EVERYDAY SCIENCE

 Ocean transports heat poleward in both hemispheres. Halley Cell takes warm air poleward and cooler air equatorward. The heat transport in the South Atlantic is equatorward (Source : Geoffey Vallis , An Exemplified El Nino , the tropical Pacific Ocean strongly influences regional climates)

How to Ahieve Climate Mitigation

 The world is warming at an alarming rate faster than at any point in history. If we do not act now there will have devastating impacts on the planet. Droughts, wild fires, floods and hurricanes will occur more frequently and with high intensity. Droughts, wild fires  cause food crops leading to hunger, starvation, unprecedented levels of under nutrition and premature deaths. Floods and hurricanes will  displace homes, deprives livelihoods and increase migration. World Bank has already disbursed 10.7 trillion dollars towards recovery from pandemic. Many countries and businesses have become pauper. Increasing debt and economic depression has negatively affected all sectors. 

In order to lessen the impacts of climate change we have to limit the ever increasing green house gases and the resultant climate extremes. Proper land use management, efficient use of natural resources, reducing waste and pollution as well as enhancing recycling ecofriendly housing, sustainable practices in sectors such as energy, food and agriculture, transport and tourism, infrastructure, life style and consumption will enable us achieve a carbon neutral pathway.

UNEP's SIX SECTOR SOLUTION

In order to achieve a 1.5 degree target  reduction of carbon in the following 6 sectors is possible.

• 8.2 giga tonnes of carbon could be reduced in the energy sector.
• 6.2 GtCO2  could be reduced in sectors such as agriculture and food waste.
• 5.9 GtCO2  could be reduced in building and cities.
• 5.4 GtCO2 in industry could be reduced in building and cities.

NUMERICALLY YOURS

 In the digital world everything big and small, including living things as well as non-living things are represented in numbers. We shall start with the Universe first.

THE UNIVERSE IN NUMBERS

• 14 billion years ago the universe materialized out of nothing.
• It took 400,000 years for the particles to cool down to form atoms.
• Took another 300 million years to form planets, stars and galaxies.
• Expansion of the  universe began 13.8 billion years ago.
• The diameter of the observable universe is 570 thousand million million million miles.
• 200 billion stars in the milky way.
• Once in every 200 million years our solar system orbits the centre of the galaxy.
• 7 trillion galaxies in the observable universe.
• 6000 years are required to count the Milky way's stars at a rate of one a second.
• In 4 billion years our galaxy will collide with the Andromeda galaxy.
• The brightest stars emit  6 million times more light than the sun.
• 13 billion years is the age of the oldest star.
• A handful of 5000 stars make up the Pleiades cluster which can be seen with the naked eye.
• In 250 million years time, the stars will have disappeared and the cluster will no longer exist.

SUN

• The diameter of the sun is 13,93,684 kilometres.
• Distance from Earth150 million kilometres
• Surface temperature 5,500 degree Celsius
• The sun is large enough by volume to swallow 1.3 million Earths.
• It contains 98.8% of all the matter in the solar system.
• In the core region the temperature soars to 15 million degree Celsius.
• The gaseous matter in the sun  is 150 times more dense than water.
• The energy out put from the sun is 385 million billion giga watts per second.
• It takes only 8 minutes for light from the sun to reach Earth.
• It takes 100, 000years for energy released in the sun's core to travel to the surface and emerge as light. (It takes such a long time  because the energy is absorbed and re-emitted by trillions of atoms as it passes through the dense radiative zone.)
• The equator takes 25 Earth days to rotate once, but polar regions take 34 days.

PLANET EARTH

• Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago
• 250 million years ago earth's continents all joined together an enormous super continent known as Pangaea.
• One fifth of earth's landscape is mountains
• Solid surface of the earth below sea level is 10,900 meter deep.(The Mariana trench)
• The highest solid surface or point above sea level is 8848 meter high Everest summit
• The surface of most land areas is less than 500 meter above sea level
• Earth's elevation over 4000 meter
• Sea depth below 4000 meter
• 130 million years ago India escaped from the southern land mass, and is moving north, towards Asia.
• 70 million years ago South America split from Africa, while in the north , North America is splitting from Europe
• Continental plates move at a rate of 2.5 centimeter in a year. That is as fast as your finger nails grow. Some move faster, up to 10 centimeter in a year
• Earth's surface and atmosphere contain 1.39 billion cubic kilometer of water
• During ice ages sea level was 120 meter lower than it is today, exposing the continental shelves as dry land
• Temperature of earth's inner core is 5500 degree Celsius
• 1.5 million species of plants and animals live in tropical rainforests
• The length of under water mountain chains formed by mid ocean ridges is 65000 kilometers
• 55 million years ago the Indian and Asian plates crashed together  creating the Himalayas 
• Deepest point on Earth is 10911 metre below sea level.
• Most of the Mid Atlantic Ridge (2500 metres) is under water. Iceland is the only part of it above sea level
• 60 volcanoes erupt in an average year the world over
• Ash cloud from a large volcanic eruption can be up to 60 kilometres high
• 75% of the world's active  volcanoes are under water
• Southern California experiences 30 small earthquakes everyday
• The distance that the whole planet vibrates back and forth in space during the very largest earthquake is one centimetre
• The largest earthquake ever occurred off the coast of Chile in 1960 caused devastating tsunami.
• The length of the rupture under the sea floor that caused the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was 1600 kilometres

ANTIOXIDANTS

 Antioxidants affect free radicals, which are atoms that have many or too few electrons. They roam the body and damage cells by collecting or dropping off electrons. Free radicals can be formed by exercise, by sun light, or during metabolic processes(all of the above).

What are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are substances that can prevent or slow damage to cells caused by free radicals.

What are free radicals?

Free radicals are unstable molecules produced in the body as a reaction to environmental and other pressures. The sources of free radicals can be natural or artificial. Free radicals are unpaired electrons.

How many free radicals are produced in a day in  our body?

Over 20 billion free radicals are formed by each of our body's cells every day.

What do they do in our body?

Free radicals annihilate vital cellular components , including our cell membranes  and our all important DNA. A prominent theory of aging blames the unpleasant process on free radicals. Eventually enough damage accumulates from these relentless molecules that we simply fall apart.

