It is also said that the Chairman of IPCC cooked up facts to corner grants. It is also reported that The Energy and Resources institute (TERI) headed by the Chairman received over 310,000 pounds grants from Carnegie Corporation of NEW York and from European Union. With regard to the UN claim of global warming, new research casts doubt on the UN climate data, suggesting that the world may not be warming at all as stated. The IPCC wrongly linked the warming to floods.
In Indian scenario, it is reported that the year 2009 has been the hottest year ever recorded in India. The long-term annual average temperature was 0.913 degree C in 2009 as compared to 0.514 degree C in 1998. The coastal regions recorded the most increase. It is difficult to say that the temperature rise is due to human activities alone. In the global scenario, of the 12 hottest years in the century, 11 have been in the past 2 decades. Probably, rate of rise in temperature has marginally increased over the last two decades.
However, the blunders committed by the IPCC do not change the overall global picture of some small rise in the average global temperature. Concerted efforts are required in cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in the power sector. Fossil fuel plants should be phased out slowly and concerted efforts should be made to develop renewable energy resources, like wind and solar and environmentally clean nuclear power.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Consumer Acts on doctor – justified?
Supreme Court of Inda lays down 11-point guidelines for courts to decide on complaints against doctors. The Consumer Protection Act should be applicable to complaints where the gross medical negligence is proved without doubt. Often, the medical practitioners are forced to take some life-saving interventions or perform procedures during emergency which may not work successfully and the patient may die or due the intervention the patient may get into some other serious health complications.
Will the doctors be able to take a correct decision when the Consumer Protection Act is hanging over their neck? Can he allow a patient to die just because he is afraid of the decision may or may not save the life of the patient. May be, the doctor should be allowed to take a calculated risk to save a serious patient.
As a common man understood, the Supreme Court says that - doctors in complicated cases have to take chance even if the rate of survival is low. A doctor faced with an emergency normally tries to redeem the patient out of the suffering and the doctor does not gain by acting with negligence.
This implies that the prosecution should handle such cases with lot of care taking into account the doctor’s qualification, experience and past record. The medical negligence should be proved beyond any doubt while dispensing the justice. The above 11 guidelines will be of help in deciding such cases in court of law.
Will the doctors be able to take a correct decision when the Consumer Protection Act is hanging over their neck? Can he allow a patient to die just because he is afraid of the decision may or may not save the life of the patient. May be, the doctor should be allowed to take a calculated risk to save a serious patient.
As a common man understood, the Supreme Court says that - doctors in complicated cases have to take chance even if the rate of survival is low. A doctor faced with an emergency normally tries to redeem the patient out of the suffering and the doctor does not gain by acting with negligence.
This implies that the prosecution should handle such cases with lot of care taking into account the doctor’s qualification, experience and past record. The medical negligence should be proved beyond any doubt while dispensing the justice. The above 11 guidelines will be of help in deciding such cases in court of law.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Indian Poverty Line – Suresh Tendulkar Committee
According to the Suresh Tendulkar Committee released recently, the poverty line in India is upgraded from Rs. 356.30 (rural) and Rs. 538.60 (urban) per capita per month to Rs. 446.68 (rural) and Rs. 578.80 (urban) per capita per month for 2004-05. The International poverty line (WB) is US $1.25 per day for 2005. More than a billion poor people are there in the world today! Not very good news.
Developed countries and developing countries should minimize their spending on war heads, purchase of weapons and space activities and focus on the billion of poor to provide them with food, some shelter and clean drinking water.
Developed countries and developing countries should minimize their spending on war heads, purchase of weapons and space activities and focus on the billion of poor to provide them with food, some shelter and clean drinking water.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Water purification systems –Aquaguard models
In India, competition for drinking water purification systems has reached its peak with every manufacturer is trying to out-beat the other through high pitch advertisements. Everyone claims that their new model gives 100% pure drinking water. Aquaguard’s new model SENSA SMP+RO+UV claims to be its best model. It is in everybody’s knowledge that Reverse Osmosis is one of the best processes for purification of low-level pollutants from water streams. Ultra Violet radiation is used to kill the germs.
