January - February 2010 for a living planet Newsletter of WWF - India, Kerala State Office, Thiruvananthapuram 695 035 FROM THE STAAATE DIRECTOR’S DESK developed and developing countries, but in India it is a concept which is fast being forgotten since it is Almost two months of the New Year has passed. loosing its relevance in the hearts and minds of the As we are approaching the end of the current people. For eg. China has understood the greater financial year, it is a time of conferences, seminars need for energy conservation and is very much and workshops mainly for clearing off unspent concentrating its efforts to renewable energy sources budget amounts. A critical review of the situation in and efficiency improvement. In India also, we are the State or the country very much clearly shows very much aware about the same, but how much that, it is not that we are not aware about issues, but are we actually doing for it? The Central and State the sad fact is that we never want to adopt a Governments has initiated some activities in this precautionary approach. In some extreme cases, it regard and also allocated funds, but the question is, also gives the feelings that, we really don’t want to to what extent it is being implemented and is it in solve the issue, because solutions are very clearly its right sense? The change has to happen in all visible in front of us, but then also we just sit over sectors of the society – be it in the government, non- discussing and lamenting upon it. And the recent government, R&D or lower, middle or upper trend is of politicizing each and every issue. Simple sections of the population. Only with some long term issues are made complex and left unsolved. For how perspective and planning can we solve many of our long can we go ahead like this? This is not just the problems. What we need to think is that even if we case with nature conservation and environment do not reap the benefits of our efforts, our children protection but it is a general trend that we are seeing will. As the famous saying goes and holds true ‘we in the society nowadays. Materialism is creeping in have not inherited this Earth from our forefathers, and affecting almost every section of our population. we have borrowed it from our children - so let us We are bothered about only things which directly make sure that we leave them a living planet’. benefit us or our family and that too in the immediate future. Long term planning and management is a concept which is very much adopted in other Renjan Mathew Vararargheseghese,gheseghese State Director IMPORTANT NEWS ON places.” He and his colleagues in Germany and the ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE US studied a database of fossil organisms that lived on the sea floor from the Cambrian period, about 500m years ago. They compared the number of new genera Global that first appeared in coral reefs with those in other Huge coral reefs could disappear by 2100 shallow-water environments and found the reefs were responsible for about 50% more. The results are Recent study finds that coral reefs give birth to rich published in the journal Science. Mr. Kiessling said the sea life. Coral reefs give birth to a dazzling number of study offered extra incentive to protect coral reefs. “If new species of sea creatures, according to a study that we lose the coral reefs we lose the ability for marine highlights their critical role in marine ecosystems. ecosystems to generate new species in the future. Scientists have found that the reefs not only harbour Increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere damages amazing biodiversity, but are actively involved in the corals as seas become warmer,” he said. (The Hindu, generation of new life forms. The study overturns 08.01.’10 conventional thinking that much of the sea life in coral National reefs originated elsewhere. Wolfgang Kiessling of the Humboldt University of Berlin, who led the study, said: “We found that coral reefs are very active at generating Swaminathan hails decision on Bt Brinjal biodiversity in the oceans, and that they export Agriculture scientist and Rajya Sabha Member M.S. biodiversity to other ecosystems. This was a surprise Swaminathan on Tuesday described the Government’s because many people had assumed that reefs were moratorium on commercialisation of Mahyco’s Bt ecological attracters; that species go there from other brinjal until independent studies established its safety, Mruthika / January - February 2010 / 1 as “a wise and appropriate decision.” He said it was international agreements on hazardous wastes as it has appropriate not to hurry and to look at the problems refused to sign such treaties. The UNEP report also taking into consideration the satisfaction of all sections notes that global e-waste generation is growing by 40 of the society. The