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• The United Nation's World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says that since 2000, flood-related disasters have risen by 134 % compared with the previous two decades. Most of the flood-related deaths and economic losses were recorded in Asia, where river flood warning systems require strengthening.
• At the same time, there has been around a 30 % increase in the amount and duration of drought events since 2000, with Africa the worst-affected continent.
• Most world leaders are talking about climate change as a major risk to the welfare of humankind, but their actions are not matching their words, said WMO chief Petteri Taalas. "We cannot wait for decades to start acting," he said. "That's also a message for countries such as China, which has said that they would like to become carbon neutral by 2060 but they don't have a concrete plan for the coming decade.
• He said that more work was needed on climate adaptations, as the negative trend in weather patterns will continue for the coming decades and the coming centuries when it comes to the melting of glaciers and sea levels rising.

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Over the last few years, you may have come across several news reports on how coral reefs the world over are suffering. Come, let's find out what affects these coral reefs, and how this has an impact on humans too.

What are coral reefs?

Corals are marine invertebrates living in colonies. They take calcium carbonate from the seawater and make hard exoskeletons to protect their "soft, sac-like bodies". They use the exoskeleton of their ancestors while adding new layers to it. So, over a period of time as the new layers keep getting added, it forms large underwater structures called coral reefs. Each individual coral is referred to as a polyp. Most corals have a symbiotic relationship with an algae called zooxanthellae. They live in the coral polyp's body, and through photosynthesis, provide energy for themselves and the polyp. They also give corals their spectacular colours. Without these algae, the corals are colourless.

What is killing the coral reefs?

Coral reefs are found in all the oceans. When ocean waters warm, the corals expel the algae and return to their colourless selves. This is called coral bleaching. If oceans keep warming, the corals will not allow the algae to return, and will eventually die. A recent study by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, a United Nations supported global data network, said the world's coral reefs will disappear if oceans keep warming. Coral reefs are important to several marine creatures because they provide shelter, are spawning grounds, and offer them protection from predators. So, when coral reefs die, it affects several living organisms. Not just that, they have a bearing on humans too.

Impact on humans

As natural barriers, coral reefs take the impact of waves and storm surges, and help coastal communities stay safe. Further, when coral reefs die, they cannot support marine organisms anymore, so many of those species die too. These include a variety of fish, crabs, shrimps, etc., which are consumed by humans. While the livelihoods of fishing communities are affected by the lack of such sea food, people consuming these are forced to look for other food options, which could cause an imbalance in food sources. Another important aspect is tourism. Tourism brings in plenty of money and supports several jobs directly and indirectly related to the reefs. When the reefs go, so will tourists and the money they bring in.

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A recent study by a team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) has found a range of pharmaceutical pollutants in the Cauvery river water. The pharmaceutical contaminants included anti-inflammatories, anti-hypertensives, enzyme inhibitors, antidepressants and antibiotics. Besides pharmaceutically-active compounds, personal care products, plastics, flame retardants, heavy metals and pesticides were found mixed with the water. This is of great concern because the Cauvery is an important river in South India, extensively used for agriculture and drinking purposes in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. While highlighting the long-term impact of such pollutants on humans and ecosystems, the study called for upgrading wastewater treatment systems to address the issue. What is pharmaceutical pollution? What can we do about it? Read on... occurrence in rivers, lakes, streams, wells and drinking water. The pollution is particularly serious in India, as it is one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in the world.

Pharmaceutical pollution happens when medicinal residues from drug manufacturing plants, hospitals and homes enter waterbodies. There is a growing concern over its occurrence in rivers, lakes, streams, wells and drinking water. The pollution is particularly serious in India, as it is one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in the world.

Sources

• One of the main sources of pharmaceutical pollution are the manufacturing plants, which discharge untreated waste into the environment.
• Humans are also to blame. Our bodies don't use 100% of the drugs we ingest. Traces of pharmaceuticals exit our bodies through excretion and sweat, which enter the water supply when we shower and flush the toilet Scientists say ineffective disposal methods, such as flushing unused medicine down the toilet, should be avoided.
• Pharmaceutical products are also used in the animal husbandry, hence livestock industries too contribute to pharmaceutical pollution.

Impact

• As the chemicals make their way into terrestrial and aquatic environments, they can affect the health and behaviour of wildlife, insects, fish, birds, and more.
• An entire lifetime of exposure to pharmaceutical pollution, even in tiny concentrations, could cause health issues in humans. A study by the United Nations found that the presence of antibiotics in water contributes to the evolution of drug-resistant bacteria.
• Scientists have observed reproductive and developmental issues in fish exposed to pharmaceutical pollution.

