Page 143 - Environment
New York poised to ban single-use plastic bags
New York State lawmakers are close to enacting a sweeping ban on single-use plastic bags from retail sales in an effort to curb pollution and changing a way of life for millions of New Yorkers.
India, US renew triangular development cooperation in Asia and Africa
India and the United States on Friday signed the First Amendment to the Statement of Guiding Principles (SGP) on Triangular Cooperation for Global Development, mainly focused on Asia and Africa.The amendment was signed by Joint Secretary in Development Partnership Administration, Ministry of External Affairs of India, Devyani Khobragade, and Mission Director for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in India, Mark Anthony White.The SGP agreement, signed in November 2014, underscores the contribution of India-U.S. partnership to global stability and prosperity. It provides a framework for promoting cooperation between the two countries to meet the developmental aspirations of partner countries, particularly in Asia and Africa, the USAID said in a statement.The First Amendment to the SGP Agreement extends the validity of the SGP agreement up-to 2021. It expands the scope of capacity building activities undertaken jointly by India and the US under this framework .
Fluorescence discovered in tiny Brazilian frogs
Pumpkin toadlets are colourful miniature frogs that live in the Brazilian Atlantic forest, and now researchers have discovered that these tiny frogs are fluorescent. Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. "The fluorescent patterns are only visible to the human eye under a ultra-violet (UV) lamp," said Sandra Goutte from New York University Abu Dhabi. "In nature, if they were visible to other animals, they could be used as intra-specific communication signals or as reinforcement of their aposematic colouration, warning potential predators of their toxicity," Goutte said in a statement. Pumpkin toadlets, also called Brachycephalus ephippium, are tiny, brightly-coloured, and poisonous frogs that can be found in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. During the mating season, they can be seen by day walking around the forest and producing soft buzzing calls in search of a mate. In the study published in the journal ...
Worsening air pollution reducing lifespans in Indonesia
Indonesia's air quality has deteriorated from among the cleanest in the world to one of the most polluted over the past two decades, shaving five years from life expectancy in some regions, researchers say. The study by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago says an increase in coal-fired power stations, burning of land for plantation agriculture and rising car ownership are responsible for the worsening pollution in the world's fourth-most populous country. The greatest spike happened in the last few years with air pollution more than doubling between 2013 and 2016, it said. The burden on public health has become one of the highest in the world, behind only India, China, Bangladesh and Pakistan. "High air pollution is now undermining Indonesians' health," said researchers Michael Greenstone and Qing Fan. "In 1998, air pollution barely impacted the life expectancy of Indonesians. In fact, even in 2013, it shaved only a few months off of average life ...
Rare Sumatran tiger cubs make public debut at Sydney zoo
Three rare Sumatran tiger cubs ventured into public view for the first time Friday in what Sydney zookeepers called a "wonderful success" for the future of the critically endangered species. Two female cubs -- Mawar, which means "rose" in Indonesian, and Tengah Malam ("midnight") -- and their brother Pemanah ("archer") were allowed outside their closed dens to explore the more natural outdoor tiger compound at Sydney's Taronga Zoo. Zookeeper Louise Ginman said the move from the dens to the outdoors for the cubs, which were born on January 17, posed a challenge for their mother, Kartika. "Now that they are moving about a larger space and learning to climb terrain, she will have a much harder time controlling them," Ginman said. Sumatran tigers are classified as critically endangered, with as few as 350 remaining in patches of forest on the Indonesia island of Sumatra, where their natural habitat has been devastated by illegal wildlife trade and jungle clearing for palm oil ...
iD Fresh takes the organic leap
iD Fresh, a leading fresh food brand, is all set to conquer new frontiers as it enters into the fast-evolving organic food market, with a sharp focus on accessibility and affordability, that aims to address the modern day challenges of food sustainability in India.The phase-wise transition of iD Fresh products into iD Organic kick-started this month, with their flagship offerings - Idly and Dosa batter, Wheat and Oats Dosa batter, Rice Rava Idly batter, Ragi Idly & Dosa batter, Malabar Parota, and Wheat Parota - in the Bengaluru market. Over the course of the year, other iD Fresh products, such as Natural Paneer, Filter Coffee Decoction, Wheat Chapati, and the globally-acclaimed Vada batter, will join the organic group.The Bengaluru-based company has been awarded certifications from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Jaivik Bharat, .
