India’s TOXIC FOG and CORSIA
The environmental authorities recently declared that its capital, New Delhi, had reached HAZARDOUS levels of TOXIC SMOG (see below). This condition exists in many areas of this country and the every year, hundreds of thousands of people die from respiratory conditions in India.
As the cover image conveys, aviation contributes to this health hazard. Aviation’s specific contribution to smog, which includes pollutants like particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and other emissions, is not as significant compared to other sources like vehicular traffic, industrial emissions, and biomass burning. With deaths, mandated school closings, government orders that no more than 50% of workers may work any day, among other drastic responses, it would appear that INDIA, America’s close ally, should be taking some MORE AGGRESSIVE AVIATION ACTIONS to reduce its Carbon Emissions, NOW, IN THE INTERMEDIATE TERM AND THE GLOBAL GOAL OF 2050 NET ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS!!!
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN aviation organization and its 193 members devoted many years of meetings to establish a standard for reducing the carbon emissions caused by aircraft. The result is an agreement among the nations called the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
This is ICAO’s official statement explaining the intent, process and policies to reach their joint target
“CORSIA is the first global market-based measure for any sector and represents a cooperative approach that moves away from a “patchwork” of national or regional regulatory initiatives. It offers a harmonized way to reduce emissions from international aviation, minimizing market distortion, WHILE RESPECTING THE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND RESPECTIVE CAPABILITIES OF ICAO MEMBER STATES.
CORSIA complements the other elements of the basket of measures by offsetting the amount of CO2 emissions that cannot be reduced through the use of technological improvements, operational improvements, and sustainable aviation fuels with emissions units from the carbon market.”
India has designated itself as one of the nations which have “SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND RESPECTIVE CAPABILITIES.”
Curiously, a country experiencing a environmental crisis, did not choose to step up to meet the most aggressive CORSIA standards. Its position is stated as follows:
“India has committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2070 as part of its broader climate goals. In the context of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), India has decided not to participate in the voluntary phases of CORSIA, which run from 2021 to 2026. Instead, India will start offsetting requirements under CORSIA from 2027. THIS APPROACH ALLOWS INDIAN AIRLINES MORE TIME TO GROW WITHOUT FACING IMMEDIATE FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES DUE TO CORSIA.“
Its Ministry of Civil Aviation frankly stated:
“CORSIA is implemented in three phases, out of which participation is voluntary in the first two phases for (2021-2026). India has decided not to participate in the voluntary phases of CORSIA. Offsetting requirement under the CORSIA for Indian careers will start from 2027. This will ENABLE AIRLINES OF THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES LIKE INDIA TO GET TIME TO GROW MORE AND DO NOT FACE ANY FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES DUE TO CORSIA BY JOINING VOLUNTARY PHASES. CORSIA is applicable to international flights originating from one country to another. Financial implications due to offsetting will be born by individual airlines depending upon their international operations as and when applicable.”
What is the current status of the Indian carriers’ fleets and order books?
Air India
– **Current Fleet**: Air India has a mix of widebody and narrowbody aircraft, including Boeing 777s, 787s, and Airbus A320 family aircraft.
– **Order Book**: Air India has placed significant orders recently, including 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing in 2023. This includes 40 Airbus A350s and 210 A320 family aircraft. Additionally, Air India confirmed an order for 100 more Airbus aircraft, comprising 10 widebody A350s and 90 narrowbody A320 family jets.
IndiGo
– **Current Fleet**: IndiGo operates a large fleet primarily consisting of Airbus A320 family aircraft, including A320neos and A321neos.
– **Order Book**: IndiGo has placed orders for 1,260 aircraft since 2011, making it one of the largest customers for Airbus.
Akasa Air
– **Current Fleet**: Akasa Air is a newer entrant in the Indian aviation market, operating Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
– **Order Book**: Akasa Air has placed orders for 226 aircraft since 2021.
“These orders reflect the rapid growth and modernization efforts of the Indian aviation industry, aiming to meet the increasing demand for both domestic and international air travel[1].”