INFLUENCE OF MICROBES ON HUMANS

•  Trillions of microbes affect every stage of life of humans from birth to old age. Our health and well-being are really driven by the bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa that live in our intestines, in our lungs, in our skin, and even on our eye balls. The bugs are essential for establishing the basic nature of who we are. 

Escherichia coli 

• Escherichia coli is a bacteria which inhabit the human gut and perform essential functions.
• They make vitamins K  and B12 .
• They also repel disease causing bacteria.

The effects of microbiomes can be profound.

• A child's temperament might be related to whether the bacteria in an infant's gut are predominantly from one genus : the more Bifidobacterium bugs , the sunnier the baby.
• There are 38 trillion microbes for a typical young adult male, slightly more than the number of actual human cells.

EPIDEMICS AND PADEMICS

• Diseases spread  throughout populations are considered epidemics when more than 400 people out of every 100,000 are affected.
• Pandemics are those that sweep across wide geographic areas, such as the influenza pandemic that followed  the World War 1.,killing more people than had died during the war.

WHY DO WE NEED CLEAN AIR

 Air Pollution causes one in three deaths from stroke, chronic respiratory disease and lung cancer. 1 in 4 deaths from heart attack is caused by air pollution. Ground level Ozone produced by interaction of pollutants in sunlight causes asthma and chronic respiratory disease . Air pollution is one of the most critical health threats today.

seven million people die prematurely. Ozone air pollution alone is responsible for 52 million tons of global crop losses annually. Air pollution drives climate change crisis.Economic costs are mounting - through health care bills, lost productivity, reduced crop yields , eroded competitiveness of cities. We must lift the smog of air pollution .If we do we can save millions of lives and billions of dollars each year. LAST YEAR FLIGHTS WERE CANCELLED IN DELHI. PEOPLE WERE ADVISED TO STAY INDOORS OR WEAR MASKS JUAT AS WE DO NOW IN THE PANDEMIC. 

VEHICULAR EMISSIONS

The effects of long term exposure to fine particulate matter , nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, air toxics, and other pollutants contained in vehicular exhaust include 

cancer, heart disease, stroke, asthma, and stunted lung growth in children.

INDIAN SCENARIO

Indoor air pollution in India causes 300,000 to 400,000 deaths 

• Air pollution linked diseases and infections kill 600,000 children under 5 years 
• 102 cities in India are most polluted with particulate matter.
• 2.2 millions school children in Delhi are growing up with irreversible lung damage which will never recover. 
• Smog caused by smoke from burning waste has compelled authorities to close schools for 4 days in a season.
• Premature deaths due to pollution increased 50% from particulate matter between 1990 and 2015.
• Smoke from fires contributed one-fourth of dangerous air pollution in Indian capital.
• According to Lancet Planetary Health India’s toxic air killed 1.24 million people in 2017.
• According to EPI 2016 half of world’s population  including 75% Indians are exposed to unsafe air quality.
• 50% in India is exposed to PM 2.5 concentration beyond 40 micrograms per cubic metre.(40 microgram is the safe limit)
• Festival of Deepavali contributes to hazardous levels of air pollution.
• Severity of air pollution is such that LIFE EXPECTANCY IN INDIA ON AN AVERAGE REDUCES BY 3.4 YEARS  WHILE in DELHII IT REDUCES BY 6.3 YEARS.(Hansala Aman, A Comprehensive study of Air Pollution in India.)
• 64% of Indians use solid fuels with high PM 2.5 production.
• In Andhrapradesh solid fuel sourced PM 2.5 level found to be between 73 and 732.
• If we compare 2016 Environmental Performance Index India ranks 141st globally.

(worse than Iraq, Nigeria, Liberia, Ukraine, Egypt, Syria and several other less peaceful countries)

VEHICULAR EMISSIONS

• The effects of long-term exposure to fine particulate matter ,oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, air toxics, and other pollutants contained in vehicle exhaust include, lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, asthma, stunted lung growth in children.
• Exposure to these pollutants from childhood affects them life long.
•  Children being at the developmental stage get the size of their  of lungs smaller, become victims of asthma and respiratory diseases.

Planet Earth's atmosphere is common to all. The total mass of the atmosphere is about 5.5 quadrillion tons. And it is all in motion. 30 % of pollution is not taking place on its territory. The breeze on your cheek right now might include atoms that 2 days ago were crazily distant. The newest plant cell formed in your garden might have been built from molecules that only a day or two earlier had been in exotically different places from a decaying log in the Amazon or from a car on a distant freeway. Or from a hornbill exhaling somewhere in the Silent Valley in Kerala or from a baboon exhaling through its magnificent pipe- like nose in Africa. And there they still stay there for 100 to 150 years surrounded by more plucked atoms , stuck in place . Every plant breathes in the whole planet. A single wood cell contains 2 trillion sugar molecules. One cell would add 7, 71, 600 units of sugar molecules every second. Plants are harvesting raw carbon straight out of the air, building carbon molecules. A little sapling in your garden is champing down 4.6 million CO2 molecules every second.

HEALTH IMPACTS  DUE TO AIR POLLUTION

• Lower respiratory infections account for 16.5%of deaths in 2012 in children under 5years
• In 2015 15.5% of deaths of children under 5 .
• Household air pollution from smoke from cook stoves and secondhand tobacco smoke most important of environmental risks.
• Pollution from use of solid fuels for cooling and ambient air pollution together cause 50% of lower respiratory infections in children under 5 years.

HUMAN WELL-BEING

 Human well being is dependent upon not one, but multiple and often inter related ecosystem services.Basic material for good life is largely based on provisioning services- yet other income generation such as recession agriculture depend more on soil moisture and sediment deposited during flooding - which are part of both regulating and provisioning services.Security from natural hazards has a strong link with regulation services. Human health can relate to purification and waste processing that are part of regulating services.Health also is linked to provisioning services of drinking water and food, and to cultural services that are important for mutual well being. 

Presence of water also regulates local climate and prevent dust. Almost 17 tons per hectare a year of dust polluted with pesticide are blown off the dried portion of the Aral Sea in Eastern Turkmenistan.(O'Hara et al 2000,Benneon et al 2007)In Sistan Inland Delta of Iran people suffer from both physical and mental health problems due to the hot dusty  climate and constant sandstorms that took place when the wetland area was dry for almost 7 years.When the wetland area was inundated , the same wind brought comfort in the form of refreshing water droplets blown over the villages (Meijer & Hajiamiri,2007)

In many parts of the world dam building promotes the propagation of pulmonate snails,the intermediate host of Schistosomiasis, a debilitating disease more than 200 million people suffer from. 

