World Bank Study on Black Carbon

In News

Recently, the World Bank (WB) released its research report titled “Glaciers of the Himalayas, Climate Change, Black Carbon and Regional Resilience” .

Major Findings 

• Coverage 

• It covers the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush (HKHK) mountain ranges.
• There are almost 55,000 glaciers in the HKHK mountains, and they store more freshwater “than any other region outside the North and South Poles”.
  • The glaciers contain estimated ice reserves of 163 cubic kilometres, of which almost 80% feeds the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra.

• According to the report, glaciers are melting faster than the global average ice mass.
  • The rate of retreat of HKHK glaciers is estimated to be 0.3 metres per year in the west to 1.0 metre per year in the east. 
  • Black Carbon(BC) adds to the impact of climate change.
• Causes:Industry [primarily brick kilns] and residential burning of solid fuel together account for 45–66% of regional anthropogenic [man-made] BC deposition, followed by on-road diesel fuels (7–18%) and open burning (less than 3% in all seasons)” in the region.

• Impacts
  • Deposits of BC act in two ways hastening the pace of glacier melt:
    • By decreasing surface reflectance of sunlight and by raising air temperature
  • Glacier melt produces flash floods, landslips, soil erosion, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF).
  • In the short run, the higher volumes of melt water could replace receding groundwater downstream. But in the long run, decreased water availability would aggravate water shortage.

• Progress 
  • Some of the ongoing policy measures to cut BC emissions are enhancing fuel efficiency standards for vehicles, phasing out diesel vehicles and promoting electric vehicles, accelerating the use of liquefied petroleum gas for cooking and through clean cookstove programmes, as well as upgrading brick kiln technologies.
  • However, with all existing measures, water from glacier melt is still projected to increase in absolute volume by 2040, with impacts on downstream activities and communities.

• Suggestions 
  • Black carbon (BC) deposits produced by human activity which accelerate the pace of glacier and snow melt in the Himalayan region can be sharply reduced through new, currently feasible policies by an additional 50% from current levels.
  • Full implementation of current policies to mitigate BC can achieve a 23% reduction but enacting new policies and incorporating them through regional cooperation among countries can achieve enhanced benefits.
    • Regional integration and collaboration was one way to address the question of melting glaciers. 

• Specifically, in the Himalayas, reducing black carbon emissions from cookstoves, diesel engines, and open burning would have the greatest impact and could significantly reduce radiative forcing .
•  More detailed modelling at a higher spatial resolution is needed to expand on the work already completed.
• It is calling upon regional governments to review policies on water management, with an emphasis on basin-based regulation and use of price signals for efficiency, careful planning and use of hydropower to reflect changes in water flows and availability, and increasing the efficiency of brick kilns through proven technologies. 
• There must also be greater knowledge sharing in the region.

Source:TH