Marine Environment - UDA Digest

Creating awareness regarding underwater domain amidst India’s Presidency for G20

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January 19, 2023
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Key Highlights India will chair over 200 meetings that aim to secure the economic growth and prosperity of the nations that are part of the G20 G20 members represent more than 80% of the world’s GDP, 75% of international trade, and 60% of the world’s population India’s G20 Presidency will be inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented India must consider introducing the UDA Framework for comprehensive policy and technology intervention during its ongoing presidency of the G20 The Indo-Pacific strategic space must be included in the implementation of the UDA Framework India has assumed the presidency On December 1, 2022, India assumed the G20 Presidency from Indonesia and the moment was historic. With this, India will chair over 200 meetings that aim to secure the economic growth and prosperity of the nations that are part of this grouping. Now, before we delve deeper into the concept of G20 and its significance for Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA), let us first understand some basic concepts related to G20. The G20, or Group of Twenty, is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s 20 major developed and developing economies. This makes it the premier forum for international economic cooperation. It is worth noting that G20 members represent more than 80% of the world’s GDP, 75% of international trade, and 60% of the world’s population. “While the country was being handed over the presidency for G20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India’s G20 Presidency will be inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented. He further noted that the country is taking the charge at a time when the world is grappling with some major geopolitical events, economic slowdowns, and rising food and energy prices. ” G20 was formed in the wake of the financial crisis that swept through southeast Asian economies in the late 1990s as a forum for finance ministers and central bank governors. However, it was upgraded in 2007 to include heads of state and governments. During and after the 2008 financial crisis, the G20’s coordinated efforts helped tamp down panic and were able the restore economic growth. The G20 also invites non-member countries, including Bangladesh, Singapore, Spain, and Nigeria, besides international organizations such as the United Nations, World Health Organization, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. All G20 meetings that have happened till now under India’s G20 Presidency To mark the first day of India’s Presidency, numerous activities were planned. Earlier in the day, a special University Connect event was organized, which virtually brought together students from 75 universities across the country. External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar and Principal Secretary to Prime Minister P.K. Mishra were among the distinguished speakers at the event. The University Connect event is aimed at engaging the youth in G20 activities. School students were also involved through special G20 sessions in various schools. The first Sherpa meeting was held in Udaipur, Rajasthan in early December 2022. The meeting saw full and active participation by G20 members, 9 Guest Countries, and 14 International Organizations. With a blend of productive discussions on an action-oriented decisive agenda and a unique cultural experience of the many flavors of Rajasthan, the first Sherpa meeting set the tone for forthcoming meetings in 32 different G20 workstreams, including the Sherpa Track, Finance Track, and Engagement Groups. The substantive discussions on prevailing global challenges, and the warm hospitality with the motto ‘Atithi Devo Bhava,’ resonated throughout the G20 Sherpas meeting. Thereafter, the first meeting of the G20 Development Working Group was held in Mumbai, which was followed by the 1st Joint Finance and Health Task Force meeting which was held virtually. India also hosted the first G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies meeting under the G20 presidency in Bengaluru, Karnataka on December 14, 2022. The first Global Partnership and Financial Inclusion meeting was held in Kolkata from January 9 to January 11, 2023. The next important meetings are scheduled to be held in Pune, Maharashtra. G20’s stand on the Indo-Pacific Most of the European leaders and US leaders take G20 as a platform to emphasize the importance of the Indo-Pacific and engage with regional leaders. In the previous G20 Summit which was held in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron met with the leaders of India, Indonesia, and South Korea, and each time he referred to the Indo-Pacific and highlighted French commitment to stability and cooperation in the region. It was observed in the previous G20 Summit that European Union is also keen to engage with G20 members of the Indo-Pacific. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, where the two leaders discussed climate issues as well as Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific. In its Indo-Pacific strategy published in September 2022, the EU has made clear the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific region for the EU, and it states that the EU will intensify dialogues and cooperation with partners on the same. ” AUKUS, the recent pact between the US, UK, and Australia had seemingly caused a diplomatic faux pas among the western partners engaged in the Indo-Pacific. The deal to build nuclear submarines for Australia in practice had replaced an existing deal Australia had with France. This resulted in Paris criticizing the others for lack of communication over the issues. A day before the Bali G20 Summit, US President Joe Biden was keen to repair the cracks that were formed, and the US leader underscored how important the relationship with France is, including as a partner in the Indo-Pacific. A joint statement from the leaders said they recognize “the importance of robust collaboration in the Indo-Pacific, particularly growing economic and strategic challenges there.” India’s SAGAR Vision and significance of UDA Framework in the Indo-Pacific region India has made significant attempts in governance and global power play to realize the maritime potential of being a nation with a strategic location. Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) in 2015 to prioritize a regional foreign

