Page 435 - Environment
At 2 deg Celsius warming, Kolkata could see deadly heatwaves: IPCC report
India could witness deadly heatwaves if the planet's temperature goes up by two degrees Celsius, according to a report released on Monday by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). Avoiding global climate chaos will require a major transformation of society and the world economy that is "unprecedented in scale", the IPCC said in the landmark report that warns time is running out to avert disaster. "At +1.5C, twice as many megacities as present such as Lagos in Nigeria and Shanghai in China are likely to become heat stressed, potentially exposing more than 350 million more people to deadly heat stress by 2050. "At +2C warming, Karachi (Pakistan) and Kolkata (India) could expect annual conditions equivalent to their deadly 2015 heatwaves (medium confidence)," the report said. The report said regionally differentiated multi-sector risks are already apparent at 1.5C warming, being more prevalent (where) vulnerable people live, predominantly in South Asia -- mostly ...
Centre has ended middlemen's role in procuring agri-products: Minister
To ensure better monetary benefits to peasants, the Union government has launched a system to eliminate the role of middle men in procuring farming produce, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has said. "The agencies desirous of purchasing farm produce will have to contact the farmers directly. It will ensure higher monetary returns to the farmers for their crops," Singh said here Sunday. The system has been developed by the Centre and the state governments will implement it, said the minister while unveiling a 'Para Check Card' aimed at helping peasants detect worm afflictions and other ailments in their sheep and goats. The card lists the symptoms of various ailments and their medical remedies for goats and sheep, serving as a ready reckoner for rearers. The card was developed by the Central Institute for Research on Goats (CIRG), based at Makhdoom near here. It is a good attempt by the scientists to save time and money of the goat-rearing farmers as the card would serve as
IIT scientists develop material that can harvest water from fog
Taking a leaf from nature's book, a team from IIT Mandi has developed a material that can harvest water from fog. Researchers worldwide are working towards developing techniques that can harvest water from unexpected sources, such as fog and mist, to meet the burgeoning demand for water. "There are several plants in arid and semi-arid regions of the world whose leaves can harvest water from dew and fog. If they can do it, so can we," said Venkata Krishnan, an associate professor at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. For the study published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, researchers studied the intricate structures on the leaves of an ornamental plant called the Dragon's lily head (Gladiolus dalenii). The surface patterns on the leaf in micrometre and nanometre scales were evaluated in relation to the water harvesting properties, and the patterns were replicated onto a polymer material. The team found a 230 per cent enhancement on ..
Two drown while offering prayers in West Bengal
Two persons drowned in the Hooghly River on Monday while offering prayers on the occasion of Mahalaya, a police officer said. While one of them lost balance and drowned at a ghat in Uttarpara, the other person was swept away by river currents at Seoraphuli, he said. Their bodies have been recovered by divers and handed over to the family members, he added. Devotees were seen thronging river ghats across the city and its surrounding areas since morning to offer homage to their departed ancestors on the occasion. The state administration has deployed River Traffic Police personnel and Disaster Management Group officials in large numbers along the ghats for security reasons.
Elephant dies after being hit by bus in Karnataka
A 38-year-old elephant, released into the forest nearly two years after being captured, died within hours of being hit by a private bus at Mattigod in Kodagu district early Monday, a forest department official said. The police said they had seized the private bus involved in the accident that occurred near the hilly Madikeri area. "The elephant, 'Rowdy' Ranga, met with an accident in the morning and passed away subsequently. We have asked the jurisdictional police to book a case against the driver," Karnataka Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (head of the Forest Force) Punati Sridhar told PTI. Tragically, Ranga, caught in 2016 and sheltered at the Mattigod elephant camp, was released into the forest only on Sunday and met with the fatal accident within hours. The elephant had earned the nickname of "rowdy" as it had trampled to death a few people and was caught near here in December, 2016 by a forest team. The accident again brought to the focus the demand of wildlife enthusiasts .
Tree Authority constituted as per law, BMC tells Bombay HC
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Monday told the Bombay High Court that its Tree Authority had been constituted in accordance with the law and, therefore, the civic body was not committing any illegality in granting permission for felling of trees for development projects or other purposes. In an affidavit submitted by the BMC through its Gardens and Trees Officer Jitendra Pardeshi before a bench led by Justice Shantanu Kemkar, the civic body defended the constitution of the authority and its functions. In the affidavit, the BMC denied allegations that the authority was granting permission for indiscriminate felling of trees without any application of mind. It said the Tree Authority comprises 13 corporators who scrutinise each application seeking permission for felling of trees. The authority then issues a public notice and invites suggestions and objections from members of the public, checks the claims made by the applicants, and only then, grants the requisite ...
'India must limit global warming increase to 1.5 degrees'
Even with an increase of little over one degree Celsius in global warming, India is being battered by the worst climate extremes. It is clear that the situation is going to worsen with an 1.5 degrees increase, and hence India must quickly get its act together -- now, environmentalists cautioned on Monday.
NGT directs top forest official to file affidavit on possession of land in S Delhi ridge
The National Green Tribunal has directed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to file an affidavit within a week stating how much time would be needed to take the possession of demarcated forest land in the Southern Ridge area here. A bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore passed the order after it was informed by the counsel appearing for the Delhi government that the process of taking possession has started. "The Nodal Officer, S K Muan Guite, DCF (South) is present before us. We asked him as to how much area has been taken over and what is the area remaining. Further, we had asked as to how much time would be taken to complete this process of taking over the area. But he was unable to give any specific reply in respect of the said questions," said the bench. Looking to the facts that these proceedings have been pending since long and after demarcation the possession is yet to be taken by the Forest Department, "we deem it proper to direct Head of Department i.e. ...
