Page 15 - Environment

Coral select algae partnerships to ease environmental stress: Study

In assessing one of the main reef builders in Hawai'i, Montipora capitata or rice coral, researchers found that the symbiont community in those corals varied significantly in different parts of Kaneoh

COP27 what to watch: Climate progress hinges on crucial week two

Here's how week one went down and what to expect from the rest of this year's UN climate summit

Beyond bloviation: What do climate conferences like COP achieve anyway?

It would be wrong to think that nothing has been achieved. A great deal has, though far too slowly - for which lack of speed the world, especially its poor, will pay the price, writes T N Ninan

NGT orders CPCB to close tyre pyrolysis units violating environment norms

The National Green Tribunal has directed the Central Pollution Control Board to expeditiously close all tyre pyrolysis units (TPUs) functioning without following environment norms. Pyrolysis is the method of recycling old tyres through thermochemical treatment under high temperature to produce industrial oil and other matters. A bench of Chairperson Justice AK Goel said gaps remained with regard to action taken against non-compliant units and units against whom action was taken to close them till compliance. The bench, also comprising judicial member Justice Sudhir Kumar Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel, said the gaps required "to be bridged at the earliest in the interest of the rule of law, environment and good governance". The bench said the units were required to follow zero-liquid and zero-emission norms. It added that instead of transporting the carbon produced during the pyrolysis process to landfills, the material could be utilised in the cement industry. "According

Global supply chains gear up for overhaul next year, survey shows

The survey also showed concerns were broader than supply chains, with 51% of respondents saying their expect the environment for international trade to be harder next year

Mangroves can help meet NDC targets, India can share experience: Minister

India has demonstrated expertise in mangrove restoration for nearly five decades and can contribute to the global knowledge base due to its experience, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said Monday at the launch of the "Mangrove Alliance for Climate". The UAE and Indonesia have launched the MAC on the sidelines of the UN climate summit COP27, to strengthen conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems worldwide. India, Australia, Japan, Spain and Sri Lanka have joined the alliance. Yadav said creating a new carbon sink from mangrove afforestation and reducing emissions from mangrove deforestation are two feasible ways for countries to meet their NDC targets and achieve carbon neutrality. NDCs means national plans and pledges made by countries to limit global temperature rise to well below two degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius. "The integration of mangroves into the national programmes for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation i

Delhi air pollution: Lifting of curbs a hasty decision, say experts

Revoking curbs imposed in Delhi-NCR under the final stage of an action plan to combat air pollution could prove to be a hasty decision, experts said on Sunday and advised caution. Their reaction came after the Centre's air quality panel directed authorities on Sunday to lift the ban on plying of non-BS VI diesel-run light motor vehicles in Delhi-NCR and entry of trucks into the capital imposed under the final stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The restrictions were imposed three days ago. A decision on reopening primary schools and revocation of the order asking 50 per cent of government staff to work from home is likely to be taken at a high-level meeting to be chaired by Delhi Environment minister Gopal Rai on Monday, an official said. Environmentalist Vimlendu Jha said it could be too soon to revoke curbs as the air quality has improved a wee bit due to favourable wind speed and will go back to the 'severe' category in a couple of days. "These are knee jerk reacti

Research suggests plant fibers can be used for sustainable devices

Thermal insulation is a characteristic of several materials generated from plants, including cellulose

Cellulose based materials have environmental benefits over polymers: Study

Cellulose and other compounds generated from plants frequently provide good thermal insulation

India to seek clarity on $100 billion climate financing at COP27

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav will represent India at the session

McKinsey lists 10 steps to decarbonise India while pursuing economic growth

India emits a net 2.9 gigatons of carbon-dioxide equivalent every year, third-largest globally, as of 2019, according to a report recently released by McKinsey Sustainability

Finance, tech transfer, capacity building on India's agenda for COP27

India will also seek clarity on loan availability, credit mechanisms and insurance requirements for adaptation finance

