Cyclone Nilam to hit Tamil Nadu at 100 kmph-Here are the latest developments in this story:

hennai:  Cyclone Nilam is expected to hit the coast of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh tomorrow afternoon. Heavy landfall is being expected by forecasters after the deep depression which had formed in the Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclone. According to forecasters, the cyclone will hit the Tamil Nadu coast at 100 kmph.

Here are the latest developments in this story:

1. Coastal districts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh braced for a cyclonic storm that is expected to make landfall tomorrow, as incessant rains hit normal life today in Chennai.
2. The system, named 'Nilam', as suggested by Pakistan under the cyclone naming procedure, would move northwestwards and is likely to cross the coast between Cuddalore and Nellore by tomorrow afternoon or evening.
3. In Nagapattinam and Cuddalore, cyclone shelters have been kept ready in with essential supplies. The government plans to send generators and sand bags to vulnerable areas in the districts.
4. In Chennai, 282 schools and 52 community halls have been kept ready for shelter. Four community kitchens are to be activated by the authorities. No evacuation is likely today though as there has not been heavy rainfall yet.
5. According to officials, the sea will be "very rough to high" and fishermen in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts have been advised to stay off the sea. Boats have been moved to low-lying areas.
6. Windspeeds can reach upto 90 km in Chennai and there could be some disruption in communication lines, say officials. Danger signals ranging from five to seven have been hoisted at Chennai, Ennore, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Puducherry ports.
7. Normal life in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore and Villupuram was hit by incessant rains since morning. A holiday was declared today for schools and colleges.
8. In Andhra Pradesh, a third warning signal has been issued in Krishnapatnam, Vadarevu, Machilipatnam and Nizampatnam ports while fishermen have been warned not to venture into sea.
9. Control rooms have been opened in the coastal districts, particularly SPS Nellore and Prakasam that are expected to face a major impact of the cyclone.
10. "The district has a clear contingency plan; each department including the police, fire and rescue services have been allotted specific work like clearing fallen trees, evacuating people etc. and all 21 cyclone shelters are ready," the Collector of Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu,  Mr T Munusamy told NDTV. Cuddalore collector, Mr Rajendra Ratnoo said generators and sand bags have been made available for the district.

Cyclone: ONGC halts capping operation to stop gas flow

New Delhi, Oct. 30: 

Due to cyclonic weather, ONGC has kept capping operations to stop flow of gas from its east coast field on temporary halt.

“As soon as the weather improves, the capping of the well would be taken up,” the public sector oil & gas producer said in a statement.

The company said the observed leakage was only of gas, which is insignificant and is localised within a very limited area. “It has not caused any environmental damage. ONGC vessels have noticed normal fauna (bird and fish) activity around the area,” the company said.

Normally, gas is non-polluting to the marine environment, it said, adding that as a measure of precaution, the company had informed the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Oil Industry Safety Directorate, the Coast Guard and the Navy.

The company said after noticing the leakage, it had initiated immediate action and the debris accumulated around the X-Mas Tree (well-head production equipment) had already been cleared in preparation for capping activities. Further, the custom-made capping stack had been prepared and transported offshore. 

richa.mishra@thehindu.co.in

What havoc will cyclone Nilam wreak?

Heavy rains expected this morning but storm will be marginal, say officials; fisherfolk asked to stay off sea

Even as the city is just recovering from the first spell of northeast monsoon rains, a deep depression over southwest Bay of Bengal on Monday is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm and revive the monsoon over Chennai.

Cyclone Nilam is likely to be a marginal cyclonic storm. The wind speed is expected to reach up to 90 km per hour but may not cause wind damage.

Strong surface winds prevailed across the city owing to the deep depression located 500 km south-southeast of Chennai. With the winds raging at 70 km per hour, motorists had a tough task riding on the dusty roads. Some motorists even had a tough time balancing their vehicles as they passed through Kamarajar Salai.

Chennaiites can expect heavy rains on Tuesday as the weather models indicate that the cyclonic storm is likely to develop by Tuesday morning or late evening. It is expected to move westwards towards Trincomalee and then north-westwards. The cyclonic storm may cross north Tamil Nadu and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nagapattinam and Nellore on Wednesday midnight.

The city’s beaches were a popular destination on Monday as residents gathered to witness the rough seas and surging waves Several fishermen from hamlets along the coastline from Ennore to Pattinapakkam stayed off the sea as they were warned against fishing. P. Panneerselvam of Ennore said that only fishermen in fibre boats ventured out into the Ennore creek. Trawlers were returning to the coast. “The sea is rough. But, it has not affected the hamlets so far,” he added.

According to the Meteorological department, distant cautionary signal number one has been hoisted at Chennai port. This is the lowest among the signals, which indicates the potential cyclonic storm.

“It may be similar to cyclone Nisha that struck the Tamil Nadu coast in November 2008. Its wind speed was only 85 km per hour and was more of a rainstorm,” he said.

As the spatial extent of Nilam would be more, several coastal districts, including Chennai, of the State are likely to get heavy rainfall on Tuesday and Wednesday.

100 homes destroyed by fire in NY in wake of cyclone

People come out to see the heavy surf that was caused by Sandy today in Cape May, New Jersey. Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Related

• US east coast braced for worst hurricane in its history | 30/10/2012
• Americans told to 'prepare for worst' with arrival of 'monster storm' | 30/10/2012
• New Yorkers treating Sandy as a storm in a teacup | 30/10/2012

Up to 100 homes have been destroyed by a huge fire in a the flooded New York area of Queens. Huge swathes of New York were deserted and dark as America’s largest city reeled under the full force of Superstorm Sandy.
More than 190 firefighters have contained the fire in the Breezy Point section, but they were struggling with some pockets of fire.

A fire department spokesman said one firefighter suffered a minor injury and was taken to a hospital. Two civilians suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.

Officials said the fire began in an area flooded by Sandy after it began sweeping through the city.

