LEAD IT
· The Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) Culmination 2023 facilitated by India and Sweden at the Meeting of Gatherings (COP 28) in the Assembled Middle Easterner Emirates, the Service of Climate, Woodland and Environmental Change declared the three mainstays of the second period of LeadIT (2.0).
What is the Administration Gathering for Industry Progress (LeadIT)?
About:
· LeadIT is a worldwide drive that intends to speed up the progress of testing areas like steel, concrete, synthetics, flying, and transportation to low-carbon pathways.
· The LeadIT assembles nations and organizations that are resolved to activity to accomplish the Paris Arrangement.
· It was sent off by the legislatures of Sweden and India at the Assembled Countries Environment Activity Highest point in 2019 and is upheld by the World Monetary Gathering.
· The LeadIT Secretariat is liable for dealing with crafted by the Administration Gathering.
Members:
· LeadIT, flaunting 38 individuals, incorporates nations and organizations. Prominently, India is a functioning member.
· LeadIT individuals buy into the thought that energy-concentrated businesses can and should advance on low-carbon pathways, expecting to accomplish net-zero fossil fuel byproducts by 2050.
What are the Critical Features of the Second Period of LeadIT?
Mission
· Work with the making of approaches and guidelines backing a comprehensive industry change through open confidential associations. Prepare assets, support information sharing, and speed up pathways to accomplish net-zero industry emanations by 2050.
Lead IT Support points:
Worldwide Gathering for a Fair and Impartial Industry Progress:
· Guaranteeing persistent exchange and commitment among states and industry.
This point of support is devoted to supporting LeadIT's commitment with multilateral gatherings (e.g., UN Environment Activity, Joined Countries Structure Show on Environmental Change (UNFCCC) COP administrations, working with information dividing between individuals, and carefully observing the progress' speed.
Innovation Move and Co-advancement:
· This support point is committed to working with business-to-business innovation move and building public institutional limit with regards to advancement.
Industry Change Associations:
· The LeadIT Secretariat helps individuals in making industry change associations, supporting developing business sectors and creating economies in their quest for green modern advances.
· These organizations include planning and reinforcing specialized and monetary global help to upgrade adequacy.
· A definitive objective is to lay out empowering conditions for a pipeline of bankable low-carbon modern undertakings.
NATIONAL MISSION FOR CLEAN GANGA
· The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has signed a Memorandum of Common Purpose (MoCP) with the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI).
· MRCTI represents 124 cities/towns situated along the banks of the Mississippi River, in the United States.
· The NMCG has signed the MoCP on behalf of the River Cities Alliance (RCA). The signing ceremony took place as part of the COP28, in Dubai.
What is the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI)?
· The MRCTI was created in 2012 to provide an influential voice for the Mississippi River, dramatically increasing demand for effective river protection, restoration, and management in Washington, DC.
· It addresses matters of mutual concern, including river water quality and habitat restoration, flooding and floodplain issues, river-focused recreation, sustainable economies, and celebration of the River culture and history.
What is River Cities Alliance (RCA)?
About:
· The RCA is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) & the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), with a vision to connect river cities and focus on sustainable river centric development.
· The Alliance focuses on three broad themes- Networking, Capacity Building and Technical Support.
· Beginning with 30 member cities in November 2021, the Alliance has expanded to 110 river cities across India and one international member city from Denmark.
Objective:
· The RCA intends to facilitate knowledge exchange (online) for Indian cities to learn new practices and approaches for urban river management.
· It will also be an opportunity for international cities to learn about experiences in Indian cities, which may be relevant to their contexts.
What is the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)?
About:
· On 12th August 2011, the NMCG was listed as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
· It acted as the implementation arm of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA),1986.
· NGRBA was dissolved in 2016 and replaced by the National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection, and Management of River Ganga.
· The objective of the NMCG is to reduce pollution and ensure the rejuvenation of the Ganga River.
· Namami Gange is one of the Coveted Programmes of NMCG to clean Ganga.
· This can be achieved by promoting intersectoral coordination for comprehensive planning & management and maintaining minimum ecological flow in the river, with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development.
Organization Structure:
· The Act envisages a five-tier structure at the national, state, and district levels to take measures for prevention, control, and abatement of environmental pollution in river Ganga as below:
· National Ganga Council under the chairmanship of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.
· Empowered Task Force (ETF) on river Ganga under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Union Minister of Jal Shakti (Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation).
What are the Other Initiatives for River Rejuvenation in India?
· Ganga Action Plan: It was the first River Action Plan that was taken up by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 1985, to improve the water quality by the interception, diversion, and treatment of domestic sewage.
· The National River Conservation Plan is an extension to the Ganga Action Plan. It aims at cleaning the Ganga River under the Ganga Action Plan phase 2.