Global economic value of water for drinking,washing , to grow food and for energy and industry is around 7.5 trillion dollar a year as on 2008.It is 15% of  total value of world ecosystem services(Costanza et al 1997).

In US alone 4 to 33 million waterborne gastrointestinal diseases occur  each year. More severe storms and floods can lead to  -  drownings,injuries and outbreaks of infectious diseases.Storms also damage basic infrastructure, with moisture leading to mould growth that can exacerbate allergy and respiratory illnesses.  

More than 77 million tons of nitrogen is used in world agriculture each year costing 38.5 billion dollar (valued in 1995). Soil nitrogen is increased not only by commercial fertilizers but also by adding animal wastes  and the retention of crop residues. Best source of nitrogen for crop and plants are " Nitrogen -fixing plants and obligate endophytic diazotroph bacteria(Dobereiner,1995)

More than 100 million Americans currently live in counties with Ozone levels above national EPA standards.Rising temperatures will increase ozone smog in many areas ,especially in cities.Increased ground-level ozone are associated with increased hospital admissions for people with asthma and will worsen the health of people suffering from cardiac or pulmonary disease.

A NEW PAIN KILLER FROM NATURE

Tiny fanged fish called blennies swimming in the coral reefs have unusual venom that could inspire new pain medications."The fish injects opioid peptides that act like heroine or morphine, inhibiting painrather than causing it." said Brian Fry( Associate professor of university of Queensland). Venom causes bitten fish to become slower in movement and dizzy by the action of opioid receptors.It could be a next blockbuster  pain-killing drug.

Planetary health is the health of human civilization and 

the state of the natural systems on which it depends.

The continuing degradation of natural systems threatens to reverse the health gains over the last century. We have mortgaged the health of future generations to realise economic and development gains in the present. "We have lived our lives that what was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong. What is good for the world is good for us. That requires that we make the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it. "Wendell Berry.

The risks we face lie within ourselves and societies we have created. Human beings live within a safe operating space of planetary existence. If the boundaries are breached ; conditions for the survival will be diminished. Currently natural systems are degraded to an extent unprecedented in history. Example; Casualty between environmental change through deforestation and Ebola virus disease outbreaks, loss of forest land has brought people and wildlife into closer contact with inherent risks of zoonotic diseases. Do no further harm and to create the systems to allow future generations to thrive and prosper - mentally, physically and materially.

Many ecosystem changes can alter the habitats and even populations of disease - transmitting vectors. Such changes may include  : 

Forest clearance ; construction of dams ; or irrigation ; and  canal works; and deliberate or inadvertent water collection ( eg; in debris) . However the transmission of major infectious vector borne diseases such as malaria and yellow fever can never be described as entirely ecosystem - dependent but rather as a function of human interactions  and ecosystem services. Along with improved management of ecosystem services other actions (eg; public education, medical and chemical interventions, and poverty alleviation) , all play a role in reducing and in some cases eliminating disease transmissions.

COST OF BIODIVERSITY & ECOSYSTEM DAMAGE

Ecosystem valuation is not an easy process.It is an impractical effort.Scientists have tried to attempt to do this.Global economic output from ecosystem services is estimated to a range between 2 and 6 trillion dollars.

• If ecologically intact the boreal forests contribution to global ecosystem services is estimated to be 3.7 trillion dollars. The boreal forest ecosystem is one of the planet's most atmospheric regulators and it stores more carbon than any other biome on the planet.
• Intact ecosystems will help us reduce the prevalence of some of illnesses like COVID-19.
• So the way we farm,the way we use soils,the way we treat our forests will either wreck the future or help us live longer.
• According to estimates ecosystems and biodiversity have an economic value that is between 10 & 100 times greater than the costs associated with conservation.Cumulative welfare losses could amount to 70% of annual consumption in 2050.
• UN report warns  of economic of biodiversity loss. The alarming rate of nature loss could harm food sources and industry and exacerbate climate change.
• 75% of the 100,000 chemicals released  into the environment can be degraded by biological organisms and are potential targets of both bioremediation and biotreatment.
• Remediation of chemical pollution worldwide give annual benefit of 135 billion dollar (a 1997 calculation).
• Maintaining biodiversity in soils and water is imperative to the continued and improved effectiveness of bioremediation and biotreatment.
• Biodiversity provides 2928 billion dollar in annual benefit worldwide and 319 billion dollars to US alone.
• Environmental degradation and GDP are closely interlinked.
• Environmental degradation has caused a drop of 8% of GDP in China.

Air and water pollution damages54 billion dollar a year (1995).Some have estimated burden of pollution to be 5% of GDP.Loss due to deforestation alone comes to 12% of GDP.

• Loss due to environmental degradation in India is estimated to 4.5 to 8% of GDP

Annual economic costsof air pollution ,soil degradation and deforestation were estimated to be 8% by Tata Energy Resourse Institute (TERI).World Bank had quantified in 2001 that India's economic losses due to unsafe domestic water supplies and unsanitary excreta disposal caused 60% of environmental damage.And another 20%from soil degradation.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO THE ENVIRONMENT

1. 75% of terrestrial environment "severely altered" by human activity.Marine environment altered by 66%. Reduction in global indicators of ecosystems extent and condition against their estimated natural baselines,with many continuing to decline  by 4% per decade.
2. The alarming rate of nature loss could harm and exacerbate climate change UN warns.
3. 75% by weight of the 100,000 chemicals released into the environment can degrade biological organisms and more potential targets of both  bioremediation and biotreatment .