The neighbourhood sits on the Rockaway peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean.

As the storm moved slowly inland, millions along the US East Coast awoke without power or transport.
New York’s financial heart in Lower Manhattan remained closed for a second day and seawater cascaded into the still-gaping construction pit at the World Trade Centre.
The storm killed at least 16 people in seven states, cut power to more than six million homes and businesses from the Carolinas to Ohio, caused scares at two nuclear power plants, and put the presidential campaign on hold a week before election day.
The massive storm reached well into the Midwest: Chicago officials warned residents to stay away from the Lake Michigan shore as the city prepared for winds of up to 60 mph and waves exceeding 24 feet well into tomorrow.
An unprecedented 13-foot urge of seawater - 3 feet above the previous record - gushed into lower Manhattan, inundating tunnels, subway stations and the electrical system that powers Wall Street, and sent hospital patients and tourists rushing for safety.
Skyscrapers swayed and creaked in winds that partially toppled a crane 74 stories up.
President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in New York and Long Island, making federal funding available to residents of the area.
Remnants of the former Category 1 hurricane were forecast to head across Pennsylvania before taking another sharp turn into western New York state.
Although weakening, the massive storm - which caused wind warnings from Florida to Canada - will continue to bring heavy rain and local flooding.
As Hurricane Sandy closed in on the Northeast, it converged with a cold-weather system that turned it into a monstrous hybrid of rain and high wind - and even snow in West Virginia and other mountainous areas inland.
Just before it made landfall at 8pm local time near Atlantic City, New Jersey, forecasters stripped Sandy of hurricane status - but the distinction was purely technical, based on its shape and internal temperature. It still packed hurricane-force wind, and forecasters were careful to say it was still dangerous to the tens of millions in its path.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fZZwDLXYAEg

Frequently Asked Questions on Climate Change Finance

Q1. What is the relevance of finance in the climate change debate and negotiations?

Climate change has major implications in terms of finance. All actions to address climate change ultimately involve costs. Funding is vital for countries like India to design and implement adaptation and mitigation plans and projects. On the other hand, it is widely acknowledged that the costs of climate change actions are relatively high for developing countries The problem is more severe for developing countries like India, would be among the hardest hit by climate change. Moreover, beyond being vulnerable to climate change impacts, developing countries have fewer resources to adapt: socially, technologically and financially and also have claims of competing demand on the scarce resources available.

Q2. How does the provision of finance to developing countries relate to the articles of the Convention?

In view of 'common but differentiated responsibilities', and varying contributions to climate change by different countries, the articles of the UNFCCC Convention clearly make provisions regarding , who the providers of the resources would be and where the resources are needed. Article 4.3, establishes that the developed country Parties and other developed Parties included in Annex II shall provide new and additional financial resources to meet the agreed full costs incurred by developing country Parties in complying with their obligations under the convention. It also states developed country Parties shall also provide such financial resources, including for the transfer of technology, needed by the developing country Parties to meet the agreed full incremental costs of implementing climate change measures. On the same lines, Article 4.4 deals with adaptation cost, and Article 4.5 with technology transfer. The Convention also acknowledges that climate change actions taken by developing countries are contingent on the resources made available to them, and hence, it is stated in article 4.7 that, 'The extent to which developing country Parties will effectively implement their commitments under the Convention will depend on the effective implementation by developed country Parties of their commitments under the Convention related to financial resources and transfer of technology' . To facilitate the above principles article 11 of the convention makes a calls for a mechanism for the provision of financial resources on a grant or concessional basis, including for the transfer of technology, which shall function under the guidance of, and be accountable to the Conference of the Parties, which shall decide on its policies, programme priorities and eligibility criteria related to this Convention.

Q3. Do the provision of funds under the Convention justify the requirement of climate change finance needed to address global adaptation and mitigation?

Even though, the Convention has squarely put the responsibility for the provision of financial support on the developed countries, the pledges and commitments taken by them to provide financial resources under the head of fast start finance and long term finance, only collectively amounts to US$ 30 billion for the period 2010-12 and US$ 100 billion annually from 2020, respectively. It has been estimated by many studies that the funds currently available under the Kyoto Protocol and the Convention are small compared to the magnitude of need assessed. The UNFCCC has estimated a requirement of US$ 200-210 billion in additional annual investment in 2030 to return GHG emissions to current levels. Further, additional investment needed worldwide for adaptation is estimated by the UNFCCC to be annually US$ 60-182 billion in 2030, inclusive of an expenditure of US$ 28-67 billion in developing countries. Most recent estimates at the recently held UNFCCC's three day workshop on Long term Finance (July 2012) point out to an even enormous scale of funds in the range of $600-$1500 billion a year that would be needed by developing countries for mitigation and adaptation. This amount is at least 5-10 times the prospective financing flows when referring to the $100 billion per year goal by 2020 agreed under the Cancun Agreement. Therefore, the current provision of funds clearly does not justify the requirement estimated globally for climate change finance.

Q4. How do the developed country Parties intend to meet their commitment under long term finance? What is the stance of developing countries on this?

The goal of long term finance is to raise US$ 100 billion annually by 2020 to fund climate change adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. The mobilization of this requisite amount has been agreed from a variety of sources- public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources. However many developing countries are of the view that though alternative and private sources can be explored to fill the gaps between the demand and supply of climate finance, public finance should be at the core to ensure predictability and reliability of flow of funds to the developing countries. On the other hand, developed countries seem to be pushing this responsibility on the alternative and private sector due to their current weak fiscal and economic environment. This is also reflected in the report of the High Level Advisory Group (AGF) convened by the UN Secretary General to identify sources of finance to generate the US$ 100 billion target. The AGF recommendations are not designed to fit within the requirement that finance be mobilized from primarily public sources.

