For Prelims: National Solar Mission, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Waste-to-Energy, National Green Hydrogen Mission, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), Direct Air Capture (DAC), Paris Agreement, Loss and Damage Fund, Green Climate Fund, GIS, Remote Sensing, Drones, LiDAR, Desalination, IoT-based Water Management, Geoengineering.
For Mains: Role of emerging environmental technologies in sustainable development, climate-change mitigation and adaptation, opportunities and challenges in their large-scale adoption.
Context
India faces major environmental challenges, including air and water pollution, climate change, waste generation, water stress, and ecosystem degradation. Emerging technologies can support the transition towards cleaner energy, resource efficiency, climate resilience, and sustainable development.
What are the Key Emerging Environmental Technologies in India?
Renewable Energy Technologies
- Solar Energy: India is rapidly expanding solar power as an important component of its clean-energy transition.
- Initiatives such as the National Solar Mission, solar photovoltaic technology, rooftop solar and state-level incentives are supporting wider adoption of solar energy.
- Wind Energy: India has significant onshore and offshore wind potential, particularly across states such as Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
- Improvements in high-efficiency turbines, grid integration and energy-storage systems can help address intermittency.
- Hydropower & Bioenergy: Hydropower continues to contribute to renewable electricity, while biogas, biofuels and biomass energy can convert agricultural and organic waste into useful energy.
Waste Management and Recycling
- Waste-to-Energy (WtE) Technologies: These technologies convert suitable waste into energy or fuel.
- Biomethanation converts organic waste into biogas, while gasification converts carbon-rich waste into synthesis gas that can be used for energy production.
- Plastic Waste Management: India is promoting recycling, reuse and alternative materials to reduce plastic pollution.
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) places responsibility on producers for managing specified post-consumer waste.
- E-Waste Management: Rapid digitalisation has increased the generation of electronic waste, making safe collection and recycling increasingly important.
- Reverse logistics supports the collection, recovery, recycling and responsible disposal of end-of-life electronic products.
Innovation in Water Purification and Wastewater Treatment
- Desalination Technologies: In water-stressed coastal regions, desalination can provide an additional source of freshwater.
- Reverse Osmosis (RO) is widely used for removing dissolved salts and impurities from seawater and brackish water.
- Rainwater Harvesting and Reuse Technologies: Rainwater harvesting remains important for water conservation and groundwater recharge, particularly in water-stressed regions.
- IoT-based water-management systems can use sensors and data analytics to detect leakage, monitor consumption and improve water-use efficiency.
- Traditional systems such as Kund/Kundi in Rajasthan demonstrate the importance of locally adapted water-conservation practices.
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Technologies
- Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): CCS can help reduce emissions from certain hard-to-abate industrial sources.
- Point-source capture removes CO₂ from concentrated industrial emissions.
- Direct Air Capture (DAC) removes CO₂ directly from ambient air, although it currently faces significant cost and energy challenges.
- Green Hydrogen: Green hydrogen is being explored for steel, chemicals, fertilisers, heavy transport and other difficult-to-electrify sectors.
- The National Green Hydrogen Mission, launched in 2023, aims to develop India as a major producer and user of green hydrogen and support the country's clean-energy transition.
Use of Drones and GIS in Environmental Monitoring
- Drones (UAVs) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Drones equipped with appropriate sensors can collect high-resolution imagery for monitoring vegetation, water bodies and land-use changes.
- They can support assessment of deforestation, land degradation, habitat changes and environmental damage, while GIS helps analyse and visualise the collected spatial data.
- These technologies can also assist in monitoring glaciers, coastal erosion, wetlands and forest ecosystems.
- Satellite remote sensing, GIS and drone-based surveys together provide complementary tools for environmental monitoring and conservation planning.
Geoengineering for Climate Change Intervention
- Geoengineering approaches are broadly discussed under two categories:
- Solar Radiation Management (SRM): It aims to reflect a small portion of incoming solar radiation to reduce warming. These approaches remain largely experimental and carry significant environmental and governance uncertainties.
- Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR): It involves removing CO₂ from the atmosphere through approaches such as afforestation, direct air capture, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and enhanced weathering.
- DAC: Uses specialised systems to extract CO₂ directly from ambient air for storage or utilisation.
- CCUS: Captured CO₂ may be utilised in industrial applications or transported for long-term geological storage.
Key Government Initiatives
- National Solar Mission – Promotion of solar-energy development.
- National Green Hydrogen Mission – Development of a green-hydrogen ecosystem.
- EPR Framework – Producer responsibility for specified waste streams.
- National Geospatial Policy 2022 – Strengthening India's geospatial ecosystem.
- SVAMITVA Scheme – Drone and GIS-based mapping of rural properties.
- National Water Policy & Water Conservation Initiatives – Promotion of efficient water management and conservation.
For Mains Value Addition: Emerging environmental technologies can support India's development goals, but their success depends on affordability, technological maturity, infrastructure, skilled manpower, environmental safeguards, financing and effective policy implementation.
UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Prelims
Q. With reference to ‘Water Credit’, consider the following statements: (2021)
- It puts microfinance tools to work in the water and sanitation sector.
- It is a global initiative launched under the aegis of the World Health Organization and the World Bank.
- It aims to enable the poor people to meet their water needs without depending on subsidies.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Ans: C
Mains
Q. Suggest measures to improve water storage and irrigation system to make its judicious use under the depleting scenario. (2020)
Q. Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy is the sine qua non to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.Comment on the progress made in India in this regard. (2018)
