Page 338 - Environment
Pollution board asks industries to strive for plastic-free TN
: With the deadline for the ban on plastic items inching closer, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board Tuesday appealed to nearly 3,000 large and medium-scale industries to take up various initiatives on shunning plastic and submit a report to the board by mid-December. Among the initiatives, the board has asked the firms to form committees of top, middle and lower-level officials to create awareness among employees and public around a 10-km radius on the ban. Coinciding with International Environment Day, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami had, on June 5, said the state would ban the use of plastic items, including non-biodegradable carrybags, from January 2019 to 'gift a plastic-free' environment to future generations. The restriction on manufacture, sale, storage and usage of plastic paper, cups, water sachets, straws and carrybags would come into effect from January 1, 2019, Palaniswami had said.
UN Environment, 28 banks to take forward Paris climate agenda
In a bid to define the banking industry's role and responsibilities in shaping a sustainable future, the UN Environment Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and 28 banks from around the world have together developed a roadmap for responsible banking to take forward the agenda of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, officials said.
Macron acknowledges protests, but won't 'change course'
French President Emmanuel Macron sought to take the heat out of mass anti-government protests over taxes on Tuesday, saying he had heard the anger but would not change course. The 40-year-old centrist acknowledged that many struggling households felt penalised by an increase in fuel taxes this year, the spark for road blockades and demonstrations over the past 10 days. He offered minor concessions, saying he would propose a mechanism to adjust tax hikes when they occurred at the same time as an increase in oil prices internationally -- as they have this year. And he called for a three-month national consultation to draw up a roadmap for accelerating the country's transition away from fossil fuels -- which he insisted remained his overall objective. "What I've taken from these last few days is that we shouldn't change course because it is the right one and necessary," he told lawmakers at the Elysee palace in Paris. In an hour-long speech, Macron repeated several times that he had ...
Greenpeace protests ahead of Poland climate summit
Greenpeace protestors on Tuesday scaled a massive chimney at Poland's Belchatow coal-fired power plant as one of Europe's largest polluters gears up to host the COP24 global climate summit. "We want to draw the world's attention to the fact that climate change is real, that human tragedies are taking place before our eyes and that action is urgent," Greenpeace Poland activist Katarzyna Guzek told AFP via telephone. She said nine activists from around the world had scaled the 180 metre (560 feet) tower as part of a Greenpeace campaign aimed at phasing out coal use. "Belchatow is the largest coal-fired power station in the EU, one of the largest in the world and therefore the symbol of a system that kills life on our planet," Guzek added. The activists were prepared to remain on the tower "for some time", Guzek said but refused to go into detail. Maciej Szczepaniuk, a spokesman for Poland's PGE power group which owns the Belchatow facility in southern Poland told AFP that the "protest ..
Shimla: Leopard cub found near judicial complex
A leopard cub was found near the parking area adjacent to a judicial complex in Shimla on Tuesday.The cub was spotted under a parked vehicle and was rescued by the wildlife wing of the Forest Department.The wildlife wing of the hill state had spotted a significant rise in the number of snow leopards in the state. The leopards of this species are widely spotted in and around Komic, Hikkim, Kibbar, Pangi, Miar and Demul regions of Himachal Pradesh.The Forest Department is putting efforts to conserve snow leopards in the hill state by preserving their habitat.
Artificial rain in Delhi unlikely due to unfavourable met conditions
The chances of using artificial rain to reduce pollution may not be possible in the near future due to unfavourable meteorological conditions and pending clearance to fly an aircraft for cloud seeding, an IIT Kanpur professor working on project said Tuesday. Delhi's air quality showed a deteriorating trend from Monday and is presently in the "very poor" category. Authorities have been mulling to use artificial rain as a solution to clear the pollution but clouds having sufficient water content that is required for inducing artificial rain are not currently available, a senior India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said. The other issue is getting clearance to fly the aircraft that will carry out cloud seeding. The scientists at IIT Kanpur have made all preparations to induce artificial rain in the national capital to mitigate the hazardous health situation caused by the pollution crisis. An IIT Kanpur professor who is working on the project said other than the availability of .
Radha Mohan Singh to inaugurate Global Agriculture and Food Summit
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh will inaugurate the two-day Global Agriculture and Food summit here starting November 29, an official said on Tuesday.
Saudi Aramco aims to become gas exporter with $150 billion investment drive
DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Aramco's gas expansion strategy needs $150 billion worth of investments over the next decade as the company plans to increase output and become an exporter, its chief executive said on Tuesday.
UP bridge collapse kills 2
Two labourers were killed when a bridge under construction over a river in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district collapsed on Tuesday, police said.
6 new lizard species discovered in northeast India
Scientists have discovered six new species of bent-toed geckos (lizards) from different parts of northeast India, a team-member said here on Tuesday.
InSight catching rays on Mars: NASA
After the successful launch of NASA's InSight on Mars on Monday, the spacecraft has sent signals to Earth indicating that its solar panels are open and collecting sunlight on the Martian surface.
Drones can help find, count marine megafauna: Study
Consumer-grade drones may effectively monitor marine species in the wild, say scientists, offering a valuable platform to study populations of sharks, rays, sea turtles and other megafauna. "We found that drones can be used to count and make species-level identifications of marine species, particularly in shallow marine environments," said Enie Hensel, a PhD candidate at North Carolina State University in the US. "Demonstrating the viability of drones for this work matters, because these are inexpensive tools for collecting accurate abundance estimates," Hensel said. Those estimates are important for both informing the development of conservation efforts and for assessing the effectiveness of those efforts, according to the study published in the Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research. Drone surveys are also a good way to monitor shallow water, megafauna species because they are not intrusive, researchers said. "More traditional monitoring methods -- such as boat surveys or gill ..
