Environmental Pollution, Global Climate Change and Biodiversity Management approaches current status of pollution levels (air, soil and water), strategies implied to curb the problem (particularly in India) and recent research carried in different parts of the world. Mitigation and adaption approach to climate change.

1. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
BIODIVERSITY
MENTOR:
Dr. ANURITA SHARMA
MADE BY:
RASHMI ARORA
MSC BOTANY
PGGCG-11

2. DEFINITION
• “the addition of any substance or form of energy (e.g., heat, sound,
radioactivity) to the environment at a rate faster than the environment
can accommodate it by dispersion, breakdown, recycling, or storage in
some harmless form.
• Any use of natural resources at a rate higher than nature's capacity to
restore itself can result in pollution of air, water, and land.”
• when the environment cannot process and neutralize harmful by-products
of human activities in due course without any structural or functional
damage to its system.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

3. Environmental Pollutants:
What Are They & How Do They Decompose?
• the actual “executing agents” of environmental pollution.
• They come in gaseous, solid or liquid form.
• Renowned author Miguel A. Santos identifies at least three general
characteristics of environmental pollutants
1. Pollutants don't recognize boundaries, i.e. they are transboundary;
2. Many of them can't be degraded by living organisms and therefore stay
in the ecosphere for many years; and
3. They destroy biota and habitat

4. • Santos divides environmental pollutants into biodegradable and non-biodegradable ones, and
describes them as follows.
• Biodegradable pollutants are the ones that can be broken down and processed by living
organisms, including organic waste products, phosphates, and inorganicsalts.
• Therefore, biodegradable pollutants are only “temporary
nuisances” that can be neutralised and converted into harmless
compounds.
• Non-biodegradable pollutants are the ones that cannot be
decomposed by living organisms and therefore persist in the
ecosphere for extremely long periods of time.
• They include plastics, metal, glass, some pesticides and herbicides,
and radioactive isotopes.

5. LAND POLLUTION
Current status:
• In 2010, Americans produced about 250 million tons of garbage, consisting
of product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food
scraps, newspapers, appliances, paint and batteries. That's about 4.3
pounds of waste per person per day, according to the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). A little over half of the waste — 54 percent — is
gathered in landfills. Only about 34 percent is recycled.
• Food is a big contributor to landfill waste. Up to 40 percent of food
produced in the United States is trashed each year, according to the
Natural Resources Defence Council.

6. CONTROL MEASURES:
1. Sorting of waste materials
2. Proper disposal & treatment of wastes by municipality
3. Implementationof sustainable agricultural practices
• A farmer in Maharashtra, Bhadsavle, who has a Masters in Food
Microbiologyfrom UC Davis (USA) has developed a technique
called SRT farming. Under SRT (Saguna Rice Technique), tillage is
completely avoided and the residue of the earlier crop is
disintegrated into soil by using weedicidesand microbial cultures.
This increases soils fertility and reduces demand for artificial
chemical fertilizers
4. Spreading awareness

7. 5. Govt. should imply necessary strategies
• Use of biotechnologyshould be ensured.
• Chemical soil reformerslike gypsum and pyrites for the improvement of salinity-rich soil.
• Afforestation and reforestation.
• Soil preservation systems
• Protection of land prone to floods
• land utilization and crop management.
• Strict laws for chemical use & disposal
• Ministryof Power (Minister of State for Power and New & RenewableEnergyR.K Singh
in New Delhi) has launched Web based monitoringSystem and Fly Ash mobile
application named ASH TRACK. Fly Ash is end product of combustion duringprocess
of power generation in the coal based thermal power plants. This app will allow effective
monitoringand reviewingfor increasingfly ash utilization.It will help in protecting
environment in terms of reduction in fugitive emissions, saving of precious top soil and
conservationof land for sustainable development.
• Phytoremediation

8. An underestimated
threat: Land based
pollution with
microplastics (Jan
2018)
These are polyacrylic fibers in soil.
• Researchers from Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and
Inland Fisheries (IGB) have warned that the microplastics in soils,
sediments and freshwaters could have a long-term negative effect
on terrestrial ecosystems throughout the world.
• Over 400 million tons of plastics are produced globally each year.
• In fact, terrestrial microplastic pollution is much higher than
marine microplastic pollution -- an estimate of four to 23 times
more
Menacing effects of microplastics:
• act as vectors
• interact with soil fauna
• Phthalates and Bisphenol A leach out
• nano-sized particles may traverse or change cellular barriers
• can trigger changes in gene expression and biochemical reactions

9. Biodegradable plastics: are they
actually better for environment?
specific conditionsto biodegradeproperly
➢Microorganisms
➢temperature
➢humidity
WARNING: if not managed properlythey may be worse
for the environmentthan conventionalplastics.
Even a banana skin- when thrown awayneeds 1-3 years
before it is biodegradable.

