Page 633 - Environment
Unesco urged to probe Great Barrier Reef deforestation
Four Australian non-profits have urged the Unesco to probe the government over its failure to conserve the Great Barrier Reef against deforestation, a letter revealed on Monday.
Australia failing to protect Great Barrier Reef: Activists
Australia is breaching commitments to protect the embattled Great Barrier Reef from the effects of land clearing, environmental groups claimed today and called on the UN to probe the alleged failures. Canberra has pledged to step up efforts to protect the reef as it reels from mass coral bleaching and coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish, which have proliferated due to pollution and agricultural runoff. But the groups said the federal government had failed to stop a key threat to the World Heritage-list area -- the impending bulldozing of large swathes of land in reef catchments. Experts have warned that deforestation increases runoff into the reef, reducing water quality and the light needed for coral growth, while fuelling outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish. In a letter to the United Nations, the Wilderness Society, WWF-Australia, the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Marine Conservation Society called for an urgent investigation as the UNESCO World Heritage .
NASA seeks partnership with US industry to develop first Gateway Element
In line with US President Donald Trump's "Space Policy Directive 1", NASA has sought partnership with the US industry to develop the first element of the Gateway, which will become the orbital outpost for robotic and human exploration operations in deep space.
Can Delhi afford felling of thousands of trees for housing complex, asks HC
How can the national capital afford the felling of over 16,500 trees for a housing project, the Delhi High Court asked today. Taking note of the views expressed by the court which appeared inclined to order an interim stay of the tree chopping process, the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC), tasked with redeveloping half a dozen south Delhi colonies, agreed not to cut any tree till July 4. The NBCC made the statement after a vacation bench of Justices Vinod Goel and Rekha Palli asked,"Can Delhi today afford cutting down of so many trees for a housing complex? We could understand if it was a road-widening work which is inevitable." It initially asked NBCC to "stay its hands" till July 2 when a similar issue would be heard by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and asked the petitioner, an orthopaedic surgeon, to approach the tribunal. The court's observations came after the NBCC said the NGT had the jurisdiction to hear pleas challenging environment clearances (EC) ...
Delhi HC stays cutting of trees till July 4
In a relief to residents, the Delhi High Court on Monday asked authorities not to axe till July 4 the 16,500 trees sanctioned by the Centre for the redevelopment of six south Delhi colonies.
Australian state cultivates rare trees as 'insurance policy'
Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state is cultivating the rare Wollemi Pine or the "Dinosaur Tree" as an "insurance policy" for the sustenance of the fragile species, researchers said on Monday.
NBCC agrees in HC not to cut trees in south Delhi till July 4
The National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) today agreed in the Delhi High Court not to cut trees till July 4 to re-develop six south Delhi colonies. NBCC made the statement after a vacation bench of the high court comprising Justices Vinod Goel and Rekha Palli said that it will impose an interim stay on tree felling. On June 22, the high court had declined to put on hold the felling of trees sanctioned by the Centre in connection with the re-development of six south Delhi colonies by the NBCC and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). The PIL, filed by an orthopaedic surgeon, has sought setting aside of the terms of reference (ToR) and the environment clearances (EC) granted to the project by the Environment Ministry, saying it would lead to felling of over 16,500 trees. The six south Delhi colonies where the trees would be felled are Sarojini Nagar, Naoroji Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Thyagaraja Nagar, Mohammadpur and Kasturba Nagar, the petition said.
Kharif crop sowing crosses 115.90 lakh hectare area
It is reported that rice has been sown/transplanted in 10.67 lakh ha, pulses in 5.91 lakh ha, coarse cereals in 16.69 lakh ha, sugarcane in 50.01 lakh hectare and cotton in 20.68 lakh ha.
