My Science School

Forest fires occur in many regions of the world. In fact, some of you may have witnessed them. They are not just inevitable but even necessary for several reasons.

The benefits of forest fires

Forest fires have been an integral part of the natural forest environment, and play an important role in keeping the ecosystem going. For example, these fires help clear dead plants and allow for new ones to grow in their place. Seeds of certain plants germinate after a fire that breaks open their outer covering. Trunks of trees falling after a fire host several types of insects and reptiles, which in turn become feed for birds and animals. Animals escaping fire move to other places, resulting in the distribution of such species.

Plants and animals cope / survive

Since plants cannot move when fire envelops their surroundings, they have other means for survival. One of them is through the insulation that soil offers. Some plants (re)grow from underground stems and roots protected by the soil. Some trees are protected from damage and death by the thickness of their bark.

Many animal species (and even plants) are said to reproduce during the wet season or when the chances of fires are low. This offers the population a higher chance of survival. Many animals have a strong sense of smell that helps them detect smoke from far so they can move to safer places. Some seem to be able to hear the sounds of fire, which gives them adequate time to leave the spot. Most animals, especially large ones, flee a burning place and move to higher ground, or even to an already burnt place. However, not all animals move. Some find abandoned burrows to seek refuge in. This also has another benefit-protection from raptors that come looking for hapless animals. Animals have found ways to cope even after a fire. Since food resources become scarce after a fire, some species have adapted themselves to suppress energy use, cutting down the need for seeking food.

The situation today is grim

While it is true that forest fires are necessary and beneficial, the current scenario is not very encouraging. Due to climate change and global warming, the intensity and the incidence of forest fires across the globe have been increasing. This I means that neither plants nor animals have enough time or means to recover from a forest fire. In the long run, it could push them to extinction in a world that might no longer resemble the one their ancestors inhabited.

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In August, India notified a ban on manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of certain single-use plastic items. Now, with the launch of its Plastic Pact, India has strengthened its fight against plastic pollution.

What's the pact all about?

The Plastic Pact, the first of its kind in Asia and jointly developed by the World-Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF India) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), is a platform to promote a circular economy for plastic.

While linear economy businesses take a natural resource and turn it into a product which is ultimately destined to become waste, a circular economy employs reuse, sharing, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing and recycling to create a closed-loop system, minimising the use of resources, and the creation of waste, pollution and carbon emissions.

It is a collaborative initiative that aims to bring together businesses, governments and NGOS to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastics in their value chain. During the launch, it was announced that 17 businesses including major FMCG brands, manufacturers, retailers and recyclers have committed to the pact as founding members, and nine have joined as supporting organisations.

The U.K.-based not-for-profit company Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), along with UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), will offer operational and technical support to India. Plastic Pacts in Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Africa are also supported by WRAP.

What's the target of the pact?

The Pact aims to define a list of unnecessary or problematic plastic packaging and items and take measures to address them through redesign and innovation. By 2030, 100% of the plastic packaging should be reusable or recyclable.

Why is this important?

Considerable amounts of plastic waste in India are not recycled because of lack of segregation and collection. Only 60% of plastic waste is collected and recycled in India, while the rest remains littered in the environment. The plastic recycling industry is vast and unorganised. Most of the plastic wastes are recycled into low quality materials, which again become single-use items. Environmentalists have been stressing the need for collaboration across the value chain from design and reuse to repair and recycling in order to develop impactful solutions. This Plastic Pact promises to be a step towards that.

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Nearly two-thirds of respondents to a Nature survey of leading climate scientists are sceptical that nations can rein in global warming and expect the world to warm by at least 3 degree C by the end of the century

• Nature magazine conducted an anonymous survey of the 233 living authors of the latest IPCC climate-science report, published in August this year, and received responses from 92 scientists-about 40% of the group.
• Their answers suggest strong scepticism that governments will markedly slow the pace of global warming, despite promises made by global leaders in the 2015 Paris climate agreement
• As many as 60% of the respondents said that they expect the world will warm by at least 3 degree C by the end of the century, relative to pre-industrial times. As many as 82% said they expected to see catastrophic impacts of climate change in their lifetimes, while more than 60% said that they experience anxiety, grief or other distress because of concerns over climate change.
• The survey has come even as the United Nations COP26 summit occurred in Glasgow, billed as a make-or-break chance to save the planet from the most calamitous effects of climate change.

