Category:India

India Green Issues

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Environment_of_India

http://scienceomaniaa.blogspot.com/2014/01/india-ranks-155-out-of-178-countries-in.html

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Worst Air Pollution in the World?

Via India Climate Dialogue / Dec 2016 - http://indiaclimatedialogue.net/2016/12/21/indias-smaller-cities-polluted-delhi/

While India’s capital city, Delhi, features prominently in global headlines for its heavily polluted air, especially in the month of November following the festival of Diwali and then throughout winter, the problem is worse in smaller cities. According to experts, other cities in north India, particularly those lying in the Indo-Gangetic plains, are in far worse shape.

A recent report, titled Varanasi Chokes, was released by the Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED), IndiaSpend and Care4Air, and looked at air quality data of some of the highly polluted cities in Uttar Pradesh (UP), the largest state in the Indo-Gangetic plain. It particularly highlights the alarming levels of pollution in the holy city of Varanasi.

According to the dataset released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Varanasi that lies on the banks of the Ganga is now one of the most polluted places in the country. The report reveals that out of 227 days for which air quality data is available, the city had ‘zero’ number of good air days. Following suit, Allahabad also had ‘zero’ number of good air days out of 263 days when air quality was measured last year. Lucknow, the state capital, had just 15 good days out of 556 days monitored over years. Ghaziabad, which borders Delhi, saw only five good air days out of 127 when air quality was measured.

According to the WHO’s list of 20 worst polluted cities, 10 are in India. Of these, six are in north India, and four in UP: Allahabad, Kanpur, Firozabad and Lucknow. Varanasi – constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and earmarked as a ‘smart city’ – is one of India’s three most polluted cities, as per the CPCB 2015 bulletin.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_polluted_cities_by_particulate_matter_concentration

• http://www.who.int/phe/health_topics/outdoorair/databases/cities/en/

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http://m.thehindubusinessline.com/specials/clean-tech/breathing-death/article9436526.ece

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July 2016

Via Assoc Press/Lucknow, India

India State Aims to Plant a Record 50 Million Trees in a Day

Hundreds of thousands of people in India's most populous state jostled for space Monday as they attempted to plant 50 million trees over 24 hours in hopes of shattering the world record.

More than 800,000 people, including students, lawmakers, government officials, housewives and volunteers from nonprofit organizations, headed out Monday to plant the saplings at designated spots along country roads and highways, rail tracks and forest lands.

Uttar Pradesh's top elected official, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, said that planting 50 million trees would spread awareness and enthusiasm about afforestation and environmental conservation.

"The world has realized that serious efforts are needed to reduce carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of global climate change. Uttar Pradesh has made a beginning in this regard," Yadav told volunteers in the city of Kannauj, 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of the state capital, Lucknow.

India's government is encouraging all 29 states to start tree-planting drives to increase the country's forest cover as part of commitments made at last year's climate change summit in Paris. The government has designated more than $6.2 billion for tree-planting across the country, in keeping with its pledge to push India's forest cover to 95 million hectares (235 million acres) by 2030.

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May 2016

http://www.inquisitr.com/3066545/india-to-spend-6-billion-on-creating-new-forests/

Reforestation -- http://www.inquisitr.com/3066545/india-to-spend-6-billion-on-creating-new-forests/

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KILLING SMOG

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/02/14/world/indiaair1/indiaair1-master675.jpg

April 2016

If you think your city's air is bad, then try Delhi

2.5 million Delhi kids – half the kids who live there – may have irreversible lung damage from breathing the air

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Quality_in_Delhi

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Did-I-jeopardize-my-kids-health-by-moving-to-Delhi/articleshow/47493377.cms

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/11/30/3597632/delhi-air-pollution/

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/opinion/sunday/holding-your-breath-in-india.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/world/asia/delhi-wakes-up-to-an-air-pollution-problem-it-cannot-ignore.html

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March 2016

India Wants To Become First Country With 100 Percent Electric Vehicles

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/144670/20160328/india-wants-to-become-first-country-with-100-percent-electric-vehicles.htm

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/auto/news/industry/india-aims-to-become-100-e-vehicle-nation-by-2030-piyush-goyal/articleshow/51551706.cms

India is considered as one of Asia's biggest powerhouses with 7.3 percent economic growth over the last few quarters of 2015, according to Bloomberg Business. In fact, its economy rises so fast it is beating China's expansion, which is at 6.9 percent.

The country of more than 1.2 billion people wants to do more by going less on fuel and oil consumption...

The government is planning to shift to 100 percent electric vehicles by 2030.

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India aims to become 100% e­vehicle nation by 2030: Piyush

NEW DELHI: The government is working on a scheme to provide electric cars on zero down payment for which people can pay out of their savings on expensive fossil fuels, for becoming 100 per cent electric vehicle nation by 2030.

"India can become the first country of its size which will run 100 per cent of electric vehicles. We are trying to make this programme self financing.

"We don't need one rupee support from the government. We don't need one rupee investment from the people of India," Power Minister Piyush Goyal said at an event organised by CII Young India here.

Elaborating further, he said, "We are working (on the scheme). Can we actually give electric car for free (zero down payment) and people can pay for that out of the savings on the petroleum products. Innovation is possible, it just needs an open mind. You need to think of scale and be honest."

The minister informed that a small working group under the leadership of Road Minister Nitin Gadkari has been created with Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on its board.

He said, "We are meeting in first week of April and see (if) India can be 100 per cent on electric vehicles by 2030. We are trying to see if we can monetise the savings then you will have use cheaper electricity for charing of your cars."

"We are thinking of scale. We are thinking of leading the world rather than following the world. India will be first largest country in the world to think of that scale."

Goyal cited the example of LED lights where through the bulk tendering, the government has been able to reduce the procurement price of these bulbs to Rs 64.41 in January this year from the market rate of Rs 310 in February 2014.

The government had started Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme last year under which it has already provided over 8.32 crore LED bulbs to families through power distribution companies at an installment of Rs 10 per month for each bulb.

After the LED bulb distribution scheme, Power Ministry is working on a similar programme under which it will sell on EMI energy­efficient fans and air conditioners at prices much lower than market rates.

About any power tariff he said, "We don't need to increase any tariff in the country. We just need to work smart and bring technology and India can be powerhouse of affordable energy across the country. Cross subsidy across the state can handle the issue."

On the negative subsidy or payment of premium in recently concluded third round of gas auction for stranded power projects (Saps) on Sunday, Goyal said, "There is no need of PSDF now. We have been successful in our mission. Now, they need zero support (subsidy)."

About continuing this scheme further, he said, "We will see after six months. For six months it is not required. After six months there will be another round (of auction for gas under PSDF)."

Under the Power System Development Fund scheme, government provides financial support to SGPs to buy imported gas. However, in Sunday's auction, the bidders were allowed to quote negative gas subsidy or premium for booking gas quantities they need.