ESG and Climate Risk Geopolitics and IR

Indus Waters Treaty and Kashmir Conundrum: Water and Nationalism

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January 14, 2023
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Key Highlights Since the inception of the IWT, Pakistan’s continual objections to projects on the western rivers have had serious impacts on the political economy of J&K. The population growth, energy crisis and climate change has made them even more vocal in denouncing the treaty. It is critical to examine post-partition events in order to comprehend the political and developmental complications in Kashmir. Water nationalism has grown in recent years as the supply-demand gap in India and Pakistan has widened. The IWT prohibits the state from storing or diverting water for irrigation purposes. Heading After decades of touch and go in Kashmir’s hydropower development, the Indian government has shifted strategies and begun aggressively sanctioning approvals and clearances undermining Pakistan’s disapproval. This does not come as a surprise since the current government has been implementing assertive policies in order to emerge as a regional leader. Since the inception of the IWT, Pakistan’s continual objections to projects on the western rivers have had serious impacts on the political economy of J&K. The terms of the treaty had been widely contested in both the countries since its inception. In India, the riparian co-states have expressed various degrees of dissatisfaction with the treaty and have demanded renegotiation of the terms to obtain an equitable access. Kashmir has repeatedly voiced its woes about the IWT being discriminatory. The population growth, energy crisis and climate change has made them even more vocal in denouncing the treaty. Kashmir’s Mufti Mohammad Syed and other political leaders have urged Pakistan to help Jammu and Kashmir’s economic growth by not objecting to hydropower projects in the state under the provisions of the Indus Treaty. In 2002, the J&K Legislative Assembly called for a review of the Treaty and passed a nearly unanimous resolution calling for the IWT to be annulled on the grounds that its restrictions on the western rivers illegitimately shackle Kashmiri development. The J&K government had hired the services of a private consultancy firm, M/S Halcrow India Limited, to assess the state’s losses due to IWT over the last five decades. Their estimate amounts to INR 6000-crore loss per year, based on perceived benefits denied to the state by IWT clauses. The IWT prohibits the state from storing or diverting water for irrigation purposes. J&K is also energy deficient, as only 23.22% of the required power is generated within the state, with the remainder imported at a cost of Rs. 600 crore per year. When the state itself has the potential to generate 20000MW from the rivers that run through it, the inability to do so due to IWT clauses has caused the state to continually rail against IWT. “The treaty’s destabilizing effect on bilateral relations has also exacerbated the Kashmir conflict. By impeding economic development, the IWT has exacerbated the internal conflict over Kashmir. The Kashmiri grievances against the treaty are the restrictions on Indian use of the western rivers for irrigation, hydroelectric power, and navigation.” Various terrorist attacks in India by Pakistan-supported-entities have invoked a sense of national emergency. As a result, Indian political leaders have directed verbal attacks on Pakistani adversaries by threatening to abrogate the Indus Waters Treaty. Following the 2002 attack on Parliament and the 2016 Uri attack, Prime Minister Modi stated that “blood and water cannot flow together.” This echoed the mingling of water and nationalism. In February 2019, following a suicide attack in Pulwama in the Kashmir Valley that killed approximately 40 CRPF soldiers, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that India had decided to stop its share of water from the eastern rivers from flowing into Pakistan. He also stated that India could block Pakistan’s access to the Indus River. Although an immediate halt is impossible, India has now adopted the slow and steady ethos of continuing hydropower development works in Kashmir despite Pakistan’s protests. In this regard, India will knowingly choose to disregard the IWT tenet that requires India to obtain Pakistan’s approval for any projects on the western rivers. Water nationalism has grown in recent years as the supply-demand gap in India and Pakistan has widened, which has been exacerbated by rising tensions between the two countries. In addition to state and civil society actors, militant groups based in Pakistan have raised the issue of Indus River System waters in their rallies, accusing India of stealing what they call Pakistan’s waters. Both countries are at a crossroads as they deal with rising nationalism in the Indus region. The conflict between these nuclear powers has created an atmosphere of uncertainty on the global stage. Following the devastation caused by Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, world leaders are concerned about India and Pakistan’s situation. The nuclear capacities of India and Pakistan is shared in Table 1. Table 1 – Source: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists It is critical to examine post-partition events in order to comprehend the political and developmental complications in Kashmir. The political instability in Kashmir which is attributed to the competition between India and Pakistan to annex Kashmir is closely linked to the negotiation of Indus Water Treaty. Following Partition, when Pakistan was given a firm territorial basis, the people and governments of Pakistan and India had to grapple with South Asia’s new political geography, making sense of the relationship between land and nation. The Kashmir conflict disrupted the possibility of a settled territoriality in this context. It shifted the definition of national spaces. The need to create national development spaces, which is required for territorializing state power, compelled both governments to claim river water, particularly Pakistan. Pakistan openly and unilaterally terminated the May 1948 water-sharing agreement between India and Pakistan. Even after a year of the agreement, Pakistan refused to pay the dues to India. Pakistan was unwilling to adhere to the agreement because it wished to use the Indus water dispute as a political tool in the United Nations battle over Kashmir. Pakistan then requested a referral to the International Court of Justice for a final ruling, which India objected to. Pakistan also attempted to

