Page 505 - Environment
Wheat genome unravelled: can help in dealing with climate change
New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS/Mongabay) It took the best scientific minds from 20 nations, including India, to scale what is considered as the "Mt. Everest of the genome world".
BIMSTEC nations call for establishing expert group on climate change
Voicing serious concerns over the adverse impact of climate change, India and six others BIMSTEC nations today decided to explore the possibility of establishing an inter-governmental expert group to develop a plan of action for a collective response as they reaffirmed their commitments to the 2016 Paris Agreement. According to the Kathmandu Declaration issued at the end of the two-day 4th BIMSTEC summit which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the member states resolved to strengthen cooperation among them to protect and preserve the environment. The leaders than expressed "Serious concerns over environmental degradation, adverse impact of climate change and global warming on the fragile Himalayan and mountain eco-systems and their inter-linkages with the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean," the declaration said. The BIMSTEC countries agreed to strengthen cooperation to protect and preserve the environment to address the adverse impact of climate change on the lives and ...
Ghost ship bearing Indonesian flag found off Myanmar coast
A rusting cargo ship empty of crew and goods and bearing the Indonesian flag was found drifting off the coast of Myanmar earlier this week, police in Yangon said. Fisherman came across the vessel, bearing the name "Sam Rataulangi PB 1600", floating in the Gulf of Martaban about 11 kilometres (7 miles) from the shore of Myanmar's commercial capital. State-run media reported that the ship was being towed to neighbouring Bangladesh. Authorities and navy personnel boarded the vessel yesterday to investigate the situation, said a Yangon police statement posted on Facebook yesterday. The ship was "stranded on the beach (and it was) bearing an Indonesian flag," the statement said. "There was no sailors or goods on the vessel." According to the Marine Traffic website, which lists the movements of ships around the globe, the vessel was built in 2001 and had a deadweight of 26,500 tonnes. The ship's transponder last reported its location off the coast of Taiwan in 2009. This is the first ...
Australia unveils starfish-killing robot to protect Barrier Reef
A robot submarine able to hunt and kill the predatory crown-of-thorns starfish devastating the Great Barrier Reef was unveiled by Australian researchers today. Scientists at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) said the robot, named the RangerBot and developed with a grant from Google, would serve as a "robo reef protector" for the vast World Heritage site off Australia's northeastern coast. The RangerBot has an eight-hour battery life and computer vision capabilities allowing it to monitor and map reef areas at scales not previously possible. "RangerBot is the world's first underwater robotic system designed specifically for coral reef environments, using only robot-vision for real-time navigation, obstacle avoidance and complex science missions," said Matthew Dunbabin, the QUT professor who unveiled the submarine. "This multi-function ocean drone can monitor a wide range of issues facing coral reefs including coral bleaching, water quality, pest species, pollution and ...
Skies clearing over Mars Opportunity rover: NASA
With the skies clearing over Opportunity rover's resting spot in Mars, the solar-powered probe will soon receive enough sunlight to automatically initiate recovery procedures, NASA said today. To prepare, the Opportunity mission team has developed a two-step plan to provide the highest probability of successfully communicating with the rover and bringing it back online, the US space agency said in a statement. A planet-encircling dust storm on Mars, which was first detected on May 30 and halted operations for the nearly 15-year-old Opportunity rover, continues to abate, it said. "The Sun is breaking through the haze over Perseverance Valley, and soon there will be enough sunlight present that Opportunity should be able to recharge its batteries," said John Callas, Opportunity project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in (JPL). "When the tau level (a measure of the amount of particulate matter in the Martian sky) dips below 1.5, we will begin a period of actively attempting ..
Rise in plastic trash landing in nets worries Goa fisherfolk
The rising amount of plastic trash getting caught in their fishing nets along with the fish is giving hard times to the fishermen of Goa. The fisherfolk say many times plastic and fish land in equal measure in their nets and they have to spend extra time in segregating the trash from their prized catch. Anthony, a 63-year-old fishermen from Caranzalem, a fishing hamlet between Dona Paula and Panaji said the problem has worsened in the last 10 years. "There are times when 50 per cent of the catch is plastic from the sea. So after we pull out the net, equal time is wasted on separating fish from the plastic trash," he said. For generations, fishermen in Carenzalem have been using their long nets (over one-km long & six metres wide) for fishing in the shallow sea in Mandovi river bay. Anthony said he has been actively fishing for the last 25 years in Caranzalem, but has never seen this amount of plastic being netted. Dr P V Unnikrishnan, regional head of Greenwaves ...
Martian skies clearing, hope for Opportunity Rover: NASA
With skies clearing over Opportunity Rover's resting spot in Mars, NASA believes that the solar-powered rover will soon receive enough sunlight to automatically initiate recovery procedures --but only if it is able to.
