Page 4 - Environment Protection

WRI, GEF to form Secretariat for preservation of 30% land, ocean by 2030

The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People has announced the formation of a new permanent Secretariat to be co-hosted by World Resources Institute and the Global Environment Facility

Intend to limit buffer zones within forests; may launch survey: Kerala govt

The Kerala government on Tuesday said its intention was to try limiting buffer zones within forest regions and that it was also considering a field survey of affected areas to resolve concerns of the public on the issue. Speaking to reporters at Thiruvananthapuram after meeting major archbishop-catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, Baselios Cleemis, Kerala Transport Minister Antony Raju and state Water Minister Roshi Augustine said the Left government's intention was to try and limit buffer zones within the forests. The ministers, while downplaying the meeting with Cardinal Cleemis as casual, said the government was also considering carrying out field surveys of the areas where buffer zones have to be implemented in accordance with the Supreme Court directions. They met the Cardinal hours before the high level meeting, called by Vijayan on Monday, to be held in the afternoon. The high level meeting will be chaired by the CM and would comprise the state Ministers of ...

WWF welcomes global deal to reverse nature loss, seeks quick implementation

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) welcomed the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Agreement, committing the world to halting and reversing cby 2030

Area-based targets for biodiversity conservation not acceptable: India

Area-based targets for biodiversity conservation are a one-size-fits-all approach that is not acceptable, India has said at the UN biodiversity talks in Canada's Montreal. It has also said essential support to vulnerable sectors, such as agriculture, cannot be described as subsidies and targeted for elimination. The second part of the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) Fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 15) started on December 7, with 196 parties coming together in the hope of finalising negotiations for a new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) -- a new set of goals and targets that will guide global action on nature through 2030. One of the contentious components of the GBF to be negotiated is the "30x30" conservation target. It calls for 30 per cent of the earth's land and sea to be conserved through the establishment of protected areas and other area-based conservation measures. Delivering the national statement at COP15 on Friday, Union Environment Minister ...

India can comfortably achieve '30X30' biodiversity target: COP15 delegate

India has about 27 per cent of its area under conservation and can comfortably reach the target of protecting 30 per cent of land and water by 2030, according to a senior delegate negotiating for the country at the COP15 biodiversity conference here in Canada. J Justin Mohan, the Secretary of the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), noted that India is already a member of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC), a group of 113 countries that aims at bringing 30 per cent of the geographical area under conservation by 2030, also known as 30X30 target. With our protective area network comprising reserved forests, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, mangroves, Ramsar sites, eco-sensitive zones, and community reserves, India has already achieved about 27 per cent of the area under conservation, Mohan told PTI. We are now focusing on more areas to be brought under conservation through biodiversity heritage sites and Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMS). India can comfortably achiev

Indian student leads 'plogging' missions to clean up streets across UK

An Indian student and award-winning environmentalist from the University of Bristol in south-west England has inspired a trend of plogging, or jogging combined with litter picking, across various cities of the UK. Vivek Gurav, originally from Pune, was inspired by the Swedish concept of plogging which combines jogga (jogging) with plocka upp (a pick-up) to encourage people who use their local streets the most to take pride in keeping them clean. In India, he set up a plogging community known as Pune Ploggers back in 2018, with over 10,000 members who have collected over 1 million kilograms of rubbish and wanted to continue the trend when he took up his scholarship position at Bristol University in September last year. Since then, his university says he has covered over 420 miles on 120 plogging missions joined by volunteers from 180 countries and is now taking the drive to 30 UK cities. I have only been plogging in Bristol but I kept getting asked by people in Manchester, Leeds, .

