Urgent Need To Combat Climate Change

                                                                                                By Dr. N. D. Choudhari

THE United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was established in 1972 to aware the people in the world, regarding environment and related problems and to enhance political attention and public action. This event at Stockholm Conference on the issue of human environment was the land-mark event in growth of International Environmentalism," said John Mc'Cormick Day. WED was formed by the United General 100 countries in the world through the year and these celebrations to make awareness.

Various resolutions and pledges are taken by the PM and ministers of Environment on the World Environment Day 2009. All these dignitaries involved themselves with the commitment of facing of environment throughout the world. The pledges taken on the eve of WED formed the base of environmental management and economic planning. United Nations Environment Programme decides the place, slogan, objectives and celebration mode of World Environment Day every year. Likewise, various burning issues of environment problems are projected at word forum by UNEP for serious involvement and active participation of people to tackle is sues of environmental problems, various awards are also declared every year. The theme of WED 2009 focuses on the climate change. Climate change is caused by natural internal processes or external forces or by persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of the atmosphere or in land use. Due to explosion of population, industrialisation, heavy air, water soil pollution occurs, the air has got Nitrogen 78%, Oxygen 21% and 0.036% of Co² for nurturing life on our planet. Due to industrialisation and increase in number of vehicles causes increase in percentage of CO2, Nitrogen Oxide, Sulphur Dioxide, Chlorofluro Carbons (CFC) which is called as Green House Gases and thus, disturbs chemical composition of atmosphere. It results in air pollution.

About 30 per cent of incoming energy from the Sun is reflected back to space while the rest reaches the earth, warning the air, oceans and land and thus, maintain Earth's temperature of 15 degrees C. Energy from the Sun in the form of ultraviolet and infra red portions is absorbed by the land, seas, mountains etc. and the earth becomes hotter and hotter. The earth absorbs and simultaneously releases it in the form of infrared waves. But when percentage of CO2 and other Green Houses Gases increase tremendously and accumulates with water vapour in the upper atmosphere which insulates the earth and raises the atmosphere temperature and prevents loss of heat. Global surface temperature is increased to 0.74 deg. C + 0.18 C during past 100 years. When global temperature increases, polar ice melts down causing flood to rivers. As the ice melts, land or open water takes its place. Both land and open water are on average less reflective than ice and thus, absorb more solar radiation that is called Ice Albedo. This causes more warming which in turn, causes more melting and this cycle continues. Rapid Arctic shrinkage is already occurring. And rate of its shrinkage in last 30 years is 3 times faster. In 2035, river in the Himalayas will diminish. Due to soil erosion, dams constructed on this river will be filled with soil.

Ban Ki Moon UN Secretary General called for transition to a new era of greener, cleaner development. Your planet needs you is meant to inspire all of us to do our part. The earth faces the grave threat of climate change and poor people in developing countries will suffer more. Unitedly we must press governments to seal the deal for a new climate agreement when billion of people, join forces in common purposes and environment protection, we can make a tremendous difference.

National Green Corporation in 8884 schools in Maharashtra under social forestry development will celebrate World Environment Day 2009 by following means. Street rallies, green concerts, bicycle parades, essay and poster competition in schools, tree planting, recycling effort by using old papers of used notebooks, clean up campaigns in villages and cities. Farmers should plants on the blinds of agriculture under Employment Guarantee Schemes with 100 per cent subsidies all government and non-government and corporate and NGOs should undertake massive campaign to involve masses for afforestation in vacant places and degraded soils. Soil and moisture conservations work should he carried out in all villages along with afforestation. Pollution should be carried out. In rural area, use smokeless chullah or install bio gas plants. Provide smoke outlets and ventilation in the kitchen. Feed livestock in their sheds without let-ting them out for grazing. Stop cutting of trees and grazing by animal’s forest fire and mining and extraction of sand from river and over abstraction of ground water. Saw our gene pool in forest and biodiversity.

Our environment is the future of our world. So let m come forward and join hands to save our environment.

Mitigating root causes of diseases by Ecosystem Approach

           

                                                                                    Dr. N. D. Choudhari

Swine flu outbreak in 2009 has caused panic among people resulting in deaths in India. Swine flu is caused by Swine influenza virus (SIV), H1N1. The SIV strain includes influenza A - known as H1N1, H1N2, H3N1, H3N2, H2N3 and influenza C all over the world. In India, people are infected with H1 N1 virus but it is a different strain compared to the 1918 flu in North America and Mexico. This strain includes genes derived by re-assortment from that of humans and pigs.

These mutations in swine flu, bird flu, dengue, meningitis, cerebral malaria, TB, jaundice and diseases in animals, plants, are attributed to environmental pollution, climate change; global warming and loss of biodiversity. Global warming causes major atmospheric changes, species extinction and changes in disease vectors.

