Page 334 - Environment
India's Adani says to fully fund its troubled Australia coal project
(Reuters) - India's Adani Enterprises will fully fund its coal mine and rail project in Australia itself, the company said on Thursday, taking a big step closer to building the long-touted project that has faced fierce resistance from green groups.
BMW mulls converting hybrids to electric only mode in polluted cities
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - BMW said it can force its hybrid cars switch to an electric-only mode in heavily polluted inner-city areas, helping its vehicles compete with pure battery-driven rivals as a raft of cities seek to create emissions-free zones.
Fires fuelled spread of grasslands on Earth: Study
Ancient wildfires played a crucial role in the formation and spread of grasslands like those that now cover large parts of the Earth, according to a study. The study, published in the journal PNAS, links a large rise in wildfires nearly 10 million years ago with a major shift in vegetation on land. This is indicated by carbon isotopes of plant biomarkers found in the fossil record, said researchers from the Pennsylvania State University in the US. Frequent, seasonal fires helped turn forested areas into open landscapes, and drove the expansion of grasslands, they said. The researchers developed an innovative approach to test the role of fire in the rise of early grasslands. They analysed tracers of ancient leaves and of burned organic matter left behind in paleosols, or fossil soils, in northern Pakistan. "The tools we use are molecules and biomarkers produced by organisms in Earth history and preserved in rocks," said Allison Karp, a graduate student at Pennsylvania State ...
Unfavourable weather conditions keep Delhi's air quality 'very poor'
Delhi's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category on Thursday due to "unfavourable meteorological conditions" that slowed down dispersion of pollutants, authorities said. The overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 353, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. 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 -- Ashok Vihar, Anand Vihar, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Rohini, Vivek Vihar and Wazirpur -- recorded 'severe' air quality. Twenty areas in the national capital recorded 'very poor' air quality while it was 'poor' in six areas, it said. The level of PM2.5 -- particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres -- was recorded at 206 and the PM10 level was recorded at 360, it said. In NCR, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Noida recorded 'very poor' air quality while Gurgaon fell into the ...
India's PSLV rocket successfully puts HysIS, 30 foreign satellites into orbit
India on Thursday put into orbit its own Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite (HysIS) -- an earth observation satellite -- and 30 other foreign satellites in text-book style.
Kisan rally throws traffic in a tizzy in parts of Delhi
Farmers from different parts of Delhi who began their march towards Ramlila Maidan Thursday as part of a massive kisan rally planned in the city, sent traffic into a tizzy in some parts of the national capital. On Thursday morning, farmers arrived at Anand Vihar railway station where they were welcomed by members of Left-backed students' outfit AISA. Farmers also reached Bijwasan in southwest Delhi and began their march towards Ramlila Maidan. Due to this march, traffic on Bijwasan and Dwarka Link Road was affected with police asking commuters to avoid the stretch. Farmer leaders said they were expecting as many as one lakh farmers at Ramlila Maidan by evening. On Friday, they will march from there to Parliament.
Thick layer of smog engulfs Delhi, air quality 'very poor'
A thick blanket of haze and smog enveloped Delhi and its surrounding regions on Thursday with the pollution further intoxicating the atmosphere and the air quality plummeting to 'very poor' category.According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of the capital in the morning was recorded 335, considered as 'very poor'.The AQI between the range of 51 to 100 is considered as satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 falls under the category of poor. 300-400 is considered as 'very poor' and range between 401-500 falls under the category as 'hazardous'.The forecasting agency has predicted that the air quality of the region is likely to show slight improvement due to the change in wind speed."The air quality is very poor. It is likely to improve due to a slight increase in wind speed but will remain in very poor for the next two days and then increase. Due to cold front up in the north, the wind speed has increased so a
Adani Group to fully fund troubled Carmichael coal mine
(Reuters) - India's Adani Enterprises will fully fund its controversial Carmichael coal mine and rail project in Australia, Adani Mining Chief Executive Lucas Dow said on Thursday, according to a statement from the group.