Carbon emissions from Amazonian forest fires four times more: Study
Carbon losses caused by forest fires of 2015 and 2016 could be up to four times greater than thought, according to a study of 6.5 million hectares of forest in Brazilian Amazonia. The research, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, has revealed that the aftermath of 2015 and 2016 forest fires in the Amazon resulted in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions three to four times greater than comparable estimates from existing global fire emissions databases. Researchers at the Lancaster University in the UK found that uncontrolled wildfires in the understorey - or ground level - of humid tropical forests during extreme droughts are a large and poorly quantified source of CO2 emissions. The study looked at a 6.5 million hectare region, of which almost one million hectares of primary and secondary forests burned during the 2015-2016 El Nino, a climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean with a global impact on weather patterns. Although the area analysed covers less ...
Domestic Organic Food Market To Touch Rs 10000 Crore In Next Three Years
Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh has said that organic farming has the potential to provide livelihood to farmers and create employment opportunities for rural and urban people. The Minister said that the government launched a new initiative the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) in 2015-16. From 2015-16 to 2018-19, Rs 1307 crore has been allocated to promote organic farming on cluster mode in the country. With the successful implementation of PKVY, Mission Organic Value Chain Development (MOVCD) and APEDA, more than 23.02 lakh hectares have been brought under certified organic farming till date in the country.
Marvellous 'Megha' Kaleshwaram Link-1 Completed in Record Time
/ -- Megha Engineering, a leading infrastructure company in Telugu speaking states, well known for its prestigious projects across the country, has crossed another milestone with its record-breaking performance in establishing electrical sub-stations and transmission lines. The company has proved its mettle and expertise again by completing the work relating to 4 substations and related transmission lines that supply electricity to 3 pumping stations of Link-1 component of prestigious Kaleshwaram project, within the stipulated deadlines. It already has the distinction of establishing and commissioning the largest private sector transmission system (WUPPTCL) in Uttar Pradesh. The company has got national level accolades by getting an award from Power Grid Corporation of India for its superlative performance in completing a mega electricity substation in Kadiri in Andhra Pradesh, also in a record time. The latest performance related to completion of establishing a mega electricity ...
SpaceX lands Falcon 9 rocket on land after delivering satellite
Elon Musk-founded private spaceflight company SpaceX on Sunday successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on land after delivering an Argentinian earth-observation satellite from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
NASA spacecraft set to visit most distant object ever
NASA's New Horizons probe is on course to flyby the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule this New Year, an event that will set the record for the most distant object ever visited by a spacecraft, scientists say. The spacecraft has successfully performed the three and half-minute manoeuvre on October 3 to home in on its location, NASA said in a statement. The manoeuvre slightly tweaked the spacecraft's trajectory and bumped its speed by 2.1 metres per second keeping it on track to fly past Ultima -- officially named 2014 MU69 -- on January 1, 2019. "Thanks to this manoeuvre, we're right down the middle of the pike and on time for the farthest exploration of worlds in history -- more than a billion miles beyond Pluto," said Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of the Southwest Research Institute in the US. At 6.6 billion kilometers from Earth, Ultima Thule will be the most distant object ever visited by a spacecraft. New Horizons itself was about 6.35 billion kilometres from home ...
Scant rains to dent India's cotton output, exports: trade body
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's cotton production in 2018/19 is likely to fall 4.7 percent from the previous season to 34.8 million bales, as scant rainfall and an attack of pink bollworms are expected to squeeze crop yields, the head of a leading trade body told Reuters.
Earth will reach 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold by 2030: Report
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Monday said the planet will reach the crucial threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2030, precipitating the risk of extreme drought, wildfires, floods and food shortages for hundreds of millions of people.
Crisis management: Seven ways to engineer climate
Dismissed a decade ago as far-fetched and dangerous, schemes to tame global warming by engineering the climate have migrated from the margins of policy debates towards centre stage. "Plan A" remains tackling the problem at its source. But a major UN climate science report released in South Korea on Monday makes it clear that slashing carbon pollution -- even drastically -- won't be enough to keep Earth from seriously overheating. Here, then, is a menu of "Plan B" geo-engineering solutions. Experiments have shown it is possible to suck carbon dioxide directly from the air, converting it into fuel pellets or storing it underground. A Canadian company backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates launched a pilot facility in Canada in 2015, and another company unveiled one in Iceland earlier this year. As of now, the technology is prohibitively expensive and cannot operate at scale. Extensive planting of trees could significantly slow the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, which ...
Rocket carrying Argentinian satellite takes off successfully
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried an Argentinian Earth-observation satellite into space Sunday and for the first time landed a first-stage booster back at its California launch site. The primary purpose of the mission was to place the SAOCOM 1A satellite into orbit, but SpaceX also wanted to expand its recovery of first stages to its launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles. SpaceX had previously flown first-stage rockets back to land after Florida launches but had not done so on the West Coast. The Air Force last week advised residents on the central California coast they might see multiple engine burns by the first stage and hear one or more sonic booms as it returned. SpaceX also has successfully landed Falcon 9 first stages on so-called drone ships off the coasts of Florida and California, all as part of its effort to decrease the cost of space launches by reusing rockets rather than allowing them to fall into the ...
Renewable use expands slow in transport, heat sectors: IEA forecast
Modern bioenergy will have the biggest growth in renewable resources between 2018 and 2023, underscoring its critical role in building a robust renewable portfolio and ensuring a more secure and sustainable energy system, the International Energy Agency's (IEA) market forecast said on Monday.
Urgent, collective actions required limiting global warming: UN body
Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society, the IPCC said in a new assessment made public on Monday.
IPCC calls for far-reaching changes to fight global warming
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a world body assessing the science related to climate change, urged "rapid and far-reaching" changes in all aspects of the entire world on Monday to fight global warming after adopting a special report on the issue.