Q5. What do the terms "new and additional" mean in the context of climate change finance negotiations

The term "new and additional" in the context of provision of finances by developed countries can be traced right from the text of the Convention to various COP decisions like Bali Action Plan, Copenhagen Accord and Cancun Agreements. For example, the Copenhagen Accord notes that, "The collective commitment by developed countries is to provide new and additional resources, including forestry and investments through international institutions, approaching USD 30 billion for the period 2010-2012 with balanced allocation between adaptation and mitigation." In this sense "new and additional" refers to provision of financial resources that represent new commitment, rather than those that are diverted from flows that have already been earmarked for some other form of development assistance. Increasing resources flowing to climate finance should not lead to a reduction of resources available for development assistance. While, this sounds quite simple, but there is no agreed definition of additionality in climate finance and the developed and developing countries have diverging views. As far as the experience on fast start finance is concerned, developed countries resort to self reporting of their fast start pledges, and each country had its own interpretation to the term. Developing countries are of the view that provision of climate finance by developed countries should be "new and additional" to the developed countries commitment of providing 0.7% Gross National Income (GNI) for overseas development assistance (ODA). Another important point with development programmes and many adaptation and mitigation programmes is that they have significant overlapping benefits, hence, developing countries want that there should be no relabelling or rediversion of development aid as climate finance.

Q6. What is Global Environment Facility (GEF)?

Global environment Facility was created in 1991 as a result of mounting concern in the preceding decade over global environmental problems and efforts to formulate financing responses to address these problems. Of the many ideas for financing environmentally beneficial projects proposed by various governmental and non-governmental institutions, the GEF was the one which finally received the necessary political and financial support. The GEF is funded by donor nations, who commit money every four years through a process known as GEF replenishment. The GEF makes these grants available to developing countries and economies in transition to support actions to address critical threats to the global environment in the areas related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer and persistent organic pollutants. Apart from serving as the financial mechanism of UNFCCC, GEF also serves as the financial mechanism of other Conventions, namely Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Stockholm Convention on POPs and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD).

Q7. Why was there a need to set up the Green Climate Fund , when already the GEF was set up?

With the growing realization about the large amount of resources that would be required for climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially in developing countries and also with fourth assessment report of the IPCC establishing this fact. It became evident that the funding and operational arrangements under the Global Environment Facility were inadequate, and there was a need for major and urgent reforms in the financial mechanism. With this, the developing countries initiated the talks on the need of a new green fund to carry out the full mandate of provision of financial resources to developing countries exclusively dedicated to climate change, unlike GEF which serves broader areas of global environment. Moreover, the GEF is based on voluntary contributions rather than being based on the principle of assessed contributions, which generates concerns over the political neutrality of the Fund. It was established at that time without any legal capacity and there were also other concerns, like lack of financing for adaptation. This is also because adaptation targets local impacts and associated vulnerabilities rather than generating global benefits, which the GEF mandates. Most importantly the funds received under the climate change focal area in GEF were not in line with the actual requirement of funds, and neither was the scope of GEF large enough to channel and disburse a significant part of the US $100 billion pledged under long term finance by developed countries, which would now flow through the Green Climate Fund. All these reasons lead to the formation of the Green Climate Fund.

Q8. What is the green climate fund?

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is designated as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is accountable to and will function under the guidance of the Conference of the Parties (COP). It has been formed in accordance with article 11 of the Convention, and has been founded within the framework of the UNFCCC as a mechanism to transfer money from the developed to the developing world, in order to assist the developing countries in adaptation and mitigation actions to combat climate change. The formal decision to form this Fund was taken at the 15th CoP in Copenhagen. And it is expected that the GCF would deliver a significant portion of the climate finance pledge by developed countries to mobilize $100 billion per year by 2020 for mitigation and adaptation in developing countries.

Q9. Which countries are obligated to provide funds and which all Parties or countries are eligible to seek such funds provided by the GCF and the Convention?

The UNFCCC (Art 4.3) calls for developed country Parties and other developed Parties included in Annex II to provide new and additional financial resources to meet the agreed full costs incurred by developing country Parties in complying with their climate change obligations and needs. As far as the GCF is concerned, the governing instrument of the GCF specifies that the fund will receive financial inputs from developed country Parties to the Convention and it may also receive financial inputs from a variety of other sources, public and private, including alternative sources. There are no obligations towards the developing country Parties to provide finance or other resources as they are not responsible for the current climate change. However, as specified in the governing instrument of the GCF, all developing country Parties to the Convention are eligible to receive resources from the Fund. As far as the countries eligible to obtain funds are concerned, article 4.7 of the Convention only refers to "developing" countries, and not further subsets of "eligible" and "ineligible" when talking about provision of resources for climate change needs . However, Article 4.8 does permit a prioritization in terms of climate finance for specified categories of developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change in respect of adaptation and response measures, but again it does not refer to eligibility. Therefore, all developing country parties are eligible to seek funds for climate change needs, under the Convention. The specific Parties that are acknowledged as being particularly vulnerable are:

• Small island countries;
• Countries with low-lying coastal areas;
• Countries with arid and semi-arid areas, forested areas and areas liable to forest decay;
• Countries with areas prone to natural disasters;
• Countries with areas liable to drought and desertification;
• Countries with areas of high urban atmospheric pollution;
• Countries with areas with fragile ecosystems, including mountainous ecosystems;
• Countries whose economies are highly dependent on income generated from the production, processing and export, and/or on consumption of fossil fuels and associated energy-intensive products; and
• Landlocked and transit countries

Q10. At the 17th CoP in Durban, which all features of the Green Climate Fund was India particularly interested in achieving? Were we able to strike a deal on all of them?

