Page 154 - Environment
Climate protests: First students, now adults march
A day after worldwide student climate protests, families and activists are marching in France to force faster government action against global warming. One group gathered Saturday near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, hoping for peaceful actions that contrast with violence at yellow vest protests nearby. Another march is expected from the famed Opera Garnier to the Republic Plaza, among dozens of climate actions planned around France. President Emmanuel Macron made a passionate call this week to speed up the global fight against climate change, and has stood up firmly to skepticism from US President Donald Trump. But activists say Macron's government isn't ambitious enough in cutting emissions or France's dependence on fossil fuels. Saturday's march comes the day after students in more than 100 countries demanded tougher climate action.
UNEA adopts India's resolutions on single-use plastic, sustainable nitrogen management
The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) has adopted two resolutions piloted by India on single-use plastics and sustainable nitrogen management. According to a statement released by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the resolutions were adopted at the fourth session of UNEA which was held in Nairobi from March 11 to 15 on 'Innovative Solutions for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Production and Consumption'. "The global nitrogen use efficiency is low, resulting in pollution by reactive nitrogen which threatens human health and eco system services, and contributes to climate change and stratospheric ozone depletion," a ministry official said. "Only a small proportion of plastics produced globally is recycled with most of it damaging the environment and aquatic bio-diversity. Both these are global challenges and the resolutions piloted by India at the UNEA are vital first steps towards addressing these issues and attracting focus of the ...
Chandrapur: Forest department rescues bear after it enters residential area
A bear was rescued by forest officials after it entered a residential area of Balaji ward in the Chandrapur district on Saturday.The frightened residents immediately informed the forest department. In a swift action, the rescue team of the forest department quickly reached the spot and captured the bear. A similar incident was reported from Chandrapur in February too when two people from Chargaon village were injured grievously after being attacked by a bear. The forest department had then warned the residents not to venture into the forest.The area is rich in natural vegetation and wildlife. In fact, Chandrapur falls in the buffer range of Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve, the oldest and largest national park in Maharashtra.
Ahead of summer, 4K MP villages face acute drought
Even before the onset of summer, nearly 4,000 villages are staring at an acute drought in 36 out of 52 districts in Madhya Pradesh.
Sugarcane farmers face crisis, govt help yet to reach them
Sugarcane harvest has soured the lives of some farmers in western Uttar Pradesh.The crop is bumper but there are no takers."We are facing a lot of trouble now. Most of the sugarcane which we have grown cannot be converted into the sugar as the mill is closed. We are now selling our crops as a fodder," lamented Devendra Pal Singh, a sugarcane farmer in Aligarh.Several sugar mills in the region have been shut. Their owners have not been able to clear pending dues of farmers due to the low selling price of sugar, caused by excess production and a decline in global sugar prices.The pending dues in the state stand at more than Rs 7,000 crores and just 54% of the dues of farmers had been cleared by February.Shalendrapal Singh, farmers' leader slammed the state and central governments for doing little for the distressed farmers."This year, the sugar mill industry only produced 10 per cent of the product. The mill did not work properly for the first two to three months. Both, the state and ...
Students globally protest warming, pleading for their future
Students across a warming globe pleaded for their lives, future and planet Friday, demanding tough action on climate change. From the South Pacific to the edge of the Arctic Circle, angry students in more than 100 countries walked out of classes to protest what they see as the failures by their governments. Well more than 150,000 students and adults who were mobilised by word of mouth and social media protested in Europe, according to police estimates. But the initial turnout in the United States did not look quite as high. "Borders, languages and religions do not separate us," eight-year-old Havana Chapman-Edwards, who calls herself the tiny diplomat, told hundreds of protesters at the US Capitol. "Today we are telling the truth and we do not take no for an answer." Thousands of New York City students protested at locations including Columbus Circle, City Hall, the American Museum of Natural History and a football field at the Bronx High School of Science. Police said 16 protesters ..