10. Water pollution
• most common contaminants- bacteria, mercury, phosphorus and nitrogen (EPA)
• most common sources- agricultural runoff, air deposition, water diversions and channelization of
streams.
• The garbage dumped in the ocean every year is roughly around 14 billion pounds. Plastic is the
major constituent.
• According to the United Nations, 783 million people do not have access to clean water and around
2.5 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation.
• According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 80 percent of the
pollution in marine environments comes from the land through sources such as runoff.
• According to the EPA, low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water are also considered a
pollutant.
• The artificial warming of water- thermal pollution.
• Nutrient pollution or eutrophication

11. Control of water pollution.
1.Reducing the effluent concentration of the waste input prior to discharge
2. Increase the Environmental, In-Stream Degradation Rate of the Substance: by redesigning the
chemical to result in a more rapid breakdown by the natural heterotrophic bacteria in the stream so
that a chemical build-up does not occur.
3. Wastewater reclamation: The sewage treatment yields irrigation water that contains a number of
essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to make
it a fertilizer.
• In west Bengal, the practice of irrigating fish ponds with sewage for
raising fish is common.
• for industrial purposes- holds good for coping with
ever increasing demand for water by industrial establishments
in big cities. A few industries in Mumbai already taken steps in
this direction and the treated sewage is used for air-conditioning
and other purposes.

12. 4. Harvesting of Biomass:
• Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and other
aquatic weeds
• purify domestic wastewater as well as industrial
wastewater.
BENEFICIAL EFFECTS:
• can readily absorb heavy metals such as lead,
cadmium, mercury and nickel.
• various organic chemicals like phenols and
toxaphene
• can remove even radioactive metals from effluents
• pH between 6.8 and 7.8 (after treatment) - ideal
range for freshwater.
• does not allow the algal bloom to develop and the
BOD and COD are lowered to the level at which
the effluent can be allowed to mix with freshwater
without causing any bad effect.
• The harvested plant material is also a potential
source of high quality protein, energy (biogas),
fertilizer and other products.

13. 5. FloatingTreatment
Wetland (FTW)
• inaugurated on World Wetlands Day (February 2) in
Neknampur Lake in Hyderabad
• measures around 3000sq ft
• comprises four layers viz. floatable bamboo at base,
styrofoam cubicles above it. The third layer consists of
gunny bags and gravels to final layer to support
cleaning agents.
• cleaning agents planted on FTW include Vitivers,
Cattalis, Canna, Bulrush, Citronella, Hibiscus, fountain
grass, flowering herbs, tulsi and ashvagandha.
• Principle: hydroponics
• Micro-organisms growing on FTW and plant root
systems break down and consume organic matter in the
polluted water. The root systems filter out sediments
and pollutants, thereby, reducing content of these
chemicals from waterbody.
• cheaper and does not require any harmful chemicals.

14. Recent Research
1. Wetlandrestoration
A study led by researchersfrom the Universityof Minnesota College of Science and
Engineering'sSt. AnthonyFalls Laboratoryand the University'sCollege of Biological
Sciences states that wetland restoration could be one of the most effective methodsfor
comprehensiveimprovementof water quality in the face of climate change and growing
global demand for food.
Multiple wetlandsor 'wetlandcomplexes' within a watershedcan be up to five times more
efficient per unit area at reducingnitratethan the best land-basednitrogen mitigation
strategies.

15. 3. Phytoremediation based moss
Researchers from RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource
Science in Japan have identified a moss that can be a green
alternative for decontaminating polluted water and soil. This
phytoremediation-based moss Funaria hygrometrica can
function as an excellent lead absorbent when in the protonema
stage of development.
They have observed through mass spectrometer analysis that
this moss can absorb lead up to 74 percent of their dry weight
exposed for 22 hours to different concentrations of metals.
2. Cleaning up oil spills
superbug- Pseudomonas putida
Meisenheimer complex- a chemical compound synthesized through a simple, single step process of
mixing 2 chemicals at room temp is found to be highly effective in removing fluoride and metal ions
such as lead, mercury, cadmium, copper and iron from drinking water.
This chemical was prepared by Prof. Debasish Haldar and his colleague from Department of
chemical sciences at IISER, Kolkata. Researchers have also tested its potential in removing oil spills.

