Page 331 - Environment
6 new antibodies to combat Zika
A team of researchers led by an Indian-origin doctor has generated six Zika virus antibodies that may help diagnose as well as treat the mosquito-borne disease that has infected more than 1.5 million people worldwide in the last few years.
DWMPL announces national campaign 'Swachh Sansar E-waste Drive'
One of India's leading organizations, Deshwal Waste Management Pvt. Ltd. (DWMPL) announces a nationwide 'Swachh Sansar E-waste Drive' - A pan India e-waste awareness, education and collection campaign.After its first successful E-waste awareness rally in Gurugram on the occasion of first International e-waste day, DWMPL launched a nationwide initiative targeting students, youth and corporates with an aim to contribute to the Prime Minister's dream project - 'Swachh Bharat' Mission. The organization envisages helping in creating a better sustainable environment.Marking the first of its kind initiative in India, Raj Kumar, Founder, DWMPL says, "India produced over two million metric tonnes of E-waste in 2016 and only 5% of this humongous amount reached recycling plants. A greater stake of E-waste comes under unorganized sector and that poses an even greater danger because of its unsafe handling. Considering only metro cities, a mere 8% urban population is aware of the need for proper ...
Contribution Of Farmers And Workers Must In Development Of Nation
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das stated that in the development of the nation the contribution of the villages' poor farmers and workers is a must for the development of state and nation. Speaking at the Global Agriculture and Food Summit-2018, Das said agriculture was the soul of the nation and base of the culture and traditions. Das said that in Jharkhand 60-70% population was agriculture. He said that the state government has sanctioned sufficient funds for the development of agriculture and allied activities and framed a separate food processing policy which is focused on bottling and packaging as food processing was an important link between the farmers and urban customers.
Assam college creates rice bank to preserve indigenous varieties
A college in Assam has walked the extra mile by not only setting up a rice bank to preserve seeds of indigenous varieties that are losing out to new high-yielding varieties but also encouraging farmers to grow them so that they do not become extinct.
Delhi's air quality 'very poor', to worsen over weekend
Delhi's air quality was in the 'very poor' category Friday due to unfavourable meteorological conditions that slowed dispersion of pollutants, with forecast of "significant deterioration" in pollution levels over the weekend. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was 358. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'. The CPCB said seven areas in Delhi, including Mundka, Rohini and Wazirpur, recorded 'severe' air quality, while in 25 other areas the air pollution level was in the 'very poor' category. The level of PM2.5 (particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometre) was recorded at 200 and the PM10 level was recorded at 351, it said. In NCR, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Noida recorded 'very poor' air quality while Gurgaon recorded moderate air quality, CPCB data showed. According to the
Aussie kids skip school for mass climate protest
Thousands of Australian students skipped school Friday to join nationwide protests demanding government action on climate change. The demonstrations were held as more than a hundred bushfires blazed in scorching temperatures in the northeast and a day after Indian mining firm Adani vowed to go ahead with a massive and controversial coal mine. Primary and secondary students rallied in state capitals and rural areas across the country, in defiance of Prime Minister Scott Morrison who earlier said kids should stay in the classroom. "Our prime minister thinks we should be in school right now and maybe you should be," 13-year-old student Siniva Esera told a crowd of more than a thousand in Sydney. "But how can we sit by and not do anything to protect the future of this planet," she added, to a rapturous applause. Morrison told parliament earlier in the week that the government was committed to tackling climate change, "but I'll tell you what we are also committed to: kids should go to ...
Karnataka CM requests Goa to lift ban on import of fish
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, in a letter to his Goa counterpart Manohar Parrikar, has asked that the ban on import of fish into Goa be lifted. The Goa government on November 10 announced a ban on import of fish into the state for six months against the backdrop of a scare that formalin, a potential cancer-causing chemical, was being used to preserved fish. Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane Friday confirmed that the state government had received Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's letter dated November 27. "It is requested that this blanket ban may be withdrawn and fish trading between Karnataka and Goa and other states passing through Goa may be allowed," the Karnataka CM has written in the letter. Kumaraswamy's letter stated that Karnataka will ensure fish traders comply with the Food and Drug Administration regulations. "The process is already initiated in the three coastal districts. Fish transporters and merchants of Karnataka have been ...