SAVINGS GAINED

• Physical, chemical and thermal 
• To remediate chemical pollution worldwide give annual benefit of 135 billion dollar(1997 calculation)
• Maintaining biodiversity in soils and water is imperative to the continued and improved effectiveness of bioremediation and biotreatment.
• Biodiversity provides 2928 billion dollar in annual benefit worldwide .
• US alone gets an annual benefit of 319 billion dollar from biodiversity services.
• Twenty billion dollar is spent on pesticides a year. Yet parasites and predators existing in natural ecosystems provide 5 to 10 times this amount of the pest control.
• A diverse group of microbes fix nitrogen from atmosphere for use by crops and forests.
• An estimated 7 billion dollar benefit on account of nitrogen is supplied to US agriculture each year by nitrogen fixing microbes.
• Worldwide  90 million tons of nitrogen a year for use by agriculture with a value of 50 billion dollar is provided.
• An annual economic and environmental benefits of biodiversity in the US is estimated to 300 billion dollar.
• Earth's biota contains 10 million species of plants,animals and microbes.
• In the US there are 750,000 species of which small organisms such as arthropods and microbes make up 95%.
• 65% of world's food supply comes from rice,wheat and corn as many  as 20,000 other plant sp. have been used by humans as food.
• Food production relies on biodiversity for a variety of food plants,pollination,pest control, nutrient provision, genetic diversity , disease prevention and control.
• Both medicinal plants and manufactured pharmaceuticals rely on biodiversity.
• One square metre of soil supports 200,000 arthropods and enchytraeids and billions of microbes.
• One hectare of high quality soil contains 1300 kg of earth worms,1000 kg of bacteria, 4000 kg of fungi and many other plants and animals( Pimental et al 1992)
• Earthworms bring 10 and 500 ton per hectare of soil to the surface where as insects bring between 1 and 10 tons per hectare a year(Pimental 1995).
• Earthworms  may ingest 500 ton per ha a year of soil churning and mixing the soil .
• Snails,earthworms and other organisms redistribute top soil formation , and increase rates of water infiltration ,enhancing plant productivity(Pimental 1995).
• Under agricultural conditions it takes 500 years to form 25 mm of soil. Where as under forest conditions it takes 1000 years to form the same amount of soil.
• 70,000 species of pests attack agricultural crops(Pimental 1991). 30% to 80% of pests are native species.
• 99% of pests are controlled by natural enemy species and host plant resistance (De Bach & Rosch 1991)
• The value of activity of soil microbiota per ton of soil is estimated to be 25 dollar. According to this assumption US agricultural land (400 million hectare) is 5 billion dollar per year . 
• Global value of microbiome activity for 4.5 billion hectare of agricultural land is 25 billion dollar per year.
• Pitsburgh's (US)29641 publicly managed street trees provide cumulative benefits to the community valued 81 dollar per tree annually. Gross total value estimated to 2.4 miilion dollar annually. City's annual tree related expenses 8,16,400 dollar and net annual benefit to the community/ city is 1.6 million dollar or 53 dollar per tree per year.

INDIAN SCENARIO

Over the last century India has lost more than 50% of it's lakes and wetlands. Majority of the remaining are degraded and heavily polluted. As the country experiences one of the fastest urban migrations in hiatory, it's natural spaces are disappearing under rapidly expanding cities. The south Indian city of Chennai is no exception. Over the last decade , Chennai has lost more than 85% of  wetlands due to unplanned urbanisation. This is severely impacting the quality of life of it's residents as they grapple with issues of water security,flooding,and droughts , as well as the city's environment and urban biodiversity. Extreme situations of streets and homes submerged under water, or people lining up around tankers to fill up a day's worth of water have become a common phenomenon.

India is a region of extreme climatic conditions .More than 70% of its area is classified as dry land and is prone to droughts which occurs due to natural climate vulnerability,climate change and human interferences.

PLANETARY HEALTH

                     PLANETARY HEALTH IS THE HEALTH OF CIVILIZATION 

          AND THE STATE OF THE NATURAL SYSTEMS ON WHICH IT DEPENDS

Human health and health of the planet are inextricably linked and that our civilization depends on human health,flourishing natural systems, and the wise stewardship of natural resources.With natural resources being degraded to an extent unprecedented in human history, both our health and that of our planet are in peril.

One well known impact of human behaviour is the changing climate,which is altering the pattern of diseases, mortality,human settlements,food,water,and sanitation.Climate change brings increasing temperatures,rising seas,more frequent severe storms.

According to Lancet Commission on Planetary Health the continuing degradation of natural systems threatens to reverse the health gains over the last century.W e have mortgaged the health of future generations to realise economic and development gains in the present. "We have lived our lives what was good for us would be good  for the world.We have been wrong.What good for the world is good for us.That requires that we make effort to know the world and learn what is good for it ".

The continuing degradation of natural systems threatens to reverse the health gains over the last century. We have mortgaged the health of future generations to obtain temporary prosperity in economic and development sectors.

We have lived our lives that what was good for us would be good for the world. That was a wrong idea. What is good for the world is good for us. So learn what is good for the planet.

• Reducing emissions today impacts gradually over time.
• Each ton of greenhouse gas emitted has some impact into the future.
• The costs of the annual impacts are known as social cost of carbon.

DISEASES   Vs  DEFORESTATION

World Economic Forum's Nature Risk Rising Report highlights , over half of the world's GDP is highly or moderately dependent on nature. For every one dollar spent on nature restoration atleast 9 dollar of economic benefit can be expected. Landuse Calition Report found that changing the way we farm and produce food could release  4.5 trillion dollar a year in new business opportunities by 2030, while also saving us trillions of dollars worth social and environmental harms.

Example : Deforestation in the Amazon caused increased rates of malaria,outbreaks of ebola and lyme disease linked to contact with previously untouched wildlife because of deforestation 

• We have to use planet's resources wisely to protect their health - ways that can serve as a model for others
• Nutrition and diet are important contributors to and indicators of planetary health.
• Human population threatens the carrying capacity of the planet.
• Diets,agriculture and technology must adjust to sustain population of 9 billion while reducing harmful consequences on environment through food waste and carbon intensive diets.It is connected to all sectors,including the economy,energy,agriculture,water,and health.
• Biodiversity loss,exposure to pollutants,climate change,fuel consumption are all issues that threaten humans and climate health alike .

SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM

Sustainable food  system delivers food security and nutrition for all in such a way that economic,social and environmental bases to generate food security and nutrition for future generations are not compromised.