HS Puri assures 'no tree will be cut' till he is a minister
Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday assured no tree will be cut till he is in office.Singh's comment comes after he was trolled over a plan to cut more than 17,000 trees in the national capital to make way for an office and residential complex for government officers."Till the time I (Hardeep Singh Puri) am a minister no tree will be cut; for every tree that is cut we will plant 10 more. Green cover will go up by three times after re-development of seven colonies in South Delhi. Young activists are too fast to blame," Singh told media here.Meanwhile, KK Mishra, who had filed a public interest Litigation (PIL) in the Delhi High Court over the same, hoped that the court took cognizance of the matter and put a stay on the order."More than 20,000 trees will be cut in main south Delhi area. A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report states there is a deficit of nine lakh trees in Delhi. I hope the court will put a stay on the order," Mishra told
To what end are PSBs continuing to finance coal-fired power? (Comment)
The government's announcement to soon tender out 100 GW of solar power in one go is somewhat an ambitious step towards transition to clean energy, compared to the previous largest tender of 10 GW -- which is likely to be opened in July.
School-dropouts turn wildlife conservationists in Meghalaya
Two school-dropouts have started a crusade to save the highly endangered Western Hoolock Gibbons, their habitats, and birds in the forests of the remote East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. Armed with a loaned camera, the two are also taking pictures of birds found in the forests for documentation of the winged species in the Hima Malaisohmat area. Hima Malaisohmat, bordering Bangladesh, has five villages and the forest there is home to the endangered Hoolock Gibbons, the only ape found in Indian subcontinent. "These apes are a favourite target for hunters. A family of three gibbons was killed by an unidentified hunter last month," said Banshim Wanniang, 22, one of the two crusaders. Wanniang took upon himself the task of protecting the wildlife in his Phlangwanbroi village, and his friend, Wallam Kharlyngdoh hailing from nearby Mawkasain village, joined him. "It is very sad to see that the Hoolock Gibbons are disappearing at a very rapid rate from our forests. And so .
Jammu Municipal Corporation official suspended for poor sanitation
An official of the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) was suspended for poor sanitation situation, with the authorities warning of strict action against employees with "non-seriousness and indolent attitude" at work. The Divisional Commissioner of Jammu, Sanjeev Verma, ordered the suspension of sanitary supervisor Sonu Gill over the poor sanitation situation in Kacha Talab area of the city yesterday, an official spokesperson said today. Verma visited various areas of Jammu city and its peripheries to take stock of development works initiated by the civic body and the Power Development Department. "Non-seriousness and indolent attitude at work will not be tolerated and strict action will be taken against erring employees," Verma was quoted as saying by the spokesperson. The Divisional Commissioner also convened a review meeting with the senior officials of Power Development Department to assess the present scenario of electricity supply in Jammu. During the meeting, he directed the ...
Australian feral cats kill a million reptiles a day: Study
Feral cats kill more than one million reptiles every day in Australia, a new study showed today, with the staggering slaughter threatening many species. Cats have wiped out entire populations of some animals in Australia since being introduced by Europeans settlers two centuries ago, with efforts to cull or sterilise them so far failing to slow their march. The new findings are based on more than 10,000 cat dietary samples contributed by environmental scientists across the country. In total, around 650 million lizards and snakes fall victim to feral and pet cats annually, they found. "On average each feral cat kills 225 reptiles per year," said lead researcher John Woinarski, from Charles Darwin University, adding that feral cats consume more reptiles in Australia than in the United States or Europe. "Some cats eat staggering numbers of reptiles. We found many examples of single cats bingeing on lizards, with a record of 40 individual lizards in a single cat stomach." The study, ...
NW-1 project will fail until Ganga siltation issue is addressed: Nitish
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the Central government's National Waterway 1 project will not be successful unless the issue of siltation is addressed in the state.The 1,620 km long National Waterway 1 runs from Haldia to Allahabad and passes through West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh."Given the present condition of siltation in river Ganga, especially in Bihar region, the National Waterway 1 will not be successful until the issue of siltation is addressed and resolved," Kumar said in his speech at the two-day 'East India Climate Change Conclave 2018' here on Sunday.Kumar pointed out that he has been raising this issue for quite some time now and said his government had organised two conclaves on Ganga in Patna and New Delhi.He added that they also drew attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Nitin Gadkari on the same.The Chief Minister further expressed his concern over the issue of global warming and said: "Everybody is aware of .
