Page 431 - Environment
Trump raises ethanol use in gasoline, appeases farmers ahead of elections
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump launched an effort on Tuesday to increase ethanol use in the nation's gasoline pool, delivering a long-sought political victory to the nation's Farm Belt and angering oil refiners ahead of November's Congressional elections.
Trump questions UN global warming report
US President Donald Trump said he has yet to read a UN report warning of global warming-caused chaos unless drastic action is taken and added that he is sceptical. The landmark report released Monday said time was running out to avert climate-induced disaster. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) declared it had "high confidence" in its predictions. At the White House, Trump said he has not read it yet. "It was given to me and I want to look who drew it, you know -- which groups drew it, because I can give you reports that are fabulous and I can give you reports that aren't so good," he told reporters. "But I will be reading it, absolutely." It was Trump's first reaction to the report, which says that the Earth surface has warmed one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and is on track towards an unliveable 3 degrees Celsius or 4 degrees Celsius rise. The Trump administration has dismantled emissions reduction policies domestically, and vowed to ditch the Paris ...
EU drop in sugar output offers 'glimmer of hope' for supply glut
LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union is poised to reduce its sugar exports as poor weather and low prices dent output from the bloc, a move analysts said on Tuesday could help ease a global supply glut.
EU nations spar over cars emissions, climate goals
LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - European Union nations, voicing worries over a U.N. report on global warming, were haggling on Tuesday over how ambitious to be in cutting vehicle emissions, with Germany warning that overly-challenging targets risked harming industry and jobs.
States must take initiative on climate policies: Minister
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday said that states should come up with more ideas and take initiatives to fight against climate change.
Gujarat ideal destination for investment in Renewable Energy: Saurabhbhai Patel
Gujarat Energy Minister Saurabhbhai Patel has invited private players of Energy sector to invest in Renewable Energy in Gujarat.Speaking at Gujarat session in the second Global RE-Invest Summit, organised at Expo Mart, Greater Noida, he said that, the aim of his government is to provide energy at a cheaper rate to farmers and citizens. He also appealed to the private investors to invest in this sector.He talked about Surya Shakti Kisan Yojna (SKY) which is the big scale pilot project of the state government and claimed that it would be a game changer as it not only makes the farmers self-reliant but also gives them an additional source of income. The local farmers who have experienced the scheme lauded it and requested others to join in too. This project has been set up at a cost of Rs. 875 crore to cater to 12,400 farmers. As the 26 percent power is being utilized in the agricultural sector which is a very high ratio, he suggested investors to make an investment in this project.He ...
SC caps petcoke import for aluminium, calcining industries
The Supreme Court on Tuesday restricted the import of petcoke by the aluminium industry to 0.5 million tonnes and for the calcining industry to 1.4 million tonnes per year, making it clear that imported petcoke will only be used as feedstock.
Centre sanctions Rs 29,695 cr of CCL for Punjab
The Centre Tuesday sanctioned a cash credit limit (CCL) of Rs 29,695.40 crore to the state for procurement of paddy in the Kharif marketing season 2018-19. Punjab had raised a demand of Rs 40,300 crore for this season. Disclosing this here, an official spokesperson said the amount has been released by the RBI for procurement of paddy till October. The balance installment of Rs 10,604.60 crore would be released subsequently, he said. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had been pursuing the issue of early release of CCL to ensure timely payment to farmers against their crop. The CM has, meanwhile, directed all the state procurement agencies to take immediate steps to ensure prompt lifting of the produce, followed by timely release of payments to farmers. He has reiterated his government's commitment to facilitating smooth and hassle-free procurement in the Mandis across the state. The state government has already made elaborate arrangements for procurement of the estimated 200 lakh LMT ...
WB grants land to TCG at Haldia
The West Bengal cabinet on Tuesday granted 98.53 acres to Purnendu Chatterjee-led The Chatterjee Group (TCG) to set up a new plant at Haldia, state Transport minister Suvendu Adhikari said. TCG has a majority stake in Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation's (MCC) Indian unit at Haldia in East Midnapore district. "The state cabinet granted 98.53 acres to the Chatterjee Group to set up a new plant at Haldia," the minister told reporters at the state secretariat. The work for the Rs 4500 crore plant would start from December, he said. The MCC PTA India (MCPI) will set up the plant to produce purified terephthalic acid, Adhikari added.
Rs 29,695-cr CCL sanctioned for Punjab paddy procurement
The Centre on Tuesday sanctioneda Cash Credit Limit (CCL) of Rs 29,695.40 crore for the procurement of paddy in the kharif marketing season 2018-19, official sources said.
200 Maha talukas facing scarcity-like conditions, says CM
Around 200 talukas in Maharashtra are facing "scarcity-like" conditions and two senior ministers have been asked to submit a report on this issue, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Tuesday. He added that a decision to declare these talukas as scarcity-hit would be taken by October 31. Talking to reporters after a ministerial meeting, Fadnavis said that state Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil and Transport Minister Diwakar Raote have been entrusted with the task of reviewing the scarcity situation in these talukas and submitting a report to him. "A decision of declaring the talukas as scarcity-hit will be taken by October 31. Later, a Central team will visit to review the situation and then a decision of declaring drought will be taken, since it (declaring drought) is in the Centre's domain," Fadnavis said. He informed that inputs about the prevailing scarcity situation is being compiled for submission to the Union government. The Maharashtra CM said that ministers .
