An underrated ecological crisis
3 years, 6 months ago

An underrated ecological crisis

Hindustan Times  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, reiterated that the world needs to come together to combat land degradation as a “collective responsibility” as it threatens the foundation of societies, economies, food security, health, safety, and quality of life. More than 3.2 billion people worldwide are at risk from the effects of land degradation, many of whom live in the world’s poorest regions. According to Desertification and Land Degradation of Selected Districts of India, an atlas published by the Indian Space Research Organisation in 2018, 96.40 million ha, or about 30% of the country’s total area, faces degradation. To reverse land degradation, India needs to revive its watershed management programme, which includes afforestation and programmes aimed at conserving soil and water to check soil erosion, improve soil moisture, increase recharge, and stabilise river basins. The issue of land degradation does not get enough attention, but India has done well in making it a high-priority policy objective with repeated commitments on international platforms to tackle the issue.

Land Land Degradation Degradation India  ecological  land  loss  degradation  india  programme  crisis  degraded  needs  million  underrated  soil  billion

History of this topic

Echoes of nature: Frontline’s top 12 environment stories of 2024
6 days, 7 hours ago

Echoes of nature: Frontline’s top 12 environment stories of 2024

The Hindu  

Published : Dec 17, 2024 18:01 IST - 1 MIN READ Arguably one of the most disturbing headlines from the world of environment came when we rang in the New Year. In January 2024, from a pristine little island in the Indian Ocean, the Great Nicobar Island, author Pankaj Sekhsaria reported on the unimaginable havoc a proposed Rs.72,000 crore infrastructure …

Earth on edge: 1.5 billion hectares of land degraded globally
2 weeks, 2 days ago

Earth on edge: 1.5 billion hectares of land degraded globally

New Indian Express  

CHENNAI: In a world increasingly threatened by the effects of human activity on natural systems, land degradation has emerged as one of the most pressing global challenges. A recent report by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, commissioned for the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, reveals the alarming extent of land …

Our land is speaking, are we listening?
3 weeks ago

Our land is speaking, are we listening?

Hindustan Times  

From the water we drink and food we eat to the air we breathe. Although technological advancements have led to increased food production even in the face of land degradation, continuous soil degradation threatens the furture of the world’s food self-sufficiency. Global initiatives, including the UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia present a unique opportunity to deliver lasting impact, not …

Earth Overshoot Day to focus on sustainable life
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Earth Overshoot Day to focus on sustainable life

Deccan Chronicle  

India, with over 1.4 billion people, faces significant challenges due to population growth and increased consumption. The Global Footprint Network reports that India’s ecological footprint has grown exponentially. “Currently, India needs 2.6 times its resources to sustain its population, leading to depleted forests, reduced biodiversity, and climate change. A NITI Aayog report warns that by 2030, India’s water demand could …

If we are to lower food prices and support farmers, we need to restore land
6 months, 2 weeks ago

If we are to lower food prices and support farmers, we need to restore land

Al Jazeera  

In recent years, people everywhere have endured soaring food prices, coupled with growing concerns for the wellbeing of those who produce food. This is one of the reasons why this year’s World Environment Day is calling for land protection and restoration to address land degradation, drought and desertification – and bring immediate social, economic and environmental net gains. Land degradation …

Climate change impacts millions in India. But as the country votes, some politicians skirt the issue
7 months ago

Climate change impacts millions in India. But as the country votes, some politicians skirt the issue

Associated Press  

BEED, India — Almost 970 million Indians are voting in general elections amid sweltering heat and unpredictable weather extremes exacerbated by human-caused climate change, leading to loss of livelihood, forced migration and increasingly difficult living conditions for millions across the country. Issues related to religion, caste and employment still determine most Indians’ political preferences, but Koll said that at local …

Thinning out, not cooling off: Climate crisis and the dip in global population
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Thinning out, not cooling off: Climate crisis and the dip in global population

Hindustan Times  

For over two centuries, the spectre of overpopulation has haunted global debates about food security, sustainability and the environment. A 2023 study by researchers at the University of Texas in Austin makes a convincing case that “contemporaneous fertility rates are, essentially, quantitatively irrelevant to our climate future.” According to the study’s findings, the difference in long-run temperature rise between population …

Water resource inadequacy is a challenge India must take head on
11 months ago

Water resource inadequacy is a challenge India must take head on

Live Mint  

The notion of a ‘triple planetary’ crisis encompassing climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss has become outdated in the face of complexities captured by the relatively new term ‘polycrisis.’ This modern challenge involves the intertwining of climate change, environmental disruptions, widening social inequalities, pandemic effects and geopolitical polarization. India can tap the climate-development nexus by conserving and using its water …