India wanted to see the Green Climate Fund to be operationalized particularly with a strong and independent legal status, a strong relationship between the COP and the GCF, as well as strong role for the National Implementing entities in the operation of Green Climate Fund. India played a key role in pushing for a satisfactory consensus outcome on the above features and was able to secure them through challenging rounds of negotiations. Through the final outcome of the negotiations, India and like minded countries were able to secure juridical personality and legal capacity as is necessary for the exercise of the GCF's functions and the protection of its interests. The final decision also ensured a paramount role of the National Implementing entities to ensure consistency of fund use with national climate strategies and plans, and most importantly a clearly articulated relationship with COP, by making the Board accountable to it. Also, in order to ensure accountability to the COP, the Board will receive guidance from the COP including on matters related to policies, programmes priorities and eligibility criteria, and matters related thereto. The Board will also submit annual reports to the COP for its consideration and receive further guidance.

Q11. What is the role of the Board in the matters relating to GCF? How will this Board be formed? Why is the membership important for India?

The Green Climate Fund will be governed and supervised by a Board that will have full responsibility for funding decisions. The Board will oversee the operation of all relevant components of the Fund, approve operational modalities, access modalities and funding structures, approve specific operational policies and guidelines, including for project cycle, financial management etc. Because of the extremely important role that the Board will play in the decision making of funds, India's strategy is to pitch in for membership in the Board. The Board will have 24 members, comprising of an equal number of members from developing and developed country parties. Representations from developing country Parties will include representations of relevant United Nations regional groupings, and from Small Island developing States (SIDS), and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Within the regional groupings of the UN, India falls in Asia Pacific group from which three members would be chosen.