· National Water Mission (2010): It ensures integrated water resource management leading to water conservation, less wastage, and equitable distribution forming better policies.
· Clean Ganga Fund: In 2014, it was formed to clean up the Ganga, set up waste treatment plants, and conserve of biotic diversity of the river.
· Bhuvan-Ganga Web App: It ensures the involvement of the public in monitoring of pollution entering into the river Ganga.
· Ban on Waste Disposal: In 2017, the National Green Tribunal banned the disposal of any waste in the Ganga.
CCS AND CDR
· The draft choices taken at COP28 in Dubai, the UAE have suggested the decrease and expulsion of fossil fuel byproducts utilizing Carbon Catch and Capacity (CCS) and Carbon-Dioxide Evacuation (CDR) advancements.
· The combustion of fossil fuels without the use of CCS technologies to capture their emissions is referred to as "unabated fossil fuels."
· Draft choice texts highlight a need to "get rid of" such unabated petroleum products.
CCS and CDR: what are they?
Carbon Capture and storage (CCS):
· CCS alludes to innovations that can catch carbon dioxide (CO₂) at a wellspring of discharges before it is delivered into the air.
· These sources incorporate the petroleum derivative industry (where coal, oil and gas are combusted to create power) and modern cycles like steel and concrete creation.
Removal of Carbon Dioxide (CDR):
· Direct air capture, in which machines imitate trees by absorbing CO2 from their surroundings and storing it underground, is one form of CDR. Other forms of CDR include natural methods like afforestation or reforestation and technological ones like CDR.
· Additionally, there are more intricate CDR technologies like enhanced rock weathering, in which rocks are chemically broken down; CO2 can be removed from the atmosphere by the rock particles that result.
· Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and other technologies capture and store CO2 from burning biomass like wood.
How well do CCS and CDR have to work?
· The IPCC's 6th Evaluation Report (AR6) vigorously depends on these advances for projections in accomplishing the objective of restricting a dangerous atmospheric devation to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
· The IPCC's assessed scenarios assume that the world can sequester 5 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2040, with a chance of less than 50% of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. India's current annual CO2 emissions are exceeded by this scale of sequestration.
· There's no pathway in AR6 to accomplish the 1.5 degrees Celsius focus without the mix of CDR advances.
· Within seven years, there is a significant risk of exceeding the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit due to current emission rates. Relieving outflows exclusively through direct measures (like sustainable power reception) would be almost incomprehensible at this stage, requiring significant dependence on CDR.
What difficulties do CCS and CDR present?
Bounce back Outflows Concerns:
· There are concerns that the presence of CCS and CDR may unintentionally provide additional space for continued emissions.
· This peculiarity could prompt expanded outflows or delayed dependence on petroleum derivatives as opposed to changing to environmentally friendly power sources.
Petroleum product Reliance:
· By injecting captured CO2 into oil fields, CCS has sometimes been used to extract more oil, potentially prolonging rather than reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Problems with Land Equity:
· The need for land limits CDR techniques like afforestation, reforestation, BECCS, and direct air capture.
· Land in the Global South is frequently regarded as "viable" and/or "cost-effective" for the implementation of other large-scale CDR methods and the planting of trees.
As a consequence of this, CDR projects of this kind have the potential to have a negative impact on the rights to land held by indigenous communities, biodiversity, and other forms of land use, such as agriculture, which is essential for ensuring food security.
ETHANOL
· The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution issued a directive to restrict the production of ethanol from sugarcane juice and syrup, an essential component of Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP).
· The Indian government has carried out rigid measures to sustain homegrown sugar accessibility. At first, it forced a restriction on sugar trades.
What is Ethanol Mixing?
Ethanol:
· It is one of the primary Biofuels, which is normally delivered by the maturation of sugars by yeasts or through petrochemical cycles like ethylene hydration.
Ethanol is 99.9% unadulterated liquor that can be mixed with petroleum.
Ethanol Mixing Project (EBP):
· It aims to cut carbon emissions, increase farmers' incomes, and lessen the country's reliance on crude oil imports.
· The Public authority of India has progressed the objective for 20% ethanol mixing in petroleum (likewise called E20) to 2025 from 2030.
· The average amount of ethanol mixed with gasoline in India has increased from 1.6% in 2013-2014 to 11.8% in 2022-23.
Why has the government prevented sugar from being diverted to the production of ethanol?
Concerns About a Lack of Sugar:
· There are worries about a possible lack of sugar production.
· The transition to limit the redirection of sugarcane juice or syrup for ethanol creation is pointed toward tending to this expected lack.
Putting food ahead of fuel:
· The decision shows that food production (sugar) is more important than fuel production (ethanol).