ESG and Climate Risk Science and Technology

Drowning, Drowning and Drowning in Water Crisis!

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January 10, 2023
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Key Highlights India is facing an acute water crisis with 70% households receiving contaminated water 600 crore faces extreme water stress meaning- 2,00,000 people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water. As per CDP’s analysis, growing water insecurity may put a “substantive corporate value” at risk. There has been a boom in sustainable investment and the ESG term has gained ground to mitigate impact of human activities UDA’s science and technology arm will assist specific industries to devise new sensors and tools to track and improve their water risks accounting. Heading Our Blue Planet with 71% of Earth’s surface covered with water is a necessity for all living creatures. Water is for everyone but will we have enough to use it? Are we taking enough steps to conserve water? Are we ready to face the consequences of our own activities? These questions loom in my mind. The constant tug of war between water supply and ever- increasing demand is attributed to a confluence of factors such as climatic changes, industrialization, inefficient water usage and urbanization. Consequently, water scarcity, its quality issues and poor water governance are sure to wreck the economy, environment, and people’s lives. It is petrifying to hear that our country is smoldering as per recent surveys suggesting “India is facing an acute water crisis with 70% households receiving contaminated water.” Further as per the 2018 NITI Aayog report, “600 crore faces extreme water stress meaning- 2,00,000 people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water.” If timely intervention does not happen, an acute water shortage is projected to result in a 6% loss in the country’s gross domestic product.” Horrifying tunnel: Utilities to Risk Journey Water, a finite resource, has its utilities in the various agriculture, industrial and environmental sectors. In India, industries utilize just 13% of available freshwater than agriculture while industries groundwater usage is mere 2%. Though water usage is less in the industrial sector than agriculture, it is pertinent that water has several applications in power generation, textiles, oil gas, metal and mining industries. Henceforth, it is imperative to understand that water shortage shall have a cascading effect on supply chains, production cycle, production costing and companies’ performance increasing their overall financial risks. A dagger that is constantly hanging is that water, an endless resource, is becoming scarce and precious. With rising population and expanding economies, most sectors in the nation will encounter an increase in freshwater demand. The total demand in the country is predicted to double the amount of supply by 2030. This pressure on freshwater demand and availability coupled with habitat degradation, erratic weather cycles are sure to restrain India’s economic growth. “As per CDP’s analysis, growing water insecurity may put a “substantive corporate value” at risk.” To understand this, let us delve into water risks spanning across industries starting with Physical risks stemming from quantity (floods, droughts) and quality (pollution) of water at river basin can substantially impact the environment and company’s performance. Regulatory Risks due to stringent governmental policies and regulations on water withdrawal and discharge, mandatory water recycling and high-water prices. Reputational Risks would emanate from external perceptions about the company’s water use such as negative stakeholder feedback, opposition of projects by the community people, a change in consumer’s behavior, negatively impacting the company’s brand value. Technological Risks: low water intensity inefficient technologies. Recent evidence proposes how water risks have throttled business leading to shut down of 14 of India’s total 20 thermal utilities to shut down at least between 2013 and 2016, costing USD 1.4 billion. Another example of how these risks have started impacting corporations leading to stranded assets across coal, mining and power: The Oyster Nuclear Power plant in the USA has retired after eleven years of working. It can be attributed to a couple of factors: tight effluent discharge regulations (reactor coolants discharged elevated water temperatures and affected aquatic lives), tight water regulation to build cooling towers projected to increase their capital costing. Hence, shutting down of the plant has yielded substantial financial losses. Lately, there has been a boom in sustainable investment and the ESG term has gained ground to mitigate impact of human activities. But what is ESG and why do we care so much about it? ESG (environment, social and governance) are non-financial factors used by investors to assess a company’s business sustainability. With ESG in action, companies minimize footprint and show greater governance. Climate and water risks are amongst several parameters to measure ESG performance of companies. Companies have started disclosing their water risks through ESG (environment, social and governance) reporting but still there is a vacuum in risk disclosure across their core businesses and the impacted interdependent sectors. Current reporting frameworks adopted by companies such as: CDP (Carbon disclosure project), WRI (World Resources Institute) understate the fundamental importance of water. These frameworks focus on quantitative water, energy, carbon indicators with more focus on carbon emissions across the business operations chain without capturing the true sense of water’s footprint across the core business system (example: Information system). Undoubtedly, freshwater is the next frontier of national security and economy. The corporate world should monitor the complete value chain of their operations, services along with sustainably managing water resources to ensure financial, social, and environmental growth. Navigating Water Crisis Oceans and the freshwater ecosystems are a storehouse of services such as climate regulation, groundwater recharge, nursery of species, pool of renewable and non-renewable resources, power as well as economic beneficiaries. It is indispensable to understand that if usual unsustainable approaches to water management and planning are continued without proper mitigation plans, the nation is not far from becoming a hornet’s nest of extreme water crisis. To understand the nuances of water scarcity, it is imperative to understand the maritime domain by not limiting only to the surface but diving deep into underwater, a rich reservoir of resources and biodiversity. In order to ensure high quality of stable water supply, sustainable management of water is a must.