Brief on Climate Change Finance

Brief on Climate Change Finance
Climate change is a complex policy issue with major implications in terms of finance. All actions to address climate change ultimately involve costs. Funding is vital in order for countries like India to design and implement adaptation and mitigation plans and projects. The problem is more severe for developing countries like India, which would be one of the hardest hit by climate change, given its need to finance development. Most countries do indeed treat climate change as a real threat and are striving to address it in a more comprehensive and integrated manner with limited resources at their disposal. But financial ways and means must be found to enable developing countries to enhance their efforts in this direction, especially to to enhance their adaptive capacity. Thus climate change is an environmental issue, an economic cost and a developmental issue.
Lack of funding is a large impediment to implementing adaptation plans. The scale and magnitude of the financial support required by developing countries to enhance their domestic mitigation and adaptation actions are a matter of intense debate in the multilateral negotiations under the UNFCCC. The Convention squarely puts the responsibility for the provision of financial support on the developed countries taking into account their contribution to the stock of GHGs in the atmosphere
Internationally Climate change finance forms one of the core issues of climate change negotiations from the developing country perspective. As per the Convention under the framework of UNFCCC, provision of adequate climate change finance by the developed countries to developing countries is a commitment/obligation of developed countries (responsible for historic emissions and causing climate change). Developed country parties have to mobilize and provide funds for addressing adaptation and
mitigation at the required scale through the Financial Mechanism of the Convention.
One of the mandates of the Convention is that the finance provided by developed countries will be ‘new and additional’, i.e. over and above the development assistance in form of ODA. Moreover, climate change finance has to be in the form of grant and concessional finance. The Convention also puts various other finance imperatives of the developed countries towards the developing countries through the articles of the Convention listed below
The developed country Parties and other developed Parties included in Annex II shall provide new and additional financial resources to meet the agreed full costs incurred by developing country Parties in complying with their obligations under Article 12, paragraph 1. They shall also provide such financial resources, including for the transfer of technology, needed by the developing country Parties to meet the agreed full incremental costs of implementing measures that are covered by paragraph 1 of this Article and that are agreed between a developing country Party and the international entity or entities referred to in Article 11, in accordance with that Article.”
Article 4.5: “The developed country Parties and other developed Parties included in Annex II shall take all practicable steps to promote, facilitate and finance, as appropriate, the transfer of, or access to, environmentally sound technologies and know-how to other Parties, particularly developing country Parties, to enable them to implement the provisions of the Convention. In this process, the developed country Parties shall support the development and enhancement of endogenous capacities and technologies of developing country Parties.”
Article 4.7. “The extent to which developing country Parties will effectively implement their commitments under the Convention will depend on the effective implementation by developed country Parties of their commitments under the Convention related to financial resources and transfer of technology and will take fully into account that economic and social development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding priorities of the developing country Parties.”
Article 11.1.“A mechanism for the provision of financial resources on a grant or concessional basis, including for the transfer of technology, is hereby defined. It shall function under the guidance of and be accountable to the Conference of the Parties, which shall decide on its policies, programme priorities and eligibility criteria related to this Convention. Its operation shall be entrusted to one or more existing international entities.
Countries like India that are on the path of development would need access to finance and technology, if the world is to achieve emission standards in line with the stabilization and sustainable development goals. The funds that are currently available under the Convention and Kyoto Protocol are small compared to the magnitude of need assessed by many studies. The UNFCCC has estimated a requirement of US$ 200-210 billion in additional investment in 2030 to return GHG emissions to current levels. Further, additional investment needed worldwide for adaptation is estimated by the UNFCCC to be US$ 60-182 billion in 2030, inclusive of an expenditure of US$ 28-67 billion in developing countries. As various estimates point to the enormity of funds needed for meeting the long-term finance requirements for adaptation and mitigation, developing countries including India have
been arguing that a global mechanism for generating and accounting for additional resources, mainly from public sources, is essential. There should be a multilateral financial mechanism under the Convention that should be set up with resources provided by developed countries on the basis of assessed contributions
Attempts are being made to design appropriate institutions and mechanisms for this purpose at the global level. This is evident in the setting up of a GCF under the Convention, developed countries’ announcement of US $ 30 billion as fast start funds, US $ 100 billion (to be mobilized) as long-term finance, etc. However, these attempts do not suffice to address the challenge. On the other hand, efforts are being made by the developed countries to shift the discussion on ‘sources of long-term finance’ to the G20 forum where the emphasis is on evolving new and innovative financial instruments involving both developed and developing countries. This idea is strongly resisted by many developing countries in the multilateral negotiations. The high-level panel appointed by the UN Secretary General in 2010 had attempted to address some of these issues but its recommendations which favour dependence on market-related instruments (not public funding) and private-sector resources have not found favour in the multilateral negotiations
A major part of the adaptation and mitigation needs of developing countries can be met by accessing international finance. The mobilization of the requisite amount of climate finance for the developing countries will be one of the biggest challenges in the times to come. Though alternative sources including the private sector can be explored to fill the gaps between the demand and supply of climate finance, public finance should
be at the core to ensure predictability and reliability of flow of funds to the developing countries
Given the magnitude of the task and the requirement of funds, domestic finances will likely fall short of the current and projected needs. Global funding through the multilateral mechanism of the Convention will enhance domestic capacity to finance climate-related efforts. To facilitate financial support, the Convention established a financial mechanism to provide funds to developing country Parties. Currently, GEF which is the operating entity of the financial mechanism of the Convention provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit the global environment, linking local, national, and global environmental challenges and promoting sustainable livelihoods. With the COP finalizing the design of the GCF at the recent Durban conference after protracted negotiations, it is expected that the GCF will be the main channel of finances to address climate change in future. There are specific funds established under the multilateral climate change regime(Box12.9).There are also funds administered by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, etc. with clear climate change components.
At Cancun Conference (December 2010), a decision was taken that developed countries will provide fast start finance of US $30 billion and a Green Climate Fund will be set up to mobilize resources up to US$100 billion per year by 2020. A Transitional Committee has been formed to design the Green Climate Fund. A Standing Finance Committee has also been formed to cohere the work of the GCF with the various financial institutions, operating entities and work under the advice and direction of the Conference of Parties in the interest of achieving the objectives of the
financial mechanism of the Convention. While the Cancun decisions have recognised the need of having a separate Fund and reaffirmed that funding for adaptation will be prioritized for the most vulnerable developing countries, such as the LDCs, SIDS, and Africa and the Durban meeting finalizing the design of the fund, the work relating to climate finance is far from complete. While the debate on climate finance continues, actual flow of money has been insignificant.
Long-term finance is another issue that is very much part of the on-going negotiations. The Cancun Agreements also recognized the commitment of developed country parties to a goal of jointly mobilizing US$ 100 billion per year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources. At the Durban conference, these issues were further deliberated upon. Another point of concern is that various innovative sources of finance, for example, aviation tax, being deliberated upon may have incidence on developing countries. Hence the multilateral negotiations must ensure that incidence (of innovative sources of financing) should not fall on developing countries which is in violation of the principle of CBDR.
At Durban, a work programme on long-term finance has been launched, with the aim of contributing to the ongoing efforts to scale up mobilization of climate change finance after 2012, and analyse options for the mobilization of resources from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources. The work programme will draw upon relevant reports including that of the High-level Advisory Group on Climate Financing and the report on mobilizing climate finance for the G20 and the assessment criteria in the reports.
Though the Durban Conference has led to several positive outcomes, there are still some areas of concern in which further work will be needed to safeguard the interests of developing countries in future climate change deliberations. The sources and channels of providing long-term finance by developed countries have not been clearly identified. It is necessary to expeditiously identify the sources of finance and provide initial capital to the GCF for its operations. Further, it is necessary to include the obligations of developed country parties under the Convention to provide finance, technology, and capacity building as part of the new arrangements to be developed under the Durban Platform. Also the issues of mobilization and provision of necessary resources on a predictable basis and relationship of these mechanisms with the financial mechanism of the convention remain to be addressed.
On its part, India is strongly committed to engage constructively and productively with the international community in the global efforts to preserve and protect the environment and collectively deal with our common global challenge of climate change. India is also committed to spend large resources through its planning process on meeting the domestic mitigation goal of reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 20-25% by 2020 in comparison with 2005 level.
India recognizes that a strategy for addressing climate change has to be based on the strategy of sustainable development. This is reflected in many of the major programmes addressing climate variability concerns. Current Government expenditure in India on adaptation to climate variability
exceeds 2.6 per cent of the GDP, with agriculture, water resources, health and sanitation, forests, coastal zone infrastructure and extreme events, being specific areas of concern.
India has prepared a comprehensive National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) with a view to achieve sustainable development with co benefit in terms of climate change. Eight national missions in the area of solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture, sustainable habitat, water, Himalayan eco-system, increasing the forest cover and strategic knowledge for climate change form the core of National Action Plan. Besides, there are several initiatives envisaged in the sectors pertaining to energy generation, transport, renewable, disaster management and capacity building that are to be integrated with the development plans of the Ministries. The Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change, set up in June, 2007 monitors the implementation of the national Missions and related actions in India.
While India has taken a number of steps, on its own, to adapt to climate change and mitigate its emissions in the interest of its energy security and sustainable development, increased domestic momentum for addressing climate change also critically depends on multilateral negotiations taking place at international forums and actual disbursement of fast start and long term finance promised at Cancun.

yclone Nilam to cross Nagapattinam-Nellore coast on Wed School & few industrial houses decided to shut

oastal districts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were issued cyclone warning on Tuesday. The deep depression which had formed in the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a cyclone, which was named as Nilam, is expected to cross Nagapattinam and Nellore, southern coastal districts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday evening.
It may be noted, coastal district of Tamil Nadu had a severe impact when the strongest tropical cyclone Thane hit the state in December 2011. The cyclone had left at least 46 dead in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry and the state Government alloted Rs 1,000 crore for construction of houses, farm lands and for small and medium enterprises and others.

According to Met department the cyclonic Nilam is on around 500 km on south-southeast of Chennai and 100 km east-northeast of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka and expected to intensify further into a cyclonic storm and move north westwards and nd cross north Tamil Nadu and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nagapattinam and Nellore on Wednesday afternoon/evening, said the Department officials.

Some of the factories, ports and education institutions have decided to shut down as part of security measures in the south coastal areas of Tamil Nadu. Fishermen in Nagapattinam, Chennai and Puducherry have been asked to not venture into the sea.