Future uncertain for Australia's unique platypus: researchers
Australia's unique platypus population is shrinking under pressure from agriculture and pollution, putting the egg-laying mammals' future in doubt, researchers said in a report published Thursday. A three-year survey of the duck-billed animal suggested its numbers had fallen by 30 percent, to around 200,000, since Europeans settled the continent two centuries ago. "We have great concerns about the future survival of this unique species," said Richard Kingsford, director of the University of New South Wales Centre for Ecosystem Science. Threats endangering the platypus in its eastern Australian habitats include increased land-clearing for agriculture, pollution, dam building and fishing nets, Kingsford said in a statement. Kingsford and his team called on authorities to elevate the protected status of the platypus from near-threatened to vulnerable. They said that while population numbers varied in different regions of eastern Australia, platypuses had already disappeared from some ...
ISRO launches earth monitoring satellite
Space agency ISRO's trusted workhorse rocket PSLV-C43 blasted off from here Thursday carrying India's earth observation satellite HysIS along with 30 satellites from eight countries. The 28-hour countdown for the launch began at 5.58 AM on Wednesday and the rocket blasted off at 9.58 am Thursday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, about 110 km from Chennai, the space agency said. The Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite (HysIS), an earth observation satellite developed by ISRO, is the primary satellite of the PSLV-C43 mission. The mass of the spacecraft is about 380 kg, ISRO said, adding that the satellite would be placed in 636 km-polar sun synchronous orbit with an inclination of 97.957 degree. The primary goal of HysIS, whose mission life is five years, is to study the earth's surface in visible near infrared and shortwave infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The co-passengers of HysIS include 1 micro and 29 nano satellites ...
Finance Commission to take innovative approach for development
The Fifteenth Finance Commission (FFC) would take positive and innovative approach to fast track the development of the economy of Nagaland, a top official of the commission has said. A team of the FFC led by its chairman N K Singh is on a three-day visit of Nagaland. The FFC team held talks with a Nagaland government team led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, different political parties, Naga civil societies, rural and urban local bodies to discuss about their demands on Wednesday. "We have had a very full and rich discussion with all stake holders in Nagaland while the state government presented a formal memorandum to the commission detailing their expectations from the award and recommendations of the FFC," Singh told a press conference here Wednesday. Nagaland government has put forth four proposals which include post devolution revenue deficit grants amounting to Rs 74,000 crore, on critical infrastructure development Rs 7,212 crore, Village Councils and Urban bodies ..
654 turtles including 482 dead recovered from pond in Etawah in UP
As many as 654 Indian flapshell turtles were recovered from a pond in Bharthana in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah district on Wednesday. Out of 654 turtles, 482 turtles were found to be dead and the rest 172 were severely sick.All the turtle belonged to Lissemys punctata species, which is a protected species under The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.Based on a tip-off, the Forest Department raided the area and recovered the turtles. However, the smugglers managed to flee from the spot.According to the Forest Department, the turtles, locally known as Sundhari, were caught from different locations by an active gang.After fearing the arrest, the kingpin of the gang, Raj Kapoor hid the turtle in the pond. The Forest Department with the help of local police launched the operation and found turtles following the crackdown."The smuggled turtles are used for making soup. People also believe that they are
New 'Go Fish' tool to study marine life
An innovative tool that can confirm the recent presence of any given fish species in a sample of water is among the marvels to be highlighted at the two-day National Conference on Marine Environmental DNA here beginning on Thursday.
South Korea sends insecticide to North to save pine trees
South Korea sent about 50 tons of insecticide to North Korea on Thursday to help stop a pine tree disease from spreading. The move was the latest in a series of goodwill gestures between the rival Koreas to improve relations amid larger negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang to resolve the nuclear standoff. South Korea's Unification Ministry said trucks carrying the chemicals crossed the border and unloaded them at the North Korean border town of Kaesong. South Korean forestry officials are also visiting the North to discuss ways to jointly fight the disease that is common in pine forests in the Korean Peninsula. It is caused by parasitic roundworms dispersed by beetles and the infected trees will wilt and die. On Friday, the Koreas plan to start an 18-day joint survey on North Korean railroad sections along the country's eastern and western coasts they eventually want to connect with the South. But beyond the surveys and a planned groundbreaking ceremony, the Koreas cannot ...
