Page 44 - Environment
G20 agrees marine plastic pollution deal
The Group of 20 major economies said they agreed a deal to reduce plastic waste that is choking the seas at a meeting in Japan on Sunday. Under the agreement, G20 member countries committed to reducing plastic waste but gave little detail on how that would be done. They added that the steps would be voluntary and progress would be reported once a year, according to local media. The Japanese government hopes to hold the first meeting in November, said newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. "It is great that we were able to make rules for all, including emerging and developing countries," Japanese environment minister Yoshiaki Harada said after the two-day meeting of the G20 environment and energy ministers' meeting. Plastic pollution has become a global concern, particularly after bans imposed by China and other countries on the import of plastic waste from overseas. Many countries, including Japan, have seen their waste pile up as a consequence. Microplastics -- tiny pieces of degraded waste -- .
Himachal CM looks to develop ice skating rink in Shimla
A high-level delegation led by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur met Vishavraj Jadeja, an expert on ice skating, here on Sunday to discuss the possibility of developing an ice skating rink in Shimla.Jadeja is the director of Ice World in Netherlands' capital Amsterdam and a well-known face in the world of ice skating."The development of an all-weather ice skating rink in Shimla would allow the state to host national and international tournaments in the game and boost tourism. The project would be developed on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) through a transparent bidding process," an official statement said.Thakur is on a visit to the Netherlands and Germany to promote 'Rising Himachal Global Investors' Meet' to be held in the state later this year.The delegation also met representatives from TAKARA Bio Inc and Omnivent to discuss other investment opportunities in the hill state.Investment opportunities in the biotech sector in Himachal Pradesh were discussed with ...
Rare wolf killed in Bangladesh after first appearance in decades
The first Indian grey wolf to be seen in Bangladesh in eight decades has been beaten to death by farmers after preying on their livestock, wildlife experts said Sunday. The grey wolf was last seen in Bangladesh in 1949, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Locals in a town near the Sundarbans -- the world's biggest mangrove forest that straddles India and Bangladesh -- captured and killed the wolf because it had attacked their livestock. "With the images we confirmed that the animal is an Indian grey wolf," Y.V Jhala of the Wildlife Institute of India told AFP. There are still about 3,000 of the animals in India, some in captivity, but they disappeared from their habitat in north and northwest Bangladesh in the 1940s, he said. Anwarul Islam, a zoologist at Dhaka University, collected DNA samples from the animal as his team looks for signs of more Indian grey wolves in the region. "It's sad it was beaten to death. We need to conduct further investigations to
4,000 kg of plastic bags seized in Punjab
The Punjab Pollution Control Board, along with the local civic bodies, has seized nearly 4,000 kg of plastic carry bags in raids conducted to check the sale of the banned product in the state, an official said on Sunday.
Tripura CM urges new waterways with Bangladesh
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has requested the Centre to create new waterways between the state and Bangladesh to boost trade and tourism in the northeastern region, an official said on Sunday.
Maha: Leopard suspected to have killed 2 persons tranquilised
A leopard suspected of having killed two persons and frequently entering villages in Sindewahi tehsil of Maharashtra's Chandrapur district was Saturday night tranquilised by a forest department team, an official said. A statement from the forest department said the areas adjoining Sindewahi forest range, part of Brahmapuri forest division, were under distress due to the leopard. A senior forest officer said four persons have been killed in the last 16 days in leopard and tiger attacks in Sindewahi, and two of the casualties are suspected to be caused by the big cat tranquilised Saturday night. A statement from the deputy conservation of forests, Brahmapuri division informed that personnel from the Rapid Rescue Team of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, the Special Tiger Protection Force of Chimur and Mul Range, a veterinarian and police personnel took part in the operation. "The leopard will be checked by experts and released into the wild after mandatory procedures are ...
Chardham highway threatens Corbett's memorial
A park and a mango tree, commemorating the legacy of hunter-turned-conservationist Jim Corbett in this part of Uttarakhand, are facing an existential threat due to the Rs 12,000 crore all-weather Chardham highway project.