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As a direct impact of climate change, the population of California sea lions has been on a dramatic decline over the last few years. However, one colony has given hope to conservationsists and wildlife lovers. How?

California sea lions are native to North America, and are found between Alaska and the Gulf of California. Though the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists them under "Least Concern" due to their abundance, as mentioned earlier, their numbers have been dwindling.

To add to this, between 2013 and 2016, thousands of emaciated juveniles (several dead) washed up on the coast of California, stumping conservationists. This was later linked to unusually warm Pacific waters. The warming meant that large populations of nutritious fish such as sardines and anchovy moved north to cooler waters during the period, leaving sea lion mothers to feed on less nutritious rockfish and squid. A study suggested that the poor health of juvenile sea lions was a result of their mothers eating the oceanic equivalent of "junk food". A news report said that the population of this species in the Gulf of California "has dropped by 65 percent from 1991 to 2019. It went from 45,000 to 15,000 animals because of an increase in the temperature of the water.

And now comes the happy news from one colony in a natural refuge area off the coast of northwest Mexico. Research has shown that the number of California sea lions in the colony in Las Islotes, located in the Gulf of California, "has grown from 500 to 700 in 10 years. This is one of 13 colonies of this species identified in the gulf, and the "only colony that not only has remained stable but has increased slightly".

At Los Islotes, human activities such as fishing and tourism have been restricted so the animals can rest and reproduce. In fact, tour operators stop visits during the mating season so the animals are not disturbed. Apparently, when visits are permitted, tourists get a chance to swim with these creatures. The 'swimmers' could be juveniles because they are playful and like to get close to humans" whereas adults are territorial and "keep their distance from people".

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Leaders from across the globe gathered to work out a climate action plan during the COP26 summit at Glasgow, held between October 31 and November 12. One of the important announcements came from China and the U.S. as the two countries vowed to work together to accelerate climate action this decade. The two superpowers account for nearly 40% of all carbon emissions. They said they would achieve the 1.5C temperature goal set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement. The Summit witnessed many other commitments and pledges being made by countries and organisations to mitigate climate change.

COP stands for Conference of the Parties. It is a global United Nations summit about climate change and how countries are planning to tackle it. The first summit took place in 1995. This year's summit is the 26th and is hence called COP26.

It was due to take place in November 2020, but delayed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Key aims for the conference included an increased global ambition on greenhouse gas reduction efforts to keep the temperature goals inscribed in the Paris agreement within reach, and increased global efforts on adaptation and climate financing.

Why was COP26 important?

The world is facing the biggest threat from climate change, which is primarily caused by the emission of greenhouses gases from burning of fossil fuel. Global warming causes icecaps to melt and sea levels to rise. We are seeing extreme weather events taking place around the world - including heatwaves, floods and forest fires. There is an urgent need to take action to address this scenario. This can be achieved only with the cooperation and collective efforts of all the countries.

COP26 was viewed as the successor to COP21 where the Paris Accord 2015 was signed, arguably the greatest success in recent years.

COP26 aimed to address what has and hasn't been achieved since 2015, while also setting concrete plans to reach the Paris Agreement targets.

What is Paris Agreement?

In 2015, world leaders pledged in Paris to try to keep global temperature increase well below 2 degree C and to try to limit it to 1.5 degree C through sweeping emissions cuts.

• Nations agreed to reduce the amount of harmful greenhouse gasses produced and adopt renewable energy such as wind, solar and wave power.
• The Paris Agreement reaffirmed that developed countries should take the lead in providing financial assistance to poor and vulnerable ones.

What are Nationally Determined Contributions?

The Paris Accord set a target for limiting global warming but left it up to each country to submit its own emissions reduction targets, known as Nationally Determined Contributions.

