Climate breakthrough at Durban

The climate talks at Durban ended with the participating countries agreeing to a new global climate change regime which will come into force from 2020. For the first time the world's biggest polluters China, the US, India and Brazil have all agreed to move towards a single pact by 2015 and it will take effect in 2020. India has emerged as a leader of the developing countries and was part of the centre-stage of the negotiations.

The new accord would put all the countries under binding commitments to control greenhouse gases (GHGs) to keep the global temperatures in check. India’s major demand of equity has found space again in the negotiations and secures 10 years of economic development space without binding commitments.

The Kyoto Protocol (second phase) will continue to be in force beyond 2012. Currently, only industrial countries have legally binding emissions targets under the Kyoto agreement. Until now, only 37 developed countries and the European Union have committed to binding emissions targets under the Kyoto Protocol. However, not much action has been taken by the developed countries to reduce emissions under the Protocol.

The conference also agreed that developed countries would contribute to a global fund worth $100 billion a year designed to help the developing nations cut emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change. The details of the fund are yet to be worked out. The funding is urgently needed to support poor people to adapt to impacts of climate change that they are experiencing now.

Comment: Failing to make progress by all the countries will leave the world increasingly exposed to the risks that rising sea levels, increasing temperatures and more severe storms pose to our environment and economy. The situation is going to be dangerous.

Radioactive Cesium in baby food - Fukushima

It is reported that radioactive Cesium (probably 137Cs) is found in milk powder (baby food) to the level of 30.8 Bq/kg. The limit set by the Japan’s Health Ministry is 200 Bq/kg. In terms of mass, the permissible amount works out to be 6.2 x 10-11 (ten to the power minus 11)g per kg of the milk food, i.e., about hundred times lower than one-billionth of a gram)!

Since, the SI unit to express the amount of radioactivity is Becquerel (Bq) is a very small unit, the numbers look big. In terms of the classical unit of Curie, the permissible amount of 200 Bq/kg works out to be just over 5 nanoCurie/kg (nano = 10-9 (ten to the power minus nine);means one-billionth).

Radioactive Cesium (137Cs/134Cs) and Strontium (89Sr/90Sr) are the radioactive elements found in the environment following any reactor accidents.

Since radioactivity measurement systems are so much advanced that we are able to detect and measure such low levels which were earlier treated as below detectable limits (BDL)!

Why ban plastic carry bags?

Plastic material has unique and useful properties compared to other materials that, over the years, it has contributed greatly to improve the quality of our lives. Plastics are used in packaging, clothing, toys, housing, automobiles, aircraft, electronics, signs, recreation items, and medical implants to name but a few of their many tailor-made applications.

Plastics are generally made up of hydrogen and carbon, chemically inert and not degradable in the environment. Hence they do not cause any harm to the environment and health. One of the very important properties of plastic is it is recyclable. There are various technology options available for recycling.

Ban on the manufacture, sale and storage of all kinds of plastic bags (in some states) is not justifiable. In fact, the increased demand for the cellulose-based paper bags will only increase the destruction of forests which is not acceptable.

What we need in India today is enforcement of existing laws to prevent indiscriminate littering of plastic material, organized collection and segregation of plastic materials and strict regulatory control on the recycling units.

The country has all the required laws in place, but implementation of the laws is pathetic. Do not ban the use of plastic bags. Plastic is a wonderful material.

Unsafe Pakistani Nukes?

News pouring-in from different countries indicates that the Pakistani nuclear weapons may not be safe as we all assumed to be. It is reported that the weapons are being moved from place to place in unsafe civilian vans to avoid detection by US. Global nuclear watch dogs also of the opinion that the Pakistan surged ahead of India in terms of nuclear war heads and the country is now building small tactical nuclear weapons for quick deployment. In case of any serious difference of opinion occurring between the Pak Army Chief and the President, it is likely that the control over the war heads may be loosened resulting in the nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of terror groups.

The Prime Minister of India while addressing the country’s top military brass cautioned about the possibility of the Jihadis gaining access to the Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and also getting to know how to make “Dirty Bombs” using nuclear materials. The scenario is frightening.

India needs to be prepared for appropriate responses to deal with these situations and should build its own capabilities to stand on its feet whenever, required, said the Prime Minister.

The concerned agencies should demonstrate to the public the existence of such capability and is workable.

The Indian Human Organ Transplant Act-1994

The Act has laid down certain rules and regulations to be followed for human organ transplant. These are made to prevent any possible misuse of the organ transplant procedure.

The transplantation of an organ from one body to another is known as the organ transplant. The demand for organs from patients with organ failures is increasing day by day. There acute shortage of organs made available by willing donors. Rich patients, somehow mange to buy the organs illegally from the grey market (ex, the infamous kidney bazaar). There are other legal sources such as organ retrieval centers where organs from brain-dead patients and cadaver donors are retrieved and sent to the organ transplant hospitals. The number of organ transplantation cases is very meager as compared to the demand. Very urgent action is required by the government and NGOs to improve the situation.

1. Bring-in awareness amongst the public to promote organ donation.
2. Cut down Red-Tape by providing early clearances like NOCs from the authorities such as police (in case of accident victims) for organ retrieval.
3. Set up more numbers of Organ Retrieval Centers in strategic locations to facilitate timely retrieval of organs.
4. Train/Qualify more number of doctors to increase the availability of the doctors for organ retrieval operations.
5. Once organ is made available, the decision/permission by appropriate Hospital Committees should be given quickly on application for transplantation.

Organ transplantation is a boon to the patients who would have died otherwise due to failure of their organs such as eyes, kidney, liver and pancreas. Stop illegal trafficking of organs and streamline the organ transplant system in India so that more and more members of the public will register themselves as organ donors.