Getting to zero: the Japan town trying to recycle all its waste
Plastic, paper, metal? In Japan's Kamikatsu, sorting rubbish isn't that simple. Residents face a mind-boggling 45 separate categories for their garbage as the town aims to be "zero-waste" by 2020. And that's not all: there isn't even trash collection. The 1,500 residents of the town in western Japan have to transport their waste themselves to a local facility. "Yes, it's complicated," said Naoko Yokoyama, a 39-year-old resident who had brought her trash to the town's waste centre. "But I have become more environmentally conscious since I moved here a year ago," she told AFP. The categories cover everything from pillows to toothbrushes as the town aims to recycle all its waste, sending nothing to incinerators, by next year. The process can be onerous -- not only are there dozens of separate categories, but items like plastic bags and bottles must be washed and dried to facilitate recycling. At the town's waste facility, there are dozens of different boxes for each category. If the ...
Tigers killing and eating elephants in Corbett National Park: Govt study reveals worrying phenomenon
Tigers have been found to be killing elephants, mainly young ones, in the famed Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand and in a few cases eating them too, according to an official study. The findings, which is a part of the study conducted by the park authority, signals a worrying trend in wildlife as tigers usually don't eat elephants, wildlife experts say. A total of nine tigers, 21 elephants and six leopards were found dead from 2014 to May 31, 2019, due to infighting and clashes over issues related of mating, according to the study. "Out of the total 36 cases for the three species, 21 were reported in case of wild elephants alone. However, a very surprising aspect was that around 60 per cent of wild elephant death cases (13) were due to attack by tigers mostly on young ones," it said. Senior IFS officer and in-charge of the national park, Sanjiv Chaturvedi said the phenomenon of tigers eating elephants is unique. "One of its reasons could be that tigers need comparatively less ...
BHEL bags 200 MW solar energy orders worth Rs 800 cr, touches 1 GW mark in segment
State-run engineering firm BHEL Sunday said it has won two orders worth Rs 800 crore for setting up solar energy capacity of 200 MW, and its solar photovoltaic portfolio has touched 1,000 MW mark with these orders. Valued at over Rs 800 crore, the orders have been secured from the state-run power giant NTPC Ltd and Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd (GSECL), a company statement said. "BHEL Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) portfolio has surpassed 1 GW with the company winning two EPC orders for setting up SPV plants with a cumulative capacity of 200 MW," it said. The NTPC order envisages setting up India's largest floating SPV plant of 100 MW capacity at NTPC Ramagundam in Telangana, while the GSECL order involves setting up a 100 MW ground-mounted SPV plant at Raghanesda Ultra Mega Solar Park in Banaskantha district of Gujarat. BHEL offers EPC (engineering procurement and construction) solutions for both off-grid and grid-interactive SPV plants at various locations in India, including .
At NITI Ayog meet, Sawant pushes for rainwater harvesting
In his first presentation before the NITI Ayog, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said rainwater harvesting and conservation were his government's key thrust areas. Sawant on Saturday attended the NITI Ayog's meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. He spoke about the Goa BJP-led government's "commitment towards water conservation by increasing the number of check dams and through other rainwater harvesting measures," the chief minister said in a statement issued here. He also called for resolution of the Mahadayi river water dispute in the interest of the state, the release said. Karnataka and Goa, the riparian states of Mahadayi (known as Mandovi in Goa), have been locked in a bitter battle over the sharing of water of the river, which originates at Belagavi in Karnataka. This was Sawant's first presentation before the government's policy think-tank after he took charge of Goa's top post in March this year following the death of then chief minister .
G20 set to agree on marine plastic pollution deal
The Group of 20 major economies were set to agree a deal on reducing marine plastic waste at a meeting in Japan Sunday where they also discussed energy security following the oil tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman. Japan "proposed a workable framework" on marine plastic waste that involves emerging and less developed countries, and was welcomed by member countries, environment minister Yoshiaki Harada told reporters late Saturday at the G20 environment and energy ministers' meeting. Plastic pollution has become an increasing international concern, particularly after bans imposed by China and other countries on the import of plastic waste from overseas. Many countries, including Japan, have seen plastic waste pile up in the wake of the ban. Among the many concerns is the issue of microplastics, the tiny pieces of degraded waste that are difficult to collect once they enter the water. Microplastics tend to absorb harmful chemicals and accumulate inside fish, birds and other animals. The
130 ponds to be revived to improve groundwater level in UP district
As many as 130 ponds will be revived in this district of Uttar Pradesh in order to improve the groundwater level in the area, officials said on Sunday. They added that the ponds had been identified and the work had started with respect to 87 such waterbodies in the district. According to Chief Development Officer (CDO) Archana Verma, the work is going on with respect to 87 ponds in the Budhana area, which is the worst-hit in the district due to the low groundwater level. Saplings will also be planted on the boundary of these waterbodies, the CDO said.