• Sourcing sustainable food through  sustainable agriculture and organic farming is the way.
• Food waste is another obstacle to be avoided.
• According to FAO food waste is responsible for 8% of carbon emission.30 % of available agricultural land in the world is used for producing food not for humans.but for livestocks
• To produce enough animal food products 20 billion domestic animals are maintained worldwide.9 billion of which are raised in the US.
• The biomass of domestic animals in the US  totals 4.5 times that of human population.
• Worldwide domestic animals outweigh the human population by 2.5 times.
• One third of land area  and one half of US land is used to grow wild and cultivated plants that are fed to domestic animals..
• Each year humans ,livestocks,and crops produce 38 billion tons of organic waste worldwide. 

IMPACTS OF COVID - 19

1. According to World Air Quality average concentration of PM 2.5 in New Delhi came down by 71%. As a result Himalayan ranges were clearly visible from the Jalandhar area. It is a rarest incident after 30 years. Jalandhar is 200 kilometres to Dauladar ranges.
2. Reduced commuting  reduced sewage discharge to canals. Quality of river water improved. Ganga water is now fit to drink.
3. According to Brooklings Institution emerging markets and developing countries already owe eleven trillion dollar in external debt and face 3.9 trillion dollars in debt-service costs this year.
4. The pandemic crisis support mechanism has been alloted 263 billion euro by European Union
5. France and Germany together proposed to allot 500 billion euro for pandemic support.
6. With a global depression looming no country will be able to avoid the need for a massive stimulus spending and explosion of debt that will come with it.
7. European governments have been inclined to purchase companies'shares directly with some even pursuing temporary nationalization.
8. With social and economic disruption on a scale rarely seen since the end of World War 2 seventyfive years ago , the pandemic is forcing us to completely rethink ,the notion of business as usual .The COVID -19 crisis is shifting people's thinking sustainably.
9. Human health and health care in general have become number- one priority for global  leaders and healthy planet remains fundamental to all our endeavours to make the world healthier and more sustainable.

COVID RISKS OUTLOOK REPORT 

(Published by World Economic Forum)

• 500 million people are at risk of poverty.
• A prolonged recession over the next 18 months envisaged
• Required trillions of dollars to structural shifts and global economy going forward.
• Debt is a burden for government budgets and corporate balances for many years.
• Business could face adverse consumption, production and competition patterns.
• COVID -19 could have severe post-crisis effects on the planet anf it's species.
• Years of progress could be lost through underinvestment in infrastructure ,adaptation,withdrawals from previous commitments and weaker climate actions.This would give way to a vicious cycle. of continued environmental degradation,biodiversity loss,and further zoonotic infectious(animal originated) disease outbreaks.
• COVID19 led to extreme global hunger.
• Additional 265 million people pushed into acute food insecurity doubling last years total.
• Unemployment and lack of sufficient income made life miserable.
• 8 lakhs of young people set to leave education and face huge unemployment.
• Britain's economy could shrink by 14%.this year.
• GDP could plunge 25% in the second quarter of this year.
• Interest rates hold at 0.1% in bank's 325 years of history.
• Eurozone economy could shrink 7,75% in 2020. and unemployment up to 9.5% from 7.5.
• Greece could record shrink in GDP by 9.7%
• Italy may suffer 9.5% shrinkage and Spain 9.4% .
• As a result of the pandemic the global economy projected to contract sharply by 3% in 2020.Much worse than 2008-2009 global financial crisis.
• As pandemic fades in the second half of 2020 economy projected to grow by 5.8% in 2021 as economic activity normalises helped by policy support.
• So far countries have taken fiscal actions amounting to 8 trillion dollar to contain the pandemic and it's damage to the economy. 
• Emergency lifelines provided globally include higher spending and foregone revenues (3.3 trillion dollar public sector loans and equity injections(2.7 trillion dollar)
• G20 advanced emerging economies at forefront with actions totaling 7 trillion dollar. 

NUMBER OF CASES OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE HAS TRIPLED

Every decade since 1980s more than two thirds of these diseases originate in animals .About 70% of those come from wild animals.Many of the infectious diseases were familiar with _ Ebola,HIV,Swine flu and avian flu  _ are zoonotic. SARS - COV-2 and the disease it causes the COVID -19, has demonstrated how quickly modern outbreaks can become pandemics.

• Emerging market and developing countries face several shocks
• A steep drop in demand from abroad for  goods and services-plunging commodity prices,capital flight,higher borrowing costs in final markets and have less tax benefit system.
• Countries like India, and Kenya cash transfers made with unique ID system  and digital technologies, or in-kind provisions of food and medicine, such as in Bangladesh are possible options
• China offers temporary tax relief for most affected people and firms including transportation,tourism,and hospitality services.
• Full and timely value added tax refunds can grant business access to much needed cash.
• The pandemic and lockdown led to increases in debts and deficits beyond recorded in the global financial crisis.

Shocks   faced by emerging markets and developing countries ;

A steep drop in demand from abroad for goods and services,plunging commodity prices,capital flight,higher borrowing costs in final markets are the result of the pandemic.

Countries like India and Kenya cash transfers made with unique ID system and digital technologies, or in-kind provisions of food and medicine,such as in Bangladesh are possible options. China offers temporary tax relief for most affected people and firms including transportation,tourism, and hospitality services .Full and timely added tax refunds can grant business access to much needed cash.

According to WFP 265 million people could be pushed into acute food insecurity by COVID19.Majority of acute food insecure people lived in 2019 in countries affected by conflict&&million),climate change (34 million), economic crisis (24 million).In 55 countries 135 million people experienced highest levels of food insecurity.Unemployment may rise to 35 % from 7.6%  before the pandemic. 136 million jobs lost.174 million unemployed.And an opportunity loss of one trillion dollar.

• Emergency lifelines provided globally include higher spending and forgone revenues to the tune of 3.3 trillion dollar.
• Public sector loans and equity injections 2.7 trillion dollar.
• G20 advanced emerging economies spent a total of 7 trillion dollars.
• IMF  stands to deploy one trillion dollar lending to assist member countries which focus on low-income developing countries.
• US & Germany extended unemployment benefits , pay roll tax deferral,wage subsidies to small & medium enterprises.
• France  & Japan provided paid sick and family leave to those who are unwell,self isolate,or have to stay home and look after children during school closings. 