The big question in everybody’s mind is: whether the water coming out of the older models is safe enough for drinking? At that point of time, the same manufacturers claimed 100% safe drinking water from the older models!
Consumers are in a fix. Will the government intervene and regulate these activities? It is time that there should be controls and quality assurance for such purifiers which are marketed in very large numbers in urban areas.
The big question in everybody’s mind is: whether the water coming out of the older models is safe enough for drinking? At that point of time, the same manufacturers claimed 100% safe drinking water from the older models!
Consumers are in a fix. Will the government intervene and regulate these activities? It is time that there should be controls and quality assurance for such purifiers which are marketed in very large numbers in urban areas.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Climate change matters
It is being brought out in the press that even if the current pledges by nations at Copenhagen to reduce emissions, there will be 3 degree centigrade rise in the temperature by 2050. However, the projected rise was only 2 degree centigrade. This calls for global action “Now or Never” basis. Every country, irrespective of Developed or Developing, should accept this reality and commit to cut down the emissions by 2020 and commit to review further the situation.
Otherwise, the developing countries which are mostly located in warmer regions, dependent on rains and whose major source of income is agriculture will be worst hit by changing rain patterns, floods, drinking water shortage and droughts. Rising sea levels will affect India the most.
Climate change is thus more than just an environmental threat; it is a threat to our social structures, our families and our own lives. It is important for everyone to take action now.
Otherwise, the developing countries which are mostly located in warmer regions, dependent on rains and whose major source of income is agriculture will be worst hit by changing rain patterns, floods, drinking water shortage and droughts. Rising sea levels will affect India the most.
Climate change is thus more than just an environmental threat; it is a threat to our social structures, our families and our own lives. It is important for everyone to take action now.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
From Japan to Copenhagen - long journey
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC), aimed at combating global warming which is assumed to be the result of industrialization. The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty with the goal of achieving "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”. The Protocol was initially adopted on 11 December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and entered into force on 16 February 2005. As of November 2009, 187 states have signed and ratified the protocol. Most notable non-member of the Protocol is the United States, which is a signatory of UNFCCC and was responsible for 36.1% of the 1990 emission levels.
Under the Protocol, 37 industrialized countries commit themselves to a reduction of four greenhouse gases (GHG) (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride) and two groups of gases (hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons) produced by them, and all member countries gave general commitments. The countries agreed to reduce their collective greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% from the 1990 level. Emission limits do not include emissions by international aviation and shipping.
The Protocol allows for several "flexible mechanisms", such as emissions trading, thus allowing developed countries to meet their GHG emission limitations by purchasing GHG emission reductions credits from developing, through financial exchanges, projects that reduce emissions from other countries, etc. The developed countries are also supposed to provide financial support and supply clean technology to other countries.
The objective of the Kyoto climate change conference was to establish a legally binding international agreement, whereby all the participating nations commit themselves to tackling the issue of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions. The target agreed upon was an average reduction of 5.2% from 1990 levels by the year 2012.
China now exceeds the United States as the single largest GHG emitter, and accounts for more than a fifth of global GHG emissions. Per capita emissions in developing countries like India and China are relatively low due to the large population. China, India and other developing countries were not included in any numerical limitation of the Kyoto Protocol, because they were not main contributors to the greenhouse gas emissions in the pre-treaty industrialization period. However, even without responsibility under the Kyoto target, developing countries are also committed to share the common responsibility of all countries to reduce emissions.
India signed and ratified the Protocol in August, 2002. Since India is exempted from the framework of the treaty, it is expected to gain from the protocol in terms of transfer of technology and related foreign investments. India maintains that following the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, the major responsibility of curbing emission rests with the developed countries, which have accumulated emissions over a long period of time. However, the U.S. and other Western nations assert that India, along with China, will account for most of the emissions in the coming decades, owing to their rapid industrialization and economic growth.
