428 species of birds found in the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve

According to a recent publication entitled “Birds of the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve”  released by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), the Sunderbans is home to 428 species of birds. One in three of the bird species of India are found in the unique ecosystem, with some of them being endemic to the region. The Indian Sundarbans is part of the largest mangrove forest in the world. 

The book not only documents the avifauna of the Sunderbans, but also serves as a comprehensive photographic field guide, with detailed distribution and locality data for all the species from the region with photographs of the males and females of various species. According to the authors, the book is meant to kindle interest and spread knowledge about birds among people from all walks of life — from forest staff to tourists to amateur birdwatchers. The publication has been compiled by three scientists — Kailash Chandra, Director, ZSI, Gopinathan Maheshwaran, head of the bird section of the ZSI, and Amitava Majumdar.

The Indian Sunderbans, which covers 4200 sq. km, also includes the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve of 2585 sq. km — home to about 96 royal Bengal tigers (as per the last census in 2020). It is a world heritage site and a Ramsar site (a wetland site designated to be of international importance). 

Some of the 428 birds listed in the book, like the masked finfoot and the Buffy fish owl, are found only in the Sunderbans. The area is home to nine out of 12 species of kingfishers found in the country as well rare species such as the Goliath heron and the spoon-billed sandpiper.

Highlighting the significance of the publication, Dr. Kailash Chandra said India has over 1300 species of birds and if 428 species of birds are from the Sunderbans, it means that one in every three birds in the country is found in the unique ecosystem. “The publication not only highlights the ecological and conservation aspect of the Sunderbans, but through detailed description of bird species and localities where they are found we want to encourage birdwatching,” Dr. Kailash Chandra said. 

Pointing out that scientists and nature lovers are observing the 125th birth anniversary year of Salim Ali, the Birdman of India, the ZSI Director said,  “Birdwatching not only brings people closer to nature, but also creates awareness and livelihood opportunities for the locals.”

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Head of Forest Force, West Bengal, Ravi Kant Sinha said the Sundarbans are the most diverse of natural landscapes and accounts for 60% of all mangrove forests in the country. “The mudflats exposed in the low tides, rich in microorganism deposited during tidal activity, are ideal feeding for migratory birds. The mudflats and wetlands of the Sundarbans act as a stopover site for migratory birds,” Mr. Sinha added.

(This post is based on a report in The Hindu dated January 25, 2021.)

The US rejoins the Paris Agreement

 On his first day in office, the incoming US President Joe Biden signed an executive order for the country to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement. In the US, the Republican Party does not believe in climate science, while the Democratic Party does. Thus the climate policy depends on which party hold power in the White House and Congress. 

In 2001, President George W. Bush, had pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol. Under President Barack Obama, however, the US played an active role in climate negotiations. By 2015, the negotiations progressed with the Obama administration engaging in diplomacy, resulting in the Paris Agreement premised on voluntary targets for national emissions cuts. President Obama was present in Paris along with world leaders.

Under the Paris Agreement, the US had made a national pledge to achieve an economy-wide reduction of its GHG emissions by 26%-28% below the 2005 level by 2025 and to make best efforts to reduce emissions. However, soon after he became the President in 2017,  Donald Trump ordered the US  withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. The US was no longer bound by its pledge to cut emissions. The US also stopped its contribution to the UN’s Green Climate Fund, to which it had pledged $3 billion, after transferring an estimated $1 billion. 

On the contrary, the Trump regime took many anti-environmental measures such as:

• relaxing controls on emissions from fossil fuel-based industries, 
• diluting standards on air quality and vehicular emissions, hydrofluorocarbon leaking and venting from air-conditioning systems, 
• loosening the way the government calculated the social cost of carbon, 
• restraining individual States such as California from setting higher standards, 
• revoking protection for natural habitats including the Arctic (as demanded by the oil and gas industry) and for individual wildlife species. 

In all, more than 100 environmental rules were relaxed by the administration, with some rule reversals remaining in process when the presidential election took place, and others taken to court. 

Another step was to weaken the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enforce the law. The scientist leading the production of the National Climate Assessment, Michael Kuperberg, was replaced just after it became clear that Mr. Trump was losing the election. 

The Clean Power Plan, a major provision from the Obama-era to cut power sector emissions by 32% over 2005 levels by 2030, was initially replaced with the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, with a reduction effect of only 0.7%, according to an estimate by Harvard Law School. In the final days of the Trump presidency, however, the ACE rule was struck down by a court, giving Mr. Biden the freedom to reformulate a strong rule. 

The US accounts for 15% of global GHG emissions, but it is the biggest legacy contributor of atmosphere-warming gases. Transport (28%) and power (27%) are the two biggest national sectors contributing to GHG emissions, followed by industry (22%) and agriculture (10%), according to data published by the EPA in 2020. Commercial and residential emissions together make up only 13%. Significantly, 10% of U.S. emissions are methane, which has a greater warming effect than CO2, and 81% is carbon dioxide. The rest is made up of nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases. 

Mr. Biden, who has formed a high-powered team including special presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry, to lead clean development, has placed climate change as one of his key priorities. He has promised an “enforcement mechanism to achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2050”, including a target no later than the end of his term in 2025, aided by a planned federal investment that will total $1.7 trillion over ten years, besides private investments. 

The plan revolves around the creation of 10 million well-paying clean energy jobs with a focus on solar and wind power, close linkages between university research and the private sector modelled on the post-World War II economy, active support for carbon capture, utilization and storage, and a renaissance in green transport that includes the “second great railroad revolution” in a country that starved the railways to promote cars and road freight. 

In his Plan for Climate Change and Environmental Justice released before the election, Mr. Biden said that America would strongly support multilateralism again, but also called for accountability from other countries, including the top emitter, China, on GHG emissions. Nations that default could face carbon adjustment fees or quotas. This year’s UN climate conference in Glasgow will see the new administration engaging UNFCCC member-nations to raise global ambitions.

America’s return to the Paris Agreement will take effect on February 19, 2021, which would be 107 days after its withdrawal under the Donald Trump administration became formal on November 4, 2020. 

(This post is based on an article in The Hindu dated 24^th January 2021.)