India bats for banning single-use plastics at UN
Taking a significant lead, India has piloted resolutions on two important global environment issues related to single-use plastics and sustainable nitrogen management at the UN Environment Assembly.
World commits to reduce single-use plastics by 2030
The world has laid the groundwork for a radical shift to a more sustainable future, where innovation will be harnessed to tackle environmental challenges, the use of throwaway plastics will be significantly reduced and development will no longer cost the earth.
Nations agree 'significant' plastic cuts
Nations on Friday committed to "significantly reduce" single-use plastics over the next decade, in a series of voluntary pledges that green groups warned fell short of tackling Earth's pollution crisis. After marathon talks in Nairobi, countries appeared to have reached a deal over throwaway plastic items such as bags, cups and cutlery to reduce the more than eight million tonnes of plastics entering oceans each year. The final ministerial statement -- issued on a day of youth protests against climate change -- made only two references to man-made global warming and none to the fossil fuels that drive it. It said countries would "address the damage to our ecosystems caused by the unsustainable use and disposal of plastic products, including by significantly reducing single-use plastic products by 2030." Sources close to the talks told AFP that several rich nations, led by the United States, were influential in watering down the pledge. An initial ministerial statement at the beginning
This flamboyant plastic waste boat sets out for long voyage
This flamboyant nine-metre-long dhow, made from 10 tonnes of plastic waste collected from Kenyan beaches and roadsides, sailed more than 500 km from the idyllic island of Lamu to Zanzibar this year with a message to eliminate single-use plastics.
Over 500 Delhi-NCR students join 'Fridays For Future' climate change protest
"I can't breathe. Should I stop going to school?" "Kids need clean air". "No more excuses". These were some of the phrases on placards Delhi-NCR students carried as they joined the global "Fridays for Future" protest against climate change, urging governments and authorities to tackle the problem. The protests were started by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg in August 2018, becoming a regular event on the 15th of every month. Students from over 1,300 towns and cities went on planned strikes across the world Friday, a statement from the Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC) said. In the Delhi-NCR, over 500 students between age group of 10-16 years skipped their schools to be a part of the protest here. "Climate change is the millenial cancer. It needs to be nipped in the bud. My teachers say we must cover our face when we go out in winters, but then I fell sick even in summers too. I can't play outside, and if I do I can't breathe," said Arya Gupta. The 13-year-old student had .
Students worldwide skip class to demand action on climate
From the South Pacific to the edge of the Arctic Circle, students mobilised by word of mouth and social media skipped class Friday to protest what they believe are their governments' failure to take thorough action against global warming. The coordinated 'school strikes,' were inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who began holding solitary demonstrations outside the Swedish parliament last year. Since then, the weekly protests have snowballed from a handful of cities to hundreds, fuelled by dramatic headlines about the impact of climate change during the students' lifetime. Thunberg, who was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, a rally in Stockholm that the world faces an "existential crisis, the biggest crisis humanity ever has faced and still it has been ignored for decades by those that have known about it. "And you know who you are, you that have ignored this and are most guilty of this," she said, as protesters cheered her name. Friday's rallies were .
Three more nations join UN Environment's Clean Seas campaign
Three more nations -- Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago and Paraguay -- on Friday joined UN Environment's Clean Seas campaign, bringing the number of countries now involved in the world's largest alliance for combating marine plastic pollution to 60.
China to host World Environment Day on air pollution
China and UN Environment will jointly hold the World Environment Day on air pollution, it was announced on Friday.
Bandhwari plant:NGT directs Gurgaon Municipal Corporation to submit performance guarantee of Rs 25 L
The National Green Tribunal has directed the Gurgaon Municipal Corporation to submit a performance guarantee of Rs 25 lakh for stopping leachate from the Bandhwari landfill site. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel ordered the corporation to deposit the amount with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) within a month. The tribunal directed the corporation to strictly adhere to the action plan for taking steps to dispose of the waste and warned, "It is made clear that the amount of Rs 25 lakh will stand forfeited in the case of default and may be recovered from the erring officers of the corporation". The green panel directed the commissioner of the municipal corporation to file a compliance affidavit within a month. The NGT had earlier slammed the Haryana government and its civic bodies over the disposal of industrial waste and construction debris in the Aravalli forests along the Gurgaon-Faridabad road. The green panel was hearing a plea filed by ...