16. Air pollution
Current Status
• 6.5 million deaths in 2015, ahead of water pollution (1.8 million).
• According to WHO, almost 3.7 million pre-mature deaths annually are attributed to outdoor pollution.
• Dr Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS, HOD of pulmonary medicine and sleep disorders, had compared
pollution status in National capital in November 2017 to the Great smog of London 1952. During this
period, PM2.5 reached as high as 999um/m3.
• The 2018 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) finds that air quality is the leading environmental
threat to public health.
- India falls to the bottom tier.
• smoke and particulate matter- the two major components of
air pollution.
• Smoke = hazardous gases
• the particulate matter (PM) consists of soot particles
-further categorized as PM10 (10 micrometer size) and PM2.5
(2.5 micrometer)
• "Most air pollution comes from energy use and production"
says John Walke, director of the Clean Air Project, part of
Climate and Clean Air Programme, US.

17. Measures to Control
Air Pollution
Strategiestaken into action by Indian Government
1. Change in Fuel
2. Installationtechnologies for air pollution control adopted
under Indian criterion by industries
3. Bharat stage norms- preponed BS-VI grade auto fuels in
National Capital Territoryof Delhi from 1 April 2018
instead of 1 April 2020.
4. The Environment Ministry made it mandatoryfor
construction companiesto put in place a dust mitigation
plan

18. A CASE STUDY
Air pollution may shorten telomeres in newborns -- a sign of increased
health risks
• A study conducted before and after the 2004 closure of a coal-burning
power plant in Tongliang, China, found children born before the closure
had shorter telomeres than those conceived and born after the plant
stopped polluting the air.
• Shortened telomere length has been linked with cancer and heart disease,
cognitive decline, aging, and premature death.

19. Noise pollution
• direct links between noise and health
• A study by the WHO Noise
Environmental Burden on Disease found
that noise pollution may contribute to
hundredsof thousandsof deaths per year
by increasingthe rates of coronaryheart
disease.
• Underwaternoise pollution coming from
ships has been shown to upset whales’
navigationsystems
• Noise also makes wild species
communicatelouder, which can shorten
their lifespan.

20. Light pollution
Some consequences of light pollution are:
• Singing of birds at unnatural hours
• long artificial days can affect migration schedules
• Streetlights can confuse newly hatched sea turtles
• difficult for astronomers to see the stars
• Plant's flowering and developmental patterns distrupted
• According to a study by the American Geophysical Union - makes smog worse by
destroying nitrate radicals that helps the dispersion of smog.
• Research published by International Journal of Science and Research estimates
that over-illumination wastes about 2 million barrels of oil per day and lighting
is responsible for one-fourth of all energy consumption worldwide.
• Buler, associate professor in UD's Department of Entomology and Wildlife
Ecology, said. "If you think about it from an evolutionary sense, for all wildlife
really, mammals and insects and birds, they've only been exposed to this light
pollution for less than 200 years. They're still adapting to the light."

21. Global Environmental Change

22. Scientific evidence for warming of the
climate system is unequivocal.
- IPCC
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) is the
UN body for assessing the science related to climatechange.
It was set up in 1988 by the World MeteorologicalOrganization
and United Nations Environment Programmeto provide
policymakerswith regular assessments of the scientific basis of
climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for
adaptationand mitigation.
Accordingto IPCC:
• The more we disrupt our climate, the more we risk severe,
pervasive and irreversible impacts
• We have the means to limit climate change and build a more
prosperous, sustainable future

23. Observed Change
Global temperature rise (about 2o F since
the late 19th century)
Ozone depletion
Warming oceans (0.302o F since 1969)
Shrinking ice sheets (Data from NASA's
Gravity Recovery and Climate
Experiment show Greenland lost 150 to
250 cubic kilometers of ice per year
between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica
lost about 152 cubic kilometers of ice
between 2002 and 2005.
Glacial retreat
Decreased snow cover
Sea level rise (about 8 inches in the last
century)
Declining Arctic sea ice
Extreme events
Ocean acidification (30% increase in
surface ocean water acidity)

24. The consequences of climate change
• Taken as a whole, the range of published evidence indicatesthatthe
net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significantand to
increaseover time.
- IntergovernmentalPanelon Climate Change
• temperaturerise of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century.
• Frost-free season (and growingseason) will lengthen
• Changes in precipitationpatterns
• More droughtsand heat waves
• Hurricaneswill become stronger and more intense
• Sea level will rise 1-4 feet by 2100
• Arctic likely to become ice-free
• Species are being distrupted
Image: Flowing meltwaterfrom the Greenland ice sheet
Image: Visualization of the 2012 Arctic sea ice
minimum, the lowest on record

25. Responding to Climate Change
• Mitigation – reducing climate change
• Adaptation – adapting to life in a changing
climate
• Stop deforestation
• What We Can Do?

