Cement Energy and Environment

mean plants do not have to invest in pollution abatement technologies; finally, costs such as health impact and environmental damage, called externalities, are left out of the tariff calculations. These make electricity from coal "affordable". Courtesy: Down To Earth, 16-28 February 2015, Pp. 27-28 COAL BASED POWER & MERCURY EMISSIONS The thermal power sector contributes 87 per cent of total mercury emissions in the country. Mercury emitted by power plants enters water bodies through ash as well as through precipitation from the atmosphere and can enter the human body if contaminated fish is consumed. CSE's Pollution Monitoring Laboratory (PML) conducted a study in 2012 to investigate mercury pollution in Singrauli-Sonbhadra region where several coal– based power plants and coal mines are located. The study revealed alarming levels of mercury in drinking water, fish and human blood and tissue– evidence of mercury poisoning in local population was widespread. During 2013-14, CSE's PML collected and analysed coal and ash samples from coal mines and thermal power plants from across the country. The study found, on an average, very high (0.61 mg/kg) mercury in domestic coal. India's coal– based power plants are estimated to be emitting around 440 g/GWh of mercury into air and water. India has no regulations to control mercury. But it may now be under pressure to introduce norms as India became a signatory to the Minamata Convention, a UN agreement, in September 2014. China recently stipulated mercury emission norms of 104 g/GWh. Indian plants will need to cut mercury emission by 75 per cent to meet the Chinese standards. However, the real challenge is to effectively enforce them. CSE estimates total mercury emission may grow to nearly 700 tonnes per annum by 2021-22, if left unchecked. Courtesy: Down To Earth, 16-28 February 2015, Pg. No. 33 OUTCOMES OF CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE 2014 AND EVALUATIONS RELATED TO TURKEY United Nations Climate Change Conference of year 2014 was held on 1-12 December 2014 in Lima, the capital of Peru. Around 11.000 people attended the conference from more than 190 countries . Turkey attended the conference with an official party of about 50 people, in the Presidency of Minister of Environment and Urbanization Mr. ldris GOLLOCE, including the related Ministries and a limited number of private sector representatives. In the conference, TCMA was represented by the Director of Environment and Climate Change Canan DERINOZ GENCEL. New Agreement Framework was Determined for Post 2020 • The Kyoto Protocole ends in 31 .12.2020. In the climate change conferences of the past years, it was decided that a new agreement which will be valid after year 2020 will be signed in the 2015 meeting. • In this context, the year 2014 conference focused on the new agreement and a new agreement framework was determined. The draft text related to the new agreement is planned to be prepared before May 2015. • The most important element of the new agreement is that it will include all the countries. In this regard , all countries were invited to state their "national contributions" before the climate change conference of year 2015. • As it will be remembered, the Kyoto Protocol includes only the developed Annex-1 countries and contribution from other developed or developing countries is not expected. For this reason, Turkey is conducting negotiations for an agreement text in which all parties will take responsibility and not only Annex-1 countries. The new agreement framework will ensure that countries with high emissions such as USA, China, India will state their contributions as well. • National contributions will be; clear, transparent, and understandable. Related base year will include time intervals and methodologies to calculate greenhouse gas emissions. It will include efforts for their national contributions to be fair and assertive, with taking national conditions into consideration. Post 2020 New Agreement and Turkey • Turkey did not undertake any emission reduction commitment in the Kyoto Protocol I. And II. Commitment periods. Turkey is in the scope of Annex-1 of the Agreement which the developed countries fall within the scope of Kyoto Protocol, but has special conditions (e·conomic and humane indicators are in the 18 -;