime for the Western Ghats, its diverse ecosystems and ecologically sensitive zones”.

Importance of western ghat

Goa Foundation said the petition concerned a total land area of 1,29,037 sq. km. While 50 million people were directly dependent on the Western Ghats and its ecology, another 200 million were indirectly dependent. The future of the entire southern India was intimately linked with the healthy survival of the Western Ghats.

Gadgil committee recommendations: It recommended variable protection to 100% area of western ghats i.e., Protected areas, ESZ1, ESZ2, ESZ3.

ESZ1 almost all developmental activities to be restricted in it.

It asked for a bottom-up approach rather than a top-down approach to planning.

It also asked for decentralisation and more powers to local authorities.

It recommended constituting a statutory body Western Ghat Ecology Authority under EPA 1986 at central and state levels.

Problems with the Gadgil report:

Its recommendations were not realistic in nature as it limits the developmental need of the country

Hence government constituted a new committee under Kasturi Rangan and it recommended (2013):

Only 37% area of the western ghats is under ESA.

Highly polluting industries should be banned by ESA.

No thermal power is allowed and hydropower projects are allowed only after a detailed study.

Mining in ESA areas should be phased out within the next five years or at the time of the expiry of the mining lease, whichever is earlier.

But this report has many lacunas;

It gave more power to bureaucrats as compared to local bodies.

Many fear that farmers would get evicted if the Kasturi Rangan Committee report is implemented. Under this report, the mining and quarry lobbies are expected to flourish. When these lobbies and tourism flourish, it will be disastrous to the environment.

The panel used remote sensing and aerial survey methods for zonal demarcation of land in the western ghats it led to the inclusion of ecologically non-sensitive areas under ESA and left out many ecologically sensitive areas.

Due to erroneous recommendations of the Kasturi Rangan report, people turned violent due to fear of their eviction if their village fall under the purview of ESA (123 villages were under ESA as per Kasturi Rangan report), hence Kerala’s CM (Oommen Chandy) appointed another committee to study the Kasturi Rangan Report.

Recommendations of Oommen Chandy report:

It recommended stopping land acquisition proceedings according to the Kasturi Rangan committee report.

Exclusion of inhabited regions and plantations from the purview of ecologically sensitive areas while the Kasturi Rangan report had said 123 villages fall under ESA purview.

MoEF recently came out with the order barring mining in ecologically fragile areas (EFA not to be confused with ESA), setting up of thermal power plants and restricting buildings to less than 20,000 sq. ft in 123 villages mentioned in the Kasturi Rangan report.

National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) - Desalination Plant In Lakshadweep

Stepping up from its ongoing initiative of providing potable water in six islands of Lakshadweep using Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) technology, the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) is working at making this process free of emissions.

What is Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) technology?

It is based on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) principle.
It is one process that uses the availability of a temperature gradient between two water bodies or flows to evaporate the warmer water at low pressure and condense the resultant vapour with the colder water to obtain freshwater.
While ocean, with its temperature variation across its depth, presents one such scenario of two water bodies, a coast based thermal power plant discharging huge amounts of condenser reject water into the nearby ocean represents an alternate scenario.

Note: Near Lakshwadeep there is a difference of about 15 - 20 degree Celsius between sea surface water and deep sea water.

Warm surface sea water is flash evaporated at low pressure and the vapour is condensed with cold deep sea water.
LTTD exploits the difference in temperature (nearly 15°C) in ocean water at the surface and at depths of about 600 feet.
This cold water condenses water at the surface, that is warmer but whose pressure has been lowered using vacuum pumps.
Such de-pressurised water can evaporate even at ambient temperatures and this resulting vapour when condensed is free of salts and contaminants and fit to consume.

Note: Sea water is salty. When water evaporates, it leaves the salts behind. Those vapours when get condensed, are transformed into pure fresh water.

The LTTD technology does not require any chemical pre and post-treatment of seawater and thus the pollution problems are minimal and suitable for island territories.
Since no effluent treatment is required, it gives less operational maintenance problems compared to other desalination processes.
The LTTD technology is completely indigenous, robust and environment friendly.
The cost per liter of desalination would depend on the technology used and cost of electricity which varies from place to place.