26. ROLE OF FORESTS IN CONTROLLING
POLLUTION & CLIMATE CHANGE

27. • "species, genetic and ecosystem diversity in an area"
(Swingland 2000).
• classification at three fundamental levels in
biological hierarchy:
1. within species/ intraspecific/ genetic biodiversity
2. species biodiversity
3. ecosystem biodiversity
• interdependent with processes and disturbances
flowing across all levels.
• characterize biodiversity by identifying its major
components: composition, structure & function

28. BIODIVERSITY STATUS OF INDIA
• one of the 12 megadiverse country of the world- ranked
10th in world and 4th in Asia
• a biogeographic classification for conservation planning
• Of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots 4 are present in India
• exceptionally high levels of endemism
• harbors large number of lichens-2300 species belonging to
305 genera and 74 families
• over 200 diatoms, 90 dinoflagellates, 844 marine algae and
39 mangroove species
• About 4045 species of angiosperms endemic - distributed
amongst 141 genera belonging to 47 families.
• In terms of endemism of vertebrate groups, India's global
ranking is 10th in birds, with 69 species, 5th in reptiles,
with 156 species, and 7th in amphibians, with 110 species.
• As a centre of origin of cultivated plants -15 agro-climatic
zones
• vast repository of farm animals, represented by a broad
spectrum of native breeds of cattle (34) , buffaloes (12), goat
(21), sheep (39) and chicken (15).
• Forest cover= 692,027km sq., covering 21.05% of the
geographical area of the country.
10 Biogeographiczones of India

29. BIODIVERSITY MONITORING SYSTEM
(BMS)
• AIM: identifying trends in biodiversity and its use- so as to guide action in
protected area management
• Defined as "the collection and analysis of repeated observations and
measurements to evaluate changes in condition and progress toward
meeting a management objective“
• Purpose of monitoring is succinctly summed up by the United States
National Academy of Sciences (2000). They are:
1. Monitoring for changes in ecological status and integrity.
2. Monitoring for management action.
3. Monitoring for fundamental understanding.

30. Steps in implementing biodiversity monitoring:
1. Compile basic information on the protected area.
2. Identify priorities for biodiversity monitoring
3. Establish the BMS. it entails four main methods:
focus group discussion
field diary
photo documentation
transect (walk, cruise and swim)
4. Compile data using the field methods.
5. Analyze data and identify trends.
6. Validate results with the protected area communities.
7. Decision making. Protected Area Management Board take
decisions on the basis of BMS findings.
8. Revise and strengthen the monitoring system

31. Documentation
• foundation to any conservation action.
• monitored information documentation.
• The World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC)
• done by trained personnels, taxonomists and parataxonomists.
• Biologists and physical scientists - to understand the ecological,
evolutionary and physical processes
• Social scientists, including economists, human geographers and
sociologists - to address anthropogenic influences

32. Biodiversity crisis

33. MAJOR DRIVERS OF BIODIVERSITY CHANGE

34. DIRECT DRIVERS
• Alteration and loss of the habitat
• Introduction of exotic species and
genetically modified organisms
• Pollution
• Climate change
• Overexploitation of resources
• Invasive Species
• direct driver of change in the past
50 years
• For terrestrial ecosystems: land
cover change.
• For marine ecosystems: fishing
• For freshwater ecosystems:
physical changes, modification of
water regimes, invasive species,
and pollution.

35. INDIRECT DRIVERS
• The root causes of changes in ecosystems.
Classified into: changein economic activity
demographicchange, sociopoliticalfactors
cultural and religious factors
scientific and technological change.
• Global economicactivity increased nearlysevenfold between 1950 and 2000
• Millennium ecosystem assessment scenarios - a further three- to sixfold by 2050
• Global population projected to grow to 8.1–9.6 billion by 2050
• Urbanization influencesconsumption = increasing the demand for food
• significant changes in sociopoliticaldrivers
• Culture conditionsindividuals’perceptionsof the world

37. BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT
APPROACHES IN INDIA
1. Biological Diversity Act and UNDP Project Activities
the project will contribute to the following:
• Promote conservation, and sustainable utilization of biodiversity
• Promote in situ, on-farm and ex situ conservation
• Collect, collate and integrate biodiversity information into a
database of biodiversity with networking systems and linkages
• Promote harmony, synergy and linkages for conservation and management of biological diversity
and associated traditional knowledge
• Accelerate effective implementation of provisions of BDA and rules through training and
awareness campaign
HOW?
• Awareness Generation
• Documentationof Biodiversity
• BiodiversityHeritage Sites
• Access and benefit sharing
• Conservationof Rare and Threatened Species
• Special studies:1) bioresource use and users in the state, and 2) invasive alien species

