Download Foundation Day 2016 - Geological Society of India

Foundation Day 2016–A Report
The 58th Foundation day of the Geological Society of India,Bengaluru was celebrated with
aWorkshop on ‘Climate Change, the Paris Accord and the Indian Commitment’ at
ConferenceHall, KhanijaBhavan, Department of Mines and Geology. R.H. Sawkar, Secretary
delivered the welcome address.Dr. M.S. Rao
introduced the themeand drew attention to the
increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere from
280 ppm, prior to the beginning of the industrial
revolution in the late eighteenth centuryto the
current CO2levels that have crossed 400 ppm
level resulting in appreciable global warming.
He highlighted the general consensus of Figure 1: Mr. R.H.Sawkar delivering the welcome address
scientific opinion endorsed by leading Science
Academies of the world that anthropogenic activities and greenhouse gas emissions are the
primary cause for the present situation. However, there are strong and respected dissenting
voices (albeit a minority).
Dr.M.S.Rao also quoted a recent article from Natureabout Climate Change (25 April 2016)
on Greening of the Earth wherein it has been found that CO2 fertilization has prompted
trees/plants to sprout extra foliage equivalent in area to twice the continental USA based on
satellite imagery analysis.He opined that our understanding of climate change and its impact
thus needs to be more precise.
Dr. T.V. Ramachandra, Co-ordinator, Energy & Wetland Research Group, Centre for
Ecological Research, IISc, Bengaluru,the key speaker of the day spoke on “Carbon
Footprint and Changes in Climate”. He
highlighted the challenges posed by various
anthropogenic, CO2emission sources such as
electricity,
industry,
agriculture,
transportation and the municipal waste
disposal sector which together become the
sources
of
principalgreenhousegas
emissions.
Unplanned
and
rapid Figure 2: Dr. T. V. Ramachandra delivering the key note
urbanisation with conversion of wetlands, address on Carbon Footprint and Changes in Climate.
green spaces, lake beds and minor
drainage/streams into high-rise concrete structures often with glass façade that are not
conducive to tropical climates have led to problems such as flooding, decline in ground water
table (from 28 m to 300m in a span of 20 years) and enhanced per capita electricity
consumption in the city which leads to larger carbon foot print. They have also led to 79%
decline in water bodies and 78% reduction on vegetation cover in the Greater Bengaluru area.
The city with a population of about 98.8 lakh has only about 14.8 lakh trees, far shorter than
the average of about 8 trees per person. Surface and atmospheric temperatures during the last
decade have increased by 2-2.50C due to anthropogenic heat sources such as the
concretisingof large areas, higher electricity consumption, increased burning of fossil fuels by
ever increasing number of automobiles for transportation and unscientific methods of
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal,which release CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Dr.
Ramachandra opined that the decision to make Bengaluru – a summer resort during the
Colonial period (c. 1800 AD with the average summer day temperature of 14-160 C),into the
capital of Karnataka was a mistake, considering its lack of major water sources. This has
been compounded further by unplanned urbanizationwith total disregard to ecology and the
environment with a current average temperature of 340-370C.He cited the ecological
consequences of dams that were constructed for electricity generation and irrigation withthe
examplefrom theSharavti project in the Western Ghats in Karnataka. This has upset the
nature’s delicate balance between a riverand
its catchment with flora and fauna, resulting
today in decreased vegetation, ground water
depletion and decline in aqua-culture. He
also showed how artificial intervention and
afforestation with non-local tree species
upsets the ecological balance.He strongly
advocated that planners should ‘mimic’
nature and should not tamper with the
ecology of a given terrain and entertain
exotic ideas of linking or diverting rivers
from their natural courses and other such
drastic nature-modifying programs.
Figure 3: Dr. Keshav A. Bulbule delivering a lecture on
Environmental Benefits of Urban Mining
Dr. Keshave A. Bulbule, formerly Professor
of Chemistry, Bangalore University and Consultant, E-Parisaraspoke on the ‘Environmental
Benefits of Urban Mining’, essentially scientific –recycling and recovery of metals (termed
as urban mining) such as Cu,Pb, Zn
and precious metals like Au, Ag and
other metals from a variety of e-waste
materials such as PCBs, mobile
phones, cables and others.According
to
Prof.
KeshavBulbule,P.Parthasarathy is the
pioneer for such urban mining in
India and this is much advanced in
China, South Korea, Japan and other
countries.He said that India generates
about2.7 million tons of e-waste and
the GOI is presently attaching great
importance to the scientific way of
recovering metals by reprocessing the
e-wastes as well as their safe
Figure 4: Dr. K.A.Bulbule presenting a CD containing video of gold
disposal. At the E-Parisara, located at
extraction from tailing
Dobaspet, on the Bangalore-Pune high-way, e-wasteis processed scientifically by manual
dismantling of electrical equipments and PCBs and segregation without recourse to
incineration with zero landfill.Such scientific methods of recycling help to mitigate the risks
of hazardous pollution on community health.
Dr. VenkataDasu, formerly Director,
Geological Survey of India, spoke on
‘Global climate change: causes, effects
and remedies’. He gave a brief overview of
the problem with possible causes due to
earth’s orbital variations, solar output,
volcanism and anthropogenic sources.
Greenhouse gases, such as CO2, methane,
water vapour, N2O and CFC’s have
contributed to the global warming although
the dominant component is CO2 by human
activity especially through fossil fuel Figure 5: Dr. S. P. VenkataDasu delivering his address on
Global Climate Change: causes, effect and remedies
(mainly coal) burning for power, transport
and industry. As remedial measuresDasu reiterated the steps that are needed such as clean
coal technology, carbon sequestration, re-forestation, building self-sustaining smart cities and
life style changes through less use of animal products.
Shri S.V. Srikantia, Vice President initiated discussions on the theme highlighting India’s
commitment at the Paris summit such as clean coal technologies, increasing solar component
in the power generation and others. There was a lively debate that followed on several issues
such as the usage of the term ‘urban mining’, wetland management systems in urban areas,
ground water, dams, ecological flow(?), the Yeetinahole river project,diversion of rivers
from Western Ghats, water supply concerns of Bengaluru etc. Dr. Ramachandra opined that
all our endeavors to improve the quality of life should be in conformity with nature based on
soundecological principles.
The meeting concluded with a formalvote of thanks by Dr. P. Krishnamurthy.
P. Krishnamurthy and M.S. Rao