BMC collects 591 kg of plastic following ban
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has collected 591.67 kilograms of banned plastic and around Rs. 3,35,000 as fine on Sunday, following the plastic ban in the state.The BMC launched a drive against the plastic on Saturday and formed various teams to conduct raids at various places. Anyone who was found using plastic was imposed with a fine.A complain authority has been formed at every ward for those who refused to pay the fine. And, a case will be registered against those who refused to pay the fine.Banned plastic was found at a total of 72 places. The BMC raided around 867 places today.Maharashtra environment minister Ramdas Kadam on Saturday lauded the decision of the state government of imposing a ban on the use of plastic in the state."It is good that plastic is getting banned in the state. Maharashtra has become the 18th state to ban plastic. Plastic is a problem for everyone," Kadam told ANI.On March 23, the Maharashtra government had issued a notification, imposing a ...
This plastic alternative could solve pollution problem
A new bio-renewable and bio-degradable plastic alternative has been synthesised by experts that can help solve the plastic waste problem, a new research has claimed.Researchers from the Colorado State University have taken another step toward a future of high-performance, bio-renewable, bio-degradable plastics.The team led by Professor of Chemistry Eugene Chen described chemical synthesis of a polymer called bacterial poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) or P3HB. The compound showed early promise as a substitute for petroleum plastics in major industrial uses.P3HB is a biomaterial, typically produced by bacteria, algae, and other microorganisms, and is used in some biomedical applications. Its high production costs and limited volumes rendered the material impractical in more widespread commodity applications, however.The team, which included the paper's first author Xiaoyan Tang, used a starting material called succinate, an ester form of succinic acid.This acid was produced via fermentation of
'Delhi doesn't need beautification but strength to breathe'
Residents on Sunday continued their protest against cutting of trees under the redevelopment project in Delhi's Sarojini Nagar, Nauroji Nagar and Netaji Nagar areas.In wake of the ongoing protest, environmentalist Vimlendu Jha called the whole situation 'unfortunate' saying the city at present doesn't need beautification but the strength to breathe."It's an unfortunate situation. Look at the air quality of the city. Almost 80 people are dying every day due to the toxic air here. Rather than creating long-term solutions for this, the Government is cutting down 17000 trees in the name of development. This is illogical," Jha told ANI.He added, "Our only appeal to the government is to create buildings 'with trees' not 'on them'. Although legally it is allowed to cut 1 tree in place of 10 trees, but now the situation is not about legality but morality."Jha further accused NBCC of violating rules, saying it hasn't done the compensatory afforestation as promised and the budget allocated for .
Climate change affecting agriculture in Bihar: CM
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said climate change has been affecting the state over the years and its impact is visible, with monsoon getting delayed every year and the volume of rain also showing a downward trend.
Climate change: How a Hyderabad girl made a difference
Hyderabad girl, Prathyusha Parakala, a software professional, was among the 90 Global Climate Force ambassadors selected to visit Antarctica, to create awareness about climate change.She was felicitated by the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao for her achievement.Planning to spread awareness on climate change in future, she said, "I see a lot of potential in the education sector, children are so full of hope. I want to do a long-term environment curriculum with them. I have been taking sessions with corporate employees of companies that have already sponsored me."Parakala was selected in 2017 after which she undertook three and half month preparations to raise money and awareness."My expedition was called as the International Antarctic expedition where we went to the seventh and last continent of the earth. Going so far wasn't just a tour but it was a travel with a purpose. It was a climate change expedition where ambassadors around the world came there to brainstorm our ...
Raj govt mulling to enact law for conservation of forts: Khan
Rajasthan government was mulling to enact a law for conservation of forts, palaces and havelis in the state, PWD minister Yunus Khan said today. "State government had constituted Rajasthan Heritage Conservation Authority and is now mulling to promulgate a law to save the rich heritage of the state from any damage," Khan said at a two-day seminar of Indian Building Congress in Udaipur today. He said that ancient civilisation and culture in the state was an identity of the country as well and it was our responsibility to conserve them for our future generations. Khan said that despite the availability of advanced technology, "the lifespan of modern buildings is short. They demand more maintenance than our archaeological buildings." He said that every engineer should aim for constructing at least one such building in his lifetime that will last hundred to two hundred years.