Russia to sign nuclear cooperation agreement with Argentina
Russia and Argentina will be signing an agreement on strategic nuclear cooperation during the upcoming visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Latin American country, Russian Ambassador to Argentina Dmitry Feoktistov has said.Putin will be attending the G20 Summit in Argentina November 30and December 1.Sputnik quoted Feoktistov as saying, "One of the documents that will be signed [during Putin's visit] is the agreement on strategic nuclear cooperation between Russia and Argentina. [The agreement] will cover various aspects of this cooperation, including the possible construction of a big nuclear power plant [NPP] of the Russian Generation III+ design."The ambassador pointed out that this would be an expensive project."Russia is ready to propose a project on turnkey basis and to construct an NPP, provide it with maintenance services and sell electrical power to the Argentinian partners for the fixed price," Feoktistov noted.According to the ambassador, Moscow and Buenos Aires .
UN chief: G20 leaders need bolder action at critical time
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has a message for leaders of the 20 major economic powers ahead of this week's summit: take stronger leadership and bolder action to tackle critical problems from climate change to inequality at a time the world is facing "a crisis of confidence." Before flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to attend the Group of 20 meeting, the U.N. chief told reporters Wednesday it is imperative that countries work together to create a fairer world. Guterres warned that "we are headed for a world of cataclysm and uncertainty due to climate disruption." He also warned that "those left behind by globalization are losing trust in governments and institutions," inequality is "pervasive and increasing," trade disputes are escalating, and geopolitical tensions "are adding further pressure to the global economy.
UN climate talks need compromise, not stubbornness: UN chief
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged leaders at the UN climate conference kicking off next week to set aside stubbornness and instead compromise to seal a deal on implementing the Paris climate accord. Guterres will join delegates from nearly 200 countries at the COP24 conference that opens Sunday in the southern Polish city of Katowice, with the aim of agreeing a plan to move forward on the 2015 climate deal. World leaders have been trying to breathe new life into the Paris Agreement following the US decision to pull out of the deal and backsliding from several nations over commitments made. "At the moment, we are headed for a world of cataclysm and uncertainty due to climate disruption," Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters. He called on governments to show ambition and leadership to meet the climate challenges, adding that "leadership is also the capacity to compromise." "Leadership is to understand that the agreement is the most important objective. That, more than to
NGT-appointed panel against shutting Sterlite copper plant in Tamil Nadu, says closure unjustified
In a setback for the Tamil Nadu Government, an NGT-appointed committee that looked into closure of Sterlite Copper plant in Tuticorin on Wednesday said that the order to close down the plant was unjustified and " against the principles of natural justice".
India needs sugar reforms as stocks climb: ISMA chief
LONDON (Reuters) - India's sugar sector is in urgent of reform as stocks climb and high cane prices keep production costs far above those of its rivals, the Indian Sugar Mills Association said on Wednesday.
Death of US national: NCST team to visit Andamans to assess situation
A team of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) will visit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in December to look into the issue of killing of a US national by a protected and reclusive tribe in the North Sentinel Island, according to an official statement. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the NCST Wednesday. At the meeting, NCST chairman Nand Kumar Sai said, "Aggressive steps to recover the body of the US national will adversely disturb the peace and tranquility in the island." The commission also reviewed the reports submitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Andaman and Nicobar administration on the incident, the statement said. John Allen Chau, 27, was killed by members of the Sentinelese Tribes, possibly with arrows, when he tried to enter the North Sentinel Island, on November 17. At the meeting, the NCST chairperson said that following the "unfortunate incident, the vulnerability of the Sentinelese tribes in the North Sentinel Island has ...