ESG and Climate Risk Science and Technology

Freshwater management: Introduction to the domain (A UDA perspective)

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December 9, 2022
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Key Highlights Thoughts on Fresh Water Management, Water Quality Management, Water Resource Management and Sustainability. Issues of Fresh Water Management. Present situation covering persistence of difficulties in Fresh Water Management in India, GW Depletion, Plastic pollutions etc. and their resolution schemes. Brief about UDA framework based on technology, policy, and capacity building. Digital transformations, how it connects and may impact the governance mechanism. Tropical challenges in using Nordic countries equipment and related challenges. Connection to UDA as to how it can solve the recent problems. Way forward Heading The 6th standard science book by NCERT reads “Jal hai to kal hai” i.e., without water, there is no future. It then interestingly puts a fact that only 3% of the water on Earth is fresh water, out of which most of it is frozen in the polar regions as ice caps, and glaciers. There exist a series of early-stage messages in textbooks that have taught us about the importance as well as shortages pf water. “These early-stage messages seldom repeat themselves in more practical sense to the authorities, when literate population of the country practice wastage and overuse of water.” Manufacturing and maintenance of luxurious vehicles, brand new clothes, and various other goods and services leave a huge water footprint i.e., they consume large quantities of valuable fresh water. A lot of research on fresh water use and overuse is available which we need to explore and utilise that would lead to better management. Fresh Water Management deals with sustainably using our fresh water sources with respect to its quality as well as quantity. Source: https://civilsolution.wordpress.com/2013/02/06/the-hydrological-cycle The figure above explains a lot about the movement of water in the atmosphere. A couple of additional facts apart from the regular water circulation in each component has also been highlighted, for e.g., surface runoff and infiltration from the hills and lakes give a multidimensional view of water’s pathway. Ground water has always been important fresh water source, which nowadays has become extremely vulnerable due to rise in demand and climate change. The meeting of surface and ground water outflow with the precipitation in the oceans are also highlighted in the figure. Water Resource and Water quality management are two distinct branches of water sciences when it comes to governance and policy making. Although they both need interlinking, they are also governed by different authorities. This creates a lot of discrepancies as the Ministry of Water Resource and Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change deal with the same issues of River management separately. The impact of anthropogenic activities on the quality and quantity of fresh water have been a critical concern for our society. Water being the most basic requirement for all our needs has faced the maximum deterioration. Water pollution is a subject of concern as it has a varied list of effects on the ecosystem as well as livelihood. Water pollution is defined in the Water (Prevention and control of pollution) Act, 1974 as “Any contamination or undesired substance like sewage trade effluents or any other chemical liquid, solid or gaseous substance into the water body, to such an extent that its carrying-capacity is exceeded and it starts affecting the livelihood and ecosystem.” The list of effects from water pollution can go on as there are numerous factors involved with the increase of undesired substances in water bodies. The whole ecosystem, air, land, marine environments are affected severely and with an interlinking effect. Several compliances are in process based on pollution cases in NGT as well as High Court and Supreme Court which itself defines the history and criticality of the issue. One example is the O.A 1038, which has started the compliances of SPCBs upon the pollution problem that exist in their respected Severely/Critically polluted area. Some of the effects are shown in the table below: Water Scarcity is a complex concept that must be defined based on local parameters. It is often linked with water conflict, legal rights, and availability of water. It has a varied list of definitions across the country. Water scarcity as linked with the concept of Fresh Water Management can be defined as “A situation where the availability of water decreases to an extent where there is not enough water to meet the needs of the increasing population as well as the ecosystem to function properly.” “Tragedy of the commons” as the concept given by Ostrom is also connected to the concept of water scarcity. It rejects the notion that people can manage their own collective resources that are open to everyone. Ostrom argues that water as an open source is being exploited at a faster rate in the history. Ostrom suggests two solutions to it, that is regulating these resources by governing them and the other is privatisation. Here we are trying to understand the concepts rather supporting any one of it. Because, the more we dive into the details of governance and legal rights of water, the more we need to define each concept, including the merits and demerits of the same. Persistence of difficulties in Fresh Water Management in India According to a UNICEF report (2019), 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed water services. 80 Percent of the waste water flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused. Almost 2 billion people, live in countries experiencing water stress. Around two-third of transboundary rivers lack cooperative management framework, according to Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). India’s agricultural inputs and production techniques have changed considerably in the last decade. Growth of water intensive crops in water scarce areas have led to overuse of ground water, depleting the same drastically. 70% of the global water withdrawal is being done for agriculture according to FAO. A 2019 NITI Aayog report said that India is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history, and almost 600 million of its population is water-deprived. The report goes on to add that 21 cities including Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai shall probably exhaust

Blue Economy ESG and Climate Risk

Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA): A road less travelled and fathomed