Indonesian island clean-up nets 40 tons of rubbish daily
Residents on a string of coral-fringed islands off Jakarta's coast are battling a tidal wave of trash, with more than 40 tons of rubbish collected daily over the past week, an official said. Indonesian authorities have deployed an army of staff and a fleet of boats to help clear rubbish-infested shorelines and surrounding waters, underscoring the Southeast Asian archipelago's mammoth marine waste problem. It is the world's second biggest contributor to marine debris after China, producing about 1.29 million metric tons annually. This week's clean-up operation is centred on an area known as the Thousand Islands, a popular day trip from the traffic-clogged capital. Residents of one island have reported dead turtles in the area, although Yusen Hardiman, head of the region's environment department, said it was not yet clear if it was a result of ingesting rubbish. A sperm whale was found dead last week in a marine park off Sulawesi island with 115 plastic cups and 25 plastic bags in its ..
Antarctic Ozone hole is healing: IIT Kharagpur study
A research team of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur have come up with new data "confirming" that the Antarctic Ozone hole is on a "healing" path, a statement issued by the institute said Friday. Researchers of the Center of Oceans, Rivers, Atmosphere and Law Science (CORAL) of IIT Kharagpur have collected data from 1979 to 2017, which shows though there was a loss in saturation of Ozone since 1987 over the Antarctic, the saturation of loss at 12-21 km stretch has significantly reduced over the period 20012017, the statement said. While the world is debating on climate change and global warming, the findings by CORAL researchers have given environmentalists a reason to rejoice, it said. This is the first of its kind research providing detailed long-term (over four decades) analysis of Antarctic ozone loss saturation in terms of its occurrence, timing using high-resolution ozonesondes (a ballon borne instrument that measures concentration of ozone) and ...
States, regional governments more committed to decarbonise: Report
State and regional governments were responding to the threat of climate change faster than their national counterparts, a report jointly by The Climate Group, CDP and PwC UK said on Friday.
Delhi: Air quality remains 'very poor', chilly winters likely to arrive on Dec 5
People residing in the national capital were seen wearing anti-pollution dust masks and scarves to protect their mouths and nose from the cocktail of dust and smog which has enveloped the region from the past couple of months.According to the state-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), no imminent improvement was recorded in the quality of air on Friday. At 8: 30 am the air quality index docked at 353.The organisation also stated that the air quality is 'very poor' and likely to remain 'very poor' with small fluctuations. "There is no system building up as surface winds are south-westerly. However, air quality is likely to deteriorate significantly on December 2 as a cloudy condition and decline in temperature is likely to bring down inversion layer to trap pollutants. The contribution from stubble biomass is nil," it added.Speaking to ANI, Anand Sharma, a resident of Noida, said: "There is a dire need to do something substantial in order to combat ...
US' position on Paris Agreement remains unchanged
The Donald Trump administration's position on the 2015 Paris Agreement remains unchanged and the United States intends to withdraw from the climate deal as soon as it is eligible to do so, when the COP24 - the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is underway in Poland next week.The annual UN climate conference will be held in Katowice, Poland from December 2-14. Judith Garber, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) at the Department of State, will serve as the US head of delegation, according to an official release.US Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher will represent the country at the World Leaders Summit on December 3. The US delegation will also include officials from the White House, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Department of Treasury, the Department of Agriculture, and the US ..