‘You cannot prepare for the future without having a sense of the past’
11 months, 1 week ago

‘You cannot prepare for the future without having a sense of the past’

The Hindu  

The recently concluded Vijay Thiruvady Memorial Lecture, saw Mahesh Rangarajan elucidate on how the 20th century shaped India’s present and continues to impact its future. Titled, ‘India Ekologika: Revisiting India’s 20th-Century Environmental History’, his talk highlighted how decisions made at crucial junctures of history had a profound impact on politics, economy, culture and society. BIC was honoring the memory of …

India Today Roundtable discusses India's efforts to reduce carbon footprint
1 year, 5 months ago

India Today Roundtable discusses India's efforts to reduce carbon footprint

India Today  

The India Today Roundtable discussed India's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and meet its commitments to cut carbon emissions by 2030. They highlighted that while India's per capita emissions are low, the country is the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide after China and the US. India has made several major commitments to address this issue, including increasing renewable …

India’s climate crisis susceptibility and the way forward
1 year, 6 months ago

India’s climate crisis susceptibility and the way forward

Hindustan Times  

The climate crisis poses an increasingly complex challenge worldwide, with profound implications for ecosystems, economies, and societies. India's vulnerability to climate crisis necessitates a long-term approach to build resilience and adapt to the changing climate. By adopting measures that enhance resilience in sectors such as agriculture, water management, and infrastructure, India can mitigate the adverse impacts of the climate crisis …

World Environment Day: Arati Kumar-Rao wants you to listen to the land
1 year, 6 months ago

World Environment Day: Arati Kumar-Rao wants you to listen to the land

Live Mint  

There is an interesting anecdote from Arati Kumar-Rao’s new book, Marginlands: Indian Landscapes On The Brink, which best describes the beauty of India’s vast natural landscapes and the urgency to rescue them from the precipice of destruction. The people of the Thar get only forty cloudy days in a year, and yet they have as many names for clouds.” Many …

World Earth Day: Climate change has significant implications for health, food security, and livelihoods in India
1 year, 8 months ago

World Earth Day: Climate change has significant implications for health, food security, and livelihoods in India

Firstpost  

Multidimensional nature of the relationship between climate change and associated reverberations makes it very difficult for India to address it, especially in the context of its socio-economically vulnerable population The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emphasised that the global surface temperature will exceed the targets of 1.5 C and 2 C above pre-industrial levels set …

Climate-proofing India’s socio-economic trajectory
1 year, 10 months ago

Climate-proofing India’s socio-economic trajectory

Live Mint  

With existing socio-economic challenges, India needs a people-first development paradigm to move towards a climate-secure future, and become a leading voice on climate action for the Global South. With programmes around green fuel, climate-friendly farming, green buildings, low-carbon mobility, and policies for efficient energy use across various economic sectors, the 2023-24 Budget lays a strong foundation for green growth – …

Reclaiming degraded land key for urban revival
1 year, 11 months ago

Reclaiming degraded land key for urban revival

Hindustan Times  

Climate crisis and sustainability loom large in global debate and discussion, with the global south and north divided on the causation and correlation of the challenge. The land erosion in Delhi can, for the most part, be attributed to the unmanaged drainage system of three basin regions, Najafgarh, Barapullah and the trans-Yamuna basin. Reclaiming land, therefore, is the most critical …

Climate summit: India opposed developed world's efforts to extend scope of mitigation to agriculture
2 years, 1 month ago

Climate summit: India opposed developed world's efforts to extend scope of mitigation to agriculture

Firstpost  

Expressing concern over the draft decision text on the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture, India said the developed countries are blocking a pro-poor and pro-farmer decision by insisting on expanding the scope for mitigation to agriculture, thereby compromising the foundation of food security New Delhi: India has opposed the developed world’s efforts to extend the scope of mitigation to agriculture …

India at 75 | Stepping back from an ecological abyss
2 years, 4 months ago

India at 75 | Stepping back from an ecological abyss

The Hindu  

Growing up in the 1970s and the early 1980s, many of us who were passionate about environmental issues were inspired by these and other movements. Ironically, a component of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat is new coal mining in central India, displacing already self-reliant Adivasi communities and rendering them dependent on government and corporations. Indeed, India’s crafts …

India’s climate imperative
2 years, 5 months ago

India’s climate imperative

The Hindu  

In the absence of COVID-19, climate change-induced disasters would have been India’s biggest red alert in recent years. The heatwave that scorched Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and New Delhi this year; torrential downpours in south India in 2021; and the super cyclone Amphan that battered West Bengal and Odisha in 2020 are symbols of man-made climate change. Labour losses from …

India’s Borders & Climate Change: Tensions With Pak & Bangladesh Set to Grow?
2 years, 6 months ago

India’s Borders & Climate Change: Tensions With Pak & Bangladesh Set to Grow?