S Gopal, managing director of Chemplast Sanmar Ltd, which has a PVC facility at Cuddalore, said that the company has decided to shut down the factory as part of safety measure. Though this cyclone is milder than Thane, we decided to close the factory taking workers safety into account. He noted the factory did not report much damage when Thane hit the coast at 160 kms per hour.

Met Department said speed squally winds of Nilam would be 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph would prevail.

Officials from the Ports of Chennai and Tuticorin have said that as part of safety measured they moved all the vessels from the Port to the anchorage area. At Chennai port 12 vessels were moved from the Port to the anchorage area on Tuesday evening.

Authorities from the Nagapattinam district, one of the worst hit areas during Thane cyclone, said that the each department including the police, fire and rescue services have been allotted specific work and they are geared up fully, 21 cyclone shelters are set ready.

In Chennai 280 corporation schools and four community kitchens are ready to be used as temporary relief centres.

While schools were closed on Tuesday and will remain closed on Wednesday, offices and factories continued to work and factories of Ashok Leyland, Daimler, Hyundai and IT companies were working normally on Tuesday.

Depression turns into cyclone, to cross Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh coast tomorrow

CHENNAI: A deep depression lying 500 km south east of Chennai has intensified into a cyclonic storm and is expected to cross the coast between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh on Wedbesday, bringing in torrential rains in the region.

The system, named 'Nilam', as suggested by Pakistan under the cyclone naming procedure, would move northwestwards and cross the coast between Nagapattinam and Nellore by Wednesday afternoon/evening.

Under the influence of the storm, rainfall at most places, with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall, would occur over coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during next 12 hours, an bulletin issued by Area Cyclone Warning Centre here at 1 pm said.

It forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall and isolated extremely heavy rainfall (25 cm or more) in the region during the subsequent 36 hours.

"Squally winds speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph would prevail along and off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts during next 12 hours. The wind speed would gradually increase thereafter as the system comes closer to coast," it said.

Sea will be "very rough to high" and fishermen in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts have been advised to stay off the sea.

Windspeeds can reach upto 90 km in Chennai and there could be some disruption in communication lines, the bulletin said.

Danger signals ranging from five to seven have been hoisted at Chennai, Ennore, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Puducherry ports.

In Chennai, normal life was hit by incessant rains since morning. A holiday was declared today for schools and colleges in Chennai and some other districts.

Kollidam in Tamil Nadu recorded the highest rainfall in the state at 15 cm in the last 24 hours ending 8.30 am today.

The north-east monsoon which set in over the state on October 19 has been very active and has already brought in copious rainfall in several parts of the state.

Disposal Of Hazardous Material

There are many businesses that generate wastes considered hazardous or harmful to human health or the environment. Due to the harmful potential of these materials, workers must be aware of the safety hazards and follow proper handling and disposal procedures in order to protect the environment, themselves, and comply with state and federal regulations.
Workers that generate or handle hazardous waste must be trained on the material’s hazards and safe handling procedures including its collection, labeling, and storage before being transported for final disposal or treatment. Workers should also be trained on emergency and accidental spill response procedures for the materials.
Hazardous materials should never be disposed of down the drain or in regular trash receptacles. They should be put into proper and compatible containers that can be securely sealed. Compatible containers insure the waste material will not react with or corrode them. Storage containers should have a “head space” to allow for waste expansion. Sealed containers should be labeled with the name and hazard class of the waste along with the words ‘Hazardous Waste’ and the date it was generated. Waste storage time limits vary depending on the facility or material.
Waste containers should be securely stored and protected from extreme environments to prevent ruptures, overturns, or other failures and should remain closed during storage, except when adding or removing waste. They should be stored in compatible hazard classes (flammable, corrosive, oxidizers, etc.) and segregated to prevent hazard-ous reactions if the wastes combine. Some flammable material containers may require grounding and containers should be seismically secured, if possible, to prevent spills in an earthquake.
Storage areas for hazardous wastes should be inspected at least weekly. Secondary containment can prevent spills, but if a leak or spill occurs, workers should follow facility spill and emergency response procedures. Spill kits should be available for such emergencies and all cleanup materials should be handled as hazardous waste.
Proper waste documentation is important to track and maintain accountability for hazardous waste prior to shipment. Workers should be familiar with the documents required for their facility and waste types including EPA identification numbers issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifests. Workers must receive training before they can sign waste manifest documentation. Transportation of hazardous wastes should be done according to regulation requirements and by dedicated hazardous waste haulers. q

Spill Prevention And Response

Spills in the workplace cause hazards from slips and falls, exposure to the spilled material, and accidental release into the environment. Know the proper storage, handling, use, and spill response for the materials in your workplace.
Get training on your worksite spill response plan and the materials that you use and store. Read the material safety data sheets (MSDS) that explain correct spill response techniques, cleanup methods, and disposal. Know when it is safe for you to clean up a spill yourself and when to call your supervisor, the company spill response team, or an outside resource for assistance. Know what equipment you will need to clean up properly. Use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for spill response such as gloves, safety glasses, coveralls, and/or respirators. Know where your spill response materials are located at work and how to use them.
Limit the amounts of new and hazardous materials stored on your site to minimize the risk and size of spills. Place materials out of the lane of foot and vehicle traffic to prevent accidental spills. Store materials indoors and away from exterior doors and sewer drains to prevent accidental releases to the environment. Consider double containers for materials stored in large quantities, that may create a difficult cleanup task, or that can be toxic or hazardous even if spilled in small amounts.
Carry one item at a time when you are moving or dispensing chemicals. Place multiple items in a rolling cart or tray instead of trying to carry them all at once. Check storage equipment, material lines, and dispensing areas for signs of leaks regularly.
If you cause a spill or find a spill, immediately notify your supervisor and coworkers in the area. If the spilled material is flammable or volatile, shut off flame sources and air the area out if it is safe to do so. If possible, protect floor drains or outside access areas from the spill. Cordon off the spill area to prevent further access and potential exposures. If you or a coworker was exposed to the spilled material, use emergency eye washes or showers for at least 15 minutes, get to a well-ventilated area, and seek medical attention, if needed.
Using your worksite spill response plan and information about the material, determine if the spill is small enough and of the type that you can clean up yourself. Generally, spills of one cup or less can be wiped up with paper toweling or absorbent spill kit materials.
Spills of approximately one gallon can be cleaned up with spill kit materials such as spill socks, pads, or absorbents. If you use loose absorbent materials, spread them around the spill and work toward the inside
to reduce splashing or spreading the spill. Spills over two gallons in size may require emergency cleanup from a worksite spill response team or an outside resource. q