These are airplanes that have the most recent green technologies; India’s financial consequences from complying with CORSIA do not appear to be equipment related. MAYBE WHAT THEIR DEFERRAL OF THE COUNTRY’S CARBON GOALS WILL ALLOW THEIR AIRLINES TO SHOW LITTLE OR NO RESTRAINT IN EXPANDING THEIR FLIGHTS
Delhi air pollution: Why has India failed to clean up its toxic smog?
State authorities tout an experimental plan that involves stimulating clouds for rain, but scientists are skeptical.
Published On 20 Nov 2024
Soaring air pollution in India’s capital, New Delhi, has REACHED “HAZARDOUS” LEVELS this week, causing state officials to limit movement and revive plans to stimulate artificial rain to clear toxic smog.
Last week, authorities in the city ORDERED SCHOOLS TO SHUT down. BUSINESSES AND OFFICES were also ordered to function at HALF-CAPACITY from Monday.
Monitors earlier in the week recorded a “severe plus” reading (493) of the 24-hour air quality index (AQI), which is MORE THAN 30 TIMES THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION’S (WHO’S) LIMIT. This indicated extremely high levels of unsafe particulate matter called PM2.5 in the air, the highest reading this year.
The WHO guidelines state 24-hour average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 15 microgrammes per cubic metre more than three or four days per year.
Delhi’s toxic smog season usually emerges every winter and contributes to the capital region of 33 million people being consistently ranked among the most polluted areas in the world.
Speaking to the news media on Wednesday, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the city’s government was ready to go ahead with an emergency plan to stimulate artificial rain to clear the smog but blamed the federal government for delaying approvals.
Irrelevant section edited out
What have authorities done?
Officials shut schools and asked students to go online. Offices are also meant to function at half-capacity.
In addition, authorities banned nonessential construction work and restricted the movement of nonessential trucks. The stay-at-home orders are expected to minimise vehicle traffic and construction emissions, which contribute significantly to pollution.
Water tankers have been patrolling parts of the city to sprinkle water in a bid to reduce the smog. Officials have also deployed mechanised sweeping to help settle dust.
Several other Indian cities on Tuesday recorded AQI levels from the poor to hazardous range, according to IQAir. They included Gurugram, Patna, Jaipur, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Ghaziabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Why does smog engulf the Delhi region every winter?
General air pollution is linked to India’s burning of coal to generate more than half of its electricity. In Delhi, that combines with emissions from millions of cars and fumes from the construction industry, which has no pollution controls.
The crisis deepens from October to January when colder temperatures coincide with widespread crop stubble burning. Smoke travels from the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana as thousands of farmers burn off agricultural waste after the harvest season. The heavier winter air, however, traps pollutants close to the ground, worsening the smog.
Some also blame the widespread use of firecrackers during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at the end of October. Authorities banned the use of traditional firecrackers in 2017 and only allowed people to use environmentally friendly lights, but the rule is not properly enforced.
PM2.5, the tiny particulate matter present in polluted air, lodges deep in the lungs and causes health problems, especially for children, the elderly, and people with respiratory or heart conditions.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people die from respiratory conditions in India. An IQAir world air quality report in 2021 found that no city in India met the updated WHO safety standards of 5 microgrammes of PM2.5 per cubic metre of air. Nearly half of India’s states surpassed this limit by more than 10 times.
Irrelevant section edited out
What other policies have Indian authorities rolled out?
Nationwide, authorities have also embarked on other initiatives to solve the crisis.
In 2000, the Indian government launched the Bharat Stage Emission Standards (BSES) which regulates the output of air pollutants from ignition engines, including motor vehicles.
BSES is modelled after European standards. Progressively stringent phases of the regulations have been rolled out over time, restricting the sale and registration of noncompliant engines or cars.
The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was also launched in 2019, targeting 100 cities. The aim was to significantly enhance the air quality in chosen locations by 2026 by improving monitoring. The NCAP promised to reduce particulate matter concentrations by 20 to 30 percent and overall pollution by 40 percent compared with 2017 levels.
Analysts, however, said the programme was badly designed because it focuses too much on individual cities and does not jointly integrate state-level activities.
In Delhi, for example, where only one-third of its pollution comes from within the state itself, some officials said they have no faith in the NCAP.
[1] Quote from AI research