· By underlining the development of sugar, a basic item in India, the public authority lines up with the need of guaranteeing Food Security and accessibility for purchasers.
Overseeing Supply-Request Elements:
· The sugar market's delicate equilibrium between supply and demand is being attempted to be managed by the government. It hopes to stabilize sugar availability and possibly reduce market price volatility by limiting diversion for ethanol production.
What Effects Will This Action Have?
Effect on the Production of Ethanol:
· This decision reduces the volume of ethanol produced from this high-value feedstock, which affects approximately 28% of total ethanol production.
· Sugar mills' earnings are expected to be impacted by the prohibition on using sugarcane juice or syrup for ethanol production, given that these feedstocks are more expensive than others.
Obstacles for Ethanol Blending Companies:
The public authority plans to raise the ethanol fuel-mixing objective from 12% to 15% in 2023-24 and has set an objective of accomplishing 20% ethanol mixing in petroleum by 2025-26.
· However, meeting these goals may become more difficult given the restriction on the use of sugarcane syrup and juice for the production of ethanol.
What other sources of ethanol production are there?
· Grains: Starch in cereal grains like wheat, barley, and corn (maize) can be fermented into sugars that can be used to make ethanol.
· Cellulosic Biomass: Agrarian buildups (corn stover, wheat straw), ranger service deposits, committed energy crops (switchgrass, miscanthus), and metropolitan strong waste contain cellulose and hemicellulose that can be separated into sugars for ethanol maturation.
· Rice: Excess rice, including broken or harmed grains, can likewise act as a hotspot for ethanol creation. The starch content in rice can be changed over into sugars for aging.
Leafy foods: Grapes and potatoes, two examples of high-sugar fruits and vegetables, can be used to make ethanol.
ETHANOL
· The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution issued a directive to restrict the production of ethanol from sugarcane juice and syrup, an essential component of Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP).
· The Indian government has carried out rigid measures to sustain homegrown sugar accessibility. At first, it forced a restriction on sugar trades.
What is Ethanol Mixing?
Ethanol:
· It is one of the primary Biofuels, which is normally delivered by the maturation of sugars by yeasts or through petrochemical cycles like ethylene hydration.
Ethanol is 99.9% unadulterated liquor that can be mixed with petroleum.
Ethanol Mixing Project (EBP):
· It aims to cut carbon emissions, increase farmers' incomes, and lessen the country's reliance on crude oil imports.
· The Public authority of India has progressed the objective for 20% ethanol mixing in petroleum (likewise called E20) to 2025 from 2030.
· The average amount of ethanol mixed with gasoline in India has increased from 1.6% in 2013-2014 to 11.8% in 2022-23.
Why has the government prevented sugar from being diverted to the production of ethanol?
Concerns About a Lack of Sugar:
· There are worries about a possible lack of sugar production.
· The transition to limit the redirection of sugarcane juice or syrup for ethanol creation is pointed toward tending to this expected lack.
Putting food ahead of fuel:
· The decision shows that food production (sugar) is more important than fuel production (ethanol).
· By underlining the development of sugar, a basic item in India, the public authority lines up with the need of guaranteeing Food Security and accessibility for purchasers.
Overseeing Supply-Request Elements:
· The sugar market's delicate equilibrium between supply and demand is being attempted to be managed by the government. It hopes to stabilize sugar availability and possibly reduce market price volatility by limiting diversion for ethanol production.
What Effects Will This Action Have?
Effect on the Production of Ethanol:
· This decision reduces the volume of ethanol produced from this high-value feedstock, which affects approximately 28% of total ethanol production.
· Sugar mills' earnings are expected to be impacted by the prohibition on using sugarcane juice or syrup for ethanol production, given that these feedstocks are more expensive than others.
Obstacles for Ethanol Blending Companies:
The public authority plans to raise the ethanol fuel-mixing objective from 12% to 15% in 2023-24 and has set an objective of accomplishing 20% ethanol mixing in petroleum by 2025-26.
· However, meeting these goals may become more difficult given the restriction on the use of sugarcane syrup and juice for the production of ethanol.
What other sources of ethanol production are there?
· Grains: Starch in cereal grains like wheat, barley, and corn (maize) can be fermented into sugars that can be used to make ethanol.
· Cellulosic Biomass: Agrarian buildups (corn stover, wheat straw), ranger service deposits, committed energy crops (switchgrass, miscanthus), and metropolitan strong waste contain cellulose and hemicellulose that can be separated into sugars for ethanol maturation.
· Rice: Excess rice, including broken or harmed grains, can likewise act as a hotspot for ethanol creation. The starch content in rice can be changed over into sugars for aging.
Leafy foods: Grapes and potatoes, two examples of high-sugar fruits and vegetables, can be used to make ethanol.