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December 1, 2022
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Key Highlights Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) is an aspect of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) that is focused on the underwater sector and actually includes a wide range of interests and not just the Military. Monitoring the earth’s undersea geo-physical activities provide vital clues and helps minimise the impact of natural disasters and as a result the wellbeing of mankind. The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is today strategically important and the vast dynamics in play in this area makes it a worthwhile study. The physical aspect of the littoral waters of the IOR is highlighted by the fact that sonar performance is sub optimal and as a result complicates effective UDA. Undersea areas in the IOR offer vast reserves of minerals and food in multiple forms and therefore have seen an increasing number of stakeholders emerging. Political instability, technological challenges and economic limitations are the major impediment for progress in the IOR. Heading It is said ‘the eye does not see what the mind does not know’ and DH Lawrence famously said, ‘‘What the eye does not see and the mind does not know, does not exist. The field of Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) comes largely in that category but for a few dedicated who aim to bring forth this awareness. And these dedicated UDA experts are bringing forth the wide prospects in the Underwater World, driven by the fact that ‘The heart feels what the eyes cannot see and knows what the mind cannot understand.’ This field is yet not only a road less travelled but also fathomed or understood. To answer what is UDA, simply put Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) is an aspect of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) that is focused on the underwater sector and actually includes a wide range of interests and not just the Military. In more specific terms UDA is the desire to know what is happening in the undersea parts of maritime areas. For those in the security fields, it includes protecting the sea lanes of communication (SLOC), the numerous and varied assets in the maritime areas, coastal waters and essentially anything that limits the freedom of the seas. But the Military field is not the only area that humankind should be interested in, there is a lot of relevance for the general wellbeing of humankind and in fact the earth itself. Monitoring the earth’s undersea geo-physical activities provide vital clues and helps minimise the impact of natural disasters and as a result the wellbeing of mankind. The undersea resources as a huge commercial activity are just beginning to unravel and needs precise inputs to focus the exploitation of the resource; as also for regulatory bodies to manage a sustainable plan. And when there is so much activity; both Commercial and Military there is bound to be an impact on the environment. And its conservation implies a precise estimate of degradation of habitats and vulnerability of species. “And for this precise estimation, the scientific and research community needs to be actively involved and continuously update knowledge of the varied aspects of the undersea world. The underlying requirement therefore is that all stakeholders know the developments in the undersea, understand these and respond effectively and efficiently proactively i.e., before it takes unknown turns.” To achieve this all aspects of the UDA needs to be understood i.e.; firstly, the available resources in terms of infrastructure, technology and the capability and capacity of every stakeholder. And when it concerns the sea, everyone is a stakeholder. The core capability and capacity pertain to acoustics in UDA. The other aspect would be the hierarchy – at the ground level would be knowing what is present in the undersea domain – the resources, activities, and threats. At the next level would be understanding them by way of conservation plans, resources utilisation plans and security strategies and then would the monitory framework and regulations at every level – local to global. Towards this end, the partnership of users, the academia and the industry need to develop and if given the right impetus can address multiple challenges being faced by developing nations. A short analysis of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) will highlight the challenges. The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is today strategically important and the vast dynamics in play in this area makes it a worthwhile study. The challenges and opportunities in the IOR are unique and needs study under different categories. The IOR has over thirty littoral countries / island states, as also other extra regional powers that play a significant role in the geo- politics of the region. “The countries in the region not only vary in the degree of political stability but also in their economic development, demography, ethnic and sectarian issues, relations with neighbouring countries and many more. All these play a critical role in determining the political stability in the region. The vast asymmetry in the political and economic powers is a challenge compounded further by the actions of the extra regional powers. ” The power struggles in the region, the immense economic potential and presence of economic giants along with lack of regulations in the region throws more challenges including application of non-state actors to resolve disputes as also piracy and maritime terrorism. For synergising efforts to attain a regional governance model and to pool resources it is important to come out of the fragmented regional geopolitics. The physical aspect of the littoral waters of the IOR is highlighted by the fact that sonar performance is sub optimal and as a result complicates effective UDA. The understanding of deep waters and shallow waters would vary for those unaware of the underwater domain and the maritime world. Simply put the edge of the continental shelf that marks the EEZ that is 200 NM out and an approximate depth of 200 m is shallow. Multi path propagations are governed by the depth of the sound axis and these vary from about 50 m at the poles to as deep as 2000 m near the equator and