The Hidden Cost Of Accidents

For ship captains in arctic waters, icebergs are a major concern. They know that below the surface of the iceberg’s tip lies an unseen force with the potential to sink a ship and all its crew. Like an iceberg, workplace accidents contain hidden (or indirect) costs with the potential to sink a company by draining its profits. One way to prevent workplace accidents and the impact of their resulting costs is to create and maintain an effective safety and loss prevention program.

The visible or direct costs of an accident are obvious when the medical costs, compensation payments, and

insurance premium are calculated. These costs are generally paid by the insurance company using premium

dollars and some employers consider these costs “part of doing business.” But these direct costs are just the tip of the accident expense iceberg. Studies show that for every dollar of direct costs there are many more dollars in indirect costs, the hidden, uninsured cost of accidents. Many companies are unaware of the underlying cost repercussion generated by a single accident, because those expenses may not be immediately

obvious. Indirect costs vary greatly from case to case and are not easily identified. They’re often less

predictable and therefore, more difficult to control. 

These hidden costs are ultimately paid for out of company profits. Indirect costs include:

• Time lost wages
• Lost productivity and revenue
• Disrupted work schedules
• Training new workers
• Damaged to material
or equipment
• Overhead paid during
work disruption
• Lost customers
or sales
• Litigation fees or fines
Keep your company afloat. Look at your business. See where accidents are likely to occur. Be proactive in
preventing workplace accidents by establishing a safety program that educates workers in accident and injury prevention. Every accident that’s prevented will save your company money – money that will remain in
profits. An ongoing safety program is your best protection against the financial impact of a workplace accident. q

Warm Up
Working in cold conditions can result in cold stress or hypothermia which can negatively affect worker health and safety. Construction workers can develop cold stress when working outdoors on a cold day; in an unheated building; in cold water, rain, or snow; or while handling cold objects or materials.
Once the body loses its ability to maintain a normal temperature, the body temperature lowers, and symptoms such as violent shivering, dehydration, numbness, frostbite, or immersion foot (trench foot),
slow or slurred speech, confusion, hallucinations, a weak and irregular pulse, or unconsciousness can occur. Manual dexterity also decreases with cold and can result in unsafe work practices. Employers can protect workers from cold stress by providing training, controlling temperature and wind when possible by
using heaters and windbreaks, rotating workers in cold jobs, scheduling work at warmest times, encouraging self-pacing and extra breaks if necessary, establishing a buddy system, and keeping first aid supplies and equipment available. Workers can prevent cold stress by dressing with warm, layered, proper insulated

and well- ventilated clothing; seeking warm locations during breaks; and replacing lost fluids with warm, sweet, non-caffeine-containing drinks. Certain people are more susceptible to cold stress - people who are not physically fit, have a chronic illness, drink alcohol or take drugs (including prescription drugs), are wet or damp from work or weather, are fatigued, are exposed to vibration from tools, don’t wear the right

clothing, or are not used to working in cold conditions. By taking the necessary precautions,

employers and workers together can minimize the potential for cold stress.

e. If your tools are sharp and in good repair,they’ll require less force to use. The size, texture or padding of a tool can also affect your grip and handling ease. In some cases, properly fitted gloves, finger cots, or tape can increase friction and reduce force.

Contact force occurs when a body part is pressed against a hard surface- such as a tool handle, lever or worktable. Combine force with a harmful position and the risk of muscle fatigue or injury increases. Use your whole hand or as much of your hand as possible when grasping a tool or object. Repetitions can be reduced if you can alternate your work tasks or change the way you do them. This allows different muscles a chance to rest. Reduce the likelihood of developing work-related MSDs by becoming aware of what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, and how long you’re doing it.

Dermatitis

Occupational dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin that results from exposure to an irritant on the job. The irritant can be chemical, mechanical, physical, or biological. How the skin responds to the irritant varies by the type
of skin (pigmentation, dryness, hairiness), age, sex, season of the year, history of skin disease or allergy, and personal hygiene.
A reaction can occur from one exposure or from long or repeated exposures. But no matter how or where it occurs, it is much easier to prevent than to cure.
There are two kinds
of dermatitis: contact dermatitis – when the irritant causes an immediate, one-time reaction, and sensitization dermatitis – when the reaction is delayed from several hours to
several months.
• Chemicals, producing burns or mild skin irritation, are the most frequent cause of dermatitis.
• Mechanical causes include friction, pressure, and trauma resulting in abrasions, wounds, bruises, or foreign bodies (like glass fiber) getting into the skin. Physical agents leading to dermatitis are excessive heat, cold, sunlight, ultraviolet light, X-rays or other ionizing radiation.
• Biological agents such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, poisonous plants, and insects can cause or complicate occu-pational dermatitis.
What can be done to prevent or lessen the chance of developing dermatitis? Personal cleanliness is one of the best preventive measures. Wash your hands often with a mild, non-abrasive soap and immediately wash any skin area that’s been exposed to an irritating substance.
Eliminate skin contact with irritating substances or substitute less toxic and irritating ones where possible. Engineering controls, such as enclosures, guards or mechanical handling devices, can help minimize contact with hazardous substances. Protective
clothing and equipment, including aprons, eye and face shields, finger cots, gloves, and chemical-resistant clothing
can also help, if they are kept clean and in good repair. Laundering procedures should be maintained to ensure that irritating materials are removed from clothing and not taken home. Protective creams, when used properly, provide some protection.
The most important thing an employer
can do is establish an employee education program so that workers who may be exposed to skin irritants are informed about the hazards, understand the precautions, and know what processes or equipment to use to avoid or minimize exposure. q