Part of the plan was for countries to regularly review and, if necessary, update their targets to ensure the Paris goal is met.

How will countries be made to meet their pledges?

Only a few countries are making their pledges legally binding. Others will have to be self-policed. However, all are required to submit their NDCS every five years.

What are some of the highlights of COP26?

• China and the United States vowed to work together to accelerate climate action this decade. A coalition of 19 countries including Britain and the United States agreed to create zero emissions shipping trade routes between ports to speed up decarbonisation of the global maritime industry. Shipping, which transports about 90% of world trade, accounts for nearly 3% of the world's CO2 emissions.
• A group of 50 countries committed to develop climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems in response to growing evidence of the impact of climate change on people's health. Forty-five of these countries also committed to transform their health systems to be more sustainable and low-carbon.
• More than 100 countries, representing about 85% of the world's forests, promised to stop deforestation by 2030.
• A pledge to cut 30% of current methane emissions by 2030-was taken by more than 100 countries. . More than 40 countries agreed to shift away from coal.
• Some 450 financial organisations agreed to back "clean" technology, such as renewable energy, and direct finance away from fossil fuel-burning industries.
• The summit urged countries to phase out fossil fuel subsidies.
• The countries were reminded to stop the planet heating beyond the critical 1.5 degree C threshold. Global greenhouse gases emissions must drop 45% by 2030 from 2010 levels, on the way to halting their rise altogether by 2050, it was urged.
• Developed countries were urged to "urgently scale up" aid in the form of grants (and not loans) to help countries adapt to climate impacts.

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Science has made progress in leaps and bounds over the years. Something such as the revival of an extinct species might have seemed possible only in our dreams. But today, thanks to science, several extinct species can be brought back to life. This process called de extinction and is mostly done through gene editing.

Gene editing or genome editing is a group of technologies that give scientists the chance to change an organism's DNA by adding, removing or altering gene material at particular locations in the genome

One of the more recent gene editing technologies is called CRISPR-Cas9, short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. The system is believed to be more secure, faster, cheaper, more accurate and more efficient than any other gene editing methods. Currently, most of the research is on understanding diseases using cells and animal models, Scientists are still trying to find out if it is safe and effective to use gene editing in people. While genome editing is of great interest in the treatment and prevention of human diseases such as sickle cell disease and hemophilia, there are ethical concerns about its use.

If fallen into the wrong hands, it can alter a person's characteristics and mess with the way the person was born. It can suddenly make someone taller or leaner and can become more for cosmetic than for health reasons. Gene editing can also impact the future generations of the person who undergoes it if the editing is done to genes in the germline cells (egg and sperm cells)

Genome editing is also currently used for genetically modified (GM) food-food that grows from an organism whose genes have been altered. While scientists argue that GM foods are as safe for humans as conventional foods, people have been careful Questions have been raised about the safety and regulation of such foods and many countries have either banned their use or are making such foods go through strict regulation.

While the idea of gene editing is to tackle diseases, make food and crops cheaper, and bring back extinct species and their roles, it is a way of messing with what is naturally found on Earth using science. So, is it really necessary? May be or may be not.

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In recent years, scientists and environmentalists have sounded alarms that if global progress isn't made in a sustainable manner, generations to come could face a future steeped in inequality and climate crises. They advice that governments, businesses, and communities should come together to promote sustainable development

It is a development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Living within our environmental limits without exhausting the natural resources is one of the central principles of sustainable development. Other principles focus on ensuring a strong, healthy, and just society The United Nations's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development covers a vast range of issues such as ending poverty and hunger, ensuring clean energy, water and sanitation, good health, quality education, gender equality, economic growth, responsible consumption and peace among other issues.

Implementation

Governments must translate their sustainable development goals into national legislation, develop a plan of action, establish budgets, and partner with companies and communities for innovation and implementation.

What can you do?

Though achieving sustainability goals require the involvement of policy makers, individuals too have a part to play. Small actions taken collectively, can add up to real change.

