E-Paper
IIT alumnus wins US environment award
Rajendra Shende, an alumnus of the IIT Mumbai, has become the first Indian to bag an award from the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) .
Rajendra Shende, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai, has become the first Indian to bag an award from the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) for efforts to protect the ozone layer.
"Ours is the first globally established capacity building and technology cooperation programme under the UN system to implement the globally agreed environmental treaty," Shende, who heads the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) OzonAction here, told IANS just before leaving for Washington to receive the award Wednesday.
"We have developed a number of innovative mechanisms that have become models to implement other global multilateral agreements," he said, ahead of a global meet of IIT alumni in Washington later this month.
The OzonAction programme is a coordinating body that has seen the successful implementation of the Montreal Treaty, which seeks to protect the ozone layer by phasing out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-destructive chemicals from around the world.
This is also the first time that a UN agency is getting an award from the EPA.
The EPA praised the "leadership and innovation of the OzonAction programme and said it has benefited over 140 countries through its unique regional networks of national ozone units and global information clearinghouse.
According to Shende: "The award reminds us of what can be achieved when the commitment of the poorest nations to protect the earth for future generations is combined with the resolve of the richest countries to do their part for peace, prosperity and environmental health.
"What you get are amazing global success stories that go beyond conventional thoughts and immensely benefit humanity."
He adds that it was not an easy task. "Our OzonAction programme for assisting the developing countries worked in the most demanding circumstances ever faced by any UN programme. The Montreal Protocol has definite and precise time targets for the phase-out of ozone depleting substances. And those time targets applied equally across the board to all 140 developing countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
"When the programme started 12 years back, there were no guidelines on how to build the capacity of the developing countries to enable them to meet such exacting compliance with the Multilateral Environmental Agreement. I had to lead the programme through 'learning by doing'," Shende said.
"The treaty is bearing fruits," he said. "According to the best scientific knowledge, the chemicals that have been destroying the ozone layer are now at or near peak and could begin to dissipate."
He says the Montreal Protocol has resulted in significant net benefits for human health, fisheries, and agriculture and building materials.
"By implementing this treaty alone, the world is avoiding 1.5 million cases of skin cancer, 330,000 deaths due to skin cancer and 129 million cases of cataracts. Benefits to agricultural production are estimated at about $190 billion by 2060 and total economic benefits are estimated at $459 billion as compared to the cost of implementation of $235 billion - a significant net economic benefit," claims Shende.
The ozone layer is a scattering of the blue-tinged gas in the stratosphere and starts about 15 km above the earth. The ozone gas is so thinly scattered that if collected together, it would form a girdle around the earth no thicker than the sole of a shoe. It enables life on the earth to exist by screening out the harmful ultraviolet rays.
For decades, the ozone layer had been under attack due to the use of CFCs in refrigerants and other forms.
Worldwide efforts that began in 1987 to protect the ozone layer by signing of the Montreal Protocol appear to be bearing fruit. Scientists report that the chemicals that have been destroying the ozone layer are now "at or near peak," and could begin to dissipate slowly if nations stay the course.
The EPA's choice of UNEP for an award is unique since the US shares a rather edgy relationship with the UN, especially when it comes to multilateral environment protection programmes like the Kyoto Protocol.
"The appreciation of the award panel, highlighting UNEP's leadership and innovation is not only rewarding, but also encouraging for our further work," said Klaus Toepfer, UNEP executive director.
"The Montreal Protocol is succeeding in its objective of phasing out the global production and consumption of ozone depleting substances, but there is still much work left to be done, particularly in developing countries," he said.