UN report: Extreme weather hit 62 million people in 2018
The United Nations' weather agency says extreme weather last year hit 62 million people worldwide and forced two million people to relocate, as man-made climate change worsened. The World Meteorological Organization's annual state of global climate report says Earth is nearly 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) warmer than when the industrial age started. World leaders are trying to limit warming to 3.6 degrees (2 degrees Celsius). Emissions from burning fuels such as coal, gasoline and diesel for electricity and transportation are contributing to global warming that in turn brings more intense storms, floods and droughts. "We have seen a growing amount of disasters because of climate change," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. He said since 1998, about 4.5 billion around the world have been hurt by extreme weather. Cyclone Idai that just hit Mozambique is a good example, but is too recent to be in the report, Taalas said. The past four years were the warmest on record, .
Jindal varsity-WWF offer course on environmental law
Law graduates and professionals can now opt for a year-long LLM programme in Environmental Law, Energy and Climate Change, launched recently by Jindal Global Law School and WWF India keeping in view the necessity for such a course.
Ocean heat hits record high: UN
Ocean heat hit a record high in 2018, the United Nations said Thursday, raising urgent new concerns about the threat global warming is posing to marine life. In its latest State of the Climate overview, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reaffirmed that the last four years had been the hottest on record -- figures previously announced in provisional drafts of the flagship report. But the final version of the report highlighted worrying developments in other climate indicators beyond surface temperature. "2018 saw new records for ocean heat content in the upper 700 metres," a WMO statement said. The agency said the UN had data for heat content in the upper 700 metres (2,290 feet) of the ocean dating back to 1955. Last year also saw new heat records for the ocean's upper 2,000 metres, but data for that range only goes back to 2005. The previous records for both ranges were set in 2017. About 93 per cent of excess heat -- trapped around the Earth by greenhouse gases that come ...
1,100 dead dolphins washed up on French shores since January
The dolphins' bodies were horribly mutilated, the fins cut off. But what shocked French marine researchers wasn't just the brutality of the deaths of these highly intelligent mammals, but also the numbers involved a record 1,100 have washed up on France's Atlantic coast since January. The mass deaths, widely blamed on aggressive industrial fishing, has alarmed animal welfare groups and prompted France's ecology minister to launch a national plan to protect them. "There's never been a number this high," said Willy Daubin, a member of La Rochelle University's National Center for Scientific Research. "Already in three months, we have beaten last year's record, which was up from 2017 and even that was the highest in 40 years." Though Daubin said 90 per cent of the fatalities resulted from accidental capture in industrial nets, the reason behind the spike this year is a mystery. "What fishing machinery or equipment is behind all these deaths?" he asked. Autopsies carried out on the ...
Jindal Global Law School launches masters programme in Environmental Law
Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) in association with WWF-India has launched a Masters Programme in Environmental Law, Energy and Climate Change, an official said on Thursday. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect was signed between the two institutions here on Wednesday in the presence of Supreme Court judges Justices D Y Chandrachud and Deepak Gupta besides two Judges from the Supreme Court of Hawaii, USA, Justices Michael D Wilson and Justice Sabrina McKenna. The course is open to law graduates who want to develop specialist legal knowledge on national and global environmental issues. The law professionals working in the field of environment will also be benefitted by this programme, the official said. Speaking on the occasion, Justice Chandrachud termed climate change as an existential threat and the most important issue facing humanity today. He spoke of the threat posed by water scarcity in India as well as across the world and the extinction of various species due to
Vice-Admiral hands over keys to houses for the flood-hit
The Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy Thursday handed over the keys of newly constructed houses to three families living in a village near here that was hit by last years devastating floods. "As part of the rehabilitation activities being undertaken by the Southern Naval Command after the devastating floods of August 2018, Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (C-in-C), Southern Naval Command, handed over the keys of newly constructed houses to three families of Cheriya Kadmakkudi," a Defence release said here Thursday. The houses that were sponsored by the Indian Navy belong to Binu PP of Puliyal Parambil House, Mariyamma of Pashni Parambil House, and Joseph Antony of Madathil Parambil House, and have been constructed at a total cost of Rs 28 lakh, the release said. The project was being steered by INS Venduruthy and has been completed in five-and-a-half months. In addition, the Navy is installing solar power equipment in all the 55 ..
