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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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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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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