In 1930, swine flu in pigs was identified which was caused by H1N1 viruses. In 1997, H3N2 , strains emerged due to mutations which included genes derived by re-assortment from human, swine and avian viruses. Generally, virus transmission from pigs to humans is not common but if transmitted, it causes human influenza, called zoonotic swine flu. People with regular exposure to pigs can be infected with swine flu. This virus is transmitted by contact and through air.

Common water pollutants have disease-causing agents (pathogens) including bacteria, viruses, parasitic worms, protozoa etc, that enter water from domestic sewage and untreated human and animal wastes. Escherichia coli and Streptococcus faeclis cause CI-tract disorders. Industrial pollutants and other chemicals cause cancer and skin diseases. Chemicals also cause genetic mutations in human beings, in bacteria, viruses and parasites, fungi, insects etc. and develop new strains of disease pausing agents. Similarly, new strains of parasites are also developed by mutations with actions of chemicals and radiations. The excess chemicals in fertilizes pause eutrofication arid pesticide which results in bioaccumulation and bio-magnification. Pollutants in sewage are absorbed by plants which are then passed on to herbivores, carnivores and sequentially to humans which later on are stored in their body.

Sewage water from the urban area is thrown in river as untreated. Due to construction of dams, perennial rivers are dried up and untreated sewage water is stagnated in rivers and nullahs. Bacteria, viruses, insects, parasite, fungi and other disease-causing agent multiply rapidly in sewage water. Pollution is caused due to industrialization and over population - the world around. Moreover, due to globalization, viruses and bacteria developed in one part of world spreads rapidly to the other parts. The Chernobyl Disaster in Russia and Hiroshima and Nagasaki bomb attacks in Japan resulted in nuclear disasters with high emission radiation in the deaths of many people. Nuclear radiation causes mutations in plant and animal genes. Mutation can also affect the ovaries and testes causing mutated eggs and sperms leading to abnormal off springs of human beings, animals and plants. Diseases developed by mutations are carried to further generations. During biological warfare, countries develop disease causing materials containing bacteria and viruses to artificially spread the diseases. During the past years, terrorist developed Anthrax - a powder that spread diseases in the world. Similarly plague, small pox, tuberculosis and other viral, diseases can, spread artificially, under bio terrorism and biological warfare. The ozone layer in the upper-atmosphere absorbs the UV radiation and protects plants and animals from diseases. Chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) in refrigerators and aerosol sprays cause ozone hole, thus allowing harmful UV rays to penetrate the earth. It causes skin diseases and gene mutations.

To mitigate diseases, ecofriendly approach should be followed. Industrialized, developed rich countries should take responsibility to control pollution, as decided in Rio De Janeiro in 1992, Kyoto protocol and Major Economies Forum at Italy in 2009. Major Economies Forum decided rise in global temperature be capped at 2 degree above pre industrial level and cutting emissions to 85 per cent below to 1990 levels by 2050. US, Canada and China have highest pollution level due to industrialisation. Developed countries should provide finance and technologies to developing countries to control pollution and large scale afforestation for carbon sequestration. In industries, pollution-causing technologies should be replaced with non-pollution causing technologies and special anti-pollution machinery should be installed to remove emissions of poisonous gases in air and water.

Industries should be given target for afforestation in private waste land for carbon sink. In cities and villages there are fallow lands, water-logged area, which should be taken over compulsorily and planted with flowering trees, or developed into gardens. Sewage water from kitchens, bathrooms and toilets should be passed through different pipelines and recycled. Treated sewage water should be used in agriculture. Industries should recycle polluted water and use it again. Sewage water should not be thrown in rivers or rivulet without treatment. As the dams kill river, more preference should be given to tanks, ponds, crossbund in villages and cities. Thus, stagnation of sewage water in rivers or rivulet should avoided. Water stagnated area should be planted with water-bearing plants like lantana, Eucalyptus, White Cerus, Bamboo and others.

In Cyprus, every house has mini sewage water treatment plant. Rooftop rainwater should be harvested; Biotechnology technique should be used for developing microbial growth in sewage water to remove harmful bacteria and viruses from the sewage water. In villages, poor people cut trees for fuel which accounts for 80 percent, of illicit felling. Alternative to wood, cow dung gas, LPG, coal, solar energy should be provided to poor people.

Municipal solid waste of wet and dried type should be recycled, hospital waste should be burnt, and solid waste should be used for land filling. Organic farming should be carried out by using organic manure and bio-pesticides. Inorganic manure and pesticides should be used to the minimum to control pollution. Unnecessary excess medication should be avoided to tide over resistance developed by disease causing agents. As per Dr Lindhahr M D and Naturopathist in America, developing immunity by removing toxic materials from the body by adapting vegetarian diet with exercise, controls such diseases.

