Science & Environment round-up: Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, a failed carbon-offset programme, tips to recharge Bengaluru groundwater

Indian-origin scientist Aroh Barjatya has been leading a programme to send rockets into space during solar eclipses.

1. Why and how scientists study surya grahan: Solar eclipses, especially total solar eclipses, offer scientists unique opportunities to study the sun's corona and solar winds. Scientists are also looking into how light changes during the eclipse affect Earth's upper atmosphere. To this end, Indian-origin scientist Aroh Barjatya has been leading a programme to send rockets into space during solar eclipses. His team will send three rockets into the ionosphere come April 8 - when parts of Mexico, US and Canada will see a total solar eclipse. Those who are interested to see telescope images of the eclipse in real time, can do so on NASA TV from 10.30 pm IST.

2. According to a survey of 1,600 first-time voters, aged 18-22, from Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, a commitment to addressing climate change was one of the top 3 factors influencing their choice of whom to vote for. The survey was conducted by Asar Social Impact Advisors, Climate Educators Network, and CMSR Consultants. The survey showed that while health was the biggest area of concern for these youths, climate change and economic wellbeing were equally important to them.

3. An Australian forest-regeneration programme, the world's fifth-largest nature-based carbon-offsets programme, has been deemed a global failure. The project was supposed to rejuvenate forests in roughly 42 million hectares of arid or semi-desert regions. However, a survey of 182 of these projects across arid regions - published in peer-reviewed journal Communications Earth & Environment - found that nearly 80 percent of these projects showed negligible growth or even regression in forest cover. As of June 2023, over 37 million carbon credits, valued at $750 million to $1 billion, had been issued for these projects.

4. Bangalore's water crisis has developed over many years. Six key factors that have contributed to it are 1) rapid urbanisation and unplanned urban growth 2) prolonged droughts and concretisation 3) dependence on groundwater, 4) depletion of native rivers, 5) inequitable water distribution, 6) pollution and encroachment of water bodies like Bellandur Lake which has become heavily polluted due to industrial effluents and untreated sewage flowing into it.

5. Bangalore is not alone. Other Indian cities that could face water shortage in the coming years include Mumbai, Jaipur, Bhatinda, Lucknow, Chennai, and Delhi, where 60 percent of the water supplied by the Delhi Jal Board is sourced from the polluted Yamuna, and the rest comes from groundwater.

6. Bangalore's water problem is a wake-up call, to incorporate new technologies, some tried and tested method to recharge the groundwater and clean up water resources like lakes and talaabs, and strictly enforce rules to prevent wastage and water pollution. Water preservation methods that can help include:

- Rainwater harvesting in private buildings and housing societies, as well as by roadsides, flyovers, waterlogged spots, and in open spaces.

- Adopting nature-based solutions like creating green spaces and wetlands.

- Combining sewage at apartment levels with small-scale treatment plants to increase treatment capacity without needing more land.

- Recycling wastewater, to tackle water pollution in lakes and rivers.

- Conserving natural water sources, by prioritising protecting lakes, rivers, and floodplains, regulating groundwater use, preventing construction on floodplains, and demolishing illegal structures can improve water management.

- Effective water governance: Promote green infrastructure like rooftop gardens. Support rural areas with farm-to-table interventions to empower farmers and prevent water exploitation. Cooperate with neighbouring states to better manage shared water resources.

- Prevent illegal waste dumping and address sewage discharge and industrial runoffs. Newer technologies and legal actions against polluters can help to maintain clean drinking water.

- Take proactive steps like purchasing riparian rights and promoting water conservation acts before crises occur are vital.

7. India’s coal mines emitted 2.8 million tonnes of methane in 2023, more than triple the emissions reported to the UNFCCC in 2019, according to the latest findings from the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s Methane Tracker report. India ranked third globally in methane emissions from coal mines last year. For perspective, 2.8 million tonnes of methane has a short-term climate impact equivalent to 237.6 million tonnes of carbon di-oxide (more than the combined annual CO2 emissions from all vehicles on India’s roads in 2019).

8. Rural animals are more sensitive to human activity, a global study has found. The surprise finding came while researchers were testing the popular perception that wildlife was “running free” during lockdowns. The researchers found that even during the lockdowns, when human activity was at its lowest in years, animal responses varied based on landscape conditions and their position in the food chain. The study involved over 220 researchers, 163 mammal species, and 5,000 camera traps worldwide. Larger herbivores, such as deer or moose, exhibited heightened activity in the presence of humans, while carnivorous species like wolves or wolverines often displayed decreased activity, opting to avoid potentially risky encounters. In urban settings, animals like deer or raccoons showed increased activity around humans, as the animals were used to human presence and scurried to scavenge for food in garbage or vegetation, especially at night. Conversely, wildlife farther from urban sprawl exhibited heightened wariness towards human encounters.

9. Are electric vehicles (EVs) worse for the environment than diesel and petrol cars? A study by Emission Analytics, a firm specialising in emissions data analysis, featured in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, has raised the issue of particle pollution originating from brakes and tires in both electric and gasoline-powered vehicles. The key finding of the study: because of their heavier weight, EVs may emit significantly more particulate matter from brakes and tires compared to modern gasoline-powered cars that are fitted with efficient exhaust filters. The study suggests this difference could be as much as 1,850 times greater.