Progress in garbage sorting on Mount Everest
Garbage was sorted for collection during the latest climbing season on the north side of Mount Everest in Tibet, officials said here on Sunday.
Odisha: 42-kg turtle of rare variety found during construction
A turtle of a rare variety was found on Saturday during the construction of Biju Expressway near Bhimkhoj Pada Road in Dharamgarh of Kalahandi district.Later, forest officials reached the spot and rescued the 42-kilogram turtle.Odisha is also famous for Olive Ridley turtle and the state is home to over 90 per cent of India's turtle population.
In a first, Lucknow gets road constructed using plastic waste
In a first, the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) is constructing a road using plastic waste.The road is constructed from Gomti Nagar Police Station to Indian Institute of Management (IIM) under a pilot project by LDA in the state's capital.Chief Engineer Indushekhar Singh told ANI, "Mixing plastic waste increases roads' durability by 40-50 per cent, they will be durable for a longer time. Around 8-10 per cent of plastic waste is being mixed in coal tar."Singh said that LDA has followed guidelines of the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) in road construction."On world environment day, we had declared that we will use plastic in road construction in future," he said."Mixing plastic waste increases durability parameters of roads by 40-50 per cent, they will be more durable and will stay in good condition for a longer time. We use less than 50-micron plastic," Chief Engineer added.Singh said LDA will do more research on this experiment road in the next two years to know if there ..
Amitav Ghosh's passion for climate change continues with 'Gun Island' (IANS Interview)
Three years after making a forceful plea against the effects of environmental degradation, globally acclaimed author Amitav Ghosh returns to the subject by once again focusing on the Sundarbans, which he terms critical for the well being of West Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh and lamenting that nations around the world are not responding adequately to the global scourge.
Apollo moon rocks help transform understanding of the universe
- Moon rocks look rather nondescript -- they are often gray in colour -- but for NASA planetary scientist Samuel Lawrence, they are the "most precious materials on Earth." What is certain is that the lunar samples first gathered by Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong nearly 50 years ago have helped transform our understanding of the cosmos. Apollo astronauts collected 842 pounds (382 kilograms) of rocks and soil during their six missions to the Moon between 1969 and 1972 and brought it all back to Earth. "The Moon is the Rosetta Stone of the solar system," Lawrence, who works at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in an interview with AFP. "It's the cornerstone of planetary science." "People don't fully appreciate just how important studying the Apollo samples was for understanding the solar system and the universe around us," he said. "Many of the discoveries that we've made in planetary science, not just on the Moon, but on Mercury, on Mars, on some of the asteroids, directly relate to
Maha recorded 115 MT of food production despite drought, deficient rain: Fadnavis
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Saturday said the state recorded 115.70 lakh metric tonnes of food production despite drought and deficient rainfall, thanks to various water conservation methods adopted by it. He was here to attend the NITI Aayog meet. "We achieved 115.70 lakh metric tonnes food grain production. This could be possible because of less dependency on rainfall and putting in place alternative arrangements," Fadnavis said. He also elaborated on the benefits of Jal Yukt Shivar farm ponds and the ongoing irrigation projects and plans for the ambitious Marathwada Watergrid project. Jal Yukt Shivar is the flagship programme of the Mahrashtra government. It envisages desilting streams and encouraging farm ponds with an emphasis on percolation of water. Fadnavis also talked about the measures taken by his government to mitigate drought like deploying tankers, fodder camps and massive tree plantation programmes. He thanked the Centre for the "highest ever ...
India inching towards meeting Paris Agreement targets: RK Singh at G20 ministerial meet
India is implementing one of the largest renewable energy expansion and energy efficiency programmes and is moving towards achieving the target to fulfill the country's commitments made in Paris Agreement, said Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh on Saturday.The minister made these remarks at the G20 Ministerial Meeting on 'Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth' being held in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan on June 15-16.The G20 ministerial meeting is being held where leaders from 20 countries will discuss energy transitions and global environment toward sustainable growth.During the address, Singh highlighted the path-breaking achievements in household electrification and providing energy access to all in India. He expressed confidence that India will achieve 40 per cent renewable in the energy mix by 2030.Singh mentioned various energy efficiency programmes such as through PAT, UJALA, Standard and Labelling and ECBC and reiterated ...