• More than 800 million people live below the international poverty line. By donating whatever you can, you help fellow human beings meet their basic needs
• Donate books and notebooks to the needy
• Treat everyone equally irrespective of their gender, religion, and nationality Stand up for human rights
• Do not waste food. Support local farmers
• Avoid wasting water
• Use energy efficient appliances. Switch to solar power wherever possible. Use public transportation, cycle or walk
• Adopt minimalism, strive for zero waste
• Avoid plastic
• Plant a tree

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Earth does not belong to humans; humans belong to Earth- and so do millions of other creatures. We share the world with birds, animals, insects, worms, and microorganisms. But it is the human species that is having a domineering influence on everything on the planet.

The planet has seen many drastic changes in its climate in the past. A couple of them, it is theorised, has even led to mass extinction. But those climate change events were driven by Nature, while the current one is the result of human activity. Successive reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - mandated by the United Nations to assess scientific evidence on climate change-have suggested that the observed changes in global and regional climate over the last 50 or so years are almost entirely due to human influence on the climate system and not due to natural causes.

The main driver of climate change is the greenhouse effect. Human activities such as burning of fossil fuel, clearing of forests, livestock farming, and the usage of nitrogen in fertilizers, release a lot of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, especially CO2, leading to global warming and climate change. Frequent floods, intense drought, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and warming oceans are the results of climate change. They can harm animals, destroy their homes, and wreak havoc on people's livelihoods and communities. They can affect ecosystems and drive species to extinction. Scientists believe human-driven climate change is driving the world into sixth mass extinction.

Did you know?

The impact of human activity on Earth is so profound that scientists think that we should call the current geological time, Anthropocene Epoch. The word Anthropocene is derived from the Greek words anthropo, for "man", and cene for "new". A popular theory is that it began at the start of the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, when human activity had a great impact on carbon and methane in Earth's atmosphere. Others think that the beginning of the Anthropocene should be 1945. This is when humans tested the first atomic bomb, and then dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The resulting radioactive particles were detected in soil samples globally.

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Step out of your house and you are welcomed by the sight of overflowing dustbins at every street comer. As populations grow and economies expand, we generate large amounts of waste. This includes liquid or solid household waste, food waste, construction waste, industrial waste, and hazardous waste (radioactive waste, electronic waste, inflammables and pharmaceuticals).

According to an estimate, in urban India, an individual produces an average of 0.8 kg of waste every day. The world generates 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, with at least 33% of that not managed in an environmentally safe manner. Poor waste management can contribute to a range of problems, including health and environmental hazards. Some waste will eventually rot, but not all. Those that rot produce smell, cause infectious diseases, and result in the accumulation of toxic substances in the food chain through the animals that feed on them. Decaying waste also generates methane gas, which contributes to the greenhouse effect. Incineration of waste is a common treatment practice followed in India. Gases from incineration may cause air pollution, while the ash may contain heavy metals and other toxins. Plastic waste often ends up in oceans posing grave threat to marine animals and coastal ecosystems.

What can you do?

Besides demanding better waste management system from your elected leaders, you can also strive to reduce waste at home. Make the 3Rs - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - your mantra and strive to achieve zero-waste generation.

Reduce: Avoid unnecessary accumulation of materials. Simplify your life as much as possible. Only keep belongings that you use on a regular basis.

Reuse: If you need something, see if you can purchase it second-hand. There are a number of sites that sell used items. You can get a used bicycle or furniture from someone who is relocating. Also avoid one-time-use items such as disposable glasses or bottles.

Recycle: Before discarding something into the bin, see if you can make use of it in some way. A water bottle could become a pen stand and old newspapers could be turned into paper bags. Try to recycle things as much as possible, and this way you can also reduce your consumption.

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There are no human rights without environmental rights. The Right to Life contained in Article 21 of the Constitution of India includes the right to clean and safe environment. The Ministry of Environment & Forests is the nodal agency responsible for planning and implementing India's environmental and forestry policies and programmes Its functions include the conservation of the country's natural resources and wildlife, and the prevention and abatement of pollution. It is the duty of the Ministry to ensure that development projects are not approved at the cost of environmental safety

Some of the important legislative provisions for environment protection are:

• The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
• The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
• The Environment Protection Act, 1986
• The Hazardous Waste Management Regulations
• The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
• The Forest Conservation Act, 1980
• Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991

Most environmental problems arise from the failure of the government to give higher priority to environmental issues. But protecting the environment is as much an individual's responsibility as it is the governments’.