Solution

• Drug companies should ensure that they treat their wastewater before dumping it into rivers.
• Governments should upgrade wastewater treatment facilities so they can filter out pharmaceuticals.
• People should be educated on how to dispose of unused medicines.
• Wastewater contaminant levels should be regularly monitored for corrective action.

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A portal named "PRANA" was launched by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) on the occasion of the second International Day of Clean Air For Blue Skies, on September 7 this year. What is this portal for?

Air pollution, a major threat

Air pollution poses a major threat to human health, besides affecting animals and plants. A type of environment pollution, it affects the quality of air around us. A mixture of solid particles, gases, and droplets that remain suspended in the air, it is primarily caused by human activities, taking the form of exhaust from vehicles, emissions from factories and vapour from aerosol cans. Dust, pollen, mould spores, and animal dander (skin flakes shed by animals) too affect air quality. Air pollution is common in large, urban cities where emissions from varied sources remain trapped.

The Central Government has launched several initiatives, including the recent PRANA, to improve air quality in the country. PRANA stands for Portal for Regulation of Air pollution in Non-Attainment cities. It has been launched for monitoring and regulation of air pollution in 132 cities across the country-the cities that come under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). The portal (prana.cpcb.gov.in) aims at providing real-time information on city wise pollution levels. It will tracking of physical as well as the support financial status of city air action plan implementation and disseminate information on air quality to the public. It also provides information on how specific cities are curbing air pollution levels, as well as data on air pollution mitigation milestones achieved since 2018. It is said that information available on this portal will help shape future policy decisions.

What is NCAP?

NCAP is the National Clean Air Programme launched in 2019 in partnership with various Ministries and States to improve air quality in over 100 cities. It is the first-ever effort in the country to frame a national framework for air quality management with a time-bound reduction target. The tentative target is to reduce Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentration by 20-30% 2024 by across the country.

Non-attainment cities

These are those that have failed to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM 10 (particulate matter of 10 microns or less in diameter) or nitrogen dioxide for over five years. These were identified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on the basis of their ambient air quality data available from 2014.

Who developed PRANA?

Knowledge Lens, a B2B product company that builds innovative solutions in niche technologies, including Big Data, Al, IoT, in collaboration with the CPCB, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the Ministry of Environment. Forest and Climate Change, has developed PRANA.

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A huge oil spill from an underwater pipeline connected to an offshore rig, operated by Amplify Energy Corp, contaminated the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Orange County, California. The pipeline failure sent at least 126,000 gallons of oil into the ocean, creating a 13-sq-mile slick. The spill fouled beaches and a protected marshland, potentially closing them for weeks along with commercial and recreational fishing in a major hit to the local economy. Dead fish and birds washed ashore in some areas as cleanup crews raced to try to contain the spill that extended from Huntington Beach to Newport Beach. Initial investigation suggested that a pipe was split open at a depth of about 98 feet possibly by an anchor of a ship that hooked it and caused a partial tear. An oil spill like this one can be a disaster on many levels. It can have short-or-long-term impacts on the marine environment and aquatic life.

Oil is among the most important energy sources in the world and because of its uneven distribution, it is transported by ships across the oceans. Oil is also extracted from the seabed using offshore drilling rigs. Operation of these rigs and tankers has often resulted in accidents in the past with oil leaking for months and years into the water.

What is oil spill?

Oil spill refers to the leakage of petroleum onto the surface of a large body of water, though they can also occur on land. Marine oil spill happens during the transportation of oil in tankers or when accidentally released from refinery, underwater pipeline and from offshore oil drilling rig. The spilled oil initially floats and later seeps into the water. The oil is stirred by waves and currents and carried away and spread to a larger area. This will affect underwater ecosystem, contaminating or killing fish and smaller organisms that are essential links in the global food chain. When an oil slick from a large spill reaches a beach, it can stick on to rock and sand. This will affect coastal organisms. If the oil spreads to coastal marshes, mangrove forests or other wetlands, it will not only damage the plants and trees, but also make the area unsuitable as a wildlife habitat.

Impact on marine life

• Oil on ocean surfaces prevents sunlight from penetrating the surface, and it also reduces the level of dissolved oxygen. This can interrupt marine life. Inadequate oxygen can cause suffocation in fish and other animals.
• Crude oil ruins the insulating and water-proofing properties of feathers and fur, and thus oil-coated birds and marine mammals may die from hypothermia.
• Other effects on sea birds include impaired ability to fly, kidney damage, dehydration and metabolic imbalances.
• Oil spills also affect the fishing industry. Major oil spills are frequently followed by the immediate suspension of commercial fishing to prevent the catch and sale of fish or shellfish that may be contaminated.

Did you know?

The 2010 BP Oil Spill (BP British Petroleum) is considered the largest marine oil spill in history On April 20, 2010, an explosion on the British Petroleum's Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico triggered a discharge of million barrels of crude oil, 66 km off the coast of Louisiana for over 87 days. This spill became the defining image of the environmental perils associated with offshore oil drilling.