The Quint  

Peace and conflict in South Asia have traditionally been underpinned by three regional realities: internal issues of civil war and ethno-religious violence and separatism, military conflict between India and Pakistan, and political conflicts between India and the smaller states of Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, writes researcher and policy analyst MS Huda. South Asia is one of the most critically …

Coastal Erosion, Toxic Rivers, Rising Water Spread: Report on India’s Environment Paints Grim Picture
2 years, 6 months ago

Coastal Erosion, Toxic Rivers, Rising Water Spread: Report on India’s Environment Paints Grim Picture

News 18  

On World Environment Day, a new report has revealed alarming facts about where India stands amid the rising global threat of climate change. Data published in the report ‘State of India’s environment 2022: In figures’ by Centre for Science and Environment states that 25 glacial lakes and water bodies in India, China and Nepal have recorded over 40 per cent …

Earth Day: India Finds Itself in Catch-22 Situation, Ecosystem-based Adaptation a Ray of Hope
2 years, 8 months ago

Earth Day: India Finds Itself in Catch-22 Situation, Ecosystem-based Adaptation a Ray of Hope

News 18  

Since the 20th century, India has witnessed continuing change in weather conditions and consequent impact on human and economic capital. Ecosystem-based Adaptation is a promising approach that strives to regain this balance by restoring the natural resources and also building adaptive capacities of people to combat the adverse impacts of climate change. EbA Contributions to Climate Change Goals The global …

Rich countries can’t wash their hands off with net-zero targets
2 years, 9 months ago

Rich countries can’t wash their hands off with net-zero targets

Live Mint  

The sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change comes in four parts, three of them by three different working groups, while the fourth integrates the findings of the three working group reports into a synthesis. If the developed countries carry out the expenditure on sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere the expensive way and on carrying …

India stares at water scarcity, extreme heat stress: Report
2 years, 9 months ago

India stares at water scarcity, extreme heat stress: Report

Hindustan Times  

The Ganga, Indus, Amu Darya and other river basins in Asia could face severe water scarcity by 2050 due to climate crisis and related impacts that act as stress multipliers, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned on Monday. Overall, South Asia is among the most vulnerable regions in the world when it comes to severe climate impacts due to …

The climate crisis worsens
2 years, 9 months ago

The climate crisis worsens

Hindustan Times  

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ’s report, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, released on Monday, is an unvarnished account of the expanding footprint of the climate crisis on the world. Mass mortality events on land and ocean; first climate-driven extinctions; loss of hundreds of local species; death and disease due to extreme heat are some of the …

UN's New Climate Change Report: Why It's Important & What It Means for India
3 years, 4 months ago

UN's New Climate Change Report: Why It's Important & What It Means for India

The Quint  

"For India, the predictions in this report mean people labouring in longer and more frequent heat waves, warmer nights for our winter crops, erratic monsoon rains for our summer crops, destructive floods and storms that disrupt power supply for drinking water or medical oxygen production," said Ulka Kelkar, director, climate program, World Resources Institute India. Other climate experts spoke about …

Lot of work remains to be done to tackle land degradation: Modi at UN meet
3 years, 6 months ago

Lot of work remains to be done to tackle land degradation: Modi at UN meet

Hindustan Times  

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reiterated the need for the world to come together to combat land degradation as a “collective responsibility” as it threatens the very foundations the societies and economies are built on and called for more actions saying, “a lot of work lies ahead of us”. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks at UN 'High-Level …

Aligning growth, politics and climate
3 years, 10 months ago

Aligning growth, politics and climate

Hindustan Times  

As Covid-19 vaccines roll out, the focus has shifted to economic recovery. From United States President Joe Biden’s climate leaders summit, the G-7 in the United Kingdom to the United Nations’ High-Level Dialogue on Energy, G-20 meetings, and Conference of the Parties-26 climate negotiations, India will face pressure this year to announce a target year for net-zero emissions. State-run distribution …

Ignoring the environment is bad economics
3 years, 11 months ago

Ignoring the environment is bad economics

Live Mint  

In hindsight, India’s tryst with liberalization came only a few years after a pivotal but increasingly forgotten moment in the world’s environmental history, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984. It developed a feeble framework to protect ecology and people; environment remained a mutable variable of India’s economic policy, appended to its corporate growth. Our deteriorating environment—abysmal air quality, toxin-laden water, …

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