Blue Economy ESG and Climate Risk

Buzzing Alarm to work towards Marine Sustainability

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November 12, 2022
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Key Highlights Population growth, rapid industrialization, urbanization and an increase in production and consumption are major drivers to exploit oceans and freshwater It is estimated that 4.8-12.7 million tons of plastics enter the ocean every year, highly concentrated around Indian Ocean Rim Countries The impact of microplastics, a bigger threat, is an unexplored area that requires elaborate investigation With ESG in action, companies mitigate lawsuits, minimize footprint, and show greater governance Maritime Research Centre’s UDA framework with its research and industry arm would be grounding stone to decipher the vulnerability of organisms, its implication on the ecosystem and population MRC has designed a UDA framework to understand the exploitation spectrum of underwater Heading Our Blue Planet encompasses oceans covering 71% of Earth’s surface and 99% of living space by volume. It is indeed a gigantic source of biodiversity, resources, climate modulation and livelihoods. However, the ever-increasing appetite of growing population’s energy and mineral demands has exhausted the land resources, consequently shifting gears to use water bodies for economic benefits. Alas, water bodies are in dire crisis owing to aggressive anthropogenic factors such as industrialization, urbanization, population growth coupled with wide scale environmental changes. Water crisis seems to be daunting for the terrestrial ecosystem, political stability, and the future of the planet. Hence, it is essential to judiciously grab the opportunity of conserving our precious heritage before it is too late. Road Blocks to Marine Ecosystem Sustainability: Oceans as well as freshwater ecosystems are a storehouse of services such as regulation of climate change, waste treatment, groundwater recharge, nursery for species, pool of renewable and nonrenewable resources. On economic side, they offer food, minerals, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, transportation, and livelihoods, while freshwater additionally is source of drinking water, irrigation, and hydropower. Unfortunately, human activities have taken a toll on oceans, a burning threat for current as well as successive generations. Therefore, it is utmost important to mitigate such pressures at the source. For which it is imperative to understand the set of challenges for aquatic ecosystems. Few of major threats to aquatic sustainability have been enlisted as follows: Overfishing: Fishing beyond nature replenishing stocks is termed as overfishing. Indian Ocean has been source of 13% wild caught fishes. Of which 26% were estimated to be caught unsustainabily. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated catches prevail to be a serious threat owing to weak governance and poor surveillance. With water pollution, it leads to further degradation of fish population, thus altering the food chain. But the damage is beyond marine species loss, as millions of people rely on fish industries for their livelihood. As a result, economies have suffered major losses of US$3 billion per year. Overexploitation of resources: Population growth, rapid industrialization, urbanization and an increase in production and consumption are major drivers to exploit oceans and freshwater. This has bolstered the blossoming of industries like deep sea mining, offshore oil and gas, shipping, seafood, and bioprospecting. Among which offshore oil and gas is largest stakeholder in Indian Ocean