Climate policy in India: what shapes international, national and state policy?

At the international level, India is emerging as a key actor in climate negotiations, while at the national and sub-national levels, the climate policy landscape is becoming more active and more ambitious. It is essential to unravel this complex landscape if we are to understand why policy looks the way it does, and the extent to which India might contribute to a future international framework for tackling climate change as well as how international parties might cooperate with and support India's domestic efforts. Drawing on both primary and secondary data, this paper analyzes the material and ideational drivers that are most strongly influencing policy choices at different levels, from international negotiations down to individual states. We argue that at each level of decision making in India, climate policy is embedded in wider policy concerns. In the international realm, it is being woven into broader foreign policy strategy, while domestically, it is being shaped to serve national and sub-national development interests. While our analysis highlights some common drivers at all levels, it also finds that their influences over policy are not uniform across the different arenas, and in some cases, they work in different ways at different levels of policy. We also indicate what this may mean for the likely acceptability within India of various climate policies being pushed at the international level.     

Channel Characteristics and Planform Dynamics in the Indian Terai, Sharda River

The Sharda River creates and maintains the ecologically diverse remnant patches of rare Terai ecosystem in northern India. This study used repeat satellite imagery and geographic information system analysis to assess the planform dynamics along a 60 km length of the Sharda River between 1977 and 2001 to understand the altered dynamics and its plausible causes in this data-poor region. Analyses revealed that the Sharda River has undergone significant change corresponding to enhanced instability in terms of increased number of neck cut-offs and consistent occurrence of avulsions in subsequent shorter assessment periods. An increased channel area (8 %), decreased sinuosity (15 %), increased braiding intensity, and abrupt migrations were also documented. The river has migrated toward the east with its west bankline being more unstable. The maximum shifts were 2.85 km in 13 years (1977–1990), 2.33 km in next 9 years (1990–1999), and a substantial shift of 2.39 km in just 2 years (1999–2001). The altered dynamics is making the future of critical wildlife habitats in Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and North Kheri Forest Division precarious and causing significant economic damage. Extensive deforestation and expansion of agriculture since the 1950s in the catchment area are presumed to have severely impacted the equilibrium of the river, which urgently needs a management plan including wildlife habitat conservation, control, and risk reduction. The present study provides a strong foundation for understanding channel changes in the Sharda River and the finding can serve as a valuable information base for effective management planning and ecological restoration.     

Combining payment for crop damages and reward for productivity to address wildlife conflict

Conflict caused by wild herbivores damaging crops is an almost universal problem in conservation. We designed and implemented a game-theory-based system for supporting farmers whose crops were being heavily damaged by wild herbivores. In this community-operated system, farmers self-report their production, which is endorsed by neighboring farmers. The average deficit in production is compensated for by a payment that is directly proportional to the average deficit in production of the group and to the individual farmer's productivity. As a result, farmers are compensated for the average damage (support) and rewarded for individual productivity (reward) (i.e., support cum reward [SuR]). The design of the game is such that only honest reporting gives maximum returns. Farmers who underreport receive less payment because the SuR amount is proportionate to their self-reported productivity. The endorsing farmers, in their own self-interest, prevent overreporting. The system involves multiple game situations, the combined result of which is a stable strategy based on honesty and hard work. In 2 villages along the western boundary of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in central India, we tested the system with 75 farmers over 6 crop seasons. After a few initial attempts to cheat, honesty prevailed throughout the group. Average crop productivity increased 2.5-fold, in spite of damage, owing to increased effort by farmers. Apart from wildlife conflict resolution, the model offers a promising alternative to crop insurance and a potential behavioral green revolution in agriculture.     

Nanomaterials for biofuel production using lignocellulosic waste

Production of biofuels using second-generation, non-food, lignocellulosic waste biomass is a sustainable approach that solve the economic issues of fossil fuels and environmental pollution. The major issues of biofuel production are biomass complexity, pretreatment, enzyme denaturation and cost. This article reviews the application of nanomaterials for biofuel production from various lignocellulosic wastes.     

