Page 2 - Ecological Sustainability

Global Green Growth Institute, EESL to implement project in India

Global Green Growth Institute and Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) will collaborate to implement the Asia Low Carbon Buildings Transition (ALCBT) project in India. With the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) as the nodal ministry, the strategic initiative aims to combat the unprecedented surge in peak electricity demand in the country, primarily propelled by the escalating need for cooling solutions, according to a statement. Germany through its Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) is funding the project under the International Climate Initiative (IKI). EESL in collaboration with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), an international inter-governmental organisation, has announced the launch of the ALCBT project in the country. They will undertake a range of activities to address the pressing challenges associated with the surging demand for electricity in the building sector. One of the key components of the ALCBT project implementati

Tunnel collapse: 'Address ecology in Himalayas for safe development'

Horrific incidents like the partial collapse of an under construction tunnel on the Char Dham route in Uttarkashi's Silkyara would continue to happen if ecological concerns were not addressed, noted environmentalist Ravi Chopra said on Monday. Chopra had resigned last year as the chairman of a Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee on Char Dham all-weather road expressing disappointment over the apex court order limiting the panel's jurisdiction to only two 'non defence' stretches of the project. For development in the Himalayas, it is necessary to first address ecological concerns, he said, adding sustainable development demands approaches that are both geologically and ecologically sound. "Unless this balance is achieved such horrific incidents will continue to happen," Chopra told PTI. A portion of the tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed in the early hours of Sunday. Rescue operations are being carried out to ...

Green engineering need of hour, construct sustainable structure: Prez Murmu

"Green engineering" is the need of the hour, President Droupadi Murmu told officers of the Military Engineer Services (MES) on Friday as she asked them to construct eco-friendly and sustainable structures that promote the use of renewable energy. Addressing a group of MES probationers, who had called on the President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here, Murmu said, "The role of an engineer is not just limited to calculations, designing and construction. It is much broader and includes connecting communities, realising the dreams, and shaping the future." "As young officers who have just entered the service, you must be well aware of the environmental challenges and issues of climate change. It is your duty to design and construct such structures which are eco-friendly, sustainable and promote the increased use of renewable energy," she said. Murmu pointed out that the field of engineering is ever-evolving, with new technologies and methods emerging at an astonishing pace. "You need to

How climate change is helping pests and diseases destroy our food

As temperature rise, you have this expanded geographic range and this expanded range of insects that will just increase those diseases that insects spread

NHAI releases first sustainability report on environmental responsibility

NHAI's sustainability efforts have yielded positive results in terms of environmental and energy conservation

Projects must not be launched without assessing impact: Medha Patkar

Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar on Monday said infrastructure projects should not be launched without properly assessing their ecological impact as she extended support to the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti. Arriving in the subsidence-hit Uttarakhand town on Monday, Patkar apologised for visiting late. "The Joshimath crisis is a warning bell. The authorities must wake up to the damage caused by mega development projects to the fragile Himalayan ecology," she said. Infrastructure projects should not be launched without properly assessing their impact on the ecology, Patkar added. She also addressed a meeting organised by the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti on the tehsil premises and said she stood with the affected people. The Samiti's 11-point list of demands includes the permanent scrapping of the NTPC's Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel power and the Helang-Marwadi bypass road projects that, it feels, are responsible for the subsidence crisis in Joshimath. It has also dema

Every living thing

The ecological messages in two recent poignant and thought-provoking films are unsettling and disturbing, but they also offer an alternative model to conservation

Multilateral bodies need to be rejigged for more climate finance: Kant

India would focus on sustainable development at the ongoing G20 deliberations

A tall order

Biodiversity targets will be hard to achieve

Nearly 200 nations adopt key biodiversity pact to protect 30% lands, oceans

The pact includes measures deemed critical to addressing the dangerous loss of biodiversity and restoring natural ecosystems

COP15: Japan commits 1 billion yen to make sustainable use of nature

At biological diversity meeting, Japan, Keidanren Committee on Nature Conservation, UNDP, others have announced 4th phase of community development and knowledge management for Satoyama Initiative

PM Modi's vision of ecological harmony is taking shape: Bhupender Yadav

Union minister Bhupender Yadav held a review meeting in Kuno National Park with a team of researchers, scientists, and forest officials on Sunday

UP to develop one wetland in every district to promote eco-tourism

The Uttar Pradesh forest department has decided to develop one wetland in every district as an ecotourism site under the 'One District One Wetland' initiative

Most Asian countries behind biodiversity targets for protected areas: Study

Most countries in Asia have failed to achieve a global minimum target of protecting at least 17 per cent of land by 2020, according to a study based on data from 40 countries. Under current trends, the outlook for achieving the UN Global Biodiversity Framework's 2030 target to protect at least 30 per cent of land is bleak, with Asia set to miss this by an even greater margin, the researchers said. To counter the global biodiversity crisis, at the 2010 UN Convention on Biological Diversity, almost 200 countries pledged to protect at least 17 per cent of their terrestrial environments by 2020 (known as Aichi Target). To investigate whether they achieved this, researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, with collaborators in Asia, analysed data from official reports submitted to the World Database on Protected Areas. The study, published in the journal Communications Biology, found that only 40 per cent of Asian countries achieved the target of a minimum of 17

Vembanad lake continues to shrink, under threat of ecological decay

Vembanad lake, the second largest wetland system in India after the Sunderbans in West Bengal, is shrinking and its unique biodiversity is under threat of ecological decay despite it being declared as a Ramsar site 20 years ago. The lake, which is a source of livelihood for farmers of Kuttanad and the fisherfolk community, continues to undergo ecological degradation due to pollution and unauthorised constructions on its banks, with experts calling for "committed efforts" to save its wetland ecosystem. With a gradually shrinking area of over 2,000 square kilometres and a length of around 96 km, it is one of the largest lakes in Kerala and the longest in the country and is bound by the districts of Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam. According to ecological experts and various studies conducted over the years, the lake is facing serious environmental degradation due to recurring floods, increased pollution, reduction in water spread area and increased weed growth. Experts like E J Jam

National parks, sanctuaries must have ESZ of 1 km from boundary: SC

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao, B R Gavai and A S Bopanna said mining within the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries shall not be permitted

Adani Power, Japan's IHI & Kowa join hands for sustainable power generation

This will aim to promote energy cooperation between Japan and India through diverse and realistic energy transitions utilising all energy sources and technologies

India to face challenges in balancing food security with sustainability

The country will continue to find it challenging to balance food goals without severe damage to its environment, according to a report

85% Indians see environment focused firms as better employers: IBM Study

Companies could face the risk of losing top talent to more sustainability-conscious competitors

Need to revisit consumption patterns to reduce ecological impact: PM Modi

Recycling and reusing things, eliminating waste, and improving resource efficiency must become part of our lifestyles, Modi said