Existing issue: Currently the desalination plants, each of which provides at least 100,000 litres of potable water everyday, are powered by diesel generator sets — there being no other source of power in the islands. However, the need for diesel power to reduce the water pressure means that the process is not fossil-fuel free and also consumes diesel, a precious commodity in the islands that has to be shipped from the mainland critical for powering the electric grid.

Plastic Rocks on Island Off Brazil

Rocks made of plastic debris have been discovered on the volcanic Trindade Island of Brazil.

What are Plastic rocks?

Technically they are called as plastiglomerate.

It is formed when plastic trash melts and fuses together with natural materials such as basaltic lava fragments, sand, shells, wood and coral, resulting in a plastic-rock hybrid.
When the plastic melts, it cements rock fragments, sand, and shell debris together, or the plastic can flow into larger rocks and fill in cracks and bubbles.

Researchers say the new material is likely to last a very long time, possibly becoming a permanent marker in Earth’s geologic record.

About Trindade Islands:Location – It is located 1140 Km from Southeastern state of Espirito Santo of Brazil in South Atlantic Ocean.

Ecological significance: Trindade Island is one of the world’s most important conservation spots for green turtles, or Chelonia mydas, with thousands arriving each year to lay their eggs. The only human inhabitants on Trindade are members of the Brazilian navy, which maintains a base on the island and protects the nesting turtles.
Plastic threat: It mainly comes from fishing nets, which is very common debris on Trinidade Island’s beaches. The (nets) are dragged by the marine currents and accumulate on the beach. When the temperature rises, this plastic melts and becomes embedded with the beach’s natural material.

What is Plastisphere?

The plastisphere consists of ecosystems that have evolved to live in human-made plastic environments.
The Plastisphere is a diverse microbial community living on bits of plastic floating in the ocean. These communities are distinct from the surrounding water, suggesting that plastic serves as its own habitat in the ocean.
It’s like a biofilm—a sticky material that traps all sorts of microorganisms, protozoa and fungi. They can multiply and create a unique biome around the plastics.

What is Marine snow?

Marine snow is a term popularized by scientific explorer and diver William Beebe in the 1930s. It’s made up of nutrient-rich, organic material that falls like snow from the ocean’s surface to the sea floor.

The marine snow phenomenon explains why there’s life at the bottom of the ocean.
Also, how carbon can move from top to bottom in the ocean can also be partly explained through marine snow.

Vulture population in India

Recently, as many as 246 vultures were spotted in the firstever synchronised survey conducted along the borders of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

The estimation was carried out in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) and the adjoining landscape consisting of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Tamil Nadu, the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) in Kerala, the Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR) and the Nager hole Tiger Reserve (NTR) in Karnataka.
A total of 98 vultures were seen in MTR, two in STR, 52 in WWS, 73 in BTR, and 23 in NTR.

About Vultures

Varieties of vultures found in India:

India is home to 9 species of Vulture namely

Vultures	IUCN Status
Oriental white-backed Vulture	Critically endangered
Long-billed Vulture	Critically endangered
Slender-billed Vulture	Critically endangered
Himalayan griffon vulture	Nearly threatened
Red-headed Vulture	Critically endangered
Egyptian vulture	Endangered
Bearded vulture	Nearly threatened
Cinereous vulture	Nearly threatened
Eurasian Griffon	Least concerned

ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

• They act an important function as nature’s garbage collectors and help to keep the environment clean of waste.

• Vultures also play a valuable role in keeping wildlife diseases in check.

THREAT

• Diclofenac is a common anti-inflammatory drug administered to livestock and is used to treat the symptoms of inflammation, fevers and/or pain associated with disease or wounds. • Diclofenac leads to renal failure in vultures damaging their excretory system (direct inhibition of uric acid secretion in vultures).

CONSERVATION: The Ministry for Environment, Forests and Climate Change launched a Vulture Action Plan 2020- 25 for the conservation of vultures in the country. To upscaling conservation four rescue centres will be opened like Pinjore in the north, Bhopal in central India, Guwahati in Northeast and Hyderabad in South India.

Pumped Storage Projects

Presently, Pumped Storage Projects (PSP) and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are the major feasible options to store Renewable Energy. Recently, the Ministry of Power has issued draft guidelines to promote the development of Pump Storage Projects (PSP) in the country.