Area under moderately dense mangroves fell in 10 years, shows data

Overall mangrove cover increased between 2011 and 2021

India showed environment protection, development possible together: PM Modi

India has shown to the world that it is possible to protect the environment and ensure economic development simultaneously, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said. India is observing the 68th wildlife week from October 2-8. "It is possible to ensure both economic development and environment protection through proper policies and better implementation. India has shown this to the world," the PM said in a written message to the people of the country in Hindi on October 6. The Environment Ministry also tweeted the message on Friday. PM Modi said humans, environment and wildlife complement each other and more attention should be paid to the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity in the changing environment. He said India added 259 new protected areas for wildlife in the last eight years, and the forest areas have also expanded rapidly. Notable works are being done under the 'Namami Gange' mission to clean the Ganga, a witness to our glorious culture, and to conserve the aquatic lif

Google launches circular economy accelerator for Asia-Pacific start-ups

Applications for the program are open from October 4 to November 14 this year and the program will commence in February 2023

Constitution restricts King Charles from voicing environmental concerns

On a blustery November day last year Britain's future king stood before world leaders to deliver a rallying cry that they should "act with all despatch, and decisively to confront a common enemy. The clarion call in the vast, windowless hall of a Glasgow convention center at the opening of the U.N. climate conference concerned an issue long dear to the heart of the then-Prince Charles. Climate change and loss of biodiversity were no different from the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe, he said. In fact, they pose an even greater existential threat, to the extent that we have to put ourselves on what might be called a war-like footing. He warned leaders that time was running out to reduce emissions, urging them to push through reforms that are radically transforming our current fossil fuel-based economy to one that is genuinely renewable and sustainable. We need a vast military-style campaign to marshal the strength of the global private sector," he said, adding that the trilli

NGT imposes environmental compensation of Rs 3,500 cr on West Bengal govt

The National Green Tribunal has imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 3,500 crore on West Bengal for its failure in the treatment of solid and liquid waste. The green bench observed there was not much initiative by the West Bengal government in prioritising solid and sewage treatment plants in urban areas. The bench, headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, said remedial measures must be taken within six months. The order said that for failure in liquid waste management processing, "liability of the state is to pay compensation of Rs 2,980 crores, rounded off to Rs 3,000 crore in view of continuing damage." For failure to process solid waste, the compensation to be paid is Rs 500 crore, the NGT said. "Final amount of compensation under the two heads (solid and liquid waste) is assessed at Rs 3500 crore which may be deposited by the state of West Bengal in a separate ring-fenced account within two months," according to the September 1 order. The chief secretary may personally mo

Some environmentalists are sadly 'anti-human': Musk on nuclear energy

Elon Musk slammed some environmentalists for being "anti-human" when it comes to increasing nuclear power generation that could replace fossil fuels in the future

Plutonium cores' review at US nuclear lab 'sham' process: Watchdog groups

The US government is planning to review the environmental effects of operations at one of the nation's prominent nuclear weapons laboratories, but its notice issued Friday leaves out federal goals to ramp up production of plutonium cores used in the nation's nuclear arsenal. The National Nuclear Security Administration said the review being done to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act will look at the potential environmental effects of alternatives for operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory for the next 15 years. That work includes preventing the spread and use of nuclear weapons worldwide and other projects related to national security and global stability, the notice said. Watchdog groups contend that regardless of the review, the NNSA will march ahead with its production plans for plutonium cores at Los Alamos. The northern New Mexico lab part of the top secret Manhattan Project during World War II and the birthplace of the atomic bomb is one of two sites

TMS Ep209: Environmental protection, IT returns, markets, online broker

Are changes in laws putting businesses ahead of the environment? What to remember while filing IT returns? Which are the promising sectors of Q1 FY23? How to choose your online broker? Answers here.

Ban on single use plastic starting July 1 will not be deferred: Minister

Control rooms to be set up for implementation of the ministry order, says Bhupinder Yadav

Unreasonable terms

New environment index is not objective

PM Modi to virtually launch global initiative 'LiFE Movement' today

The idea promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle that focuses on 'mindful and deliberate utilisation' instead of 'mindless and destructive consumption

VP Naidu urges lower courts to have eco-centric view to protect evnironment

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday rued that humans, in their quest for development, had harmed nature "beyond repair" and called for a people's movement to protect it.

New report by UNEP offers solutions for planetary crisis like wildfires

'The Frontiers Report identifies and offers solutions to three environmental issues that merit attention and action from governments and the public at large,' said UNEP Executive Director

Noted environmentalist M K Prasad, 'Save Silent Valley' campaigner, dies

Noted environmentalist M K Prasad, a prominent figure in the historic grassroot level movement to save the evergreen tropical rain forests in Kerala's Silent Valley from destruction, died on Monday