G20: PM Modi meets UN Secretary General, discusses climate change
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met United Nations Secretary General Antonia Guterres on the sidelines of G20 summit here on Thursday (local time) and discussed India's role in addressing climate change globally.Official Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs Raveesh Kumar tweeted, "UN Secretary General @antonioguterres met PM @narendramodi in #BuenosAires on the sidelines of the #G20Summit. Discussed India's uniting role in addressing climate change globally, with specific reference to the forthcoming COP24 meeting in Katowice, Poland."The Prime Minister, at present, is on a three-day visit to Argentina to attend the G20 summit.The UN Secretary General had reached out to the Prime Minister for the second time in two months.This outreach comes just a week before COP24 (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in Katowice, Poland.It reflects the respect in which the Prime Minister and his initiatives are held globally to take the lead on issues of global importance.
G20: PM Modi discusses global climate change with UN Secretary General
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the issue of global climate change in his meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale informed.Gokhale said that the UN Secretary-General specifically acknowledged the fact that India played a very major role in climate change negotiations. He also acknowledged that the Indian Prime Minister had taken a number of concrete steps towards addressing climate change in his own country.Apart from mentioning the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as one of the major initiatives of India towards climate change, Guterres also recalled the environmental impacts of the Swachh Bharat Mission and other campaigns that he witnessed during his recent visit to India last month.The UN Secretary-General also sincerely hoped and expected that in the forthcoming meeting on COP24 (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), scheduled next week in Poland, India will be playing the role of a good Samaritan .
Feature: In Mexico, resistance to solar projects bodes badly for fast-tracking train
SAN JOSÉ TIPCEH, Mexico (Reuters) - The Yucatan peninsula, dividing the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean, is among Mexico's top destinations for renewable energy firms thanks to its strong winds and sunny climate. Home to bustling tourist resorts such as Cancun, the area is also a big energy consumer.
G20: PM Modi meets UN Secy Gen, discusses India's role in addressing climate change
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the G20 summit here on Thursday and the two discussed India's role in addressing climate change globally. PMO sources said the meeting signifies the importance that both leaders attach to the issue of climate change. This outreach comes just a week before the COP24 meet in Katowice, Poland. "UN Secretary General @antonioguterres met PM @narendramodi in #BuenosAires on the sidelines of the #G20Summit. Discussed India's uniting role in addressing climate change globally, with specific reference to the forthcoming COP24 meeting in Katowice, Poland," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. The UN Secretary General has reached out to the PM for a second time in two months, the PMO sources said. "It reflects the respect in which the prime minister and his initiatives are held globally to take the lead on issues of global importance," the sources said. Earlier, the prime ...
Exclusive: EPA lifts advanced biofuel mandate for 2019, keeps ethanol steady: document
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lifted its annual blending mandate for advanced biofuels by 15 percent for 2019, while keeping the requirement for conventional biofuels like corn-based ethanol steady, according to an agency document seen by Reuters on Thursday.
Safely on Mars, InSight unfolds its arrays and snaps some pics
After safely landing on Mars following its nearly seven month journey, NASA has released the first pictures taken by its InSight spacecraft, which has opened it solar arrays to charge batteries. The USD 993 million lander, which landed on Monday and appears to be in good shape, will soon begin unfolding its robotic arm and deploying its quake-sensors on the Martian surface. NASA engineers are planning to begin work with its robotic arm soon, but are proceeding with caution. The arm has five mechanical fingers to help it lift out and place its two instruments on Martian soil in the coming few months. "Slowly releasing all my pent-up tension, starting with loosening my grapple, as these before-and-after pics show," said the NASAInSight Twitter account. "Until I'm ready to stretch my arm out, my camera angles will be the same." InSight is equipped with two full-color cameras and has already sent back six shots since touching down. The waist-high spacecraft will stay in place for the ...
BMW joins project to improve conditions for cobalt mining in Congo
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German carmaker BMW is exploring ways to improve working conditions for mining cobalt in Congo through a pilot project also supported by chemicals giant BASF, battery maker Samsung SDI and a development agency.
Eight fishermen from Andhra among 22 detained by Pak
At least eight fishermen from Andhra Pradesh were among 22 Indian fishermen apprehended by Pakistan Marine Security Agency off Gujarat coast on Thursday, officials said.