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The Global Tree Assessment, the report of a massive study conducted by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGC) to estimate the conservation status of all of Earth's trees, was released recently. It warned that a third of the planet's nearly 60,000 known tree species are facing extinction. About 442 species are on the brink with fewer than 50 specimens left in the wild. The report pointed out that there are twice as many threatened tree species globally as threatened mammals birds, amphibians and reptiles combined.

Extinction of trees is a cause for concern because each tree species has a unique ecological role to play. Trees also provide food and shelter to a number of animals, insects, and birds. Losing tree species can cause cascades of extinction among the many species that depend on them. Further, trees are the "backbone of the natural ecosystem, storing half the world's terrestrial carbon and providing a buffer from extreme weather such as hurricanes and tsunamis.

What are the threats?

According to the report, the biggest threats to trees, globally are forest clearance for crops (impacting 29% of species), logging (27%). clearance for livestock grazing or farming (14%), clearance for development (13%), and wildfire (13%).

• The BGCI reveals that one in five tree species is directly used by humans, for food, fuel, timber, medicines, horticulture, and more. Many of these trees face extinction as a result of over-exploitation and mismanagement.
• The report finds that one in three trees currently harvested for timber is threatened with extinction.
• Climate change and extreme weather are ranked as emerging threats. At least 180 tree species are directly threatened by sea-level rise and severe weather events. This threat is most severe to island species.
• An increased occurrence of fire due to heatwave is killing many tree species across the globe.

What's the solution?

The BGCI recommends five key actions for policymakers and experts in order to protect and bring back threatened species. They are

1. Extend protected area coverage for threatened tree species that are currently not well-represented in protected areas

2. Ensure that all globally threatened tree species, where possible, are conserved in botanic garden and seed bank collections

3. Increase availability of Government and corporate funding for threatened tree species

4. Expand sapling planting schemes, and ensure the targeted planting of threatened and native species

5. Increase global collaboration to tackle tree extinction, by participating in international efforts

Significant species under threat

Dipterocarp

• Dipterocarps are a family of around 700 species of trees, known for their characteristic, winged seeds. They are tropical lowland rainforest trees distributed across parts of South America, Africa, the Seychelles, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The greatest diversity of dipterocarps occurs in Borneo.
• Dipterocarps are ecologically important. Their canopy gives the rainforests their characteristic layered look. Their fruits, flowers, and sap are an important food source for wildlife.
• These trees possess high-quality timber. Timber export is the major threat to dipterocarps. From the island of Borneo alone, 182 species are threatened with extinction. This includes the tallest known tropical tree species, Shorea faguetiana.
• In Borneo, dipterocarps are also being lost due to the expansion of palm oil plantations. Their decline has led to species such as the Bornean orangutan, becoming critically endangered. The orangutans depend on dipterocarp forests for food and shelter.

Nothofagus

• Nothofagus are deciduous and evergreen forest trees found only in the Southern Hemisphere. Their distribution includes parts of Chile. Argentina, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Australia.
• Nothofagus trees play a key role in supporting the ecology and biodiversity of the temperate forests in these regions.
• Historically, Nothofagus have been threatened by harvest for timber. Currently the species faces additional threats from mining and wildfires. In the future, populations are predicted to decline due to the effects of climate change.

Magnolia

• Magnolia is a large genus of flowering plant species found in east and southeast Asia, eastern North America, Central America, the West Indies, and parts of South America.
• Magnolia is an ancient genus of plants, which displays many characters that are considered evolutionarily primitive.
• Due to their appealing flowers, magnolias have attracted much interest from horticulturalists. The flowers of many species are considered edible. Parts of the flowers find place in many Western and Asian cuisines. They are also used in cosmetics and medicines.
• Magnolia are principally threatened by overexploitation, habitat loss due to land conversion to agriculture and livestock farming, and impacts of climate change.
• Climate change is particularly of threat to island species.

Oak

• Oaks are trees and shrubs of the beech family. There are about 450 species of oak. They are common in cool temperate and tropical places in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and North Africa.
• Oaks can take 100 years to develop fully and can then live another 900 years. The fruit of an oak tree is a nut called acorn.
• Oak trees support a range of biodiversity, including bird, mosses, fungi, insects, lichens, and mammals.
• The wood of many types of oak is valued in carpentry and building. The bark of the bur oak is used in making leather, while that of the cork oak is used in the making of cork.
• Globally, agriculture poses the biggest threat to oaks. Urban development, climate change, invasive species, diseases, and human activities have also strained oaks globally. And in Latin America, which has the highest number of endemic oak species, the use of oak for charcoal is a threat.

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