In the on-going Climate Change Summit at Copenhagen, a new track “Long Term Cooperative Action” is being readied by selected developed countries which demands that all countries, including emerging economies, make commitments to reduce emissions as equals by 2050. In protest, the majority of G77 members, joined by India and China, staged a walkout. Negotiations are still continuing to find a solution to this global problem.
Under the Protocol, 37 industrialized countries commit themselves to a reduction of four greenhouse gases (GHG) (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride) and two groups of gases (hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons) produced by them, and all member countries gave general commitments. The countries agreed to reduce their collective greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% from the 1990 level. Emission limits do not include emissions by international aviation and shipping.
The Protocol allows for several "flexible mechanisms", such as emissions trading, thus allowing developed countries to meet their GHG emission limitations by purchasing GHG emission reductions credits from developing, through financial exchanges, projects that reduce emissions from other countries, etc. The developed countries are also supposed to provide financial support and supply clean technology to other countries.
The objective of the Kyoto climate change conference was to establish a legally binding international agreement, whereby all the participating nations commit themselves to tackling the issue of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions. The target agreed upon was an average reduction of 5.2% from 1990 levels by the year 2012.
China now exceeds the United States as the single largest GHG emitter, and accounts for more than a fifth of global GHG emissions. Per capita emissions in developing countries like India and China are relatively low due to the large population. China, India and other developing countries were not included in any numerical limitation of the Kyoto Protocol, because they were not main contributors to the greenhouse gas emissions in the pre-treaty industrialization period. However, even without responsibility under the Kyoto target, developing countries are also committed to share the common responsibility of all countries to reduce emissions.
India signed and ratified the Protocol in August, 2002. Since India is exempted from the framework of the treaty, it is expected to gain from the protocol in terms of transfer of technology and related foreign investments. India maintains that following the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, the major responsibility of curbing emission rests with the developed countries, which have accumulated emissions over a long period of time. However, the U.S. and other Western nations assert that India, along with China, will account for most of the emissions in the coming decades, owing to their rapid industrialization and economic growth.
In the on-going Climate Change Summit at Copenhagen, a new track “Long Term Cooperative Action” is being readied by selected developed countries which demands that all countries, including emerging economies, make commitments to reduce emissions as equals by 2050. In protest, the majority of G77 members, joined by India and China, staged a walkout. Negotiations are still continuing to find a solution to this global problem.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Climate Change Summit
Everyone is talking about the climate change due to global warming and naturally everyone is worried about the repercussions of such a scenario in the near future. If one assumes that the climate change is only due to global warming, one of the most serious scenarios due to the climate change will be the watery grave to very many coastal cities around the world and the sensitive industrial units such as refineries and nuclear plants which are ideally situated for convenience of accessibility and cooling water requirements on the sea coasts.
As can be seen from the goings-on in on-going Climate Change Summit at Copenhagen, it is very difficult to come to mutually agreeable and unbiased understanding on the issue. Developed countries are using arm-twisting techniques to brow-beat the developing countries to agree to cap the greenhouse gas emissions to unreasonable levels which are likely to hamper the necessary infrastructure development in the countries. The target year “by 2050” is too far off.
It is the need of the time that the developed rich countries provide clean technologies to the developing countries so that the development is not hampered. The developing countries like India and China also should make all efforts to reduce, at least, non-industrial emissions and commit to employ technology up-gradation to minimize the environmental greenhouse gas pollution.
As can be seen from the goings-on in on-going Climate Change Summit at Copenhagen, it is very difficult to come to mutually agreeable and unbiased understanding on the issue. Developed countries are using arm-twisting techniques to brow-beat the developing countries to agree to cap the greenhouse gas emissions to unreasonable levels which are likely to hamper the necessary infrastructure development in the countries. The target year “by 2050” is too far off.
It is the need of the time that the developed rich countries provide clean technologies to the developing countries so that the development is not hampered. The developing countries like India and China also should make all efforts to reduce, at least, non-industrial emissions and commit to employ technology up-gradation to minimize the environmental greenhouse gas pollution.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