VIRUSES

• Viruses are bits of genetic code bundled inside a collection of lipids and proteins which can include a fat based casing known as viral envelope.
• Enveloped Viruses typically survive outside of a body for only a few days.
• Once their fragile exterior is broken down , they begin to degrade.
• Every enveloped virus is different.
• On a copper surface virus could be detected for 4 hours only.Copper naturally breaks down bacteria and viruses.
• Novel coronavirus and its cousin SARS,which caused a major outbreak in 2002 and 2003 , last on surfaces for similar amounts of time.
• Influenza viruses do not contain in porous surfaces like clothes for more than 4 hours.Because clothes pull moisture away from the virus and cause to degrade.
• Never coronavirus could persist as aerosol for up to 3 hours.
• Coronavirus does not penetrate skin because skin's outermost layers are slightly acidic, which prevents pathogens from entering the body( Greatorex).
• Sars virus SARS - CoV - 2 lasts for 24 hours on a cardboard.
• Long incubation period is an alarming condition in the case of COVID -19 virus.
• A new study published in M arch 2020 in Lancet found that coronavirus patients  shed the virus for between 8 and 37 days.
• Dozens of viruses exist in the corona virus family.But only 7 affect humans.
• Four are known to cause mild colds in people,while others are more novel,deadly and thought to be transmitted from animals like bats and camels.
• SARS -  CoV - 2 is the virus causing the disease COVID - 19.
• Ultraviolet rays is thought to degrade viruses.
• Soap opens the exterior envelope and causes to degrade virus.Soap molecules can trap tiny fragments of the virus which are washed away in water.
• A full grown immune response  can take another 3 days in humans.That means a respiratory virus like the flu ,which can replicate in as little as 8 hours ,is way ahead of the game.THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IS NOT SO EASILY TRICKED THE SECOND TIME.WHEN IT HAS BEATEN AN INVADER ONCE IT KEEPS A SPECIALISED WEAPONS CACHE DEDICATED TO THAT PARTICULAR PATHOGEN,READY TO MOUNT A HIGH SPEED REACTION IF IT HAS EVER DETECTED AGAIN.

HERDIMMUNITY

So the second time the disease shows up in your body the virus would not have that handy head start.f some people pass on the infection and others do not, the average transmission rate will be less than one.When transmission rate dips less than one a community is said to have  herd immunity.

• Dozens of viruses exist in the coronavirus family, but only seven affect humans.Four are known to cause mild colds in people, while others are more novel , deadly, and thought to be transmitted from animals like bats and camels.
• According to Harvard Epidemiology professor Marc Lipsitch within the coming years some 40 % to 70 % of people around the world will be infected with the virus that causes COVID - 19 . This does not mean all will have severe illness.It is likely that many will have mild disease or may be asymptomatic.About 14% of people with influenza have no symptoms. Lipsitch is the only one with the belief that this virus will continue to spread widely.
• With the other 4 virus infections people are not known to develop long-lasting immunity. If this virus follows suit and if the disease continues to be as severe as it is now( April 2020), "cold flu  season" could become cold and flu and COVID- 19 season.
• Warmer air holds more moisture which prevents airborne viruses from travelling as far as they could in dry air.
• In humid conditions the small liquid droplets in a cough or sneeze gather more moisture as they are expelled.
• Too heavy droplets cannot stay airborne,so they drop to the ground.

RECENT VIRUS OUTBREAKS

• Ebola virus outbreak in 2014 became pandemic
• Zika virus outbreak in 2015-2016
• SARS,Swine flu , bird flu etc. were also caused by viruses.
• Dozens of viruses exist in the corona virus family.But only 4 are known to cause mild colds in people while others are  more novel, deadly, and thought to be transmitted from animals like bats and camels.
• The virus SARS-CoV-2 and its disease COVID - 19
• Two viruses are involved in the infection of this new disease.coronavirus and paramyxovirus are supposed to cause one disease.
• Gene sequencing showed the virus contains single stranded RNA.IT CONTAINS ONE COPY OF A 27 TO 32 KB LONG CAPPED AND POLYADENYLATED AND HELICALLY ENCAPSIDATED BY NUCEOCAPSID PROTEINS.
• Corona virus destroys or atleast diminishes immunity in the patient so that second virus has practically an open door to go in and to sicken the patient beyond what this virus would be able to do normally.
• Both are common viruses found in all COVID-19 patients. According to Dr. David Heymann two viruses causing a single disease complicates the situation.
• The filamentous ribonucleocapsids are surrounded by matrix proteinswhich form form the virus cores. These cores are wrapped in envelopes formed during coronavirus budding from a host cell. 
• The membranes contain distinct club or petal shaped protrutions identified as S proteins.It is these proteins that give the virions a crown like appearance  in electron microscopic images. 
• S proteins are the major antigenic determinants of coronaviruses, and they mediate receptor association and fusions of the viral and cellular membranes.
• Coronaviruses from groups 1 & 2 ( genetic and serological groups) are know to cause disease in humans.Coronavirus diversity is generated by mutations due to polymerase infidelity. A key feature of coronavirus evolution is propensity of the viral genomic RNA to recombine.
• Recombination permits the virus to aquire genes and gene regions(pieces)from other transcripts, including those of other coronaviruses . 
• SARS -CoV - 2 has been detected in few ferrets,cats,tigers and dogs. But in Wuhan bats and pangolins are the suspected sources.
• Initial patients were either stall owners , market employees, or regular visitors to the wet market.
• Cspikes consist of two connected halves and the spike activates when those halves are separated. Only then can the virus enter a host cell.
• In SARS cassic this separation happens with some difficulty. But in SARS - CoV - 2 (COVID -19) THE BRIDGE THAT CONNECTS THE TWO  HALVES CAN BE EASILY CUT BY AN ENZYME CALLED FURIN.
• 43% of  people with the COVID-19 CAUSING VIRUS WILL NOT SHOW SYMPTOMS.
• Most respiratory viruses tend to infect either the upper airways or lower airways .
• Upper respiratory infection spreads more easily , but tend to be milder  while a lower respiratory infection is harder to transmit, but more severe.
• Antiviral antibodies emerge 3 to 4 days after virus detection. Cytotoxic T cell play an important role against COVID-19.
• full grown immune response can take 3 days,which means that a respiratory virus like flu can replicate in as little as 8 hours.
• COVID -19 has time to replicate itself and infect a new host before the immune response within a cell can take around 24 hours to trigger,says Elly Gaunt(virologist, University of Edinburgh's Roslin Institute).
• African swine fever is a viral disease affecting pigs and wild boar with up to 100% fatality rate.There is no vaccine . The virus can exist in the environment and in a variety of swine products.
• First reported in Kenya in 1921. It became endemic in most sub Saharan African countries.
• The new virus could be just the very tip of the iceberg in terms of animal borne diseases infecting humans.
• Zoonoses(animal borne diseases) cause 2.5 billion cases of illnesses.And zoonotic diseases cause 2.7 million deaths every year.

Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners typically use Tan Re Qing to treat bronchitis and upper respiratory infections. Bile is extracted from Bear by inserting a catheter,syringe or pipe into gall bladder of Bear. Tan Re Qing injections contain a horn powder, extracts from several plants and Bile from bear. Clifford Steer,prof. of University of Minnesotta,Minneapolis was studying benefits of ursodeoxycholic acid. He fond that bear bile is not an effective treatment for novel corona virus.But he says ursodeoxycholic acid is distinct from other bile acids in it's ability to keep cells alive and may alleviate symptoms of COVID19 because of it's antiinflammatory properties and ability to calm the immune response.

CONSEQUENCES OF DESTROYING FORESTS AND HABITATS

• Rate of environmental degradation puts life on Earth at risk.
• Large mammal with a core body temperature of 37 degree Celsius, will be able to evolve that quickly - there is no evidence.Insects can but humans can't and that is the problem.
• Economic system is driving us towards an unsustainable future and people of our daughter's generation will find it hard to survive.
• Humans are eating away at our own life support systems at a rate unseen in the past ten thousand years,two research papers say.
• By degrading land and fresh water systems and emitting green house gases and releasing vast amounts of  agricultural chemicals into the environment.
• Every lung full of air that you take is refined by the natural world,oxygen breathed out by plants.If you can't  breathe and you can't eat,you don't exist.
• We are going into largely undisturbed places and being exposed more and more. We are creating habitats where viruses are transmitted more easily , and then we are surprised that we have new ones.
• We cut trees,we kill the animals or cage them and send them to markets.
• We disrupt ecosystems and we shake viruses from their natural hosts. When that happens they need a new host. Often we are it.
• Altered habitat leads to changes in the number of vector breeding sites or reservoir host distribution.
• Ecosystem change incuding forest placing at risk the sustainability of human well - being and development 
• Ill health is directly or indirectly a result of excessive consumption of ecosystem services(eg; food and energy). Substantial reduction in consumption would have major health benefits and simultaneously reduce pressure on life-support systems.

Scientists warn worse pandemics are on the way if we don't protect nature.Three co-authors of the comprehensive 2019 IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services explained that there are 1.7 million unidentified viruses known to infect people are estimated to exist in mammals and water birds. Anyone of these may be more disruptive and lethal than COVID-19.

CONSEQUENCES OF COVID 19

• COVID 19 led to exreme global hunger. According to world food program 265 million people could be pushed into acute food insecurity by COVID 19 doubling last year's total.(77 million). In 2019 acute food insecure people lived in countries affected by conflict, climate change(34 million),economic crisis (24 million),2019 closed with 135 million food insecure across 55 countries.
• Unemployment caused by COVID 19 in UK 9%
• British economy could shrink 14% this year.
• GDP could plunge 25% in the second quarter.Interest rates hold at 0.1%.It is first time in the history of the Bank of England. Eurozone likely to shrink 7.75%in 2020. Unemployment  9.5%
• Greece to shrink its economy by 9.7%
• GDP of Italy  & Spain to contract by 9.5% and 9.4% respectively.
• In China the pandemic has caused 15% to 40% reduction in key industrial outputs, leading to 25% drop in carbon emissions.

LIVE ANIMAL EXPORTS

• Global trade in live farm animals quadrupled over the past 50 years.
• Two billion animals a year is truckedand shipped around the world.
• In 1988 global trade in live animals was amonted to  716million dollar .
• In 2017 it has risen to 21 billion dollar.
• In 2016 Saudi Arabia alone imported live animals worth one billion dollar(but mostly sheep)
• Nearly two billion pigs,chickens,cattle, sheep,and goatrucked around the world in 2017
• The increase in the previous decades is like this: 1967(130 million),1977(260 million),1987(440 million),1997(680million),2007(1billion),20171.9 billion).

FOREST FIRES 

• Recent forest fires in Australia burned 10 million hectares of land which killed 800 million animals.
• Bush fires killed 100,000 cattle and sheep.
• 1320 farm animals euthanised or confirmed dead due to bush fires in New South Wales.
• Last year fires in Amazon made international headlines.It would have dramatic implications  for regional rainfallleading to drier conditions across South America's bread basket and major urban areas.
• Amazon forests store and recycle vast amount of carbon.When trees go the climate alters not only in the Amazon region but over a much wider area.

THE WORLD OF CHEMICALS

• Around 100,000 different chemicals find their way into everyday products.
• In 2013 worldwide chemical sales were valued at 3.2 trillion euros.
• Chemicals to assist agricultural production , develop medicine , and produce customer goods can be hazardous to human health over long term , accumulating in our bodies through environmental exposure.
• more than 25% of global burden of human disease can be traced back to preventable environmental factors, including exposure to chemicals. 
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COMMON CHEMICALS IN HOSPITALS

• Mercury in medical devices like IVs to formaldehyde in laboratories
• Gluteraldehyde in disinfectants
• Dioxins in waste dumps 

Patients and health care workers are the most vulnerable.They are exposed to these chemical substances every day.Workers who manufacture and dispose of the products are also at risk

• Disinfectants contain hazardous chemicals including sodium hypochlorite(which irritates the skin and breathing through release of chlorine gas) and glutaraldehyde (a skin irritant and carcinogen) .
• The widespread use of sodium hypochlorite is harmful. They are not only used to clean medical supplies but also to wash surfaces and floors in the reception areas and offices.This chemical cause our eyes to burn and get our sense of smell affected.

DREADFUL CONSEQUENCES

• One million people die from occupational poisoning every year.
• Two million die annually indoor smoke from solid fuel use.
• 1.2 million die every year from outdoor air pollution.
• 375 thousands die die from occupational particulates.