38. Further it is proposed to:
• Enlist and network the academic/ R&D institutions, NGO’s, self help
groups
• Prepare compendium of the biodiversity research done by the academic
institutions of the area.
• Interact with bio-resource using industries and encourage procurement of
their raw material through BMCs on mutually agreed terms.
• Study of ex situ conservation in zoological parks/ zoos and botanical
gardens in the states.
• Identify individuals/ institutions that have made significant contributions
in biodiversity conservation and honour/ reward them.
• Cull out actionable information from the PBRs prepared on bioresources
and traditional knowledge and put it to use.
• Introduce biodiversity related activities in the district plans of different
development departments of the states so that they take care of the
respective species under their jurisdiction.
• The activities under the project have been so designed that the outcome
could be replicated elsewhere and the districts under the project become
models to be adopted.

39. 2. The Ministryof Environment& Forests
(MoEF): increasingthe total forest cover in India
targeted afforestationprogrammessuch as the
Green India Mission (GIM).
3. The Wildlife Instituteof India (WII)
prepared a biogeographicclassification for the
country to facilitate conservation planning
From a networkof 54 National Parks covering
21,003km sq. and 373 Sanctuariescovering
88,649km sq,, giving a combined coverage of
1,09,652km sq. or 3.34% of the country's
geographical area in 1988, the networkhas
grown steadily, and as of 2014 there are 690
Protected Areas (PAs; 102 National Parks, 527
Wildlife Sanctuaries, 57 conservation Reserves
and 4 communityReserves) covering5.07% of
the country'sgeographical area. The country has
23 marineprotected areas in peninsular India
and 106 in the islands.
.

40. 4. India has established National Bureaus dealing with
genetic resources. These are:
• The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR)-
4,08,186 plant genetic resource accessions.
• The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources
(NBAGR)- 1,23,483 frozen semen doses from 276
breeding males representing 38 breeds of cattle,
buffalo, sheep, goat, camel, yak and horse for ex-situ
conservation.
• The National Bureau of Agriculturally Important
Microorganisms (NBAIM)- 4668 cultures, including 4644
indigenous and 24 exotic accessions
• The National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Insects
(NBAII)- 593 insect germplasm holdings.
• The National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR)-
25553 native finfishes and Fish Barcode Information
System were updated with 2570 microsatellite
sequences. In terms of fish diversity, the Zoological
Survey of India (ZSI) has also recorded 3022 species in
India, constituting about 9.4% of the known fish
species of the world

41. How could important drivers of biodiversity
loss be addressed?
• Elimination of subsidies
• Promotion of sustainable intensification of agriculture
• Slowingand adaptingto climate change
• Slowingthe global growth in nutrient loading
• Correctionof market failures and internalizationof environmentalexternalities
• Increased transparencyand accountabilityof government and private-sector performance
in decisions that affect ecosystems
• Integrationof biodiversityconservationstrategies and responses within broader
development planning frameworks
• Increased coordination amongmultilateral environmental agreements
• effective management for ecosystem services
• Addressingunsustainable consumption patterns

42. REFERENCES
POLLUTION & GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
http://www.tropical-rainforest-animals.com/Environmental-Pollution.html
http://www.pollution.co.in/environmental-pollution
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/various-pollution-facts.php
IPCC Fifth Assessment Report, Summary for Policymakers
https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/climate-change/
https://climate.nasa.gov/solutions/adaptation-mitigation/
BIODIVERSITY
http://www.nina.no/archive/nina/PppBasePdf/Utredning/050.pdf
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/23d6/fead5f1d2b992793c90b87b3d1a07f63a4c1.pdf
http://www.bmb.gov.ph/downloads/References/BMS%20Manual.pdf
India’s fifth national report on the convention on biological diversity- https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/in/in-nr-05-en.pdf
http://www.who.int/globalchange/ecosystems/biodiversity/en/
http://www.montana.edu/hansenlab/documents/downloadables/hansendale2001.PDF
India-UNDP project- http://nbaindia.org/undp/whatsnew.html
http://www.forestrynepal.org/images/publications/PA_Guidelines_BMA.pdf
https://www.greenfacts.org/en/biodiversity/l-3/4-causes-desertification.htm#2p0