Air pollution a big problem for country, urgent need to reduce it: Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said air pollution is a big problem for the country, and there is an urgent need to reduce it. The statement comes at a time when the air quality in Delhi has started to plummet to its worst level due to stubble burning in the neighbouring states of the national capital. "For ecology and environment also we need to resolve pollution as it is a big problem," the road transport and highways minister said while addressing the International Conclave on Clean Fuels-2022. Gadkari also expressed concerns about the deteriorating air quality in Delhi and stressed converting the stubble into bio-vitamin. The minister also said that in the country, there are several successful projects, and Bio-CNG and Bio-LNG are being made from rice straw. He also said there is an immediate need to decarbonise the transport sector and make it sustainable for the economy, ecology and environment. "We are promoting the use of clean and green biofuel such as ethanol,

BJP's ideology favours rising air pollution: Delhi minister Gopal Rai

The ideology of the BJP favours rising air pollution levels as the party voiced support to bursting of firecrackers but did not help the Punjab government provide a cash incentive to farmers for not burning crop residue, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai alleged on Tuesday. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena would not have stopped the implementation of the "Red Light on Gaadi off" campaign to reduce vehicular emissions without instructions from the saffron party, Rai told reporters after inspecting a construction site here. "The mindset and the ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) favour an increase in the air pollution levels. Punjab would have seen a large-scale reduction in stubble burning had the Centre supported the state government's initiative to provide a cash incentive to farmers for not burning crop residue," he said. "We also saw that those in the BJP were busy supporting the bursting of firecrackers in Delhi (on Diwali). They too live in Delhi. All o

Why it might be better to mine the world's rainforests than farm them

Some 6,732 sq km of Indonesian forest has been granted to nickel mining concessions, a coalition of environmental groups wrote in a July letter to Tesla Inc.

Climate responsibility

India should assert the principles of liability and fairness as the basis for climate action

Human-altered environments more likely to harbour Hybrid songbirds: Study

According to recent research, areas where humans have changed the landscape in some manner are more likely to harbour hybrids of the mountain chickadee and black-capped chickadee in North America

Along with environment, job protection is a concern, says Kiren Rijiju

Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said that protection of jobs in India is a concern while safeguarding the environment during economic progress. The per capita GDP in India is still very less compared to other mid-level and developed nations, Rijiju said after inaugurating a seminar here. "When we talk about growth of the economy, we only talk about protection of the environment. But we are also concerned about protection of jobs," he said. Addressing the seminar on 'Environment and Sustainable Development - Role of Judiciary' and 'Digitisation of Indian Judiciary - its Impact in Dispensation of Justice', Rijiju said all stakeholders must come together to deliberate on the issues. "Today, the per capita GDP of India is 2,100 dollars and it is very less, but India as a whole, when we calculate, it's close to a 3.23 trillion dollar economy. It is the fifth largest economy (in the world)," he said. The international standard of development for "middle-level ...

Delhi air quality worsens, nears 'severe' zone as stubble burning rises

A layer of pungent haze lingered over Delhi on Saturday morning as the city's air quality neared the "severe" zone amid adverse meteorological conditions -- low temperatures and calm winds -- and an increase in incidents of stubble burning in Punjab. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi stood at 396 at 10 am, worsening from 357 at 4 pm on Friday. It was 354 on Thursday, 271 on Wednesday, 302 on Tuesday and 312 on Monday (Diwali). Anand Vihar (AQI 454) was the most polluted place in the capital. Wazirpur (439), Narela (423), Ashok Vihar (428), Vivek Vihar (427) and Jahangirpuri (438) were among the monitoring stations that recorded "severe" air quality. The air quality in the neighbouring cities of Ghaziabad (381), Noida (392), Greater Noida (398), Gurugram (360) and Faridabad (391) also inched closer to the "severe" category. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 4

Russia may again block Antarctic marine protections during Australia meet

Call it a cold war. Delegations from Russia and Ukraine are among those meeting in Australia this week to decide the future of Antarctica's pristine waters. Conservationists say new marine protected areas and rules to prevent overfishing are desperately needed, but that Russia could use its veto-like powers to once again block progress. Achieving the required consensus for action among this diverse group of 27, which also includes China, the United States and the European Union, has always been an immense challenge. And when two of the members are at war and relations between China and many Western nations have deteriorated consensus looms as an even bigger obstacle. Just this month, Russian bombing in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, partially destroyed Ukraine's Antarctic research center. Yet despite the enormous political hurdles, some remain hopeful that scientific arguments will win through. The U.S. is paying more attention to the region under President Joe Biden, and this year ha