region. Specifically, such industries are detrimental to marine habitats owing to oil spills that choke aquatic species (microbes, megafauna, and vertebrates) to death besides drilling and decommissioning. Moreover, agriculture accounts for 70% of freshwater withdrawals. With outdated irrigation practices and water hungry crops, a further layer of strain is added, while construction of dams takes a toll on freshwater ecosystems. Climate Change: It is a defining issue in this country. The way we deal with it is going to shape the lives of current and succeeding generations. Global warming leads to elevated temperatures of aquatic ecosystems affecting: distribution pattern of marine species (sensitive to temperature) that migrate to favorable environments. Another disturbing effect is on food chain, with phytoplankton’s in underwater getting knocked off, survival of higher population dependent on them gets affected. Habitat destruction is yet another dramatic effect of climate pressures. Coral bleaching (whitening of coral reefs that results from the loss of coral’s symbiotic algae produced pigment) causes fishes dependent on reefs (food and shelter) to either migrate or die and coastlines vulnerable to erosion. In fact, it has a measurable impact on the timing, distribution, quality of water and precipitation patterns, with floods and runoffs contaminating water. Pollution: Plastics make up 10% of global solid waste. It is estimated that 4.8-12.7 million tons of plastics enter the ocean every year, highly concentrated around Indian Ocean Rim Countries. This could be attributed to improper waste management practices, excessive use of single use plastics and illegal dumping. Owing to the high risk of ingestion and entanglement, subsequent economies, especially fisheries, seems to be affected. Subsequently, impact of microplastics, a bigger threat, is an unexplored area that requires elaborate investigation. “But plastics are not culprits alone, a confluence of factors are responsible for polluting gigantic aquatic ecosystems.” Noises generated from abiotic sources such as: ship traffic, ballast fishing, military sonars, recreational and fishing motor boats, seismic air gun noises from oil and gas exploration sites are aggravating. Depending upon the duration, type and intensity of noise generated, marine life is affected at physiological and behavioral level. Consequently, permanent changes occur in coral reef invertebrates, predator -prey interaction, spatial distribution, resulting in reduced survival. Moreover, the direct discharge of chemical pollutants without treatment from various industries is just the cherry on the top. Pesticide runoffs from agricultural lands, leads to eutrophication (oversupply of nutrients leads to algal overgrowth depleting oxygen) consequently leading to death of marine species and plants. Degradation of ecosystem: An array of interacting factors such as urbanization, population spurt, overexploitation of fisheries, climate change has been driving agents. Oceans being largest carbon sinks absorb 23% of Co2 emissions mitigating major temperature fluctuation, but severe Co2 emissions leads to ocean acidification resulting in increased dead zones. Nonetheless, coral reef bleaching, the result of temperature rise, affects the size of aquatic life dependent on them along with coasts left unshielded to suffer erosion. Lastly, widespread invasion and introduction of exotic species such as poisonous algae, cholera through ballast waters compounds the

Blue Economy Geopolitics and IR

Extreme weather conditions around the world are a result of climate change; How India and others are gearing up?

