Environment | create environment for change

concern to protect The environment is growing rapidly, and major steps have been taken in the protection of forests and wildlife. But, in other areas, serious rhetoric often does not match the action. There is a serious case of failure to enforce the ban on the use of single-use plastics.

cover story , challenges ahead

To set an example, the ministry now led by Bhupendra Yadav organized e-waste auctions last December to dispose of obsolete items like computers, printers, photocopiers. The description of procedures in handling hazardous waste from hospitals offers some hope.

However, there have been protests against the findings of the biennial India State of Forest Report (ISFR), 2021. While the report acknowledges that the area under ‘moderately dense forest’ has declined by 1,582 square kilometres, other additions clearly suggest that the country’s forest cover is approaching the National Forest Policy and Climate Adaptation Goals .

At the Climate Change Summit held in Glasgow last year, India had said that talks should be converted into action. The country is on track to achieve its goals under Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). At the summit, India set new goals for itself by 2030: produce 500 gigawatts of renewable energy, meet 50 percent of its energy needs using renewable energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a billion tonnes and boost the economy’s carbon footprint. reducing the intensity to less than 45 percent. It has committed to reach a net-zero emissions level by 2070.

This is all ambitious, but may not be realistic. Effective action against climate change requires a steady flow of money and technology, and industrialized nations have been unable to deliver on their promise made in Paris in 2015. Finding finance to develop low-cost climate technologies while reducing reliance on fossil fuels is an increasing challenge. India has to do a balancing act.