According to a British High Commission-sponsored study conducted in Tiruchi city the per capita carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emission is estimated to be 0.33 tons a year- well below the national average of 1.75 tons. The study was conducted by the  International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) in the run-up to the conference of parties (COP 15) on climate change in Copenhagen. Similar studies have been  conducted for other cities as well.

The over all energy consumption was as follows :

·        47% of the corporation’s energy consumption went towards water supply and sewerage pumping,

·        34% for street lighting,

·        10% for transportation

·        9% for buildings.

The report  also estimated that the nearly 80% of the city’s carbon emissions came from solid wastes and that the areas near the dumping sites have a high potential to generate methane.

·        16% of the emissions were from residential sector,

·        3% from commercial and

·        1% from industrial wastes.

The study paved the way to prepare an Energy Efficiency Master Plan to reduce emissions from solid wastes in  cities. Similar audits have been carried out in 52 other south Asian cities.

Combined effect  

A new study conducted by the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York reveals that an aerosol loaded sky could make methane an even more potent greenhouse gas than previously thought. The experiments conducted with the help of a range of computerized models show  that methane's global warming potential is 33% greater when combined with aerosols, atmospheric particles such as dust, sea salt, sulphates and black carbon.

Methane is considered  25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide in warming the planet.

The research suggests that climate policy makers need to focus their attention on restricting short-lived pollutants, such as methane, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and aerosols.

Methane, aerosols and other short-lived pollutants have a complicated chemical relationship and which  leads to increased formation of ozone in the troposphere, which can affect agricultural yields. This new study is even more discouraging as rice cultivation in India releases large amount of methane. 

Traditional healing

To combat  the devastating impact of climate change on natural habitats  tribals in India are demanding a free hand to correct and heal nature by using traditional knowledge and expertise.  Recently tribals across the India released a charter detailing solutions to tackle the effects of the climate change, based on their traditional knowledge and close relationship with the ecosystem. The charter  cautions against the introduction of new technologies to replace traditional knowledge and processes in the name of combating climate change as it would only further worsen the situation and not mend it.

A participant from the Thetsumi tribe in Nagaland said  that their communities were  not responsible for the present climate crisis and appealed for a free hand to remedy matters. A woman hailing from Sunderbans in West Bengal said  that their traditional water management system keeps the  springs clean and clear and the wise use of resources does not put any pressure on ground water, which enables  them to survive even during drought and water scarcity seasons.

The tribal charter states that  their communities are ready to partner  both the Indian government as well as  the international community at UN summit on climate change at Copenhagen in December and contribute in decision  making.

Retreat puts rivers in danger

Recently researchers in China have documented the dangers of the rapid retreat of glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau which is the source of many rivers in the subcontinent and warned of the dangers to water supplies and livelihoods of millions of people who are dependent on these rivers. The research team consists of Greenpeace China and Green Earth Volunteers, a Beijing-based group. The researchers also documented receding snowlines and extensive flooding in the upper reaches of several Himalayan rivers, caused by  swift glacial melting. The researchers observed snowlines rising by more than three kilometres since 2001 in Tibet Plateau and  massive flooding in Qinghai province in northwest China due to swift melting of glaciers near the sources of the Yellow and Yangtze rivers.

The conservationists are alarmed by the increased rate of glacial retreat over the  past decade. The research also say that due to global warming, glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are retreating extensively at a speed faster than in any other part of the world. Glaciers are regarded as vital lifelines for rivers such as the Indus and the Ganges where large populations are  dependent on them.  If the rivers disappear the region may become a desert.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change also estimates that Himalayan glaciers could disappear within three decades at current warming rates.