Another Earth Day is upon us, reminding us how closely interlinked human, animal, and environmental health are. The theme for this year, ‘Restore Our Earth’, is yet another appeal to us—the inhabitants of this magnificent planet—to make earnest attempts at promoting harmony with nature.
Interestingly, nature itself holds vital cues on how we can go about it.

The studies, “Emission Inventory and Pollution Reduction Strategies for Bengaluru” and “Identification of Polluting Sources for Bengaluru: Source Apportionment Study”, point to transportation and road dust as the biggest contributors to air pollution in Bengaluru city. These studies were conducted under the aegis of KSPCB and supported by The Bloomberg Philanthropies and Shakti Foundation, to generate scientific data and contribute to India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

A study by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)—a Bangalore-based think tank—on the climate of eastern India underscores the need for climate risk mapping and climate action. The study ‘District-Level Changes in Climate: Historical Climate and Climate Change Projections for the Eastern States of India’ projects changes in temperature and rainfall patterns in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal—the eastern states of India—over the next three decades compared to the historical period (1990–2019).

The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) used satellite-based products to study the spatial patterns, hotspot areas, and rural–urban contrasts in PM2.5 in the Delhi-NCR, Kanpur, and Bengaluru regions for the calendar year 2019. Titled ‘Satellite-Based Mapping and the Quantification of PM2.5 in India,’ the official report was launched during a virtual event held on 28 February 2022. Three policy briefs based on the satellite-based mapping of Delhi-NCR, Kanpur, and Bengaluru were also released along with the report.

Low-cost sensors (LCSs) that measure PM2.5 are becoming popular for monitoring air pollution because of their low cost and portability. South Asian countries could especially benefit from using LCSs as reference-grade monitors are expensive and not always affordable. LCSs could also aid in monitoring air pollution in areas/geographies where access to reference-grade monitors is limited. The low cost and portability of LCSs, however, come with some trade-offs on data quality, reliability, and shelf life.

The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)—a Bengaluru-based think tank—published a study on the climate of north-eastern India titled ‘District-Level Changes in Climate: Historical Climate and Climate Change Projections for the North-Eastern States of India’. The study projects changes in temperature and rainfall patterns in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura over the next three decades (2021–2050) compared to the historical period (1990–2019).

The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)—a Bengaluru-based think tank—published a study on the climate of northern India titled ‘District-Level Changes in Climate: Historical Climate and Climate Change Projections for the Northern States of India’. The study projects changes in temperature and rainfall patterns in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh over the next three decades compared to the historical period (1990–2019). It analyses two representative scenarios: moderate emissions (RCP 4.5) and high emissions (RCP 8.5).

As we inch closer to another global climate summit, COP27, climate projection models will once again be thrust into the limelight as they play an important role in devising net-zero strategies. However, assumptions and estimates for India’s ‘net zero by 2070’ target need to be reviewed carefully given the deep uncertainties involved. There is no correct pathway to net-zero emissions.