Micro climate of each village and city can be changed by massive afforestation, water conservation, sewage treatment and controlling pollution. It will surely combat global warming, climate change and control of many fatal diseases.

‘Agro forestry can check farmers’ suicide’

           

                                                                                    Dr. N. D. Choudhari

IN KATOL, Morshi and other talukas of Amravati and Jalgaon District, lakhs of hectres of Citrus plantation and Banana plantation are dying due to lack of water through irrigation and causing huge losses to farmers. Due to erratic rains, floods, drought, salinity of soil (like in Nasik area), increasing temperature, increasing resistance power of insect and also due to increasing input cost and decreasing output cost, farmers are facing huge losses.

All this factors, caused by global warming, climactic change and wrong agriculture practices has raised farmers' suicide. This was also mentioned at the workshop on 'Agriculture Planning', under the chairmanship of Principal Chief Secretary Agriculture Department, Maharashtra State, Mumbai, held recently.

Mishra, Senior Scientist, Indira Gandhi Open University, Mumbai, presented research paper on farmer suicide and attributed change in socio-economic condition, loss in sustainability in agriculture production, increase in input cost and decrease in output cost and other social factor responsible for farmers' suicide. In the workshop, I raised my point that the cost benefit ratio has changed in the negative direction due to global warming and climactic changes.

In this condition, agroforestry, soil and moisture conservation are the only solution for arresting suicides.

Principal Secretary Agriculture Department of M S, Mumbai, agreed to include agroforestry as main component in agriculture planning. I am a farmer’s son too and have been observing the change of scenario in agricultural sector since 1956. Previously farmers were relying more on organic farming and local seeds mostly suited to agrtoclimatic conditions prevailing in those period. With increasing urbanization, many families have shifted to cities leaving agriculture land to the mercy of labourers. Labourers also do not carry-out agriculture works so sincerely as done in past due to change in socio econotnic conditions.

In western Maharashtra, more number of dams are constructed as compared to Vidarbha region. So, the impact of erratic rains, low water levels and other negative climactic changes are more on the Vidarbha. But, more and more use inorganic chemical fertilizers has caused salinity of soil in western Maharashtra and making the soil unsuitable to agriculture.

Environment Act prohibits excess withdrawal of ground water, even for agriculture purposes and this is not followed. Tree Felling Act prohibits cutting of trees without permission. Moreover Land Revenue Act prohibits cutting of trees within 20 mtr side of nallah, agriculture bunds and others soil eroding areas. But farmers and others are cutting Acacia, Mango, Teak and other trees on large scale from sensitive areas for soil and moisture conservation. Felling of trees in forest, non forest areas, zupdi forest, community forest for fuel wood is carried out on large scale.

Even mining of soil and sand is carried out around the villages. All these negative activ-ities contribute towards change in microclimate and lowering of water table in the water shed area of the villages and cities, Environmentalist and scientist all over the world predicted fall in agriculture production due to global warming. In Ethopia, Nigeria and certain African countries agriculture production have decreased to the lowest level beyond recopue level and peoples are dying due to malnutrition.

Non-ecofriendly old technologies and machineries are exported to developing countries causing pollution. To combat the green house effect, climactic change, soil erosion, lowering water level and increasing resistance by insect, dedicated NGOs like Anna Borade in Aurangabad District, Anna I lajare in Ralegaon Sindhi, Dr Rajhans and Yadaorao Kapgate in Bhandara District, Narayan Bhonge in Nilaj have changed the microclimate of water-shed area of their villages by undertaking massscale plantations.

It helped to increase water level and change the microclimatie condition in their village. They carried out continuous contour trenches along slope of agriculture land and planting forestry species on contours and inter crop-ping of agriculture plants between trenches Moreover they carried bonds along the nallahs and water bodies. Such works should be undertaken by Government and NGOs also. Gobar-gas plants, solar energy, wind energy, biodiesel, vermicompost, compost should be used and farmers should move towards organic farming and agroforestry.

Kishore Bliagwantrao Rokde in Bhidi (Wardha district) planted Subabul since 1987 on 64 hectres of land by organic farming with technical guidance from social forestry and getting income of 87 tons of subabul woods in 12 hectors of rotation in each year and get-ting Rs. 38000/- per hectare per year. Organic farming maintenance cost is Rs 13500/- for 64 hectares of subsbul plantation and lie gets Rs 15 lakhs income from agroforesty per year. Similarly many others are benefited from organic farming.

So to change the microclimate of the village, carry out forestry plantation and soil and moisture conservation works simultaneously by all the villagers at a time by doing the work integrally. It will surely change the crop pat-tern, increase water levels, arrest soil erosion, increase fertility of soil and increase in agriculture production. By changing cost benefit of agriculture production ratio in positive direction income of the farmers will be increased and thus, will arrest suicide of farmers.