Government should utilise the time million tonnes a year. In 2007, more than one billion to put in place a credible, effective and transparent mobiles were sold in the world and the sales are set to system for the benefit of the country and conduct tests jump in the coming years, particularly in developing in a manner that has public trust. Asked about countries which are home to large populations (The transparency in the system, Dr. Swaminathan said the Hindu, 25.02.’10). Government should completely share the data. “After all, it is the public who has to consume it, not the STATE government. The risks and benefits should be carefully evaluated.” Dr. Swaminathan, also known as the ‘Miss Kerala’ gets a protective shield ‘Father of the Green Revolution,’ said biotechnology was a powerful tool but it should be utilised for “public good.” Clearances should be on case-by-case basis. “Technology is a powerful tool and always evolving. How we utilise it, is important” (The Hindu, 10.02.’10). Mounting threat frfreat om e-waste India, one of the two largest markets for mobile phones in the world along with China, faces a mounting problem — how to get rid of the discarded mobiles? For, by the year 2020, the size of the discarded Hope is finally burning bright for ‘Miss Kerala’ mobile mound will grow by 18 times from the 2007 (Puntius denisonii), an ornamental fish facing the level, says a United Nations Environment Programme danger of extinction from commercial exports. A study. If no proper e-waste recycling mechanism is put freshwater fish endemic and once largely exclusive to in place, these abandoned phones are going to create the Achencoil and Chaliyar rivers, Miss Kerala, also environmental damage and health problems, the study known as Red line torpedo barb, was a major export warns. The study titled, ‘Recycling from e-waste to revenue earner for the State in the ornamental fish resources,’ was released at a combined meeting of the export sector, with each pair of these beauties raking bodies of UN Conventions on hazardous chemical in at least Rs.1,500. However, with no steps to curb wastes, organized by the UNEP at Bali on February the exports, the species was slowly swimming to 22. It warns developing countries, especially fast extinction. Now, giving a shot in the arm for those growing economies like India, China, Brazil and South fighting to save Miss Kerala, the World Conservation Africa, that if efforts are not made to recycle the Union (IUCN) has put her on its Red List, regarded abandoned electronic equipment, they will be in for the most comprehensive inventory of the global big environmental trouble. Apart from mobile phones, conservation status of plant and animal species since old computers, TVs and refrigerators added to the 1963. The IUCN Red List says Miss Kerala is e-waste mountain in these countries. For instance, vulnerable because it has a restricted extent of computer e-waste in India will have risen by five times occurrence (less than 20,000 sq km) and is suffering by 2020 from the 2007 level. Discarded refrigerators from a decline in habitat quality and number of mature will double or even triple. The report estimates that individuals. Miss Kerala, according to the list, is found India’s current e-waste generation is 2.75 lakh tonnes in only four locations: the Cheenkannipuzha (tributary from TVs, over one lakh tonnes from refrigerators, of the Valapattanam river), the Achencoil, the Chaliyar 56,300 tonnes from personal computers, 1,700 tonnes and also in waterbodies near Mundakayam. The Red from mobiles and 4,700 from printers. However, List says the fish is likely to be threatened by habitat China’s problem from e-waste is much more than that degradation. (The Hindu, 01.02.’10). of India. It now generates five lakh tonnes of Call to keep nation free of GM cropsops refrigerator waste and three lakh tonnes of PC waste. Call to keep nation free of GM crops Apart from the e-waste generated by domestic A two-day high-level national meeting on consumption, India, China and other developing ‘Genetically Modified Crops - Merits and Demerits’, countries also have to confront the legal and illegal held in Thiruvananthapuram, in its declaration, dumping of e-waste by western countries, mainly the concluded that India should not allow commercial United States which is, as of now, not bound by cultivation of Bt brinjal and other genetically modified 2 / Mruthika / January - February 2010 (GM) crops and that the country should be kept free in the total global polar bear population. Habitat of GM crops and food. The declaration of the meeting, destruction due to global warming and climate change, organised by the State Agriculture Department and the hunting, toxic pollution, oil exploration etc are the main Biodiversity Board, was adopted after discussions at threats to the polar bears.