High level Kerala delegation to source relief funds from diaspora
A high-level delegation led by a Kerala minister will travel to various Middle East countries and other nations to source funds for rebuilding the state in the wake of this month's devastating floods that have claimed 483 lives, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Friday.
Researchers feed seaweed to dairy cows to reduce emissions
University of California researchers are feeding seaweed to dairy cows in an attempt to make cattle more climate-friendly. UC Davis is studying whether adding small amounts of seaweed to cattle feed can help reduce their emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that's released when cattle burp, pass gas or make manure. In a study this past spring, researchers found methane emissions were reduced by more than 30 percent in a dozen Holstein cows that ate the ocean algae, which was mixed into their feed and sweetened with molasses to disguise the salty taste. "I was extremely surprised when I saw the results," said Ermias Kebreab, the UC Davis animal scientist who led the study. "I wasn't expecting it to be that dramatic with a small amount of seaweed." Kebreab says his team plans to conduct a six-month study of a seaweed-infused diet in beef cattle starting in October. More studies will be needed to determine its safety and efficacy, and seaweed growers would have to ramp up ...
Judge blocks first grizzly hunts in decades in Lower 48
A judge has temporarily blocked the opening of the first grizzly bear hunts in the Rocky Mountains in more than 40 years, as he considers whether the government was wrong to lift federal protection on the animals. US District Judge Dana Christensen's order came just two days before Idaho and Wyoming prepared to open the first grizzly bear hunting seasons in the Lower 48 states since 1974. The order will remain in effect 14 days. "The threat of death to individual bears posed by the scheduled hunts is sufficient" to justify a delay in the state's hunting seasons, Christensen wrote in the order yesterday. The move marked a victory for wildlife advocates and Native American tribes that sued over the US Fish and Wildlife Service's decision in 2017 to lift protections for 700 grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park. "We're thrilled," said Mike Garrity, the executive director for plaintiff Alliance for the Wild Rockies. "Now the judge has time to rule without grizzly bears ...
Myths around traditional home cleaning
Common house cleaning methods may not always give you clean air to breathe. Combat indoor air pollution with smarter ways to remove hidden dust in surfaces and corners.
Global warming could spur more and hungrier crop-eating bugs
A warmer world likely means more and hungrier insects chomping on crops and less food on dinner plates, a new study suggests. Insects now consume about 10 percent of the globe's food, but that will increase to 15 to 20 percent by the end of the century if climate change isn't stopped, said study lead author Curtis Deutsch, a University of Washington climate scientist. The study looked at the damage bugs like the European corn borer and the Asiatic rice borer could do as temperatures rise. It found that many of them will increase in number at key times for crops. The hotter weather will also speed up their metabolism so they'll eat more, the researchers report in Thursday's journal Science . Their predictions are based on computer simulations of bug and weather activity. "There's going to be a lot of crop loss, so there won't be as much grain on the table," said study co-author Scott Merrill, an ecology professor at the University of Vermont. The researchers calculate additional losses
INS Sahyadri enters Australia's Port of Darwin for KAKADU exercise
Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri entered the Port of Darwin, Australia, yesterday to take part in a multilateral maritime exercise, the Indian Navy said in a statement today. The ship was deployed in the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean for over four months, which included representing the Navy in multinational exercises MALABAR 18 at Guam and RIMPAC 18 at Hawaii. Exercise KAKADU, which started in 1993, is a premier multilateral regional maritime engagement hosted by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and supported by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It is held biennially in Darwin and the Northern Australian Exercise Areas (NAXA). Exercise KAKADU derives its name from Kakadu National Park, which is a protected area in the northern territory of Australia, 171 km south-east of Darwin. KAKADU 2018, the fourteenth edition of the exercise, is scheduled between August 29 and September 18 and would see participation from 23 warships, one submarine, 45 aircraft, 250 marines and approximately ..
Court blocks construction of Canada pipeline to Pacific
A Canadian court on Thursday quashed the government's approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline to the Pacific, siding with indigenous people worried that increased tanker traffic will harm whales along the coast. In its decision, the Federal Court of Appeal said Ottawa -- which reached a deal in May to buy the pipeline from Kinder Morgan for Can$4.5 billion -- must take a second look at the project, taking greater care to consult with indigenous tribes and consider marine traffic impacts. The pipeline was to move 890,000 barrels of oil a day from landlocked Alberta province to the Pacific coast for export overseas, replacing a smaller crumbling conduit built in 1953. The project aimed to help ease Canada's reliance on the US market, and get a better price for its crude oil. Ottawa approved the project in 2016 after an environmental review, saying it was in the "national interest." But it has continued to face stiff opposition from indigenous tribes, environmental activists, and local ..