SMEs play critical role in India's battle against climate change: Env Ministry secy
India is a crucial player in the journey to combat climate change and small and medium enterprises play a critical role in it, a senior Environment Ministry official was quoted as saying by the WWF. Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change C K Mishra said global learning and local solutions were the key, with solutions emerging to deal with climate change from within the country. "India is a crucial player in the journey to combat climate change and SMEs play a critical role in it. It is imperative to reward and encourage SMEs, and for the government to create a conducive ecosystem to help them scale up," he was quoted as saying in a statement. "The narrative is to work together towards development and ecology conservation for which the government and industry must work in collaboration," he said. Two Indian SMEs with innovative cleantech solutions were announced as the winners of the sixth edition of WWF-India's Climate Solver Awards held Monday. Climate ..
Bihar cabinet approves DPR for Patna metro rail project
The Bihar cabinet on Tuesday paved the way for rolling out metro rail in Patna as it approved the "Detailed Project Report (DPR)" which would be sent to the central government for approval. In an another important decision, the state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar gave its nod for completely banning the use of plastic carry bags in all the municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats of the state. The production, import, storage, transport, sale and use of all types- irrespective of their size and thickness- of plastic carry bags will be completely banned after 60 days from the date of gazette notification, Cabinet Secretariat Department's Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar told reporters. Notably, the Patna High Court- while hearing a PIL for banning the use of plastic or polythene bags- had on October 1, 2018 passed the order directing the state government to completely ban plastic bags in urban areas of Bihar from October 25 ..
Bihar cabinet approves DPR of Patna Metro Rail
The Bihar cabinet on Tuesday approved a fresh Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Patna Metro Rail and sanctioned Rs 17,887.56 crore for it, an official said.
Delhi's poor air quality threat for marathon runners: Former IMA president
Former president of Indian Medical Association (IMA) KK Agarwal has said that poor air quality of Delhi is a serious concern and added that cricket matches and marathons should not be organised in such condition.His comment came ahead of Delhi Half Marathon, which is slated to be held on October 21.Speaking to ANI, Agarwal said, "If pollution level is more than 100 then a marathon should not take place, and if it takes place, every person should be told that participating in marathon could be risky for their lungs and heart. Marathon organizers should put it clearly that pollution level is so much and you are participating at your own risk.""Cricket matches and marathons are risky when pollution levels are more than 100," he added.Taking note of the rising air pollution in the city, the Heart Care Foundation of India has also appealed to the organisers of the sports event to take into consideration the air quality at the time of the Delhi half marathon so that no runner suffers any ...
200 talukas facing drought-like conditions: Maharashtra CM
A total of 200 talukas in the state of Maharashtra have been identified as scarcity-like conditions, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday.Speaking to reporters after chairing an emergency ministerial meeting on the issue, Fadnavis said that the state ministers were apprised of the prevailing conditions and were also asked to submit a report to him on this issue."The main focus is how to tackle the drought-hit talukas in the state. One of the main reasons behind the drought is the low rainfall which has been recorded just 77 percent, less than the average-mark in the state. We are following the drought manual given by the Centre and that has helped us in planning everything well in advance," he said.The Chief Minister further said that a Central team will soon be visiting to these talukas to review the situation."Be it water-scarcity issues or crop damages, I have instructed the ministers to make a detailed plan after they visit the drought-hit talukas. This not only helps
SC takes note of pollution from Graphite India's plant in Bengaluru
The Supreme Court Tuesday took note of the pollution caused from a Graphite India plant in Bengaluru and asked it to explain as to why the use of petroleum coke (petcoke) by the company not be stopped with immediate effect. A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta had on September 6 allowed the application of Graphite India Ltd seeking permission to import petcoke, also called needle coke, to be used as feed stock for manufacture of graphite electrodes which are used in the steel industry. When the issue of pollution from the plant was raised before the court, it said that the matter has to be dealt with urgently as it was affecting the health of people of the area. "They have taken permission from the court to use it. If due to this, people are going to suffer then we will withdraw the permission," the bench observed. It issued notice to Graphite India Ltd seeking their response by October 12 explaining "why the use of needle petcoke should not be stopped with immediate ...
Dutch court tells government to slash greenhouse gas
The Dutch government on Tuesday lost a legal appeal against a landmark court ruling which ordered it to slash greenhouse gases by at least 25 percent by 2020. The Hague appeals court upheld a 2015 court victory by environmental rights group Urgenda, which sought to force a national reduction of emissions blamed for global warming. Cheers erupted from activists in the courtroom as judges read out their ruling saying that "the state is acting unlawfully and in violation of the duty of care". "Up until now the state has done too little to prevent dangerous climate change, and is not doing enough to make up lost ground," head judge Marie-Anne Tan-de Sonnaville said. "There is a real threat of danger against which measures must be taken." The Dutch government said it would "carry out the decision" and that it may still be possible to achieve the target. But it added that "the government will now study the outcome of this procedure, regarding a possible appeal with the Dutch Supreme ...
DIAL plans to make Delhi airport plastic free by 2019-end
Straws, containers and other disposable plastic items might be a thing of the past at Delhi airport as the operator plans to make the country's busiest aerodrome plastic free by the end of 2019. The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which runs the Indira Gandhi International Airport here, said it has taken a number of steps to eliminate possible use of single-use plastic. "It includes mainly creating awareness, enhancing waste management systems and promoting the use of eco-friendly sustainable alternatives... progressively. By end of 2019, Delhi airport will become a plastic free airport," it said in a statement Tuesday. The operator also said it is working collectively with stakeholders to ban all single use plastic at the airport. Single use plastic, also called disposable plastics, include grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups and cutlery, the statement said. DIAL noted that it is looking to ensure use of smart and bio-friendly packaging for food ...
Approach Delhi government for tree felling permission: HC to NBCC
The Delhi High Court has allowed the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) to approach the Tree Officer of Delhi for seeking permission for felling trees to redevelop residential projects in six colonies of the national capital.
