Page 530 - Environment
64 pc of air pollution in Delhi during winters is caused by external factors: Study
Almost 64 per cent of the air pollution in Delhi during winters is caused by external factors, a new report said, suggesting that emissions are growing despite the steps taken by the government. According to a study jointly conducted by the The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), about 13 per cent of pollution in Delhi comes from outside India. The study also said despite all the steps taken by the government, air pollution in the city was growing due to industrial pollution. Ajay Mathur, Director General of TERI, said the interventions introduced by the government were working but there was a need to fill in some gaps to curb the pollution caused by industries. The study suggested an alternative scenario which it expected to have a greater impact on Particulate Matter (PM) concentration level through reduction of pollutant emissions by 2030. The measures under the alternative scenario include complete phasing out of biomass ..
Antarctic seas emit higher CO2 levels than previously thought: Study
The open water nearest to the sea ice surrounding Antarctica releases significantly more carbon dioxide in winter than previously believed, showed a study conducted using an array of robotic floats.
Share rainfall data on real-time basis, TN CM tells Kerala counterpart
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Thursday alleged that his state officials were not being permitted to gauge the rainfall in the catchment area of Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala and urged the neighbouring state to share rainfall data on a real-time basis.
Climate change to impact desert ecosystems: Chinese researchers
Changes in climate, especially a rising temperature and reduced precipitation, will influence the ecological stability in desert regions, according to the latest research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Researchers of the CAS Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station have found that changes in temperature and precipitation are expected to impact desert ecosystems by altering biotic components, mainly moss found on soil crusts. Biological soil crusts are vital biotic components of desert ecosystems that help maintain soil stability and carbon and nitrogen levels, and serve as habitats for microorganisms, Li Xinrong, a researcher with the station, was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency. The research team simulated warming and reduced precipitation during a ten-year study, focusing on how soil crusts respond to these alterations in climate. "The abundance of moss, surface cover, and biomass will sharply decrease due to a continued warming period ...
Chinese rover set to explore far side of Moon
China's space agency has revealed images of the exploration vehicle with which it hopes to reach the far side of the Moon by the end of this year, a feat no country has ever accomplished, the media reported on Thursday.
Rainfall forecast
Rainfall forecast for next 24 hours at: East: Most places in West Bengal & Sikkim, Odisha, Jharkhand, many places in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Bihar; a few places in Assam & Meghalaya and isolated places in Arunachal Pradesh. North: Most places in Uttarakhand, many places in east Uttar Pradesh, a few places in west Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, east Rajasthan, isolated places in Haryana, Punjab, west Rajasthan. Central : Most places in Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh. Peninsula : Most places in Konkan & Goa, Marathwada, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalaseema, north interior Karnataka, coastal Karnataka, south interior Karnataka, Kerala, many places in Madhya Maharashtra, a few places in Tamil Nadu, isolated places in Gujarat. Islands : Most places in Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep. Kolkata Max 32.1 (0.1) dc, min 27.4 (1.3) New Delhi Max 35.6 (2.0) dc, min 27.6 (1.2) Chennai Max 31.2 (-3.4) dc, min 24.8 ...
India-born British billionaire launches renewable plan in Australia
India-born British billionaire Sanjeev Gupta has launched a $1 billion, one-gigawatt renewable energy plan based in South Australia's mid-north that he says will lead the country's industry transition to more competitive power.
Carborundum Universal provides operations update
Due to torrential rains in Kerala
Forests group halts plan to endorse Indonesian paper giant
The main global group for certifying sustainable wood has suspended plans to give its influential endorsement to Indonesian paper giant Sinarmas after revelations it cut down tropical forests and used an opaque corporate structure to hide its activities. The Forest Stewardship Council said today that it had halted a process that could have enabled the Asia Pulp & Paper arm of Sinarmas to be readmitted to the organisation. The group said it is awaiting information from the conglomerate "related to its corporate structure and alleged unacceptable forest management activities" by companies thought related to it and wants full disclosure. Three months ago, the council had sent a come clean ultimatum to Sinarmas, one of the world's largest paper companies, and its billionaire Indonesian family owners. The FSC mark, a stylised tree, is sought by paper producers and other wood users as an endorsement they can use in the marketplace to promote their products as "green" and charge a ...
One of world's top urban forests threatened by tiny beetle
One of the world's largest urban forests is under threat from a tiny beetle. The polyphagous shot hole borer is thought to have made its way to Johannesburg from Southeast Asia on packing crates or through the trade in plant materials. Trudy Paap, a forest pathologist at the University of Pretoria, discovered the beetle in the Pietermaritzburg Botanical Gardens last year. She published her discovery in the journal Australasian Plant Pathology, calling it part of "the surge in the global spread of invasive forest pests" because of globalization. The beetle has since moved to Johannesburg, 320 kilometers (198 miles) away, and spread across its urban forest, which according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology initiative Treepedia has the world's sixth-largest green canopy cover. Today, many of Johannesburg's estimated 6 to 10 million trees are dying, a crisis obscured only by the current winter season. Some of the infected trees have the telltale holes the 2-millimeter-long ...
