Carbon Capture technologies- India report from NITI Aayog

 This report explains that CCUS will play an essential role in meeting India’s global commitments of reducing CO2 emissions by 50% by 2050 and achieving net zero by 2070.

Extract:

There are different categories and types of commercial-scale carbon capture technologies and their suitability or appropriateness for different applications/sectors depends on the typical CO2 gas stream composition: 

a. Chemical solvent-based CO2 capture technologies: preferred when dealing with gas streams that are lean in CO2 and have relatively lower pressures, such as flue gas streams from power plants, BF gases in steel plants, gas streams in refineries or chemicals plants. The cost and availability of steam is also a key factor as regenerating the solvent requires large quantities of steam. 

\b. Physical solvent-based CO2 capture technologies: these work well on gas streams with relatively higher CO2 concentration and pressure, such as pre-combustion capture in the case of gasification projects. 

c. Adsorption-based CO2 capture: suitable for gas streams with moderate to high pressure and moderate CO2 concentration such as SMR flue gas or BF gas. 

d. Cryogenic CO2 capture: preferred in cases where the cost of power is low. This technology can be applied for carbon capture from the PSA tail gas of Steam Methane Reforming Units (for producing H2 ) and provides a unique advantage of increasing the yield/recovery of hydrogen production from the same quantity of feedstock (natural gas).

Download report: 

https://www.niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2022-12/CCUS-Report.pdf

Indian farmers adoption of farming practices to mitigate climate change

 Climate change is adversely affecting the Indian agricultural sector. Farmers’ perceptions of and adaptation to the rapidly changing climatic conditions are considered crucial policy measures to combat these adversities. In this context, the present study systematically reviews the literature on farmers’ perception and adaptation in India, drawing mainly from Scopus and Web of Science. Results show that majority of the Indian farmers have perceived a rise in temperature, erratic and decreased rainfall which is consistent with the meteorological data. Indian farmers seem to have adopted a wide range of adaptation measures that are mostly incremental and systemic. Transformational adaptations in the form of substantial changes in land use, resource and labor allocations, occupational pattern, and cropping systems are also increasingly found to be adopted by farmers. However, the literature does not substantially confirm that farmers’ adaptation measures result from their perception of climate change. Lack of access to sufficient information and adequate credit at the right time, household income, farm size, gender, and resource endowment, among others, frequently influences the adoption of adaptation measures. To avoid maladaptive outcomes and achieve long-term sustainability, the study suggests a need for large-scale investments in the Indian farming sector in general and building farmers’ capacity in particular. In addition, adopting an integrated approach for assessing farmers’ perception of and adaptation to changing climatic conditions and their outcomes is essential for effective policymaking towards achieving food security and farmers’ wellbeing.

Download paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010022001007

Hope for Mangroves in India

 The MISHTI, ‘Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes,’ comes after India joined the Mangrove Alliance for Climate launched during the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Egypt in November 2022. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a new initiative for mangrove plantations along the coastline and on saltpan lands in her budget speech on February 1, 2023. In India, the total mangrove cover is 4,992 square kilometres, according to the 2021 Forest Survey Report (FSR). The country lost 40 per cent of its mangrove cover during the last century.

Read the manual on Mangrove Nursery.

Climate Smart Agriculture- ecourses from World bank

Several E-courses are offered by World bank to understand more about Climate Smart agriculture.
Read: World Bank

Climate Change agreements and technology transfer

No less than a technological revolution, both in the development of new technologies and in enhancing access to existing technologies by developing countries, is necessary to enabling action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.Several technologies are identified in UNFCCC report:

Technologies for mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions:
 Examples of technologies for mitigating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions may include:
• Energy efficiency;
• Renewable energy technologies, including solar panels, wind turbines, biomass and hydro-power generation, as well as technologies for geothermal energy and ocean energy;
• Carbon capture and storage, which involves capturing carbon dioxide before it can be emitted into the atmosphere, transporting it to a secure location, and isolating it from the atmosphere, for example by storing it in a geological formation;
• Hybrid vehicles, for example those that switch between electric and combustion engines;
• Nuclear power.
Examples of technologies for mitigating methane (CH4) emissions may include:  

• Animal waste management: Methane released from liquid manure management systems can be captured and used to meet a portion of a farm’s energy requirements or simply flared;
• Livestock management: Improved nutrition and grazing management has been identified as effective in increasing efficiency and reducing methane emissions;
• Landfill methane capture and use: The principal approach to reducing methane emissions from landfills involves the collection and combustion or use of landfill gas. Landfill gas utilization technologies focus on electricity generation and direct gas use;
• Natural gas and oil systems: Current opportunities for reducing methane emissions include both process and hardware improvements, such as equipment upgrades.
Examples of technologies for mitigating nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions may include:
• Matching nitrogen supply with crop demand, tightening nitrogen flow cycles, and optimising tillage, irrigation and drainage could reduce nitrous oxide emissions from fertiliser use by 19%;
• Fertiliser: Nitrogenous fertilizers play an important role in increasing crop yields. Reducing N2O emissions can include the use of low N2O-emitting fertilizer or the use of slow-release fertilizers and nitrification inhibitors.
Examples of technologies for mitigating hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) emissions may include:
• Improved design, tighter components, and recovery and recycling during servicing and disposal of refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pumps can reduce lifetime HFC emissions at moderate to low costs.
Technologies for adaptation to adverse impacts of climate change:
 Examples of technologies for coastal areas:
• Accommodate sea-level rise (improved drainage, emergency planning);
• Protect against sea-level rise (hard, soft and indigenous technologies);
• Managed retreat.
Examples of technologies in the agricultural and fishing industries:
• Tolerant/resistant crop varieties (to drought/heat, salt, insects/pests);
• Efficient water utilization and improved irrigation systems;
• Heat-tolerant livestock breeds.
Examples of technologies for water resources:
• Water recycling and conservation (including rainwater harvesting);
• Water desalination.
Examples of technologies for health improvement:
• Disease monitoring and surveillance;
• Upgrading of drinking water and sanitation.
Examples of technologies for systematic observation and monitoring:
• Improved data collection;
• Improved data management and data processing systems.

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