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October 22, 2022
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Key Highlights Increase in carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases has caused the earth’s temperature to rise Spike in global temperatures has fueled climate disasters India is currently the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases and accounts for only 3% of historical emissions India will take its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030 It is imperative to develop internal UDA capacities and capabilities that helps in sustaining life underwater and mitigate events caused due to climate change. Heading When was the last time you experienced winter chills from the month of November? I do not remember getting dressed in winter attire before it was mid-December while living in the national capital city of India, in the past few years. This simple example is a shred of evidence enough to prove that climate change has done enough harm to our environment and has contributed immensely to the extreme weather events that we are witnessing across the globe. Human activities have caused rapid changes to our global climate that are contributing to extreme weather conditions. When fossil fuels are burned to generate electricity, heat, and transportation, carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps solar radiation, is released into our atmosphere. A massive increase in carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases has caused the earth’s temperature to rise. The spike in global temperatures has fueled climate disasters that, as per the experts, will only get worse unless we act against them. Some experts have presented a caveat stating that we are running out of time to cut pollution to avoid climate catastrophe drastically. Which nations have contributed the most? In the climate change framework, the responsibility falls on those countries that have contributed most of the greenhouse gas emissions since 1850, generally considered to be the beginning of the industrial age. Countries and regions including the United States, the European Union, and the UK account for over 50% of all emissions during this time. If countries like Russia, Canada, Japan, and Australia are included, the combined contributions go beyond 65%, which accounts for almost two-thirds of all emissions. Historical responsibility is a significant parameter to assess who contributed the most because carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. As per the experts, it is the cumulative accumulation of this carbon dioxide that causes global warming. If we talk about India, it is currently the third largest emitter and accounts for only 3% of historical emissions. While China, which is the world’s biggest emitter for over 15 years now, has contributed about 11% to the total emissions since 1850. “It is worth noting that while the impact of climate change is global, it is much more severe on the poorer nations because of their geographical locations and weaker capacity to cope.” Extreme weather events in India and how is India coping? India has been witnessing extreme weather patterns in 2022 and the year is almost on the verge of completion. There are heatwaves somewhere and floods in other parts of the country. After suffering intense heatwaves in April, states like Assam, Nagaland, and Bihar received too much rainfall and on the other hand, Jharkhand received almost half of what was due for it. In 2021, some scientists from the Ministry of Earth Sciences revealed a sharp rise in extreme weather events in India in the past 50 years (1970 to 2019). A paper was published in ScienceDirect journal on February 26, 2021, which compared extreme weather events across two 20-year periods—1980-1999 and 2000-2019. The comparison highlighted an increase of 138% in heatwaves, 193% in lightning strikes, 25% in cold waves, 28% in floods, and a decrease of 19% in tropical cyclones. According to the paper, extreme weather events resulted in a mortality rate of 3.86 between 1980 and 1999 (mortalities per year per million population), which reduced to 2.14 between 2000 and 2019. This is due to better disaster management and more accurate weather forecasts, the paper added. But within this, mortality from heat waves and lightning strikes is on the rise. Mortality due to extreme weather events was maximum in the decade 1970-1979 (87.5% of these mortalities were due to floods and tropical cyclones) followed by 1990-1999. These were the decades of the three most destructive tropical cyclones—the Odisha Cyclone in 1971, the Andhra Pradesh Cyclone in 1977, and the Odisha Super Cyclone in 1999. Human-induced warming reached approximately 1°C (likely between 0.8°C and 1.2°C) above pre-industrial levels in 2017, increasing at 0.2°C (likely between 0.1°C and 0.3°C) per decade (high confidence). Warming greater than the global average has already been experienced in many regions, with higher average warming over land than over the ocean. At the previous year’s Conference of Parties (COP- 26) summit which was held in Glasgow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set a 5-point agenda for India which would try to keep it on the path of maintaining decorum when it comes to handling climate change. The 5-points have been mentioned below: First- India will take its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030. Second- India will meet 50 percent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030. Third- India will reduce the total projected carbon emissions by one billion tones from now till 2030. Fourth- By 2030, India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by less than 45 percent. And fifth- by the year 2070, India will achieve the target of Net Zero. Instances of extreme weather events in other countries I am unaware of any country which has not yet been impacted by the havoc of extreme weather conditions caused due to climate change and other factors. United Kingdoms, for instance, crushed its own record for the highest temperature as a scorching heat wave broiled much of mainland Europe. It experienced its worst drought this year in 70 years and the country had to face issues such as water scarcity and prolonged drought. Spain’s problems began with the arrival in the spring of the earliest heat