Did you know?

The National Green Tribunal was established in 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 to work on the disposal of cases related to environmental protection, conservation of forests and other natural resources. It is a specialised forum for effective and speedy disposal of cases pertaining to environment. People can approach the tribunal against projects that affect the environment or seek compensation for damages caused to people or property due to violation of environmental laws.

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Today, everyone owns a cellphone - be it smartphone or not. Unlike a few years ago, each member in an urban household today owns a headphone, charger, laptop, and a pendrive. Our lives revolve around televisions, modems, desktop computers, Al assistants, and a whole lot of gadgets and their electronic accessories. Most of these devices have a short lifespan and they have to be replaced within a few years, if not months. Those that have reached their end of life often get dumped in landfills, adding to the toxic pollution and leach into our environment some way or the other.

Electronic waste or e-waste is a global problem. While we focus much of our attention on plastic, e-waste has silently grown to be the fastest growing stream of waste worldwide. According to the latest assessment by the WEEE Forum, an international expert group dedicated to tackling the global problem of e-waste, the mountain of electronic and electrical equipment discarded in 2021 will weigh more than 57 million tonnes - greater than the weight of the Great Wall of China. Earth's heaviest artificial object. Only 17.4% of this electronic waste containing a mixture of harmful substances and precious materials will be recorded as being properly collected, treated and recycled. According to the United Nations, in 2021 each person on the planet will produce on average 7.6 kg of e-waste. The WEEE report acknowledges that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a perceptible effect on our use of electronics and digital solutions, with both adults and children relying on e-products for job and schooling.

What constitutes e-waste and why is it a matter of concern?

E-waste, short for electronic waste, simply describes any electronic device or their parts that have been thrown away. Some examples of electronic and electrical waste are used and abandoned computers, tablets, televisions, cell phones, stereos, copiers, scanners, mouses, keyboards, air-conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines.

Dangerous emission

• When not recycled or disposed of properly, e-waste ends up in landfill and is often burned along with other garbage. This can cause emission of toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. Toxins from e-waste can also seep into the soil and contaminate groundwater and waterbodies. This in turn will affect plants, animals and humans.
• Some of the waste may reach unregulated recycling units where the devices are washed in acids for extraction of minute amounts of gold, silver, palladium, copper, or other precious metals and minerals present in them. This can pollute air and water. Workers engaged in this extraction in unregulated units face dangerous conditions, as they work without protective gear such as gloves or masks.
• Exposure to e-waste can cause headache, irritability, nausea, vomiting, and eye pain. Recyclers may suffer liver, kidney and neurological disorders.
• The air pollution from burning e-waste a threat for people living near landfills as they are constantly exposed to toxins. It can damage the nervous system, circulatory system, and kidney and brain development. Respiratory disorders and skin problems are the other risks.

Solutions

• E-waste collection, transportation, processing, and recycling is dominated by the informal sector which is well networked, but unregulated. If both the formal and informal sectors coordinate and work in a harmonious manner, the materials collected by the unorganised sector may be handed over to the organised sector for processing in an environment-friendly way.
• Governments should collaborate with the industry to draw up standard operating procedures and work towards reducing e-waste.
• They should encourage new entrepreneurs in the e-waste sector by providing necessary financial support and technological guidance.
• Incentives can be given to people practising safe disposal of e-waste.

What can you do to reduce e-waste?

1. Think twice: Before you ask your parents for new gadgets, think twice whether you can manage without it. Or try to use an old one.

2. Take good care of your gadgets. Follow instructions given in manuals carefully to ensure longer product life. For instance, do not use mobile while charging as it causes overheating and decreases battery life, besides proving to be life-threatening.