Delhi's peak power demand to cross 7400 MW this summer
The peak power demand in the national capital is likely to cross the 7,400 MW mark this summer, a power discom spokesperson said on Friday. The peak power demand last summer breached the 7,000 MW mark for the first time and reached 7,016 MW in July 2018. Noting that Delhi's peak power demand is substantially higher than that of other cities, the spokesperson said the national capital consumes more power than the combined demand of Mumbai and Chennai, and thrice that of Kolkata. This expected peak power demand of 7,400 MW is an increase of over 250 per cent of the peak demand of 2879 MW in 2002. In the areas of BSES Rajdhani Power Limited(BRPL) covering localities in south and west Delhi, the peak demand is expected to touch the 3,200 MW mark this year as against 3,081 MW last year, the BSES spokesperson. The peak demand in east and central Delhi areas supplied by BSES Yamuna Power Limitied (BYPL) may go up to 1,640 MW against the peak demand of 1,561 MW last year, he said. "The BSES ..
Students protest against climate change across globe
Thousands of schoolchildren across the world, inspired by 16-year-old Swedish environment activist Greta Thunberg who has been nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, abandoned their classrooms on Friday to demand action on climate change as part of a global youth campaign.
Firmenich Opens Its Largest Flavors Plant Worldwide in China to Support Growing Customer Demand
/ -- Firmenich, the world's largest privately-owned perfume and taste company, today opened its largest flavor manufacturing plant in the world in the Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone in China. Operating with digitally-advanced manufacturing systems and the highest Quality, Health, Safety, Security and Environmental standards, this state-of-art plant is designed to best meet growing customer demand in China, with increased speed, operational excellence and traceability. "This significant investment in Zhangjiagang, reinforces our long-term commitment to China, our second largest market worldwide," said Gilbert Ghostine, Firmenich CEO. "This world-class plant massively scales-up our capacity to meet our customers' demand for innovative and fast-to-market taste solutions. I look forward to seeing the Zhangjiagang plant play a central role in our growth journey." "This digitally-advanced and highly sustainable plant marks a critical milestone on our journey to shaping the factory of the ...
New solar-powered device creates water from thin air
In a "breakthrough", scientists have developed a novel solar-powered harvesting system that absorbs moisture from the air and converts it into clean, usable water. The technology, described in the journal Advanced Materials, could be used in disaster situations, water crises or poverty-stricken areas and developing countries. It relies on hydrogels, gel-polymer hybrid materials designed to be "super sponges" that can retain large amounts of water. Researchers led by Guihua Yu from The University of Texas at Austin in the US used hydrogels that are both highly water absorbent and can release water upon heating. This unique combination successfully worked in humid and dry weather conditions and is crucial to enabling the production of clean, safe drinking water from the air, the researchers said. With an estimated 50,000 cubic kilometers of water contained in the atmosphere, this new system could tap into those reserves and potentially lead to small, inexpensive and portable filtration .
Tata Power-DDL ties up with European firms to implement smart grid pilot in Delhi
Tata Power-DDL Friday joined hands with European firms Enedis, Schneider Electric, Odit-e and VaasaETT to implement a 1-megawatt smart grid demonstration project in the national capital, which would be insulated from any blackout in the main grid. This microgrid will cater to a specific area which could be connected to main grid or can be at an isolated place. It will help store and supply renewable energy generation in the area and insulate the area from any outage or fluctuation in the main grid. The project is planned to start in May this year and is expected to be completed by October 2022. "In common parlance, this microgrid is in a way islanding of specific area for power supply. After the grid failure in 2012, the government has been working on the islanding project for Delhi. "However, this demonstrative project would be for specific area covering around 1000 households," Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (Tata Power-DDL) Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Kumar Banga told ...