Evaluation of heavy metal contaminants in prepared noodles: source allocation and health risk assessment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In recent years, special attention has been given to emission research that led to the deposition of toxicants from road traffic. Thus, it is...     

Hydrochemistry of Wet Atmospheric Precipitation Over an Urban Area in Northern Indo-Gangetic Plains

Rain water samples were collected to study the chemical composition of wet atmospheric precipitation (first event) over the Lucknow city in the northern Indo-gangetic alluvial plains. The samples were collected in the month of July, 2005 from different sites. The wet precipitation samples were analyzed for pH, EC, major ions (, Cl⁻, , , , F⁻, Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, ) and heavy metals (As, Cd, Al, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Hg, Pb, Se, Sn, Ti, V, Zn). The pH values of wet precipitation samples ranged between 6.5 and 8.7. The analysis of linear regression applied to the set of studied variables and computation of neutralization factors showed that neutralization occurred in precipitation samples and Ca²⁺ had the maximum neutralization capacity. It was found that Cl⁻, , Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺ in the precipitation samples originated mainly from crustal/anthropogenic sources in the region. On an average Fe, and Al accounted for >72% of the total concentration of trace metals in the wet precipitation samples followed by Zn (>10%). Enrichment factors calculated for heavy metals over reference background level in seawater and Earth’s crust showed relatively higher enrichment of Zn. The principal component analysis (PCA) identified the possible sources of ionic species and heavy metals in the wet precipitation samples.     

A review on current status of municipal solid waste management in India

Municipal solid waste management is a major environmental issue in India. Due to rapid increase in urbanization, industrialization and population, the generation rate of municipal solid waste in Indian cities and towns is also increased. Mismanagement of municipal solid waste can cause adverse environmental impacts, public health risk and other socio-economic problem. This paper presents an overview of current status of solid waste management in India which can help the competent authorities responsible for municipal solid waste management and researchers to prepare more efficient plans.     

Prenatal exposure to environmental pro-oxidants induces mitochondria-mediated epigenetic changes: a cross-sectional pilot study

Mitochondria play a central role in maintaining cellular and metabolic homeostasis during vital development cycles of foetal growth. Optimal mitochondrial functions are important not only to sustain adequate energy production but also for regulated epigenetic programming. However, these organelles are subtle targets of environmental exposures, and any perturbance in the defined mitochondrial machinery during the developmental stage can lead to the re-programming of the foetal epigenetic landscape. As these modifications can be transferred to subsequent generations, we herein performed a cross-sectional study to have an in-depth understanding of this intricate phenomenon. The study was conducted with two arms: whereas the first group consisted of in utero pro-oxidant exposed individuals and the second group included controls. Our results showed higher levels of oxidative mtDNA damage and associated integrated stress response among the exposed individuals. These disturbances were found to be closely related to the observed discrepancies in mitochondrial biogenesis. The exposed group showed mtDNA hypermethylation and changes in allied mitochondrial functioning. Altered expression of mitomiRs and their respective target genes in the exposed group indicated the possibilities of a disturbed mitochondrial-nuclear cross talk. This was further confirmed by the modified activity of the mitochondrial stress regulators and pro-inflammatory mediators among the exposed group. Importantly, the disturbed DNMT functioning, hypermethylation of nuclear DNA, and higher degree of post-translational histone modifications established the existence of aberrant epigenetic modifications in the exposed individuals. Overall, our results demonstrate the first molecular insights of in utero pro-oxidant exposure associated changes in the mitochondrial-epigenetic axis. Although, our study might not cement an exposure-response relationship for any particular environmental pro-oxidant, but suffice to establish a dogma of mito-epigenetic reprogramming at intrauterine milieu with chronic illness, a hitherto unreported interaction.

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Hydrogen production,storage, utilisation and environmental impacts: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Dihydrogen (H2), commonly named ‘hydrogen’, is increasingly recognised as a clean and reliable energy vector for decarbonisation and defossilisation by...     

Fullerenes for the treatment of cancer: an emerging tool

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Cancer is a most common cause of mortality globally. Available medicines possess severe side effects owing to their non-specific targeting. Hence,...