3. Dispose gadgets responsibly: E-waste should not be mixed with general waste or given to unauthorised collectors. Ensure your e-waste reaches regulated recycling units.

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Let's brace for a chillier winter this year, as La Nina has emerged in the tropical Pacific Ocean, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center announced recently. La Nina is a natural ocean-atmospheric phenomenon marked by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the Equator. The climate pattern typically spells below-normal temperatures in the northern hemisphere. Countries in the northern hemisphere have started issuing warnings about a frigid winter. The Indian Meteorological Department also predicted that the temperature is set to drop steeply over north India in November. Reports say temperatures are expected to drop below 3 degrees Celsius in the months of January and February 2022, due to the La Nina weather pattern. Forecasters point out that this is the second La Nina winter in a row, a phenomenon that they call a "double-dip". What is La Nina? How does it affect countries around the world?

Recurring climate pattern

To understand La Nina, we need to know ENSO - the El Nino Southern Oscillation. ENSO is a recurring climate pattern involving changes in the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. For year ranging from two to seven, the surface waters across a large swath of the tropical Pacific Ocean warm or cool by 1 to 3 degrees Celcius above or below normal. The warming phase of ENSO is called El Nino, while the cooling phase is known as La Nina. ENSO affects the tropics (the regions surrounding the equator) and the subtropics (the regions adjacent to or bordering the tropics).

Weather depends a lot on ocean temperatures. Where the ocean is warm, more clouds form, and more rain falls in that part of the world. In the Pacific Ocean, near the equator, the sun makes the water especially warm on the surface. In normal conditions, trade winds travel from east to west across the tropical Pacific, pushing the warm surface waters near South America westward towards Indonesia. At the same time, cooler waters rise up towards the surface in the eastern Pacific near the coasts of Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. (This process, called upwelling, in fact, aids in the development of a rich ecosystem.)

El Nino

An El Nino phenomenon sets in when there is anomaly in this pattern. The westward-blowing trade winds weaken along the Equator and start blowing in the other direction - from west to east. Due to changes in air pressure, the surface water moves eastwards to the coast of South America. Warmer surface waters in eastern Pacific increase precipitation and bring above-normal rainfall in South America. As winds that usually fetch rain to Asia and Australia become weaker, they bring less rainfall to these regions and thereby drought.

La Nina

La Nina is considered to have the opposite effect of El Nino. During a period of La Nina, the sea surface temperature across the eastern Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal. It will bring greater-than-normal rainfall to Southeast Asia and Australia, and cause drier-than-normal conditions in South America and the Gulf Coast of the U.S. Scientists say this years La Nina could worsen California's ongoing drought and make its wildfire season even more of a threat. La Nina usually brings in colder-than-normal winters in Asian countries, including India. La Nina influences the Indian subcontinent by piping in cold air from Siberia and South China.

Duration and frequency

La Nina (or El Nino) episode lasts nine to 12 months. Some may last for years. Its average frequency is two to seven years. El Nino is often (but not always) followed by La Nina the following year, particularly if the El Nino is strong.

Impact of climate change?

Scientists do not yet fully understand what triggers a La Nina or an El Ninocycle. They say it is difficult to know how climate change affects ENSO patterns. However, a 2018 study on atmospheric conditions showed how a warming climate may amplify the effects of El Nino and La Nina.

Forecasting helps

To forecast La Nina, scientists monitor temperatures of the ocean and watch out for the tell-tale temperature shift from the western Pacific to the eastern Pacific. Predicting the life cycle and strength of El Nino and La Nina is critical for helping people avoid or mitigate potential damage from weather events stemming from El Nino or La Nina.

Why the name

According to the NOAA centuries ago, South American fishermen noticed warmer-than-normal coastal Pacific Ocean waters and dramatic decreases in fish catch occurring periodically around Christmas time. They nicknamed the phenomenon "El Nino" (Spanish for little boy), in connection with the celebration of the Christian holiday marking the birth of Jesus. In the 1980s, when the opposite phase of El Nino was discovered (i.e., cooler-than-normal ocean temperatures), scientists called it "La Nina" (Spanish for little girl).

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