Respiratory Protection

The best method of controlling exposures to hazardous airborne substances is to prevent the air from becoming contaminated in the first place. This should be accomplished as much as possible by engineering controls, such as local exhaust ventilation. But, when airborne exposures cannot be controlled, or while controls are being installed, appropriate
respirators may be used.
Respirators are a type of personal protective equipment used to provide protection against worker exposure to airborne substances and allow workers to breathe safely in those environments. It’s an employer’s responsibility to determine if the work their employees do should be performed while wearing a respirator. The employer should provide their workers with the right respirator for their job. It should be made clear to workers that they should not use any other respiratory protective device at work without the full understanding and agreement of their employer. Before a worker may use a respirator, he/she must pass a medical evaluation, be trained in the use, maintenance, inspection, and care of the respirator, and be fit-tested.
There are three basic types of respirators: air-purifying respirator, supplied-air respirator, and self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). The proper selection and use of respiratory protection is essential to controlling airborne exposures with respirators. A written respiratory protection program must be established and implemented.
Prior to the use of respiratory protection, selection of the proper type of respirator by the employer should be based on the following:
• Identify the substance or substances againstwhich protection is necessary.
• Determine the hazards of each substance.
• Evaluate the conditions of exposure and the air concentrations of the substances.
• Verify that there is adequate oxygen in the air.
• Provide each employee who will be wearing a respirator with a medical evaluation prior to using a respirator.
• Fit the respirator carefully and instruct the worker in its use.
• Know the limitations of the respiratory protective device.
State Fund has a staff of Industrial Hygienists available to its insured for respirator consultation and recommendation.
Respiratory Protection
If you receive a puncture or cut on the job, notify your supervisor immediately. If you can, gently wash the area with soap and water. To stop bleeding, apply gentle pressure to the wound with clean gauze, cotton, or other absorbent material. When bleeding has stopped, apply an antibacterial ointment and a clean dressing to the wound. If you cannot stop the bleeding, if the wound is very large, or if you are impaled with an object, seek medical attention. Watch the wound for signs of infection including fever, severe pain, and redness beyond the wound edge, swelling, warmth, or pus drainage. Get medical attention immediately, if you suspect an infection.
If the wound was caused by a nail or other sharp object, you may be exposed to the bacteria that cause tetanus. Consider getting regular boosters for tetanus every five to ten years. Consider a Hepatitis B vaccination, if you may be exposed to needlesticks and if the needlestick was potentially exposed to bloodborne pathogens, seek medical testing

Protecting Workers From Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

Being in compliance with the Cal/OSHA (or Federal OSHA) noise regulations does not always prevent work-related hearing loss or a workers’ compensation claim. That’s because research indicates that the current regulations simply aren’t protective enough.
Cal/OSHA’s noise regulations have a permissible noise exposure level (PEL) of 90 dBA (decibels, A-weighted) for 8 hours. The regulations also set an “action level” of 85 dBA. When employees are exposed above this action level, the employer must implement a hearing conservation program that includes annual hearing tests to determine if employees have experienced a hearing loss.
There are two deficiencies with the current regulations that put employees at risk. First, the Cal/OSHA PEL and action level are not protective enough. Secondly, some industries (most notably construction and agriculture) are exempt from having a hearing conservation program. Without annual hearing tests, a worker may not notice (or bring to the attention of the employer) a hearing loss until it becomes debilitating. Once hearing is lost, the damage is permanent.
There are guidelines for employers that
protect employees from the damaging effects of occupational noise. One of these is the threshold limit value (TLV) set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Another is the recommended exposure limit (REL) set by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Both guidelines recommend an exposure limit of 85 dBA for an 8-hour workday.
Not only do ACGIH and NIOSH guidelines lower the exposure limit to 85 dBA, they
also lower what is called the “exchange rate” from 5 dBA to 3 dBA. When the sound
level increases by the decibel value of the exchange rate, the allowed duration is halved. In other words, Cal/OSHA allows an employee to be exposed to 90 dBA for 8-hours, 100 dBA for 4-hours, etc., while ACGIH and NIOSH recommendations allow 85 dBA for 8-hours, 88 dBA for 4-hours, etc. That’s quite a difference between what’s allowable under the law and what’s considered protective. In addition, NIOSH and ACGIH recommendations for annual hearing tests do not exempt any industries.
If you want to save workers from the debilitating effects of hearing loss, and prevent costly workers’ compensation claims, protect your employees by following the ACGIH or NIOSH guidelines.

Be Safely Clean With Good Hygiene

Be Safely Clean
With Good Hygiene
Workers who practice good personal hygiene can prevent the spread of germs and disease, reduce their exposures to chemicals and contaminants, and avoid developing skin allergies, skin conditions, and chemical sensitivities.
One way to assure good hygiene is to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face protection, gloves, coveralls, and boots. Workers should inspect, clean, decontaminate or replace their protective equipment frequently to make sure it isn’t damaged and won’t collect or absorb irritants.
Periodic hand washing throughout the day is basic to good hygiene; scrubbing with soap and water helps remove germs, contaminants, and chemicals. It can also prevent exposure by ingestion and cross-contamination. Workers should wash their hands before they take breaks at work to eat, drink or smoke; after they use the restroom; and before, during, and after preparing food. To control the spread of germs that can cause the flu or common cold, workers should wash their hands whenever they cough, sneeze, or blow their noses, and whenever they are around someone that is sick.
Showering and face washing after work is also a good idea. Proper personal hygiene and hand protection can help keep workers productive and on the job.