Drones fly to rescue of Amazon wildlife
A hoarse sound abruptly wakes visitors staying at a floating house that serves as a base for environmentalists on the Jaraua river in the Amazon rainforest. During flood season, the Mamiraua Sustainable Development Reserve -- located 500 kilometres from the Amazonas state capital Manaus -- fills with water. For researchers from the Mamiraua Institute and WWF-Brazil, that means their nearest neighbor is a caiman they call Dominique. It has decided to squat for the day at the end of their house. But the surprising noise was something else. "Don't worry! That's just the river dolphins breathing. It's scary in the middle of the night, right?" biologist Andre Coelho says. The next day, scientists got into two boats, slowly navigating the endless spread of water-filled forest. In this primeval landscape, the researchers used a drone to help them watch the Amazon's pink river dolphins, whose scientific name is Inia geoffrensis. The voyage in late June, which AFP was invited to follow, was ...
China dominates Europe's wind market: IEEFA
China's investment in foreign wind-powered electricity markets has surpassed $12 billion in Europe and Australia alone as private and state-owned Chinese companies move aggressively to capitalise on fast-growing renewable energy markets, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) said on Thursday.
Training unit for bamboo craft to be set up at Mathpada
A training-cum-processing unit for bamboo craft would soon be set up at Mathpada area in Koraput district to strengthen tribal economy in the backward region, a forest official said. The proposed unit will be established at Mathpada forest beat under Boipariguda forest range by the Jeypore forest division, he said. Bamboo was not only environment-friendly but also available in plenty in the area, hence it had been decided to impart training to local communities for its commercial use, Aswin Kumar Kar, Divisional Forest Officer, Jeypore, said. "Despite its importance and utility, little has been done to develop, promote and commercialise the use of bamboo," the DFO said. At least 10 master trainers have been empanelled by the forest department to impart training to the village communities, including women, in preparing decorative items, flower vases, artificial flowers and furniture from bamboo, he said. Training will be provided at no cost to the village communities and
Pritika Auto Industries achieves highest ever monthly production volume in July 2018
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'New software may predict landslides weeks in advance'
Australian scientists have developed a new software that may help predict landslides two weeks before they actually happen, and potentially save lives. Landslides - masses of rock, earth or debris moving down a slope - can affect communities and the economy, or take lives, said researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia. A recent landslide at a jade mine in Myanmar, for example, claimed at least 27 lives, they said. The new software uses applied mathematics and big data analytics to predict the boundary of where a landslide will occur. "We can now predict when a rubbish landfill might break in a developing country, when a building will crack or the foundation will move, when a dam could break or a mudslide occur. This software could really make a difference," said Robin Batterham from the Melbourne School of Engineering. According to Antoinette Tordesillas, a professor at the University of Melbourne, there are always warning signs in the lead up to a collapse or ...
Army finds arms cache near LoC search operation
Army personnel on Thursday discovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition during a massive search operation launched near the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district, defence sources said.
China's solar giant GCL to make electric car move in new 'eco-town'
JURONG, China (Reuters) - China's leading solar equipment manufacturer GCL is planning a move into the electric vehicle sector, aiming to make use of its expertise in energy to gain a vital competitive advantage in an increasingly crowded industry, executives said.
'Devastating' dolphin loss in Florida red tide disaster
A state of emergency has been declared in Florida as the worst red tide in a decade blackens the ocean water, killing dolphins, sea turtles and fish at a relentless pace. More than 100 tons of dead sea creatures have been shoveled up from smelly, deserted beaches in tourist areas along Florida's southwest coast as a result of the harmful algal bloom this month alone. In just the past week, 12 dolphins washed ashore dead in Sarasota County, typically the toll seen in an entire year. "It is physically and mentally exhausting," said Gretchen Lovewell, who is in charge of a skeleton crew at Mote Marine Laboratory that collects dead or distressed sea turtles and marine mammals. She and two colleagues "have been literally working around the clock," Lovewell added. On Sunday, near the fluffy sands of Siesta Key, one of America's top-ranked beaches, Lovewell recovered the remains of a decomposing dolphin. A faint number, 252, was visible, freeze-branded onto its dorsal fin. It was a ...
U.S. judge rules securities suit against Exxon, executives can proceed
HOUSTON (Reuters) - A federal judge rejected Exxon Mobil Corp's motion to dismiss a securities suit alleging the company and top executives misled investors about the impact of climate change on its business.
Swiss ban some Mercedes, Porsche models over emissions
ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss authorities have halted registrations of some new Mercedes-Benz Vito and Porsche Macan and Cayenne vehicles which had diesel engines that disguised emissions levels, the Astra roads agency said on Wednesday.