Under the draft guidelines, the ministry has asked the states to:

Consider exempting stamp duty and registration fees for the land for PSP projects.
Give government land at concessional rates for such projects.
Avoid double taxation, and provide relief in the State Goods and Services Tax (SGST).

Pumped Storage Projects (PSP):

Pumped storage projects (PSPs), often called ‘giant batteries,’ is a type of hydroelectric energy storage system. The internationally accepted technology is conventionally used to stabilise the grid and maintain peak power.
These projects store appreciable amounts of energy and release it when required. The present installed capacity of PSPs in the country is 4745 MW and another 1500 MW capacity is under active construction.
Some of the operational PSP plants exist in Telangana (Nagarjuna Sagar, Srisailam), Tamil Nadu (Kadamparai), Maharashtra (Bhira, Ghatgar), and Purulia in West Bengal.

Mechanism:

The PSPs comprise two water reservoirs connected through a tunnel or underground pipe at different heights.
When there is more electricity production and less demand, these projects pump water from the downward reservoir to the upward reservoir.
When more energy is needed, water is pushed from the uphill to the downhill via a turbine to produce the required power instantly.

Advantages:

PSPs are clean, megawatt-scale, domestically available, time-tested, and internationally accepted.
PSPs are clean, green, safe, and non-explosive as they do not produce any poisonous/ harmful by-products or pose disposal problems.

Concerns:

Several issues have halted the growth of PSPs in India including, higher upfront costs, the high tariff of power used to pump water uphill, and the long gestation period of such projects due to several approvals like environmental clearance and other formalities.

PSPs vs BESS:

Currently, the price of batteries is rising and stands around Rs. 8-10 per unit (1 kilowatt-hour), and their price is dynamic depending on changing geopolitics and other reasons. Although the upfront cost of PSPs is higher, its operational cost per KwH is lower than that of battery storage systems.
PSPs lose around 20-30% of the energy in their storage process but have a longer duration supply than battery systems. While the lead acid batteries can work up to 2-6 hours, PSPs can supply energy ranging from six to 20 hours.
PSPs have a long gestation period, and their capacity is dependent on location, however, they have a longer life. BESS have a short gestation period, and are non-dependent on location (mobile) but limited by the availability of minerals and technology.

Way Forward:

To improve the uptake of PSPs in the grid, differential pricing should be explored (instead of a flat energy charge) that will increase PSP profitability, and generation-based incentives should be provided.
The government could consider allowing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for PSPs as they are available for other renewable projects.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is meeting in Switzerland this week to finalise the last report of its sixth assessment cycle, which is expected to set up the tempo for a string of climate change-focused discussions over the next fortnight.

About Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

It was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
It has a secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, hosted by the WMO, and is governed by 195 member states.
Its main activity is to prepare Assessment Reports, special reports, and methodology reports assessing the state of knowledge of climate change.
It is a scientific body whose periodic assessments of climate science form the basis of global climate action, is set to finalise what is known as the Synthesis Report, incorporating the findings of the five reports that it has released in the sixth assessment cycle since 2018.
However, the IPCC does not itself engage in scientific research.
Instead, it asks scientists from around the world to go through all the relevant scientific literature related to climate change and draw up the logical conclusions.

About Assessment Reports

The IPCC’s Assessment Reports (ARs), form the basis for government policies to tackle climate change, and provide the scientific foundation for the international climate change negotiations.
Six Assessment Reports have been published so far, the sixth report (AR6) coming in three parts — the first in August 2021, the second in February 2022, and the third to be finished in March 2023.

About Synthesis Report

It is the last of the Sixth Assessment reports.
It is supposed to be a relatively non-technical summary of the previous reports, aimed largely at policymakers around the world.
It is meant to address a wide range of policy-relevant scientific questions related to climate change, but, like all IPCC reports, in a non-prescriptive manner.

What previous reports have said

The first Assessment Report (1990) formed the basis for the negotiation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992, known as the Rio Summit.
The second Assessment Report (1995) -AR2 was the scientific underpinning for the Kyoto Protocol of 1997.
The third Assessment Report (2001) presented new and stronger evidence to show global warming was mostly attributable to human activities.
The fourth Assessment Report (2007) won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for IPCC. It was the scientific input for the 2009 Copenhagen climate meeting.
The fifth Assessment Report (2014) -AR5 formed the scientific basis for negotiations of the Paris Agreement in 2015.