Rai calls officials, 35 MLAs at Delhi Secretariat, gets close to 300 files cleared
Fed up with pendency of files related to development works in villages, AAP minister Gopal Rai today summoned officials and 35 MLAs at the Delhi Secretariat and got nearly 300 files cleared. Rai, who is Delhi's Development Minister, termed the move as as "unique and necessary" to speed up the work in villages. According to the minister, 295 files with regard to proposed development works in Delhi's villages had been pending for the last one-and-a-half years as officers were "deliberately" stopping these files. The last year's budget for Village Development Board (VDB) lapsed because files were not cleared by officers concerned, he alleged. Talking to reporters here, Rai said that the officers had been citing several "excuses" such as staff crunch. "Today, all officials concerned and MLAs from 35 Assembly constituencies were asked to be at Delhi Secretariat with all their printers, laptops and clear pending files," Rai said. He said that till now, the district magistrates and ...
Cross border power trade to double at 5 GW by 2020 in South Asia: Juster
US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster today said cross border electricity in South Asia is expected to be doubled to 5,000 MW in view of rising demand. "Presently, approximately 2,500 MW of electricity is traded in the region, a figure expected to double by the end of 2020," Juster said during a special address at the inaugural session of 'Regional Conference on Enhancing Energy Co-operation and Integration in South Asia' organised by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe). He said, "South Asia has a vast diversity of energy resources, particularly hydropower and renewable energy. With rapidly rising energy demand across all the countries in the region, there are huge opportunities for regional development and the optimisation of available energy resources through an interconnected power system, enabled by cross-border electricity trade." He also said, "I applaud all our colleagues in the region for joining
Those opposing Nanar refinery were backing it earlier: Jathar
Former BJP legislator from Kankavli Pramod Jathar today alleged that the Shiv Sena, which is opposing the oil refinery project at Nanar in Ratnagiri district, had supported it earlier. While the BJP-led government is pushing the project, Sena, BJP's alliance partner, is opposing it on the grounds of threat to local ecology and unwillingness of local people to give up their lands. Former Congress leader Narayan Rane, who hails from the Konkan region, has also opposed the project. Jathar said that both the Sena as well as Rajya Sabha MP Rane's Maharashtra Swabhimani Paksha (MSP) are BJP's allies. "Either Rane and the Sena should convince the government that the project is bad for local economy, or they should get convinced themselves about the (benefits of) project," he said. Sena leaders earlier favoured the projects, he said. Jathar also alleged that people who invested in land in the vicinity of Nanar after the project was announced were proxies of some builders from ...
China issues flood alert in Brahmaputra; Arunachal cautions people, Assam takes precautions
China has alerted India about the rising water in river Tsangpo, called Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and Brahmaputra in Assam, leading to possibility of floods in downstream areas, Arunachal Pradesh MP Ninong Ering said today. A senior official of the Union Water Resources Ministry said it was an unprecedented situation on the Chinese side where Tsangpo broke a 150-year record with swollen waters and hence China has shared the information with India. Ering said the communication from China came following heavy rains in that country after which Tsangpo was in spate. "The local authorities told me that the Chinese government has conveyed to Indian government that there is a possibility of floods in parts of Arunachal Pradesh. We have taken the alert seriously and cautioned people," he told PTI. According to a Chinese government report, 9020 cumec of water was discharged into Tsangpo/Brahmaputra river as observed at various stations yesterday. The MP said Siang has been calm till today but
Corporates, NGOs should extend support to clean water bodies
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghawal today exhorted Corporates and NGOs to come forward and support the initiative to clean water bodies. Several companies and associations have come forward to clean Ganga and Yamuna rivers and help prevent their pollution, Union minister of State for Water Resources, said during an interaction with Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Farmers' bodies on conservation of water here. Noting that Coimbatore Municipal corporation has received funds under the Smart city project from the Centre, he said it should utilise them to protect and improve the conditions of lakes in the region with the support of NGOs. "The centre is implementing Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) to protect ground water resources and inspection will be carried out in Coimbatore to check whether the scheme is properly implemented," Meghawal said. Responding to a query from a participant on Anamalaiaru and Nallaru water scheme in the district pending for the last five decades,
'Time, money and right approach needed to clean Ganga'
Dr Jasper Wieck, Charge d'Affaires of the German Embassy in India on Thursday said that to help clean river Ganga, you need time, money and the right approach."Germany can capitalise on the experiences it has made in cleaning the Rhine river and the Danube river. The lessons we learnt from these cleaning activities is that you need time, money and the right approach. The right approach is the holistic integrated approach," he told reporters here."You have to take on board all the stakeholders from the government authorities, the local bodies and also representatives of the industry of agriculture and you have to make sure that the individual households are part of this huge endeavour. Indeed, when you talk about the cleaning of Ganga, you talk about a river basin that is home to more than 600 million Indians and you have to take on board all of them," he added.Wieck said that the cleaning of Ganga can be a success only if we come up with a holistic approach and efforts."It has a lot ..
