Thursday, November 8, 2018

SEP 18 ECO 3 4 India Cooling Action Plan Conservation of Migratory Birds and their Habitats

India Cooling Action Plan
1 . I NDI A COO LI NG ACTI O N PLA N

Why in News?

•   India became the first country to release a draft India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) which focuses on Sustainable
Cooling through Thermal Comfort for All.
•   It was released on the occasion of 24th World Ozone Day (16 September) with theme this year being "Keep
Cool and Carry on”: The Montreal Protocol.

Why India’s cooling needs are a concern?

•   Despite India being a sub-tropical country, India’s Per Capita Energy Consumption towards space cooling is
69kWh, much lower than the world average of 272kWh.
Cooling is also intimately associated with human health, well-being and productivity. The need to ensure thermal comfort for all and access to cooling is even more important considering the tropical climate of India.
•   Cooling related energy consumption is a major contributor (10%) to global CO2  emissions.
•   Rising per capita income, rapid urbanization along with currently low penetration of air conditioning may cause
India’s Cooling Needs to increase upto 8 times by 2037-38 as compared to the 2017-18 baseline.

About India Cooling Action Plan:
•   India Cooling Action Plan aims to:
o Reduction of cooling demand across sectors by 20% to 25 % by year 2037-38.
o Training of 100,000 service sector technicians by 2022-23 under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
o Reduction of refrigerant demand by 25% to 30% by year 2037-38.
•   Draft India Cooling Action Plan looks at two scenarios:
o No change in current policies: cooling requirement is projected to grow around 8 times by 2037-38 as compared to the 2017-18 baseline with the building sector leading the growth.
o Intervention Scenario: the total refrigerant demand can be reduced by 25%-30% by 2037-38 through proactive measures


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Refrigerant-based  cooling  is  the  most  common  cooling  technique.  According  to  Kigali  Amendment  to Montreal Protocol, India must phase down hydro fluorocarbons (used in refrigerant based cooling by 85% of their 2024-26 levels by 2047
•   Suggestions under India Cooling Action Plan:
o Combining active (air-conditioning) and passive cooling strategies like better implementation of building energy codes, adoption of adaptive thermal comfort standards, increasing energy efficiency of room air -
conditioners and fans
o Adoption  of  adaptive  thermal  comfort  standards  to  specify  pre-setting  of  temperatures  of  air- conditioning  equipment  for  commercially  built  spaces,  and  development  of  energy-efficient  and
renewable-energy-based cold chains for perishable foods besides other things.

5.4. CONSE R V ATI ON O F MI GR ATOR Y BI R DS AN D TH E I R HABI TATS


Why in news?

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has developed a National Action Plan for Conservation of Migratory Birds and their Habitats along Central Asian Flyway   (CAF)  for  the  period
2018-23.

GOAL of NAP

The   overall   longer-term goal of the National Action Plan is to arrest population decline  and  secure habitats of migratory bird species.



A flyway is a geographical region within which a single or a group of migratory species completes its annual cycle - breeding, staging and non-breeding etc. This includes breeding areas, stop-over areas and wintering areas.
Central  Asian  Flyway  (CAF),  one  among  the  nine  flyways  in  the  world, encompasses  overlapping  migration  routes  over  30  countries  for  different water birds linking their northern most breeding grounds in Russia (Siberia) to the southernmost non-breeding (wintering) grounds in West and South Asia, the Maldives and the British Indian Ocean Territory.
India has a strategic role in the flyway, as it provides critical stopover sites to over 90% of the bird species known to use this migratory route.
•    At least 370 species of migratory birds from three flyways (CAF, The East Asian
– Australasian flyway, and Asian East African flyway) are reported to visit the Indian subcontinent, of which 310 predominantly use wetlands as habitats, the rest being land birds, inhabiting dispersed terrestrial areas. E.g. White-bellied Heron(Cr), Greater Adjutant(EN), Baer's Pochard(Cr), Siberian Crane(Cr), Black - necked Crane(VU), Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Cr).

In  shorter-term  the  action  plan  seeks  that  by  2027,  to  halt  the  downward  trends  in  declining  meta- populations and maintain stable or increasing trends for healthy populations.

Objectives of NAP: Following are the action plan’s specific objectives:


Halt  and  reverse  decline  of  migratory birds;
Reduce  pressure  on  critical  habitats  by management based on landscape approaches;
Develop  capacity  at  multiple  levels  to anticipate and avoid threats to habitats and  species  undergoing  long  term decline;
Improve  database  and  decision-support systems to underpin science-based conservation of species and management of habitats;


Threats to Migratory Birds
Changing land-use is the most important factor affecting land birds across the breeding and non-breeding grounds.
•    Unsustainable taking and climate change are additional threats.
Major stresses on population of migratory birds include habitat loss and degradation, pollution, illegal shooting and poisoning, collisions with aerial structures such as wind turbines, electrocution by power lines and increasing night light.
Many migratory raptors are particularly at risk during migration because they gather to form major concentrations and move in large groups along their flyways, for example, at narrow land bridges or sea crossings, which can increase the potential impact of certain threats.

•   Sensitize stakeholders to take collaborative actions on securing habitats and species; and,
•   Support trans-boundary co-operation to secure migratory bird species and habitats in range countries.
 Significance of NAP

It states the national priority and specific actions required to ensure healthy populations of migratory species in India, within their range across the flyway.
The NAP is based on Central Asian Flyway Action Plan which provides a common strategic framework for regional collaboration and affirmative action for protecting, conserving, restoring, and sustainably managing populations of migratory bird species and their habitats in the Indian subcontinent falling under the Central Asian Flyway region.
Assist various stakeholders:  This action plan would enable national and state level policy and decision makers, those responsible for species conservation and management of habitats, stakeholders and society at large to take coordinated actions for securing and enhancing populations of migratory birds.

International  Commitments:  The NAP has also been drawn to support meeting  national  commitments related to protection  and conservation  of migratory  birds and their habitats under  the Convention  on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitats (Ramsar), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES).
The plan takes cognizance of ongoing programmes and schemes of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for conservation of migratory birds and their habitats (such as wetlands and forests), as well as those of other central government ministries (such as water resources, rural development, agriculture and others), state governments, international agencies and others.

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