Power consumption at record-levels in Kerala as mercury soars
: With mercury- levels in Kerala continuing to rise, power consumption touched an all-time high of 86.10 million units as of Wednesday night. Records are being re-written every day since Monday in Kerala with the state Electricity Board recording power consumption of 86.10 million units, the highest so far. On Monday, power consumption was recorded at 84. 21 million units against last year's 80.84 million units. "On Tuesday, the consumption rose to another record at 85.89 million units. However, yesterday it touched 86.10 million units," a top official of the the Kerala State Electricity Board told PTI. The official further said the board was well equipped to deal with increasing consumption, adding that the dams across the state have water to generate 1800 million units of power. "During the peak hours, we use the power generated from the dams also. During the day, we use power we purchase from the central pool," he said. The official said the board would not resort to
Rivers may have flowed on Mars for longer than thought: Study
Water from rivers persisted on Mars much later into its history than previously thought, according to a study which found that the rivers on the Red Planet were wider than those on Earth today. Riverbeds were carved deep into the Martian surface long ago, but the understanding of the climate billions of years ago remains incomplete. Scientists at the University of Chicago in the US catalogued these rivers to conclude that significant river runoff persisted on Mars later into its history than thought. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, showed that the runoff was intense -- rivers on Mars were wider than those on Earth today -- and occurred at hundreds of locations on the Red Planet. This complicates the picture for scientists trying to model the ancient Martian climate, said Edwin Kite, assistant professor at University of Chicago. "It's already hard to explain rivers or lakes based on the information we have. This makes a difficult problem even more difficult," Kite
The Habitats Trust Grants Invites Applications for its 2019 Edition
/ -- The Trust increases the total Grants corpus and also introduces a fourth grant category: The Conservation Hero Grant The Habitats Trust, which works towards the protection and conservation of natural habitats and their indigenous species, today announced that its application portal for The Habitats Trust Grants 2019 will open on April 1st, 2019. The Habitats Trust Grants was established in 2018 to recognize and support individuals and organizations doing seminal work in the field of conservation. Any organization working to conserve India's biodiversity can apply for the Grants in their specific categories, which will include the Strategic Partnership Grant; the Lesser-known Habitats Grant and the Lesser-known Species Grant. The Habitats Trust Grants has also increased the grant amount by Rs. 5 Lakhs each, for two categories - the 'Lesser-known Habitats' and 'Lesser-known Species' grants. This year, the Habitats Trust Grants has introduced a new category specifically for ...
Arctic warming may lead to prolonged droughts: Study
Arctic warming weakens the temperature difference between the tropics and the poles, resulting in less precipitation, weaker cyclones and mid-latitude westerly wind flow -- a recipe for prolonged droughts, a study has found. The temperature difference between the tropics and the poles drives a lot of weather, according to the study published in the journal Nature. When those opposite temperatures are wider, the result is more precipitation, stronger cyclones and more robust wind flow. However, due to the Arctic ice melting and warming up the poles, those disparate temperatures are becoming closer, researchers said. "Our analysis shows that, when the Arctic is warmer, the jet stream and other wind patterns tend to be weaker," said Bryan Shuman, a professor at the University of Wyoming in the US. "The temperature difference in the Arctic and the tropics is less steep. The change brings less precipitation to the mid-latitudes," Shuman said. "Importantly, when temperatures have changed in
Mars had big rivers for billions of years: Study
Mars' rivers flowed intensely and may have persisted as recently as one billion years ago, reveals a survey that found that the red planet's rivers were wider than those on Earth today.
Clean storm water drains in Noida: NGT
The National Green Tribunal has directed the Uttar Pradesh pollution control board and authorities concerned to take immediate steps to control pollution of Noida's storm water drains which join Yamuna and Hindon rivers and make them congestion free. A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said discharge of any effluent in drains is an offence under the provisions of the Water Act, 1974, and the Rules under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The NGT also said that in view of seriousness of violations affecting public health at large, the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority CEO may remain present in person with the compliance affidavit on July 5. "Action is required on the part of authorities to prevent and remedy such pollution to enforce right of citizens to clean environment. Polluters are to be made accountable as per law. Inaction of the authorities is also actionable by way of disciplinary and punitive action," the bench said. It directed the ...
Finalise standards for lead in PVC pipes within 2 months: NGT
The National Green Tribunal has directed the Centre to finalise within two months the standards for using lead in Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) pipes which are commonly used in most buildings. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to finalise a draft notification within the stipulated period. "We find that once the expert committee has recommended issuance of draft notification on December 13, 2018, there is no reason to further delay the publication of the draft notification and finalisation of the same in such a sensitive matter of environment," the bench said. "Accordingly, the MoEF may now publish the draft notification, if not yet published, and finalise the same at the earliest and furnish compliance report within two months by e-mail," it added. The tribunal was informed by the Environment Ministry that draft rules were considered on December 13, 2018 and a recommendation was made to issue a draft ...
NTPC to declare commercial operation of Unit 2 of Solapur Super Thermal Power Station
On 30 March 2019