DESERTS

The Main Deserts

1. North African Deserts(Great Basin & Majave)

REFUGEES WORLD

• One in every 110 people is displaced.
• 68.5 million people the world over fleeing because of war or persecution.
• In 2017 16.2 million people newly displaced around the world
• refugees from Myanmar to Bangladesh over 2017 concentrated in 100 days towards the end of August was 6,55,500
• half of the refugees are children
• In 2016 50 million child migrants were there worldwide
• one in 200 refugees are children

TODAY IS WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

This year UN has set a theme for Environment Day.That is to BEAT PLASTIC POLLUTION.
We are in constant touch with and use of plastics.It has become so inseparable an item in our life.
The tragedy is the waste plastic we throw away is so huge.It causes hazardous consequences.Oceans are filled with plastics.Marine organisms including fish,birds,turtles etc. swallow this plastic.The ecosystem balance is affected.We encounter lethal diseases like cancer and such series of illness.For the healthy planet and healthy human life we have to take urgent steps to reduce plastic consumption and waste.

WHY WE NEED FORESTS

Forests play an important role in the livelihoods and welfare of a vast number of people who live in and off the forest.

1. By absorbing water and holding soil in place, forests reduce the risk of floods and mudslides that result from earthquakes and hurricanes.
2. Forests protect watersheds which supply fresh water to rivers - critical sources of drinking water.
3. The cloud forests La Tigra National Park in Honduras provide more than 40% of the water supply for the capital city,tegucigalpa and it's 850,000 people.
4. More than 1.6 billion people around the world depend to varying degrees on forests for their livelihoods,not just for food but also for fuel,for livestock grazing areas and for medicine.
5. More than 300 million people live in forests.
6. Forests are home to 80% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity.
7. Forests cover 31% of total land area .
8. More than 40% of the world's oxygen is produced by rain forests.

1. Forests Provide

SHELTER

• Livelihoods
• Water
• Fuel and Food to 2 billion people directly and help regulate the climate for everyone on the planet.

• Forests play an important role in the livelihoods and welfare of a vast number of people who live in and off the forest.

• Marine ecosystems support more than 660 million jobs globally and are significant source of protein,particularly in developing countries.
• More than 1.6 billion people around the world depend to varying degrees on forests for their livelihoods,not just for food but also for fuel,for livestock grazing areas and for medicine.
• Forests protect watersheds which supply fresh water to rivers(critical sources of drinking water).
• The cloud forests of La Tigra National Park in Honduras provide more than 40% of the water supply for the capital city,Tegucigalpa and its 850,000 people.
• Forests are home to 300 million people.
• Forests are home to 80% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity.
• The carbon in forests exceeds the amount of carbon currently in the atmosphere.
• More than a quarter of medicines  worth an estimated 108 billion us dollar a year,originate from tropical forest plants.

MANGROVE FORESTS

• Mangroves are the most productive ecosystems.
• Globally  there are 60 true mangrove sp. in 23 genera and families.
• In India there are 34 species of true mangroves. Bhitarkanika (Orissa)has 31 species. 
• Sunderbans  have 27 species
• Andaman and Nicobar islands have 24 species.
• India is home to more than 7% of the world's mangrove forests.
• Mangroves make up 8% of the Indian coastline.
• 80% of the mangrove forests are found on the eastern coast of India.
• Mangroves are also found in over two thirds of the salt water coastal areas of tropical and subtropical Africa,Asia,Australia and North America,and South America.
• Mangroves are nesting grounds for hundreds of species of birds,which build nests on the branches.
• Mangroves are very leafy and take in a lot of CO2 from atmosphere to make biomass.This reduces the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
• If mangroves are destroyed migratory birds will no longer have a safe haven to halt and rest.
• Mangrove deforestation is contributing to decline in fisheries,degradation of clean water supplies, increasing salinity of coastal soils,erosion, and land subsidence.
• Mangroves are known as soldiers of the Coasts.
• Indonesia has the largest area under mangroves with 30% of the global coverage,followed by Brazil,Australia and India.
• Red mangroves is the most common mangrove sp. in the world.
• Redmangroves (genus Rhizophora)are well adapted to salty swamps.
• Black mangroves,white mangroves,and buttonwood mangroves  grow around redmangrove clusters.
• Mangroves slow down the force of the sea waves and thus,protect coastline.
• Sunderban mangrove forests are home to more than 35 sp. of reptiles,270 sp. of birds,and 42 sp. of marine mammals.
• The salt water or estuarine crocodile (the largest of all living reptiles) is found in this mangrove forest.

VANAMAHOTSAVA

The first successful tree planting week was celebrated in Delhi in July 1947, with the participation of national leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad , Abdul Kalaam Azad, among many other important personalities. The celebration was renamed Vana Mahotsava , the grand festival of forests or trees.

BLUE CARBON FACTS

1. Mangrove ecosystems,tidal marshes and sea grasses sequester and store large quantities of blue carbon in the plants.
2. Global annual loss of these ecosystems is at the rate 1-2 % for tidal marshes;0.7 - 3% for mangroves; and 0.4 - 2.6% for sea grass.
3. The loss of all these systems  releases significant emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere and the ocean, contributing to climate change
4. Emissions from drained coastal wetlands result in 3 to 19 % of emissions from REDD
5. Coastal ecosystems provide other benefits for Climate change adaptation,local livelihoods,tourism and culture.Protection from storm and prevention of shoreline erosion,regulation of coastal water quality,habitat for important fish species and other vulnerable species.

ORGANISMS IN DRINKING WATER

1. Anabaena circinalis ,a compylobaster,salmonella
2. Salmonella enterica
3. Chironomids
4. Cryptosporidium
5. Copepods
6. Legionella pneumophila
7. Campylobacter
8. E. coli
9. Naegleria fowleri

CONSUMPTION OF WATER

In order to produce one A4 SIZE SHEET OF PAPER
10 litres of water is used
One slice of bread FORTY Litres
One glass of beer requires 75 litres of water
One cup of coffee requires 140 litres of water
Onekilogram of rice  requires 3419 litres of water.One cotton T- shirt needs 4100 litres of water.
One pair of leather shoes........8000 litres of water.

50 countries are experiencing moderate to severe water stress on a year-round basis.

• One kilogram of beef requires  15497 litres of water

One ton of aluminium requires 13 40 000 litres of water.