China December coal imports set to slump on new curbs - traders
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's coal imports are set to slump in December as traders and utilities wind back purchases following signals from Beijing that it will stop clearing shipments until next year, trading companies and utilities told Reuters.
Drones can help find, count marine megafauna: Study
Consumer-grade drones are effective tools for monitoring marine species across multiple sites in the wild, suggests a research opening a platform for scientists and conservationists to study populations of sharks, rays, sea turtles and other marine megafauna.
NASA's Mars CubeSat success paves way for smaller deep space probes
NASA's MarCO CubeSats, the first-of-its-kind, briefcase-sized spacecraft to travel into deep space, successfully relayed information from newest robotic resident on Mars -- the Insight lander -- paving the way for the launch of more tiny planetary probes in future. The twin communications-relay CubeSats, built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, was launched on May 5 along with the Insight lander that successfully touched the Mars surface Monday. CubeSats are a class of spacecraft based on a standardised small size and modular use of off-the-shelf technologies. Many have been made by university students, and dozens have been launched into Earth orbit using extra payload mass available on launches of larger spacecraft. The mission objectives of the two small Mars Cube One (MarCO) which relayed InSight's telemetry was completed after their Martian flyby, NASA said in a statement. "That's one giant leap for our intrepid, briefcase-sized robotic explorers," said Joel ...
Leopard cub sneaks into Shimla, rescued
The residents of Shimla were gripped by panic after a leopard cub was sighted near district courts complex at Chakkar on Tuesday morning. The animal was later rescued by forest officials. According to eyewitnesses, the cub was hiding under a parked car and the police were informed who then called the forests officials. "We received the call from police control room located at the Mall Road regarding the presence of a leopard cub at Chakkar," Range Forests officer Himanshu told PTI. "The rescue team reached the spot and captured the cub using a net instead of a tranquilizer gun and took it to Tuti Kandi rescue and rehabilitation centre," he added. Although, catching hold of the cub was not an easy task for the officials as it kept shifting spots underneath the parked cars, the eyewitnesses said. The veterinary doctor will examine the cub at Tuti Kandi and subsequently it will be released in its natural habitat, the official said. Prima facie, it seems that the cub was separated from ...
Eating less meat, dairy may help meet climate targets: Study
Getting protein from plant sources instead of animals could help meet climate targets and reduce the risk of overshooting temperature goals, scientists say. A study published in the journal Climate Policy has found that livestock sector could use almost half of the 1.5 degrees Celsius greenhouse gas emission budget allowed by 2030. Addressing this should be a key part of the strategy to hit climate targets, researchers said. Helen Harwatt from Harvard Law School in the US proposes a three-step strategy to gradually replace animal proteins with plant-sourced proteins, as part of the commitment to mitigate climate change. The first step is to acknowledge that current numbers of livestock are at their peak and will need to decline. The next step is to set targets to transition away from livestock products starting with foods linked with the highest greenhouse gas emissions such as beef, then cow's milk and pig meat. Finally, assessing suitable replacement products against a range of ...
Natural rubber production rises 8%, imports jump 63% in Oct
Natural rubber production rose 8 per cent to 67,000 tonnes during last month, while imports increased 63 per cent to over 62,000 tonnes, according to Rubber Board's provisional data. Production stood at 62,000 tonnes in October 2017. Natural rubber consumption also rose to 1.02 lakh tonnes last month from 89,000 tonnes in the same month last year. Imports rose sharply to 62,047 tonnes from 38,048 tonnes, while exports dropped to nil from 479 tonnes during the period under the review. During April-October period of 2018-19 fiscal, natural rubber production has fallen to 3.44 lakh tonnes from 3.82 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year. The consumption however, rose to 7,16,040 tonnes from 6,17,960 tonnes. Imports jumped to 3,56,255 tonnes during April-October 2018 from 2,63,221 tonnes in the corresponding period of last fiscal. In contrast, exports were down to 433 tonnes from 4,687 tonnes.
Thick have engulfs Delhi, air quality 'severe' in eight areas
A thick haze engulfed Delhi as the air quality deteriorated and eight areas of the national capital recorded severe pollution level, authorities said Tuesday. The overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 360, which falls in the 'very poor' category, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. The CPCB said Dwarka Sector 8, Jahangirpuri, Mundaka, Narela, Nehru Nagar, Rohini, Anand Vihar and Wazirpur recorded 'severe' air quality, while 23 areas of Delhi recorded 'very poor' air quality. The level of PM2.5 (particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) was recorded at 211 and the PM10 level was recorded at 394, it said. 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'. In NCR, Ghaziabad recorded the worst air quality at the 'severe' level with an AQI of 407. Greater Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Noida recorded 'very ...
InSight deploys solar panel, all set to sunbathe on Mars!
NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter relayed signals that the InSight lander has successfully deployed its solar panels upon landing on the red planet, ensuring that the lander recharges its batteries for surface operations."The InSight team can rest a little easier tonight now that we know the spacecraft solar arrays are deployed and recharging the batteries," Tom Hoffman, InSight's project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California stated.NASA further quoted Hoffman as saying, "It's been a long day for the team. But tomorrow begins an exciting new chapter for InSight: surface operations and the beginning of the instrument deployment phase."The solar panels are designed to provide 600 to 700 watts on a clear day, enough to sustain the tools which will aid in studying the inner workings of Mars. The panels will produce at least 200 to 300 watts even during dusty conditions on the planet.The solar arrays are around seven feet wide and are an upgraded version of those ...
